letter from the chair · page 2 tidings 174 – summer 2016 the teddington society letter from the...

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR 2016 is a right Royal year! The visit of HRH Princess Anne to reopen the Park Lane Stables is reported inside and Her Majesty The Queen had her 90th birthday on April 21st. For her official birthday some 30 Teddington roads are closing for street parties on June 11/12 or 18/19. We are hoping lots of you will decorate your front gardens in our one-off competition "A Garden Fit For The Queen" thought up by Kathy Gold. On June 12th the winners, chosen by Colin Squire of Squires' Garden Centres, will be announced at St Mary's Church. Full details inside so do have a go and paint the town Royal. There'll be teas in the churchyard and at 6.30 there'll be a Special Festival Service. We'll film the best entries. It's free and it's fun. The whole Borough will be blooming itself up for the annual Richmond Borough In Bloom Merit Awards. You can enter in any one of 10 categories before June 24th. Full details and entry form are at www.richmondboroughinbloom.co.uk, or from Richmond Borough in Bloom, c/o 7 Strawberry Hill Rd.,

Twickenham TW1 4QB. Corporate member Elleray Hall have entered in the Community Buildings category so we wish them well. Why don't you have a go? Our MP has been very supportive, coming to the AGM, a Merits lunch and Chestnut Sunday. Next it's the Teddington Village Fair preceded by the Annual Pram Race on Sunday June 26th. This year Lensbury have stepped up to become our headline sponsor for which we thank them. Before that the council will plant a Black Walnut tree in memory of our late Vice President, Joan Freeman, in Park Road. A great honour for a lady who organised Teddington in Flower for many years. We hope you'll find something you like to do and see in Teddington. This is your town and your Society so join in and tell us what you want and help us to do it.

SHEENA

CONTENTS 1 Welcome 2 Teddington Society 2 Editorial 3 Princess Anne's Visit 3 Mr Teddington 4-6 AGM 6 Letter from Josette 6 Welcome, Nick 7 Teddington Archives

8 Treasurer's Report 9 Words and Music 9 SENTimental Puzzle 10 Slowly down the Thames 11 Borough WW1 Blog 11 Pram race & Village Fair 12 In the Footsteps of Drake 12 Merits Lunch 13 Garden fit for the Queen

13 Chestnut Sunday 13 Panorama of the Thames 14 Quantum Group 14 Teddington Carpets 14 Teddington Theatre Club 14 Parking in Teddington 15 Corporate Members 15 Membership Matters 16 Events Page

Tidings 174 – Summer 2016

The Teddington Society 1 Avenue Road, Teddington TW11 0BT Reg. Charity No. 802026 www.teddingtonsociety.org.uk President: Jenny Hilton Vice Presidents : Roger Avins, John Demont, Paddy Ching Chairman Sheena Harold 020 8977 2700 [email protected] Vice Chairman and Website Alan Benns 07768 078667 [email protected] Secretary Nick Picton [email protected] Treasurer Sally Howland 020 8977 9404 [email protected] Publicity & Promotions (inc. Gardens) Sheena Harold Membership Secretary Jenny Michell 020 8977 0772 [email protected] Magazine Editor: Donald Bell [email protected] Minutes Secretary: Judy Asher Planning Group James Sinclair 07535 629165 [email protected] Roads and Transport Group Brian Holder 020 8977 1579 [email protected] Environment Group Geoff Howland 020 8977 9404 [email protected] History Group Ken Howe 020 8943 1513 [email protected] Riverside and Open Spaces Group Andy Weston [email protected] Flood Working Group Brian Holder

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Donald Bell

Lots of personnel changes were announced at the AGM and are reported elsewhere in this edition of Tidings. We said farewell to Josette Nikiforou, our Secretary for many years, and we welcomed Nick Picton in her place. Alan Hopgood, "Mr Teddington" at the Station, had just taken (slightly) early retirement and he received a presentation, recognizing his decades of service. And Paddy Ching was invited to become a Vice President of the Society. We asked for her reactions. Here is what she said: Those of you who were at the AGM will realise what a shock I received at the end of the meeting when Sheena asked if I would become a Vice President of the Teddington Society. I had no idea whatsoever that this was coming! Many of you know me through the work of the History Group but I think it is appropriate to say a little more about myself. I came to Teddington in 1960 as one of the scientists at the Admiralty Research Laboratory in Queen’s Road, alas no longer there. My outside interests at that time were mostly sport, especially badminton and tennis, but in the 1970s I attended an evening class and became interested in Local History. I then spent much of my spare time at the Middlesex Record Office, which kept the early documents regarding the history of Teddington, copying all the information regarding the manor of Teddington I could find and I then joined the Society’s History Group. In 1980 I became less energetic and took up golf but became more involved with local history and am also one of the Vice Presidents of the Twickenham History Society. I have given many talks on the history of our village to the Teddington Society, to other History Societies and many smaller groups in the area. I have also led walks around the old parts of Teddington looking at older buildings still standing and I can’t count how many times I have sat at a table trying to sell booklets, postcards, mugs and now tea towels! The Society has been a great success in allowing us to have considerable contact with the council and putting Teddington on the map. How many Societies can fill a hall at their AGM? The film this year was a great success but most of you stayed to hear what your committee had to say. For those of you who are new to the area I recommend that as well as joining the Teddington Society you also join one of the working groups where you will make friends and find yourself doing all sorts of odd jobs to benefit our town. It is an honour to be a Vice President of this Society which I much appreciate. There is only one snag and that is that I must be getting old but one is only as old as one feels!


