Hitcham and TaplowSociety

Newsletter 105: Spring 2016£3.50 to non­members

www.taplowsociety.org.uk

Editorial

Change: the only constant? There's certainly a lotof it about. Down by the Thames, the change isphysical (see Page 7). Up in the Village, it ispersonal (see Pages 17, 18 & 19). Some changesstand the tests of time (see Pages 10­13 & 16).Will the same be said for potential changes inthe pipeline (see Pages 4, 5 & 6) which claimroots in evidence­led policy­making whilewhiffing of policy­led evidence­making?

The Society faces three changes. Gratefulthanks are due to Myra Drinkwater, who wishes tostep down as our Treasurer. We hope to appointher successor shortly. But we also need an InternalAuditor to check our annual financial statementeach November and, because a commercialhealthcare presence has become so expensive, weare seeking an experienced First Aider for theVillage Green Party each June. Please contact ourSecretary if you or someone you know might beinterested in volunteering for one of these roles.

This Newsletter is a bumper edition to featurea few milestones: two cherished memories ofnot­so­long ago were revived recently to markthe Queen’s 90th birthday (see Pages 9, 14 & 15)and Cedar Chase celebrates its Golden Jubilee(see Pages 10­13). Buffins and Wellbank are ofsimilar vintage; perhaps they can be persuadedto pen pieces for future editions. We aredelighted to welcome Amber, our youngest­evercorrespondent, and so sad to pay tribute to Terryand two Tonys whose time in Taplow totalled over130 years. More memories will be cherished on 4thJune at a reunion of staff who worked at Cliveden’sCanadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital – contactJean Blumfield (e­address below) if you’d like toattend – and at Maidenhead Heritage Centre in itsexhibition ‘Skindles: End of an Era’ from 29th Juneuntil the end of September.

Nigel Smales

Hitcham and Taplow SocietyFormed in 1959 to protect Hitcham, Taplow and the surrounding countryside from being spoilt by baddevelopment and neglect.

President: Eva LipmanVice Presidents: Tony Hickman, Fred Russell, Professor Bernard Trevallion OBEChairman: Karl LawrenceTreasurer: Myra DrinkwaterSecretary: Roger WorthingtonCommittee: Heather Fenn, Charlie Greeves, Robert Harrap, Zoe Hatch, Alastair Hill,

Barrie Peroni, Nigel Smales, Louise Symons, Miv Wayland­SmithWebsite Adviser & Newsletter Production: Andrew FindlayContact Address: HTS, Littlemere, River Road, Taplow, SL6 0BB

secretary@taplowsociety.org.uk07787 556309

Cover picture: Sarah & Tony Meats' grandson Herbie during the Race to the Church (Nigel Smales)

Acronyms and e­Addresses:

This Newsletter uses acronyms for Berkeley Homes (BH), Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC), Chiltern

District Council (CDC), Highways England (HE), Her Majesty's Government (HMG), National Grid (NG),

Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead (RBWM), South Bucks District Council (SBDC), Supplementary

Planning Document (SPD), Taplow Parish Council (TPC) and Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB).

Reference is also made to various addresses and weblinks:

CRCMH Reunion (Page 2): j.blumfield@talk21.com

Neighbourhood Plan Details (Page 5): www.southbucks.gov.uk/planning/taplow

Neighbourhood Plan Representations (Page 5): ldf@SouthBucks.gov.uk

Mill Lane Petition (Page 6): http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/stop­the­closure­of­mill­lane­taplow

Footpath Hotline (Page 8): http://www.taplowsociety.org.uk/twiki/bin/view/Main/TaplowInfo

The Celebration of Taplow

The vision came to Sheila Horton in a dream: thelife, times, people and places of Taplowresplendent on a wall of the old Victorian ReadingRoom in the Village Centre. Her colourful brush­strokes eventually spread over all four walls as TheCelebration of Taplow – not only an absolutelyfabulous work of art but also a unique and vibranthistorical snapshot of Taplow in 1991/93 featuringover 300 recognisable faces, some now departed.

Such treasure brings responsibility: how tokeep it for future generations to enjoy? Thenumber one priority of residents at the 2014Parish Meeting was to invest some of TPC's

legacy fund in making a digital record so thatSheila's magnificent murals could be recreated ifever the Reading Room was to be no more. Along and difficult deliberation led to theengagement of art photographers and RoyalWarrant holders Todd­White of Mayfair. Theirtask is complete but, as time passes, the historicalvalue of the images may well diminish as fewercan say who was who. So mulling has begun onthe practicality of producing an easily accessiblekey, perhaps both in print and online.

Nigel Smales

A Real Football Star

Taplow United Football Club runs 14 teams for over 150 men, women,girls and boys. Paul Holt is the club's heartbeat: its chairman since2007, Under­18s coach and managing director of the company whichruns the club and its ground at the bottom of Berry Hill.

Paul loves to see the place full of smiles. The first team is doing wellbut his proudest achievement is the youth section, which he startedwith previous chairman John Head­Rapson. His biggest challenges arerecruiting enough volunteers, especially qualified coaches for everyteam, and keeping the pitches playable despite the rise in the watertable caused by the Jubilee River. Although it needs to raise funds toupdate the clubhouse and install a synthetic playing surface, the club'sfuture is in safe hands. Paul's dedication has been recognised by hisbeing awarded Taplow Sports Person of the Year, a worthy successor toJuliet Lecchini, Roger Andrews, Simon & Toby Fox, Janette Mackay,Caroline Sellers and Chris Ashford.

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Detail indicating pages on which particular folk feature

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Heathrow: Bigger and Better?

