“Bury me beneath the Willow,
‘Neath the Weeping Willow Tree,
So when he knows where I am sleeping
Then perhaps he’ll weep for me.”

THE CARTER FAMILY

Some sources say that the most common of the cultivated Weeping Willow species (salix x sepulcralis) was first introduced into this country from a German nursery in 1908… which does seem a little late in the day considering the hundreds of thousands of the trees that are now to be found across the length and breadth of Britain.

Other sources take a different and longer view on all this. Although they all agree that the weeping willow was first introduced into Britain at Twickenham Park in the 1740’s they disagree as to who it was who did the actual introducing. One group - let’s call them the Vernonites - accept that the tree was originally introduced into mainland Europe from the Levant in 1702 by the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort. However, say the Vernonites, the tree that eventually arrived in England was brought here in 1748 by a Mr. Vernon, a merchant who had business in Aleppo, in Syria. He took a specimen from the banks of the Euphrates and planted it in his garden in Twickenham Park. It is from this one tree that all the other weeping willows have sprung.

(Regular readers of these articles know that Twickenham Park is where St Margarets now stands.)

Another group, the Popeites, claim that the Weeping Willow was first introduced into Twickenham Park not by Mr Vernon but by our own local poet, Alexander Pope. There is some disagreement as to how this introduction occurred. One sub-group - Popeites 1 - argue that Alexander Pope had received a basket of figs from Smyrna in Turkey. Noticing that one of the twigs making up the basket was still alive he planted in his garden in Twickenham and it grew into the willow tree from which all the others have been propagated.

The second group - Popeites 2 - claim that this virile twig formed part of a present sent from Spain not to Pope, but to his next door neighbour, the Countess of Suffolk who lived at Marble Hill - or Marble Hall as it was then known. Alexander Pope just happened to be with the Countess when the present arrived and was unwrapped. Noticing that some of the twigs were still green he said, “Perhaps these may produce something that we have not in England,” He then planted the twigs in his garden in Twickenham and they grew into the willow trees from which all the others etc etc.

A third group - Popeites 3 - take a position on the fence. They agree that it was Countess of Suffolk who received the aforementioned basket of figs, not Pope, but are very hazy on where the figs might have come from. Spain? Smyrna? Somerfields?

Meanwhile the Vernonites say that this is all poetic fiction - and that Alexander Pope’s willow was merely an offspring of Mr Vernons’s original tree, the one he brought from the Euphrates. This makes sense until you realise that Alexander Pope died in May 1744, 4 years before Mr Vernon apparently returned from Aleppo with his specimen. When Mr Vernon came to plant his tree in his garden Alexander Pope had already been planted in Twickenham Church.

— from Martyn Day

Dear Reader,

You might already know me from yellowwedge cheese or the My St Margarets Magazine, but I have just entered the blogosphere with what I hope will quickly evolve into an enjoyable food resource, whatsforteatonightdear.wordpress.com. Your visits and comments would be very welcome. As you’ll see the site is also advertising my services as a freelance food and travel writer, do use the contact page on the site if you’re interested in finding out more. I hope you enjoy your visit!

Philip Brocklehurst

In July 2010, local retailer yellowwedge cheese has been named by The Times as one of the ‘Top 10 Cheese Shops in Britain’! Juliet Harbutt who compiled the list wrote;

“Whatever David Harries does, from recycling to educating his customer, he does with huge energy, passion and a zany sense of humour. Not surprising he won the British Cheese Awards ‘Best New Cheese Retailer’ in 2008.”

We haven’t provided a link to the story because of the subscription fee The Times now charges for online content, but feel free to search it out if you have a spare £1!

When the airport is on easterly operations, the usual practice will not change: planes will use the southern runway for the majority of departures and the northern runway for arrivals; night time alternation will be unaffected. If residents would like to speak to somebody about the noise impact of these works or have an enquiry regarding aircraft noise they can call the flight evaluation unit on 0800 344 844 or email noise_complaints@baa.com.

