THE JOURNAL OF THE FRIENDS OF BUSHEY MUSEUM New Series No. 14 elcome to the latest edition of the history of music in Bushey. And what Autumn 2016 the Friends of Bushey about your working lives, did you work W Museum’s Journal. It contains its for a Bushey firm? usual collection of articles on a wide range of topics and I hope that there is Ian Read has been helpful in finding something of interest for everyone. This photographs to illustrate the articles as time not only do we have a husband and well as providing an article himself, and wife contributing, Pat and Tony Woollard, Nick Overhead is responsible for the but also a mother and son, Mollie and layout and design of the Journal. Andrew Thomas – this must be quite Thank you. unusual in local history journals. Thank you to all the contributors. A registered charity in support of At last we have a piece about drama, Please keep the articles coming in: Bushey Museum from Phil Kirby, but there must be many without your support there will be no Registered Charity 1039713 more memories and ephemera out Journal. there. I’m still waiting for something on Janet Murphy Journal Editor IN THIS ISSUE Janet Murphy Memories of a Student 2 Layout and Design 2 Mary Sloane remembers her student days with Hubert Herkomer Nick Overhead This Happy Breed 5 Philip Kirby talks about the Bushey Museum Noel Coward classic Rudolph Road Bushey, Herts WD23 3HW Evacuees - The story of two Sisters 6 Tel; 020 8420 4057 8 Jennifer Parker talks to Eileen and Beatrice Law E; [email protected]. Open; Thurs-Sun 11am-4pm John Williams V 8 Tony Woollard tells the history of a model ship The Journal is published by the Friends of Bushey Museum Bushey Grove Apple 10 and is mailed to all friends and 10 Katharine Whitaker and our locally selected local organizations. named apple Contributions on all aspects of Bushey’s social and artistic history are A Goal to the Heath 12 welcome and should be sent direct to Recollections of Mollie’s early life the editor at the Museum. on the Heath The Friends support the activities of Bushey Museum and can be contacted The Locked Shed 15 via The Secretary, 119 Aldenham Road 16 Robert Norman and a Bushey, Herts WD23 2LU mystery building Down your Street 16 © Bushey Museum 2016 The history of Herkomer Road Printed by Feedback 19 Lonsdale Print Solutions Limited Comments on past articles Ashfield School Football Teams 60 years apart 20 The changing faces of a local 20 football team. new 2016 journal.indd 1 09/09/2016 10:03 Mary Annie Sloane (1867-1961) arlier this year Pat and historic buildings Tony Woollard visited an and exhibiting Memories of My Time as a Student exhibition of the work of with the E Mary Sloane at the New Leicester Society Walk Gallery in Leicester. The of Artists. curator kindly gave permission After a chance at Bushey under Professor Her for the extract of her diary komer. meeting in 1898 relating to her time in Bushey to with the Mary left these notes, which be printed in the Journal. Part 1 influential etcher Constance Pott, follows this brief biography and Mary was inspired to join Sir were probably notes for a part 2 will be in the next issue. Frank Short’s etching class at the talk, on numerous sheets and Born in Leicester in 1867 into Royal College of Art, based at the bits of paper – they were the wealthy family of surgeon National Art Training School in John Sloane and his wife Sarah, South Kensington, where typed by her great niece A.D. Mary lived with her parents, Constance was his assistant. They have not been edited. brothers and sisters at 9 Welford Mary’s growing artistic Place (later 13 Welford Road). reputation led to her joining the ushey students have a good Family summers were spent at Women’s Guild of Arts (WGA), many privileges and one of the Nook, the family cottage in founded in 1907 as a home the greatest is being allowed the village of Enderby, for female artists and artisans B to go and see Professor Leicestershire. otherwise excluded from the Herkomer at work every week in She attended the progressive male-dominated Arts & Crafts all stages of progress. Every Sunday Belmont House School, movement. Mary’s growing social afternoon he puts up most of the Leicester, where her early talent circle soon included many female pictures he has been working on in was recognised by art teacher artists, intellectuals and political the week and the students stream Edith Gittins, a great admirer campaigners. Most notable was in at the studio door and examine of William Morris and the Arts May Morris (younger daughter (and criticise) everything in the place. and Crafts Movement. After two of William Morris) who was an Professor H comes up and explains years at Leicester School of Art, influential textile designer and anything fresh and shows what new Mary left for London in 1887, to co-founder of the WGA. Mary experiments he has been trying and become a student at the National and May met around 1909 and tells what he means to do next to Art Training School, Kensington. would enjoy a lifelong friendship, make his pictures come right. From 1890-92, she attended including many visits to Kelmscott Herkomer’s Art school in Bushey, Manor. Sometimes interesting celebrities Hertfordshire. At this time she Mary travelled widely, both in are there, painters and authors began to really demonstrate her Britain and on the continent, artistic self-belief with a series of including visits to the and scientific men and sometimes stunning watercolour paintings Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France it is generally rather hard to recording the important and Greece. She exhibited at the discover who they are and it is framework knitting industry in Royal Academy, Society of Women easy to mistake an alderman who The first time I went over the Midlands. Framework knitting Artists, Women’s Guild of Artists is thinking of getting Herkomer to to Bushey to explore and be machines were gradually and numerous others. paint his portrait from an author introduced to the Professor it was becoming obsolete, but remained In 1912 Queen Mary or an R.A., and so we find it best to go with a student to one of these in villages, providing much needed purchased a painting of Whitby to attend to the pictures and to Sunday afternoon receptions. He income. Abbey; later commissioning Mary take it for granted that important was living in a little old fashioned Mary’s middle class background to produce a miniature drawing looking guests are always intending house then and the new castle he and her financial independence for the Queen’s Doll’s House. In sitters. But we generally give our has been planning for years was ensured her successful the same year Mary was chief attention to the pictures as being built at the bottom of his transition to London in 1887. admitted as an Associate of the important looking people often garden. After a number of moves, she Royal Society of Painter-Etchers come and turn out to be merely settled at Bedford Gardens, and Engravers, an important rich folks who are thinking of getting There was no one about when Campden Hill, Kensingston. This milestone in her career. their portraits painted instead of we went in. There was a little brass remained her home until 1924. In later life Mary continued to being painters authors or R.A. or plate on the front door telling Mary made regular return visits exhibit even up into her 90s, scientific men. So we generally give students to go straight through to to Enderby and Leicester exhibiting work with the our chief attention to the pictures the studio and we accordingly went however, producing beautifully Leicester Society of Artists. In the and there are always plenty to look in and did not stop to examine the observed etchings and 1950s she left London to return at. hundreds of interesting things we watercolours of the town’s to live in Enderby. 2 THE JOURNAL OF THE FRIENDS OF BUSHEY MUSEUM new 2016 journal.indd 2 09/09/2016 10:03 Part 1 Memories of My Time as a Student at Bushey under Professor Herkomer. Pictures Bushey Museum Archive Pictures Bushey Museum Herkomer students and a giant snowball with the school building behind The first time I went over passed in the house. We left our teacher that is the time. He is ready to Bushey to explore and be cloaks in a sitting-room half-filled to discuss anything from bicycling introduced to the Professor it was already with sticks and umbrellas to needlework or modern painting to go with a student to one of these for we were not very early and to modern dress. I once assisted in Sunday afternoon receptions. He there we saw a painting of Prof. H’s a heated discussion on the wearing was living in a little old fashioned dead wife and watercolour portraits of sandals. My friend had been house then and the new castle he of his babies at all ages and some wearing sandals in the school to the has been planning for years was beautiful carved furniture carved amazement of the other students being built at the bottom of his by the Professor’s father and uncle and they gathered round in a ring garden. from peculiar designs of his own.