Taplovians assembled in the Village Centre on23rd October to hear Programme Director TonyCaccavone and Rick Norman, Head of NoisePolicy, outline proposals to expand HeathrowAirport. They expected HMG go­ahead lastDecember, but a political fog descended. Whilewe wait for it to clear, here is a summary of theevidence and assertions offered…

The UK needs more airport capacity becauseits immediate European neighbours have alreadyexpanded or are expanding theirs. In July 2015,the Airports Commission recommended thatHeathrow is "best­placed to provide the type ofcapacity which is most urgently required" and itshould add a third runway to the north­west (by2025) and another new terminal and satellitebuildings (by 2026), further aggregate Terminals1, 2 and 3 and improve transport infrastructure inorder to increase its annual passenger numbersfrom 74 to 135 million by 2035.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson's vision of anew airport in the Thames estuary wouldn't becost­effective, not least because the consequentclosure of Heathrow would mean the loss of76,000 jobs. The Civil Aviation Authority saysthat, despite being in a densely­populated area,Heathrow is one of the safest airports in theworld. This would not be compromised by itsexpansion, which would enable airlines,especially UK ones, to centralise operations andmanage flight transfers (currently one­third ofall passengers) most effectively. However, largeraircraft will not mean fewer flights, in partbecause a mix of aircraft is necessary to handlepassenger flow efficiently.

Passengers favour Heathrow for itsconvenience: 225 of the top 300 companies in theUK are headquartered within 25 miles, passenger

satisfaction has risen from 48% to 75% in ten yearsand T5 has been voted the best terminal in theworld for four consecutive years. Meanwhile, theless well­connected Stansted runs at 50% capacity.

Air pollution is caused less by aircraft thanvehicular traffic on and around the airport.Nevertheless, Heathrow has cut emissions by16% in the past five years and is confident thatvehicular movement in 2030 will be no higherthan now due to increased public transportefficiency. Noise pollution will reduce becausenew planes will be at least 30% quieter, and it ishoped that new electronic guidance will enablebetter flight­path management and steeperapproaches and ascents. There will be noflights at night, no more in the 90 minutesbefore 6.30am and a yet­to­be­establishedlegally binding cap on noise levels.

Taplovians were unconvinced. They wereconcerned that commercial benefits seem to begiven priority over environmental impacts,sceptical about the independence andreliability of assertions generally and of currentand future noise level and air pollutionmeasurements and promises in particular, andsurprised at how much was made that havingthe new runway further west would meanhigher eastern flight paths without anyrecognition that the opposite would be true forTaplow. It was hard to believe there are nosimilar calculations for the western approaches.However, if the go­ahead is ever given, therewill be two public consultations at which wemight be able to influence new flight paths,dispersion and altitude to limit noise levelslocally. Is this just pie in the sky?

Rupert Sellers

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The Emerging Local Plan

Planning is changing: Local Plans willdetermine overall development strategy andsupplementary Neighbourhood Plans can nowadd specific local constraints. SBDC and CDCwill produce a new joint Local Plan to run until2036. The process is highly formalised andmakes great play of being "evidence­led".However, since significant elements of theevidence and the evaluation processes aresupplied as 'givens' by HMG, it is in fact policy­led. And policy requires the reassessment ofGreen Belt land – even that which serves theprimary and extremely valuable function ofseparating urban conurbations – in order toidentify sites for new housing andemployment. Consequently, although it has formany years valiantly benefited not onlyTaplow, Hitcham and Dorney, by preservingtheir rural feel, but also both Slough andMaidenhead, by preventing their merger,Buckinghamshire's green tail is once moreunder severe threat.

The Society is concerned that themethodologies used in the evaluation seem tobe tailored to allow distinctions that suit the

planners. Worryingly, despite providingprecisely the same stalwart service as an urbanseparator as land north of the A4, which scoresa maximum of five, an adjacent parcel to thesouth is rated at only three and has beenidentified as an "opportunity area" foremployment. However, it seems the 289 newhomes currently under construction – 211 atMill Lane and 78 of the 83 at Institute Road –will count towards any housing contributionrequired in Taplow. We must now await thenext round of consultation in the autumn to seeif our challenges have registered. Fullinformation can be found on the SBDC websiteand relevant details are extracted on theSociety's website.

TPC has applied to SBDC for authority todevelop a Neighbourhood Plan to give betterprotection against unwanted developments inTaplow over the next decade or so. Your inputwill be important in shaping the plan. See Page2 for a link to application details and an e­address to submit your representations.

Roger Worthington

Newsletter 104 floated an idea for a one­waysystem near Taplow Station. Thoughts havedeveloped. TPC has submitted to TfB itsoutline proposal for Station Road to be one­waysouth with parking along the east side andInstitute Road one­way east with parking along

the north side; both with a 30mph speed limit.Two­way Boundary Road would have a 40mphlimit with double­yellow lines to create parkingand passing places. All parking would be byonline payment. Hitcham Road will remaintwo­way with a 30mph limit.

One Direction

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Evidence and Assertion

We elect people to make decisions on our behalf.Often they seek advice from 'experts' who maysometimes confuse evidence and assertion.

The Planning Inspectorate held hearings inFebruary to further consider the HE application tomake the M4 a 'Smart' motorway. HE dismissedchallenges to traffic projections as "assertions" ratherthan "evidence" while asserting without anyindependent corroboration that its "evidence" wasdefinitive. Hillingdon and Slough were persistent intheir questioning yet appeared oblivious to thisfundamental flaw. Friends of the Earth challengedair quality projections with resonance and sought tosquash the scheme rather than merely beg forsound barriers. Although barriers are proposedalong Taplow's southern boundary, none will beinstalled on the bridge over the Thames or in Brayso prevailing winds will ensure Amerden isdisturbed. SBDC attended but, to David Long'sdismay, failed to challenge, probe or negotiate.Much to the annoyance of a resident of MonkeyIsland Lane who regularly records 75 decibels in hergarden, RBWM was conspicuous by its absence.

BCC asserts it is "policy" to close Mill Lane.Where is the evidence which informed thisdecision? SBDC asserts closure has popular

support yet – while some favour stopping the 'rat­run' – an overwhelming majority at the Society's2015 AGM wanted this ancient thoroughfare toremain open to avoid potential communityfragmentation, detriment to existing businessesand traffic nightmares as every vehicle going toand from the site negotiates the already congestedA4. The only evidence in the public domain is thatmorning peak hour southbound traffic splitsroughly equally between Mill Lane and Berry Hill,so volumes on Berry Hill will double (to around450 vehicles) when Mill Lane is closed. BCC assertsthat upgrading the A4 / Berry Hill traffic lights (atBH's expense) would mitigate consequentcongestion there. Max Lipman isn't alone inthinking that no electronic wizardry can be 'smart'enough to work the massive magic necessary.

