Hitcham and TaplowSociety

Newsletter 102: Autumn 2014£2.50 to non­members

www.taplowsociety.org.uk

Editorial

Paul Cheshire is Professor of EconomicGeography at the London School ofEconomics. On 9th July 2014 his post on theLSE's Spatial Economics Research Centreblog began "Almost every reasonable personmust now accept the case that we need tobuild on some parts of currently designatedGreenbelt land. Not everyone is, of course,reasonable". He places Taplow in the 'Noteveryone' camp and casts himself as theepitome of reason by saying "There is landaround Taplow which looks to haveenvironmental or scenic value but plentywhich does not" and concluding his long blogby observing "Maybe if the 1,584 citizens ofTaplow are unwilling to accommodate morehousing they should be taxed the increasedvalue of their houses".

So are we citizens of Taplow unreasonableNIMBYs? The facts say not. There were 1,584people living here in 2001, 1,669 in 2011 and –when current and prospective developmentsare taken into account – the population willsoon rise to between 2,100 and 2,500. Even thelower of these projections represents an

increase of one­third on Prof Cheshire's out­dated benchmark.

South Bucks District Council seems tobelieve it reasonable to protect the Green Beltby, for example, refusing the second recentplanning application to redevelop SilchesterManor because (as the officer's report on thatapplication confirmed) SBDC can fulfil localhousing needs for the foreseeable futurewithout building on Green Belt.

Who is being unreasonable here? Is it Taplowfor not wanting to be concreted over when it isjust not necessary? Is it SBDC for seeking abalance between the need for places to live andfor green spaces that add a little quality to life? Oris it an influential academic who has glancedfrom his ivory tower at Google Earth, takenoffence at patches of green that surround us, puthis favourite bit between the teeth of hishobbyhorse and ridden rough­shod acrossinconvenient truths? Let's hope the day will comewhen powers­that­be look at real numbers anddecide it is reasonable and right to say 'Enough'.

Nigel Smales

Hitcham and Taplow SocietyFormed in 1959 to protect Hitcham, Taplow and the surrounding countryside from being spoilt by baddevelopment and neglect.

President: Eva LipmanVice Presidents: Tony Hickman, Fred Russell, Professor Bernard Trevallion OBEChairman: Karl LawrenceTreasurer: Peter MoleSecretary: Roger WorthingtonMembership Secretary: Myra DrinkwaterCommittee: Euan Felton, Heather Fenn, Caroline Gillies, Alistair Hill, Barrie Peroni,

Nigel Smales, Louise Symons, Miv Wayland­Smith, Mike YeadonWebsite Adviser & Newsletter Production:

Andrew Findlay

Contact Address: HTS, Littlemere, River Road, Taplow, SL6 0BBsecretary@taplowsociety.org.uk07787 556309

Cover Photo: Liz Forsyth marked the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War by plantingpoppy seeds along the edge of the Village Green. Hopefully these poppies will bloom everysummer in colourful Remembrance. Photo by Nigel Smales

Autumn 2014 Page 2 Hitcham and Taplow Society

South Bucks currently has 40electoral wards with theirdemocratically electedrepresentatives serving ascouncillors. Their politicalmix is 39 Conservative andone Independent.

In 2010 the Government setitself the priority of reducingthe national deficit. Thepublic sector was one areawhere savings were targeted.A combination of governmentedicts and reduced Treasuryfunding put pressure uponcouncils across the country toreduce their costs and chargesto the taxpayer by becomingmore efficient.

Reacting to this initiativewith a willing spirit andaiming to achieve savings forcouncil tax­payers, SBDC members voted infavour of a proposal to achieve some savings byreducing the number of wards from 40 to 28and informed the Boundaries Commission (BC)accordingly. This decision also served as anexample to council workers many of whomwere faced with redundancy as duties weremerged. An analysis of the Electoral Roll andthe 2011 National Census revealed the numberof present electors in each parish and thenthese figures enabled the BC to draw theproposed new ward boundaries with the aimof ensuring there will be approximately thesame number of electors in each of the newwards that it then proposed.

The BC's recommendations received in Aprilwere put out for consultation and it seemedacross South Bucks that most councillorsaccepted the proposed changes. For Taplow,that was definitely not the case! Many residentswrote to contest the proposal to merge Taplowwith Dorney and Lent Rise South. They madethe case that Taplow is clearly identifiablegeographically with all the features of a ruralparish. We enjoy a strong sense of community.In addition to our special associations withCliveden and with SGI at Taplow Court, wehave own village green, St Nicolas' Church and

School, three pubs – The Oak & Saw, TheFeathers and The Royal Standard – and manysports and social facilities including our CricketClub and choirs.