PRINCESS ANNE’S VISIT TO PARK LANE STABLES Natalie O’Rourke Back in 2015 the future of the stables was looking pretty grim. The building was in a very sad state. The roof was dilapidated and leaking, the facilities were worn out. Plans had been drawn up to redevelop the site into housing. Our landlord insisted that we renovate the whole structure or the lease would not be renewed.

The many friends and supporters of Park Lane Stables and local businesses all rallied round and we were able to mount a legal challenge to renew the lease with the help of The Original Maids of Honour Tea Rooms in Kew. We’ve been able to re-build the entire building as well as adding some super new amenities in just five months. The architect Dean Griffiths, of Astronaut Kawada Architecture, came up with an amazing design free of charge and local builders, Reed Construction Ltd of Hampton, undertook all the building work, just charging us for the materials.

So we were absolutely thrilled and delighted that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal agreed to re-open the stables on Wednesday 17th February and make the day so special for our riders, instructors, helpers and friends. The Princess saw a riding demonstration in Bushy Park and went on to see the new stables and facilities.

The Stables are run as a commercial business for local and visiting riders. This enables the charity arm to work. The Park Lane Stables RDA charity is part of the Riding for the Disabled Association’s national network of specialist facilities. The charity provides equine therapy and lessons for riders with additional needs, irrespective of age, and free of charge for those who cannot afford them. To fund these and the specialist riding equipment, we have an on-going fund-raising campaign so we are really chuffed to be made one of the beneficiaries of this year’s Teddington Pram Race.

MR TEDDINGTON Alan Hopgood has worked at Teddington Station for many years and is well known to all the regular travellers.

He has finally retired and at the AGM he received this very elegant tankard in recognition of his decades of service.

The engraving reads "Just the Ticket. Thanks a Million. With best wishes from Teddington Society and Friends".


ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Minutes by Judy Asher The Meeting was held on Tuesday 12th April 2016 at St Mary with St Alban Church Hall, Langham Road, Teddington. Members Present: John Demont (Vice President), Sheena Harold (Chairman), Alan Benns (Vice Chairman), Sally Howland (Treasurer), Josette Nikiforou (Secretary), Jenny Michell, Brian Holder, Geoff Howland, Andy Weston, Donald Bell, Judy Asher and about 65 Teddington Society members. 1. The Chairman opened the Annual General Meeting by asking Pamela McHutchon to publicise the tours she is running and the Merits Spring Lunches. She then introduced Bill Reid, the Community Links Officer of the London Borough of Richmond, who has been the point of contact for the Village Plan events.

He said that after the London elections he would be looking for even more feedback from local residents about the issues they would like to be addressed by the council. Sheena Harold urged everyone to go to the Quantum Community Consultation meetings and give their opinion about their proposed development plans for the Udney Park Playing Field site. She then welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming. 2. Apologies for Absence Apologies had been received from Tony Arbour, Elisabeth Cox, Elizabeth Foster, James Sinclair, Janet and David Pollock, Ken Howe and David Lawton. 3. Adoption of the Minutes of the AGM held on 14th April 2015 Adoption of the minutes was proposed by Jenny Michell and seconded by Jayne Chase and accepted. 4. Matters Arising from the Minutes There were no matters arising. 5. Treasurer’s Report

At the AGM, Sally Howland began by thanking Pete Shaw, the independent examiner, for his support. The accounts were available on the website and also tabled at the meeting. She noted that the accounts showed a healthy cash balance of £12,323, of which £9,817 was available to spend after adjustments for provisions and debtors. Details of these adjustments are given in the Spreadsheet. There had been a surplus for the year of £1,834 which, after adjusting for prior year items and uncleared cheques, gave a profit of just over £1k which is available to be donated for charity purposes. This has arisen as the income from subscriptions, gift aid and sales was greater than administrative costs. She explained that the gift aid related to 2014 subscription and the gift aid on 2015 subscriptions will be received in 2016. She then made detailed comments on the various items of income and expenditure, including the increased income from the Pram Race after using an online fundraising programme. Expenditure was significantly lower than 2014 due to one off costs in 2014 for the purchase of books, mugs and tea towels and the website development not being repeated.

