Contacts

The Teddington Society
21 Teddington Park
Teddington TW11 8BD

Contact by e-mail:
secretary@teddingtonsociety.org.uk

The Spring 2005 issue of Tidings includes the following:

• Chairman's Letter
• From the Editor
• Reports from the Groups
• The "Teddington Shield"
• Our World in Crisis
• Diana or Arethusa?
• Who do you think you are?
• The Thirty Nine Steps (plus 300!)
• St Mary Teddington Bells
• Scarlet Blue
• Annual General Meeting
• Diary and Events

Chairman's Letter
A very happy New Year everyone! It was lovely to see so many of you at the Society's New Year party on January 22nd, and I hope to see you again at the AGM in April.

Teddington certainly ended the year on a bright note, with the High Street lit up, and for the first time in my memory, Broad Street also. Although I suspect taken for granted by many, this is a real achievement, as it involved not only the Society and the Council (through its imaginative Civic Pride scheme), but also several very public-spirited and hardworking local business people: in particular Kim Jones, Ceta Garcia, Roger Ford, Jackie Langella, Sue Chuter and Nicola Cooper.

2004 was a good year for Teddington generally, particularly along the Riverside, with the new moorings at the Lock and the River Festival in June, which is to be repeated this year. I am however very concerned at the amount of sewage that is discharged into the tidal Thames, on almost a weekly basis.

Not all new developments can be said to enhance the area. Most do, often as a result of the Society's involvement, but some of the conversions and extensions, in particular, stretch the boundaries to the limit as far as size and aesthetics are concerned.

The question of parking will loom large this year, so make sure that you consider the proposals carefully when they are made public. It will be no good complaining after any decisions are made and implemented. If you are unsure about any aspect of parking please do not hesitate to contact Brian Holder, the Roads and Transport Convenor.

This is my fourth year as Chairman and I have thoroughly enjoyed chairing the Executive Committee - a dedicated group of people - and representing the Society on many occasions. We are held in high regard in the Borough, which is very reassuring, and our views, for the most part, are given careful consideration and more importantly, are often acted upon. I think, however, that it is now time for me to stand down as Chairman, to pursue other interests, which have been rather neglected these past four years. So, I am looking for a successor to come forward before the AGM in April. It is a very rewarding job!

John Demont

From the Editor
In this first issue of the new year, I would like to thank you all for your continued support of Tidings. I very much value your comments, and feel privileged to receive so many wonderful items for publication. The broad span of interests and expertise represented among our members is amply evidenced by the current issue, with articles ranging in subject from genealogy to rock bands!

It cannot be stressed too much that I wish this newsletter to reflect the concerns of all our Society's members, and so I urge you to continue contributing letters, articles and ideas for articles. Date for submissions for the next issue is April 20th, but anything arriving earlier would be gratefully received.

Margaret Chan

The "Teddington Shield"

This intriguing shield shaped badge, found in Woy Woy, Australia, has been recently received by the Twickenham Museum. If any of our readers has information about the boat builder R.H Porter, the Museum or our Historical Research Group would be delighted to hear from them.