Is closure good "policy"? Register your opinionwith TfB, BCC, SBDC and TPC. If you're againstclosure, consider signing an e­petition raised byconcerned residents (see Page 2). Alternatively,wait five years to see if the evidence of BCC'spromised post­development traffic surveys proves"policy" right. If not, will we ever know?

Nigel Smales

What Price Democracy?

Taplow had some excitement in January: its veryown election – actually, a by­election for a vacantTPC seat. Chairman George Sandy says it was onlythe second TPC election of any kind in over 45years, the other being in 2007. Elections shouldhappen every four years but no vote is necessary if

there are 11 or fewer candidates. Interim vacanciesare normally filled by co­option but CouncillorJanette Mackay's resignation meant Taplow had achoice to make. There were no tub­thumpingoratories – electioneering was all e­mails, leafletsand who­you­know – but a credible 23% turnedout to cast 118 votes for Rob Thompson (ApproachRoad) and 204 for Yannick le Touze (Berry Hill).

Congratulations to Yannick, probably our firstFrench councillor. At his first meeting, TPC reducedits precept – its element of Council Tax – by 11.9% to£16,000 (an average of £20.23 per household). Thisincludes no allowance for maintaining footpaths(see Page 8) or for by­election costs. Co­option iscost­free but what price a dose of democracy? Andnow, with Councillor Zoe Hatch stepping down,will we have another? Only if more than oneTaplovian is willing to be nominated.

Nigel Smales

George and Yannick

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What Price History?

Cliveden has been Cliveden for 350 years. Andapart from brief interludes when the first andsecond houses lay in ashes, neither they nor thethird has ever been a 'House'. Yet now, 30 yearsafter it began, the hotel has styled itself'Cliveden House' – presumably fordifferentiation from its National Trust grounds.But why has another restyling occurred outsideits gate? In a nod to the heraldic badge of KingGeorge III's eldest son Frederick, Prince ofWales (who lived at Cliveden 1739/51), the innhas been The Three Feathers (c1780), The Princeof Wales Feathers (1847) and The Feathers(1851) which was said to be frequented byanother Prince of Wales – thirsty Bertie, laterKing Edward VII. Sadly, its new sign – erectedin contravention of planning permission –suggests this royal connection has beenforgotten or foregone.

Further south, the mill is no more, Skindlesis gone and the gasholder is going: sadness asall this fades into history and concern aboutwhat seems rather too relaxed SBDCoversight. History says the Mill Lane sitesmight conceal remnants dating back to theStone Age. What a shame if this rareopportunity to search for them was misseddue to BH's haste and SBDC's failure toenforce Condition 34 of its planning approval,which calls for archaeological investigations.Joy Marshall has counted the loss of 111 trees,more than was approved, and the Jubilee'swest bank is bare. How could SBDC have notree officer in post to confirm the need toremove additional trees due to neglect, diseaseor “unexpected ground problems”? However,history has a victory: after much heated debate,the names of the new roads have been agreed.

One will preservethe unique nameLaychequers, forhundreds of yearsthe meadow 'in theelbow' of Mill Laneuntil being lost inthe 1970s to theugly side ofrecycling; housesthere are alreadybeing snapped upby eager buyers.Another will recallmill carpenter's sonJames Rutland, thelocal builder and

antiquarian who excavated Tæppa's Mound in1883. And the new terrace of riversidetownhouses will be called Skindles Reach but,instead of sloping lawns (as approved), theymight have a stepped bank.

Finally: history in the making. Despite afurore in February, when rumours suggestedNG might sell to somebody else, BH hasexchanged contracts to buy the gasholder siteonce clearance is completed in September. Ithas submitted a planning application to buildthere the 12 houses ‘pencilled in’ on earlierplans with the hope of starting construction inthe autumn. This will bring the total number ofhomes to 211. But will that be that? Willhousing replace the car sales showroom? Willthe new Information Centre (which opens inJune) become a boathouse that never housesboats? All will out in the wash.

Nigel Smales

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A Walk in the Woods

On Saturday 10th October last year, St Nicolas'School PTA organised a family sponsored walk toraise money for the school and the church rooffund. There were around 50 people walking. Itwas great fun and we raised over £300!

Our family did lots of things to prepare for thebig day. Weeks before, we had to decide the route.We looked at a map and worked out a lovelythree mile walk from Taplow village and alongthe footpaths and bridleways of Taplow andHitcham to finish at our house (Guildersfield, onHunt's Lane) with a well­deserved barbeque.Next, we cycled the route to make sure there wereno obstacles, and that it was suitable for bothchildren and elderly walkers. We also added awinding trek through Old Priory Garden. Finally,the day before, Dad (Andy), Mum (Julie) and Icut up some old St Nic's School dresses to makeribbons. Then Dad and I went around the routeagain to tie the ribbons around the branches andposts, so no­one would get lost. I climbed severaltrees to put the ribbons up. It was great fun! Wealso put mile and kilometre signs up to showhow far you had walked, and had remaining.

On the morning of the walk, we all woke upearly hoping it wasn't a rainy day. It was a bitcloudy, but quite a nice day. Phew! Mum got thefood, barbeque, chairs and tables ready forafterwards. Dad helped set up the registrationtable for Kate Withey and Lou Rust, who hadalready bought lots of water. And I helped too,selling reflective bibs Hazel Sharpe had acquired.Gail Head handed everyone a list of things tospot, a map, and questions to find answers for.

I set off with two of my friends – Lucy andRosie. We were very excited. We'd never done thisanything like this before. We looked out forribbons to find the way. Some boys ran off like itwas a race, and got tired very quickly, so wecaught them up. Lucy saw a massive mushroomin Hunt's Wood and I heard the birds singing.Three red kites soared above the trees. Dadwhizzed past on his bike wearing a marshal'sjacket. We heard a rustle in the bushes and Rosiesaw a Muntjac deer running away.

