Life in the Loft

It is a cold house and an old house. The walls are thin. The windows let in the draught. Solar panels are not cost effective, not yet anyway, and planning permission needs to be sought before installation. The exterior plasterwork should not be disturbed. But we could increase the thickness of the loft installation – one easy solution . . . but the loft needs to be cleared!

Clearing the loft of the spoils of a sentimental collection amassed over a lifetime is not entirely a joy. It can be dirty, hot work but it does bring into focus a nostalgic view of one’s passages through life; old school books, and yes the odd school prize; the football programmes long since forgotten; magazines commemorating some event rendered into obscurity; the newspaper published the day after 9/11; china from past generations; picture frames, sometimes with pictures in them; trunks, empty.

But there are “finds” as well. You knew that they were there, just could not place that cardboard box in which they had lived out their retirement. So amongst this haul we found an urn-shaped trophy, silver-plate but quite handsome. The engraved title inscription, with the accompanying list of winners reads:

PERPETUAL CHALLENGE CUP
PRESENTED BY
THE FOUR TEES GREENSTED
TO THE
ONGAR AND DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
FOR THE WINNER OF
OPEN JUMPING EVENT

1949 H. Gabriel
1950 E. A. Appleby
1951 H. Gabriel
W. Chapman
1952 W. Chapman
1953 D. R. Smith Esq, “Paddy”
1954 H. Holmes Roma
1955 G. J. Banham
1956 Mrs R. Arnitage
1957 H. Holmes “Diana”
1958 R. Dale
1959 Miss M. Vidler
1960 Miss V. Clark

So who were the “Four Tees”? What was the “Open Jumping Event”? Can you offer any further details on the background to the trophy? Do you have a cup with a history that has been deserted in the loft?