letter from the chair - teddingtonsociety.org.uk · president - jenny hilton vice presidents :...

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR What a busy summer we've had and as we move into autumn we reach a milestone in the history of our country. As we print and distribute this issue of Tidings Queen Elizabeth II became our longest serving monarch on September 9th overtaking Queen Victoria's record of 63 years and 216 days. Service being the operative word! Following the General Election we said goodbye and thank you to Vince Cable, our M.P. for the past 18 years, and welcomed Tania Mathias as our new representative in Parliament. Inside this issue you'll find fantastic photos from Teddington In Flower, the Pram Race and the Village Fair. I hope you were able to enjoy one or all of them. Next year we'll be adding the River Festival to our roster. The proposed date is Sunday September 4th 2016. Thank you to all our volunteers without whom we couldn't put on these events but we can always do with more. Could that be you? Just get in touch if you can spare some time and effort. Sadly one of our Village Fair banners was stolen from the railings of St. Peter & St. Paul's church. If you know where it is, or went, do let us know as this will save us spending a lot of money replacing it. Mindless theft also occurred at the empty Teddington Studios when 4 of the memorial plaques to famous comedians were stolen including that of Teddington resident funny man Benny Hill. We look forward to being able to tell you that replacements have been made. Finally, two important events: SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER when Dr. Tania Mathias unveiled our Flanders Poppies in Elmfield Gardens at 11am in a little ceremony to mark the centenary of World War One - 1914-18 and MONDAY 12TH OCTOBER when we hold an Open Meeting at the Landmark (see page 13) to discuss the upcoming Village Plans for Teddington. Do register to come along. See you there.

SHEENA

CONTENTS 1 – Welcome

2 – Teddington Society

2 – Editorial

3 – Membership Matters

3 – ART House

4 – SPEAR

5 – Trees and Gardens

5 – Safer Neighbourhood Board 6 – Momentum 7 – Planning Group Award 8 – Village Fair and Pram Race 9 – Teddington in Flower 10 – Turing House School 10 – Afternoon Tea at the Park Hotel 11 – Tamesis Club

12 – Cecil Palmer 12 – Library Foundation Stones 13 – Pram Race Cheques 13 – Village Plans 14 - River Thames Scheme 15 – Corporate Members 15 – New Tedd Soc Members 16 – Events in Teddington

Tidings 171 – Autumn 2015

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, Joan Freeman Chairman Sheena Harold 020 8977 2700 [email protected] Vice Chairman Alan Benns 07768 078667 [email protected] Secretary Josette Nikiforou 0203 174 2481 [email protected] Treasurer Sally Howland 020 8977 9404 [email protected] Publicity & Promotions (inc. Gardens) Sheena Harold Membership Secretary & Website 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 By the time you read this, the summer holidays will be over, the schools will have begun their academic year, the various choral and theatrical clubs will have begun preparations for Christmas performances and the programme of winter sporting fixtures will be well under way. In "Tidings" we try to keep you informed about the various issues that the Teddington Society has been involved in. We don't have a Letters Page as such – it would not be practical with a three month gap between publications, but we do try to make sure you have all the Internet links you might need, and many of the current issues can be seen on the Society's web page http://www.teddingtonsociety.org.uk/

Some of the topics we have covered in the past are still current today.

The improvement of Teddington Weir's ability to cope with floods is important to all of us and we will report on this from time to time.

The proposed Hydro scheme at the Weir is also the subject of lengthy discussion.

It looks as though the Udney Park playing fields have finally been sold and plans are being drawn up for their development.

A new round of consultation on the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in Teddington is under way.

Teddington Station will (soon?) have lifts installed And the subjects of airport expansion and aircraft noise will

probably be with us for years to come Several of the articles in this issue are about the support that the Teddington Society gives to local charities. The Village Fair provided funding for SPEAR and Momentum and the organizers of the Pram Race were able to present cheques to the Teddington and Hampton Wick Voluntary Care Group, Stepping On Out and the Brunswick Youth Club. I am grateful to all those people who have contributed articles and photos to past editions of "Tidings" and I am always looking for new topics. Do get in touch if you are able to contribute something interesting about Teddington. And finally, have you noticed how many elegantly dressed athletes there are running on the streets of Teddington throughout the day? The Bushy "parkrun" now boasts well over 1000 runners every Saturday morning.

