No. 158 Summer 2015 Here's to another 50 years years! Fifty years of service to Strawberry Hill was something to celebrate. In this issue… So we did, with SHRA's Golden Jubilee So here we are in our 51st year and still popular Picnic in Radnor Gardens on today. We thought you might like a look at what else was going on in our area 50 years ago, so we Sunday 17 May in the presence of the have included a piece on the Strawbs, originally Mayor, Councillor Jane Boulton. the Strawberry Hill Boys, who formed locally in the 60’s and are also still going strong. Over 200 picnickers took advantage of a We’re not the only ones with an anniversary – beautiful spring day, enjoying the First World War commemorations continue, music by the popular Fulham Brass Band. and our next instalment in the Hunt for Heroes The children were not forgotten, as they took continues on the back page. More information on advantage of the free Shetland pony rides; relatives, neighbours and friends who took part is always welcome. there was a continuous queue the whole afternoon. The Strawberry Hill Bowling We give you an insight into the dedicated work Club also pitched in with free trials for the being done by a team led by Eileen Reay, to June Turner at the microphone backed replicate the original furnishings in Strawberry visitors, many of whom up by chairman Bruce Duff Hill House. had a go. We were particularly glad to welcome June Turner, one of the founders of We have produced a slightly smaller Bulletin this time because of changes to our editorial team, the Strawberry Hill Residents Association. Celebrating Songs of but we’ll be back up to six pages in the Autumn. In her interesting speech, June turned the clock back to 1965, telling us how it all the Rugby World Cup Nations beganasabattleagainstaproposednewroad The nations taking part in the Rugby World Helen admits that the real challenge will be to that would have cut through the area from Cup 2015 will be celebrated through song in a identify from each country one song that Heath Road to Waldegrave Road. She talked programme of singing workshops set up and captures its culture. about SHRA's other achievements in the co-run by Helen Astrid of the Helen Astrid Workshops will take place on 1, 8, 15 October succeeding five decades and expressed the Singing Academy, in October 2015. 4.45pm – 6.15pm, at the new theatre at hope that residents would continue to protect The workshops will be part of a three-week Richmond Adult Community College, our lovely part of the borough. Music and Drama Festival in Richmond upon Parkshot, Richmond upon Thames TW9 2RE. Thames. June unveiled a memorial sundial, but sadly They are open to Richmond residents and there was some damage to the delivered Helen, a resident of Strawberry Hill, came up visitors, including spectators of rugby games. Children over the age of 12 are welcome, in article, which is being sorted out – see the with the idea of running singing workshops for adults and accompanied children over the age of family groups or accompanied by an adult. next Bulletin for an update. 12, learning a folk or popular song from every Attendance at each workshop will cost £2 per one of the 20 nations participating in the Rugby person. World Cup 2015. She says, "It’s a community You don’t need to be able to read music and event, bringing people together and uniting there will be no obligation to sing alone. To them through an uplifting and unique apply to take part, visit http:// experience in which they learn about the folk w w w . r i c h m o n d . g o v . u k / m u s i c _ a n d - and popular music of other countries. In today’s drama_festival. uncertain climate of cultural and religious differences, the sessions will help to show people how each country has its own voice, equal to others." Funded by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames’ Civic Pride Fund and the RFU, the workshops will be co-run by Helen Astrid and maestro Nicholas Cleobury, Artistic Director of Mid-Wales Opera and Principal Conductor of the Oxford Bach Choir. Would you like to join the SHRA committee? We would love to welcome you. Please contact Bruce Duff. (See back page for contact details). Page 1 The Bulletin No. 158 Summer 2015 Furnishing Strawberry Hill House used over silk or other precious upholstery covering. Only when royalty or other important guests were being entertained would the case Eileen Reay is leading the team working on the replica furnishing for covers be removed. As they were the normal furnishing of the room, Strawberry Hill House. She has previously worked for the National Trust, Historic Royal Palaces and English Heritage. they would often be supplied by the furniture manufacturer as part of the contract. They would quite commonly be made from linen, often checked. There are numerous pictures showing them in use. For I first worked at Strawberry Hill in 2010 as part of the initial phase of Strawberry Hill, the linen was specially woven, as was the braid which restoration of the house. I made festoon curtains for the Great North was used to detail the seams. Piping was not used at this time. Bedchamber and cushions and case covers for the sofas in the Great My current project is to lead the Parlour. Festoon curtains were the height of fashion in the members of the Strawberry Hill th 18 century, as they allowed the whole window to be Sewing Bee in the production of a exposed when they were drawn up. In the case of set of bed hangings. A bed frame Strawberry Hill, where the windows contain some has been made by the same wonderful glass, this is particularly appropriate. The London College as for the sofas, curtain design has been copied from an engraving of the to a design which closely copies room.Making accurate copies of historic furnishings is that of a bed that was in the house. very different from modern work. Often the textile will be The bed originally belonged to copied if the original is available or documented in an Robert Walpole, Horace’s father, inventory, or perhaps, shown in an engraving. There are and stood in the Red several specialist weavers in this country and abroad who Bedchamber. It was the bed in which Robert Walpole died so are able to carry out this work. They will create the point has considerable significance. So far, the ‘bees’ have made mattresses paper (the weavers’ blueprint), source the correct yarns and produce and are at present working on a quilt. This is made from cotton, colour trial samples for approval. All this before the weaving can fashionable at the time, to the design of a quilt dating from around 1700 proceed! In one of my projects the creation of the point paper took that is in the V&A collection. It is being hand quilted and visitors to the 3months; such was the complexity of the design. house can often see the ladies at work. The beautiful blue silk fringe, Inevitably all such projects involve hand sewing as the sewing machine which will edge the curtains and valances, is being hand-knotted by the was not invented until the 19th century. The fabrics are much narrower ladies of the Bee. than our modern ones; the same width as wallpaper. This is because they were hand woven, and 21 inches or thereabouts is the maximum Pope's Grotto distance that a hand thrown shuttle can travel. Consequently, the David Cornwell, member of Pope’s Grotto Preservation Trust and curtains in the Great North Bedchamber each have 7 widths. The fabric SHRA committee, provides an update is a wool and silk damask lined with wool tammy also dyed to shade. Three hundred visitors attended the open days at the Grotto during the The edges are bound with a Twickenham Festival. People enjoyed the opportunity to see the task silk braid and the lower edge ahead in our plans for the restoration and also to enjoy Radnor House finished with a silk fringe. School’s hospitality, the coffee bar and the view of the river from a These too have to be specially different vantage point! made, and the colour must We shall be open again for London Open House weekend on Saturday match. To draw up the 19 September 2015 from 10.00am with last admissions at 12.30pm. curtains, cords (again dyed to Please come and see the Grotto if you haven’t already – many visitors match), run through brass tell us that they have lived locally for years but have never managed to rings sewn to linen tape. The see it before! boards to which they are Fundraising for the restoration continues apace with bids being written attached are constructed with to organisations requesting support for the project. Meanwhile, work is internal brass pulley wheels, ongoing to produce the plans and drawings to enable the necessary over which the cords are consents to be granted. drawn. Tassels, also On 26 September, the Trust and Radnor House School will be hosting commissioned, finish the ends of the cords. The only concession to a symposium at which a number of Pope experts will help us to launch modernity is that the curtains are fixed to the boards with Velcro. This the restoration project and the fundraising that will begin in earnest.