6. Group Leaders’ Reports These detailed reports were available on the Society website and also tabled at the meeting. The group leaders detailed further items which they considered important. Environment: Geoff Howland highlighted the litter picking work completed by the group by showing a photograph of a broken glass vase which could have severely injured a citizen. He drew attention to the leaflet showing the location of toilets available for public use in the community toilet scheme. Alan Hopgood suggested Teddington Station as an ideal place for a supply of these leaflets. History: In the absence of Ken Howe, the Group Leader, whose report had been tabled, Paddy Ching spoke for the History Group which had had a busy year. The work around the Valerie Sullivan archive in updating the names of the dead from WW1 has continued with David


Neller and Colin Hicks at the forefront. Following a question from the floor by John Roxby about the missing names from the Stanley Road School memorial Sheena Harold assured the questioner that this work is ongoing but it is a slow process. Planning: Diana Gillespie spoke for the Group Leader, James Sinclair, as he could not be present. She summed up their active year by saying that the group’s 10 members had considered 106 applications. The larger ones concerning the sites at Teddington Studios, Udney Park Playing Fields and Ham Hydro all feature prominently. The group meet with Council Planners once a year. Trees and Gardens: Sheena Harold said that sadly this year it has not been possible to organise Teddington in Flower but to honour the Queen’s 90th Birthday, a fantastic achievement, residents are being encouraged to produce a front garden ‘Fit For The Queen’. Joan Freeman, who organised Teddington in Flower for 17 years, sadly died last year and a black walnut tree is to be planted in her memory opposite the Park Road doctors’ surgery. She noted that the whole town benefits from brightening up front gardens. John Demont added that St Mary's with St Alban's church will mark the Queen’s official birthday on June 12th with a competition to produce a one metre square floral design, teas in the churchyard and an evening service. Bhavna Patel pointed out that the High Street will have hanging baskets and a flower tower to improve the atmosphere and sense of wellbeing in the town.

Riverside and Open Spaces: Andy Weston noted the improvement in the Riverside area gained by help from the litter pickers. He thanked them for their support. He commented on the Environment Agency latest Flood Relief plans for the River Thames which will include a new sluice at Teddington Lock, planned for 2018/25. This would fundamentally change the weir at Teddington and he drew attention to the details in his report. The removal of illegally moored boats progresses, but only slowly. Mike Pemberton of Reclaim our Riverbank was invited to update us on his activities in this area. Roads and Transport: Brian Holder drew attention to the proposed extension to the Controlled Parking Zone

(CPZ) to central Teddington and a delay in the consultation on this. Flooding: The judicial review, initiated by the Lensbury and Pinenorth, on the procedures leading to the acceptance of the Teddington and Ham Hydro proposal took place on 13th/14th April. Meanwhile a much improved design, based on the one at Romney and which should not greatly increase the flooding risk, is taking shape. There are still concerns that the more rapid release of flood waters by bypassing the natural holding areas upstream will lead to higher levels of water downstream to areas such as Teddington, making the risk of local flooding more likely. Donald Bell, the editor of Tidings, said that he is always interested in receiving items for the magazine which are of general interest and contain roughly 350 words and a couple of suitable photographs. 7. Adoption of the Accounts The adoption of the accounts was proposed by Alan Benns and seconded by Andy Weston. All agreed. 8. Vote of thanks to the Treasurer and the Independent Examiner A vote of thanks was given to the Treasurer, Sally Howland and to the Independent Examiner, Pete Shaw. 9. Motions: none 10. Election of Officers and Committee Members John Demont took proceedings at this point. He said that all the Society’s Officers were standing for re-election except Josette Nikiforou, the current secretary, who had tendered her resignation. He proposed a vote of thanks to Josette for all her hard work on behalf of the Society. Sheena Harold echoed this feeling and personally thanked Josette for her support. On behalf of all the Committe she presented Josette with a Tunisian Mezze Platter as a thank you. He was pleased to say there had been one nomination for Secretary, Nick Picton, proposed by Sheena Harold and seconded by Alan Benns. Nick was duly elected. The following Officers were then re-elected by a show of hands: Chairman – Sheena Harold Vice Chairman – Alan Benns

Treasurer – Sally Howland Membership Secretary – Jenny Michell Publicity Officer – Sheena Harold

All the current Group Leaders are able to continue: Environment – Geoff Howland Roads and Transport – Brian Holder History – Ken Howe Trees and Gardens – Sheena Harold Planning – James Sinclair Riverside and Open Spaces – Andy Weston

John Demont thanked the Committee for their hard work during the past year which was heartily applauded by those present. He hoped that the Teddington Society


would continue to thrive as Teddington would be all the poorer without it. Sheena Harold thanked John for his continued help and support since his Chairmanship and said he was her mentor. 12. Appointment of Independent Examiner Pete Shaw agreed to continue as independent Examiner for another year and was duly appointed. Proposed by Brian Holder and seconded by Diana Macdonald. 13. Any Other Business: Sheena Harold said that following the death of Joan Freeman there was a vacancy for an Honorary Vice President. She was delighted to be able to ask Paddy Ching, who had worked tirelessly for the society for many years and been History Group convenor for 20 years, to accept this position. Paddy had much pleasure in accepting.

Alan Hopgood MBE, who recently retired from his post at Teddington Station where he was well known for cheering up local travellers, was presented with a glass tankard to recognise the contribution he made over many years to the life of Teddington. He will now help the Society with their publicity efforts. 14. Close of Meeting The meeting closed with thanks to Diana Macdonald and Peter Roche for manning the bar, to Peter Denton for his photography and to all attending.

LETTER FROM JOSETTE Dear all, I would just like to say 'Thank you very much for the lovely Mezze Platter you presented me at the AGM. I will definitely put it to good use, especially now the weather is warming up, I am looking forward to sitting in my garden on one of those hopefully warm, balmy evenings and enjoying the dips it will be filled with. I would also like to say it has been my pleasure and a great privilege to have worked with you all. I truly admire your energy and 100% dedication that you put into keeping Teddington a better place. Keep up the good work!

