Tisbury Tithe Barn and Fonthill Old Abbey

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On the afternoon of Tuesday 06 June members of The Shaftesbury & District Historical Society have the opportunity to make privilege visits to Tisbury Tithe Barn and Fonthill Old Abbey. The Tithe Barn at Place Farm, reputedly the largest in England, is now a venue for art exhibitions and events. The history of the Fonthill estate will be described by Sidney Blackmore of the Beckford Society in the tower room of the surviving remnant of Fonthill Old Abbey, and in the grounds, courtesy of Mrs Morant. The afternoon concludes with tea at The Angel in Hindon. A great deal of interest in Fonthill was stirred by Professor Caroline Dakers’s Teulon Porter Lecture in October 2016 and this promises to be a fascinating follow-up. Details of membership of The S&DHS can be found in the About Us menu of the Gold Hill Museum website.

Restored Sun and Moon Sign

Sensation at The Sun and Moon November 1906

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Hanging once again outside Gold Hill Museum, above the passageway down from the High Street, is the newly restored Sun and Moon Inn sign. During the winter months Shaftesbury & District Historical Society Trustee John Parker repainted and repositioned the sign, derived from the crest of the Bowles family after whom the Bowles Arms (or Sun and Moon Inn) was named. Having told us last month of the lively goings-on at the Edwardian lodging house in Sun and Moon Cottage, fellow Trustee Ray Simpson has revealed another sensational episode involving assault and possible murder in the Spring issue of The Byzant, the Historical Society Newsletter. This can be accessed in the About Us menu of the Gold Hill Museum website.