South East Walker June 2015

SOUTH EAST No. 90 June 2015 Farewellwalker ‘Old Father Thames’ avid Sharp, the artist, copywriter and photographer was made fetchingly attractive by instigator of the Thames whose day job when I first knew a thumb-nail index running down DPath and who devoted him was in a small advertising one side. We sold them at 6d (2.5p) much of his life to the Ramblers, agency off Covent Garden. Here, a throw and they went like hot died on 20 April, aged 89. He five days a week, he turned his cakes. was a key figure in the Ramblers skills to whatever products the In the early 1970s we needed a both regionally as president of agency was trying to sell. At newsier looking magazine. David Surrey Area and nationally as a evenings and weekends he put those designed it. The back numbers Vice President and also served skills at the service of the Ramblers’ look old-fashioned now, but they in Richmond and West London Association. were state-of-the-art then and they groups. It is hard to recall now any items enabled us to combine Ramblers’ Chris Hall, a fellow Vice President of publicity which he did not design. news and propaganda effectively. of the Ramblers, writes: Without His clear, bold lines are to be found We needed a new logo. These the talent and devotion of David in scores of recruiting leaflets and days design would be shuffled Sharp, sustained year after year, the campaign flyers. When we needed off expensively to an outside design reached the end of its useful novices. He was always cheerful Ramblers’ Association (to use the a simple guide to rights-of-way law consultancy. In the 1960s we life in the mid-’80s he did not and self-effacing, but he had his old title) would not have developed for members, David came up with turned to David and he produced hesitate to back a new one drawn decisive moments. There was one into the fighting organisation it was a brilliant pocket-sized solution: a the crisply stylised rucksack which by somebody else. And when we freezing February weekend when in the 1960s, ‘70s and later. simple folder gave the information served us well. And David had no celebrated the association’s 50th we held one of these schools at a David was a gifted designer, in question-and-answer form and false pride in his work. When that anniversary in 1985 the bulk of youth hostel in East Anglia where the design work for that important the heating had failed. David publicity event fell upon him. sniffed the temperature in the men’s He was a dab hand with a dormitory and led the decision to camera. This brought exhibition build a great fire in the common Deptford Creek bridged screens advertising the Ramblers’ room and arrange mattresses, aims and achievements within his sleeping bags and blankets in front new swing bridge taking original Tudor dockyard. The process which takes about half an scope too. When he and I were of it for the night. the Thames Path over company has since handed over hour and operated by staff from the the first editors of South Eastern Over the years he gave us many A the mouth of Deptford the bridge to the Royal Borough nearby Creek Road lifting bridge. Rambler he contributed endless thousands of hours of his talent Creek in south east London has of Greenwich which is now The Royal Borough of pictures. More importantly he and time. He was never paid a opened and means that walkers responsible for its operation and Greenwich has also secured designed the publication and put penny. His reward was to see the at this point no longer need to upkeep. It was officially opened £350,000 funding to link up the pages together at home shifting RA more than holding its own in detour away from the river via by Denise Hyland, the leader of another section of Thames Path sections of text deftly, swiftly and the media, gathering new members Creek Road. the council. in the borough, to the east of the imperturbably while I dithered over and winning its battles. Thank The bridge was built by Four electric motors allow the Thames Barrier where a detour what to cut and what to expand, for you, David. Galliard Homes as part of their bridge to rotate 110 degrees in two away from the river via a housing that was the editorial process then. Graham Butler, Acting Secretary New Capital Quay development minutes to allow larger vessels to estate and Woolwich Road is He was a great performer at the of Surrey Area, said: ‘David was on the site of Henry VIII’s enter or leave Deptford Creek, a needed at present. weekend schools in publicity which President of Surrey Area from when we used to run for the officers of it was set up in 1984 and an active RA Areas in the 1970s. (Our President too, designing publicity membership figures would be material for the 1995 Round Surrey healthier if we still ran them today.) Walk, designing the stickers for David was a star performer at these our millennium events and leaflets all over the country: neither he nor for most of our campaigns. He I had a car and we planned much was dedicated to expanding the of the weekends’ events in the train London Strategic Walks network on the way there. He was in his and active in trying to put together element explaining how to write a a campaign to have another 25 telling press release and analysing routes in Greater London brought the members’ efforts to do so. He up to standard. He represented the did not sloganize, but simplicity, Ramblers on the London Walking concrete language and brevity Forum and was a member of the were what he looked for and with south west sector of the forum with great patience elicited them from continued on page 2 2 South East Walker continued from page 1 me. He assisted with the design years ago. I used to collect him from I will miss those journeys where of the Thames Down Trail logo. his home in Barnes or drop him we spent time planning our next Leith Hill 250 He regularly attended Surrey Area back and would be invited in for tea campaign or moaning about the 015 marks the 250th Council meetings until a couple of and a piece of cake with Margaret. lack of support for activities.’ anniversary of the building 2of Leith Hill Tower in the Surrey Hills. It stands at the summit of Leith Hill making the Old Father Thames top of the tower the highest point in south east England at just over 1,000 feet (and higher than the – the creator of the Thames Path Shard in London). The tower was built in 1765- avid Sharp was born 1 Margaret had married and set up Trail. David’s walk went further 66 for Richard Hull, a wealthy March 1926 (St David’s home in Barnes just down the river than the early concepts, following Day) in Rochester - so he from Kew. ‘You can easily pop remote paths up to the source at lawyer and onetime member of the D Irish parliament who lived at nearby was a man of Kent. down for a few meetings’ was the Thames Head, and by the time There are moments in a life that message. Another of life’s turning official status was gained, riverside Leith Hill Place. He rented the somehow seem to define the whole points had been reached, without access through London and hilltop site from Sir John Evelyn future course it will take. The first even being noticed. docklands was beginning to open of Gatton House and called the of these came for David in 1948 David soon realised that the up with new development, so the tower Prospect House. When Hull when as a young advertising designer prime objective of the towpaths National Trail version was extended died in 1772 he was buried under then donated the tower to the working in Holborn, he saw a poster committee was the realisation of down to the Thames Barrier. the floor of the tower. The tower National Trust. 180 years after promoting a public meeting in the old Thames towpath as a long It was at the Barrier in 1996 was rebuilt in 1796 by William the tower’s interior was filled in the Kingsway Hall. Called jointly by the distance walk. Prior to the passing that the Thames Path was formally Philip Perrin who raised the height trust dug out the cement and rubble Ramblers’ Association and the Youth of that National Parks Act, this opened as a National Trail, and by another 20 feet and added a to reinstate the upper room as an Hostels Association, it was calling on walk along the Thames had been David was the obvious choice as battlement but after the tower information room. the new Labour government to find listed along with the Pennine Way author of the official guide. attracted ‘undesirable characters’ Today the tower’s steep spiral space in its crowded parliamentary and others for recognition, but by But this was not the end of David’s Perrin had the interior filled with staircase takes visitors to the top timetable for a National Parks and the time a newly formed National involvement in long walks. In rubble and concrete in 1800. where there are magnificent views of Access to the Countryside bill.

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