Regrettably these best endeavours were notsuccessful. It was confirmed on 14th Octoberthat Taplow will be merged with Dorney, LentRise South plus a small area of BurnhamChurch Ward. This new ward of mixed ruraland suburban domains will be represented bythree councillors. My concern is that Taplowcould be outvoted on Taplow priorities or, sinceall three could potentially be resident outsideour parish, that Taplow has no representationat all resulting in the possibility of expenditurebeing prioritised elsewhere.

Taplow has always had active residents onthe District Council. My predecessors EileenLaw, Ann Young, Pamela Bentley and JohnKennedy made great efforts to represent theinterests of both our parish and the district. Iam trying to do the same. Please contact meat georgesallysandy@live.co.uk if you share myview that the tradition should continue.

George SandySBDC Councillor for Taplow andChairman of Taplow Parish Council

Electoral Review

Hitcham and Taplow Society Autumn 2014 Page 3

A Pair of Micks

Michael Fletcher has been 'Young Mick' for 24years. How strange it feels now to be just Mick, allalone in this 134­year­old boathouse on the OldPublic Slipway next to Maidenhead Bridge. Theboathouse and its neighbour in the upstream curlof the bridge evolved to serve Jonathan Bond andhis successors in Bond's Boats from probably the1870s until 1955. Richard Springfield continued thetradition until it all became too much for the oldfellow in the late­1970s. It might have been used tostore beds, probably for Skindle's, possibly for sale,until becoming an ivy­covered beer store for anopen­air bar on Skindle's riverside terrace. Thatwas how Mick Free found it in 1985 not long afterits neighbour had been demolished.

Mick had started out with Andrews Brothersand worked at Windsor Racecourse Marina andat John Turks in Cookham before going it aloneby launching Marlow Boat Services, named afterhis home town. Alan Hockham joined him hereand he also had a part­time painter when he tookon Michael as an apprentice in 1989. The boyscalled him 'Old Mick' even though he was barely54 but he grew into the nickname before passingaway in June last year. Now Michael is the last ofa kind. He has plenty of longstanding customersto keep him busy. Every winter the boathouse ispacked upstairs and down with craft beingmaintained with tender loving care. Last April hehad two dating from the 1930s – an electric canoe

built by Buss at Watford and a slipper sternlaunch built by Andrews at Bourne End – andtwo from the 1920s: Piroska, a motor launch builtby Bond's just beyond the bridge and thebeautiful Arethusa, a 40­foot umpire's launchbuilt at Henley in 1921 by Hobbs & Sons. She hasserved at many regattas including Henley Royaland has carried BBC Radio teams covering theOxford & Cambridge Boat Race, most tragicallyin 1990 when commentator Peter Jones had aheart attack on board and died the next day.

He may be a one­man­band but Michael willtake on an apprentice if he can secure his tenurehere. Mick gave up trying to keep up during thelong wrangle as ownership of the site passed fromMaidenhead Corporation through two developersto South Bucks District Council in 1994. All fourlandlords were happy to take the rent but the localblight meant the Micks have lived in limbo fornearly 20 years. And with the redevelopment ofSkindle's at last a possibility, Michael is concernedfor the future of his business (the last of its kindhereabouts), the boathouse (a notable heritage asset)and the Old Public Slipway (a valued amenity: aright­of­way for walkers and the only public accessto the river for miles used by perhaps 20 or 30 boat­owners most summer weekends). Currently we canenjoy all three, but for how much longer?

Nigel Smales

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Autumn 2014 Page 4 Hitcham and Taplow Society

Mill Lane: Your Last Chance

Berkeley Homes (ThreeValleys) Ltd has respondedto the SupplementaryPlanning Document (SPD)adopted by South BucksDistrict Council (SBDC)last year by submittingfour associated planningapplications, the essence ofwhich is summarised here.

Skindle's will bereinvented as a restaurantand a footbridge to RayMill Island will enable apleasant circular walk.Traffic remains an issue, in part becausedepartures from the SPD do not yet haveCounty blessing. A one­way left­turn offMaidenhead Bridge would allow the new MillLane junction further east to be smaller scaleand free of traffic lights. There are sharpdifferences of opinion about the closure of MillLane (dire implications for Berry Hill?) but itwill be possible to drive down to the JubileeRiver car park.

The SPD calls for "exceptional design":always a subjective issue. Some might like theproposed 'boathouse' theme. Fred Russell'smontage illustrates his lament at "theappallingly big­city appearance [of the] over­scaled houses". Maidonians have expresseddismay at the "elaborate housing estate" which– with its "privatised waterfronts" and "poorparody" of Skindle's – amounts to "a massivemissed opportunity" to enhance the Thames.And there is widespread disappointment thatthe footbridge is not Martin Knight's gracefulspan but an unsightly "industrial truss".

