£1 when sold The Society Established 1957 Volume 132 Winter 2012

In this issue G Page 2 HS2 - The impact on HS2 - The impact on Chesham (continued) Tony Moss Chesham G Page 3 Despite Chesham and the that any suggestions for improvements Book reviews surrounding area having will eventually be adopted. However, the participants have been treated to News in brief 19 town, 4 district and 4 presentations about train noise, the G Page 4/5 county councillors, there Code of Construction Practice, and Valedictory revue has been little interest how the Chilterns cuttings might be G Page 6 from councillors in constructed. Chesham Society Programme opposing HS2 – although The HS2 group has 2013 raised over £55,000 (some of this Forthcoming Events Councillor Cherrill from from Chesham residents) to fund the Development Control the national campaign, but like all G Page 7/8 committee has attended groups opposing HS2 also has to arm restoration plan for the eventuality that HS2 will contacts recent meetings of the go ahead. Their local concern, along central and Pan-Chilterns with the Chalfonts, is to mitigate the Forums. effects of bored tunnels, whereas Great Missenden and Wendover are The forums continue in a generally concerned about the viaducts and ineffective manner, with much of the cuttings that will affect them. time being occupied by HS2 making One ray of hope is a proposal to statements, with very little evidence extend the tunnel beyond Wendover. This was presented at a ‘Pan- Chilterns Forum’ organised by the Chilterns Conservation board. A gap of around ½ kilometre is required, to avoid onerous (and expensive) EU regulations concerning tunnels over 20km in length, but the additional cost would not be prohibitive. While the forums are supporting the tunnel proposal, any decision on this scale would be made by the Secretary of State for Transport. Whilst Chesham is not directly affected by the route of HS2, it stands to suffer more than most from disruption of communications during the construction process. The construction will involve work camps of various sizes adjacent to every Continued on page 2

www.cheshamsociety.org.uk 1 The CHESHAM SOCIETY Winter 2012 HS2 - The impact on Chesham continued from p1 significant feature between the tunnel exit (at Mantles 800 in the Voluntary purchase zone. Around 150,000 Wood) and Wendover. Some of these may be in place to 200,000 properties are within 1km of the track (and for several years. possibly within 100m of the perimeter fence, given the Despite rumours that the route for construction width of the line) so these residents must rely on the traffic is via Church Street, this is not correct – the existing long term hardship scheme. The record here B485 is planned for construction traffic but only from is not good – of 381 applications made (to 1st August the A413 to just past Annie Bailey’s. However the 2012), 269 were rejected, and only 66 offers have been use of the B485 and A413 for construction traffic accepted by applicants. So unless the railway actually will cause delays and displacement of commuter runs through your back garden – tough. traffic through Chesham, so Chesham is well placed There will be ‘information events’ held concerning to lead a coordinated response to HS2’s proposals the scheme – the closest being in Wendover on 12th on transport as these take shape. This requires January 2013. Local residents may wish to attend a few people to devote some time and effort to to show solidarity with those areas more severely the problem. Whether the Chesham Society can affected than Chesham. You are also urged to respond take a more active role itself, or should promote to the consultation, and support the ‘Property Bond’ the formation of a separate action group was proposal as representations from people not directly discussed at the members meeting in November. affected can carry more weight. See http://www. See http://www.cheshamsociety.org.uk/ for the latest hs2actionalliance.org/index.php/compensation/ information on HS2 and how Chesham is affected. property-bond for details of this. National News on HS2 NAO review The National Audit Office (NAO) has announced that Compensation Package they will be opening a review into the development of HS2 to date, with the results to be published next One major recent development was the launch year. “We will look at whether the business case for of the long delayed “Property and Compensation High Speed 2 and early project set-up accord with consultation”, which runs to 31st January 2013. The good practice…” We hope that their findings do not proposals are come too late. • Properties to be demolished (within 60m of the centreline of the track) will be purchased, and the owners may remain as tenants until the property Others The Judicial reviews reach court in early December, is required. the “Y” extension to HS2 (north of Birmingham) route Owners eligible for this scheme will also receive a announcement is still awaited, the and investigation 10% home loss payment. of the West Coast Mainline franchise shambles continues – so plenty to look forward to. • Properties in the Voluntary purchase zone (within 120m of the centre line, but only in rural areas) See http://www.hs2amersham.org.uk/ can request that their property be purchased at for further information the ‘un-blighted, open market value’. Jim Conboy • Anyone further from the line can apply for purchase under the ‘Long Term Hardship Scheme if they Tony Moss ‘have a strong personal reason to sell but are We are very sad to report that Tony Moss, the husband unable to do so because of the HS2 proposals’ of our President passed away on 1 December. There (are deceased, for example). will be a full obituary in the next edition of Focus but members will recall what a staunch supporter of the While the ‘generous’ 10% bonus for properties to be Chesham Society Tony was. Our thoughts and prayers demolished made the news headlines, there are only are with Jennifer and her family at this time. around 1,100 properties in this category, and another Maria Waite

