16, 27-29th September 2019

Dinner at at The George

The actual happening of a Master’s Weekend is the tip of the iceberg.

The months of planning, research  and trying to fit the various pieces of the jigsaw together culminate in two days where the bits of the jigsaw either do fit together or not – happily in our case they did! And despite a somewhat ominous weather forecast, in the event the weather smiled on us the whole weekend!

On Friday evening the 27^th September, 22 of us gathered at The George pub in South Street for a Welcome Drink in The Snug – before proceeding to the restaurant where we enjoyed a very fine meal.

The Master encouraged as many as could make it to rise early enough to take part in the Parkrun in Bridport which takes place at St Mary’s Fields , close to the centre of town . And as Saturday dawned 6 intrepid members of the party, including the Master and his Consor, found themselves participating in the 14^th St Mary’s Parkrun at 9.00am . The morning was for everyone to explore and enjoy what Bridport has to offer – it was the day of The Charter Fair (which commemorates the grant of the Charter to hold a market in Bridport by Henry III to the citizens of the town ). The town was en fete – with live music throughout the day at Bucky Doo Square in the centre of town , and many stalls offering their wares, as well as the weekly bric a brac market on South Street. We had organised for the Church Tower of St Mary’s Church to be opened, and the clear weather afforded those who climbed the narrow steps and squeezed through the tiny doorway onto the roof of the Church Tower a wonderful view of Bridport.

Team photo at Furleigh Estate Vineyard 

The afternoon saw us all gather at Furleigh Estate vineyard around 15 minutes drive from Bridport where, after a most informative tour , we sat down to sample three wines produced by the vineyard.

The West Dorset Community Strings 
performing at the dinner on Saturday night

Then it was back into Bridport for a cup of tea before all meeting again at The Literary & Scientific Institute where we were treated to an absolutely fascinating talk on” Churchill’s Secret Army” – the untold story of the UK resistance movement set up by Churchill after Dunkirk , when an invasion of the UK seemed imminent . After such excellent mental nourishment, it was again time to nourish the body with pre-dinner prosecco   and canapes before sitting down to a meal where both The Hyde Farmhouse pork sausages and The Hyde Farmhouse apple juice were on offer. During dinner we were entertained by a performance by the West Dorset Community Strings –

a group of nine violinists and cellists who played amongst other pieces, Handel’s Water Music!

On Sunday the 29^th September, after coffee at West Bay, it was time to say farewell as the curtain came down on what had been a most convivial and enjoyable Master’s Weekend.