Hall Memorabilia
There are a number of itemsin the hall that might be of particular interest to people researching aspects of their family or village history
Paintings:
Several paintings of early Trustees and benefactors hang in the hall. These include:- Miss. A. Drake-Cutliffe, watercolour by Grahame Penn of Lincombe (1992); Lt. B.H.H.Drake-Cutliffe, oil by Lilian Cheviot; Mrs. E. Tugwell, photograph; Mrs. I. Pilley, oil by Sybil Trist, Lady Richardson of Lee; Mrs. J. Spurgin, oil by Sybil Trist, Lady Richardson of Lee who was a Trustee for 40 years.
War Memorabilia:
By the entrance door to the hall near the Clock Tower is a semi-circular shaped recess in the wall 48 inches high and 13 inches wide. Originally it held a large 11 inch naval brass shell case from the First World War. A brass plaque on it originally states that it was presented to the people of Lee by the National War Savings Committee to commemorate their notable subscriptions to War Securities during Gun Week 1918. The shell was voluntarily surrendered in the early days of the Second World War to be used as munitions.
Village Map
In 1995, an illustrated map of the village was drawn and painted by a local artist, Grahame Penn. This 48-inch by 38-inch map is framed and hangs on the north wall of the hall. The Women’s Institute organised the map and members of the WI did the cross-stitch work.
The Lee Textile Wall Hanging
On the 16 December 2000 this framed patchwork measuring 38 inches by 31 inches was unveiled to commemorate the Millennium.
To recognise the Millennium, the Lee Quilters Group designed and made this commemorative wall hanging to be displayed in the hall. The hanging was designed by Hilary Widlake, a member of the group. As the village has adopted the fuchsia as its symbol, this became the inspiration for the main design of the hanging. Many needlecraft techniques are included in the making of this wall hanging and these are described below.
The centre square depicts the Lee War Memorial Cross. This is worked as an applique, with Italian quilting and trapunto details (worked by Heather Casbon). To either side of the cross are panels showing the church windows. These are worked in free machining and machine applique (worked by Hilary Widlake). Above and below the cross and windows are stencilled lettering panels with hand quilted details (worked by Jenny Tapping). There are 14 patchwork blocks, each depicting a stylised fuchsia, each block is made up of 34 separate pieces and is made by a member of the patchwork group. The hanging is finished with a pieced border (worked by Margaret Hill). Piped seams are included to separate the main panel and the border.
The Bishops' Stone
At the N.W. corner of the Memorial Hall (on the left at the entrance to the car park opposite the church) lies the Bishops' Stone, which was originally to be found in the grounds of Southcliffe (looking down the valley to the sea). Its interest dates from approx. 1833 when it is said that Bishop Henry Phillpotts, the then Bishop of Exeter, used it as a seat from which to watch the Rev. Prebendary Tugwell fly-fishing in the near-by pond. Since then it has been associated with a number of visiting Bishops.