THE ST. MARYLEBONE SOCIETY

NEWSLETTERNumber 328 Registered Charity 274082 Spring 2010

They say that ‘every cloud has a silverlining’ and with the granting of planningpermission on 10th December 2009 fora ‘classical style’ affordable housingdevelopment in Seymour Place aSection 106 agreement was put in placeto “Secure a contribution of £130,000towards refurbishment of theMarylebone High St Memorial Gardensand Broadley Street Gardens”.

Supported by Cllr Robert Davies andlocal councillors the committee decidedto allocate £45,000 towards the StMarylebone Society project and wehave now submitted the proposals forPlanning Permission.

Extensive consultation over the pasttwo years has resulted in a consensus torelocate the Wesley Memorial to itsprevious position closer to the garden boundary; centered on thecommemorative plaque already insetinto the paving. It will be placed on alower stone plinth and will visually beon axis with Beaumont Street having a

greater presence on the High Street.

The North wall will be reinstated withLondon stock bricks along the originalbuilding line at a height of 2m whichmatches the height of the railings/brickpanels of the new west wall and railingsthus ensuring continuity of enclosurefrom within the garden.

A raised planting bed will be set in frontof the wall and planted to provide a greenboundary. Climbing plants will beencouraged to grow around the railingsfrom both sides to create the greenscreen that the original landscapearchitect envisaged. This raised bed willcreate additional south and west facingprotected bench locations.

With the memorial relocated, a space iscreated for a new memorial or sculptureand we are proposing to commission apublic work of art to commemorateCharles Dickens, an appropriate figureto represent the learning, history andliterature at which the MaryleboneSchool excels.

Dickens lived close to the garden, in ahouse at Devonshire Terrace, from 1839to 1851 and wrote some of his bestknown works there. He also set keyevents in Dombey and Son in St.Marylebone Parish Church. Although he“conjured his friends” in his will “on noaccount to make him the subject of anymonument, memorial or testimonial”we have approached The DickensFellowship which has expressed aninterest in the idea and feel confidentthat we can design and agree a fittingtribute.

It is noted that 2012 will mark the 200thanniversary of Dickens’s birth; thisaffords an interesting parallel with theJohn Nash sculpture the Societyinstigated in 1952 which coincided withthe 200th anniversary of his birth.

The application has now been validateda decision is due on 24 March 2010. The plans can be seen onw w w . w e s t m i n s t e r . g o v . u k ref: 10/00637/full.

£45K FOR MEMORIAL GARDEN

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FROM THE CHAIR: AGM REPORT

Jaqueline Poncelet.

Rosemary MacQueen, Colin Amery(President) and Ian Wylie.

The 61st AGM was held on 23rd November at The Council House,Marylebone Road.President Colin Amery welcomed over80 members and invited thechairwoman to report on the year'sactivities. Following the decision not tomerge with the Marylebone Associationthe Society has reflected on the aims of its original constitution andconcentrated on architectural, localhistory and archival projects. The Nashbust at All Souls has now been restored;the Memorial Garden restorationproject has moved significantly forwardand the Children’s Art Competition heldon Marylebone Station concourse was agreat success. An exhibition ofphotographs of 20th century buildings inMarylebone, generously donated by theRoyal Institute of British Architects’photographic archive, was displayedalongside the children’s artwork andillustrated the range of wonderfulmodern architecture we have inMarylebone. We hope to strengthenlinks and liaise with RIBA and the 20thCentury Society to put the importanceof such buildings firmly on the agenda of Westminster’s Planning andConservation officers.

wardens explaining in detail how todeal with different bombs andemergency situations. These films willbe used to illustrate the experiences ofIta Ekpenyon, a Nigerian ARP Wardenwho was stationed near Oxford Circus,who wrote a personal account of theBlitz in Marylebone betweenSeptember and December 1940entitled ‘Some Experiences of anAfrican Air-Raid Warden’. This willbring the films and the work of theSociety to a wide audience as well asproviding a valuable educationalresource for children in Westminsterand beyond.

The Treasurer, Keith Evans, reported agood financial year and thankedAnthony Alford, our AccountsCoordinator. We have recruited newindividual and corporate members.

