Feb 2010

THE WINDSOR AND ETON SOCIETY

Incorporating Windsor Heritage

NEWSLETTER NO 49 February 2010

I hope you all had a pleasant Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year. Coping with this year’s exceptional winter weather is an ongoing challenge and sensibly resulted in the first ever cancellation of a meeting last month. Beryl Hedges has also had to rearrange the February meeting and succeeded brilliantly. I have been impressed by the quick repair of the King’s Road potholes from the recent ice and snow, and the refurbished plant tubs in St. Leonard ’s Road, and look forward to the resurfacing work in Peascod Street . I am always pleased to hear from any member who has any suggestion or concern about Windsor or Eton .

At our Castle Hotel Annual Dinner on 5 March, the official guests are the Mayor of Eton, Cllr. Philip Highy, his wife, Mrs Lynne Highy, our recently elected President, Air Marshal Ian Macfadyen CB OBE, and his wife Mrs Sally Macfadyen. Air Marshal Macfadyen is the After Dinner speaker and Cllr. Highy is coincidently ever helpful in arranging the Society’s meetings at Eton College . Entrance for the Dinner is through the hotel car park where ‘first come first served’ parking is complimentary after 6.30pm . Tickets are still available from Mrs Joan Biggs, 01753 522493, at a cost of £28 each.

The planning applications and appeals weekly lists are checked every week and the following are the main ones which have been considered by the Heritage and Environment Committee.

Concerns have been expressed over the redevelopment of this site. A meeting is being sought to discuss the College’s concept.

The planning application to house a café and 10 residential flats has been refused.

The local paper carried a picture of the proposed development which looked more in keeping than the original. Plans will be inspected.

The Windsor and Eton Society is delighted that the Royal Borough has produced this document and hopes that Conservation Areas in the Borough will be reviewed regularly.

It is of great importance that Windsor's character, historic interest and special architecture are given protection in the future and therefore this Conservation Area Appraisal needs to be implemented and its management plan strictly adhered to.

The Society has noted with great interest English Heritage's Guidance on Significant Non-Listed Buildings and would fully endorse all the buildings listed so far by the Council. The Society would particularly like to highlight a few that, in its opinion, could eventually warrant 'Listed' Building consent;

· The Carpenter's Arms, 4, Market Street - Its history, age, gables, bays and balconies both in Market Street and Church Street are of note.

· Barclays Bank, 29-30 High Street - In view of its prominent position its fine frontage needs preserving.

· Molton Brown, 3, Peascod Street - The Society is very impressed with the simple elegance of this building.

· Thornton's, 34 Peascod Street - A little ' gem' which justifiably deserves attention.

Community involvement is very much appreciated in the identification of these Significant Non-Listed Buildings and information regarding the buildings

SAVE English Heritage, a conservation group set up in 1975, is researching for their annual Buildings at Risk register. SAVE (contactable at rhiannon.tracy@savebritainsheritage.org ) wants to hear about Grade II listed or other buildings of historical or architectural note which are at risk from dereliction, decay or vandalism; also about Grade I or II listed buildings at risk which are vacant and for sale.

English Heritage has shown that sash windows, often pulled out of buildings and replaced by uPVC windows, are, if repaired and improved, as energy efficient as uPVC windows. The Audit Commission suggests councils should focus less on building new homes and more on improving existing housing in their areas.

A Civic Society Forum has been started online. To take part an email address is required and information on contributing can be obtained from admin@civicsocietyinitiative.org.uk.

There is considerable disquiet about the level of financial support required from civic societies on a membership basis to make the proposed new national body viable and, especially, independent. The benefits of a national body would be:-

2) The offer of a free day access to the National Trust for a civic society member or friend,

5) Access to support for fundraising, volunteers and addressing legal questions,

The fee is likely to be between £1 and £3 per member and will be decided early in 2010. Each civic society must decide how to raise these funds.

Those running the Civic Society Initiative (CSI) say the civic societies want independence. Financial support could be gained elsewhere but the CSI feel that collapse would occur, as happened to the Civic Trust, and it is not willing to consider this.

