blenheim & elgin ornamental gardens informal history

7/28/2019 Blenheim & Elgin Ornamental Gardens Informal History

1/13

1

Blenheim and Elgin Crescent OrnamentalGardens. An informal history.

Written byCatherine Thompson McCausland1

The complicated development of the Ladbroke Estate is well documented in theSurvey of London Vol. XXXVII on Northern Kensington. Blenheim and ElginCrescents form the northern boundary and were amongst the last part of theestate to be developed in the 1850s and early 1860s. The earliest relevant mapof 1863 shows the area substantially as it exists today, although BlenheimCrescent is built only as far as the Blenheim passage, with the final stretchbetween there and Ladbroke Grove still to be completed. Nos. 108-90 ClarendonRoad were originally designated as Gloucester Terrace and the triangle of landbetween Clarendon Road and Elgin Crescent is recorded with two detachedvillas, Clifton Lodge and Arundel Villa, each set in its own garden. This is thetriangle now occupied by Crescent Mansions, the double fronted villas 124 and

126 Elgin Crescent and nos. 80-88 Clarendon Road. Houses on this spur of landhave never enjoyed access to the communal Garden and are completely omittedfrom the map of 1912, which regulated the administration of the Garden underthe Town Gardens Protection Act of 1863.

The map of 1863 shows the layout of the Garden as it continued for many years.Paths divided the central strip into six lawns, with small side beds adjoining theindividual house gardens. No record of the early ownership or administrationexists before 1881 when a Mr. Corry negotiated the purchase of the freeholdfrom a bankrupt builder named William Balderson for 270 and divided it into 27shares. These shares were held by 13 residents, a list of which survives in therecords on the back of an envelope. The draft agreement drawn up between theshareholders for the administration of the Garden also survives, and itestablishes the framework, which is still basically the same today. It proposes theannual election of a committee consisting of not less than three nor more thanseven proprietors, the holding of an AGM, election of officers and presentation ofaccounts. The committee also had the power to make rules and excluderesidents, and shareholders were under obligation to offer their shares at 10each to other proprietors. The shareholders also purchased from Balderson thebenefit of sundry miscellaneous garden rents.

The first Annual Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the year endingMarch 1st 1882 has been preserved, with the list of donations and subscriptionsfrom residents and property owners. The three members of the committee wereGeorge Russell, Chairman, of 103 Blenheim Crescent, William Rayner,Secretary, of 133 Blenheim Crescent, and Henry Corry, Treasurer, of 16 AlbertTerrace Notting Hill Gate. It can be assumed that Mr. Corry, having negotiated

1* This article is generously made available by the Author and is not to bereprinted without consent of the author.


2/13

2

the purchase of the freehold, must have had an interest in property adjoining theGarden.

The Garden is described as Elgin and Blenheim Crescents Ornamental Gardenand the Committee list its achievements: restoring the Garden with the bestmaterials; draining the Garden involving trouble and expense; tiling the outer

flowerbeds with durable tiles of an ornamental pattern; repairing walls, gates, andentrances, including a handsome iron gate at the Blenheim Crescent entrance.They planted 40 young trees and 250 ornamental shrubs and acknowledged giftsof shrubs, plants, roses, bulbs and ferns from residents. Substantial tool housesand tools were provided for the Gardener and the lawns were prepared forcroquet, lawn tennis and other sanctioned games. The paths were gravelled asfar as expenditure allowed.

A further Report and Accounts from the Committee survives for 1885 but recordsthen cease until 1912. By then it would seem that the previous arrangement foradministering the Garden had broken down and the Gardens had fallen into a

state of dilapidation. As the 1881 Agreement was purely contractual, collectingthe necessary subscriptions must have proved a problem, and in 1912 a group ofresidents petitioned the Council to take over the Garden so that it could beadministered in accordance with the provisions of the Town Gardens Protection

Act of 1863. Since it was shown that the previous Committee had neglected tokeep the Garden in proper order, the Council agreed. A Deed Poll of 1913, aphotocopy of which survives, vested the ownership of the Garden in an electedCommittee. Under the terms of the 1863 Act the Committee was to consist of notmore than nine nor fewer than three of the rated inhabitants, elected annuallywith direct responsibility for the Garden. The Act also provided for regular incomein the form of a Garden rate, which was levied by the Council at a level set by theCommittee. 1912, then, marks the establishment of the legal and financialframework under which the Garden has been maintained up to the present day.The only subsequent legislation relevant to the status of the Garden is theLondon Squares Preservation Act of 1931.

