Contacts

The Teddington Society
21 Teddington Park
Teddington TW11 8DB

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

The Christmas 2008 issue of Tidings includes the following:

• Letter from the Chair
• From the Editor
• Reports from the Groups
• London Week of Peace
• Daphne Windle
• Lords of the Manor
• Reports from the Groups
• Teddington Library
• John Cleaver
• Teddington Blooms
• Diary and Events

Letter from the Chair
I write this in October as the nights are drawing in and the trees in Teddington are beginning to show beautiful tones of yellow, copper and red. Sadly many of our horse chestnuts are showing not just autumnal tints but signs of serious disease. It will be a tragedy if we lose the wonderful avenue of chestnuts in Bushy Park.

To sound a more cheerful note, we had an excellent September outing to Charleston House, the home of Vanessa Bell, her lovers and various other members of the Bloomsbury Group. The guides gave vivid accounts of their complex relationships and we also enjoyed the rambling, tousled garden full of old apple trees and herbaceous plants and the nearby church that was painted by Vanessa and her daughter and Duncan Grant. We were lucky in this wet summer to be only slightly dampened as we walked around. This month we have had another fascinating event organised by Angela Carvill - a candlelit evening in historic Southside House, Wimbledon.

We can now look forward to the switching-on of the Christmas lights on 27th November and to our party in January.

May I take this early opportunity to wish all members of the Teddington Society a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Jenny Hilton

From the Editor
"It just seems like yesterday". An old saying but how true it is. This, my fourth issue of Tidings as Editor, represents effectively my first year in the job. If I knew then what I know now, I wonder whether I would have volunteered for the job? But I'm glad I did. It has been a challenge but an enjoyable one. I hope I’ve managed to continue the traditions of the Newsletter.

I've taken the liberty of introducing some new features and I hope these have enhanced rather than detracted from the Newsletter. Having received no oppugnant outcry from yourselves, I am assuming that, on balance, those additions are acceptable.

One of my biggest challenges has been to include all of the contributions that come in every time and the "blue pencil" has been employed occasionally. So the big questions are: do we look to increase the number of pages, or change how many editions we have each year or find additional/alternative ways of disseminating those contributions? Whatever the answer, it is clear that Teddington is still a thriving community with much going on and much to report. And long may it continue.

You will receive in this issue, notice of Teddington Lights Up and the New Year Party. I look forward to meeting many of you there.

Mike Woods

John Cleaver - Reverend Retires
After 16 years, John Cleaver delivered his last sermon as Vicar of St. Mary with St. Albans parish church on September 28th. He and Diane, whom he met and married 38 years ago in Bexley, are retiring to Eastbourne. John has always supported the Teddington Society both by being a member and by participating in Society activities. Only last year when "Teddington in Flower" clashed with a multi-Church meeting, John arranged for the meeting to be held in one of the other churches so that St Mary’s could open for us. Inevitably on these occasions our Chair ended up having tea with the Mayor and the Vicar among the tombstones; having fun whilst raising money for local charities.

A jovial, larger than life character, John's presence will be sorely missed at the AGM, the New Year party, the Village Fair and indeed Teddington as a whole. We wish John and Diane a long and happy sojourn on the sunny Sussex south coast.

Sheena Harold