The nitty­gritty is in the numbers, if you canfind them sprinkled in hard­to­read pale greytext in the Design & Access Statement. Theyadd up to 257 dwellings: 167 houses and flats,60 apartments for 'seniors' (20 in 'sharedownership'), 18 in refurbished or replicatedbuildings and 12 'future phase' houses. Thesewill be home to maybe 580 people (an extraone­third on top of the 2011 population ofTaplow) in what has the feel of an exclusivegated community.

SBDC commissioned a study in 2010 whichvalued the land at around £15m and concluded

that 110 dwellings (for say 250 people) built at acost of £22m and sold for £47m would give aprofit of £10m. Berkeley paid £23.5m for the sitein 2014. Applying the same uplift of 56% to 257homes, costs would be around £80m, sale£171m and profit £67m. These very raw figuressuggest a decent profit could be had bybuilding fewer homes, and fewer people wouldhave less detrimental impact on the locality.

The 'future phase' is a worry. The SPD's callfor comprehensive development is at risk.Piecemeal is a possibility because Berkeleystill has no agreement with National Grid,owner of the two former gasworks. The idea isto build 12 houses on the triangular one withcommercial offices and associated parking onthe other (which would be perfect for ariverside café or a marina). Parking is a worrytoo. No provision has been made for the 50cars of commercial tenants in the existingboathouse offices and only 15 spaces areallowed for the restaurant. Could the hope bethat the new Skindle's fails so it can beconverted to flats?

So is this over­development? Is it a gatedghetto which will be apart from Taplow not apart of it? Or is it the best rescue of the blightedsite we can hope for? If you haven't alreadydone so, now is the time to have your say. Theapplications may be viewed at SBDC's offices,online at www.southbucks.gov.uk/milllane2014or by arrangement with Taplow Parish Council.Written comments must be submitted to SBDCby post or online by 19th November.

Nigel Smales

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Hitcham and Taplow Society Autumn 2014 Page 5

Counting Cars

What was that about dire implications for Berry Hill?The Glanville Group of Didcot prepared a

Traffic Assessment supporting the Berkeleyapplications. Its survey in the morning peak houron 11th March 2014 counted 454 vehicles headingdown Berry Hill of which 231 turned right intoMill Lane and 199 of those went on to turn rightinto Maidenhead. It is reasonable to suppose thatthe closure of Mill Lane would result in all 454continuing down Berry Hill to double thenumber of vehicles queuing at the traffic lights.But worry not: despite dismissing the dream thatsome commuting 'rats' would run elsewhere,Glanville forecast that five years from now therewill be only 402 an hour scurrying down BerryHill each morning, just 75% more than now. Nological justification for this reduction wasapparent. Was wishful thinking at work?

Institute Road poses another commuting question:should parking here be allowed or prohibited? At10.30am on 24th September 103 cars were parked inthe vicinity of Taplow Station: 17 in the two station carparks (with 22 spaces vacant), 13 in Approach Road, 43in Station Road and 30 in Institute Road which is to besubjected to a 'trial' of double yellow lines. Instead of ablanket prohibition, wouldn't it make more sense totrial a scheme that alternates double­yellows withpassing places? Might this improve traffic flowwithout ignoring the reality that many locals take thetrain to London?

Nigel Smales

That Windfall

Why was it given? George Sandy, Chairman ofTaplow Parish Council, asked for it afterbecoming aware of the largesse the developerLand Securities were promising to Burnham ifpermission was granted for a development inTaplow Parish.How much is it? £100,000 out of a total of£865,000 payments promised to various localorganisations for various purposes.What is it for? The original condition open topublic view said it was "to be used towardsenvironmental improvements in Taplow". Alater legal agreement not made public said itwas "to be used towards environmentalimprovements in Taplow including the OldPriory Gardens restoration project, trafficcalming measures, biodiversity and othercommunity projects"What happened next? The Parish Councilinvited suggestions for its use to be measuredagainst criteria it had set giving pre­eminenceto permanent or longstanding value or 'legacy'and benefit to the community as a whole. TheCouncil received 56 suggestions and decided,against strong and widespread objections fromresidents, to consider the proposals at ameeting closed to the public. It presented a

short list of eight projects to the Annual Parishmeeting and asked the residents present tonominate their top three preferences.What now? The Council has put the moneyinto an interest­bearing account for use in duecourse on seven projects with any amountremaining being ring­fenced for use on anyfuture proposals meeting the criteria.Any Concerns? Across the spectrum ofresidents there is considerable unease aboutsuch large amounts of monies being dispensedto facilitate the approval of a planningapplication and there is doubt about theprocess of managing the monies received andthe lack of openness in the decision process.The Seven Projects? £10,000 has been allocatedtowards the repair of St Nicolas' Church roof,£5,000 to Old Priory Garden and £2,500 toprovide disabled toilets at the Women'sInstitute. Support in principle was given toprotecting the Reading Room mural andimproving the Village Green (quotations arebeing sought) and to developing aNeighbourhood Plan and a new ParishFootpaths map (working parties are required).