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS Jenny Michell Get a friend or neighbour to join the Teddington Society. We always welcome new members and we would be delighted if you passed on your copy of Tidings to a neighbour and encouraged them to join too! SUBSCRIPTIONS : Individual £7 Joint/Family £11. Senior £4 Joint Senior £5 Corporate Membership :£25 Postage for Tidings £3.50 for those who live outside the TW11 postcode or in flats without an individual accessible letterbox. Payment online http://www.teddingtonsociety.org.uk

or by cheque or cash to Mrs J Michell (Membership Secretary), 5 Broom Park, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 9RN. New members need to give name, address, telephone number and an email address if they have one so that we can send occasional updates about events etc. Also an A4 SAE if they would like a copy of this copy of Tidings.


AVRIL VELLACOTT’S ARTHouse Open Studio Pop-Up Exhibition Mark Vellacott In its 20th Year, ARThouse 2015 is Richmond’s annual open studios exhibition, celebrating the creative talent that exists within the borough of Richmond upon Thames. This year the Open Studio Pop-Up Exhibitions ran for 6 days in June and July 2015 with 110 different venues and over 500 artists exhibiting around the borough. http://www.arthouseopenstudios.co.uk/

ARThouse provides a great opportunity for the borough’s artists to join together and exhibit their work across two summer weekends, providing visitors the chance to see the unique environment in which their art is created. The Pop-Up exhibitions cover a wonderfully diverse range of artwork including painting and photography; stained glass and woodwork; sculpture and ceramics; to jewellery, furniture and upholstery! The ARThouse venues were spread across all corners of the borough with exhibitions in homes, studios, cafes, church halls, boathouses and even some of the borough’s heritage buildings including Turner's House and Garrick’s Temple. With a total of 40 local artists exhibiting in 30 venues in the Teddington, Fullwell and Hampton area.

Down Elmfield Avenue in the heart of Teddington, well known local sculptor Avril Vellacott opened up her studio to exhibit her work, and run workshop demonstrations for the young and young at heart.

Avril’s work included a broad sample of her portrait and figurative sculptures including a copy of the bust of Noel Coward in the Teddington Library, and one of Jeremy Thorpe which was recently added to the House of

Commons' permanent collection. The exhibition also included a selection of Avril’s paintings and sketches.

http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/

exhibitions-and-events/displays/

jeremy-thorpe/

Avril’s career as a sculptor dates back to the early 1960’s, and includes a large number of portrait sculpture commissions, as well as working in the film industry in the UK and Germany on the films Clash of the Titans and The Never Ending Story. Avril also taught sculpture at the Richmond Adult & Community College for 20 years. Embracing the new world of social media, Avril used Facebook via her new iPad to make regular posting of photos and videos, and the ARThouse event to lunch her YouTube channel with a three part video of a portrait demonstration filmed at the Landmark Centre. The demonstration videos were also run on a big screen, and attracted a lot of interest from visitors. https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=ezxiQj9c8BA

Avril’s front driveway was converted into a covered workshop demonstration area, and provided a shaded location where visitors could enjoy a sit down break and have a cup of tea and cake for a small donation to the Save the Children fund - which raised £135 for the charity. Visitors were also able to take tea, wander around Avril’s back garden, and look at some of her larger pieces of figurative work. Some of them were from her final year exhibition at City & Guilds of London Art School which won her the school’s coveted sculpture prize. The workshop demonstrations were a big hit. Giving the opportunity to learn how to make a small terracotta sculpture. The workshops were greatly enjoyed by all that where involved, and Avril’s surprise initial pupil was local Sky Sport’s presenter celebrity Ian White. Avril greatly enjoyed to opportunity to show her work to local families during ARThouse 2015, and to pass on her knowledge and enthusiasm for sculpture.


Bruce Warman and Heidi Shrimpton SPEAR is a homeless charity which was set up in the late 1980’s by local resident Penny Wade after two rough sleepers were found dead by the Thames in Richmond. Since then we have strived to help vulnerable people, initially in the borough and, increasingly, through South West London. The Outreach Team go out late at night or in the early hours of the morning 2 to 3 times a week, following up on referrals to verify and engage rough sleepers in SPEAR services.

We were delighted to have a stall at this year’s Teddington Fair in June and were warmly welcomed by all the Teddington residents we met.