1912 also marks the beginning of the Garden Minute Books and an attempt at acontinuous record of the Committees proceedings. The first entry in the MinuteBook records the meeting held on 13 December 1912 when 9 members wereelected, with Mr. L.J.Fulton of 95 Blenheim Crescent as chairman. Variousmatters were fixed. A new bank account was opened at the London & SouthWestern Bank, 137 Ladbroke Grove (now Barclays Bank plc), and the managerwas given a key to the Garden for the use of himself and his family on theunderstanding that the Garden account would be kept without charge. Thegardener, Mr. Barnett, was engaged at 1-10-3d (decimal equivalent 1.51) aweek and the rate for the entire garden to March 1914 fixed at 100.

In May 1913 the Elgin & Blenheim Crescent Lawn Tennis Club was establishedand tennis seems to have dominated activities in the Garden up until about 1930.The Secretary of the Club enrolled members, who paid the following annualrates:


3/13

3

Decimal equivalentResidents 2/6 12.5pGuests or lodgers 5/- 25pNon-residents 1 guinea 1.05Children of residents aged 12-14 1/- 5p

Play at this date was restricted to 3 evenings a week and Saturday afternoons.Mention was made of the old court and the new court, and the popularity ofthe club was indicated by a sports sub-committee of 10 members appointed in1914. It was agreed at the AGM of that year to set up a third lawn for tennis,which activity appears to have been concentrated at the Ladbroke Grove end ofthe Garden. The Garden at this stage was still divided into six areas of lawn, anarrangement that remained until the 1950s. 1-9-6 (1.47) was spent on postsfor the new court and 1-3-3 (1.16) on notice boards, whitening etc. Thereappears to have been no restraining netting.

Otherwise the minutes show the usual preoccupations of the residents

complaints about childrens noise, dogs off leads and the poor state of theGarden at the Clarendon Road end. The only notable act by the Committeebefore the first war was to bring proceedings under the Bye-laws against oneDavid Gordon who had persistently offended by running over the beds, runningover the newly sown grass which was fenced in and shouting and using abusivelanguage to the gardener. David Gordon attended the police court on twooccasions, where the magistrate gave him a good talking to with the threat offurther punishment if he re-offended. The Committee noted that this had goodmoral effect on the children generally, and also put an end to the viewcommonly held that the Bye-laws could not be enforced. No games such ascricket of football were allowed on the lawns, but the Committee established useof the lawns for games with soft balls in rotation to prevent wear and tear. Therewere, of course, no games on Sundays.

From 1914 onwards the effects of the war become evident. The Tennis Club wasless well attended; the gardener left and was not replaced so that gardenmaintenance depended on temporary part-time help. A picture also emerges of apatriotic community. On 6th September 1914 a Garden Fete was held in aid of thePrince of Waless Relief Fund and ten guineas (10.50) was raised. The bands ofthe National Temperance Cadets and Naval Cadets played, and the occasionwas deemed both enjoyable and successful. In December the Committee wroteto the families of men who had joined the forces expressing their deepappreciation of the patriotic spirit displayed by them in the defence of theircountry and King. In 1915 a group of wounded soldiers were invited to theGarden where amusement and refreshment were provided. Otherwise, apartfrom granting permission in 1917 to residents to grow vegetables in the side-beds outside their own gardens, following a request from a Miss McCabe to growpotatoes, garden affairs seem to have continued relatively unaffected.

After the war, in 1918 the first increase in the garden rate occurred from 100for the whole garden to 150 - to finance a survey and the relaying of the drains,


4/13

4

all of which cost 78. The following year the rate returned to 100, the TennisClub became active again, lawns were renovated, shrubs planted, garden seatswere purchased, and the only unusual event occurred when the Secretaryreported that certain geese had been turned into the Garden.