Cynthia Poole gave us an extremelyinformative account of the planningissues dealt with over the year and wethank her and the planning committeemembers for their constant attention tothe planning and environmentalmatters they deal with on a monthlybasis.

Thanks were also due to DouglasTemple who has co-ordinated a verydiverse series of events over the pastyear, which many of you enjoyed andsubsequently reviewed for thenewsletter.

Transport for London and Art on TheUnderground representatives joined usto introduce the artist JaquelinePoncelet, who has been commissionedby TFL to create a large public work ofart for Edgware Road’s proposed sub-station on Chapel Street. Jaquelineexplained how she develops her ideas;

working within the site context,collaborating with the community andexploring pattern and colour in theenvironment. It provided an amazinginsight in to her work and we thankedher for taking the time to meet anddiscuss the project which is still in itsearly stages of development.

After the AGM refreshments wereserved, which gave members a chanceto socialise. I believe that we arefortunate to live or work in such awonderful part of London with so manyinteresting and friendly people andthank everyone involved for theirsupport and contributions to theSociety in 2009.

Bomb damage in Baker Street.

Dads’ Army in Marylebone Road.

John Lewis in Oxford Street after bombdamage.

Perhaps one of the most exciting StMarylebone Society projects is the longterm archival film project launched atthe AGM with the screening of twoshort colour archive films. The Keenfamily has generously given the Societyaccess to the original Super 8 footageshot by Alderman Coucher in the 1940sand 50s and this has been digitised inorder to create documentary filmsabout specific events and places inMarylebone. We are working withBaker St Films and special thanks go toSimon Moorhead, who is editing thefilms and to Keith Evans who isadvising us on financing and producingthe films.

We are collaborating with WestminsterArchives and Education departments ona fascinating project about Westminsterduring World War II. Alderman Coucherwas Head ARP Warden for Marylebonein WW2 and made training films for the

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“It was the St Marylebone Society, undertheir dynamic Chairman, the lateAlderman Reneson Coucher, who firstbrought forward the idea of a memorial toJohn Nash.”

The Mayor of St Marylebone, Councillor Robert Sharp, atthe unveiling of the Nash memorial in Oct 1956.

Given the St Marylebone Society's(SMS) role in getting the memorial bustof John Nash erected outside All Soul'sChurch it was fitting that, as part of its60th anniversary celebrations, the SMSpaid to have the memorial cleaned. Itwas a doubly appropriate project becausethe Society was initially formed in 1948to campaign to save Nash's Regents Parkterraces, when they were threatenedwith demolition after wartime bombdamage.

The story of how the Nash memorialcame to be erected is an interesting one,which can be pieced together from therecords of the John Nash MemorialCommittee (JNMC) that are preservedin the Westminster Archives Centre.

The SMS's plan for a bust or statue ofNash to mark the bicentenary of his birthdid not initially meet with unequivocalacceptance. The SMS canvassed theGeorgian Group as early as 1952 about ajoint approach to the London CountyCouncil (LCC) and received thefollowing reply: “...The Committee (ofthe Georgian Group) felt that Nashwould not be a very good subject for astatue and also that there were alreadymore than enough statues in the Londonstreets.” As an alternative theysuggested a publication and a plaquewith a relief of Nash. Undaunted, theSMS, which felt strongly that more thana plaque was required, continued theircampaign and managed to get thesupport of the LCC and the Mayor of StMarylebone, and in 1953 the latterconvened a meeting of interestedparties. This in turn led to the setting upof JNMC, chaired by the Mayor of StMarylebone but administered and paidfor by the SMS. The new committeeshared a Secretary, Mr GeoffreyStephens, and Treasurer, Mr A.J.D.Stonebridge, with the SMS. In additionthe JNMC had representatives from: theLCC, the Royal Institute of BritishArchitects (RIBA), the Royal Society ofArts, the London Society, the CrownEstate, the City of Westminster, theBorough of St Pancras, the GeorgianGroup and All Soul's Church. Also on theJNMC was the selected sculptor, CecilThomas, who had enterprisinglysuggested himself after reading aboutthe project in an article in the journal ofthe London Society.