The face painting was especially popular! This is Heidi's handiwork. We were especially grateful for the help given by the clergy and staff of St Mary with St Alban Church.

SPEAR would also like to thank the Teddington Society for supporting this vital work with a donation from the fair’s proceeds. The photo shows Sally and Sheena handing a cheque for £1000 to Heidi. As a local charity the support of the community is key in ensuring SPEAR can aid those Teddington residents who need it most, and we have found this in plentiful supply in Teddington.

Greggs Bakery donated the cookies. Imogen (Heidi's daughter) sold some of them to the Lifeboat Crew. Three organisations working together to support the community. SPEAR tailors its help to meet each individual person’s needs, and we have different accommodation and skill development options to ensure that, once gaining accommodation, our clients remain permanently housed, achieving full independence. If you are concerned after seeing someone sleeping rough please call our Homeless Hotline on 0208 404 1481 or e-mail

[email protected].


TREES AND GARDENS Sheena Harold Teddington In Flower: June 14th was a gorgeous day and all our open gardens enjoyed your visits. The town was awash with people on foot, on bikes and in cars going from garden to garden. Your generosity has enabled us to donate £660 each to Strawberry Hill House and to Homelink Day Respite Centre.

Here is Sue Hodder, the chief operations officer, receiving the cheque from me. Also in the picture are Terry Conneely, staff nurse Clare Galbraith, health care assistant and Rali Dyankova, health care assistant. The Centre will use the money to provide activities and entertainment. Strawberry Hill will be able to employ an injured gardener who cannot get full time employment on a part time basis. Thank you to all our gardeners, our gate sitters and of course all our visitors. Richmond Borough In Bloom: At last all the judging is over. It seems to have taken a lot more of my time this year. However, I entered our town in the Best Village In Bloom - a one off category to celebrate Bloom's 25th Anniversary year. Up against Barnes and Twickenham I don't know how we've fared but thanks are due particularly to Hilary Marshall who tends the Cattlemen's Association Trough in Park Road (ours is one of the few remaining from the days of horse drawn transport) and Mariana Cracium of the Adelaide who showed the judges round the lovely beer garden during their 1h 20m tour of the town on August 4th. The Adelaide and The King's Head in the High Street have won Silver Gilt Awards in the main Bloom competition. Full results on: www.RichmondboroughinBloom.co.uk

Elmfield Gardens: The real flowers have been a bit of a disappointment through the summer but new planting is planned and the winter may be more pleasing. What has delighted lots of passers-by are the Flanders Poppy Sculptures. Thanks to the Council Parks chaps for 'planting' them so perfectly.

We are thrilled to announce that our new MP, Dr Tania Mathias, will officially unveil this our tribute to the fallen of WW1 on Sunday 13th September at 11am. Do come along if you can. You may have read in the local paper that Tania's grandfather, Freddie Mathias, was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 for his exploits flying over enemy lines in France & Belgium. You may have your own family stories of WW1 exploits and if so we'd love to hear them.

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD BOARD Martin Sands I am a member as a community representative of the Safer Neighbourhood Board (SNB) for the Borough of Richmond and attended the most recent meeting on 30 July. The Board is the principal forum for Police/Community consultation in the Borough with the primary aim of giving local residents and especially victims of crime a greater voice in setting police priorities. Richmond remains one of the safest boroughs in London with a high level of confidence in the police. The police are currently giving particular emphasis to crime prevention which is crucial in making significant inroads into criminal activity. Residents can all help to achieve this by such measures as ensuring that vehicles are locked and valuables kept out of sight, sheds and garages are secured when not in use and house keys are not visible from doors or windows. According to the police, it is surprising that people pay such little attention to these basic precautions and this encourages criminals to visit what they perceive to be vulnerable and hence attractive locations. Residents could also play their part by joining their local Neighbourhood Watch and attending the Hampton Wick and Teddington Police Liaison Group meetings. Current Police priorities for the Borough were confirmed as burglary, anti-social behaviour and car crime. These are broadly similar to those agreed at the last Hampton Wick and Teddington Police Liaison Group meeting but with issues over river travellers of higher priority in this area than car crime at present. Concerns were also raised at the SNB over the challenge of dealing with criminal damage and the policing and transport arrangements for the Rugby World Cup. British Transport Police will be concentrating on Hounslow, Twickenham ,Richmond, Clapham Junction and Waterloo stations where most of the crowds are likely to be but additional, later and longer trains will also run on match days particularly when there are evening games.

