THE WINDSOR AND ETON SOCIETYIncorporating Windsor Heritage

NEWSLETTER NO 51 August 2010

NOTE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

The Events Card enclosed with this Newsletter details another skilfully arranged fabulous programme to look forward to.Congratulations on his 90th birthday to Dennis Neale who continues to give sound advice to the Executive Committee. We miss Bill Andrews who died in May. He had served and supported the Society for many years.Thanks to Jane Simpson, secretary to the Heritage & Environment subcommittee and Paul Roach, the Windsor & Eton Town Centre Manager, the Society's 2010 Annual Report will be in the time capsule alongside the landmark Thames Street Dyson clock in the pavement which is being reinstalled next month by the Royal Borough.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Members are reminded that the Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, 1st November 2010, in Upper School, Eton College at 8.00pm. Following the business meeting we are to have a talk by Councillor Colin Rayner.

ANNUAL DINNER

The 2011 Annual Dinner has been arranged for Friday 25th February at the Mercure Castle Hotel. The guest of honour and after dinner speaker will be Baron Waldegrave of North Hill, the Provost of Eton College.

HERITAGE AND ENVIRONMENT

There have been a few changes to the Heritage and Environment Committee since the last Newsletter. After many years of unstinting service Karin Lohr has resigned as Chair and left the Committee to give more time to her other activities. In addition, Sue Bond, who also has made a valuable contribution over the years, has left. We will miss their wisdom and advice. Andrew Melville has been asked to take on the responsibility of chairing the

committee. Anne Taylor and David Lewis have also kindly agreed to join the Committee. The Committee meets every six weeks to review planning applications and other issues affecting Windsor and Eton. The source of most information is the Royal Borough website which is accessed on a regular basis – as many as 120 planning applications a week covering the whole borough are listed. We concentrate on the applications for sites within Windsor and Eton, prioritising the ones which we can find time to discuss and take action upon. Occasionally ad-hoc meetings are called when the timing of the Council’s planning decision does not fit in with our meeting dates. In addition to this the Committee has quarterly meetings with some of the Officers of the RBWM to discuss various issues affecting the town. The Council itself holds a Windsor Town Forum, normally in the Guildhall, every 4 months in February, June/July and October. The next meeting will be held on 18th October. The venue is yet to be decided because the Guildhall is not available while the Museum is being installed. Local affairs are discussed with interested citizens. Members of the Committee try to attend but we would encourage any member of the Society to come along and make their views known.Minutes of these meetings can be found at: http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/meetings_windsor_town_forum.htm

Planning The most important issues with which the Committee has been involved recently are the following;

Imperial House, Alma RoadThe Committee arranged a meeting with the developer, Miff Chichester, and subsequently submitted its comments to the Royal Borough. We felt that there was certainly a case for redeveloping the site but objected, mainly, to the size of the buildings the current scheme envisaged and the associated increased amount of traffic. A vigorous campaign against the proposal was also launched by the Windsor Residents Action Group. The planning application was refused.

The Stag and Hounds, 302 St Leonard’s Road.It was proposed to turn this old building into a nursery school. We were lucky to have available to us the knowledge of David Lewis, who is a local historian. He identified it as being of unique importance in the history of Windsor. We were happy for it to be a nursery school in the day but also a community centre in the evening. We also asked for remedial works to be carried out. The application for a nursery school has now been granted.

Other planning applicationsAlso studied and issues discussed were the hotel at Legoland, Princess Christian Hospital, the James’ Street residential development, the Caleys site development, ongoing development of the Convent site and associated space, Alma Road parking, Eton Court and The Golden Flower Restaurant in Eton High Street.

We would like to involve members of the Society more in what is going on, not only so that they are informed but also so that they can give active support. Members could attend Windsor Planning Panel meetings, held once every four weeks, when a particularly controversial Planning Application is being discussed, and attend the Windsor Town Forums, details of which are given elsewhere in this newsletter.Looking to the future, we would like to institute, as a matter of routine, a slot at the monthly Thursday lecture meetings when a brief presentation could be made by a member of the Heritage & Environment Committee about civic affairs currently affecting Windsor. This needs manpower to prepare and make the presentation and we would be grateful for all offers of help. Please contact Andrew Melville at 15 Gloucester Place, Windsor SL4 2AJ – telephone 01753 850379 or e-mail a.melville@tiscali.co.uk It also needs better communication within the Society. If it were possible to pre-advise members of the subject(s) before the monthly meetings then it would give them more time to consider the issues at stake and make possible a more informed debate on the evening itself. Communication with members is always a problem and can be difficult, expensive and slow. That is why we would request you to let Colin Meads, the membership secretary, have your e-mail address, if you have one. We believe that a strong and active civic society will have greater influence with the Planning Authorities.