2 www.cheshamsociety.org.uk Th e CHESHAM SOCIETY Winter 2012

Winter book reviews I am very pleased to draw readers’ attention to the newly published The Lowndes Chesham Estate – The early Photographs and Images of 150 Years of the both by Clive Foxell. Both of these books make ideal Christmas gifts.

The Lowndes Chesham Estate – The early Photographs has its origins in Clive’s successful bid at an auction for an old photograph album of the Bury Estate circa 1867. Clive has not only supplied a superb narrative of the detail of the photographs but also includes a section on early photographic technique The publication of Images of 150 Years of and how this would have the Metropolitan Railway coincides with impacted the production of the forthcoming 150 years celebrations these photographs, including that will take place next year. Clive is an how long the sitters would acknowledged expert on the Metropolitan have had to remain still. The Line and his latest publication maintains results of Clive’s restoration his very high standard. There is a plethora of the photographs is also of photographs included, some of which described and illustrated. have not been available before. Chesham The difference in quality receives notable coverage including the much between the originals and restored is publicised last day of the Chesham Shuttle quite apparent. The appendix contains three mystery service on 11 December 2010. If readers want photographs – can readers identify the location? to know more about the forthcoming celebrations, Price: £4.35 and obtainable from Waterstones, visit the website at http:// JPS Stationers and all good book shops. www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/tube150 Price: £12.99 and obtainable from Waterstones, JPS All profits from the book are being generously donated Stationers and all good book shops. to ‘The Friends of St. Mary’s Church’. Maria Waite Editor News in Brief Unsung Heroes 2013 AGM As your Focus editor I would like to take the opportunity of Please see attached agenda and details for the AGM in January highlighting to readers that the production of our quarterly and be aware that it starts prompt at 1930 which is earlier than newsletter entails very much a team effort. As you are all aware, our usual speakers’ meetings. Andy Roker who is a professional graphic designer gives freely of his time in laying out each edition of Focus. But I was recently The Chesham Society Website reminded with Bernard leaving the society that he was a member The website will be undergoing an update in the coming months of a small but dedicated team of distributors who by delivering but we want to canvass members’ opinionsContinued on what from they page want 1 Focus to Chesham readers save the society a considerable sum to see as content. Please send your ideas to Jim Conboy in potential postage costs. Angela Bishop heads the team and [email protected]. with Brian Pratt who maintains the distribution database and produces the address stickers they ensure that Focus hits yours We wish you all a Happy Christmas and a doormats very soon after it is printed. I am very grateful for all the restful break. support everyone mentioned gives to our flagship publication. Maria Waite, Editor

www.cheshamsociety.org.uk 3 The CHESHAM SOCIETY Winter 2012 Valedictory Revue Before Focus publication Beryl and I expect to have moved away from Chesham, where we have been very happy, to a village near to Southwold, where one of our sons and our youngest grandchildren are living.