Crossword Jigsaw Solution : ARK, VALUE, ALONG, TEE


Tara MacDowel Head of Fundraising and Communications Momentum supports children, and their families, across Surrey and SW London who are faced with the diagnosis of cancer or another life-limiting condition.

We offer practical and emotional support through our family support programme; provide holidays, trips and treats to help during the stress of treatment; and implement projects within hospitals to help enhance the healing environment. Momentum was founded in 2004 and the charity has an office in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. At any one time, we support over 250 families. HOW WE HELP Being told your child has cancer or another life-limiting condition is completely devastating.

Families feel utterly helpless and isolated, knowing their child will face many months, even years, of treatment and hospital visits, often with uncertain prognosis. Day-to-day life is turned upside down, and many families feel unable to cope.

Momentum makes a huge difference to the entire family during times of unimaginable strain and stress:

Family Support Programme Bespoke, tailored support for children and families

during treatment and beyond, both at home and in hospital

Regular support group meetings to allow parents, and children, to share experiences and information

Practical therapy sessions (music, drama, art) to help children cope with their diagnosis and express how they are feeling

Help through our ‘Echoes’ programme, for families whose children die, including help with funeral arrangements, memory books, and bereavement support for as long as needed

Sally Howland hands over a cheque for £1000 from the Teddington Society to Tara McDowel. Holidays, Trips and Treats Respite breaks for families in our New Forest holiday

cabins or our new beach hut Day trips and outings for children, and their siblings,

to help create a sense of normality Provision of special treats, and granting of wishes, to

seriously-ill children and their siblings Enhancing the Healing Environment Projects within local hospitals, including Kingston

Hospital, St. Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, Epsom Hospital, and St George’s Hospital, Tooting to improve the environment for children during their treatment, such as development of special rooms for parents, teenagers, themed-treatment rooms.


PLANNING GROUP AWARD Veronica Laughrin In the summer, members of the Planning Group held a party to thank Michael Foss, its recently retired convenor, for 25 years of guidance and service.

Some newer residents may not be aware of how much Teddington has improved over these years and the significant contribution that Michael has made in encouraging this. Through meetings arranged with Richmond Council and many excellent letters in response to applications, he has continually emphasised the importance of integrity of design. He took a particular interest in the shop fronts in our main streets and Teddington was recently listed in a Telegraph survey as having one of the Top 10 High Streets in the country.

In his early years in the Teddington Society, Michael campaigned to replace the run-down car-parking in front of Elmfield House with a garden. This important central site is now a green focal point for the town. As convenor of the Planning Group, Michael continued to press the Council to improve maintenance and planting and, now that the dilapidated railings have been removed and changes made to the pathways, we have a really attractive open space for everyone to enjoy.

Here is Mike and his wife, Helga, receiving the award Michael identified other areas of Teddington that could also be ‘greened up’. The high wall to Cedar Road car park was lowered and reduced and the Council planted trees and provided seating, making this stretch of the High Street far more open and attractive – and the car-park safer as a result. As convenor of the group, he wrote to the Lensbury Club to ask them to replace the unattractive concrete wall to their sports ground on Kingston Road. The wall came down and the railings have made a huge improvement, opening up views of the fields to the whole community. The Planning Group reviews applications in Teddington, supporting residents who are threatened by over-development and commenting on design. Michael believes that good quality design should be recognised and encouraged and, at his initiative, the Teddington Society Awards were introduced. These prestigious awards are given to applaud projects that enhance the townscape and have included the glass extension to Teddington Baptist Church in Church Road; the conversion of the old public conveniences on the railway bridge to The Powder Room gallery; and, more recently, the stunning revamping of the old Normansfield Hospital. Another of Michael’s initiatives was a smaller scale PAT Award, designed to give a ‘pat on the back’ to those who have sympathetically developed their homes and property. So, as John Gittens noted in thanking Michael for his service to Teddington, we have all benefitted from his vision, good judgement, persistence and charm. He truly deserves a PAT himself.