Karl Lawrence

Autumn 2014 Page 6 Hitcham and Taplow Society

The End of the Line for Landfill?

If you have found that you have been spendingmore time sorting your recycling into separatebins nowadays, then here are the reasons why.

In a nutshell, the EU and the UK governmenthave laid down directives on wastemanagement and all local councils now have tomeet targets for rubbish reduction andrecycling. The new South Bucks DistrictCouncil scheme, which began this spring, hasalready almost halved the rubbish going tolandfill from 268 to 145 tonnes a week.

Emptying lorry loads into landfill was simplebut the modern waste collection sorting andrecycling programme is a sophisticated triumphof logistics. SBDC's waste contractor Biffa collectsfrom 28,000 local households every week.

Anything recyclable goes into the blue­topped bin or a black box for paper. The restgoes into the black bin destined for landfill.Those who want their garden rubbish collectedput it into a green bin and pay for the service.Food waste is now collected weekly fromresidents' brown caddies by the drivers of fourspecial white trucks. Over 500 tonnes of this iscollected every year and goes to an anaerobicdigestion plant near Oxford. This producesenough electricity to power 17,000 homes!

Trucks come to Biffa's Dropmore depot tocollect the paper for recycling into newsprint atShotton in Cheshire. The rest goes to their hugerecycling centre in Edmonton which takes in wastefrom all over Southern England. Here it isprocessed through a network of conveyor belts andsorting rooms, which eventually turn a mountainof detritus into neat bundles of recycled material.

The sorting is part done by machines andpartly by people. In the mechanised sections,paper is flung off by a giant threshing machinebecause it is lighter than metal or plastic.Aluminium and tin cans are in turn sucked off theconveyor belt by extremely powerful magnets.However, you can't beat the human eye to spot arenegade item so it is the human 'pickers' whohave the tough job of further sorting the rubbishon the conveyor belts. The plant employs 400people who split into two ten­hour shifts a day.They are mainly from Eastern Europe and worktwo days on, two nights on and then four days off.

Gradually all the material is sorted into differenttypes of recyclables. Plastics are separated into clear,coloured or HDPE (mainly milk bottles), likewisecard and paper have to be split. Eventually it is allready to be pressed into one tonne bales of plastics,paper or metals or tipped into bins of glass. Thesewill then go on to specialist recycling andmanufacturing plants to be turned back intonewsprint, bottles, plastic items or packaging.

Each shift turns around an average of 200 tonnesof paper, 30 tonnes of card, 10 tonnes of aluminium,10 tonnes of steel, about 45 tonnes of plastics and 50to 100 tonnes of glass. That's around 40,000 tonnes ayear – quite a load of rubbish!

Caroline Gillies

A more detailed version of this article is on theHTS website.

What do members think of the new rubbish regime? – Ed

Women working in one of the sorting rooms. They

have to concentrate on the fast­moving lines and

pick off anything that cannot be recycled.

Leonard Baker is pleased with some examples of

the end product – one tonne bales of aluminium and

mixed plastic.

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Hitcham and Taplow Society Autumn 2014 Page 7

The weather has been kind this year tothe Society's two social events. It wasglorious on Easter Monday when over100 children and adults enjoyed theEaster Egg Hunt courtesy of theconsummately hospitable Charlie & TobyGreeves and Sheila & Barrie Peroni.

And it was even better on 21st June when the VillageGreen Party went with a wonderful swing. New eventcaptain Alastair Hill credits Euan Felton and hisblueprint for Midsummer revelry. Absolutely right,but let's not forget Alastair and his team of volunteersdid a brilliant job – not least by being lucky with thesunshine – and a coincident 'sleepover' in the schoolfield meant that even more children than usual couldbe there to enjoy the barmy, balmy evening. The raffleraised a magnificent £691 for Maidenhead Sea Cadetsand the innovative Tim Browning flew his drone onhigh to record the frolics from a very unusual angle.The spectacular result can be enjoyed online athttp://www.taplowsociety.org.uk/VGP (click on'Hitcham and Taplow Roast').

Meanwhile, Taplow Cricket Club is doing its bit for the social scene. Familiesgather on Friday evenings to watch the Colts, have a go at the game or justwind down for the weekend. Our young correspondents take up the story....

Hannan Irwin says "My favourite thing in Taplow is the cricket club.Everybody is always chatting and laughing. There's a barbecue andsometimes we eat popcorn." Alice Snoxell "It's a kind and joyful place to comeon a Friday night to chill out." Imogen Wallis adds "This is a special part ofTaplow. You can get anything you want – litterally – like crisps and nuts,orange and blackcurrant J2Os and fizzy pop blackcurrant squash. And youare aloud to rome the field for as long as you want."