Thank you all once again for welcoming me into the Teddington Society from the very beginning. Thanks to Sheena for taking me under her wing and being there for me if I needed advice and to you all for all your help in assisting me to fulfil my role as Hon. Sec. I will miss seeing you all at the monthly meetings but as I have said before I am still going to be around and happy to help out if needed at events, gate sitting etc.

Best wishes Josette

WELCOME NICK When we heard that Josette would no longer be our Secretary, we wondered who could possibly take her place. Up stepped Nick Picton as a willing volunteer. "Does he realize what he is taking on?" we asked. Yes he does! And he is very welcome. We asked him for a few lines:

I have lived in the area since 1980 (having moved here from far away Osterley!) and am currently enjoying a career break, having spent many years working in the insurance and banking industries. I look forward to becoming more involved in the activities of the Society. My particular interests are the history of the area and, as a supporter of the London Wildlife Trust and the Wetlands and Wildfowl Trust, I am also interested in environmental issues.


TEDDINGTON IN THE ARCHIVES Felix Lancashire Archivist Local Studies Library & Archive Many wonderful windows into Teddington’s past can be found amongst the collection of Richmond upon Thames Local Studies Library & Archive. As the Borough’s archive, Local Studies holds records dating from 1489-2016, which tell the story of the development of the Borough and the lives of its people. The records include those created by local authorities and organisations, and the personal papers of individuals. Described here are just a few highlights that relate to Teddington. Local Authority records You can discover the history of your house or other buildings, using records such as old maps, rate books, and building plans.

Here is a plan for houses in Gloucester Road. The Examination of the Poor records we hold date from 1802-1841. These are the accounts of people moving to Teddington and seeking support from the Vestry (the equivalent of the Council). If they had a connection to the local area, such as having been born or married there, they were more likely to be granted the right to settle in Teddington; otherwise they were returned to the Parish they had travelled from. The accounts provide the life stories of ordinary people, in their own words. For example on 7th December 1833 Sarah Baldwin told of how her niece, Mary Love, working as a servant for a Mr Clarke in Teddington, became pregnant (possibly by her employer) and gave the baby, George, to her aunt to look after. Mary had since died, and Sarah applied to the Vestry for support for George. Sarah signs her testimony with a cross, a common practice as many people were illiterate. Organisational records We hold records from local businesses, schools, charities, hospitals, societies, and other organisations. These

include the records of the Bridgman Charity Trust dating from 1834-1968.

This organisation was established to help fund the education of poor children in Teddington, and annually awarded payments to local schools for the children deemed to be the most deserving. The records contain lists of all the children who received awards.

These were discovered a few years ago by a lady shortly after she moved into her house in Teddington: she found them in the garden shed and very kindly donated them to us.

Shown here is part of a site plan for Camp Griffiss, the Second World War American airforce base in Bushy Park, from which the D-Day landings were planned. If you have any records relating to the history of the area, including your own family records, we are always grateful for offers of donation, so please get in touch.


We also have several boxes of documents produced by Teddington Studios, and our school records include the log books of St Mary’s & St Peter’s School from about the 1890s to the 1910s. Personal papers Amongst the records of individuals are the letters Verena Simmons wrote to her sisters during the Second World War.

Verena lived in Kingston Lane and describes in wonderful detail what life in Teddington was like during the war, including the routine hassle of getting her husband Leonard to sleep in the air raid shelter. R.D. Blackmore, the author of Lorna Doone, lived in Teddington from about 1854 to 1900. We have his handwritten manuscript for his novel, Kit and Kitty, as well as a series of charts he produced recording the rainfall levels in his garden. A keen gardener, he got up early every morning to take these rainfall measurements, and they provide a fascinating glimpse of the man behind the books. You can search Local Studies’ online catalogue at www.richmond.gov.uk/localstudies.

If you have any enquiries about the history of Teddington or other parts of the Borough, please contact us (020 8734 3309), [email protected] or visit us to

discover the secrets for yourself at The Old Town Hall, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond, TW9 1TP.

REPORT OF THE TREASURER 2015

Summary of income and expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2015

a detailed breakdown is available on the website and from the Secretary

2015 2014

£ £ £ £ £ £

Bank balance brought forward 10,489 10,070

Income

Subs, Donations, Gift Aid Refund 6,488 6,479

Sales: (Publications, Mugs, other) 862 820

Teddington in Flower 1,323 1,192

LBRUT and Env Agency grants and donations

2,390 1,840

Teddington Fair and Pram Race 8,143 5,187

Other 614 621

19,820 16,139

Expenditure

Newsletter 3,341 3,522

Donations 10,804 5,384

Other 3,841 6,814

17,986 15,720

Surplus for year 1,834 419

Balance carried forward 12,323 10,489

S A Howland - Hon. Treasurer P J Shaw - Independent Examiner


WORDS & MUSIC As Teddington Summer Music enters its fourth season, Tom Higgins gives a background to the festival and an overview of this year’s events.