TEDDINGTON IN FLOWER

There were 11 gardens on show on Sunday 14 June. The Deputy Mayor, Jean Loveland, visited all of them and Peter

Denton was there for us with his camera

Malcolm and Marcia Cotton, 60 Clarence Road

Dick and Gilly Hughes, Alma Cottage, Albert Road

Carol Drew, 19 St Mary's Avenue

Kitty and Geoffrey Wass, 52 Somerset Road (Julia Watling-Stewart was "garden sitting")

Sheila Eames, 81 Twickenham Road (with Sian Morgan)

Jenny Hilton, 21 Teddington Park

Jill and Paul Smith, 29 Elmfield Avenue (and one of their son's sculptures)

Dominic and Gerardine Stockford, 65 Elmfield Avenue

Shirley Meaker, 40 Udney Park Road

Jan and David Pollock, 34 Kingston Lane (with Sian Morgan)

St Mary with St Alban Church, Ferry Road (with Sarah Newton Boyd, Mary Field Smith and Sandy Symes)


TURING HOUSE SCHOOL Martin O'Sullivan Turing House School, located on the corner of Queens Road, opened its doors for the first time on 3 September to 100 year 7 students. The school is part of the The Russell Education Trust (RET). RET is a not-for-profit charitable trust. It is sponsored by Education London, an educational consultancy that works in partnership with a number of outstanding schools and academies, senior inspectors, academics and education leaders to support the implementation of best practice in schools nationally. Both RET, and the founding groups with whom they work, are firmly resolved that RET Free Schools will all be judged to be good or outstanding by Ofsted and their communities within two years of opening. So far this aim has been achieved by each of the RET schools: Bristol Free School, Becket Keys School, St Andrew the Apostle and King's School in Hove. The criteria used are Achievement, Behaviour and Safety, Teaching, and Leadership and Management

The proposing founders of Turing House School are a small group of local parents who felt that this part of the Borough needed another secondary school to provide excellent education for its students. So what is a free school? According to Wikipedia ‘A Free School in England is a type of Academy, a non-profit-making, independent, State-funded school which is free to attend but which is not controlled by a Local Authority. They are subject to the same School Admissions Code as all other State-funded schools.’ The school is named Turing House in honour of the inspirational mathematician and scientist Alan Turing. After his key role in cracking the German Enigma Code during the Second World War, he moved to Hampton and worked at Teddington’s National Physical Laboratory, where he began his ground breaking work developing the earliest modern computers. By honouring and celebrating his achievements, the school aims to reflect a culture of possibility; this will be

a school where staff and students are inspired to aim high, think creatively and achieve their full potential.

The future looks bright for this fledgling school with a creative curriculum in place and excellent teachers appointed. The school will eventually grow to have over a 1000 students including a Sixth Form Education. Building works continue to ensure that the space available meets the needs of its students. Turing House is working with Teddington Rugby Club and Teddington Pool to provide its students with specialist sports facilities. Head Teacher Colin Mackinlay believes the school will be an asset to the area and hopes to contribute to events in the local community. Already the school has confirmed its involvement in the ‘Lights Up’ event, Teddington Fair and has booked a Carol Concert at St Mary’s with St Alban’s on the 7th December 2015. The school looks forward to opening its doors to prospective students and parents on the 29th September and the 8th October for its 2016 intake open evenings.

AFTERNOON TEA at the PARK HOTEL

A new experiment that turned out to be very popular!


TAMESIS CLUB John Dunkley In the 130 years since it was founded Tamesis Club has produced five Olympic gold medallists and built the largest Merlin Rocket fleet in the UK but remains an essentially small and friendly family club. Situated on the first non-tidal reach of the Thames at Teddington, it is one of the most active sailing clubs in South West London and provides racing for eight dinghy classes every week-end throughout the year and on Thursday evenings in the summer.