We moved to Chesham 49 years ago, when we told our friends where we were moving to, the standard response was “So you are moving to Bumpy Bucks”. We said do you mean the lovely ? They said “No just the state of the roads”. Some things haven’t changed since then but much else has. We moved just after the railway line was electrified north of and the new 1960 Amersham A60 rolling stock came on line; that has just been retired, and the last A60 was scrapped in recent weeks. So that has changed. We still had goods trains delivering coal to the goods yard, where there was also a banana cold store. The daily newspapers arrived early each morning in the guards van of a passenger train from Marylebone. (As shift workers with BEA, providing we had season Market Square late 1960’s tickets we both had passes to travel on the return train non-stop to Marylebone.) The goods service Chesham had several chain stores including branches is long gone; the goods yard is now the station car park. of Curry’s, Dorothy Perkins, Etam, Halfords several Some years later the railway bridges were deemed grocers, butchers shops, many shoe shops, a large to be unsafe and needing rebuilding, Bucks County Woolworths, and a Tescos, three department stores Council, the highway authority, said they had no money with Brandon’s, Patterson’s and the Co-Op, in fact to rebuild them and the line to Chesham Station could there were branches of the Co-Op throughout the town, close. Fortunately for Chesham Ken Livingstone agreed with a dairy and undertaker in what is now Waitrose that London’s council taxpayers would pick up the bill car park. The Co-Op even had its own political party for rebuilding. So we have Ken Livingstone to thank for putting up candidates at local elections; Robin Groves our train service, and London’s council taxpayers still always stood as a Co-Operative party candidate. In finance ’s services. fact Chesham’s second name could have been “Co- Chesham’s High Street had narrow pavements with Op Town”; today there are no branches of the Co-Op two way traffic, complete with buses using it and in the town, with just a reminder of the past in the congestion. The north end of the town was always naming of the Co-Op field where the dairy used to congested and the air polluted. Before the war, twenty graze their horses. Most shops closed for lunch with a five years previously, there were plans for bypasses for half day on Thursdays, today we expect 24/7 service. both Chesham and Amersham, as both towns were congested and needing bypasses, but these plans Chesham’s own hospital were suspended on the outbreak of WWII. Amersham Chesham had its own hospital with many outpatient eventually had theirs constructed decades later, clinics and X-ray facilities. (The local doctors used to but Chesham has never had its full eastern bypass, visit on Christmas morning and carve the turkey in the although for several decades the proposed route was ward with the patients.) The local police station was protected. (It would have started near manned seven days a week 24 hours a day, it also and ended near to Chesham Grammar School.) had its own cells and a magistrates court. Chesham

4 www.cheshamsociety.org.uk The CHESHAM SOCIETY Winter 2012

Perhaps an alternative site could be found on the redundant Amersham and Wycombe College site (formerly Cestreham School) on Nashleigh Hill or on the former Chesham Hospital site, now derelict, on Hospital Hill. We are in an area perfect for tourists but the town needs a hotel. Sadly I fear for the town’s shops, if residents increasingly shop through the internet and at out of town shopping centres the future for our shops looks bleak, they will not be viable unless the local residents use them more. How can we retain the character of the town’s High Street, if that is what the people want? That must be all one the roles for The Chesham Society to establish in the near future. Broad Street circa 1970’s Pressure had a cinema in Germain Street and a meeting place There is pressure for many more affordable houses in Darsham Hall, behind Darvell’s bakery, a larger to be built in the southeast of the UK, but they must meeting hall was above one of the Co-Op shops. be spread across the County, the local councillors will Chesham had its own proper local council, based in have to fight hard to avoid Chesham being the dumping Chesham, responsible for council housing, collecting ground for ‘affordable houses’ whilst other areas boast refuse, street cleaning, local highway and footpath that every house in their ward is worth well over a million. maintenance, car parks, planning matters, local parks, Your councillors will have a battle on their hands to cemetery and allotments. The next tier of government avoid Chesham becoming the 1960’s era Gorbals area above Chesham Urban District Council (CUDC) was the of the county. They will have to work hard to prevent County Council. The CUDC had nineteen councillors other areas self preservation campaigns being at with no wards and a third of the council coming up for Chesham’s expense? Our natural resources are already election each year; which meant that there was some overstretched. Over abstraction has led to the Rivers continuity; also resulting in local elections every May. Chess and Misbourne running dry in summer seasons How things have changed, but the town’s folk have each year. Our roads through the winding Chiltern remained just as friendly as the day we arrived. Hills cannot be widened to take much more traffic volume without doing untold irreparable damage to the The next 49 years? environment. (Question is it still desirable that people So what will the changes be over the next 49 years? should be encouraged to move away from other areas My crystal ball is not very clear but something must of the UK to live in the densely populated southeast be done about alleviating the problem of heavy air whilst those other areas are becoming impoverished pollution and traffic congestion in Berkhamstead Road. and under populated? Would it be better to improve Vehicular traffic volume has increased dramatically employment prospects in those areas?) whilst we have lived in the town and I cannot see it The Chesham Society and the Chesham councillors decreasing, unless there are many safe, reliable, on the Town, District and County councils will all have frequent and affordable user friendly bus routes and a difficult and vital role to play in the next two or three services introduced. Should there now be an updated decades. The late Robin Groves used to say that recreation of the pre-war plans for a town bypass? although he was elected on a political ticket at the Hopefully some of the former outpatient clinics CUDC and Bucks County Council he was a Chesham formerly held in Chesham Hospital will come as Nationalist. We need all of our councillors to be Chesham promised by the PCT to the HealthZone, now Chess Nationalists, I only hope that they are successful. Medical Centre, but we won’t be holding our breaths. We wish all our Chesham friends a very happy The town needs a hotel; it used to have a few Christmas and many prosperous New Years, and we bedrooms at the George and Dragon. Recently plans look forward to reading editions of Focus in our new were submitted for a budget hotel at the top of Station home to see how things develop. Road, but that scheme seems to have been dropped. Bernard Meldrum www.cheshamsociety.org.uk 5 The CHESHAM SOCIETY Winter 2012