There is a romantic idea that great schemes are hatched over informal lunches. Proving that it can happen in Teddington, Tony Lamb and I met one day (yes it was over lunch), to discuss setting up a music festival. Our first concert, we determined, would mirror a Royal Academy of Music event we had recently promoted in memory of the late Sir Charles Mackerras – a legendary conductor with whom we had both worked at English National Opera. We invited the same musicians – the London Dvořák Ensemble – to come to Teddington and present the same repertoire: Mozart’s Gran Partita K361 and Dvořák’s Wind Serenade in D Minor. This, we felt, constituted our mission statement, which was to promote the best possible music-making. Two further concerts completed the first series. In addition, we implemented a New Year Viennese Concert as a fund-raising event, which also allowed us to give promising young musicians performing opportunities. A search for a soprano for our 2014 event yielded Gemma Lois Summerfield, a student at the Royal College of Music, whose outstanding voice made a big hit with the audience, so much so that we asked her to return in 2015. Our faith in Gemma was rewarded when that year at the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Award she ‘swept the board’ by winning both the 1st Prize and the Loveday Song Prize. Now we look forward to our 2016 series commencing with A Summer Garland on Saturday 11th June at the Normansfield Theatre. Soprano Alison Rayner, Tony Lamb (clarinet), Roy Stratford (piano), and actor Paul Alexander present a programme of words and music, featuring works by Shakespeare, Kipling, Mozart, Joplin, Rachmaninov and others. It will reflect the theme of the weekend of "Teddington In Flower" which this year will be "A Garden Fit For The Queen".

Returning to the Normansfield a week later on 18th June with String Serenade, the London Dvořák String Ensemble (conductor, Tom Higgins) performs Mozart, Elgar and Holst. Tony Lamb is the soloist in Gerald Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto. Finally, at the Landmark Arts Centre on 25th June, the Richmond Symphonic Concert Band (conductor, Tom Higgins) returns with its ever popular Favourites of Stage & Screen. A significant development for TSM this year has been Teddington Society’s three-year commitment to provide financial assistance. Tony and I would like to record our grateful thanks to the Society. We also thank Sir Vince Cable for continuing to be our Patron.

It only remains for us to say that we hope you like the above series of programmes and we look forward to seeing you in June. Details of tickets etc are on the web site: http://langdondowncentre.org.uk/event

/teddington-summer-music-festival/

Tom Higgins (picture on left) and Tony Lamb (picture on right) are joint artistic directors of Teddington Summer Music.

A SENTimental PUZZLE I don’t know why, but most of us get a perverse pleasure out of making up sequence puzzles. While invigilating an exam, I was reading a puzzle book and the following pattern occurred: SENT. I then realised that this can be continued as: SENTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. What is the next letter? (answer, well, just a clue actually, on page 11)


SLOWLY DOWN THE THAMES Alan and Hilary Benns Number 3 in an ongoing series Lechlade to Newbridge Our chapters for the walk are based on two Ordnance Survey books covering the Thames Path but with Chapter 3 advertised as 16¼ miles we decided that this was not something we’d attempt in one day. After all we were on our holidays. We set off from Lechlade on a misty morning during October to see how far we’d get that day. Having safely negotiated the first field (and cattle) we passed by St. John’s lock and inexplicably missed the first Trout Inn of the route (we did return). Then we were into soggy, slippery terrain. The river meanders here and every few hundred yards we encountered an old “pillbox”. Since my formal education in history had ceased at age 14, I had no idea what these structures were. Our guide book mentioned Stop Line Red so I was determined to find out more about them.

As it happened we didn’t get much further on our first morning. Dismal weather and a lightly twisted knee meant that we left the river at Kelmscott, which was much to our advantage. We (I) limped up the road into the village and were rewarded by the sight of the Plough Inn. It was a little early for lunch but we were made welcome with beers and an arrangement for a taxi to Swindon. Some six months later we returned, via Swindon and the first Trout Inn (both better missed if you have the option) to Kelmscott. Kelmscott (apparently) is famous as the country residence of William Morris. He lived in the Manor here for over 25 years and the building is now open to the public (subject to the vagaries of the London Society of Antiquaries who decided that Easter Saturday would be an ideal time to be closed). However it is more famous to the Benns walkers as the source of splendid sausages, bacon, black pudding and pork which were on the menu at each place where we ate breakfast or dinner throughout the Cotswolds. After a relaxing night in The Plough we set off in light drizzle to continue through the bends in the river and for pillbox spotting, as there was little else of interest. The