We were all tired and hungry when wefinished, but mum had a lovely barbeque readyfor us, with scrummy sausages and beefyburgers. There was squash, hot chocolate, tea andcoffee for everyone too. The grown­ups chatted asthe kids filled up with lots of food then ranaround the garden, played on swings in the treesand climbed my climbing frame for the rest of theafternoon. Later, our neighbour Chris Priestremoved all the ribbons from the route. We'd leftonly footprints, and taken only photos – it was asif the walk had never happened…

Amber Tamarind Landamore (age 8)

BCC wants to delegate responsibility for maintaininglocal footpaths to TPC without providing the necessaryfunding. The Society's website now has a footpathhotlink (see Page 2). Report any problem you mightfind and we will try to start balls rolling – Ed.

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HMQ 90 : Parts One and Two

Three events were held locally to celebrateQueen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday, eachtypically Taplow. The third is featured on Pages14 & 15. Zoe Hatch organised the first: on 17thApril, 25 volunteers ventured valiantly to'Clean for the Queen'. They collected over 40bin­bags of rubbish from our streets. Thesecond was on 21st April: Her Majesty's BigDay. Roger Worthington led the reprise of theQueen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. About 200people gathered on the Green, bought 150torches from Charlie Greeves and Zoe thenheaded in procession to the Old Churchyardwhere SGI­UK Director­General Robert Harraplit a beacon atop Tæppa's Mound. Childrenplayed roly­poly in the firelight. Fireworkssupremo Malcolm Smith arrived hot­foot fromWindsor, where he had supervised HerMajesty's beacon – the first in a chain of over1,000 – and our whizz­bangs could begin.Thanks are due to Robert, to beacon­buildersPhil Rollinson and Cliff Anderson (also ourfirst­aider), to Malcolm's pyrotechnic pal MikeClarke, and to Alastair Hill, Nigel Smales, MivWayland­Smith, and Pauline Worthington forthe procession's safe passage across Berry Hill.P

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By planning each project on its own merits, bycreating a coherent architectural and natural patternthat retains fine old trees and acknowledges the needfor stretches of grass, that provides the requirementsof modern living – the garages and parking areas –without allowing them to intrude, we ensure thatestates look mature from the outset and retain aninformal dignity that will be pleasant still in fiftyyears from now – Span Developments LtdInvestor Prospectus (c1960)

The Sunday Times launched its colour sectionin February 1962. It called its lifestyle strand'Design For Living' after a caption in this Spanprospectus. On 22nd August 1962, the coloursection was a special 'Design for Living' editionabout modern housebuilding. Span featured:its influence and reputation already out of allproportion to its market share.

Span was represented in the article by its twobest­known protagonists, who had by then beenworking together 10 years: Leslie Bilsby, joint MD,son of a Lincolnshire builder, and Eric Lyons,consulting architect, an OBE since 1959 whopreferred to be known by his original calling of'designer'. They challenged conservatismeverywhere: restrictive building practices; risk­averse building societies ("the centre of theproblem") and developers who assumed allbuyers were as conservative as they; outdated

planning rules; amateurish Local Authorities("men with large black spectacles and smallbrains"); general ignorance of 'good design'("regarded as airy­fairy, added on if you canafford it"); and the absence of a "positive nationalplanning and land policy". Bilsby and Lyonsespecially disliked the new 'preservationism' ofwhich the Hitcham & Taplow PreservationSociety (established 1959) was the very archetype."It is harder to create than to preserve."

Span made a virtue of the necessity of higher­density housing but avoided building upwards,which isolates, or in pocket plots which wasteland, look untidy, cost more to maintain, and alsoisolate. Lyons explored "the potential in suburbanlife", nudging neighbours into consentingcommunity. Span always intended this only forthose with a "cultivated background"'. Some ideasjar today: its preference for 99­year leases overatomised freeholds to allow "future renewal on acomprehensive level". Or that "the same house forall one's life is out of date". Others proved moredurable. On bossy residents' associations, Lyonsnoted "I'm not afraid of discipline: people seem tolike it and accept it". From his train window, henoticed 25% of gardens were tended reasonably."We enjoy gardens more than gardening. Givepeople bigger gardens than they get with a house,tend those gardens and remove the drudgery and

you provide pride of ownership."On privacy: "I wanted to givepeople the option of privacy,instead of enforced privacy."

In February 1964, Span submittedits application for "24 terracehouses in six blocks" on Taplow's"Bible College site". This felloutside the County DevelopmentPlan, so Eton Rural District Councilreferred it to Bucks County Councilto make a recommendation to theMinistry of Housing. Countyremarked the proposal "wouldlead to pleasant development ofthe site" and in May recommendedapproval subject to improvinghighway sightlines and adding a200­foot layby along Rectory Road.Span took particular exception tointerference with its roads andpaths, Lyons preferring where

Design for Living

Number 3 under construction

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Spring 2016 Page 10 Hitcham and Taplow Society

possible to keep roads private to avoid bye­lawsof dimensions and materials.

While the Ministry cogitated, the remaining 30students of the Bible College departed for Ware,and the Diocese applied to build 10 houses on thesite of the (old) Rectory, for which County'sstipulations ran to over a page instead of the twoparagraphs for the favoured Span. In August, theMinistry approved Span's Gerrards Cross projecton appeal and, in September, it approved Taplowsubject to Span agreeing highways with ERDC.

This took 11 months, Span finding ERDC"obstructionist, unenlightened and unreasonable".Taplow Parish Council meanwhile proposednaming the new estate 'Serocold' after the familywhich had owned it. Span countered with ashortlist of Cedar Hill, Cedar Chase or Cedar Grove.

Local objection started on sight of the firstelevations in early 1966. Planning law requiredapplicants to publish basic plans, but notdetails. Span would anyway take its time overthese, Eric Lyons determining everything fromtrees to television aerials. "I'm all for control ofwhere new buildings should be built, but I'mabsolutely against anyone except the architectdeciding what the houses should look like."

Cedar Chase was the first time Span used itsown building subsidiary Building Span Ltd. Thispaid its labour 'guaranteed weeks' whether itworked or not, giving rise to Span's innovation oftemporary roofing to allow work in all weathers.Maidenhead Advertiser published a photograph of

this on 11th March 1966, reporting the showhouse (Number 9) open, its décor including a pubmirror, a Malay railway coat of arms and a brassbedstead with a red phone on one side and anold oil lamp the other.