CIVIC VOICE

Civic Voice was formally launched on 17th April 2010 and by June had 250 members. Gryff Rhys Jones, the last President of Civic Trust, has accepted the board’s invitation to become President of Civic Voice. The logo is “CIVIC VOICE talking civic sense”. Civic Voice will appear on the Windsor & Eton Society’s notepaper in future. Civic Voice has just two staff and depends on volunteer support. Volunteers are needed in the following areas – office support, website resources, policy analysis, topic networks, planning reform group and photographs.Civic Voice has joined the Heritage Alliance, the largest alliance of voluntary heritage organisations in the country dedicated to campaign and support the heritage movement. It has also joined the Community Sector Coalition of community-based organisations. In July 2010 Civic Voice representatives took its message to 10 Downing Street at a meeting with the Prime Minister, David Cameron, the Community Secretary, Eric Pickles, and the Civic Society Minister, Nick Hurd. The first Annual General Meeting of Civic Voice will take place at the Great Northern Hotel, Peterborough, on 8th / 9th October 2010. Civic Day will be on 25th June 2011 and all civic societies are encouraged to put on an event or activity, which celebrates their area and encourages more people to join. The Government is protecting back gardens from intensive development by removing them from the definition of brown field land where new development is focussed. It has also removed the requirement for new housing to be built at a density of more than 30 dwellings per hectare. From 1st October 2010 all local planning authorities must make information on planning applications

available on their websites. The time period for site notices for application for listed building or conservation consent has been increased from 7 to 21 days. The time limit for lodging a planning appeal has been reduced to 28 days where there is enforcement action being taken. A new Government campaign and extra resources will support interest in tree planting and the Woodland Trust is giving away free tree packs to community groups on a first come first served basis.Heritage Open Days, coordinated by English Heritage with, Civic Voice a member of the steering group, will be between 9th and 12th September 2010. English Heritage’s immense historical archive of maps, photos and other documents can now be searched for free online at www.englishheritagearchives.org.uk

TALKS

No talks are arranged for the summer months. The Events Card for 2010/2011 is enclosed with this Newsletter and we look forward to welcoming you to the following meetings; Thursday 23rd September - 8.00pm. The Brigidine School – ‘Kew Gardens, Exotic Plants and Flowers’ with Martin SandsThursday 21st October – 3.00pm. Gardeners’ Hall – ‘Queen Alexandra’s Photographs’ with Frances DimondThursday 11th November – 8.00pm The Brigidine School – ‘London Burial Grounds’ with Leslie Grout

OUTINGS

Monday 10th May 2010 – Ceremony of the Keys, The Tower of LondonWe arrived at The Tower of London on a cold evening in plenty of time before we had to meet our Yeoman Sergeant Warder Richard Sands at the West Gate of The Tower. Once inside The Tower, Richard gave us an interesting talk on the history which, of course, included some rather gruesome anecdotes. He also took us into the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula where he outlined the history of the church. We then made our way to The Tower of London Club, where we had a delicious buffet supper. Afterwards we went outside where Richard gave us an interesting talk on the history of the Ceremony of the Keys which has taken place for over 700 years and this includes all through World War II, before watching the ceremony itself. Finally, before leaving The Tower, we returned to the Club for a last drink and for the raffle to be drawn. We returned to our coach in the nearby underground coach park and arrived back in Windsor just on midnight. I think everyone agreed that the evening had been a great success and a marvellous experience. 40 Members took part in the visit.