The Chesham Society The Chesham Society Registered Charity 1083213 Programme 2013 Membership application & subscription form Venue for all Wednesday meetings is Chesham Town Hall. Time: 7:30pm for 8:00pm, To: unless otherwise stated. The Treasurer, WeirThe CheshamLodge, Latimer Society Road, Date Subject 54 Church Street, Chesham HP5 1HY Chesham’ Bucks, HP5 1QQ Wednesday 30th January Chesham Society AGM I/we wish to join the Chesham Society at 7.30pm and enclose the sum of Wednesday 20th February Chenies Manor - Valerie Edwards £15.00 (family) £12.00 (single) £9.00 (OAP) Wednesday 20th March Ray Payne - (please strike out the two options which do not apply) Representing the Name: ...... Secretary of State on (please print) the Chiltern ANOB Address: ...... Wednesday 17th April TBA

...... Wednesday 15th May Chesham Community Orchard - Douglas Telephone: ...... Silverstone Email address:...... Wednesday 19th June Ibrahim Ameen – The Chesham Mosque Gift Aid Saturday 22nd June Chesham Civic Day, Chesham Town Centre For.donations.of.over.£10,.Gift.Aid.forms.are.available..If.you.are. a.taxpayer,.please.sign.below.as.it.enables.us.to.reclaim.tax.from. July and August No Meetings Inland.Revenue.under.Charity.Gift.Aid.rules..Remember.to.notify. Wednesday 18th September Members’ Evening us.if.you.no.longer.pay.income.tax.and/or.capital.gains.tax.equal. to.the.tax.we.reclaim. Wednesday 16th October TBA Wednesday 20th November The Changing Face of I am a taxpayer, please treat my subscription and all future the Chilterns - Alison payments as Gift Aid donations until I notify otherwise. Doggett Payment by Bankers Order Wednesday 18th December Christmas Meeting

It.helps.us.if.you.can.pay.your.subscription.by.Bankers. Order..If.you.can,.please.complete.the.form.below. Bankers Order form Forthcoming To: (name & address of bank) ...... Events ...... Wednesday 30th January Sort code:...... AGM Please.pay.to.Barclays.Bank.plc..Chesham.Branch,.on.account.of. 7.00pm in the Town Hall. the.Chesham.Society..Sort.code.20-02-06.Account.No:.30250953. now.&.on.5th.January.thereafter.the.sum.of:. Wednesday 20th February Any previous standing orders to Account No. 30250953 are cancelled Chenies Manor – Valerie Edwards Signature: ...... 7.30pm in the Town Hall. Account Number: ......

Date:...... Wednesday 20th March

Bank please quote Ref No: ...... Ray Payne - Representing the Secretary To.apply.for.membership.of.The.Chesham.Society,.please.complete. of State on the Chiltern ANOB and.send.this.form.to.the.Treasurer.at.the.above.address. 7.30pm in the Town Hall.

6 www.cheshamsociety.org.uk registration form.indd 1 29/04/2008 08:00:24 Th e CHESHAM SOCIETY Winter 2012 Wendover arm restoration The Members meeting on 17th October was treated to a fascinating talk by Ray Orth, the Assistant Restoration Director of the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal. The Wendover Arm Group was founded in 1985 by a group of canal enthusiasts to restore the 6 ¾ miles of the abandoned Wendover Arm and became a Charitable Trust in 1989. Ray Orth said he had been an active member of the restoration team since 1993 and following retirement in 2001 after 41 years as a Mechanical Engineer with Kodak Ltd, gradually It was also soon realised that with a small amount of assumed more responsibility within the extra expenditure the Wendover Arm could be made Trust culminating in his appointment as navigable and therefore it was built to the same width Assistant Restoration Director. as the main canal. The opening of the Wendover Arm brought prosperity to Wendover and the surrounding Mr Orth explained the object of the Trust was to area which hitherto had relied heavily on the cottage restore the entire length of the canal almost entirely industry of lace making. The canal soon proved its by voluntary help. He said the Trust receives no worth as in 1799 a Farmer, John Government money and had to raise funds through Westcar of Creslow used the canal to transport his ox subscriptions, donations and events. The original from Wendover Wharf to the first Smithfield fat stock objective of the canal as set out in its first Act of show. He was able to prevent any loss of weight which Parliament in 1793 was to provide a continuous supply would have resulted from driving the beast to the show of water to the Grand Union Canal (then known as the and won the first prize of £100 – a considerable sum of ) as it crossed the summit of the money in those days. Chilterns through the Cutting at an altitude of When the Wendover Arm was constructed, the Canal 120 metres (390 feet). The summit was crossed by Company bought mills at Halton, Weston Turville and a means of a number of locks but 50,000 gallons of Wendover in order to divert their mill streams into the water were lost each time boats used the locks and a plentiful supply of water was essential. continued on p8