Details at: tinyurl.com/32g574l

— from Christopher J Squire

With the current problems regarding anti-social behaviour and youth violence Performance Academy London is endeavouring to change the self-image of children in the local area. We thought you might be interested in putting this information onto your website.

In September 2010 Performance Academy London will be launching exciting new drama workshops for children aged between 8-12 years old in Whitton. These workshops have the aim of encouraging self esteem and confidence in the next generation. The company director Robert Wells believes in the importance of using drama as a tool to encourage positive self images in the younger generation. ‘I have seen drama transform children’s confidence and self belief… the shyest and most difficult children have developed a love of theatre and been a given a platform so that they can express themselves positively.’

Performance Academy London has worked with children in Richmond, Merton and Chiswick. They have seen how drama has helped to transform children’s attitudes on life. All children have developed a real excitement for theatre and performance.

The new workshops will provide a great opportunity for children to develop their speaking and listening skills, as well as, improving their self-confidence and self-esteem.

The Classes will be held at St Philip and St James Church Hall Kneller Road, Whitton, Middlesex TW2 7DY.

Details

• Class Times: 4:30pm - 6:00pm
• Class Prices: £100 per child for each term
  • There will be a 25% discount for siblings.

If you have any questions about the classes or want more information on the story please feel free to contact Robert Wells on: 07854252442 or email him at info@performanceacademylondon.co.uk.

HOBART TOWN DAILY COURIER - MARCH 25TH 1857

The fine old mansion on Richmond Green known as Hope House, and tenanted for several years past by the Royal School for the Education of Daughters of Naval Officers, was destroyed by fire at an early hour this morning.

The premises have been unoccupied since July last, when the pupils of the Naval School were removed to St Margaret’s, formerly the beautiful residence of the Earl of Kilmorey, on the Middlesex shore of the river, opposite Richmond, but now one of the newly acquired estates of the Conservative Land Society.

The Royal Naval Female School that came to St. Margarets from Richmond in July 1856 was founded in 1840 by Admiral Sir Thomas Williams to “provide education for the daughters of necessitous officers.” His endowment of £1000 (equivalent to £55,000 today) marked the end of a long career serving his country with distinction during the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic War.

It was years later, in 1869, and long after his death that an account first appeared in a New Zealand newspaper of a “mysterious presentiment” that Admiral Williams had experienced while crossing the Atlantic during the early part of his career.

EVENING POST ISSUE 106 - 15 JUNE 1869

A mysterious presentiment

The following is published in the Court Journal, on the authority of the Dowager Lady Lyttleton, Hagley Hall: —

“Admiral Sir Thomas Williams, a straightforward and excellent man, founder of the Royal Naval Female School for the education of naval officers’ daughters, was in command of a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. His course brought him within sight of the Island of Ascension, at that time uninhabited, and never visited by any ship except for the purpose of collecting turtles, which abound on the coast. The island was barely described on the horizon, and was not to be noticed at all but as Sir Thomas looked at if, he was seized by an unaccountable desire to steer towards it. He felt how strange such a wish would appear to his crew, and tried to disregard it — but in vain. His desire became more and more urgent and distressing, and foreseeing that it would soon be more difficult to gratify it, he told his lieutenant to prepare to ‘put about ship and steer for Ascension’. The officer to whom he spoke ventured respectfully to represent that changing their course would greatly delay them— that just at that moment the men were going to their dinner — that, at least, some delay might be allowed. But these arguments seemed to increase Captain William’s anxiety, and he gave the word of command, which is never resisted. He saw in the countenance of his officers an expression of wonder and even blame, as strong as is ever shown on an order from the captain; but he was obeyed, and the ship was steered towards the uninteresting little island. All eyes and spy-glasses were now fixed upon it, and soon something was perceived on the shore. “It is white — it is a flag— it must be a signal!” and when they neared the shore, it was ascertained that sixteen men, wrecked on that coast many days before, and suffering the extremity of hunger, had set up a signal, though almost without a hope of relief. The shipwrecked men were taken on board and the voyage completed. Sir Thomas related this anecdote in the simplest and most tranquil manner, in A.D. 1818 (years after the date of its occurrence) to the writer of this account.