Wednesday 9th June 2010 - Woodstock and Rousham House &Gardens OxfordshireWe arrived in Woodstock at 10.15 which gave us plenty of time for morning coffee and ample time to explore the town, with its beautiful Cotswold stone

buildings and shops, including some good antiques shops. After lunch, we continued on to Rousham Park where we enjoyed guided tours of the house. The house, built in 1635 by Sir Robert Dormer, is still in the ownership of the same family. Kent added the wings and the stable block. The architect St. Aubyn added the north side of the house in 1876. Kent made alterations to the interior of the house, which retains some 17th century panelling and the original staircases, furniture, pictures and bronzes. The Park remains almost as Kent left it - the ponds and cascades in Venus’s Vale, the Cold Bath, and seven arched Praeneste, the Temple of the Mill, and, on the skyline, a sham ruin known as the Eyecatcher. There is a walled garden with its herbaceous borders, small parterre and a pigeon house. After leaving Rousham, we made a welcome comfort stop at the Oxford Services on the M40 for late afternoon refreshments (Rousham has no tea facilities). It was a very enjoyable day and 40 Members took park in this visit.

Tuesday 10 August 2010 – Combermere Barracks and Household Cavalry Museum, WindsorThe report for this visit will appear in the November Newsletter.

Future outings Tuesday 19th October 2010 – The Drapers’ Hall and The Bank of England Museum, LondonOur visit to the above livery company will start at 11.00 am when we will be given a talk and a tour of the Hall. In the afternoon we will visit the Bank of England Museum and so that we will adequate time for lunch the 3 o’clock slot has been booked for our visit. (The booking form accompanies this Newsletter). Thursday 14th April 2011 - Arundel Castle, West Sussex The seat of The Dukes of Norfolk and set in 40 acres of sweeping grounds and gardens, Arundel Castle has been open to visitors seasonally for nearly 200 years. It is one of the great treasure houses of England, each having its own unique place in history and is home to priceless works of art. Come and see paintings and furniture, tapestries and stained glass, china and clocks, sculpture and carving, heraldry and armour in stunning room settings. There are nearly 1,000 years of history at this great castle, situated in magnificent grounds overlooking the River Arun in West Sussex and built at the end of the 11th century by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel.

Tuesday 7th June 2011 - Hever Castle, Kent There have been three main periods in the construction of this historic castle. The oldest part of the castle dates to 1270 and consisted of the gatehouse and a walled bailey. In the early 1500s the Bullen family bought the castle and added a Tudor dwelling within the walls and so it became the childhood home of its most famous inhabitant, Anne Boleyn. It later passed into the ownership of Henry’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Finally, in 1903, William Waldorf Astor invested time, money and imagination in restoring the Castle, building the ’Tudor Village’ and creating the gardens and lake. The castle has

a homely atmosphere and houses historic 16th century Tudor portraits, furniture and tapestries. Other artefacts include two magnificent Books of Hours (prayer books), both signed and inscribed by Anne Boleyn. Costumed figures of Henry VIII and his six wives in the Long Gallery add to the atmosphere and are popular with the children. The Council Chamber in the thirteenth century gatehouse contains collections of historic swords, armour, instruments of execution, torture and discipline. The magnificent gardens include Italian, Rose and Tudor gardens, topiary and the informal areas of Sunday Walk and Anne Boleyn’s Walk. Since 1983, the castle has been owned by Broadland Properties Limited.

MEMBERSHIP

The current membership stands at 489. 334 members pay by standing order and 152 by cash / cheque. This is a backward trend which we should try and reverse. However 293 have signed a gift aid form with 38 not. This is a valuable source of income for the society and those 38 are encouraged to sign a gift aid declaration. Please contact Colin Meads if you are unsure if you have completed a declaration. The annual subscription is due for renewal on 1st October. Those who pay by Bankers Order will have this done automatically by their bank. Those who pay by cheque please forward your subscriptions to Colin Meads, 9 Harwood Gardens, Old Windsor, Berks, SL4 2LJ. Renewal is £6 single £10 for family. Prompt payment is appreciated to avoid unnecessary paperwork and cost to the society in chasing up those who forget. It is advantageous to pay by Bankers Order which saves everyone time and effort and alleviates the chance of forgetting. Please ask for a Bankers Order form or go to our web site and download it.Recent new members have joined and they will not need to pay their renewal on 1st October. They have been advised separately.

