BACK COVER THE CHELSEA SOCIETY THE CHELSEA SOCIETY REPORT 2018 REPORT SOCIETY THE CHELSEA PROVIDING HOMES FOR PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES IN CHELSEA SINCE 1717 SLOANESTANLEY.COM ANNUAL REPORT 2018 The Chelsea Specialists John D Wood & Co. are proud to support our nation’s veterans in association with The Royal Hospital Chelsea. For more information on how you can help us help them, please contact us. Chelsea Green King’s Road Lower Sloane Street Andy Buchanan – Sales Edward Coxhead – Lettings Russell Williamson – Sales [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 020 3151 6455 Robert Green MRICS – Sales Ghiles Larbi-cherif – Lettings [email protected] [email protected] 020 3151 5592 020 3151 5032 johndwood.co.uk 2463-JDW-ChelseaSocAdvert-A5P-Print.indd 1 21/03/2019 09:06 THE CHELSEA SOCIETY ANNUAL REPORT 2018 1 Anniversaries are a time of reflection. A century on from the end of the First World War, 2018 was a year of national commemoration and remembrance. All conflicts are agents of change, but the first industrial total war wrought dislocation in Britain, across Europe and Russia, and far beyond. One legacy of those four years of conflict are memorials to the fallen. They are to be found in all but 53 of England’s then estimated 16,000 villages. Chelsea’s main memorial, unveiled in 1920, stands in Sloane Square, but there are others, tucked away, such as in Wiltshire Close. To mark the ending of the Great War, it seemed apt to include a piece on Sir Alfred Munnings, who lived in Chelsea Park Gardens. Renowned for his paintings of horses, he was also an official War artist. With the reform of the franchise in 1918, some seven million more men were entitled to vote, often overlooked in last year’s celebrations of the anniversary of votes for women. However, 2018 was also the 90th anniversary of all women over 21 being enfranchised in 1928. This seems a good enough reason for this edition of the Annual Report to remember some of those women who lived or worked in Chelsea who effected profound, even revolutionary, change in Britain, including Mary Quant and Elizabeth David. Sarah Ingham – Editor The Cover image is Chelsea in Ice (1864) by James McNeill Whistler, Oil on canvas, 17 3/4 x 24” Reproduced by kind permission of Colby College Museum of Art, The Lunder Collection (2013.293) 2 CONTENTS THE COuNCIL OF THE CHELSEA SOCIETy .........................................................4 THE ANNuAL GENERAL MEETING .......................................................................6 THE CHAIRMAN’S Report .....................................................................................8 Report OF THE PLANNING COMMITTEE 2018 ...............................................21 WRITTEN IN Stone: CHELSEA’S StatuES to WOMEN ................................25 MONMOuTH HOuSE ..............................................................................................29 LADIES’ HALvES By ELIzABETH DAvID ............................................................33 ALFRED MuNNINGS AND THE FIRST WORLD WAR .....................................35 SyBIL THORNDIkE ....................................................................................................39 Commemorating MARy QuANT AND HER kING’S ROAD BAZAAR ...42 OBITuARy: THEODORE RAMOS ............................................................................46 THE TREASuRER’S Report ....................................................................................51 THE TRuSTEES’ Report ..........................................................................................54 Report OF THE INDEPENDENT ExAMINER ....................................................57 ACCOuNTS ..................................................................................................................58 CONSTITuTION ..........................................................................................................61 LIST OF MEMBERS .....................................................................................................65 3 THE CHELSEA SOCIETY Founded by Reginald Blunt in 1927 To Protect the Interests of all who Live and Work here and to Preserve and Enhance the Unique Character of Chelsea www.chelseasociety.org.uk President JOHN SIMPSON CBE Vice-Presidents THE WORSHIPFuL THE MAyOR OF kENSINGTON AND CHELSEA THE RT. HON. THE EARL CADOGAN, kBE, DL THE RT. HON. GREG HANDS, MP Hon. Vice-President DAMIAN GREENISH Council Chairman: DR JAMES THOMPSON Vice-Chairman: MICHAEL STEPHEN MICHAEL BACH MARTyN BAkER TERENCE BENDIxSON AMALIA CEBREIRO JANE DORRELL SIR PAuL LEvER CHRIS LENON FLEuR DE vILLIERS Hon. Secretary Hon. Treasurer JENNIFER GROSSMAN vACANT Chairman: Planning Committee Hon. Secretary (Membership) MICHAEL STEPHEN