Anger at the "eggboxes" culminated at HTPSAGM at the WI on the 21st October 1966, by whenthe insults included "futuristic crematoria" (VictorWilliams) and "public lavatories" (Eileen Law).Mark Pick of Berry Hill predicted "Taplow willdevelop into a slum". Bilsby declined an invitation:"We have no wish to persuade your members tolike our work and we see little point in attending ameeting where minds are closed. Until our wholedevelopment is complete and the landscape workbegins to mature, the unpractised eye, anduninformed mind, will not comprehend theintegrity of our work. It is better to have a clearlyexpressed design of architecture quality than thedreary neo­Georgian and Builders' Contemporarywhich has been foisted on the village during thepast decade."

In September 1967, Cedar Chase was among 14winners from 358 entrants in the annualcompetition for Good Design In Housinginaugurated in 1961 by the Ministry of Housingand the RIBA. The criteria comprised design,appearance and grouping, building standards, andsatisfaction of occupants. Cedar Chase was nevergoing to be Eric Lyons' last word. After theplanning frustrations here and at Gerrards Cross,Span gave up on small estates. In my opinion, it ishowever an outstanding expression of Eric Lyons'will and Span's ingenious means.

Adam Smith

Marsham Lodge (1969)

Cedar Chase in half the space.

This Bucks­mandated car park and regulation­width

path was green space in Span plans.

Cedar Chase today

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Cedar Chase at 50

50 years old and still modern: few capital goods canmake that claim! Span houses are an exception.Good design has a timeless quality that shows insubtle ways: clever use of internal space, fitting thehouses into the landscape, and not sharing partywalls with neighbouring living­rooms. Spanavoided carving up the land, always providing lotsof open communal space which allows children toplay safely and adults to exercise, party, or just sit.

Span designed communities to complementtheir houses: by giving residents a sharedresponsibility for maintaining the estate and bylaying out the paths so that neighbours oftenmeet in passing. It does not suit everyone, but atCedar Chase the community thrives andeveryone benefits. One such benefit is the helpyou get from other residents: Need to replace theheating? Numbers 2 and 10 did that recently,come and see. How about the roof? Number 25did that ­ see how well it matches. Want a newbathroom? We know several proud owners...

Some renewal is always needed. In this 50thanniversary year we are in the middle of aproject to refresh the landscape planting andmany houses are about to get new windowsbuilt to match the original appearance but withmodern standards of insulation.

Our annual Ox Roasts are always popular,and this year over 100 ex­residents will returnto celebrate Cedar Chase's 50th birthday with aparty in the grounds.

Cedar Chase is child­friendly: in the 1970sthere were about 60 children living here. Theyhad their own football team and often playedmatches against Wellbank. Today there areeight children, most of whom have lived heresince they were very little – half of them sincebirth. We asked each of them what it is like tobe brought up in a community of 24 houseswithin communal grounds.

Andrew Findlay and Sally Jacobs

Emily (11) – Cedar Chase is ful l of am

azing

wonders l ike. . .

WORKING PARTIES: Iespecially lo

ve working

parties because apart

from helping Cedar Chase

thrive you get to eat biscuitsand drink juice.

OX ROASTS: Ilove ox roasts I esp

ecial ly love

the folk dancing, and before you know it you've

danced the night away.

PLAYING WITH MY FRIENDS: The friendship

here at Cedar Chase is incredibl

y strong. I l ike

to play spies with my BFFs.

My favourite memory was when it was

Christmas and my friends andI were helping

out with a working party and we were putting

up l ights to the big Cedar but we got bored so

we went to the end of our communal garden

and we had a snowball fight and sledged and

built a snowman. Living at Cedar Chase is l ike

l iving in a book. Everypage you turn is ful l of

new wonders and adventures

ful l of friendship,

hope and a whole new day at Cedar Chase! ! ! !

Ginny (10) – I like making dens in thesummer, having leaf fights in the autumn andsnowball fights in the winter. I love helpingput the lights on the Cedar tree at Christmasbecause I get to climb up to the top with thelights. I l ike the Ox Roast because we get torun around the gardens in the dark, I made afriend with a friend of our neighbours at oneof my first Ox Roasts, I only see her once ayear, we once hid in a fox hole and ateDoritos really late at night.One of my favourite memories is when Dad andI camped out in the lower gardens, we werekept awake all night by various animals sniffingaround our tent and making funny noises!

Emily (6) –I love l iving at

CedarChase

because it's

a great place where

I can

play with al l my friend

s, I

can walk down to the

gardens 'when

ever I

want' ,and I love the Ox

Roast in the Summer

when we all getto stay

up late, playing on the

cl imbing frame and

roasting marshmallows

on the fire.

Zoe (9) – I like living in Cedar Chasebecause almost every time somethingexciting happens, you get an emailsaying something even more excitingis going to happen. I LOVE bonfirenight; once someone got a big pack ofjellybeans and some tiny sweetdispensers and we all got one sweetdispenser each and some jellybeans. Iespecially love Cedar Chase in thesummer when it's nice and hot andthere are flowers everywhere.

Ted (4)– I like

to zoom

aroundthe pat

hs on my

scooterand in t

he

summer I likeit when

my

friendscome over a

nd

we playon the c

limbing

frame. Oneof my

favourite thing

s was

buildingdinosau

rs with

my cousins in the

woods

out of the falle

n

branches.

Amabel (7) –I love play

ing in the

green space below our garde

n with

my brotherand sister and

building

dens in the woods. I like the

metal

climbing frame as I canclimb to

the top and see acrossthe

gardens. Ilove the O

x Roast aswe

get to playin the garden

s with our

friends until it is rea

lly late and

dark. I likelooking fo

r insects in

the gardens and woods, I o

nce

found a snake under the bot

tom of

the slide!

Jack (10) – I like the neighbo

urs

they are all super kind. I like

the

look of the houses because th

ey

look very different. I love go

ing

down the garden, especially the

swings and the climbing frame I feel

like I've gonefar away. My

favourite memory of Cedar Chase is

when we had a teddy bearspicnic

down the garden. Inthe summer I

like playing football down the

garden with my friends. In the

winter I likedit when my friend

came over when it snowed, my

brother built an igloo and we had

hot chocolatedown the garden.