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

Miss K M WhelanMr David EgliseMrs Kay EgliseMrs Collet OrmistonMs Caroline WagstaffMr Leelananda De SilvaMrs Rukmal De SilvaDr J HargreavesMrs M HargreavesMr Peter HilliarMrs Denna Hilliar

E-mail addresses - A reminder

The 2010 January meeting had to be cancelled at short notice and it was difficult to notify members of this. The Executive Committee have decided that it would be useful to have email addresses of members. This list will be kept by the Membership Secretary. Addresses will not be given to any other organisation. If you are happy for this will you please send your full name with an email to Colin Meads at meads@dsl.pipex.com

ROYAL BOROUGH DESIGN AWARDS

The Windsor & Eton Society isn’t only concerned with preserving the past and would encourage members to note these awards. Nominations for the Royal Borough Design awards can be made for any structure completed between 24th January 2004 and 31st December 2009. The public are encouraged to have their say in recognising outstanding architecture in Windsor and Maidenhead and there will be the opportunity for the public to be involved in the judging and to vote for the Peoples’ Choice award. This includes both new designs and enhancement of historic properties. The deadline for entries is Friday 3rd September. For more details visit www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/pp_design_awards_scheme.htm

DO YOU KNOW THIS?

In the eighteenth century many people were becoming aware that there should be a school in Windsor and a Trust was set up with many benefactors so that, when in 1724 Theodore Randue left £500 specifically  ' to build a house for the school' and the Bishop of Salisbury granted a corner of the churchyard, all was ready for the red brick building on the corner of St.Alban's Street and Church Lane to be built and established as a purpose built school. It contained apartments for the master and mistress and was completed in 1726 at a total cost of £510.0s.8d and is now owned by the local lodge of Freemasons.

LOCAL NEWS

Friends of the Windsor & Royal Borough MuseumPlans are still on course for the opening of the Museum in Windsor Guildhall’s Maidenhead Room next spring. Some of the 6,000 treasures will be displayed after 30 years in storage.Members of the WES are corporate members of this organisation.For information contact Chairman Dr Brigitte Mitchell 01753 774642Or visit www.windsormuseumappeal.org.uk

Royal British LegionBranch Meetings Mondays – The third Monday in the month at 7.45pm at Combermere Barracks (bring ID)For more details contact Garry Williams 01753 861911Poppy Selling

30th October – 14th November Sea Cadets and RBL selling in Town Centre on 13th November. Volunteers always welcome.Armistice Day Ceremony 11th November at 10.45am at Windsor Guildhall Remembrance Day Service14th November at 10.30am at Windsor Parish Church War Memorial. The Windsor Civic Ceremony and Service

Local Councillors’ SurgerySaturday 4th September (10.00 – 12.00am) Outside Windsor Post Office

Windsor Town ForumThursday 18th October-7.00pm Guildhall – Interactive meeting with the public.Agenda items to be submitted before 5.00pm on 24th September. Agenda available from 8th October.Contact RBWM Democratic Services 01628 796345For people interested in local issues these can be informative meetings and are worth attending. Minutes can be found on www.rbwm.gov.uk

St George’s Chapel26th September 10.45am Obit service.13th October 3.45pm Broadcast evensong in commemoration of St Edward.

WEAThe Windsor branch of the WEA will be presenting two fascinating day schools during the coming months:Saturday 16th October 2010 - The Brigidine School - ‘Artists of the Thames Valley’ to be given by Professor William Prescott Sat 26th February 2011 - St George's School – ‘Cosmology and the Big Bang’ to be given by Dr Simon Singh

Also of special interest to members of the Windsor & Eton Society will be the course ‘Local History: Landmarks in Windsor's History’ - nine classes on Wednesday evenings from 26th January 2011 led by Hester Davenport in association with the Windsor Local History Group and the Friends of Windsor Museum. This will also be celebrating the opening of the Windsor Museum. The WEA (Windsor Branch) offers a full programme of morning and evening classes on a large variety of subjects, from art history to walking tours of London.For more information and a programme booklet please contact Tony Davenport - 01753 866198 e-mail tonydavenport1@gmail.com 

Music Concerts – Wednesday Lunchtimes – Windsor Parish ChurchThe Wednesday lunchtime concerts in Windsor Parish Church start again on October 6th with a recital by the music scholars of Eton College. This will be followed on October 13th with a classical guitar recital by Dimitris

DeKavallas from the Royal Academy of Music. He has been before and is excellent. Concerts follow every Wednesday until November 24th. 

