ISSUE 225 • AUTUMN 2017 www.chilternsociety.org.uk • CHILTERN SOCIETY MAGAZINE Water voles appeal Buildings Design Awards Amersham Museum makeover HERITAGE • CONSERVATION • ENVIRONMENT • WILDLIFE • LEISURE ISSUE 225 • AUTUMN 2017 www.chilternsociety.org.uk • CHILTERN SOCIETY MAGAZINE In this Water voles appeal Buildings Design Awards Amersham Museum makeover HERITAGE • CONSERVATION • ENVIRONMENT • WILDLIFE • LEISURE Chiltern Society volunteers at Whiteleaf Cross issue (Photo: Colin Drake) NEWS & VIEWS 3 EDITOR 4 FROM THE CHAIRMAN 8 CHILTERNS BUILDINGS DESIGN AWARDS 13 PAWS IN THE CHILTERNS The dog’s the star in our new competition 20 VOLUNTEER! 8-9 You and the Chilterns will both benefit, writes Peter Duxbury CHILTERNS 35 TRIBUTE TO RAY CHALLINOR BUILDINGS DESIGN 36 LETTERS AWARDS 2017 37 WANTED – YOUR BEST PHOTOS! For the PhotoGroup’s online exhibition 14-15 38 TRIBUTE TO GEOFFREY LEGGE SOCIETY HERITAGE EVENTS 12 PITCHING IN Teamwork pays off at Lacey Green Windmill 18 MUSEUM MAKEOVER ‘Amersham’s gem’ has been transformed, says Bob Stuart 34 TOTTERNHOE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Time travelling with John Hockey CONSERVATION SPECIAL MEMBER 5 BOOM TIME AT THE BEDS OFFERS News from Ewelme see page 40 16 HONOURING A GREAT MAN OF THE CHILTERNS Why the Society’s work at the Hampden Monument is so important ENVIRONMENT 28 SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE 37 Lucy Murfett explains why small isn’t 2018 ONLINE always beautiful PHOTO 29 COHOUSING TO THE RESCUE? EXHIBITION There’s no need to build on green belt, says Merrin Molesworth 2 Chiltern 225 Changing views From the Editor Richard Bradbury I’m sure that like me many of you love looking at old photographs – not just pictures of family and friends, but rural and urban scenes that give us a fascinating insight into times gone by. WILDLIFE A few weeks ago I spent an evening with a couple of colleagues from the Chesham 6 WATER VOLE APPEAL Help us bring them back from branch of Walkers Are Welcome, trawling the brink! through images of the town and its environs dating back many decades. Our aim was to 24 HEARTS OF OAK George Stebbing-Allen explores the select some of them for a new ‘app’ the group history and impact of an iconic tree is developing for smartphones and tablets, which will enable users to follow routes 30 BROCK’S COUNTRY through Chesham, and, with the help of the Tony Marshall celebrates the Grey Old Man of the Hills pictures and some text describing points of interest, learn more about what they see. Chesham town centre (Ian Bullock) A particularly enjoyable aspect of our be following with interest a new proposal task was comparing past and present, which being investigated in High Wycombe to LEISURE was easier in some instances than in others, revitalise the town centre and make it more depending on the extent of the changes to attractive for residents and visitors by 10 STUDHAM ‘FIGURE OF EIGHT’ the buildings, streets and open spaces since ‘reopening’ the River Wye, which is at present WALK the photographs were taken. I was shocked confined to a culvert that passes under 14 SOCIETY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES when I realised that I was already struggling structures such as the Abbey Way flyover. Autumn/winter 2017 to remember exactly how parts of Chesham After the news was reported in the Bucks 22 WEST OF HENLEY looked when I first moved here about 35 years Free Press, the response on its Letters page Barry Hunt introduces a new ago. I couldn’t even picture clearly the area was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Among PhotoGroup album round the original Elgiva Theatre before it those to welcome the idea was former 23 PUZZLE PICTURE was moved to make way for Sainsbury’s. My Society trustee Mike Overall, now Chairman appreciation of the value of our PhotoGroup’s of Revive the Wye, the organisation that has 26 EMBRACING CHANGE ever-expanding archive increased still further. been spearheading efforts to improve the Martin Pearson visits Peterley Manor Farm Change is inevitable, of course, but it river for the last 10 years. Correspondents isn’t always for the better, a fact that the quoted the example of Reading, which they 32 GREAT PARK FOR CYCLING Society’s Planning Group is constantly felt benefitted hugely from incorporating the Windsor is popular with the wrestling with as it monitors and responds Kennet into its shopping centre. Wycombe’s Cycle Group, writes Dennis Keeling to development in the Chilterns. Knowing councillors might also look at the example of 40 MEMBER OFFERS where to draw the line must often be very Hemel Hempstead. Some of its ‘new town’ 42 WALKS PROGRAMME challenging. The study of old photographs architecture may look tired and outdated, but also reminds us that what’s acceptable (as reported in Chiltern 222) it’s seeking to – perhaps desirable – to one generation honour one of the best features of its legacy is absolute anathema