Anyone interested in joining the Club to play or just enjoy the atmosphereshould contact Di & Gerry Mills on gedimills@yahoo.co.uk.

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Rosie at River Dart

St Nicolas' School has established a fine tradition oftaking children in Year 6 for a week of adventure onDartmoor. Our 11­year­old correspondent takes upthe story of her trip last March...

We had to be at school at 6.45am to climbonto the coach. We were soo excited! It tookfour hours to get to the River Dart CountryPark where the boys had two dormitories andso did the girls. It was a bit of a strugglemaking our beds as some of them were threebunks high! Then we met our instructors in theboot room and got ready for our first activity,called Round Robin. This is a great way to getto know the area but we all ended up wet andcold after climbing through drain pipes.

Every day we did an activity in the morningand another in the afternoon. Then aftersupper, we went out in the dark for an activitywith our torches. Caving was an amazingexperience. Some were scared about the narrowparts and some about the dark but we did havehead torches. At one point we switched themall off and it was pitch black. Some of the classalso went through the cheese press, a narrowgap where you had to crawl with your head onone side. Kayaking and canoeing were greatfun, everyone got wet whether you wanted toor not. In the end people just jumped in eventhough the water was freezing!

Raft building was best! We made our raftsout of wooden poles, barrels and rope. Theinstructor said we could only ask threequestions for help to build it, and asking to goto the toilet counted as one of them! Once built,we climbed on the rafts and paddled out ontothe lake for a splashing fight. We had a lovelysunny day to go rock climbing at Leigh Tor

three miles away. We had to get into harnessesand were taught how to ding­dong, as well asto climb and walk down. Some went there bybus so they could climb first. Others walkedand on the way through a field were told a bitof a story about Mongolian Earthworms. I don'twant to spoil it for anyone else but, if you getthe chance to go to River Dart, remember topack some long socks so you don't get bitten!

Our meals were yummy: fry­ups forbreakfast, lunch was pizza or egg, ham andchips and one night we had this huge ice creamsundae; we didn't go hungry! Friday came toosoon. We packed our bags and hopped back onthe coach for the journey home. We were all soexcited to tell our families about our amazingtrip but we were also sad because we had toleave. River Dart was an amazing experience. IfI could, I would definitely go again. Everyoneelse would say the same. It was the best StNicolas trip ever.

Rosie Sellers (now studying at Luckley HouseSchool in Wokingham)

Rosie Sellers and Ella Davies in the cave

Photo by Rebecca Holmes

Thomas Knight on the water

Photo by Caroline Sellers

Hitcham and Taplow Society

Lord of Tartary

For 14 years from 1925 Hill House was home tothe poet and novelist Walter de la Mare, knownto friends and family as Jack. On 23rd May hisgrandson Giles unveiled a blue plaquecommemorating Jack's residence. Theceremony took seconds. His speech was shortand sincere. He read two poems – Incomputableand All That's Past – and the assembledcompany retired for refreshment in Flat No 5,then the home of Penny & Tony Reid.

The event was as brief as it had been long inthe making but no less pleasant for that. GavinGordon thinks it was 11 years ago that he firsthad the idea. Hill House was converted to sevenflats in the 1970s. He acquired No 2 in 1989 andjoined with other residents to create a freeholdmanagement company now run by Brian Millin,the admirable fellow who has realised Gavin'sdream by having the plaque produced andinstalled. Tartary Management Ltd takes itsname from one of Jack's famous poems.

Jack's wife Elfrida (Elfie) shared with SelinaWhitlaw of Amerden House the maiden nameIngpen. Were they sisters or more likely cousins?Could this familial link be how Elfie and Jackdiscovered Taplow? Or was it through mutualfriends of their landlords the Desboroughs? Herladyship loved having "a resident genius" at hergates. She implored him to join the Saturday­to­Monday parties at Taplow Court, at least forSunday breakfast. Jack much preferredentertaining at home where it wasn't unusual forthere to be 20 unexpected guests for dinner.Siegfried Sassoon, Edith Sitwell and HenryNewbolt were regular visitors and JB Priestley,WB Yeats, Max Beerbohm, Thomas Hardy, JMBarrie and GK Chesterton almost certainly cameto call. On one occasion, Jack told Joyce Grenfell

what she described as "an earthy joke". A ladywho was suffering from constipation went to seeher doctor and said "I just sit there, but nothinghappens". The doctor asked if she was takinganything. "Only my knitting", she replied.

Gavin can't confirm that Hill House ishaunted but he has heard that Jack enjoyedsitting in his dining room, now Flat No 3,thrilling children with tales of two ghosts whohaunted the place. One of those fascinatedyoungsters was Selina's granddaughter AnneWhitlaw (later Milne) who cherished fondmemories of Sunday afternoons sitting onUncle Jack's knee to hear him spin his yarns.

