The Millennium Map
This Parish Map aims to capture what is special about our community and forms one part of the celebrations for the Millennium in the parish of Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards. In making this map many people from the local community have been brought together to contribute their ideas and talents with the much valued help and advice of others from beyond the parish.
The basis for what finally included in the map was gleaned from a questionnaire distributed to all households in the Parish. Some of the ideas local people suggested for inclusion in the parish map could be illustrated by photographs, drawings or stitchcraft. However, the feelings expressed by parishioners could only be partly expressed through such images. The narrative which flows across the cross section of the Parish at the base of the map records these feelings as well as the features and activities of Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards Parish around the year 2000.
The map is A1 size (33 x 24 inches approx) and is full colour. All the images are reproduced from original photographs, watercolour drawings, and stitch-craft especially commissioned for the map. The central area of the map depicts to scale every household and all key buildings within the parish. All roads and fields and hedgerows are included. The background of the map comprises redrawn contour lines to depict the topography of this area of the Chilterns.
Our map illustrates a few of the many animals and birds that you commonly come across or see evidence of within our parish.
About the paintings and drawings
Artist – GRAHAM LINCOLN
“Because I am colour blind (red / green) the drawing of animals presented me with some problems. I used poster paint (my son helped me with the colours and the paint pots at least had names on).”
“Once I’d got the right colour, tone and shade selection was not a great problem. So for the map I painted a series of birds in the same style. I then tackled some animals, which I’d not done before but followed the same style. Being interested in wildlife I had no end of references from which to compose my paintings.”
“Drawings in black ink are my speciality. Churches and old buildings make excellent subjects. They have few straight lines, lots of nooks and crannies, textured surfaces and creeping plants which can be represented by pen and ink in a very effective way. I use a fine nib pen and get as much detail in my drawings as possible”.
The Bazeley apple
Thought to be a corruption of By- or Best-of-Lee, the Bazeley Apple, first recorded in 1883, is understood now to grow only in this parish. It is oval in shape, sometimes with a bump to the side of the stalk and has a waxy yellow skin when ripe. It can be enjoyed either raw or cooked.
