A Hampshire Calendar
Speaker: Gerald Ponting
Date: 24th April
Year: 2013

Gerald Ponting
Gerald Ponting has become renowned for his colour slide shows and digital presentations but as a writer, he specialises in local history, archaeological sites and guide-books and has been involved in self-publishing since 1977. He was brought up on a small farm in Hampshire and went to school in Salisbury, and university in Southampton. He was a biology teacher for 30 years in Suffolk, Outer Hebrides and Hampshire. He received the British Archaeological Award 1978 for research at Stones of Callanish. He was a Blue Badge Tourist Guide for Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset in the 1990s, he is also the Author or co-author of over 20 books, mostly on Hampshire communities and is an experienced speaker to many societies since 1965.
For this presentation he illustrated each month of the Hampshire year and included changes in the countryside – wild flowers, butterflies, fungi, autumn colours, frost – as well as regular and traditional events. These include May Day Morris at Southampton Bargate, the Tichbourne Dole and the Wickham Horse Fair. This was an inspiring presentation, beautifully illustrated with just the right amount of detail.
Some of the many events featured are presented below taken from Gerald’s leaflet of notes. Click here to visit his website
‘A Hampshire Calendar’ – Presentation by Gerald Ponting
Some of the events featured in the presentation
January
Local pantomimes (Chameleons, Chandlers Ford)
The Winter garden at Hiller’s Garden near Romsey
Walks in the New Forest
February
Snow at Flexford Nature Reserve, Chandlers Ford
Chinese New Year (sometimes late in January) – Southampton
Misty mornings in the New Forest (Kings Hat Inclosure)
Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Race at Alton
March
Daffodils and magnolias
Lady Day – distribution of the Titchbourne Dole
Easter events (or April) – Easter bunnies at Royal Victoria Railway
April
Bluebells and other spring flowers at (e.g.) Crab Wood, Sparsholt
Sheep and lambs on the downs
Little Woodham 17th century Village, Gosport (Various dates over summer season)
May
May Day, 6am at Southampton Bargate – King John’s Morris
Spring flowers on St Catherine’s Hill, in Flexford Nature Reserve and on the shingle beach at Lee-on the-Solent
Azaleas and Rhododendrons in Brenty Woodland at Hiller’s
May 20th – Wickham Horse Fair
Watercress Festival – New Alresford
June
Wild orchids at Noar Hill Reserve, near Selbourne
Open gardens around the county
Village fetes – notably St Cross, Winchester
Mottisfont Rose Garden at its best
Victorian Cricket Tournament at The Butts, Alton
July
Winchester Hat Fair
Pedal Car Grand Prix Ringwood / New Milton alternate years
Flowers of chalk downland (e.g. Broughton Down, Martin Down); butterflies
The New Forest Show
August
Heather in the New Forest; wetland plants at Avington Park
Flowers and vegetable shows
Bournmouth Air Show – the Red Arrows
September
Autumn fruits of the hedgerows
Romsey Show
October
Cider Making Weekend at Burley
Fungus Forays
Pigs foraging the New Forest for acorns and beech mast
Pumkin Festival, Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley
The Bonfire Boys’ Carnival at Titchfield
November
Guy Fawkes Night
Autumn colours (New Forest, Hiltingbury Lakes, Hiller’s Gardens)
Beaulieu Road pony sales (other months also, 5 times a year)
December
Frosty mornings; birdlife on Keyhaven Marshes, near lymington
Traffic light trail, Twyford Gap, M3
Victorian Christmas at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Boxing Day Mummers’ Play, The Vine, Bursledon
Meet of the New Forest Hounds at Balmer Lawn, Boxing Day