Although during his time in Taplow Jackpublished two substantial collections of poetry –The Fleeting and Other Poems and Memory andOther Poems – his muse for verse was temporarilymislaid. He concentrated on writing short stories– including The Connoisseur, On the Edge and TheWind Blows Over – and on compiling three of hismost famous anthologies: Desert Islands, Early OneMorning and Behold, This Dreamer! Unfortunatelyhis creativity was interrupted all too often by hisown and Elfie's bouts of illness which resultedin their departure for Twickenham in 1939. Asthey were packing, Jack found forgotten verseshe had scribbled in his youth, a serendipity thatevolved two years later into Bells and Grass. Hewent on to be awarded the Carnegie Medal in1947 for the 17 fantasy and fairy tales in CollectedStories for Children.

Nigel Smales

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Hitcham and Taplow Society Autumn 2014 Page 11

From Seed to Blossom

It all started one rainy Easter about five years ago...Having lived in and around Taplow since

1996, I was asked to help with the flowers at StNicolas' Church. I expected to be sweeping upor making tea. How wrong could I be? I washanded a bunch of flowers, some foliage andflorist foam and asked to arrange something forone of the windows. Let me say I could havedone better so I signed up for some classes inthe hope I would be asked to help again. Aftera term of evening classes and a couple ofcourses at the Women's Institute's DenmanCollege, I was hooked! I wanted somethingmore challenging and decided to try for a City& Guilds qualification. Luckily MissendenAbbey offered weekend courses. I enrolled in aLevel 2 course and had such fun that when itwas all over I continued onto Level 3. This wasserious stuff requiring lots of focus and a greatdeal of research and homework, but it wasenormously satisfying.

At the final Assessment, it was daunting todiscover that my Assessor was in charge ofWestminster Abbey Flower arrangements for the

National Association of Flower ArrangementSocieties and had arranged the Altar flowersfor Prince William's wedding to KateMiddleton. I was surprised to be nominated fora City & Guilds Medal of Excellence andastonished several weeks later when, afteranother presentation of work and a portfolioreview, I received a call to say I was to beawarded the Medal – one of a maximum 114awarded each year. And then, incredibly, lifegot even better....

In June, I was enjoying the annual ceremonyand celebration dinner in London at which 14of the Medallists are selected for Lion Awards.To my amazement, my name was announcedas a finalist in the category of CreativeCraftsperson of the Year. I couldn't believe itwhen I was declared the winner. I later learntthat not only had there been over two millionCity & Guilds certificates awarded during 2014but also that Floristry had never before beenselected for a Lion Award.

I will be forever thankful for the opportunityto arrange the flowers that Easter weekend. Itled not only to these awards but to my startinga small flower business and decoratingweddings and events. Although I moved fromTaplow two years ago, I still regularly arrangeflowers at the Church and, having completed aCertificate in Teaching for Adults, I am in theprocess of planning some workshops to be heldthere for anyone who like me fancies fiddlingwith flowers. Thanks so much to St Nicolas,Muriel King and Judy Norbron for theopportunity and encouragement.

Jill Harden

HTS AGM8pm

Friday 28th November 2014

in the Village Centre

Jill Harden receiving her award from

Helen Skelton (TV presenter) and Chris Jones

(CEO & Director­General, City & Guilds)

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Autumn 2014 Page 12 Hitcham and Taplow Society

Forty Years in Sandals

Three remarkable things happened in Hull in1970. The Who recorded the first live rockalbum (only for Live at Leeds to be releasedinstead); Hull City became the first Englishteam ever to lose a penalty shoot­out (toManchester United); and Alan Dibden began tostudy for a law degree only to think again.

Alan had a rather appropriate birthplacefor a man of the cloth. His family had longbeen farmers at Christchurch (then inHampshire, now Dorset) where their surnamemeant 'the people who live in the hollow'. Hisupbringing was church­every­Sunday but itwasn't until Hull that his heart was set on acareer as a cleric. He says "it seemed a goodidea, the next logical step spiritually andemotionally". After theological college inCambridge – and studying in Washington DCwhile the Watergate scandal exploded – hisfirst post was in Peckham, initially as deaconuntil he was elevated to the priesthood in 1974under David Shepherd, the former Englandbatsman by then Bishop of Woolwich. Thenew reverend's flock weren't exactly Del Boy,Rodney and Trigger: Alan counted hisblessings if he got home with nothing nastierringing in his ears than a sneering chorus ofJesus Christ Superstar.

