Elmsett and Aldham Village Hall Coffee Morning

The Village Hall in Elmsett is in the middle of a major makeover.  Internal decoration has been completed by a small team of volunteers, new curtains have been hung, insulation installed, and now the project is moving on to replace the heating system and carry out other repairs.

Yesterday morning a coffee morning was held in the hall to showcase the new developments and to display some of the aspects of village life.  There were also some stalls, including one from the excellent Shrubland Park Nursery in the village where I was able to buy some lovely fuschias.

There seems to be a good deal going on in Elmsett, with an active WI, a community woodland project, and a busy carpet bowls club. Football activities are also being expanded and there are plans to renovate the pavilion and other sports facilities in the village. There is also a thriving village school.   I was able to arrange to receive the Elmsett and Aldham Newsletter which will keep me closer in touch with events in the future.

I was interested to learn in the course of the morning that Thomas Gainsborough painted a landscape that includes Elmsett Church.  The picture hangs in The Bowes Museum, County Durham and dates from the early 1750's, the period that Gainsborough spent in Sudbury and latterly in Ipswich prior to moving on to greater things in Bath.

Thomas Gainsborough, Elmsett Church, c 1750 - 1755, oil on canvas