Thomas's request that it be destroyedafter they had finished with it.

The £500 required (£475 for the sculptorand £25 for the unveiling ceremony) wasraised by “invitation”rather than publicsubscription. The LCC contributed £200and the Crown Estate £50. Third on thelist was the SMS with £30, which wasover twice as much as any of the next 34other contributors. Towards the end ofthe fund raising effort the JNMC was still£43-6s-0d short, a problem solved byeach member of the JNMC contributing£3-12s-2d. So the SMS Secretary andTreasurer paid over the extra money intheir personal capacity, as did theSculptor, Cecil Thomas, who was also amember of the JNMC.

The unveiling of the memorial took placeon 18th October 1956. Sadly its proposer,Alderman Reneson Coucher, had died theprevious year. There were 80 guests,including 10 from the SMS. Thememorial was unveiled by the Minister ofWorks, after speeches made by him, theMayor of St Marylebone and thePresident of RIBA. The ceremonyfinished with a prayer by the Rector of AllSoul's, after which the guests moved upthe road to 66 Portland Place, where thePresident of RIBA had laid on a tea. Theceremony was covered in both nationaland provincial newspapers, the latter asfar afield as Oldham and the Isle of Wight– where John Nash had built himself aGothic castle and is buried.

Mike Wood

THE ST MARYLEBONE SOCIETY AND THE JOHNNASH MEMORIAL SCULPTURE

Bust of John Nash by Cecil Thomas.

Alderman Reneson Coucher.

Various sites were considered for thememorial; many favoured Regent’sPark. John Summerson (representingRIBA, the Soane Museum and theGeorgian Group) suggested the locationshould reflect Nash’s role as townplanner. The bottom of Regent Streetwas considered but, because the Nashbuildings there had been demolished, itwas rejected in favour of a positionoutside All Soul's Church lookingtowards Regent Street. Initially the AllSoul's location met a lot of resistanceand in a letter to Cecil Thomas dated17th June 1953 the JNMC Secretary toldhim it was very unlikely that it could bearranged and asked him to suggest othersuitable sites.

Cost was always an issue and it wasdecided to go for a bust on a tall baserather than a statue, but even this wasgoing to cost an estimated £500(equivalent to roughly £8,500 in today'smoney). The JNMC had decided thatCecil Thomas should copy a plaster bustof Nash owned by RIBA, in either“bronze, stone or plastic” – fortunatelythey finally opted for Portland stone.The original of the RIBA plaster bustwas a work in marble by the sculptorWilliam Behnes which was exhibited atthe Royal Academy in 1831(i.e. duringNash's lifetime) and it is assumed tohave been a portrait from life. To seehow it might look the JNMC arrangedfor the RIBA bust to be erected on atemporary pedestal in situ outside AllSoul’s Church. They decided the head“looked ridiculously small in comparisonto the building” and therefore instructedCecil Thomas to make his copy 11/2

times the size. The sculptor produced aplaster version of his proposed sculpturefor approval but, unfortunately forposterity, the JNMC complied with

The Society would like to update itslist of members’ email addresses .

If you are happy to be contacted byemail please send your name and

address to: mail@stmarylebone-society.org

Your name and email address are held on a computerdatabase for the sole use of the St Marylebone Society.

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ON TWO WHEELSWe look, first, at the mainfeatures of the Mayor'sCentral London Cycle HireScheme and, below, atsuggestions for controllingantisocial cyclists.Boris Johnson is an enthusiast. Cycling,he says, is green, convenient, speedy,and healthy; and it relieves the strain onother forms of transport.

The Mayor's Central London Cycle HireScheme is planned to be operational bythis summer. From launch, everyonewill be able to pick up a cycle at one ofcentral London's 400 docking stations,use it as they like, and then return it tothe same or any other docking station.Pricing has yet to be announced, but it isalready clear that, those needing a bikefor more than a couple of hours will findit cheaper to go to one of the existingcycle hire suppliers.

