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Legend of St Eanswythe: Graham Clarke's poem
Graham Clarke shared his poem on St Eanswythe at our 2016 AGM.
St Eanswythe was the granddaughter of Saxon King Ethelbert of Kent. She built the first nunnery
in England at Folkestone. While the building work was in progress one of the carpenters cut too much off one of the main beams. The legend is that she lengthened the beam by the power of prayer alone. The little church in Brenzett on the Romney Marsh is dedicated to her. She is a Kentish heroine for us all.
On Beam Ends in Folkestone
Her grandad was King Ethelbert, King Ethelbert of Kent
Young Eanswythe down to Folkestone town with building plans was sent
The nunnery that had been planned would be the first in the land
“A holy place is what we need, so make this job your mission
Don’t worry what the council says you’ve got my permission
Saxon craftsmen on this job when about your task
Follow plans most carefully, that is all I ask.”
So the building work began following the holy plan
Till one boy cut a beam too short and by the foreman he was caught
“I told you cut it ten foot four, you’ve cut off fourteen inches more!
You’re really the most useless bloke, that beam was very pricey oak
Don’t try to blame it on the saw, and don’t tell me your eyesight’s poor.”
This now reached our Good Lady’s ear, she told the poor lad “Do not fear.”
“Go and have a cup of tea, leave the sorting out to me.”
While men went off to get their teas, Eanswythe got down on her knees
No-one knows what happened quite on that blessed building site
For whan they came back through the door, the beam had grown to ten foot four
Proper length, perfect fit, the beam had grown the missing bit
“Good Lord we can’t see how that’s done, she’s done a miracle our nun.”
“Saints alive,” the workmen said, the foreman stared and scratched his head
So carpenters when cutting planks, to Eanswythe offer humble thanks
Then should you make a slight mistake pray Eanswythe might her mercy take
But not if you use saws electric. And by the way she don’t do metric.
© Graham Clarke 2016
For more on the AGM and a link to the minutes click here.
November 21st 2016
- A number of important documents have yet to emerge. For example, a rigorous transport plan and a finalised air-quality assessment. The latter is critical given that allocations at Teynham will feed extra traffic into AQMAs.
- There seems to be no coherent plan for infrastructure delivery – a key component of the plan given the allocations being proposed near the already crowded Junction 7.
- There seems to have been little or no cooperation with neighbouring boroughs or even parish councils within Swale itself.
The removal of a second consultation might have been understandable if this final version of the plan were similar to that being talked about at the beginning of the consultation process. It is, however, radically different in the following ways:
- There has been a major shift in the balance of housing allocations, away from the west of the borough over to the east, especially around the historic town of Faversham. This is a move that raises many concerns.
- A new large allocation, with accompanying A2 bypass, has appeared around Teynham and Lynsted, to which we are objecting.
- Housing allocations in the AONB around Neames Forstal that were judged “unsuitable” by the council’s own officers have now appeared as part of the housing numbers.
- Most of the housing allocations being proposed are on greenfield sites, many of them on Grade 1 agricultural land – a point to which we are strongly objecting.
Concerns about the rush to submit the plan
The haste with which the plan is being prepared is especially worrying given the concentration of housing in Faversham. If the town is to take a large amount of new housing, it is imperative that the policies concerning the area are carefully worked out to preserve, as far as possible, the unique nature of the town. The rush to submit the plan is likely to prove detrimental.
As Swale does not have a five-year land housing supply, it is open to speculative development proposals, many of which would run counter to the ideas contained in the current plan. Some are already appearing. This is a common situation, and one that, doubtless, is a reason behind Swale’s haste.
Our overriding fear, however, is that this emphasis on haste is ultimately going to prove counterproductive. This is because it is our view that the plan, in its current form, is unlikely to pass independent examination. We are urging Swale to listen to and act upon the comments being made about the plan and to return the plan to the council with appropriate modifications before submitting it to the Secretary of State.
Essentially, this means treating the current consultation not as the final one but as the ‘lost’ second consultation.
The consultation ends on Friday 30 April and we strongly urge residents to make their opinions known if they have not already done so.
Further information
