Contacts

The Teddington Society
21 Teddington Park
Teddington TW11 8BD

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

The Christmas 2007 issue of Tidings includes the following:

• Letter from the Chair
• From the Editor
• Reports from the Groups
• A Little Bit of Teddington's History
• A Grave Concern
• The Approach of Winter
• RD Blackmore
• The Manor of Teddington
• Diary and Events

Letter from the Chair
I write this in the middle of a most beautiful Indian summer that is providing such a welcome contrast to our miserable wet summer months.

Teddington is full of trees turning red and gold and yellow. The cercis in my garden has turned a clouded pink and yellow in contrast to the harsh red of an acer and the orange of the pyracantha berries. As I drove to Wiltshire and back today there were red dogwoods and bright brown beeches along the roadside.

I took part in a most enjoyable Teddington outing earlier this month to Sussex. We visited a fascinating medieval house - St. Mary's, Bramber - that was originally a monastic inn for pilgrims going to Canterbury but which has later additions including a 16th century painted bed chamber. It is surrounded by lovely mature gardens and there is a delightful "secret" garden with a barn containing strange horticultural and domestic implements. After a (too) substantial pub lunch we visited the church in Steyning which has some splendid Norman arches and dog-toothing.

I look forward to future similar events. Meanwhile may I wish all the Society’s members a very happy New Year and hope to see many of you at the party on January 26th.

Jenny Hilton

From the Editor

All Change!

My pleas for a new Editor to take over from me next year were answered by no fewer than four volunteers and we will now have an editorial team to carry forward the work under the new Editor, Mike Woods.

We are saying goodbye in this issue to our designer, George Foster, who so beautifully transformed Tidings. A change of job makes it impossible for him to continue but I would like to express the Society’s gratitude for all his hard work over a number of years and add a personal note of thanks for all the times he has "dug me out of a hole" over the production of Tidings! A further change - Peter Denton - who has contributed such fascinating articles over the years to our Newsletter - has decided to retire. I know that we will all miss reading his well researched and interesting pieces. This issue has been produced "in house" – so all the mistakes are my very own! The Society wishes to cut some of the costs of the production of the Newsletter – the alternative being to increase subscriptions – so I trust you will bear with me! Margaret Chan Copy deadline for the next issue is 20th January.

Margaret Chan

A Grave Concern

You can't help feeling that Alexander Macdonald was pretty unlucky in life. He went to war in the Crimea and in return for serving Queen and Country, he suffered no fewer than 21 wounds which he somehow collected in two battles. But then what happened? One crisp winter's day in 1889, he was innocently watching a polo match in Bushy Park – and was struck dead by an unfortunately misguided ball which scored a direct hit.

Poor old Alexander is one of thousands of people who rest in Teddington Cemetery, a 10- acre haven of tranquillity in Shacklegate Lane. His battle honours are recorded on his grave, though the cause of his ultimate demise isn't. That was revealed by Phil Crookes, Richmond Council's cemeteries officer who has a unique knowledge of the borough's burial grounds... and the people in them.

Take, for example, the final resting place of Lavinia Job in 1879. There's a touch of history here, for hers is the first purchased grave in the cemetery. Buying the plot gave her family (the local dairy family, incidentally) the exclusive right of burial and permission to erect a memorial. This was something of a rarity, because most plots at the time were common or pauper graves in which unrelated people were buried, usually without a memorial.

Not far from Lavinia lies RD Blackmore, an all but forgotten author now, but in his day hugely famous for translating Virgil, writing patriotic poems and, of course, Lorna Doone. He was also a substantial market gardener who for many years cultivated a number of acres of Teddington’s finest orchards.

Nearby, here and there, are a scattering of war graves, each marked by the distinctive, simple headstone ubiquitous throughout the UK, France, Belgium and beyond. But one or two in Teddington have become family graves, so in addition to the simple headstone, they now have surrounds and additional inscriptions. Everything ranging from towering monuments to unmarked graves can be found in the cemetery. Guardian angels by the score, of course, but also Latin laments, Chinese inscriptions, Welsh dedications, Gaelic crosses, granite monoliths, modern-day plastic windmills and even a forlorn, lost bambi carving in memory of a long-forgotten child.

Ah, the children. There are few sights sadder than a child's grave, and you can't help but think "how...?" and "why...?" There, for example, is Brian Hastings, who died in 1939 at the tender age of 11. He was an altar boy at St Alban's church, a "sixer" in the 4th Teddington Cubs, and very clearly a valiant child: his grave records the fact that he was the holder of the Cornwell award – the "Scouts' VC", some call it, because it's the highest accolade a Cub or Scout can receive. It’s given for bravery, for showing courage in adversity such as serious illness, so we know that Brian was a hero – though why isn’t recorded.

Teddington Cemetery has the distinction of being listed in the English Register of Heritage Parks and it's not difficult to see why: the visitor can’t fail to be struck by the number and variety of trees which give it a very particular charm and character. It's also well-maintained and neat – though thankfully not too neat. Many of the gravestones are now well-weathered, and a few of the older Victorian crosses are covered in ivy, which seems just right.

As cemeteries officer, Phil Crookes makes a point of attending all funerals – "to be on hand, just in case". More often than not, families will take advantage of the cemetery's small and peaceful chapel, which can be adapted for any religion or none. Phil is there to ensure that everything goes to plan, with a minimum of stress for the mourners.

Actually, the cemetery has two chapels, although only one is used now. "When they were built back in 1881, one was for Anglican services, and the other was known as the dissenters' chapel" Phil explained. "For the last 25 years or so, we’ve used the dissenters' chapel as a store room, but it's in excellent condition, with all the original ornate tiles and ceiling beams in place, and it'd be nice to think that it could perhaps be reopened for community use some time."

Peter Denton