About 180 docking stations will be sitedthroughout the City of Westminster,many of them within Marylebone. Theaim is to have a docking station every300 meters or so, each close to atransport hub or destination of interest.So docking points will become a familiarfeature of our streetscape. The mapshows early proposals for locations.Detailed planning applications for eachof these are working their way throughthe system.

The Society's planning committee isgenerally in favour of the scheme, andhas supported individual applicationsexcept where potentially dangerous orunduly disruptive. Westminster CityCouncil's decisions to date on individuallocations have been in line with theplanning committee’s views.

Not everyone is in favour of the growthof urban cycling. Councillor AngelaHarvey leads the objectors, observingthat, of the nearly 30,000 cyclists whocurrently come into Westminster everyday, as many as one in five rides onpavements, jumps red traffic lights andzebra crossings or cycles the wrong waydown one way streets without regard forother people’s safety or their own.Pedestrians, she says, are beingknocked down on pavements by anti-social cyclists who often shout atpedestrians before cycling away. Herfears are shared by a minority on theSociety's planning committee whobelieve that the expected increase in thenumber of cyclists will create asubstantial drain on policing and on theuse of medical facilities. Cllr Harvey'sproposals include increased training,

Artist’s impression of the bike parks.

Proposed sites of the bike parks.

greater focus in enforcing the HighwayCode by both the police and CityGuardians, and a compulsoryregistration scheme for cycles.

Mr Desmond Wall, member of ourPlanning Subcommittee, wrote to CllrHarvey in response to her “CyclingWorkshop”consultation to express theanxieties of older residents about theincreasing number of cyclists and the badbehaviour of some. Among the points heraised were these: are there enoughlocations for bike stands in the area? Willthere be more training for cyclists? Arethere ways to identify wayward cyclistsand catch them? Is it known whether theirbehaviour causes significant injuries inaddition to nuisance?

Cynthia Poole

A new litter bin near you?The City Council is committed toinstalling 1,000 new litter binsthroughout Westminster to help keepthe streets tidy. Residents are invited tosuggest possible sites.

Would your corner of Marylebonebenefit from a new litter bin? If so,please send me an e-mail which pin-points the location (the address of thenearest front door will suffice) and givesyour supporting comments. I’ll pass onthe suggestions to the Council inFebruary.

Roger Maran

r.maran@maran.co.uk

Since the beginning of October, wehave seen 60 applications. Since therecession started, there has been aslight dip in the numbers received, butmuch more noticeable has been achange in the kinds of applications weare seeing: a great increase in thenumber of small domestic jobs, such asrear extensions, loft conversions andwindow replacements, and very fewnew buildings.

Because of the Mayor’s enthusiasm forcycling, there have been a number ofproposals for locations for cycledocking stations, most of which havebeen granted permission.

We seem to be seeing an increasingnumber of retrospective applicationsfor restaurant/takeaways, especially inthe Edgware Road area; a recurringproblem for neighbours is theinstallation of large and ugly flueswithout permission, and the increasednuisance from noise and smells. Wehave also seen some large-scalealterations to listed buildings withoutconsent, which result in the permanentloss of the listed fabric. We have

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objected to these, and feel that wherethe work results in such losses, or indegrading the environment forneighbours, there should be significantpenalties whether or not permission isfinally granted.

Improvements to the Church StreetLibrary continue, and an entrance on toChurch Street has been made, so thatthe library has more presence in thearea.

The largest project on our patch at themoment, apart from the works at Baker Street Station to re-align theMetropolitan Line platforms, is theproposed housing on Seymour Placeadjacent to the new Magistrates’ Court,which is now rising out of the ground.There have been several planningapplications for the housing, which isbeing undertaken by Barratts, and islinked to their housing project at theHorseferry road site. We have objectedto all of the applications for the housing,for these reasons: all the housing inSeymour Place is to be “socialhousing”, and all the Horseferry Roadhousing is to be “market housing”, and

we think that the two types should bemixed. We are also unimpressed withthe layout proposed, which offers verylittle outside space for the number ofchildren likely to live there, and the useof Shilibeer Place as car access, whichwill permanently affect the lives ofShilibeer Place residents for the worse.The developer took none of ourcomments on board, and in the latestapplications, concentrated on the façadedesign, submitting a “Classical” and a“modern” treatment, both of whichwere uninspired.