In 1919 the Committee reprinted the Byelaws. These were displayed in the

Garden which was referred to, as in earlier times, as Ornamental Gardens. InMarch 1920 the Committee sent out a notice to residents urging them to respectthe Bye-laws and help to keep the Garden pleasant, and threatening proceedingsagainst offenders. The AGM of that year showed very poor attendance only fivemembers of the Committee and three ratepayers turned up. 1921 turned out tobe more lively. The first recorded Childrens Sports Meeting and Adult FancyDress Competition was held on 3rd September, with a refreshment stall mannedby Mrs. Lloyd and lady helpers, which made a profit of 99-0 (9.95).Meanwhile the Tennis Club flourished. Despite playing numerous matches, itremained unbeaten, and it was decided unanimously by the Committee that thetennis lawn nearest Ladbroke Grove should be made into a hard court. The result

was a very lively meeting attended by 45 householders and, although theproposal was narrowly carried, the debate and complaints continued for the nextfew years. Despite opposition from some residents to the hard court and playingon Sundays, the club flourished and in 1925 membership and eligibility for theChallenge Cup was restricted to residents and lodgers only. The hours of playwere extended to all weekdays from 07.00 and Sundays from 12.30 (afterchurch). The foundations of this early hard court remain under the lawn nearestto Ladbroke Grove and became clearly visible during the exceptionally drysummer of 1976.

During the early 1920s the maintenance of the Garden seems to have beencarried out on an ad hoc basis, the only event of interest being the removal, dueto its untidy state, of a grotto at the Clarendon Road end, where there is alsoreference to flooding. However, in 1924 a regular gardener was employed whosehours were from 09.00 to 18.00 from Mondays to Fridays with one hour allowedfor dinner. On Saturdays the hours were from 09.00 till 13.00 with no allowancebeing made for dinner. There is no record of how much he was paid. Thefollowing year he was paid 2 per week for 40 hours. His duties includedpadlocking and unlocking the gates night and morning.

1930 saw the construction of a commercial building in the garden of No 137Blenheim Crescent by Welbecson Press Limited, which obscured the view of theCommunal Garden for some of the Clarendon Road residents. Members of theCommittee agreed that this was not a matter for them, though they deniedemployees of Welbecson access to the Garden during their lunch breaks (andpresumably at all other times too).

In 1930 Mr. A.E.Fairbrother was elected to the Committee. Whilst in earlier yearsresponsibility for running the Garden seems to have been shared amongstCommittee members, in November 1931 Mr. Fairbrother was appointed both HonSecretary and Hon Treasurer. . From then until 1949, supported always by the


5/13

5

other members of the Committee, he dominated garden affairs. His firstcontribution to the Garden came after a great storm in 1930 when he undertookto survey and renovate the garden drains with a view to channelling potentialfloodwater into a cesspool or cistern, thus alleviating the threat of flooding at theClarendon Road end. There is later mention of a chain of six such cisternslinked by a series of pipes with an exit at one end into a main drain. Mr.

Fairbrother records in later correspondence that these were flushed throughannually. Whilst most have fallen into disrepair through neglect, the impressivebrick vaulted chamber under the central lawn remains intact. Mr. Fairbrotherswork on the project, in all weathers through the winter, saved the Committeemuch expense, and a vote of thanks was passed at the AGM in 1931. From thenon his influence becomes increasingly apparent. He suggested that the noiseand damage in the Garden had become so bad that as well as the gardener aranger should be appointed to enforce the Bye-laws. As a result, Mr. S.J.Tuckerwas recruited. His hours were Monday to Friday 5 p.m. till 9 p.m. and Saturdayand Sunday 2 p.m. till 9 p.m. The pay for this was 30/- (1.50) a week with extrahours worked in the school holidays being remunerated at 1/- (5p) per hour. New

bye-laws were drawn up and ratified by a Justice of the Peace in 1931. Theseincluded the stricture that lawns are not to be walked or played upon, or used inany way. However, one lawn could be used for tennis at the Committeesdiscretion. These new bye-laws were delivered to each house and displayed inthe Garden, and their repressive tone dictated the development andmanagement of the Garden until the 1950s. The Committee acquired new smartwriting paper headed Blenheim and Elgin Ornamental Gardens with Mr.Fairbrother as the Hon. Secretary and Hon Treasurer to whom allcorrespondence should be addressed

In October 1931 the gardeners services were dispensed with because of thefinancial situation and the ranger was instructed to keep the Garden tidy underMr. Fairbrother's supervision. From that date not only did Mr. Fairbrothersupervise the Garden, order plants and necessary equipment, but he wrote theminutes, kept the accounts, and all correspondence emanated from 87 BlenheimCrescent where all Committee Meetings were held.