Tamesis is the Roman name for Thames - a combination of Isis, the old name for the river from its source to Dorchester, and Thame, the tributary it meets near Dorchester. The poet Rudyard Kipling wrote in The River’s Tale “I walk my beat before London Town, Five hours up and seven down, Up I go till I end my run, at Tide-end-town, which is Teddington”. Tamesis played a significant role in the development of dinghy racing over the past century and was closely associated with great names in small boat design like Linton Hope, Morgan Giles and Uffa Fox. Founded in 1885 as a spin off from Thames SC at Surbiton, its first club room was at Hampton Wick, where many of the members' boats were moored, and moved to its present site - then an island - in 1901 after a fire at the original premises. A new clubhouse, described as "a typical late Victorian bungalow", was built a few years later. It has been enlarged and modified several times but the basic core of the original structure is still recognisable. The present day clubhouse has large double glazed picture windows which give excellent views of the river and the sailing. In the winter older members can watch the racing from the warmth of the dining room and bar and there is a veranda with tables and chairs that is popular on warm sunny days in the summer. The adjacent lawn is popular with young children for family picnics and there are tables and bench seats along

the river frontage. There is also a Wednesday evening Bridge Club Tamesis joined four other river clubs to form the Sailing Boat Association in 1888 and was closely involved in the improvement of the handicapping rules introduced in 1881 by the newly formed Yacht Racing Association, the predecessor of the Royal Yachting Association. Sailing turnouts peaked in 1953, when The Spectator compared Teddington reach to a miniature Cowes, with 450 dinghies on the water at the autumn regatta. Tamesis was once the home of the largest International 14 fleet in Britain, whose helmsmen included Sir Peter Scott, Harold Morris and his son Stewart, who went on to win the Prince of Wales Cup 12 times and a gold medal at the 1948 Olympics. Fireflies became the main focus of the club's team racing in the late 1950s and a Tamesis team won the RNVR national team racing championship in 1963, beating Castaways in the final. The following year a team of Tamesis 14s, Merlins, 12s and Fireflies beat teams from other London clubs to win the Royal Thames YC's Serpentine Cup on Hyde Park lake. The trophy was later re-presented by Tamesis for an annual inter-club team race at Teddington. Tamesis nowadays provides racing for National 18s, Merlin Rockets, Lasers, Fireflies, Cadets and Toppers with sail training on Summer Saturdays and for youngsters in Cadets, Toppers, Mirrors and Oppies.

This year the Members of the BBC sailing club, Ariel, joined Tamesis, and the club became an RYA Recognised Training Centre, providing RYA approved training for dinghy sailing and power boats, and other related subjects such as first aid, as required There are regular team races with nearby clubs and an Offshore Group organises an annual rally for members who have yachts on the south coast. Tamesis welcomes new members. Anyone interested in joining or finding out more should visit the club on a Sunday morning at it’s lovely riverside location off Trowlock Way, or contact the Commodore, Stewart Colley by emailing [email protected]

There is more information on the website at http://www.tamesisclub.co.uk.


CECIL H PALMER, the Missing War Hero Colin Hicks While I was working with David Neller on the Online WW1 War Memorial for Teddington, he came to me with a mystery. He could find nothing from any other record about a Cecil H Palmer who is one of only three names on a WW1 War Memorial in Teddington Baptist Church.

Mr Palmer's name does not even appear on the Teddington War Memorial. David asked me to see whether the records of TBC might tell us anything about who he might have been. I read through every edition of the Church monthly magazine for 1914-1918 and I found references to 26 different people who died on active service during WW1 – but no mention of Cecil H Palmer. In frustration, I turned to a different set of records – a listing of the members of the church. There I found a Cecil H Palmer who was baptised (as an adult by total immersion) on 1 July 1919. His membership was recorded as ending on his death on 1 March 1920. And in the May 1920 edition of the Church magazine, I found an obituary written by the minister, Rev H Tebbit: “The passing to the Homeland of this young soldier has left his dear ones and our Church much poorer, though for him it is gain unspeakable. He died a soldier’s death and was as much a war victim as any man killed on the battlefield. He joined up at 16 and became a gunner in the Marines, spending 2½ years in France and ultimately was discharged through the effects of gas. This poison caused his death though for a time we hoped he would recover. Cecil Palmer came out for Christ very boldly in a mission held in our Church by Mr Spencer Johnson, and I baptised him just twelve months before laying his body to rest. His fine Christian qualities and his resignation to his Lord’s will were beautifully manifested during his illness which was accompanied by such extreme prostration. God give us many like him in simple trust and sterling character.” This Memorial lists only the three people who were both church members and Sunday School workers. A more comprehensive Memorial was never actually completed. The Online WW1 War Memorial is still being assembled but you see progress so far at: http://www.teddsoc-wiki.org.uk/wiki/

index.php?title=Online_WW1_War_Memorial_

for_Teddington

LIBRARY FOUNDATION STONES Next time you visit Teddington Library, have a look at the foundation stones either side of the doorway. They have been there for over 100 years. But during that time the lettering has become virtually unreadable.