pillboxes were part of the General Headquarters (GHQ) line of defence constructed during World War II to contain an expected German invasion and protect the industrial midlands of England. Over 28,000 of these were built in less than a year and although some were disguised as boathouses and dwellings the vast majority remain as curious concrete structures in otherwise undeveloped landscape. Not much to note between our start and the waymark of Radcot Bridge which is one of the oldest on the Thames (no one seems quite sure which is the oldest so all bets are hedged). We arrived too early on a Sunday morning for a soothing pint at The Swan so pressed on via lonely fields, with threatening skies, to another Trout and a bed for the night. We had an amusing evening in the Trout at Tadpole Bridge, aided and abetted by Punk Dave from Aston Somewhere (a musician of a certain age) plus his extended family and the lovely staff. Thanks to all of you. Storm Katie arrived whilst we (I) slept! Apparently there were 60 - 70 mph winds and lashing rain. However our room was cosy and dry and I’d had no idea of how much water had fallen during the night. We set off (with me) confident that we’d just have a brisk morning 6 mile stroll to Newbridge for lunch then a cab to Oxford and home for tea. The start was reasonable through the Chimney Meadow Nature Reserve. No sign of the advertised Adonis Blue butterfly here, but it was good weather for the ducks and geese who were enjoying the extension of the river up to, and in some parts over, the river path. We had to divert around a number of fallen trees and some very sticky mud and, having ended up face down in the grassy bank a couple of times, I’d had enough so we decided to divert to a bridleway by Shifford Lock which looked to be less hazardous than the towpath. A couple of hundred yards of uncertainty (and new ponds to wade through) convinced us that we’d made the wrong decision so we returned to an increasingly boggy towpath. At this stage I adopted my new best friend. NBF, was a dead hazel stick, which initially prevented me from falling into a puddle worth of Dr Foster, and subsequently became my third leg to assist with wading through the mud. We’d wondered why other walkers carried “Norwegian” walking poles but realised they would have been invaluable after the previous night’s weather. Finally the (13th century) New Bridge appeared in our sight – the flood plain approaching it was slightly soggy but we almost skipped across it. NBF hazel stick was abandoned (hopefully for the convenience of another walker) and as we climbed the steps up to the road and the Rose Revived (PH) we vowed to continue as only fair-weather walkers in future! Next time Newbridge to Oxford. Official National Trail Guides.

- Thames Path in the Country, David Sharp and Tony Gowers, ISBN 978 1 84513 717 5 and

- Thames Path in London, Phoebe Clapham, ISBN 978 1 84513 706 9


BOROUGH WW1 BLOG Ken Howe In conjunction with the overall WW1 commemorations, the London Borough of Richmond has created a blog to highlight Village Stories of events that took place during WW1from the 14 villages and towns in the borough. This is now up and running and may be viewed at : https:ww1richmond.wordpress.com/

The project will run through to 2018 with a view to showing the highlights in an exhibition in the Orleans House Gallery in 2018. In the meantime, new entries will be added as and when received. The Teddington Society has registered with the project and hopefully will be making a worthwhile contribution to it. Our activity is included under a blog page entitled “WW1 Partners”. We would like to see as many Teddington WW1 stories as possible included in this project and that is where we need your help. Do you have any family stories to tell? Was any member of your family closely involved with the war? Have you heard any unusual stories connected with WW1? If so, I would be very pleased to hear from you. You may write to me at 1 Cedar Road, Teddington, TW11 9AN or email me at [email protected].

Alternatively you may wish to contact the Borough WW1

Outreach Coordinator direct and she is Daniella Hadley

and her email address is [email protected].

PRAM RACE and VILLAGE FAIR, 2016 This year's Pram Race will start at the Masons' Arms on Sunday 26 June, starting at 1:00 pm with many decorated prams and teams running through the town to

raise money for local charities and finishing at the Village Fair in Udney Hall Gardens. The prizes will be presented by the Deputy Mayor at 3.30pm. The Teddington Village Fair will have another packed programme of FREE family

friendly entertainment. Back by popular demand will be Juggling Jake’s Circus Skills where you can try your hand a plate spinning, juggling, walking the tightrope and more.

With Rio 2016 in mind, The Snailympics will see two intrepid gastropods risk life and shell in the most gruelling race known to snaildom plus a brand new show called Phone Box which takes an affectionate look at an ordinary red telephone box. The Village Fair wouldn’t be the same without some local talent too and this year pupils from Turing House School and Teddington Dance Studio will take to the stage. All this plus fabulous live music, lots of stalls, Pony Rides, Inflatables, a Lifeboat, the Toylander car, Ice Creams, Mr Pig burgers, Dexters Pimms tent, Pram Race Beer tent and much more. It's all in a good cause with any profits going to local charities.

Special thanks to the Lensbury Club for being our main sponsor this year and to TW11 Magazine for giving us publicity. And to the NPL for their support, too.

SENTimental – 17, 18, 19, 20 so the next letter is .....?


IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DRAKE Gerrard Raven The most-celebrated game took place 428 years ago. But the sport is still alive, well, and flourishing in Teddington. Which sport? Why, bowls of course.

In 1588 Sir Francis Drake was interrupted while playing on Plymouth Hoe by a messenger with urgent news. He replied that he had time to finish his game before dealing with the little difficulty that was the Spanish Armada. Nowadays, obstacles to finishing a game at Teddington Bowls Club (TBC) or the NPL Sports Club are less intimidating. But bowlers still show a determination to don waterproofs and play on in rainstorms which would send cricketers scurrying to the pavilion. TBC, founded in 1910, has long been based on The Grove in Teddington. It has a busy schedule of matches against other local clubs throughout the summer, as well as internal club competitions and weekly practice afternoons. A junior section debunks the myth that bowls is only for pensioners. The Grove green is Council-owned so anyone can play on it for a fee, one-off or seasonal. TBC runs “Come and Try it” sessions every spring. But remember – flat-soled shoes to protect the green, please. In the winter, local bowls junkies head for indoor rinks, such as those at Cambridge Park, because a few months without a “wood” in their hands would be intolerable.