Thomas (13) – I like the sense ofcommunity and having a sharedgarden. My favourite part of thegrounds is the red swing as it givesme memories of every summerspent in the gardens. One of myfavourite memories was making anigloo in the gardens. In thesummer the gardens feel like aforest and in the winter I likelooking at the bare trees andeveryone coming out of theirhouses and playing in the snow.

HMQ90 Part Three

Spring clean: tick. Beacon: tick. How to crownthe Queen's milestone? Revive a Taplowtradition. We celebrated the 2011 RoyalWedding with a Race to the Church: high timefor another. Bank Holiday Monday was amemorable day of hay bales, bunting andbarbeques, bravado, fears, cheers and beer,thrills, spills and goodwill, grazes, laughterand a tear or two.

Crashford set the tone. His first run came toa sticky end. He retired briefly to repair hiscarefully crafted kart and change his shorts.Many of the other 23 karts suffered too as theyrumbled helter­skelter down the High Street onpractice runs. Most entered the afternoon timetrials held together with little more than hopeand happiness. The forecast rain sprinkled onlybriefly. The Oak & Saw came close to beingdrunk dry. And a fabulous £1,924.72 was raisedfor Thames Valley Adventure Playground.

The day demonstrated once again that,when Taplow decides to have fun, nobody doesit better. Grateful thanks to all in our amazingcommunity who helped make it happen,especially to our supporters and sponsors –Gpex (posters), Castlemans Farm (bales),Caring Homes (food), Prime Quarters (prizes)and DM Cager (Insurance Brokers) Ltd(insurance) – and to the fantastic, resourcefulorganisers: Jamie Barnard, Marc Boden, JulietLecchini, Duncan Leftley, Claire Price andRupert Sellers.

Spring 2016 Page 14 Hitcham and Taplow Society

Prizes were awarded as follows:

Fastest Youngster (6 and under):1 – Tommy Browning, 2 – Sandy & Rosie Reeve, 3 – Juno Browning

Fastest Child (7 to 11): 1 – Fin Mackay, 2 – Lexie Barnard, 3 – James Weston­KayeFastest Youth (12 to 17): 1 – Sasha Boden, 2 – Joel Boden, 3 – Felix HindleFastest Female (18+): 1 – Chris Ormond, 2 – Juliet Lecchini, 3 – Kirsty WestonFastest Male (18+): 1 – Marc Boden, 2 – Laird Mackay, 3 – Dave McNultyThe Organisers' Award: Louise AshfordThe Pininfarina Prize for the Most Beautiful Kart: Dave McNultyThe Captain Oates Prize for Bravery and Optimism: Tim BrowningThe Penelope Pitstop Prize for the Best Outfit: Juliet Lecchini and Ben BarnardThe Great Uncle Bulgaria Prize for Recycled Material: George Price on Cricket CrusherThe Dick Dastardly Golden Spanner for the Worst Driver: Chris Cherry

Photo

sby

Nig

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and

Vic

toria

Wayla

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mith

Hitcham and Taplow Society Spring 2016 Page 15

Our House: The Orchard

When I was helping Nigel Smales with hisresearch for Taplow Moments, he suggested Iwrite an article for the Newsletter about ourhouse: The Orchard at the top of the High Street.It took ages to pen a piece six times too long.Never mind. The full version will appear on theSociety's website. Here is a taster…

Keith and I have been our home's fourthowners since 1979. Evelyn Irby lived here from1937 until 1961, Denis & Margaret Wood until1975 and then Tim & Mary Brighouse.

If Evelyn had been male, she would havesucceeded her Uncle George as Baron Boston.Instead, the peerage passed to her youngerbrothers Greville and Cecil but a title doesn'tpay the bills. Her uncle sold Hedsor House in1927 and, when her father Cecil died in 1935,her childhood home – Hitcham Grange – wasbought by Lord Desborough who sold Phipp'sOrchard back to Evelyn for £200. Greville paidto build her house: originally Greenham,eventually The Orchard.

Evelyn was expected to 'marry well' and togive up her dream of being a sculptress. She didneither. Being a Ministry of Labour librarian lefttime for her to sculpt as a hobby, often on thebalcony overlooking the garden, part of whichwas sold for £525 in 1954 to Arthur Kitchiner,formerly the Hitcham Grange gardener whosehome, Grange Lodge, was to be demolished. Bythen, she was a frail recluse watching villagegoings­on through a brass telescope on herbalcony while Arthur kept an eye on her fromhis bungalow, Elsafra. Her home was sold for£7,250 to Denis Wood who was twice refused

permission to build a house in the gardenbecause that right had been exercised for Elsafra(since replaced by Allington Cottage).

Denis wasn't a great one for gardening, butwhy need he be? As the great­grandson of WilliamWood and head of the family firm William Wood& Son – 'Royal Horticulturists and GardenDesigners and Contractors' with some veryaristocratic and affluent clients – he had staff toturn his ideas into reality. After he retired, hisnursery evolved to be the Bishop Centre and hesold The Orchard for £29,700. Tim Brighouse wasthen busy at BCC and, from 1978, as Oxfordshire'sChief Education Officer and well on the way tobecoming an education visionary and aknighthood in 2009.

We were happy in Somerset but Keith's workcalled him to London. Our impossible dream wasto find a village with a school near a station. Ninemonths of searching and being 'gazumped' madeus very depressed until we stumbled on Taplowand The Orchard. The garden was overgrown andthe house needed refurbishment but we bought itthere and then for £69,500. We hacked backbrambles and had some wonderful bonfires. Wemade space for the boys to play cricket anddiscovered a circular brick Victorian soakaway thatonce drained Hitcham Grange and three gardenwall niches with two busts – one an elegantEdwardian lady and a youth of about nine – and abeautiful statue of a monk reading a book. We liketo think these are Evelyn's work. And we extendedher house, always taking care to incorporateoriginal features. I hope nobody can spot the joins.

Julia Paskins

Julia with her elegant lady

Nig

elS

male

s

Spring 2016 Page 16 Hitcham and Taplow Society

Sir Terry Wogan KBE DL 1938­2016

Various national figures have made theirhomes hereabouts down the years. A few wereIrish, including a viscount who took Taplow asa title and an earl instrumental in the creationof the UK. Only one was a 'national treasure'.