Admiral Sir Thomas Williams’ “mysterious presentiment” was picked up by Victorian clerics and used as a theme for numerous sermons - the argument being…

“It was the Spirit of God that made the Admiral steer his ship in the very opposite direction to what he and his crew wanted - in the same way as Christ’s supreme power steers us to witness for Him to others. He conquers our wilful hearts and this sinful world, if we will but obey His call.”

The good Admiral and founder of the Royal Naval Female School on the St. Margarets riverside died in 1841. Nearly 100 years later - on September 29^th 1940 the School was damaged by blast from a bomb. The 70 staff and pupils were unharmed as they were sleeping in the basement of the building at the time. The following day it was decided to suspend the Autumn Term and the school was closed down. It reopened again on November 27^th but this time at Verdley Place, near Haselmere. Two days later, on November 29^th 1940 - the original school building in St Margarets was hit again by incendiary and high explosive bombs and destroyed. Locals suspected that the bombers were actually after Richmond Lock which was close by the school.

Strangely the Royal Naval Female School had also received a’ mysterious presentiment’ - this time of its own fate. It came in early September 1940 from the Nazi propagandist William Joyce, a.k.a “Lord Haw Haw”. Broadcasting from Berlin he announced…

“Germany calling! Germany calling…..we are sorry to have to bomb the Naval School - so upsetting for the fathers at sea!”

— from Martyn Day

This is the North St Margarets Residents Association Annual Street Sale, this Saturday 11^th September 1.00pm - 4.00pm, with up to 75 stalls offering bric-a-brac, books, clothes, CD’s and DVDs, toys, children’s items, home made chutneys, jams and pickles and lots more.

Stalls are available to non residents.

For more information phone 020 8892 5211

Join us for a scenic fun run set in the beautiful historic grounds of Marble Hill Park in aid of Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work.

This will be a fun filled charity day with something for all the family. There will be live music and entertainment until 6pm, local food and drink stalls, face painting for children, a raffle with fantastic prizes and perhaps a celebrity or two along the way!

The 6k route is suitable for all fitness levels and ages and there will be a 1k children’s fun run. You can take part as an individual or as a team, in your running kit or in fancy dress (there will be prizes for the best costume!). Organised by local volunteers, this will be a real community event.

• Make sure to register in advance to guarantee your place at: supportus.cancerresearchuk.org/events/marblehillfunrun
• For futher information email: CancerResearch_MarbleHillRun@live.co.uk.
• Entry: £10 adults, £5 children
• Distance: 6K adults, 1K children

This is an extract from an email sent to the Twickenham Action Group.

“Some of the environmental worries have been take into account - none of the new residents will be allowed parking permits — but the footprint is still very large. I have arranged to meet the developers on 6^th August and will communicate residents’ concerns.”

If your readers have concerns please email Dr Cable asap at the following address cablev@parliament.uk.

Ziggy Stardust Came From Isleworth

On the 23^rd April 2009 the St Margarets Community Website carried an article about Vince Taylor, a 1960’s rock ‘n’ roll singer born in Isleworth. After enjoying some moderate success in France Vince fell victim to the powerful psychedelic drug LSD. During his struggle to hold his mind and his failing career together Vince meet David Bowie who was inspired by him to create his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust, the “leper Messiah” swallowed up by the excesses of rock stardom.

“Vince Taylor was the inspiration for Ziggy. Vince Taylor was a rock n roll star from the Sixties who was slowly going crazy… He always stayed in my mind as an example of what can happen in rock n roll… it seemed very appealing: Oh, I’d love to end up like that, totally nuts.”

