The March Lecture- Underground London

No22 of the CAMDEN HISTORY SOCIETY FEB1974 The February Talk The March lecture- A last-minute reminder that the February Underground London event is a lecture entitled Painters in Mr Ellis Hillman. GLC councillor and Camden, by Mrs Evelyn Meetham. The chairman of its Arts Board, is an expert lecture will be illustrated by slides. on what is underneath London. He is Chair- man of the London Subterranean Survey Mrs Gwynedd Gosling, Librarian of the Association. He will be giving what will Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution, undoubtedly be a popular talk called The will be in the chair. Secrets of Underground London on 14 Time and place - 7. 30pm. 21 February at March at 7.30pm at Swiss Cottage Library. Swiss Cottage Library. April Event Meetings for new members Many members will recall the lecture given The membership of the Society is now at two years ago in Rosslyn Hill Chapel by its highest number - 404 - with the intake members of the Street Research Group, of new members now increasing. The after the publication of Streets of Hamp- Committee is worried that it may become stead. A companion volume, More Streets remote from new members because at of Hampstead, has just been published, the normal lectures it is difficult to meet covering the southern sector of the old people afterwards. As an experiment we borough, from Downshire Hill to Swiss have invited all those members who joined Cottage. Another lecture has been arrang- the Society in the last three months to meet ed, at which members of the Group will the officers of the Society for an informal talk about their work. evening to discuss what the Society does, This meeting will again be held in Rosslyn what the members would like to do or Hill Chapel, Rosslyn Hill. NW3 (between what particular interests they have so that, Willoughby Road and Pilgrims Lane, about perhaps. more research groups could 400 yards down the hill from Hampstead flourish. Tube Station) on TUESDAY, 2 APRIL at There are probably quite a few other mem- 8pm. PLEASE PUT THIS DA TE IN YOUR bers who have joined and who have been DIARY AT ONCE, as the next Newsletter only to lectures and do not feel closely in- will not be issued in time for a reminder. volved with the Society. If there are such The speakers will be Wilfrid Meadows. who members who feel 'new' in that sense, we led the Group. Shirley Harris, Jenepher do hope that they will contact our Secretary Hawkins, Brenda Tyler and Christopher so that they too might be invited to future Wade, who together did most of the work. 'new member meetings'. The talk will be illustrated by slides. This SUBSCRIPTIONS UP promises to be an interesting evening. and Regrettably we are having to raise sub- we hope for a good audience. scriptions as the cost of administration, PLAQUE FOR VIRGINIA Newsletter and postage etc. is only just The Greater London Council are to erect being covered by income. The Committee a blue plaque commemorating Virginia feels that there has to be a reasonabl~ sur- Woolf's residence at 29 Fitzroy Square. plus on subscriptions so that more publications, which might not sell so well as our early ones, may be contemplated. More Streets of Hampstead Letter Let me make one point that was excised Our new publication (with High Hill Press) from my review by our Editor. doubtless was duly launched and toasted on 11 Jan- for reasons of brevity. Had this book come uary at Swiss Cottage Library - but with- from a publisher specialising in mystic, out the book itself. At "the last moment the "Atlantis" or occult books, I should not printer discovered that the cover plate had have spent any ink on it. But The London been scratched and anew block was needed. That Was Rome was issued by a highly res- It was this sort of uncertainty about deli- pected publishing house known for a long very - there were power problems, too - list of properly scientific works. Any that made us reluctant to take orders for reader might therefore reasonably expect the new book at the time of the last News- that this book could be taken at its own letter: but copies have now safely arrived valuation as ''scientific'' evidence. In other and a special order form is enclosed. Note words, it lays itself wide open on account that the reduced price for members will of its imprint. only apply until the end of April this year. As with all our publications we encourage Now, our Society's aim is to further the members to buy early: it helps pay the study of local history (not merely to amuse printer's bill. or even to· soothe its members) and so it seemed to me, and still seems, perfectly What The Papers Say: legitimate to expose the muddled thinking " ... More Streets of Hampstead is invalu- of this book lest others be taken in by it. able. Like its companion volume The Heaven forfend that someone should start Streets of Hampstead, it has been compiled researching for The Camden That Was by the Camden History Society. to whom Rome! (And I know from long experience residents and tourists alike should be ever that people who should know how to weigh grateful. .. " The Times 31. 1. 74. evidence can be seduced by just such books as this. ) I tried to make a re~dable and "People, not places or events,· make the amusing review. and am only sorry that kind of history that ordinary people want to Mr. Barnett was not amused. Incidentally, read about. And it is the people who lived I look forward to seeing our Editor's com- in More Streets of Hampstead who make ment on this correspondence, since he is Camden History Society's latest publication also, by implication, being taken to task so successful. ... {The) members of the for publishing my review~ Society's Street History Group have done their research thoroughly - both walking Cherry Lavell (Miss!) the streets themselves and scouring libra- ries and reference collections .... The effort was unquestionably worthwhile. The result- ing book is a continuing source of pleasure ST. MARY'S PRIMROSE HILL and interest to anyone who lives in the area, Miss Gladys Beck writes: knows it or wants to know it better ... " The Hampstead & Highgate Express "I am afraid that in the review of 'St. 1.2.74. Mary's. Primrose Hill' in the December issue of the Newsletter of the Camden His- "The Streets of Hampstead and More tory Society I have received credit which Streets of Hampstead, well illustrated is not due to me. None of this publication with reproductions of old maps. drawings was written by me. and paintings are a credit to the local publisher who has issued them in association I think the mistake may have arisen because with the Society. Solid research is enliven- some years ago I did write a few articles ed by good gossip ... " The Daily Telegraph on~the early history of St. Mary's for the 7.2.74. parish magazine. Please will you publish this disclaimer in the next issue of the Newsletter." The Fight for Bloomsbury MOVING PICTURES As most members probably know, a con- Our exhibition Nineteenth Century Hamp- siderable battle is in progress between stead and Belsize was opened at Swiss Camden Council and the now dissolved Cottage Library by Margaret Drabble, who Government on the future of that part of called Hampstead 'indescribably lovely' Bloomsbury directly opposite the British and expressed her gratitude for 'those who Mt:1.seum. The proposal is to demolish have the time and energy to ,preserve it this area so that the British Library may and write up its history . be built there. No one is opposed to a new The exhibition has already left Swiss library being built - indeed it is a matter Cottage and reopened at the Keats Grove of great urgency as users of the British Branch, where it will stay until 16 March. Museum Library will know. Camden's From 23 March to 6 April, a smaller ver- argument is that there is no need for it to sion of it will be at Sharpleshall Street be so near. the Museum and have offered Library. alternative sites in the borough. REVIEWING THE FUTURE Many members of this Society are anxious The first edition of our Camden History that the area is preserved for both his- Review has nearly sold out (750 copies) torical and conservationist reasons.. We and we are reprinting, This is encourag- have received a letter from Cllr Frank ing at a time when I am beginning to put Dobson, Leader of Camden Council, asking together the second issue and hoping to for support in their fight; with the advent produce a bigger, better magaziLe with no of a new Government their efforts will be increase in price. There are alre 1.dy a redoubled. Camden has published an excel- number of talks from our Social H, story lent booklet on the area and he refers to symposia awaiting publication and :=ts many this in his letter: of these concern Edwardian Camden a large "May I ask you - who perhaps have no con- part of the next edition will be devoted to nection with Bloomsbury or Camden - to this theme. I would welcome a few short read our case for preserving an important contributions from other members on this seven acres of Central London. What we subject, e.g. brief reminiscences or re- have to say is brief.

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