A merry Christmas

I've had a rather busy month of celebration, quite a few Santa sightings and the National Trust Christmas Party in between. If you needed a reason to volunteer, their merry Christmas Party with all the trimmings would be one.

 This year the lunch party was hosted at the RAF High Wycombe where high security and the presentation of identification cards are the norm. To lighten the mood we were greeted by some of the usual staff faces displaying unusual musical talent. Who knew we had a musical archaeologist in Gary Marshall? It actually should not surprise that he had a few instruments and songs up his sleeve, as the video below shows.

Research under the Roofs 

On a slightly more business note, the new year will be a busy one but possibly more under the radar. Much of the next phase of refurbishment will take place inside the cottages and under, not on the actual roof tops.

Aside from contractors and building works, a large chunk of labour will be taking place in and amongst the village and its villagers. To feed our curiosity about the social history of West Wycombe Village,  National Trust Research volunteers led by Curator Oonagh Kennedy have been digging to unearth information about everything from the impact of War on the village to the remnants of its once bustling railway station. 

Oonagh's volunteers meet regularly to download interviews and upload them onto a digital database. These audio and visual accounts in the form of recorded interviews, photographs and video will be one of the many lasting legacies of the West Wycombe Village Project. 

I'll hope to share the developments here on the blog in the new year.

I wish you a happy Christmas and to see you in 2014.