President: Jennifer Moss 868667 Treasurer: Judith Aldridge 0785 4703664 Chairman: Tony Molesworth 773381 Architectural Adviser: Mike O’Leary 791291 email: [email protected] Members currently without portfolio Vice Chairman: Justine Fulford 792478 David Carter 772383 Secretary: Vacant Mora Walker 783090 Minutes Secretary: Vacant Jim Conboy Focus Editor: Maria Waite 791329 Richard Brock Email: [email protected] Design & layout: Andy Roker • T: 01494 775489 [email protected] Photography: Contributors Printed by: Orbitpress Ltd, 11 Market Square, Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 1HG G Tel: 01494 778053 G Fax: 01494 778586

www.cheshamsociety.org.uk 7 Th e CHESHAM SOCIETY Winter 2012 Wendover Arm Restoration continued from p7 canal and at the same time they built reservoirs to supply water to the mills in . It was thought that any excess water from the canal could be diverted to the mills. However almost from the start, the canal started leaking and by 1841 was losing 1,000,000 gallons a day. The problem was that much of the canal bed was unstable with clay laid over porous chalk close to the Spring line. In 1817 the Tringford Pumping Station was constructed which used a Boulton & Watt steam pump to draw water from a deep well supplying two of the reservoirs through underground culverts. A diesel pump was later installed and the Pumping Station still supplies the main source of water to the summit of the Grand Union Canal. Various attempts were made to stop the leakage including the use of puddling clay and subsequently asphalt. However there were long periods when the canal was not navigable. Boats an engineering survey which concluded that with would avoid using it for fear of getting stuck and the modern methods, it would be possible to solve the leakage problems. Work in earnest on Phase 1 of the restoration began in 1997, exactly 200 years after the Arm was opened. This involved the restoration of the first quarter mile section of the canal from the stop- lock to a winding hole for turning boats behind Little Tring Farm. This work involved building reinforced concrete walls on either side of the canal and was completed in 2005 allowing a section to be open to navigation for the first time in over 100 years. Other major restoration projections completed include the removal of an embankment at Little Tring and the erection of a brick clad reinforced concrete bridge at a cost of £223,000. This was solely funded with money raised by the Wendover Arm Trust. Another new section of canal under the A41 Aston Clinton by- Pass and through to Drayton Beauchamp Bridge was tolls no longer covered the cost of maintenance. In built by the Highways Agency and British Waterways 1904 it was deemed to be no longer commercially and completed in 2003. viable and closed to all traffic. The middle section The Trust is currently engaged in restoring the dry of the canal between Drayton Beauchamp and Tring section of the canal. It has been completely cleared Pumping Station which was most prone to leakage, of dense undergrowth and is being re-lined prior to was replaced with a pipe so that the Wendover Arm re-watering. It is hoped to complete this Phase 2 could still supply water to the Grand Union Canal. This by 2020. The restoration of the remaining canal to also necessitated the lowering of the water level up Wendover will take longer as several bridges will have stream of this section to Wendover. to be replaced before the water can be raised to a Progress towards restoration of the Arm began in navigable level. 1990 when the Trust was involved in the Public Enquiry As almost all work is undertaken voluntarily, into the proposed routing of the A41 Aston Clinton all support would be most welcome. Further by-Pass. This resulted in a bridge with navigable information and details of membership are available headroom being included in the plans enabling the from Katherine Deaney – email: membership@ Wendover Arm to be restored. Also in 1990, the wendoverarmtrust.co.uk telephone: 01442 246523. Trust together with British Waterways commissioned Roderick McCulloch.

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