Arborfield
Local History Society

 Memories - Garth Hunt, New Year, 1930

[This photo was attributed to 'Collier and Guy', as was usually the case in the Reading Mercury at this period. Unfortunately, the negatives are no longer available, but microfilms of the newspapers can be seen at Reading Local Studies Library, to whom we are grateful for this opportunity to reproduce them here. Thanks also to the 'Chronicle' series of newspapers, who have for many years had a weekly History column, the most recent being known as the 'Retro' series.]

Caption: Following the meet at The Mole, Arborfield, on New Year’s Day, the Garth Hunt had to cross the swollen stream at Carter’s Hill. Among the leading followers are Major Sir Herbert and Lady Cayzer and Colonel Sir Leslie Wilson.

Note: It is not clear whether this view is being taken facing Winnersh or facing Arborfield Hall, because the thatched barn is long since gone. In 2005, there is a footbridge adjoining the ford on the upstream side, in which case, this view is probably looking north towards Winnersh.  The thatched barn at Carter's Hill is believed to be the one that was dismantled and re-erected at Chiltern Open Air Museum.

Article from Saturday January 11th:

The Garth dog pack met on New Year’s Day at The Mole, Arborfield. At the meet were [list of about 30 people]. Several covers in the district were drawn blank. Hounds were then put into the cover opposite Arborfield Lodge, Swallowfield Park, and quickly found a fox, which led hounds away up to Farley Castle, and across by Fir Grove, and back towards the Bramshill Hunt, and all across the race course at the Arborfield Remount.

Crossing the Arborfield and Eversley Road, through Westwood and across the fields, hounds flashed on, going to Westlands, the fox turning back into the small cover by Bunces Shaw. Hounds were eventually got back to Bunces Shaw, and ran their fox on through Westlands, out nearly to the Swallowfield road, turning back over the Arborfield hills into Long Copse, where they killed him after quite a nice hunt.

[At the same meet, there was a subsequent chase involving the Coombes, but not transcribed here].

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