Chris Caswell, Club Secretary, bowling with County

champion bowler Eileen Ball in the background.

What makes them junkies in the first place? The game of bowls is simple in concept – score “shots” by getting your woods closer to the little white “jack” than your opponents’ – but seriously difficult in practice. Bowls are biased – heavier on one side than on the other. So when you send a bowl across the grass, you can’t aim directly for the jack or it will end well to the side. You think you’ve got the hang of it when one day your first bowl caresses the jack. Your next two efforts generally disabuse you of this idea by being far too short, long or wide. Then to make matters worse an opponent hits your good bowl out of the way. Frustrating? Yes. But fun too. So cheers to Sir Francis. Drake three shots, King of Spain none.

MERITS LUNCH Sheena Harold Not being able to book our usual Christmas lunch at Merits, we asked Pamela McHutchon if she could organise spring lunches to commemorate the Queen's actual birthday. April 22nd and 29th were booked and well attended by Society members, although you needed a degree in orienteering to find the restaurant as it's in the middle of an enormous demolition site!!

Elizabeth Cox, who took this photo of Tania Mathias, attended the first lunch and reported : "Food was excellent. Delicious, well presented and served with a smile by the students of Twickenham Catering College." Our congratulations to Daniele Giraud, Food & Beverage Lecturer and all his students. We'd like to know if you would like: (a) a Christmas Lunch 2016 (b) a Spring Lunch 2017 (c) or both. Please let our Secretary, Nick, know your preferences.


A GARDEN FIT FOR THE QUEEN Teddington in Flower

This year something a little different!

Celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday with a front garden display to commemorate this amazing occasion. Plant up with the royal colours, make a model of a Corgi in flowers, decorate an enormous 90, make a crown in flowers – the possibilities are endless …… There will be 2 competition categories. One for the 18+ and one for children. Prizes will be awarded for the best in each category. To register your interest and receive an entry form please email Kathy Gold on: [email protected]

or by post to The Teddington Society, 1 Avenue Road, TW11 0BT

CHESTNUT SUNDAY Probably the hottest day of the year so far. The crowds came to Bushy Park on 8 May to see the parade, eat lots of ice-cream and visit the many stalls, amusements and exhibitions.

The Teddington Society stall was in a prominent position and we got lots of visitors (and even a few new members).

The photo shows Sally, Geoff, Sheena, Paddy and Elizabeth.

PANORAMA OF THE THAMES Social Change along the River Thames Just before the AGM, John Inglis, supported by his co-worker Jill Sanders, gave a brief introduction to the Panorama of the Thames project, the aim of which is to create a visual record of the Thames Riverside from Hampton Court to Tower Bridge. He said that the project started in 1999 and aims to compare the pictorial record of the Thames published in 1829 with the modern day riverside and to provide a historical background to the changes. There then followed a video of the work they had been doing which showed the changes.

Their newly published book "Panorama of the Thames – a Riverside View of Georgian London" was available for perusal and purchase. Sheena Harold thanked both John and Jill for their excellent presentation which was obviously much enjoyed by the audience.


QUANTUM GROUP The Group specialises in the development of Care Homes and Retirement Living facilities. Based in Bournemouth, they have recently bought the Udney Park Playing Fields.

Pictured at the old clubhouse during a lengthy period of community consultation are Joel Jackson, campaign manager at Quantum Group; Naomi Shinkins, community engagement manager; and Simon Hammond, director At the end of the consultation the Society will be meeting with Quantum to hear more of their plans.

TEDDINGTON CARPETS We’re delighted to welcome one of Teddington’s oldest traders as our latest Corporate Partner – the Teddington Carpet Centre, which has been a familiar name in Broad Street for more than half a century.

Founded by Leslie Wilks in 1962, his son Rob continues the business today. As well as providing floor coverings for the people of Teddington, the shop’s more unusual customers included Thames Television in its heyday. “We supplied floor coverings for various sitcoms down the road as well as This is Your Life and the Des O’Connor Show,” recalled Rob. “Thames TV’s set designers were frequently in here.” Today, Thames Television may have gone – but the

Teddington Carpet Centre is still going as strong as ever.

“That’s because of the fantastic community here,” Rob

declared. “People come back to us time and again

because they like dealing with a family-run business, and

we love Teddington in return.”

ROTARY CLUB Sheena Harold As Chairman I get invited to quite a few functions and for the first time I was invited to speak to a Rotary Club. There are 5 Clubs in our area and this was Twickenham Rotary Club who meet at Fulwell Golf Club. Rotarians are local businesspeople who raise a lot of money for charity so accordingly I went along on March 14th to tell them about the charitable work of our Society. Paddy Ching came with me to tell them the history of the area around the Golf Club. We found Corporate Member, Colin Squire there and two members of my Richmond in Bloom committee.

LITTERPICKS WITH THE BROWNIES The Environment Group had an evening with the Brownies, teaching them the gentle art of litter picking.

The flash photo shows that the Day-Glo on the tabards really works! A few days later, the "real" work of litterpicking began.