In 1977 he began two stimulating andimpossibly busy years as warden andmissioner of Pembroke House in Lambethbefore his ability not to send his interviewer tosleep secured him the post of Team Vicar at StFrancis' Church in Langley. Gillian was just upthe road at St Mary's. They quickly becamefirm friends, slowly realised there was more toit, married in 1982 and two years later movedto All Saints' Church in Chalfont St Peter.Their first experience of Taplow was to attendthe 1990 Remembrance Service, the lastconducted by his predecessor at St Nicolas'Church. Thereafter Alan's open­toed sandalsfollowed in the footsteps of Jonathan Meyrick.He smiles to recall coming to Taplow for thevariety. His congregation ranged from thebetter­off to retired agricultural workers onstate pensions. The Taplow Parish Charity wasstill active; it had originally been founded as acoal fund in 1867 but was still giving supportto those in need. The socio­economic balancehas shifted, especially in recent years as

younger families have come to Taplow, andthis fund is long defunct.

Alan is a governor of St Nicolas' School andan elder statesman of five vicars spanning eightchurches. In 2008, St Nicolas, St Mary(Hitcham) and St Anne (Dropmore) werejoined by St Peter (Burnham), St James the Less(Dorney), St John the Baptist (Eton), St John theEvangelist (Eton Wick) and St Andrew(Cippenham) in the Jubilee River GroupMinistry. It is only 20 years since the Church ofEngland ordained its first female priests yetAlan is entirely at ease that he and ReverendBill Jackson of St Peter's are outnumbered bythree female colleagues.

A special service in St Nicolas' Church on29th June 2014 marked the 40th anniversary ofAlan's ordination. Next year St Nicolas willcelebrate another milestone: the silver jubileeof hearing his stentorian tones echoing fromits pulpit.

Nigel Smales

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Hitcham and Taplow Society Autumn 2014 Page 13

George Lawson Milne 1925­2014

Few in living memory have served Taplowwith greater grace, perception and diligencethan George Milne. He retired from the RoyalNavy in 1965 having settled the previous yearwith his widowed mother in Ellington Road.He was soon invited to join the ParochialChurch Council, the Conservative Associationand the Parish Council, which he served formany years. He was also active in the RoyalBritish Legion, serving as branch chairmanfrom 1969 until 1986, and in all quarters wonadmiration for his meticulousness anddedication, qualities that had their root in hisfamily and his Navy career. He and I wereChurchwardens together for some years duringwhich he was a great support; I learnt a greatdeal from him.

George was born on 15th May 1925 inWarrington, Lancashire, at the home of hismaternal grandmother. His father Charles, sonof an Aberdonian minister in the PresbyterianChurch, was an industrial chemist with StHelen's Cable & Rubber Company whichrelocated in the late­1920s to the new SloughTrading Estate. George was educated at thenew Slough Grammar School – he developed agreat respect for its headmaster ER Clark andhis staff – but was deeply affected by the loss ofhis father in a road accident. As a loving, kindand considerate son, George was conscious thathe was now the 'man' of the family at 13.Fortunately help was at hand. He was foreverthankful for the kindness of HF Allen, father ofone of his best friends, who took a greatinterest in him, included him in his familyactivities and, when George matriculated in1941, offered him an appointment with hiscompany as a commercial trainee.

George knew he would soon be conscripted.Despite being a 16­year­old 'landlubber', hevolunteered for the Royal Navy in search ofadventure. After two years experience withSlough Sea Cadets Corps he joined the Navyand served during WW2 on Atlantic convoysand on minesweepers in the Channel. Later hiscareer took him to the Mediterranean, the WestIndies, the Far East, Australia and the Pacificwhere he witnessed the UK's first atom bombtest. In 1955 he was promoted to LieutenantCommander and began six years with the newentry training division at HMS Victory before

being stationed on Clydeside as a militaryadviser to a team planning how the UK mightsurvive a nuclear attack.

His next chapter had many new strands.One involved commuting to civilian executivepositions at the British Institute of Managementand, from 1972 until 1990, the CharteredInstitute of Management Accountants. Anotherbegan at his very first Parish Council meetingwhen he met Anne Young, a widow with adeep local heritage through her Whitlawancestry. They grew together in their variouspublic duties, eventually married in 1976 andmoved into Priory Cottage in Rectory Road inthe late­1980s. Anne's sons Allan and John weredelighted to have George joining the family. Hismarriage gave him the happiest years of his life.She passed away in 2005 and he lived his lastsix years in Eton still in touch with his manyfriends in Taplow.

Sheila Peroni

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Autumn 2014 Page 14 Hitcham and Taplow Society

Iris Midlane 1945­2014

Iris Midlane first came to Taplow to watch herfuture husband John play cricket. Her life came torevolve around all three as she served thecommunity with generosity, care and friendliness.

Iris was born one of nine children on 4thDecember 1945 in Limavady, a small town inNorthern Ireland, and raised on a farm in nearbyBallykelly. She first met John while working forHertz at Belfast Airport. A year or so later shetransferred to Heathrow and they met again and

married in 1979. Their son William was born in1981 and he was six when John jumped at thechance to buy the original Wickenden "for thecricket". By 1991 the house had been rebuilt in thestyle of Edwin Lutyens complete with myriadcricket features and an iris carved above the frontdoor. The vineyard began as a bonus – GeorgeClark was vital to Iris's white wine winning anEnglish Vineyards Association bronze medal in1994 – but the vines were getting old; their lastvintage was 1997.