However, at the Westminster PlanningCommittee on 10th December, thecouncillors accepted the “Classical”solution and conditional consent hasbeen granted. There may be furtherchanges to the façade arising from thatdiscussion, and a resubmission.Benefits for the area from this scheme ifit goes ahead, will includeimprovements to the public highway, 3new trees for Seymour Place, and acontribution towards the WesleyMemorial Garden works and theproposed Broadley Street Gardensupgrade.

take in. We soon moved on for greatclose-up views of the huge Velodrome,Zaha Hadid’s dramatic Aquatics Centre,looking suitably like a wave but smallerthan one had expected, and themagnificent Olympic Stadium itself,which dominates the scene. Lookinggraceful and impressive it will seat80,000 and be approached by bridgesacross the River Lea.

The River Lea, winding its way throughthe complex of buildings and stadia, willbe a main feature of the park once it isfinished. All the waterways have beendredged and all the soil has had to becleaned for this huge project – there iseven a Soil Hospital! Much positive andimaginative thought has been given tothe future use of the area as well as allthe planning for the Games themselves,their legacy if you like; we will all soon beheading east for picnics if nothing else.

There will also, next year, be anotherWestfield Shopping Centre there.

The fine view south from the park toCanary Wharf is another bonus. Onecould not help feeling that this reallywill be a considerable permanentaddition not only to Stratford but toLondon. It was thrilling to see it at thisstage - best thanks to Douglas Templefor arranging this ambitious trip.

Richard Bowden

It was too late in the day for us todisembark from the coach but a viewinggallery and café on the Greenway, next toPudding Mill Lane DLR station, waswarmly recommended. Not always openso check first at www.theviewtube.co.ukThe Olympic Delivery Authority operatesfree bus tours of the Olympic Park onweekends and selected weekdays. To booka place on a tour phone: 0300 2012001.

PL A N N I N G M AT T E R S

VISIT TO THEOLYMPIC PARK

We struck a beautiful afternoon for thisvisit. The sun shone out of a cloudlesssky, matching the upbeat feel of ourtour. How wonderful that unlikeWembley or the Jubilee Line theprogress of this vast scheme is on trackor even ahead of it. The sheer scale of itall was staggering – it took almost anhour to drive across what Barbara, ourenthusiastic guide, described as thelargest park to be created in Europe for150 years. Yes, it is a gigantic buildingsite but an exciting one.

The Olympic Park occupies 2.5 squarekilometres – 357 football pitches–immediately north-west of StratfordRegional Station, which was where wemet. Our special coach then drove usround to the northern entrance to thePark, while we watched an on-boardvideo about the background to the bidfor the Games. Once through the gates– high security is already in place – thefirst structure we encountered was theInternational Broadcast Centre, acolossal hangar, almost complete, whichwill host the 20,000 journalists andphotographers from all over the worldwho will converge here in July 2012.There were just too many statistics to

SMS members on the coach.

The Aquatic Centre under construction.

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In 2003 the St Marylebone Society, inassociation with The City ofWestminster Archives Centre, re-published St Marylebone Workhouse byAlan Neate. Based mainly on ParishVestry records, it gives a largelyadministrative picture of the Workhousefrom its inception in rentedaccommodation in the 1730s until thedemolition of its purpose-built buildingsin 1965. Charles Dickens, who used tolive very close to the St MaryleboneWorkhouse, is famous for his novels buthe first made his name writingjournalistic pieces for a variety ofmagazines. It was amongst the latterwritings that I chanced upon A Walk in aWorkhouse which appeared in HouseholdWords on 25th May 1850. It tells of a visit he made to the St Marylebone Workhouse.Characteristically it concentrates on thehuman aspect. The following areexcerpts from that article:

"On a certain Sunday, I formed one ofthe congregation assembled in thechapel of a large metropolitanWorkhouse. Among the congregationwere some evil-looking young womenand beetle-browed young men; but notmany – perhaps that kind of characterkept away. Aged people were there in

every variety. Mumbling, blear-eyed,spectacled, stupid, deaf, lame; vacantlywinking in the gleams of sun that creptin through the open doors from thepaved yard.