to another. At a by restoring the River Gade and the Water domestic level, the fashion for boarding up Gardens to their former glory. or otherwise covering original features such A hundred years from now, I wonder as fireplaces and wooden floorboards is now what people will make of the impact we dismissed as a misguided aberration. had on the Chilterns. We can only hope Likewise, many people now regard that most of what was done way back in scan here for as disastrous some of the town planning the good old 21st century receives a nod of www.chilternsociety.org.uk decisions made during the 20th century. I’ll approval. DEADLINES REPRODUCTION OF IMAGES It is not possible to guarantee that items received after The photographs in this magazine must not be the deadline will be included in the next issue, unless a reproduced elsewhere, except with the express prior arrangement has been made with the Editor. permission of the photographer via the Editor. If you do not wish your photographs to be used in other SENDING COPY AND PHOTOGRAPHS Published quarterly by The Chiltern Society Society publications, please make this clear when you Please email text as Word attachments. Pictures should send them. EDITOR: Richard Bradbury • 01494 793049 be sent as jpg attachments. High resolution images Email: [email protected] are required for publication, although low resolution The Society does not necessarily accept images can be sent as samples in the first instance, if responsibility for the views of contributors or the ADVERTISING: Sophie Elkan claims of the advertisers. Email: [email protected] preferred. Please indicate the quality of images sent, entitle your pictures and delete any numbers. DESIGN & TYPESET: Clickdraw • 01525 374270 PRINT: Hartgraph • Amersham on materials DEADLINE FOR ISSUE 226 (DECEMBER 2017) produced by environmentally friendly processes. Items to the Editor by: Monday 25 September • Published: Saturday 25 November email: [email protected] 3 Plus points From the Chairman David Harris David Harris and Sue Holden from the Conservation Board make a presentation at the Society volunteers working on Buildings Design Awards (Photo: Colin Drake) Whiteleaf Cross (Photo: Colin Drake) I’m delighted to report that at the time of writing, with our 2016/17 financial year drawing a chainsaw, holding it incorrectly and to a close, the Society has had another very positive 12 months. We’re continuing to expand not using any of the usual safety gear, membership and reach, as well as maintaining a secure financial base. Thanks to some like helmet and guard, gloves, chainsaw unexpected legacies, the forecast deficit turned into a surplus. Legacies are a vital part of trousers and so on. I’m happy to our funding stream. Do please remember us in your will! If you let us know, you can become report that he wasn’t in fact one of our a member of our Bluebell Guild – members who have made bequests to the Society. volunteers, but a local resident cutting firewood on an adjacent piece of land! The Woodland Campaign has been very Hillforts and Landscape projects with I hope to see you at our AGM on successful, raising money primarily to the Chilterns Conservation Board, as 7 October. help the Chiltern Woodland Project and well as plans for another Conservation encourage biodiversity within Chiltern group in the southern Chilterns centred woodlands. Thanks to all those members on our project to resurrect the Chilterns AGENDA 10am start: for coffee, chat who have contributed to this and other Commons Network. Hopefully all will and visit to our book stall fundraising initiatives. Unfortunately our make significant progress over the next 10.30am: The Business Meeting • Minutes of 2016 AGM, Annual Report presentation Planning Campaign fundraiser, which few months, which we’ll be able to report AGM and Annual Accounts • Election of Chairman, Annual General Meeting Vice Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer and was directed at the general public at the AGM in October. Meanwhile our 7 October 2017 Executive Council members (Trustees) Nominations for the above positions should be made in writing, with the candidate’s written consent included, to the General in ‘development hotspots’, was less Conservation and Path Maintenance ALL members are invited to attend this Secretary at the Office not less than 14 days before the AGM. important yearly get-together in A form is available from the Office Manager (01494 771250) The Coach House at Green Park A list of nominations will be available . by 25.09.17. successful, although we have recruited Groups continue their excellent work, Stablebridge Road, • The AGM will be followed Aston Clinton, Bucks by general discussion with members on the affairs FOR SATNAV: HP22 5NE and plans of the Society some new members. The plan now is to doing what it says on our strap line – See map below 2pm: Guest speaker use some consulting resource to bolster caring for the Chilterns.