David Bowie (1976)

A BBC Producer read the article and now it has been turned into a radio documentary. As well as featuring some of the people who worked with Vince Taylor and helped with his initial climb to minor rock ‘n’ roll stardom, we will also hear from some of those who caught him on his way down, including David Bowie.

“Ziggy Stardust Came from Isleworth” - BBC Radio 4, 11.30am - Thursday 19^th August 2010

Note: Once again, this shows you how lucky we are to have Martyn Day writing on this website. Thank you Martyn!

Fun And Games At Kendal House

In its time the Isleworth/St Margarets riverside has been graced by some fine and famous buildings. There was Lacy house, home for a while to Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Kilmorey House, built for but never occupied by the Earl of Kilmorey, Gordon House, home of lawyer and humorist Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Nazareth House and St Margarets, the family seat of the Marquis of Ailsa and over whose grounds is built the district that now bears its name. But of them all perhaps the most notable, if not the most famous was Kendal House, the home of the Duchess of Kendal, the German mistress of King George I.

The Duchess first met George in the 1670’s when she was plain old Ehrengard Melusina von der Schulemburg and serving as a maid of honour to his mother, Sophia, the Electress of Hanover. At the time George was married to his cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Celle. Theirs was not a happy union. He saw her only as an annual wage packet of 100,000 thalers. She saw him as a “snout faced pig.” It all ended in tears. In 1681 she found solace with the handsome Philip Christoph von Königsmarck. George found the same in the skinny arms of the maid of honour, Ehrengard Melusina von der Schulemburg… and skinny she was. One contemporary writer described her as “lank bony hideousness that was to later to distinguish her in England”. In 1694 George divorced Sophie Dorothea of Celle and because of her infidelity with Philip Christoph von Königsmarck threw her into prison where she stayed for the rest of her life. The fact that he was doing the same with Ehrengard Melusina etc etc didn’t seem to count for much in those days.

In 1698 George Louis succeeded as Elector of Hanover and in 1714 became King George 1^st of Great Britain. In the same year he came to Britain bringing with him the ‘bony hideousness’ that was Ehrengard Melusina von der Schulemburg and installed her in a fine country house in Isleworth. The good people of Isleworth didn’t like her much. They thought she was corrupt, greedy, snobbish, foreign, overly tall, angular and hideously bony. They called her “The Maypole”. This was a slight improvement on what the Germans used to call her. They preferred “The Scarecrow”.

On 18 July 1716 Melusina was created Duchess of Munster, Marchioness of Dingannon, Countess of Dungannon, and Baroness Dundalk, in the Peerage of Ireland. On 19 March 1719 she was further created Duchess of Kendal, Countess of Feversham and Baroness Glastonbury, in the Peerage of Great Britain. From that hotchpotch of titles they selected Kendal as the name for her house in Isleworth.

It seems that the King and his skeletal sweetheart were interested in spiritualism and the possibility of life after death. In the “Good Fellows Calendar”, a racy publication of the time, it was reported that…

“This gracious sovereign once, while ‘doing the tender’ with the Duchess of Kendal, promised her that if she survived him, and if departed souls were so permitted, he would pay her a visit. The suspicious Duchess, on his death (in 1727) so expected this that when a large raven, flying into a window of her villa in Isleworth, she was persuaded it was the soul of her departed monarch, and treated it with respect and tenderness.”

(The gracious sovereign must have ‘done the tender’ with his Maypole on numerous occasions because she bore him at least 3 illegitimate children.)

W.M. Thackerey also picked up on the story in his book “The Four Georges”;

“After his demise a great raven flying in at the Duchess of Kendal’s window at Twickenham she imagined the King’s spirit inhabited her sable visitor. Affecting metempsychosis - funereal Royal bird. How pathetic is the idea of the Duchess weeping over it!”