When the service was over I walkedwith the humane and conscientiousgentleman whose duty it was to takethat walk, through the little world ofpoverty enclosed within the workhousewalls. It was inhabited by some fifteenhundred or two thousand paupersranging from the infant newly born ornot yet come into the pauper world, tothe old man dying on his bed.

Groves of babies in arms; groves ofmothers and other sick women in bed;groves of lunatics; jungles of men instone-paved down-stairs day-rooms,waiting for their dinners; longer grovesof old people, in upstairs Infirmarywards, wearing out life, God knows how– this was the scenery through whichthe walk lay, for two hours.

In a room opening from a squalid yardwere a number of listless womenlounging to and fro, trying to get warmin the ineffectual sunshine. In anotherroom were several ugly old womencrouching witch-like, round a hearth,and chattering and nodding, after themanner of monkeys. “All well here?

And enough to eat?” A generalchattering and chuckling; at last ananswer from a volunteer. "Oh yes,gentleman! Bless you, gentleman! Lordbless the parish of St. So-and-so! It feedthe hungry, sir, and give drink to thethirsty.''

In a men's ward some old people werebed-ridden, and had been for a longtime; some were sitting on their bedshalf-naked; some out of bed, and sittingby the fire. A sullen or lethargicindifference to what was asked, ablunted sensibility to everything butwarmth and food, a moody absence ofcomplaint as being of no use, wasgenerally apparent.

“All well here?” No answer. “All wellhere?” (repeated). At last an old man ofvery good address comes forward andvolunteers an answer. “'We are very old,sir, we can't expect to do well, most ofus.” “Are you comfortable?” “I have nocomplaint to make, sir.” “Enough toeat?” “Why, sir, I have but a poorappetite and yet I get through myallowance very easily.” “Here is aportion of mutton and three potatoes.You can't starve on that?” “No sir, notstarve.” “What do you want?” “We havevery little bread, sir. It's an exceedinglysmall quantity.” The nurse comes up andinterferes with “It ain't very much really,sir. You see they've only six ounces aday, and when they've took theirbreakfast, there can only be a little leftfor night, sir.”

As we turn to go another previouslyinvisible old man is standing there."Could I take the liberty of saying aword, sir? I am greatly better in myhealth but what I want to get me quiteround is a little fresh air. The leave forgoing out comes round so seldom."

Who could help wondering why the oldmen lived on as they did; what graspthey had on life; what crumbs of interestor occupation they could pick up fromthis bare board. Or why they pleaded onbehalf of the helpless and the aged poorfor a little more liberty – and a littlemore bread."

Leonard Jacobs

ST MARYLEBONE WORKHOUSEthe impressions of Charles Dickens

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Moving to no. 34 Dorset square was arevelation to me. I had found this haven inour frantic Metropolis quite by chancewhilst working as a journalist in the summerof 1970. My large room looked out across agarden with laburnum, cherry trees and a‘wilderness’ around the central shelter fullof daffodils; I could not believe my goodfortune.

I quickly began to appreciate the countlessadvantages of this peaceful but shabbycorner of London, midway between BakerSt and Marylebone Stations, with plenty ofbuses, shops, Westminster Library and themagic of Regents Park was only a step away.The square was full of life and I enjoyedwatching many birds, squirrels and even apair of ducks who chose to nest there oneyear; I sometimes picked mushrooms for mybreakfast before the birds found them. Sadlythings have changed. The birds arediscouraged by pollution, the children’sswing and the sandpit have been removed,the wild layout has been transformed into amanicured and largely unused garden.

While so many commuters spend hourstravelling to their place of work, I was ableto get there in minutes, leaving more timefor activities including evening classes. Isoon went back to my great love of drawingand painting. This led to frame making,furniture repair, keep fit and other studies.Branching into philosophy classes andeconomics took a good deal of time anddedication, but they were so rewarding.