However now the stones have been restored to their former glory and a piece of Teddington history has come to life..

John Charles Buckmaster (1823 to 1908) was a member of the District Council and became involved in many public causes like the building of the library. He was an interesting man and probably deserves an article in Tidings sometime.

THE TEDD SOC WIKI PAGE The Teddington Society has a "Wiki" page which provides easy access to the main web page. You can visit it at http://www.teddsoc-wiki.org.uk/

It is host to the Society's Online Register of Listed Buildings & Buildings of Townscape Merit (BTMs) and also its new Online WW1 War Memorial, both of which are continuously being developed, with new information being entered regularly. Over the past year and a half it has averaged more than 100 "hits" per day and it has been visited by about 2000 different people every month.


PRAM RACE CHEQUES

Have a look at the Pram Race web site for many more photos. http://www.teddpramrace.org.uk/

Rae Williams licensee of the Masons Arms (and Pram Race HQ) presenting a cheque for £4000 to Mary Tavendale on behalf of the Teddington and Hampton Wick Voluntary Care Group.

Rae Williams presenting a cheque for £1000 to Stepping On Out, in their shop on the Causeway.

TEDDINGTON VILLAGE PLAN

If you read about the Teddington Village Plan in the last Tidings, you'll realise that the process is due to start early next year. This is your opportunity to say what you would like to see happen in Teddington in the next 5-10 years. The Society is working with LBRuT's Community Links officers, William Reed and Mamta Khanna, to set up an Open Meeting for you to have your say.

LANDMARK ARTS CENTRE MONDAY 12TH OCTOBER 6.30PM-9PM

The Village Plan comprises two parts. The first is a formal document, which is known as Supplementary Planning Guidance or SPG. This will be a planning framework on which planning applications will be determined. This plan will define the character of parts of Teddington, looking at building features, and identifying opportunities to enhance them. The second part of the Village plan will be a register of Community projects which could improve the public spaces and services of Teddington . It won't be possible for everything to be carried out immediately and some projects may not be feasible but the Council want your suggestions. The meeting's FREE of charge but space is limited so REGISTER NOW by emailing [email protected]

or write to The Teddington Society, 1 Avenue Road, Teddington TW11 0BT with your name, address & contact phone no. If you can't come you can send your suggestions to : Mamta Khanna, Community Links Officer by email: [email protected]

or write to her at LBRuT, 3rd Floor, Civic Centre, York Road, Twickenham TW1 3BZ. Hosted by The Teddington Society and LBRuT with the co-operation of the Landmark Arts Centre. More information can be found at http://www.richmond.gov.uk/village_plans

and a video of the Richmond Plan at: https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=2eq27pCna28


RIVER THAMES

SCHEME Flood Working Group

Tidings readers will be well aware of the concerns over flooding in the Thames Valley area. A year ago we published this map in Tidings showing the proposed new flood channels, the enhancement to the Desborough Cut and the improvements to the weirs at Molesey, Sunbury and Teddington. The Flood Working Group of the Teddington Society were quick to point out that six of these projects would deliver flood waters more quickly to the Teddington area and the last one, the enhancement of Teddington Weir was the only one that would speed up the removal of water. Consequently there is a lot of interest in the way these seven projects will be implemented. The Environment Agency has drawn up further plans for the "River Thames Scheme" (RTS) and they presented them in outline at a meeting on 3 September. The graphics on the right show how the Scheme is likely to be implemented. The small print may be difficult to read, but the basic messages are these: 930 properties were flooded

in 2014 There are 15000 homes and

businesses at risk of flooding 200 km of roads are at risk of

flooding There will be 17 km of new

flood channels (in 3 parts) A flood Response Plan was

published in 2015 Construction will begin in

2020 and last for four years We will bring you further information when it is made available.