Once togs told how warm a duvet was.Nowadays, the talk is of TOGs – Terry's OldGeezers and Gals – and their warm affectionfor that treasure, also known as Sir TerryWogan. Sadly, he too is gone, and so quickly.All seemed well in September when hecompleted his televised epic epicureanadventure, and he chatted happily when Idelivered Newsletter 104 on 31st October. So itwas a surprise that he missed Children in Needwith "a bad back" and a shock to hear of hispassing on 31st January.

It is almost 50 years since his lilting Limericktones first wafted on BBC airwaves. Radio 1called, then Radio 2. Soon he was all over radioand TV, hosting chat shows and game showsgalore, covering Olympics and makingEurovision Song Contests endurable. He foughtthe flab, waltzed through Come Dancing, liftedAuntie's Bloomers, chequed out Blankety Blankand wrote 14 books. He and Pudsey wereforever faces (and he a trustee) as Children inNeed raised more than £700m, but the Radio 2Breakfast Show was his natural home for stints of13 and 17 years. During the second, TOGsescaped earlier acronyms to be bewitched by hismellifluous magic: a potent mix of geniality,joviality and spontaneity, a confident reliance oninnate intelligence, mischievous wit andwhimsical eloquence, and the conspiratorialintimacy of a conversation with a valued friend.

His magic worked just as well away from themicrophone. Always with a charming twinkle inhis eye, he enjoyed a circle of loyal friends andcarried his fame modestly but with great effect insupport of Taplow Cricket Club, the CanadianRed Cross Hospital (where his mother wastreated for chronic arthritis) and especially as a

patron of Burnham Libraryand of Thames ValleyAdventure Playground(which he said is staffed by"patient saints").

While at ease in thepublic eye and withaccolades and awards,

Terry was really a very private person. Helen,Alan, Mark and Katherine gave him hisgreatest joys, Taplow his sanctuary. He lovedtheir house on the hill, "its large rooms, itsgardens so lovingly tended by Helen", itsdistant view of "the neighbours" at WindsorCastle. "It is a wonderful house, full of happymemories of our children growing up. Andbest of all, it is where they want to come hometo, a place of warmth, comfort and love. Andtheir mother's cooking". If some were 40 yearsout of date in thinking he still lived in "ariverside mansion" at Bray, he'd smile: "itthrows them off the scent".

He agreed instantly to write the forewordfor Taplow Moments and regaled me with theWogan history from its origins in Wales, wheregwgan meant frown or scowl, to Ireland andJacobite uprisings. But in 1787, which Woganheld a sliver of land across the road fromCliveden Gages? That stumped him. I didn'tknow Terry well but it was a privilege to haveknown at all this lovely Irishman who broughtout the best in the British.

Nigel Smales

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w.c

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Hitcham and Taplow Society Spring 2016 Page 17

Anthony Read 1935­2015

At a memorial service at St Nicolas' Church on 11thDecember, Bernie Corbett, General Secretary of the Writers'Guild of Great Britain, paid a moving tribute to his friendand mentor Tony Read as "one of the greatest televisionwriters of his generation": a fine accolade, but not thewhole story.

Tony was just six when he decided to be a writer andseven when his father, a Staffordshire coal miner, died ina pit accident. Despite family hardship, he won agrammar school scholarship and trained as an actor atthe Central London School of Speech and Drama "tolearn about theatre". This diversion led to his formingTheatre Unlimited with his friend Ian Hendry. Theytoured the UK and crossed the Iron Curtain before hejoined the BBC in 1963 to adapt stories, write originalscripts and script­edit TV series such as Detective, Kiplingand Sherlock Holmes. He script­edited Mogul (1965), aseries about the oil industry, and, as producer,reinvented it as The Troubleshooters (1966/72). It is easynow to forget this was ground­breaking television whichenthralled millions by bridging the gap between 'qualitydrama' and populist entertainment.

In all, Tony had over 200 TV creditsincluding The Lotus Eaters (starring Hendry,1972/73), Z­Cars (1976/77), Doctor Who (TomBaker, 1978/79), The Professionals (1977/80),Sapphire & Steel (1981) and the series of whichhe was most proud: The Baker Street Boys (1983),about a group of urchins assisting SherlockHolmes, and Chocky (1984), which author JohnWyndham thought the best TV adaption of anyof his works. As chairman of the Writers' Guild(1980/81), Tony strove with quiet persistence togain writers due recognition. He had a majorpart developing the blueprint for Channel 4(1982) as his own focus began to shift tohistorical non­fiction. One of five outstandingworks – Kristallnacht: Unleashing the Holocaust –won the Wingate literary prize in 1989 beforehe returned to fiction and wrote six immenselypopular novels about The Baker Street Boys(2005/09). His reading was prodigious, his

research meticulous andhis writing was near toperfection. His e­address– readwrites – said it all.

In 1966, Tony and hiswife Rosemary broughttheir children Emma andAmelia to Cedar Chase.

They were the third family to move in and hehas since made an immeasurable contributionto maintaining the Span concept of affordableliving for young families by preserving thearchitectural integrity of our community andkeeping our communal grounds a coherentwhole for our continuing pleasure.

Rosaleen and I have been close friends withTony and Rosemary for over 45 years. We shallremember forever how he supported her beingsuch a pillar of strength for us at a particularlydifficult time when Rosaleen was in hospitalfor many weeks, our children Roisin and Ronanwere at primary school and I was away at work12 hours a day. In happier times, we haveenjoyed innumerable gatherings together: mostespecially Roisin's wedding, milestonebirthdays and anniversaries, and visits fromour American grandchildren. Tony madeunique contributions to each occasion. His wasnot a strident voice. He was always quiet andunassuming with a gentle but sharp wit, wisereflection and innate common sense.

Tony – Your absence is a sad loss to us, toCedar Chase and to Taplow. You were a man ofmany parts, a pioneer, a beacon of light andsanity in our world. We shall not know yourlike again.