Life in Dorset Square meanwhile waseventful and often dramatic. Widelyremembered for the Balcombe Street Siegewhich took place in 1975 when three armedgunmen took two people hostage for 6 days.Residents were escorted to their doors byarmed guards while sharp shooters werestationed at key points in the square andpositioned on the rooftops. Thankfully theIRA gunmen emerged, were captured andno one was hurt. Seven years later I was

built for the benefit of “40 poor merchants ofgood character who had failed in business…”Today Morden College in Blackheathextends over more than 7 acres and providescomfort and security to more than 200residents.

Nothing could have prepared me for thismove from Marylebone for the final chapterof my life. The break with all that I enjoyedfor so many wonderful years has been harshand took me by surprise. But looking aroundme I can see there are plenty ofopportunities here for life after retirement.

Julia Bastian, January 2010

painting in my studio when the sound of abomb shook the neighbourhood. Placedunder the bandstand, in Regent’s Park, thedevice killed seven Royal Green Jacketsmusicians who had been peacefullyentertaining the public in the sunshine. Soonthe roads were filled with ambulances, fireengines and police cars screaming their wayto the scene.

Another frightful drama followed a stockexchange disaster which involved myneighbour of the first floor. This poor manlost all his money and was driven to shoothimself. The house was besieged for days bythe press in the pursuit of a story.

However, there have been many happytimes, excitement and pleasure living in

Dorset Square. The Marylebone CricketClub played their early games on DorsetFields before it became a building site and tocelebrate their 200th anniversary the DorsetSquare Trust held a wonderful ball in thegarden; truly a night to remember. The MCCpresented the Trust with a special bench aswell as a strip of hallowed turf from theoriginal pitch, now inserted into the gardenand given a commemorative plaque. Parties,weddings and fundraising events have alltaken place over the years and The Dorsetsquare Trust produced an interesting bookleton the history of the square.

In 1997 Princess Diana’s funeral procession

Julia Bastian..

Dorset Square by Julia Bastian..

passed through the square. Everyone wasthrowing flowers and I managed to get arose on top of the car. It was my personalgoodbye to a lovely lady.

It was in May 2008 that I learned I hadcancer. I was 84 still feeling fit and enjoyinglife. After routine radiotherapy and chemotreatment the cancer magically diminishedbut I was left with a damaged pelvis andunable to climb with ease up to my thirdfloor flat and painting studio which I lovedso much.

It was clear that it was time to move and myapplication was accepted, enabling me tomove into a remarkable establishment. Itwas founded in 1695 by Sir John Morden,

FROM A LIFE IN MARYLEBONE TO RESIDENTIALSERENITY IN BLACKHEATH

Julia Bastian plots the stages of descent into retirement

Published by the St. Marylebone Society, February 2010. © St Marylebone Society.

St Marylebone Society Council andCommittee members met for aninformal dinner at Osteria on DorsetSquare, formerly The Potting Shed. Therestaurant has been transformed into awonderful, authentic Italian restaurant.

To welcome society members Osteriaare holding a drinks reception on 15thMarch, which will start from 6pm. Thiswill go on until around 7.30pm, at whichpoint anyone wanting to stay for dinnercan do so at a discounted rate.

The Sherlock Holmes MuseumThirty SMS members attended a specialChristmas visit to the famous SherlockHolmes Museum in Baker St on 14thDecember. The event was hosted by themanager and owner John Aidiniantz and staff inperiod costume who treated us to a mostmemorable evening.After assembling in the ground floor shop andperusing the many themed items for sale wedivided into 3 groups and set off upstairs withour guides where we saw a series of rooms onthree floors furnished in typical late Victorianperiod settings. It was quite remarkable to see‘Sherlock Holmes’ and ‘Doctor Watson’ in theirsitting room looking out over Baker St andhave the opportunity to engage them inconversation. Each carefully arranged roomhad its own charm and fascination with manyreferences to Holmes’s mysteries andadventures. We were particularly struck withthe collection of life-like wax figures from thenovels including Professor Moriarty, TheNapoleon of Crime and a red-headed mansitting at a desk involved in the task of copyingout the Encyclopedia Britannica. Devotees willrecall ‘The Red Headed League’ and theiringenious scheme of diverting the proprietor ofa shop; leaving his new assistant in charge and

