THE BEDFORD PARK JOURNAL Celebrating the architecture, people and history of the suburb For members of the Bedford Park Society Autumn/Winter 2017 2 Bedford Park Journal Autumn/Winter 2017 Research pays off Local resident A few years ago my wife and I bid for a charming old black and white photograph of Priory Road (later renamed Priory Ralph Palmer Gilhooly’s Avenue) on an internet auction site. When it arrived I was surprised to find that it was a postcard with a message in and his wife Georgina French from a boy to his father and mother. Handwritten on Mitford’s keen interest in the photograph was the date, le 17 Juillet 1912, and a cross on what looked like our front door! Bedford Park history led Using a magnifying glass and with the help of a lovely friend to his discovery of an (fluent in French) we finally managed to decipher the text intriguing link between addressed to Mr and Mrs L Arnoult in Rouen, France: I realised that George Derville Rowlandson was a well-known Priory Avenue and a painter who lived in the house next door to ours in 1912 so 1920s’ Tour de France the cross had been drawn to show his house rather than ours. George had two sons, one of whom was called Paulin, cyclist. and who would at that time have been eight years old. Dear Parents I am writing this card mostly to announce the arrival of my bicycle. This morning I made it into London by bike and it took me a long time. I hope you are all well. I am in perfect health and I’m occupying myself a lot with food, which is good for me. I understand a fair amount when people address me at the table and I speak as well. At mealtimes we have whisky and water – it’s really good. I’ve been to London with Mr Rowlandson and his son Paulin, who is small for his age. When we came back we took the tube, which was really good. In London your money gets used up pretty quickly and I only have half a pound and 21 and a half pennies left. See you soon dear parents. Your son loves you lots, Maurice . Bedford Park Journal Autumn/Winter 2017 3 Facing page: Maurice Arnoult as a competitor in the Tour de France Below left: Maurice’s cross on the right hand side of the photograph of the Priory Road postcard. Below right: his message to his parents in France Link to Tour de France As I researched further, I found myself typing “Maurice Garden suburb Arnoult Cycling” onto the internet and was astonished to see “Tour de France entrant 1923 –1930.” Could this be the same paradise person? I emailed the Official Tour de France website and received an email within minutes, requesting a high Bedford Park features in an impressively researched book, definition scan of the postcard text, which I duly supplied. which is the first major attempt to provide a worldwide The reply was from a very excited cycling historian who history and analysis of the garden suburb. At some 1,072 confirmed that the Bedford Park Maurice Arnoult was indeed pages and weighing five kilos, the sheer size of “Paradise the Tour de France racer. Planned: The Garden Suburb and the Modern City” is a Maurice was born in Rouen in 1897 and was 15 years old reflection of the 1,000 garden suburbs the authors have when he visited London. The Tour de France office was discovered. Many are in Britain, the USA and Europe but astonished that he had requested his own bike be sent from Moscow, Cairo and Sao Paulo, for instance, also boast France while he was on holiday. A considerable feat in those garden suburbs. days and evidence of how seriously this rider took his cycling and training while on holiday in another country! The four pages on Bedford Park do not add greatly to what we already know but it is interesting to see its place Maurice was an entrant in the Tour de France from 1923– in this story, marking the moment when “the planned 1930 as a private competitor (Touriste-Routier), racing garden village comes into its full maturity.” Authors against teams by himself. Just one man, one bike, a couple of Robert A M Stern, David Fisman and Jacob Tilove note that spare tyres over his shoulder and 5,400 kilometre of racing, the garden suburb concept became discredited when often on poorly maintained roads. A far cry from today’s “suburb” was associated with the unplanned sprawl multi-million pound operations. characteristic of the motorised era and with debased Maurice finished a very respectable 26th in 1924 and in the architectural values. 3rd stage of the 1927 race he finished 3rd behind the They contend that on the contrary the history of the overall winner. After his racing career he ran his own cycling planned garden suburb demonstrates that it has been “an shop in Evreux until his death in 1959. incomparable work of environmental art combining It’s nice to think that somewhere in the official Tour de enlightened land planning, landscape and architecture to France archives is a photograph showing a Bedford Park shape neighbourhoods and foster a sense of community.” scene and that intriguing cross. The authors support a reassessment by planners of the For tips on researching the history of your home, check the garden suburb which they suggest offers the opportunity Society’s website www.bedfordpark.org.uk under “Bedford to face up to the need for “walkable” neighbourhoods, Park.” If you have any interesting stories about past residents, access to public transport and reduced car use, while also we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact us at re-establishing a lost sense of “community.” [email protected]. 4 Bedford Park Journal Autumn/Winter 2017 Our urban forest In 1875 when Jonathan T Carr bought to the prevention of ozone layer 24 acres of land just north of Turnham depletion and excessive heat Green Station for the development of amelioration; provide habitats for Bedford Park, he inherited a site with wildlife; food and materials for us and many fine trees. The estate was built on help improve the quality of the air. orchards and an arboretum with some Research has shown significant health of these trees incorporated into the benefits for people living in tree-lined original layout. Jonathan Carr and his streets in addition to improved house architects’ design ensured that trees values. became an integral part of Bedford Tillia Tree management Park’s enduring appeal. Roads were laid and Ash dieback is a continuing out to preserve existing trees and many Street trees are the responsibility of the problem. The Society is in discussion additional ones planted, creating a relevant borough but the Society has with both councils about suitable village atmosphere for the “first garden now established an effective dialogue species for future planting, recognising suburb” that blended urban and rural with both councils and we are that size is dependent on the quality of features. Original plans for the estate increasingly developing our influence tree pits and surrounding earth, as well show avenues of young trees lining the on the plans for tree management. as overall space. If the right species is pavements, along with chestnuts and Keeping forest trees to a reasonable selected, tree growth and maintenance size in an urban environment requires planes. of pavements can be managed. pruning, at least every three years, but Over the years, disease, age and storms the squeeze on budgets has led to less Forest trees will now only be planted have taken their toll and a replacement frequent pruning over recent years so where there is suitable space, for programme for the suburb’s street trees that a number of Lime, Chestnut and example in Bath Road, and rather than has been vital. Not only would our London Plane trees have become too one species in a street, Ealing favours a streets look stark and empty without large. This can lead to roots damaging mix of approximately six species any trees but their shapes and colours pavements, drains and services and can offering colour, quality, flower, fruit, soften the urban brick and concrete, as cause subsidence. Excessive leaf fall disease resistance and the optimum well as providing a range of blocks gutters and drains and over- canopy for the location. For lower environmental benefits, which are sized trees throw shadow over houses. maintenance, there is a preference for often underestimated. Trees play a Thanks to the Society’s regular dialogue trees with pyramidal growth that do not major part in the ecosystem; contribute with the councils, there is now a three- require crown reduction. In fact, year inspection programme in place for Ealing’s strategy is to plant trees that both boroughs following which trees can be allowed to grow to their full will be pruned or replaced, as height and then be felled and replaced necessary. Ealing carried out their over a 50-year cycle. Hounslow is survey in Autumn 2016, replaced felled reviewing Ealing’s preferred tree list trees and pruned others, while some and has advised that they will show us work to reinstate some of the tree pits their revised list of species once it is is ongoing. The next pruning is ready. scheduled for Autumn/Winter 2019. The Society is committed to continuing Hounslow commissioned a new survey to work closely with both councils to this summer and pruning is now ensure trees are well maintained and expected in response to this.