Geoff Howland writes: Very many thanks to all of you who turned out on this freezing cold morning to "Clean for the Queen". We had a truely excellent turnout this morning with our numbers being swelled by Brown Owl, Barn Owl and Eagle Owl of the 2nd A Teddington Brownies


CORPORATE MEMBERS 1 of 1 Design Architecture:wk British Maritime Technology Broom Water Association Byrne Group PLC Curves of Hampton Dexters Estate Agents Elements Hair Salon Elleray Hall Social Club Elmfield House Dental Practice Fairwater House Residents Association Faststream Distribution Ltd Fiona Evans Dental Surgery Haymarket Media Group Kagan Moss & Co Solicitors Kindle Stoves La Casa Del Habana Landmark Arts Centre Mela Mela Milestone Residential National Physical Laboratory Patrick O'Donovan (Maritime and Commercial Arbitrator) Park Lane Stables Parsonage &Co Solicitors Quantum Group Roger Sutton &Co Accountants S & N Electrical Contractors Seed and Bean Organic Chocolate Company Shambles Bar and Restaurant Sims (Opticians) Ltd Snellers Estate Agents Squires Garden Centre StageCoach Performing Arts for children Stepping on Out Stevens Tyres Stone Rowe Brewer Solicitors Stoneydeep Residents Association Studio 148 Take2Therapy Tamesis Club Teddington Artists Teddington Bowling Club Teddington Carpet Centre Teddington Cricket Club Teddington Theatre Club The Fallow Deer The Financial Planning Group The French Tarte The Lensbury The Park Hotel The Strawberry Hill Trust The Tree Agency Turing House School TW11 Magazine Waterstones Woodgate-Loydor Ltd Zeldaland

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS Jenny Michell email: [email protected] GET A FRIEND OR NEIGHBOUR TO JOIN THE TEDDINGTON SOCIETY. We always welcome new members so after you have read this Tidings you may wish to pass on to a friend or neighbour and encourage them to join the Teddington Society. SUBSCRIPTIONS for 2016

Individual £7, Joint/Family £11 Senior £4, Joint senior £5 Corporate Membership :£25

Postage for Tidings £3.50 (For those who live outside TW11 postcode or in flats without individual accessible letterbox.) PAYMENT ONLINE www.teddingtonsociety.org.uk OR BY CHEQUE OR CASH TO Mrs J Michell, (membership Secretary) 5 Broom Park, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 9RN. New Members Mitra Smith Amanda Hodges Mrs H Ransom Alison and Trevor Mann Julie Thorpe Rosalind Graham-Hunt Jayne Chace

Jane Barron Patricia Tivendale Christopher French Marcia Bullen Mark Jopling Raymond Waddington

New Corporate Members Simon Hammond, Quantum Group Robert Wilkes, Teddington Carpet Centre

PARKING IN TEDDINGTON Brian Holder, Roads and Transport Group

The new yellow lines have caused the loss of about 20 spaces in Waldegrave Road, a major concern for the Waldegrave Clinic's injured patients and local residents.

To make matters worse, consultations on extensions of the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) are about to take place in nearby streets, with further losses of parking spaces possible.


EVENTS

TEDDINGTON VILLAGE FAIR & PRAM RACE

(don't miss the Snailympics!) Sunday 26th June 12 noon - 5pm Udney Hall Gardens Details inside on page 11

VILLAGE PLAN DROP-IN SESSIONS Residents in Teddington are invited to take part in Village Plan drop-in session and walkabouts. You will be asked about the look and feel of your village, what you would like maintained and what you would like improved. Drop-in: 21 May 2016, 10am - 4pm at Elleray Hall, Teddington, TW11 0HG Walkabouts: 22 May 2016,11am - 1pm or 2pm - 4pm. If you would like to attend the walkabout RSVP by calling 020 8831 6273 or email [email protected] More information: www.richmond.gov.uk/village_plan_events

PEG WOFFINTON'S COTTAGE COFFEE MORNINGS Tony & Betty open their historic cottage just for us. From 11am at 157 High Street on Tuesdays :

May 17th June 14th July 12th August 16th

FROGMORE HOUSE & DORNEY COURT Tuesday 23 August 2016

Bought for Queen Charlotte by her husband, George III. Her passion for art and botany is reflected throughout the house and the delightful garden. A guided tour of the house, then see the historic plantings, lake and gothic ruin in the gardens.

Drive onto Dorney Court Café & Garden Centre for lunch (own expense in the popular cafe). The Dorney Court Kitchen Garden is a hidden gem set within an historic walled garden while the plant nursery is described as ‘outstanding’. Meet: Teddington Library, 9.45 for 10am departure. Travel by private coach, entrance and guided tour of Frogmore House included. A great opportunity to see the house which only opens to the public for a few weeks each year. Return: 4.30/5pm approx. Cost: £35 Bookings & payment: Pamela McHutchon by Fri 23 June. Flat 3, 86 High Street, Teddington TW11 8JD. Tel: 07802 822812

Printed by Woodgate Loydor , 2 Elmfield Avenue, Teddington TW11 8BS

letter from the chair · page 2 tidings 174 – summer 2016 the teddington society letter from the...

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