ALLAN kELLy Hon. Secretary (Events) Hon. Editor, Annual Report GAyE MuRDOCH DR SARAH INGHAM JOHANNA THORNyCROFT THE CHELSEA SOCIETY Address for Correspondence: 30 Paradise Walk, London SW3 4JL Registered Charity 276264 4 Annual General Meeting of the Chelsea Society Chelsea Town Hall Monday, 26th November 2018 Welcome At 6.35pm the meeting began with a broadcast from Greenland by the Society’s President, John Simpson CBE. Giving his apologies for absence, he congratulated the Society for its work in 2018 and wished it well for the coming year. Minutes The minutes of the last Annual General Meeting held on 20th November 2017 were approved. Elections to the Society’s Council Michael Bach, Terence Bendixson and Jennifer Grossman retired. In accordance with Rule 4.16 of the Society’s Constitution, Michael Bach and Terence Bendixson offered themselves for re-election and were elected. Accounts for the Financial Year ending 30th June 2018 The Accounts were presented by acting Treasurer, Christopher Lenon, and were adopted. Chairman’s Annual Report Chairman, Dr James Thompson, presented his Report for 2018. Any Other Business Society members raised a number of other matters: Society Membership Asked whether the Society’s membership was increasing or diminishing, the Membership Secretary replied that we had 35 more members than at this time last year. Traffic Law Enforcement Concern was expressed about the enforcement of traffic laws in Chelsea. Cllr. Will Pascall, lead Member at RBkC for Planning and Transport, made a statement on improvements to the Council’s procedures for enforcing the planning laws, construction and construction-traffic management plans, as well as parking and waiting regulations. TfL’s Proposed Changes to Chelsea’s Bus Services The Planning Committee Chairman replied that the Society had objected to any reduction in these bus services and a copy of the Society’s submission had been placed on its website. The MP for Chelsea & Fulham, the Rt. Hon. Greg Hands stated that he had objected to the proposals on behalf of his constituents. He thanked RBkC for its support for this objection. He added that the need to reduce bus services was due to the Mayor’s promise to freeze bus fares if he were elected. 6 THE ANNuAL GENERAL MEETING The Queen’s Head Pub, Tryon Street The Planning Committee chairman replied that he and the member of the Committee for Royal Hospital Ward had visited the pub and had spoken with the owner. They made it clear that the Society wished the building to remain as a pub (or pub/restaurant) and would not support its conversion to residential use. Some residential accommodation as part of the overall development would be acceptable. Work had not yet started. The Committee would contact him the owner for an update on the project. Cyclists on Pavements The Planning Committee chairman replied that whilst cyclists rightly expected their rights to be respected it was important that they respected the rights of others. He had proposed some years ago that if cyclists committed traffic offences their bicycles should be held until they paid a fine: he invited the MP to bring this again to the attention of Parliament. The Closure of King’s Road Cinemas The Planning Committee chairman replied that the Society had been in dialogue with the owners of both cinemas and their architects. Building work would take some time, but on completion we would have two new cinemas, better than the old ones. Work on the Curzon cinema would take extra time due to the need to keep the Waitrose store open. The Manager of Waitrose said that he and his staff would do their best to provide a normal service throughout the works. The Chairman closed the meeting at 7.33pm. 7 Chairman’s Report To the Annual General Meeting of the Chelsea Society Madam Mayor of kensington and Chelsea, vice-Presidents, Member of Parliament, Members of the Council, Members of the Society, Chairmen of other amenity societies and honoured guests, I would like to thank the Members of Council for their dedicated work over the past year. They believe the future of Chelsea is worth fighting for, as enshrined in our principal Object: to preserve and improve the amenities of Chelsea for the public benefit. Chelsea Town Hall 8 THE CHAIRMAN’S report Our Constitution requires three members of Council to retire each year, though they may stand for re-election. Jennifer Grossman, a tireless campaigner on the Crossrail issue, has completed three years’ service as Secretary, despite this coinciding with family illness worsened by perpetual building work right next to her. She is not standing for re-election and we thank her warmly for her contribution to the Society. Construction in Old Church Street (Image: Jane Craven) 9 THE CHAIRMAN’S report Terence