Other restrictions on garden activities become apparent from the minutes. TheBlenheim Gate was kept permanently locked, in 1932 members of the JewishClub were prevented from walking in the Garden and Tuesday dances werestopped. The following year Mr. Fairbrother embarked on his most ambitiousproject since the work on the drains the enclosure of the lawns with chain linkfencing, beginning with the three lawns at the Clarendon Road end. 450 yards ofthree foot six inch chain link was purchased along with 50 yards of chestnutfencing for the Ladbroke Grove shrubberies at a total cost of 42-11-0 (42.55).New beds for plants were made in the lawns and rhododendron, box trees, silverholly, two varieties of laurel and extra bushey [sic] golden privet were orderedfrom W.Fromow & Sons, Windlesham Nurseries at a cost of 5-8-6 (5.42). Nordid he neglect details. He bought a new straw hat for the Ranger to wear insummer and a felt one for the winter.


6/13

6

At the 1935 AGM the Committee were re-elected en bloc with 3 ratepayerspresent. It was unanimously decided to present Mr. and Mrs. Fairbrother with agift to the value of 3 guineas (3.15) suitably inscribed as a token ofacknowledgement of their work for the welfare and improvement of theseGardens.

The following year 1936 saw further orders for shrubs and plants: 100 privet, 1dozen golden privet, 6 Handsworth box, 1 dozen broom, 1 dozen laurel all 4foot high as well as half a dozen variegated holly and 1 wisteria. There wasalso an order to Sutton Seeds for Japanese sunflowers and 75 hardy perennials.

Both minutes and correspondence survive from this period and some incidentsare recorded in detail giving interesting glimpses of the community. Mr.Fairbrother is assiduous in writing to residents whom he suspected of leavinggates open, damaging locks, fixing wireless aerials to Garden trees and hangingout washing especially on Sundays. It appears from letters to landlords thatmany of the houses were divided at this period into flats and rented. In 1939 a

typical weekly rent for such a house in Blenheim Crescent is recorded as:Basement 17/6 81pGround floor 20/- 100pTop floor 1 guinea 105pThe year 1938-9 also saw a drop in revenue from the Garden levy which, as theBorough Council explained, was due to there being a number of unoccupiedproperties, indicating a fall in the areas prosperity.

Considerable correspondence survives between Mr. Fairbrother and the MissesAlexander of Aubrey House, Kensington, who owned nos. 66 and 72 ElginCrescent, complaining about the behaviour of their tenants. In June 1936 twoboys were impudent and defiant. The residents each side (ladies) arecomplaining about the terrible noise, they [the boys] climb and sit on walls, jumpdown into these peoples gardens, and are very impudent when spoken to andlast night threw cups of water at Mme (sic) J. Smythe, No 70. Miss Cecily andMiss Rachel Alexander were both apologetic but tended to refer matters to theirEstate Manager whose offices were at 85 Clarendon Road.

During the 1930s there were only two recorded incidents of residentsdissatisfaction with the running of the Garden. In 1933 Mr. H. Sherman of 89Blenheim Crescent complained to Mr. Fairbrother that the Ranger had insultedhim by saying, You Jews ought to be suppressed just as the Jews in Germanyare being suppressed. Mr. Sherman demanded an apology and since this wasnot forthcoming he wrote in greater detail to the Town Clerk attacking Mr.Fairbrothers advent to power and claiming that Mr. Fairbrother was a man withwhom reason is impossible. He also complained about the following measurestaken in the Garden:

1. Barricading the lawns.2. Bolting the entrance gates.3. Removing the old seats.


7/13

7

4. Ordering young persons out of the Garden after dark.

Mr. Sherman noted that while bicycles were forbidden Mr. Fairbrothers son wasto be seen riding all day and every day, and that it was pitiful to see childrenplaying in the streets while the Garden was deserted. Fairbrothers reply to thetown Clerk is full of self-justification, finishing up with the claim that he is no

Mussolini.

At the AGM in 1936 the Committee were as usual re-elected en bloc, and one ofthe four other residents present asked that the Blenheim Crescent gate be re-opened and seats provided in the Garden. It was recorded that all wereemphatically against.

In July 1939 the last AGM for 15 years was held. The minutes were never signedand there is a gap in annual accounts from that date. Although the Committeecontinued to meet at regular intervals and correspondence from the years of theSecond Word War has been preserved, Mr. Fairbrother appears to have become

less openly democratic, summoning emergency meetings to fix the Gardenrate.

