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Stoke Golding Monitoring Post Open Day 2023



Stoke Golding Post

On 6th August John Shere, Andrew Ramek and I went along to the first ROC Open Day of Stoke Golding Post since the ending of restrictions for the pandemic - the last Open Day was on 2nd June 2018. A video of that event can be viewed here. 

Members of Coventry Group took turns in acting as guides for the Underground and Wartime Posts for members of the village community, walkers on the public bridleway were welcome too.   Terry Bottrill, who sadly passed away in May 2019 and restored and reconstructed the Posts, was very much in our thoughts.

The history of the reconstruction of these Posts is interesting.   Terry and his family purchased a new home in Stoke Golding with land for their daughter Helena’s pony.   When clearing the land he found something strange under the brambles, asked in the village what it was, became so intrigued and did research.   Before too long he had a fully fitted Underground Post.

Close to the Underground Post were the remains of an above ground structure.  Further research showed that this had been a brick built Wartime Post.   Terry found drawings and had one built to the correct specifications, the only change being made by planners was that for safety reasons the staircase should be inside the building rather than on the outside.   This is now fully functional with lessons being give on how to use the Post Instrument, the downstairs room serves as a Museum rather than the ‘cubby’ for tea in the old days.

Thanks are due to Terry’s widow Ann and daughter Helena for allowing members of Coventry Group to stage this Open Day and for the sumptuous lunch they provided, including the Pimms, which were all ferried across the field by Helena on the family buggy.

At the end of the day Ann Bottrill paid tribute to the Group Chairman, Gordon Johnson and members of Coventry Group, especially Doug Sayers for all his support and Malcolm Sayers for the amazing models together with their dedication in grass cutting and generally looking after the Post site during the years. The photographs are confirmation of this. 

(Photographs taken by Andrew Ramek.)         

Edwina Holden, MBE 
National Heritage Officer.

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