The new national body is as yet unnamed and its location undecided. At the end of January 2010, members of civic societies were invited to indicate in order of preference their choice of name for the new body. The possibilities were, Civic Matters, Civic Voice, C3 Championing Civic Causes and Civic Vision. The new body is likely to be established around Easter 2010 and to become a charity. Governance of the new body will consist of up to ten directors/trustees on the Board (six elected by civic societies registered with the CSI and up to two co-opted by the governing body). Members of the Board will be appointed for three-year terms, renewable once. At the Annual General Meeting civic societies will vote on who is in charge and will be able to change the Board. The CSI costs £200,000 per annum with two staff and ends in May 2010; the new body will cost £400,000 with four staff.

Ninety-one civic societies have been successful in receiving funds averaging £13,300 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Help can be obtained from the civic societies of some towns in planning visits there. Examples are Bath , Blackpool, Buxton, Faversham, Leicester and

There is a move afoot to write a history of the civic movement as a whole. Enthusiastic local historians involved with civic societies are sought to set up a network of local volunteers able to give time and energy to the project.

The event will be held on Thursday 27th May 2010 at 8.00 pm in St. George's School , Windsor Castle .

Alto Lay Clerk Tim Carleston, who is also a professional trumpeter, will entertain us with a selection of music, accompanied by Richard Pinel.

Tuesday 20th April 2010 - Gilbert White’s House and The Oates Museum, Selborne, Hampshire

Our visit will start with morning coffee and a talk on both the house and museum. Members will then be free to have lunch and to visit the House, the Oates Museum and the gardens. The House has a very good shop and the Tea Parlour at the House can provide us with light lunches but should members require it, there is the Selborne Arms in the village for more substantial food. (The booking form accompanies this Newsletter).

The coach for this extra outing will leave Windsor at 17.30 and the approximate time of arrival back in Windsor will be around 23.45. The Society is extremely fortunate to be able to have permission for a third visit in 7 years to this unique ceremony. The Keys is the traditional locking up of the Tower of London and has taken place on each and every night, without fail, for at least 700 years. Our evening will commence with a walk around the Tower of London (with a talk). We will then go to The Tower of London Club for a buffet supper. After supper we will go outside for the actual Ceremony of the Keys, where the history of the Keys will be explained.

Gentlemen: please note that The Tower of London Club operates a strict dress code and you will not be allowed into The Club if you are not wearing a tie! (The booking form accompanies this Newsletter).

Wednesday 9th June 2010 - Woodstock and Rousham House & Gardens, Oxfordshire

Our first stop will be in Woodstock , where members will have ample time for morning coffee, exploring the town and lunch. Rousham House, built in 1635 by Sir Robert Dormer, is still in the ownership of the same family. William Kent (1685-1748) added the wings and the stable block. The south front is almost as

Kent

left it, but for the replacement of the octagonal glazing with plain glass. The landscape park, the work of William Kent, is representative of the first phase of English landscape design, and remains almost in its original form. (The booking form accompanies this Newsletter).

Our visit to the above livery company will start at 11 am where we will be given a talk and then a tour of the Hall. A suitable visit for the afternoon is being pursued and more information will be given in the next Newsletter.

Members are reminded that if they are booking more than one outing at a time, they must be sure to enclose:

as they may not be lucky with all outings and this then holds up the application while a new cheque is requested or the Honorary Treasurer has to give a refund for the unsuccessful part of the application. With thanks for your co-operation.

Finally, can you please note that the coaches for all the above outings, will start from the Alma Road Coach Park Visitors’ Centre and not from our usual joining point in Alma Road .

At the December meeting John Lloyd spoke to members about the history of the regiments of Guards and their traditions. He brought along pieces of armour and other artefacts. He was accompanied by a soldier who had recently returned from

Afghanistan

who spoke about his experiences and showed a short film on the war there.

February meeting – Unfortunately this could not be held at New Lodge as planned. However Hester Davenport gave an excellent talk on ‘Nell Gwyn and Her Family’ which nearly 100 people attended in Gardeners’ Hall.

Thursday 18^th March – 7.45pm . The Brigidine School – ‘The Story of Datchet Bridge ’ with Janet Kennish

Thursday 8^th April - 7.45pm . The Brigidine School – ‘The World of Advertising’ with Hugh Granger

The current membership for the society stands at 450 of which 335 members pay by standing order. 269 members have signed a gift aid form which helps the society financially by claiming back the tax element on your subscriptions from the government. We would encourage all members who are subject to paying tax to complete a gift aid form from Colin Meads, 01753 863555.

The following are new members whom we welcome and hope to see in the near future at our social events.

