Through the Stained Glass – Wimbledon's Radical World
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The London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2019 News Local History Planning and War Memorial p8 Obituaries p10 Greenwatch page 3 pages 4-5 Environment p6-7 The Museum p9 Cannizaro Park p11 page 12 Through the Stained Glass – Wimbledon’s radical world MONICA ELLISON meets local recesses of the room, which were designer Gareth Harmer given to the Labour Hall in the early 1930s by Emily Townshend A SPECIALLY COMMISSIONED and her daughter Caroline. stained glass window was In 2018, Gareth spotted a unveiled in the Burne-Jones room poster for the art competition in at the William Morris House, Wimbledon Books & Music. He had 267 Broadway, on 16 June. The recently completed a stained glass designer, Gareth Harmer, won panel in a Morris ‘trellis pattern’ the commission as a result of a style with red rose motifs which competition held in 2018 for an seemed to be a good fit for the artwork for William Morris House William Morris House brief. His celebrating Wimbledon’s radical submission caught the attention of tradition and the centenary of the both Tony Kane and Steve Spence, Wimbledon Labour Party. who commissioned the work, and The idea for the prize was the as Gareth says, “bravely decided to © Gareth Harmer© Gareth brain-child of the late back the design without any real Tony Kane, founder of Wimbledon frontage of the house at first floor track record on which to go.” Bookfest and publisher of Time & level. The window has a specially Gareth Harmer was born in Leisure magazine, who was also designed oak frame, which is Redhill but has lived in Wimbledon a member of the Management double-glazed – a complication since 2004. A freelance photographer Committee of William Morris with which Mr Morris did not by profession, for some years his House. The work was ‘unveiled’ by have to contend – but which was main clients were the Surrey Comet, Mrs Maggie Kane, who presented resolved for Gareth by craftsmen and Wimbledon Guardian. In the the new work to a packed room. Juno Glass and Lethbridge Lines in increasingly difficult climate for The modern window references Wandsworth. newsprint, Gareth felt the need for the work of William Morris, whose Gareth’s window, through which diversification and in a digital world famous William Morris & Co works can be seen flashes of passing red driven by computers and screens, were based at Abbey Mills. It is large. double-deckers on the Broadway, the craft aspect of manual work had At 2.7m high and 1.56m wide, it sits happily at ease with the two strong appeal as an outlet for his occupies a significant part of the intense William Morris works in composition and design (see page 3) For the latest information, go to www.wimbledonsociety.org.uk, www.wimbledonmuseum.org.uk or the Facebook page. n EDITOR’S NOTE n Wimbledon Society contacts President Tony Michael [email protected] Chairman’s Chairman Jeremy Hudson view [email protected] I LOVE TENNIS FORTNIGHT and am always sorry when Deputy Chairman John Mays it’s over! We were blessed with fine weather this year, and the All England Club was looking at its absolute finest. Hon Secretary Maureen Field This has been a busy period for our hardworking [email protected] Planning & Environment Committee. Apart from its routine scrutiny of planning applications, it Hon Treasurer Corinna Edge has been active in responding to consultations on [email protected] a number of significant environmental issues. The increased noise caused by the change to flightpaths Planning & Environment Committee Secretary Liz Newman in and out of Heathrow has been a particular [email protected] concern. I am sure we have all noticed more noise in recent months. We are working with our MP Membership Secretary Simon Ingall Stephen Hammond to persuade Heathrow to restrict [email protected] aircraft movement directly over Wimbledon. Another issue has been the planned introduction Museum Chairman Jacqueline Laurence of 5G infrastructure in the Wimbledon area, and [email protected] its effect on our health. We are pressing Merton Council to liaise with other London Boroughs and Local History Michael Norman Smith the GLA to conduct research, to satisfy itself as to the safety of this new technology. Another concern to the PEC is the proposed review Website Asif Malik [email protected] of warding arrangements in Merton, and the effect on Wimbledon’s representation on Merton Council. Wimbledon Society Newsletter We have made detailed representations as to how the several wards comprising Wimbledon Town Centre Editorial team might best be reconfigured so that a new single Sally Gibbons [email protected] Broadway ward covers the area south of the railway. Nigel Davies Monica Ellison, Asif Malik, John Mays, Jeremy Hudson Our new Communications sub-committee has also