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Chiltern Society Magazine ISSUE 230 • WINTER 2018 www.chilternsociety.org.uk • CHILTERN SOCIETY MAGAZINE The glory of the garden Isla’s eco mission WIN a luxury Chiltern Hamper HERITAGE • CONSERVATION • ENVIRONMENT • WILDLIFE • LEISURE ISSUE 230 • WINTER 2018 www.chilternsociety.org.uk • CHILTERN SOCIETY MAGAZINE In this The glory of the garden Isla’s eco mission WIN a luxury Chiltern Hamper HERITAGE • CONSERVATION • ENVIRONMENT • WILDLIFE • LEISURE Hughenden (Photo: D Lawson) issue NEWS & VIEWS 3 EDITOR 6 SIMPLY THE BEST Meet the winners of the Society’s Best Brunch Awards 11 LETTERS 18 ANNUAL REVIEW 24 FOR ALL AGES? AGM report 17 32 SOCIETY NEWS Introducing Simon Kearey; Sir John CHILTERN Johnson HERITage FESTIval HERITAGE 12 A TUMULTUOUS TINKLE The ups and downs of Chiltern sheep farming, by Tony Marshall 22 heRITage CHURCHES In a new PhotoGroup album 26 DEAD SPACE TO LIVING PLACE The revival of Rectory Lane Cemetery in Berkhamsted 30 SAVING PUBS IN THE CHILTERNS David Cooper explains how the 26 Society hopes to help RECTORY LANE CONSERVATION CEMETERY 16 IT’S THE FORT THAT COUNTS The Society’s exciting role at Cholesbury Camp 38 MEMORABLE DAYS At Ewelme Watercress Beds 28 ENVIRONMENT CHOLESBURY 4 NEW CENTRE AIMS TO IMPROVE HILLFORT COUNTRYSIDE ACCESS walk National Land Access Centre opens 14 ISLA’S ECO MISSION A young girl is setting us all a fine example 31 FINDING A BALANCE Control has a role in conservation, writes SPECIAL Gill Kent MEMBER OFFERS see page 40 2 Chiltern 230 More like Godfrey From the Editor Richard Bradbury The ‘Season of Goodwill’ is upon us (or, if you’re Selfridges, it’s already several months WILDLIFE old). Isn’t it rather sad that we feel the need to designate a special period for it? Does this mean we’re accepting that there’s a lack of it for the rest of the year? Have you 10 WHIPSNADE PARK REVISITED noticed the more Scrooge-like members of the community undergoing a miraculous The flora and fauna are still on course, transformation as Christmas approaches? writes John Hockey Believe it or not, I’m posing these questions some occasions this leads to an interesting 34 THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN George Stebbing-Allen immerses because of my experiences when out conversation and I eventually go on my way himself in nature walking. Most of the time I find this a with an extra spring in my step, but even hugely positive activity which greatly if we only smile and say hello, it adds to enhances my physical and mental wellbeing my enjoyment of the walk. If, on the other LEISURE (even in bad weather!). The beauty and hand, I’m ignored or eyes are averted and tranquillity of the Chilterns at their best no response is forthcoming, I can’t help 8 WIN A LUXURY CHRISTMAS HAMPER! is, of course, a major contributory factor. feeling a little affronted. I have to accept Crammed with terrific Chiltern produce I may not always be fully alert to the that it’s possible the other party has a good 17 SOMeTHinG foR eVeRYONE charms of my surroundings – my mind may reason for not wanting to communicate, A look back at the Chiltern Heritage be elsewhere – but they’re always in the but my guess is that such cases are Festival background, providing the conditions that exceptional. 23 PHOTOGROUP COMPETITION allow my thoughts to wander. Then there Over the years I’ve become quite good are the chance encounters with wildlife – at spotting likely non-communicators, and 28 CHOLESBURY HILLFORT WALK deer, foxes, snakes, birds of prey… I’ve even then I have to decide whether to challenge 36 CHILTERN HISTORY BY BIKE seen badgers in the daytime once or twice; them with a cheery greeting or maintain a Ken Davies suggests some options and the sounds of the countryside – bird stony silence myself. I don’t always make 40 membeR OFFERS song, leaves rustling in the breeze, the the brave choice, and it’s at times like 42 Walks PROGRAMME drone of a distant tractor. this I remember Godfrey Cornwall. As a You may ask where other people fit into young man during the Depression he had my rural idyll. After all, you can’t venture walked, with many others, from the Welsh very far in the valleys, looking for work in the southeast of Chilterns without England. He found a job in Rickmansworth meeting a fellow working on the dustcart, and soon became human being or known as ‘the singing dustman’. In time, two. This is where he graduated to office-based council work the goodwill comes and immersed himself in the history and in. I like to greet culture of the area, giving talks and playing people, and I like an active role in the local history society. them to greet me: When I was growing up I often saw Godfrey I don’t mind which striding down the road like an irresistible way round we do force, smiling and hailing everyone