Annual subscriptions were due in October 2009. The majority pay by standing order and this is automatically taken from your account and you need do nothing. Those few who pay by cheque need to forward their renewal subscriptions, if they have not already done so, to Colin Meads, 9 Harwood Gardens , Old Windsor, Berkshire , SL4 2LJ . You may wish to take advantage of completing a standing order mandate which can be found on the WES website or obtained from Colin Meads 01753 863555.

Friends of the Windsor & Royal Borough Museum

Plans for the new museum space in the Guildhall, scheduled for opening in 2011, will be on display for comment.

20^th April - 8.00pm Windsor Library, ‘Slough and Windsor Railway’ John Coke

Mondays - 15^th March and 19^th April, 17^th May at 7.45pm at Combermere Barracks (Bring ID)

Monday 15^th February - 7.00pm Guildhall – Interactive meeting with public. Contact RBWM Democratic Services 01628 796345

· Saturday 27th February, St George's School , Windsor . ‘The Detective in Fiction’ - John Harvey, author, dramatist, broadcaster and writer of detective fiction and Peter Leyland, WEA Tutor, will lead an investigation into detectives in books and films including Philip Marlowe, Morse, Rebus, and Dalgliesh. We will also look at the history and development of detective fiction. This all-day event starts at 10 am .

· Saturday 15th March, 9.30am , Cumberland Lodge. ‘Greatness, Gossip and Ghosts, the Private Life of a Country House’. This is a Cumberland Lodge Conference in association with the WEA and covers the history of the Lodge from the early development of the Great Park to the abdication of Edward VIII and the current educational foundation. Speakers include Professor Justin Champion, Dr Christopher Duffy, Ophelia Field, Walter James, Judith Poore, the Hon Lady Roberts, Hugo Vickers, Sir Roger Young and Philip Ziegler.

· Saturday 15^th March - The Conference will be followed by a separate, but associated, event: A Cumberland Conversation with Lady Antonia Fraser when Lady Fraser will talk about her life with Harold Pinter. This in turn will be followed by a Gala Dinner.

If you like classical music you may be interested in the Wednesday lunchtime concerts in Windsor Parish Church . These have been going for nearly 20 years since Canon Whale started them, but they have been described as Windsor 's best kept secret. There is a wide variety of programme but the regular source of performers is the Royal Academy of Music and the standard is extremely high. There are two series each year, one in the Autumn, the other in the early Summer.

The concerts begin at 1.10 p.m. and usually last about 45 minutes. Entry is £5 (concessions £4).For more details contact Graham Brown 01753 868720

Rosemarie grew up in Central London and her career began with 17 years with the Confederation of British Industry where, in her last few years, she was Head of Membership Records and she also co-ordinated the computerisation of the CBI membership and Committee records. She then spent the next 22 years with the Society of Chemical Industry, firstly joining to manage the General Secretary’s office and then in 1990 she became the Member Services Manager. She took early retirement from SCI in January 2003 and took over as Chair of Outings at The Windsor and Eton Society in February of the same year.

Rosemarie has been stewarding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle since March 1987 and still enjoys the contact she has with visitors from all over the world. The theatre, concerts, films, travelling, belonging to the National Trust, the Royal Horticultural Society, The Art Fund and Friend of The Royal Academy are among her many other interests.

John was born in Ipswich in 1933. He qualified in medicine at Cambridge in 1957 and after house jobs at St Thomas ’s Hospital, three years in Basutoland ( Lesotho ) and two years in Aldeburgh he became a general practitioner in Eton and school doctor to Eton College in 1965. In 1976 he was appointed Apothecary to Her Majesty’s Household at Windsor and to Her Majesty The Queen Mother’s Household at Royal Lodge. He retired in 1997 and lives in Windsor . John has been Master of the Society of Apothecaries, President of the Medical Officers of Schools Association and Bridgemaster (twice) of the Baldwin’s Bridge Trust, Eton . He joined the committee in March 2006 and was given the responsibility of informing the committee about the work of the Civic Trust and, when that ceased, the Civic Societies Initiative. John married Anne in 1958 and they had five children (one deceased) and have fourteen grandchildren. His interests are vegetable growing and pictures.

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Edited by Anne Taylor, Canon Cottage, Bishop’s Farm Close, Oakley Green, Windsor SL4 5UN 01753 866873

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