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F O 9 U 5 The Bullet in 9 NDED 1 May 2018

Celebrate the history of Welcome to our new President ’s Open Spaces At our AGM in March we elected A packed programme of walks, talks talk on Riverside over the Angela Holman as the new president and exhibitions examines our green Centuries (30/05). For those of the Society. Many of you will spaces and their history in this interested in the history of our remember Angela from her time as year’s Wandsworth Heritage burial grounds, there is a guided membership secretary – when she Festival. From 26 May until 10 June tour of Cemetery dragged us into the digital age by there are events where you can find (31/05) and the next day a walk computerising the membership out more about spies on the and talk around Putney Old Burial database. Her innovation did not stop common – when the Royal Victoria Ground. Forum are there as she assisted with the design Patriotic Building was part of MI5. offering a walk across Putney Heath of the new website in 2002 and Or learn about the historic trees in and (03/06) maintained it for several years. In Park and the wildlife while Roehampton University are addition to organising the distribution wonders of the Wandle valley. If hosting a historic walk around of the Bulletin for many years, she also you want to capture all this vibrant Grove House (06/06). Finally on helped with editing. Others of you will know Angela in her greenery, you can join a 7 June the Society has organised a role organising Cards for Good Causes, watercolour landscape day at walk across originally at St Mary’s and now in the Putney School of Art and Design or focusing on its history (07/06). library. A long term resident of attend a photography workshop in For details of all events and booking Putney, with an excellent . information (where needed) go to understanding of how the Society Here in Putney the Friends of the Enable website works, we are very grateful that she have organised a http://enablelc.org/whf2018/ has accepted the role of President.

Alton West – links to Le Corbusier and François Truffaut Wandsworth Council is considering Then there is an important cultural plans by Redrow to redevelop the reason for preserving this estate : It Alton West Estate. Lord Rogers and was the key location for François other leading architects have Truffaut's futuristic film "Fahrenheit expressed their reservations - but do 451" (1966) with Julie Christie and we know what the residents think? Oskar Werner. The opening scene, with the fiercely red fire engine and Apart from the architectural pros and its upright crew rushing to Charcot cons of this putative development, (or Denmead?) House to discover there are historical and cultural and burn the books recently reasons why this estate should not betrayed to them - with the guilty be seen merely as a collection of reader desperately fleeing the scene 1950s blocks waiting to be - is one of the short but effective 'redeveloped'. glimpses of this then futuristic First of all, the young architects who estate. Most of the action actually designed Alton West took their takes place in different locations - inspiration from Le Corbusier's 'Unité including on a monorail train in d'Habitation' in Marseille - large France. But Alton West recurs several blocks designed to encourage social times as the key location for this interaction and mutual support in a Pinewood Studios production of Ray healthy environment. Has the Alton Bradbury's sci-fi book. Estate not succeeded in this? One Some positive news for the station. For several interim feedback on a years now the Society has campaigned for a consultation they ran on Trans por t defibrillator to be installed in the station but have a new timetable which Pan el been met with a blank refusal by both the rail will be introduced from Convenor: service provider and Network Rail. This is despite December 2018. Stephen Luxford close to 9 million passenger journeys beginning Unfortunately one of stephen.luxford@ or ending at Putney. Travellers who have used the more positive nao.gsi.gov.uk European railways will know defibrillators are developments, a commonplace at stations abroad. Earlier this year proposed further two we finally got agreement that a defibrillator could extra off-peak trains an hour on the Windsor line, be housed in the station but that we would have will not now be happening. Residents living close to find the funding. A local charity has agreed to to Windsor have objected because of the source and fund a machine which is excellent disruption that would arise if their local level news. There are still some matters to be crossing was shut more frequently and SWR have addressed, so more news in due course. concurred. Like a passenger awaiting a long-delayed train we The Society’s latest ‘citizen science’ exercise to are still waiting for answers from South Western measure air pollution in and around the High Railways (SWR) to a series of questions raised at Street has been completed. We now await the our Members Meeting with them in February. results of academic analysis and hope to share Hopefully I will be able to share some responses the results at a Members Meeting about the with you soon. In the meantime, SWR have given High Street on 25 June. Details to follow.