he met, it – it may in fact be young and old, rich and poor, the epitome simultaneous – as of goodwill. He loved life, he loved people, long as an exchange and he loved his adopted home in the takes place. On Chilterns. scan here for Painting of Godfrey Cornwall by Kenneth James My resolution for 2019 is to be a bit www.chilternsociety.org.uk Ogborne, reproduced by kind permission of more like him. Three Rivers Museum of Local History DEADLINES REPRODUCTION OF IMAGES It is not possible to guarantee that items received after The photographs in this magazine must not be the deadline will be included in the next issue, unless a reproduced elsewhere, except with the express prior arrangement has been made with the Editor. permission of the photographer via the Editor. If you do not wish your photographs to be used in other SENDING COPY AND PHOTOGRAPHS Published quarterly by The Chiltern Society Society publications, please make this clear when you Please email text as Word attachments. Pictures should send them. EDITOR: Richard Bradbury • 01494 793049 be sent as jpg attachments. High resolution images Email: [email protected] are required for publication, although low resolution The Society does not necessarily accept images can be sent as samples in the first instance, if responsibility for the views of contributors or the ADVERTISING: Sophie Elkan claims of the advertisers. Email: [email protected] preferred. Please indicate the quality of images sent, entitle your pictures and delete any numbers. DESIGN & TYPESET: Clickdraw • 01525 374270 PRINT: Hartgraph • Amersham on materials DeADline foR issue 231 (feBRuARy 2019) produced by environmentally friendly processes. Items to the Editor by: Friday 4 January • Published: Saturday 23 February email: [email protected] 3 Chiltern ENVIRONMENT New centre aims to improve access to the countryside users, an updated British Standard has been published* which, if followed and implemented by all concerned with the construction of gates and their installation, should radically improve access for everyone. Upwards of 100 people from local government, public bodies, and volunteer and user groups with interests in countryside access were invited by Natural England to celebrate the opening of the Aston Rowant site. Following welcomes and statements of intent to improve access Above: Scooter users test to rights of way given by Andy Smith of the new structures Natural England and Mick Venters, the Reserve Manager, the Centre was declared open by Lord Blencathra, Deputy Chair of Left: Lord Blencathra Natural England. Lord Blencathra, himself opens the centre disabled, cut a red ribbon and drove his all- terrain mobility scooter slowly and perhaps symbolically through a gap in a fence. The Howard Dell attends the opening guests, variously on wheels or on two or ceremony four feet, then spent some time trying the gates, taking particular interest in the easier On a fine, sunny day in mid-September, Natural England opened the country’s first opening and self-closing gates for horses specialist centre for the improvement of access to public rights of way, the National Land and off-road mobility scooters, some of Access Centre (NLAC), at Aston Rowant Nature Reserve in Oxfordshire. It has a large which are experimental designs inviting demonstration area of 20 installed gates of all types that meet a new British Standard for comments from users. Natural England say better access to footpaths and bridleways. they intend to run training courses at the Centre to help understanding of the finer For many years the Chiltern Society’s path increasingly popular all-terrain mobility points of the new British Standard and its maintenance groups have been working scooters, will probably be stranded at the application. to improve access for all walkers in the first gate because, more than likely, the Visitors are welcome at NLAC. Being on countryside by replacing stiles with gates, gate will be too small to pass through. In a large, grassy area near the edge of the and to date they’ve installed over 800 in addition, on bridleways, horse riders and escarpment, it’s always open and is easily the Chilterns. These gates, overwhelmingly cyclists are poorly served by gates which accessible to all, including off-road scooters. kissing gates, have been received with great are almost universally awkward to open Park in the large woodland Cowleaze public acclaim particularly by blind and partially and close. cark park at OX49 5HX. Drive to the end sighted groups, and by people who have Natural England has been looking at furthest from the main entrance. The Centre slight to medium difficulties with walking, these problems and estimates that 20% can then be reached in a few minutes by for whom a stile can be a major obstacle.
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