themselves free to tunnel into the vaults of anearby bank, where a large consignment ofgold bullion was being held. Needless to say,Holmes foiled the plan in his own inimitablestyle.Having seen all the display we retired to thebasement where we enjoyed seasonalrefreshments and mulled wine in the newlibrary and reading room. All agreed it was avery interesting visit and we would like tothank everyone at the Sherlock HolmesMuseum for their warm welcome andgenerosity. The museum is a real asset on ourdoorstep and well worth a visit. It is open from9.30am to 6pm every day of the year exceptChristmas Day.Douglas Temple

Members with the museum’s owner John Aidiniantz.

Committee members at Osteria.

S O C I A L E V E N T S

ST. MARYLEBONE SOCIETY PROGRAMME SPRING 2010The Petrie Museum of EgyptianArchaeology – Thursday 25th March2010, 2.00pm. University College,Malet Place, WC1. The museum was largely due to thework of Emilia Edwards, writer and philanthropist, and Professor F Petrie, archaeologist. It containsapproximately 80,000 Egyptian andSudanese artefacts from prehistorythrough the time of the pharaohs, thePtolemaic, Roman and Coptic periodsand the Islamic period. There will be a short talk. Meet outside 1.50pm.Donation £4.00.Coffee Morning, Flat 12, BerkeleyCourt, NW1 – Wednesday 21st April2010, 10.30am.Members and guests welcome toattend. Entrance in Glentworth Street.The Royal Mews, BuckinghamPalace Road, SW1 – Thursday 18thMay 2010, 12.00am.Tour around The Royal Mews, providingan opportunity to see behind the sceneswork at the stables and view the historicstate coaches used on ceremonialoccasions such as the State Opening ofParliament in November.Meet outside 12.50pm. £7.50 adult – £6.75 over 60.

The Wellington Arch, Hyde ParkCorner SW1 – New date Wednesday9th June, 11.00am. Postponed from12th January.This imposing arch, designed byDecimus Burton in the early 19thcentury, once had a large equestrianstatue of the Duke of Wellington on itssummit. It was re-sited to avoid trafficcongestion and now is surmounted by astatue representing Peace drawn byfour horses. There is an interestingexhibition and a lift to the viewinggallery where many places may beseen, not visible at ground level.Tickets £3 – Meet outside 10.50 am.The Territorial Army Centre – 7th Rifles, 52-56 Davies Street, W1Saturday 3rd July, 10.30am.This is an opportunity to visit a militaryestablishment with a fine tradition ofservice. It will particularly appeal tomembers with an interest in militaryhistory and memorabilia, together withpaintings and portraits. The visit willinclude a tour of the Officers' Mess andClubroom. Talk and tour lasting one anda half hours, with coffee and biscuitsprovided. Meet outside at 10.25am.Nearest tube Bond Street. Donation£6.00.The Wellcome Trust, 183 Euston Road,NW1. Thursday 12th August at 2.00pm.

A talk and tour of the two maingalleries lasting one hour. Memberswill see a fascinating collection ofmedically related objects from ancientto modern times. As well as medicalhistory there is also much relating tohealth eduction. Meet outside 1.50pm –no charge.The Museum of Gardening History,Lambeth Palace Road (nearLambeth Palace), Sunday 12thSeptember, 2.00pm.This visit will include a special TopiaryExhibition in addition to a fine 17thcentury garden and all aspects ofgardening history. It will feature anexhibition on Christopher Lloyd, whowas responsible for the Great DixterGarden in Sussex. It will haveparticular interest to keen gardenersand also less “green fingered”members.Talk and tour lasting one hour.Refresments available. Meet outside1.50pm. Nearest tube Lambeth North.£8.00, over 60s £7.00.For more information and late bookingsplease contact: St Marylebone SocietyEvents Secretary, Douglas Temple, Flat 1, 7 Seymour Place, London W1H5AS – 020 7723 6417.