Do

cto

rW

ho

Ma

ga

zin

e/R

osem

ary

Re

ad

Spring 2016 Page 18 Hitcham and Taplow Society

Anthony Meats 1933­2016

Tony Meats was another multi­dimensional man:an architect and planner of grand vision, an artistof great skill capable of consuming copiousquantities of wine and food often as spicy as hiswitty, mischievous humour. He was naturally andby design a colourful character, offering his kneesfor public delectation and always ready to be seenand heard as the life and soul of every socialgathering, every conversation, everyperambulation around Taplow. He was fond ofNottingham (his birthplace and boyhood home),Primrose Hill (his student lair) and Highgate(where he and Sarah set up home and twinsRupert and Oliver were born) but Taplow was hiseverlasting love. The boys recall him windingdown the car window when they were almosthome, sniffing deeply and sighing ecstatically:"Ah, the Village".

Many architects are content with designingbuildings. Not Tony. He began his career at thedrawing board working on the nurses' home atHigh Wycombe hospital but his creativity neededa bigger canvas and, in 1963, he made the movethat would define his future. His urban designwork in the Balkans, the Gulf, the Caribbean andLiverpool enabled him to develop considerableexpertise and an enviable reputation in evolvingarchitectural and metropolitan planningconcepts, in preparing detailed local plans anddevelopment briefs, and as a visiting lecturer atTallahassee University in the USA.

Cedar Chase's modern architecture was themagnet that brought Tony to Taplow in 1975. Fouryears later, Sarah fell for the older charms of theformer village shop in the High Street. Of course,Tony tried against type to give it a number not aname. He settled for naming it Number Three. Hisown consultancy – The Office of Urban Design –was just getting off the ground. Eventually, histrack record of over 500 projects stretched fromBerlin to Bangladesh via Malta and Malaysia andfrom London to Lancashire via Walsall and Wales.

His work in Dunkerque andBirkenhead won prestigiousawards. He was aconsultant to the CivicTrust, an external examinerat two universities and anadvisor to UNESCO onthe protection of lsfahan,

Istanbul, Lahore, Luxor and high Andean villagesin Argentina. And all the while, he sketched andpainted, often in the convivial company of hisclose friend Nigel Woolner. He was rightlyproud of being a Fellow of the Royal Society ofArts, of exhibiting at the Royal Academy and inaid of St Nicolas' Church and, not least, of hispainting of Uzès in France which adorns itsmain bar, Chez Titti.

Tony – You weren't the only socialist in theVillage, although you made it seem so, but youwere indeed a unique personality. Your e­address– creativehigh – summed you up neatly: aconfident and creative man with high ideals.Rosaleen and I looked forward to being one ofyour 'pit stops' for coffee and a contretemps. Theselively discussions always enhanced our mutualunderstanding and appreciation of our sharedinterests – art, theatre, opera and politics. Taplowwill be the poorer without your presence. YourVillage will miss you, neighbours young and old.

It is a privilege for me to have this opportunityto pay tribute to two such good friends as Tonyand Tony.

Karl Lawrence

Nig

elS

male

s

Hitcham and Taplow Society Spring 2016 Page 19

My parents, Helen and LincolnLee, moved in 1947 to LowerLodge on Berry Hill. I wasborn the following year, butcan still remember walking tothe village with my mother viathe footpath through the fields.Post­war rationing meant wewent first to the Post Officethen to Budgen's, up the hillfrom the church, and toSaunder's butcher's shop, nearthe pub. We moved toMaidenhead in 1951. It was 13years before we returned.

Our large Victorian housewas in Ray Park Road. Despitethe extensive floods in 1947, Idoubt if my parents quiterealised the risks of living onthe flood plain. We weremarooned for a week in 1954, only able to leavehome by boat. Lincoln surveyed the Maidenheadflood channels, found them to be in an appallingstate and campaigned to get them cleaned andmaintained. The Maidenhead Advertiser featuredhis efforts but their success was limited.

Floods returned in 1959. I took the bus fromschool in Windsor to the Parade and I walkedalong boardwalks and raised pavements to theend of Ray Park Road where waters lapped RiverStores. As I puzzled how to get home, I saw afamiliar face: the unmistakeable Fyfe Robertson, awell­known reporter for Cliff Michelmore's'Tonight' BBC TV programme. He wanted tointerview someone about the flooding. Havingpersuaded him that Lincoln Lee was exactly whohe needed to talk to, I managed to borrow adinghy and rowed him to our house. Lincoln waselsewhere so, with Fyfe still captive, I kept rowinguntil we found him. With his usual avunculargood humour, he explained the cause of the

flooding but – to my greatchagrin – refused pointblank to be interviewed ontelevision. I never forgavehim!

These floods, frustrationthat a permanent solutionseemed unlikely and horrorat plans for new

developments on theCookham flood plain allencouraged our move uphill.Lincoln's first book – aboutlife as an airline pilot – hadbeen a worldwide success. Heinvested the proceeds in oneof Taplow House's walledkitchen­garden plots andengaged local architectMichael Bayley to designwhat would become 'Berinus'(7 Saxon Gardens). Twoincidents caused delays.During a visit to Michael'shome, Lincoln's exuberancegot the better of him. Much toHelen's embarrassment, hethrew Michael's baby into theair, bringing down a largesection of the ceiling. Luckily,

the baby kept on giggling but my parents feltunable to protest about the next lengthy delay,caused when Michael fell down the stairs in hishouse, hitting a plate glass window and severingtendons in his forearm.

Past experience made Lincoln scepticalwhen the flood relief scheme was mooted. Hewas convinced that the real motive was for theprofit to be made from gravel. When floodscame again – this time at Chertsey rather thanMaidenhead – he said "I told you so" andwould have said the same when Datchet andWraysbury suffered in 2014.

Of three brothers, only Nick has remained inthe Thames Valley, now in Ealing. Dougal livesin Scotland and I enjoyed floods so much thatI've been living below sea level in theNetherlands for nearly 40 years.

Neil Lee

Editor: Nigel SmalesThe Cottage, Rectory Road, Taplow. Tel 01628 661636

E­mail: editor@taplowsociety.org.ukUnless otherwise stated, the views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Society or its Committee.

The Newsletter is published by the Hitcham and Taplow Society.Prepared for printing by Andrew Findlay using Scribus, Linux, and The Gimp

Printed by Gpex

Eva

Lip

ma

n

Save the date!

Village Green Party

25th June 2016

Lincoln's End

Remembering Lincoln Lee