Whilst ARP wardens patrolled the Garden from the autumn of 1939 to inspectblackout measures, the most dramatic event of World War 2 was the constructionof an air raid shelter under the central lawn. This was proposed by the BoroughCouncil in the autumn of 1941 and strenuously opposed by a deputation to theTown Hall led by Mr. Fairbrother. Several grounds for opposition were listedincluding the attraction of the shelter for tiny tots and gangs of young roughs;the possibility of people roaming in the Garden at night; damage done to theGarden during construction; and finally the dropping of the Garden into a slumcondition thereby robbing us of our savings with which we have bought ourhouses. The deputation also proposed much more suitable sites such as theElgin/Lansdowne Gardens. The Town Clerk proceeded to requisition land for theshelter and for access across the Garden from the Blenheim gate and throughthe passage between 78 and 76 Elgin Crescent. A plan of the shelter existsshowing 2 chambers occupying in total 3000 square feet for which theCommittee were paid 2 guineas (2.10) a year. It is described as a CommunalSurface Shelter for 153 persons and was surrounded by a fence. The Committeecontinued to be obstructive, complaining about every aspect of the work, thelaying on of water, interference with the drains, the possibility of intruders, thethreat to the privacy of the Garden knowing the people resident in thisneighbourhood and how strong the spirit of vandalism amongst them. TheCouncil commented on the Committees lack of co-operation and a whole file isdevoted to the correspondence.

Meanwhile Garden affairs continued as before. Mr. Fairbrother continued to writeand complain about washing lines and wireless aerials and in 1943 theCommittee successfully prosecuted a Mrs. Hughes for persistently letting her dogloose in the Garden without a lead. The solicitors suggested that the magistratemight consider it a rather trivial matter as there was a war on, but Mr. Fairbrother


8/13

8

was determined to proceed and she was fined 10/- (50p). The Aubrey Trusthouse at 76 Elgin Crescent was now occupied by Belgian refugees whosebehaviour during air raids was considered unsatisfactory. In July 1940 Mr.Fairbrother wrote to the Town Clerk about 2 ladies from the basement of 104Elgin Crescent who brought soldiers into the Garden at all hours of the night, andthence into their flat. The inference is obvious recorded Mr. Fairbrother and

we think that it is a case for observation.

After the ranger went sick in 1941, Mr. Fairbrother undertook gardenmaintenance. He was paid for this until 1945 when a new ranger was found, andtowards the end of the war the first indication comes of Mr. Fairbrothers failingpowers, In 1944 he claimed damages after being attacked by a stray bigbrindled bull mastiff. Although he drove it off with a shovel, injury to his kneeprevented him from working in the Garden again. He also seems to haveencountered increasing opposition. In 1944 the Beatrice Mothers Club of 75Lancaster Road wrote asking him to relax the rules about children playing on thelawns, as it would be terrible if they were run over in the street because of this

very unusual English rule. The same year Mr. Fairbrother complained that hewas 73, in bad health and all he had been getting was abuse and threats. Herecorded that the boy at 103 Blenheim Crescent had been yelling Bloody oldFairbrother out of the windows to the front and the back of the house.

In 1945 a group of women and children defied Mr. Fairbrother by holding a teaparty on a lawn, and in 1947 he complained about the bigger boys intimidatinghim, playing cricket and football and making my front fence their goal. One ofhis windows was broken costing him 10/- (50p) to repair, and he ended hiscomplaint sadly saying that he was now 76 could not run after them and wassuffering from emphysema. At the same time Mrs. Pash of 87A Ladbroke Grove,whose son had been fined for breaking a tree, wrote to the solicitors that it is agreat shame that the children are so hunted in this square..my son plays in thestreet now.

In 1947 the air-raid shelter was demolished and in 1948 25 cubic yards of soiland leaf mould were ordered to make good the ground. Notwithstanding, theconcrete remains of the shelter can still frustrate attempts to drive in stakes forthe fireworks enclosure. In May 1948 the final figure for damages was settled andpaid under the Compensation (Defence) Act 1939. The Committee received 195against its claim of 230 and Mr. Fairbrother concluded his business on itsbehalf.

On 3rd January 1949 the last meeting at Mr. Fairbrothers house was held. Sevenpeople were present including Mr. Fairbrother who signed the minutes, butbecause of his illness there were no accounts. Those present, having beeninvited to inspect the cashbook, which does not survive, declared themselvessatisfied with the way accounts had been managed during the war years up toand including 1947. This was Mr. Fairbrothers last appearance in the records.