In December 2017, we made a plea for donations Fly tipping seems to be of loved but unused gardening tools for the keen a perennial problem in Ope nSpaces folk who are developing a community garden on and, the Ashburton Estate. Perhaps it was because given the introduction Panel Convenor: everyone was busy with seasonal celebrations, of new by-laws covering Judith Chegwidden but the request fell on deaf ears and not a single the smaller green 020 8788 4489 fork or trowel was donated. Perhaps now that spaces, we have written judith.chegwidden Spring is here at last, you have been into your to Enable to seek clarity @gmail.com sheds and may be able to identify some unwanted on ways in which the tools? Contact [email protected] by-laws will be enforced for collection. and for more information on who should be The litter picking on Putney Heath was very contacted in the event of fly tipping. successful, but sadly the areas around the bus The executive of the Putney Society has approved stops were litter strewn within a week. We have our plans for a front garden competition in 2019, written to Paul Chadwick, Director of Environment which will be open to all residents of SW15. We and Community Services at Wandsworth Council will spend the next few months making detailed to ask for the restoration of litter bins at bus stops plans for this event. We will be looking for help in this area. When the council removed the bins with judging, and admin tasks – so do get in touch they hoped that people would take their litter if you can help. home – it is clear that this was wishful thinking.

COMMUNITY: TRANSPORT: BUILDINGS: OPEN SPACES: FUTURE PANEL 10 May, 14 June 8 May, 12 June 2 May, 6 June 11 May (note change) , 7 June at 6 Norroy Road, at 46 Disraeli at 154 Putney High Street, at 28 Howards Lane, MEETINGS SW15 1PF (18.30) Road, SW15 2DS (19.30) SW15 1RS (19.00) SW15 6NQ (19.00) Convenor: Convenor: Convenor: Convenor: All members welcome Vicky Diamond Stephen Luxford Andrew Catto Judith Chegwidden [email protected] stephen.luxford@ [email protected] judith.chegwidden@ www.putneysociety.org.uk T:07746 022654 nao.gsi.gov.uk gmail.com T: 020 8788 4489

Two It is perhaps not generally appreciated that refusing to deal with Roehampton University has a very significant historic separate applications from estate, accounting for 20% of the listed buildings in the two developers, Buildings the SW15 postcode, two of which are Grade 1 listed. believing, as does the Panel However, while the buildings form part of the Putney Society, that these Convenor: University campus, many of them are leased. For sites should be developed Andrew Ca tto example, Mount Clare and its Temple are leased from as a single entity. ac@andr ewcat to. co. uk 020 8785 0077 the Southlands Methodist Trust (SMT). The Temple A company call Maximus was already in bad repair when SMT purchased has had a second round of applications for additional Mount Clare in 2002 and it is prone to vandalism and phone booths in Putney and in wider Wandsworth needs protection. The original fencing was not refused. These would have allowed phone calls to be suitable and has now been removed and a restoration made, but would also have large screens for programme is planned, for which the University hope advertisements and would have been in addition to to get a Heritage at Risk grant. The building will be existing BT kiosks. The Society objected to them on restored, a 1960 lodge and garages will be removed, the grounds of street clutter and their limited use in and a more suitable fence erected. Work should start the mobile phone age. At the same time BT applied in late spring. We welcome this restoration project to replace their existing kiosks with revised kiosks also and look forward to continuing to work with the including an advertising screen. They enable free UK Director of Estates. calls to landlines and mobiles and some internet There have been no further developments on the access as well as local maps. The application was sites at the corner of Putney High Street and Putney approved and the first of these new kiosks has been Bridge Road. Wandsworth Council seem to be installed near Zeeta House .

The Community Panel currently has five main space for updates. And if focus areas: anyone has information Comm unity 1. Health - We note there are initiatives being they would like to share Panel implemented to provide urgent care at home, to about this important Convenors: issue, please contact prevent avoidable hospital admission and to support Victoria Diamond [email protected] discharge. There are concerns about ongoing [email protected] difficulties accessing urgent care at night, so we are 3. Police and SNT. Val Jones going to try to arrange a speaker for our September Thamesfield public SNT [email protected] Members’ Meeting to talk to us on Domiciliary Care meeting is on 9 May, and how services are coordinated in the community. 6.55pm, Jubilee House, 2. Food Waste - We continue to campaign against corner Rd and Putney High St. waste – but currently are focusing on all the perfectly 4. Plastic waste (see our website for the recycling edible fresh food that is left at the end of each day in sheet) smaller stores and cafes. We know that the major 5. The Discount Card which we hope you are all using supermarkets have for some time been tackling this at our independent shops! Let us know if there’s problem, and most have links with large national something else for us to look at. organisations and/or local community groups, who organise redistribution of donated food. But what of Don’t forget to add items to the Foodbank bins at our small local businesses? What do they do with the Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. They don’t just want food, smaller amounts of sandwiches, salads and other but baby and women’s hygiene products too, which foodstuffs at the end of their day? The Community often get overlooked. Panel has pledged to try and find out... Watch this