CORPORATE MEMBERS

1 of 1 Design Architecture:wk British Maritime Technology Broom Water Association Byrne Group PLC Curves of Hampton Dexters Estate Agents Edward Giles Online 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 Moiduls National Physical Laboratory Park Lane Stables Parsonage &Co Solicitors Roger Sutton &Co Accountants S & N Electrical Contractors Seed and Bean Organic Chocolate Company Shambles Bar and Restaurant Sidra Patisserie Simply Sound and Vision 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 Cricket Club Teddington Theatre Club Teddnet Association of Independent Workers 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

NEW CORPORATE MEMBERS Mr Martin O'Sullivan, Turing House School Ms Helen King, Take2Therapy Mrs Gerry McCarthy, Teddington Theatre Club, Hampton Hill Playhouse

Meet Simon Burman – our newest Corporate Partner who runs S & N Electrical Contractors, an electrical services company based in York Road, Teddington.

Simon founded his company, S&N Electrical Contractors, in Hampton Wick before he moved to Teddington a year ago. “No job’s too big, no job’s too small,” he says. “Anything from changing a light bulb to a full-scale electrical circuit installation”. Incidentally, Simon’s son Charlie, 23, who also lives in York Road, plays professionally for Esher Rugby Football Club’s first team, in the third division of the English league – which, people in the know will confirm, is no mean achievement.

NEW MEMBERS We welcome the following people who have joined the Teddington Society recently: Patrick and Marion O'Donovan Mary Williams Ashley Retter Richard Phillips and Caroline Low Josephine and Joseph Camilleri Rachel Warren Madge Woods David Neller Joan Smithson-Downes Candace and Michael Taylor Stephen and Caryl Rankin Adrian and Alison Fordham Eileen Folan John Lunt Jane Nicholson Christopher Shires and Paula Palk Sima Patel Marie and Simon Hamblin Phil and Dipti Southby Elliot Tomlin Karen Barclay Nick Picton Dilys Walker Christina Vincent Angela Collins and John Watson Tia Dania Irina Ginghina Paul McGuiness Stephen and Helen McGowan Mary and Hugh Lindsay Caroline and Doug Taylorson Peter and Susan Christopher Lloyd Reynolds and Laura Blake Jacqueline Boga Mitchell Michael Kenneally Jan Holmes and Betsy Lewis-Holmes Sheena Spiers and Paul Gibbs

CROSSWORD JIGSAW

Here are seven two letter tiles and a frame to put them in. Fit the tiles in the frame (without rotating them) to spell four words horizontally and five words vertically. (solution on page 5)


FORTHCOMING EVENTS Sunday 13th September 11am A plaque marking the outbreak of WW1 will be unveiled at the Flanders Poppies memorial in Elmfield Gardens by Dr. Tania Mathias, M.P. Do come along and share this moving moment with us. COFFEE AT PEG WOFFINGTON'S

What could be nicer than coffee with friends at Peg Woffington's cottage? Taking it outdoors in the sunshine in Tony and Betty's delightful garden, of course. Next opportunities will be on 15 September, 20 October, 17 November and 15 December. Monday 12th October 6.30-9pm Village Plan Open Meeting at the Landmark Arts Centre. Full details on page 13. Your chance to tell us what changes you'd like to see in your town.

LITTERPICKS Geoff Howland Wed 23 Sept Re-cycling sites Autumn clean up. Wed 30 Sept Assisting Radnor House School with

their "Make a Difference Day" litterpick.

Sat 3 Oct Regular litterpick Sat 7 Nov Remembrance Day litterpick at War

Memorial.

CANARY WHARF AND THE CROSSRAIL GARDEN A FESTIVE GUIDED WALK Thursday 26 November London’s buildings and landscapes are continually changing. The Docklands area has played an important role in the wealth of the city and in the fortunes of East London. Canary Wharf, once the hub of imports, exports and manufacturing, has been transformed into London’s

second financial centre in just 27 years since construction began.

Our walk takes a route through the development’s public spaces, looking at the urban landscaping, architecture, sculpture, and the recently opened Foster & Partners Crossrail Place roof garden (it’s mainly covered). A little oasis below the glass towers of Canary Wharf. Paths wind among the plants chosen to reflect an East-West theme that not only references the Crossrail line but also the history of the area and the countries frequented by the trading ships that used the West India Docks. Meet: on platform 2 Teddington Station for 09.41 to Waterloo. Price: £10, bookings to: [email protected]

or phone 07802 822812. Cheques payable to Pamela McHutchon

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

letter from the chair - teddingtonsociety.org.uk · president - jenny hilton vice presidents :...

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