9/13

9

Not surprisingly his departure left a vacuum that was hard to fill. The nextmeeting was held 18 months later in June 1950 at 92 Elgin Crescent with 2members of the previous Committee present as well as 2 ratepayers. A financialstatement was read out and the accounts passed, but for the next few years littlebusiness was done. A handful of residents, sometimes including Mrs.Fairbrother, ensured continuity while searching anxiously for responsible

residents to serve on the Committee. The only change in the Garden was theopening of one of the lawns to children in 1951. The advisability of this continuedto be debated until the election of Mr. Leon Chapman to the Committee in 1954.In March that year the first AGM since 1939 was held, and Mr. Chapman whowas the new Secretary proposed opening all the lawns and dismantling thefences. It was perhaps not surprising that no agreement could be reached onsuch a revolutionary idea and it was decided to defer the decision to allow widerconsultation.

Four months late it was agreed that, except for lawns 1 and 2, all fencing shouldbe removed and the hedges cut to the height of 18 inches, while fencing of the

same height should be erected to protect flowerbeds. The Blenheim gate was tobe opened to key-holders and 30 allocated for the purchase of garden seats.This revolution in the management of the Garden proved interesting enough toreach the newspapers. The Star carried a headline Gardens in Square to beopened, while the Kensington Post announced Padlocks to come off theGarden like a park, complete with photograph. The article continued as long aspresent tenants can remember, the Gardens have been hidden behind fencing,hedges and padlocks. The hedges grew to a height of 7 feet and obscured theview of ground-floor tenants. Reference was also made to the old tennis courtunder the lawns where Fred Perry, the pre-war WimbledonChampion, used to play.

The following year the new Committee began to get into its stride. A ranger wasemployed from Easter to November to enforce the rules at a flat rate of 2 aweek. A hut was provided for him, a mower for faster lawn cutting, and he wassupplied with a cap and armband denoting Blenheim and Elgin Gardens. Thefences on lawns 1 and 2 were removed so that all the lawns were now open. Itwas also thought advisable to dig up and grass over the cross-paths so that thelawns would present uninterrupted stretches. To finance these improvements thetotal garden rate was raised in 1956 from 265 to 330.

The AGM of 1956 proved lively. Children were reported to be a nuisance andsome residents proposed re-fencing. In the end a compromise was reachedwhen it was proposed that a playground should be established at the LadbrokeGrove end of the Garden where only the sides of two houses would be affected.The shrubs from this area were transplanted into the lawns to discourage cricketand football. The play area proved a success and was covered with asphalt in1958 at a cost of 260. The following year retaining wire was erected at a cost of90-4-0 (90.20).


10/13

10

Meanwhile in 1958 eight forest trees had to be felled and 31 trees were planted,including 12 silver birches, 2 acacias, a sorbus, 2 giant maples and 2 amber (sic)trees. In 1959 a landscape-plan for the Garden was discussed at the AGM butshelved on account of expense, while in 1961 the Garden rate was increasedagain; this time to 400. Other improvements were made: the Byelaws werebrought up-to-date and circulated; shrubs costing 20 were purchased and a

nightly alsation dog patrol was instituted to deter noisy teenagers. On Saturday4th November of that year the first bonfire party was held.

In 1964 Mr.. Chapman resigned after ten years on the Committee. His greatestcontribution was to supervise the opening of the lawns to residents, and he left amemo in which he catalogued the Committees usual difficulties with discipline inthe Garden, while expressing satisfaction that re-planting had left the Gardenwith more trees than when he took over. Some of the Committees difficultieswere indicated by the fact that from 1960 it employed Martin, a firm ofconfidential investigators and consultants, to trace intruders and to interviewresidents who broke the Bye-laws, and in 1961 Security Guards Limited were

employed to patrol the Garden at night.

There was much discussion on the Committee as to how to provide for thechildren and police unruly residents. 1963 the North Kensington Family Studyhad established an informal playgroup for children under five, to which theCommittee contributed 30 per annum. This was one of three pilot schemesstarted by the Charity in the area, deemed one of social deprivation, and theplaygroup continued until 1967. This led to the first provision of a play log nearthe hut where the group met in the garden of 77 Blenheim Crescent. In 1966 and1967 the Committee endeavoured to improve the behaviour of older children bythe engagement of a Winant Volunteer to act as Youth Leader during thesummer. This was considered a success. Apart from disruptive behaviour, thedumping of rubbish in the Garden was an on-going problem for the Committee,and items such as mattresses, bedsteads and old TV sets were not anuncommon sight. The writer remembers a top floor window being flung up onebonfire night and large items of furniture being hurled out to fuel the fire.