Iris's hospitality is legendary. She hosted ororganised so many social and fund­raising eventsfor the local Conservative Party, of which she wasChairman for many years, and for Thames ValleyAdventure Playground. During her second spell asa Parish Councillor, she joined Josie Corio and LizForsyth to organise Carols on the Green. She willbe warmly remembered at Taplow Cricket Clubwhere she helped John stage August Bank Holidaycelebrity matches involving famous West Indiancricketers and, after he died, succeeded him asClub President during a golden era which for herended with Peter Casey taking her to see Taplowwin the 2014 Chilterns League.

Iris had a wonderful sense of humour andwas a kind and loyal friend. We shall miss her.

Sheila Peroni

Romans at the Cricket Club

It isn't possible to put all our archaeologicalexhibits on public display at Bucks CountyMuseum in Aylesbury but anyone can make anappointment to see our reserve collection atHalton (near Wendover). The most importantfinds we have from Taplow are some excellentflint tools including the very earliest flinthandaxes made by early humans (before HomoSapiens), probably over 200,000 years ago.

Occasionally a little archaeological mysterycrops up. Can Taplow help us with the latest?Excavations in the 1950s by the Middle ThamesArchaeological & Historical Society revealedevidence of Roman activity at Ten Acre Field,better known as Taplow Cricket Club. Last yearwe received a donation of a small Roman

brooch, a number of Roman pot sherds, somemore modern pottery found in 1955/56 and anotebook suggesting further finds were madein 1957/58 by RF Denington, FE Adams and theMisses Michelson and Parry. Are these findshiding in your attic? If anyone has anyinformation or recollections about theseexcavations, or other more recent finds, thenplease get in touch. We would love tounderstand more about what appears to be asmall Roman site beneath your cricket field!

Brett ThornKeeper of Archaeology, Bucks County Museum01296 624519bthorn@buckscc.gov.uk

Jo

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Hitcham and Taplow Society Autumn 2014 Page 15

Milestone in the Making

St Nicolas' Schoolhas a new headteacher. Paul Adamsof Farnham Royaltook up his post atEaster and quicklystarted planningsomething special:a Golden Jubilee.Next year will markthe 50th anniversaryof the current schoolwhich in 1965welcomed its firstchildren, many of

whom had transferred from the old school thathad stood for 117 years on the site nowoccupied by the Village Centre car park.

The school will be open to visitors at pointsduring the week commencing 13th April 2015.Mr Adams would love to have volunteers talkto today's pupils about their time at school,what and how they learnt, how the school wasdifferent and what it meant to them to be partof the school during its history.

Details of the celebrations will be posted atwww.stnicolastaplow.com as they becomeavailable. In the meantime, former pupils, staffand parents are invited to contactmemories@stnicolastaplow.com to share theirmemories of the school and to register theirinterest in attending events or in offering tospeak to or with current pupils. Thoseuncomfortable with the internet and e­mail canget in touch with the school in person, bytelephone on 01628 603759 or by writing toSt Nicolas' CE Combined School, Rectory Road,Taplow, Buckinghamshire SL6 0ET.

Questions & Answers

Two responses have been received to questionsposed in the last Newsletter. Thanks to Morag &Mike Scarlett who advised that the bulges on theeastern wall of their home, Stable Cottage onBerry Hill, are internal recesses that once heldhay feeders for hungry horses. And thanks toArthur Grout who (unless you know different)must be our longest continuous local resident: 91years and counting, 14 more than young AnthonyHarding of Buffins. Arthur was six weeks old in1923 when his father Alfred settled atHitchambury as Constance Awdry's residentchauffeur. He moved to Milner Road in 1935 andto his current home in Bayley Crescent in 1950.

This edition's poser is more esoteric: as the newBishop Centre emerges complete with just whatthe Bath Road needed – another set of trafficlights – how come it has been infiltrated by anapostrophe? S'ome mi'stake, s'urely?

Lincoln's EndRemembering Lincoln Lee

Editor: Nigel SmalesThe Cottage, Rectory Road, Taplow. Tel 01628 661636

E­mail: editor@taplowsociety.org.ukUnless otherwise stated, the views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Society or its Committee.

The Newsletter is published by the Hitcham and Taplow Society.Prepared for printing by Andrew Findlay using Scribus, Linux, and The Gimp

Printed by Michael Burbridge Limited

And Finally....

The moment is coming: Taplow Moments, a unique history of Taplow, will bepublished in the New Year. Actual and virtual letterboxes will be bombarded...

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