been busy recently. We decided that our Letters to the editor priority should be the creation of a single website, Write to Sally Gibbons c/o The Museum of Wimbledon, 22 Ridgway, SW19 4QN to replace the now out-of-date separate websites for the Society and the Museum respectively. Asif Printing: The Wimbledon Print Company, Malik, Dave Atha and Kevin O’Neil have worked 257 Haydons Road, SW19 8TY hard to prepare a project brief, which the Board expects to sign off in September. The challenge will Follow us on Facebook and Twitter then be to find the necessary funding for the cost, www.facebook.com/TheWimbledonSociety @wimsoc estimated to be £5-10,000. We hope that our Dinner Dance on 19 October The name of the Wimbledon Society or that of the Museum of will help us towards that target. We already have Wimbledon must never be used to promote personal activities or written work without written permission from the Society. several very generous donations to our silent auction The articles and photos in this newsletter are copyright of those and/or raffle to be held on the evening. At the time credited or, where no credit exists, of The Wimbledon Society. No part of writing only a handful of tickets remain for the of this newsletter can be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the copyright holder. event. I look forward to seeing many of you then. JEREMY HUDSON 2 n NEWS n Bookfest’s Big Beasts shown a real taste for poetry so there will Katie Hickman whose work uncovers also be interest in the talk given by the the exploits of intrepid women in She- THE ‘BIG BEASTS’ of the written and elusive novelist and poet, Ben Okri. Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen. spoken word are heading for the Then there is the return of the A double ticket should be well worth Common this autumn. Once again the historians. The trailblazer was Sir Max securing. festival has produced a fabulous line-up. Hastings whose astonishing output If you believe there is nothing left to be There are poets, historians, biographers, belies the brilliance of his work. Ed said about politics, meet Kamal Ahmed, philosophers, and novelists of many Hussain will be a welcome newcomer Paul Mason, James O’Brien, Gavin Esler genres: the historical, the gothic, the to the event, while amongst other and that exotic bird of prey Emily Maitlis, thriller, tales for adults and children, returnees are Tom Holland and William all of whom attend this year’s Parlement of along with a glittering list of celebrated Dalrymple. The latter introduces Anarchy: Foules. (Chaucer’s cautionary poem ends sportsmen, broadcasters, politicians, the East India Company, which has with the decision to defer the decision climate experts, polemicists, life-stylists particular significance for local historians, until the following year). and Nadiya the chef with the radiant since the merchant Robert Bell, who built Last but not least, Lord David Owen smile, all will be here with talks from 3 – Eagle House, just a stone’s throw away breaks cover to talk about his book 13 October. from the venue, was a founder member Hubris: The road to Donald Trump. We Lured from North Yorkshire, Bookfest of the famous/infamous company. Nor hope that Lord Owen can also indicate welcomes the Poet Laureate Simon is the distaff side of history ignored. the way back from the Donald. Armitage on 7 October. Wimbledon has Dalrymple recommends the work of MONICA ELLISON Heathrow and Ward Boundary Consultations CONSULTATION SEEMS to be the name proposals are based accordingly. of the game these days; at the time of The Heathrow consultation is a going to press there are two affecting much more controversial and political Wimbledon – the Local Government concern. The final date for submissions Boundary Commission consulting on is 13 September. At the time of writing Ward Boundaries and the Heathrow we are still evaluating and making Airport Authority consulting on the decisions on how the Wimbledon development of Heathrow. Society should respond. We expect to Response to the first was due on 13 hold a public meeting on 6 September August and our Planning & Environment (after the holiday period but nearly a Committee submitted a detailed week before the end of the consultation proposal showing how ‘Re-warding’ period) at which members and others could be achieved in accordance with will have a chance to express their views. the Commissions’ criteria. Briefly, the Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond requirement is that the new Wards and representatives from Heathrow will The Old Fire Station on fire should be roughly equal in number of attend the meeting, in the main hall The Old Fire Station in the Village caught electors but also take into account local of Ricards Lodge School, Lake Road, fire after a lightning strike at about 6.30pm situations and areas of activity/interest.