1966 seems to be the first year in which an annual report was prepared by theChairman and presented to residents at the time of the AGM; a tradition whichhas continued. By this time AGMs were being well attended, e.g. all theCommittee and 31 rated inhabitants in 1956, and signs were emerging of a shiftin the community. The Notting Hill Housing Trust became a considerableproperty-owner around the Garden, buying up empty and half-empty houses. Thelate 1960s also saw a number of young families with children moving into bothBlenheim and Elgin Crescents, reclaiming rented accommodation as familyhouses. The trend was reflected in increased interest in the Garden, thegravelling of paths after years of neglect, the provision of garden seats andclimbing frames, one being given by Mr. Leon Carson in 1967. A second climbingframe was purchased in 1969 for the Clarendon Road end of the Garden toprevent football from being played against the shed.


11/13


12/13

12

Awareness of the historic nature of the area emerged after the LadbrokeAssociation was founded in 1972. In 1973 the Byelaws were again amended andbrought up-to-date, and in the same year the Borough Council established theLadbroke Estate Conservation Area into which the Garden and surroundinghouses fell. A protest was made when the rear of 93 Blenheim Crescent, and

subsequently 99 Blenheim Crescent, was altered without planning permission soas to permit the inclusion of an extra storey, thus destroying the architecturalunity of that section of Blenheim Crescent. The Planning Department waspowerless to act, having no jurisdiction over the rear elevation of houses in theConservation Area, and residents were urged to be mindful of the impact thatalterations and extensions could make to the view from the Garden. MuchCommittee time was given to opposing a car park created in the merged gardensof 76 and 78 Elgin Crescent, and eventually the Borough Council issued aDiscontinuance Order.

In 1974, despite the Committees efforts to minimise expenditure, the total

Garden Levy rose to 1000. In 1976, however, the problem of restoring theseriously dilapidated Ladbroke Grove railings - one of the few originals to surviveon the Ladbroke Estate was solved for the Committee by The Crezz. ThamesTelevision paid 3600 (more than three and a half time the annual garden levy)for the use of the Garden to film what was described by the Press as a Middle-class Coronation Street in 12 parts, starring Joss Ackland. The filming certainlyproduced a buzz in the Garden, but unfortunately it was not popular with viewersand a projected second series was never made. Nonetheless, the revenuereceived from the Television Company paid not only for the restoration of theoriginal railings but for the erection of an inner security fence as well.

During the 1970s the Sports Day, like the bonfire, became an annual fixture, andin 1972 the Sports Day was expanded to include fancy dress and a tug-of-warbetween the two main sides of the Garden. To ensure safety, care was taken toensure that the new rope conformed to Olympic standards. An eveningentertainment including a band was also introduced. Although intruders at theevening parties was a perennial threat, the only major incident occurred in 1975when fighting broke out between two gangs and a man armed with a meat hook,who had already injured one of his rivals, ended up in the garden of 91 BlenheimCrescent. Eight police officers eventually removed the intruders. Other communalgardens having experienced similar problems, it was decided not to hold anevening party the following year.

In 1977 the Committee agreed to hold a special summer party in honour of theSilver Jubilee. It was restricted to residents and followed the established format:fancy dress, sports, a childrens tea and a barbecue between 18.00 and 22.00.However certain embellishments were added. A pop group with Robin Knapp, aresident, as drummer accepted an invitation to play, and during the afternoonthere were pony rides and a puppet show. A group of mothers organised a hugeJubilee cake, which Shuna Rendel of 75 Blenheim Crescent miraculously icedwith a Union Jack. It was cut by Peg Massey, Hon Secretary of the Committee


13/13

13

since the early sixties, using a magnificent sword lent by Jim Peers of 73Blenheim Crescent. Royd Barker of 123 Blenheim Crescent organised theGarden children into a recorder band, which played the National Anthem andRule Britannia. All residents, both freeholders and tenants, were thought to have

joined in this very happy and successful occasion that must surely have markedthe high point of social cohesion in the history of the Garden.

Note on sourcesSurvey of London Vol. XXXVII on Northern Kensington.Surviving documents, minutes and correspondence in the Garden archive.

After 1964, the authors own recollections.

blenheim & elgin ornamental gardens informal history

Documents