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 868720There is also a very good light lunch available beforehand.

MEET YOUR COMMITTEE

Another member of your committee:-

Newsletter Editor – Anne TaylorAnne was born in Portsmouth and after school she studied mathematics at London University. She began her teaching career at St Paul’s Girls’ School in London and then moved to Ranelagh School, Bracknell. Having been a teacher of mathematics and Senior Guidance Tutor to the Sixth Form she retired in 2003 but then became Clerk to the Governing Body, a post which she still holds. Anne is married to David and they have lived in Windsor for the past forty years. She has a grown up son and daughter. When living in Clewer Village she and her husband were involved with the Plan for Clewer Group. She was first co-opted onto the W&E Society in 2004 to help organise the Senior Schools’ Forum. Last year she took over the editing of the Newsletter and, more recently, has joined the Heritage and Environment Committee.Anne is involved with several local activities including WEA, Royal Free Singers, lace making and learning to play the organ. However, mathematical problems and puzzles are still much enjoyed!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Published by The Windsor and Eton Society www.wesoc.org.uk

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

WINDSOR AND ETON SOCIETYThis outing is for a maximum of 40 Windsor & Eton Society Members

THE DRAPERS’ HALL AND THE BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM,LONDON Tuesday 19 October 2010

The Drapers’ Company was founded in 1344 and is ranked third in precedence of the Great Twelve Livery Companies. The original Hall, situated in Throgmorton Street, was bought from King Henry VIII in 1543 for the sum of 1,800 marks (approximately £1,200). This had been the house of Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex and Chief Minister to Henry, but had been forfeited to the King on Cromwell's attainment and execution in July 1540. Destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666, Drapers’ Hall was rebuilt between 1667 and 1671 to designs by Edward Jarman. In 1772, after a fire which did considerable damage, it was rebuilt by John Gorham; it was new fronted and the interior altered by Herbert Williams in the 1860s and again altered in 1898-9 by Sir Thomas Graham Jackson. In the Middle Ages, the Company possessed great powers of control over the woollen cloth trade in the City of London. The medieval member might have had a shop where he sold drapery, wealthier members were merchants, traders in wool and cloth, and financiers. The expansion of the English woollen cloth trade in the 15th century was reflected in the prosperity of the Drapers’ Company. The Bank of England Museum tells the story of the Bank of England from its foundation in 1694 to its role today as the United Kingdom's central bank. The historical displays include material drawn from the Bank's own collections of books, documents, silver, prints, paintings, banknotes, coins and photographs. There is a display of gold, including Roman and modern gold bars, alongside pikes and muskets once used to defend the Bank.

The cost will be £22.00 and includes the cost of the coach and a donation to The Drapers’ Company (entrance to the Bank of England Museum is free). The coach will leave Windsor from the Car Park End of the Alma Road Coach Park at 09.00

Please note that refunds will only be given if replacements can be found

WINDSOR & ETON SOCIETYNOTICE OF POLICY SHOULD A MEMBER BE TAKEN UNWELL OR HAVE AN ACCIDENT DURING THE COURSE OF AN OUTING

The Outings Secretary conducting a party on behalf of the Society (or the Deputy for the day), has delegated authority from the Executive Committee to summon emergency services if judged necessary and to insist that any participant who experiences ill health, an accident or such misfortune leave the coach (if necessary or appropriate with a companion) and make their own way (at their own expense) to Windsor via the Emergency Services or otherwise. It is a priority that so far as appropriate, the schedule for the remainder of the participants be continued as closely as possible to the arranged programme.

June 2008--------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE DRAPERS’ COMPANY & BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM, LONDONTuesday 19 October 2010

I/We would like to join this visit and enclose a cheque, payable to the Windsor & Eton Society for the sum of £. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . for . . . . . . . place(s) at £22.00 per Member

Please remember to enclose a stamped addressed envelope

Member Name 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Signed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Block Capitals please)Member Name 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Block Capitals please)Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tel No : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(please include code)Please send the completed form, with your payment and a stamped addressed

envelope to Miss Rosemarie Wood, 32 Osborne Court, Osborne Road, Windsor SL4 3EP