Chair: Robert Arguile, 020 8788 4554 Bulletin Editor: Judith Chegwidden, 020 8788 4489 PUTNEY SOCIETY [email protected] [email protected] Secretary: Car olyn McMi lla n Membership: Chr is Orr iss ,020 8785 7 115 CONTACTS 38 Di sraeli R oad, SW15 2DS 020 8789 6692 22 Pen tlow Street, Lond on SW15 1LX secretary@p utneysoci ety.org. uk membership@p utneysociety.org. uk See website for full details: Website Editor: Ro be rt Arg uile Treasurer: Gosia Jakub ik , 07746 4 09 703 www.putneysociety.org.uk we bedit or@p utneysociety.org. uk go sia. jakub ik@ hotmail.c om Three

New publication from the Ma r gar et Calcott-

Wand sworth Historical Society Jam es - a t ri b ut e A young girl’s memories of Edwardian Southfields, the story behind the Anglo-Boer War memorial in Parish Church, and the eccentric ‘Stoney Jack’ who used to invite navvies into his shop in Wandsworth High Street to buy the antiquities they’d unearthed: these are just some of the articles appearing in the latest number of the Wandsworth It is with much sadness that we report that Margaret Calcott-James died on Historian. Other items focus on 29th March at the age of 94. Margaret the years Eleanor Roosevelt spent was born and raised in Gloucestershire at a school off Albert Drive run by but lived much of her life in Putney the extraordinary Mlle Marie before returning to her home county for Souvestre, and the part played Eleanor Roosevelt at about the her final years. She leaves her daughters by the iconic KLG spark-plug time she came to complete her Sarah and Clare, six grandchildren and factory on Putney V ale in wi nn ing edu cati on a t A llensw ood School , th ree gre at-grandc hildren. the Second World War. Southfields in 1 899. Margaret served as an East Putney There’s all this a nd m ore in the coun cillor for many years, was Mayor of Spring 2018 issu e of th e a vai lable, pr ice £3. 00 pl us £ 1.50 Wan dsw ort h in 1 9 82 and was awarded Wandsworth Historian (I SSN fo r po stage and p acking, fr om the sta tus o f Hono rary Alderman of the 1751-9225), the journ al tha t N eil Rob son, 119 H eyt horp Street , Bo rough of Wa nds worth in 1998. She brings you the lat est re sea rch L ondon SW 18 5B T o r by e mail ing w as also Chair of th e Putney Society into Wandswo rth’s past. The [email protected]. from 1999 to 2002 but put her strongly- Wandsworth Histori an is h eld po litical views very firmly to one published by the Wandsworth Cheques payable to ‘Wandsworth side during this time. She played an Hi sto rical Soc iet y’, please. Historical Society, and cop ies ar e acti ve part in our a ffairs for many more years , not leas t as a regular member of the panels. The Transport Panel in particular was more than once regaled Dates for your Diary with stories about her youthful exploits as a cyclist when it appears she became quite notorious on the country roads Royal Photographic Society – Booking is required as places near her home! London Region Members’ are limited. Please go to She will be remembered for her Exhibition at Putney Arts https://www.wpcc.org.uk/main/ enthusiasm for the Society, her Theatre, Ravenna Road, SW15 spring-bird-walk-13th-may- generosity of spirit and her readiness to 6AW from 4 -18 May. Please 2018-booking-form- to work hard for the residents of Putney. call 020 8788 6943 for opening complete the booking form. She regularly hosted Society meetings at times as they vary. her former home in Gwendolen Avenue Wandsworth Arts Fringe 4-20 and she and her late husband Colin Fifty photographers from the May - with over 180 events, loved showing people around their big region will be on display, there really is something for back garden. Margaret was especially illustrating a wide range of everyone, from dazzling circus fond of explaining how the council's tree styles and techniques. spectaculars to side-splitting officer had given advice on the pruning of the ever larger-growing oak tree Wimbledon Common: join the comedy and everything in between. Tickets available from there. One day, this tree could become Spring Bird Walk on 13th May as big as the house. That would be a from 8am, meeting at the the website – and don’t forget fitting memorial to Margaret and Colin's Rangers Office. The walk will that the Putney Society is dedication to Putney! sponsoring “Stunning Meena” last about 2 hours and will cover Our heartfelt condolences go out to her around 3 miles. playing at St Mary’s Church on family. She will be greatly missed. 4-6 May at 7.30pm.

Publi shed by The P utney Society (re giste red charit yno.263 242 ) ww w.putneysoci ety.org .uk Fo ur