After the Duchess’s death in 1743, aged 76, Kendal House was opened up as a place of public entertainment. An advertisement in the ‘Daily Advertiser’ of 1750 reads:-

“Kendal House, Isleworth, near Brentford, Middlesex, eight miles from London, will open for breakfast on Monday. The room for dancing is 60 feet long, and all the other rooms elegantly fitted up. The orchestra is allowed to be in the genteelest taste, being housed in an octagon in the Corinthian order. Ladies and gentlemen may divert themselves with fishing, the canal being well stocked with tench, carp and all sorts of fish; near are two wildernesses, with delightful rural walks, and through the garden runs a rapid river, shaded with a pleasant grove of trees, so designed by nature that in the hottest day of summer you are secured from the heat of the sun. Great care will be taken to keep out all disorderly people. There is a man cook and a good larder; all things are as cheap or cheaper than at any place of the kind.”

In 1753 Kendal House and a similar establishment in Islington called the “New Tunbridge” were celebrated in a song called “Modern Diversions”.

To opera, assemblies,
Or else to masquerade,
New Tunbridge, or to Kendal House;
And this shall be the trade.
We’ll sally out to breakfast,
And hear the fiddles play;
And there we’ll revel, feast and dance.
And make a merry day

If all her other titles were not enough, in 1723, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, bestowed upon Melusina the designation Princess of Eberstein. Although she had apparently never married George 1^st it was thought that this new title proved that she had married the King in secret. Robert Walpole, the prime minister at the time and the man who really knew ‘what’s what’ said of Melusina that she was “As much the queen of England as anyone was.”

— from Martyn Day

Larkin About is run by Emergency Exit Arts and offers young people the chance to learn some new skills, devise a play and meet new people!

Larkin 2010 will feature drama workshops, singing, physical theatre and much more. Plus a very special drumming workshop with one of the cast members from STOMP! - straight from London’s West End!

The group meet everyday starting from Wednesday 27^th July at Orleans House Gallery and the final performance will take place in York House Gardens on Sunday 8^th August.

This is a free project but booking in advance is a must. If you would like to come along, please call Anna Ramsay on 020 8831 6460.

The Council is proposing the extend the boundary of the St Margarets Estate Conservation Area under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. The proposed extension includes this property. As part of this process, the Council is seeking views of all owners and/or occupiers.

In brief, the implications of Conservation Area designation are as follows:

1. Conservation Area Consent will be required for the demolition of most buildings and structures (including walls)
2. Works to trees above a certain size will require permission
3. New development will be required to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the Conservation Area
4. Certain minor alterations and additions to single family dwelling houses that are visible to public views will require permission.

Comments and recommendations can be submitted in writing to Rachel Case (Rachel.Case@richmond.gov.uk). Please contact Rachel Case, Conservation Area Officer, with any queries on 020 8891 7941.

Please note: the deadline for comments has been extended to 3 September 2010 in order to enable residents and interested parties sufficient time to consider the implications of the proposed extension.

Consultation ends on 3 September 2010

Council’s web page

“The British drew their reasons to make merry from the many sources which had influence on these islands: the cultures of the Celts, the Romans, the Norse and the Normans, as well as creating a few of their own.

Looking back on the revels of the past brings a suspicion that we may have lost the art of having fun. However village fetes still survive as a means of fund raising for various charities…”

“FAIRS AND REVELS” — Brian Jewell 1976

When we’re far from home and someone asks where we’re from, we usual reply ‘London’. When pushed we might refine our answer to ‘West London’ but what we really want to say is ‘St Margarets’, because that is where we’re from. We may be Londoners by definition but in our hearts we see ourselves as villagers. St Margarets is the village in which we live and it is in its streets that we celebrate our existence - and there’s been a lot of that going on recently.

Two weeks ago we had the St Margarets Fair, 32 years old and still pulling in the crowds and then last weekend, street parties. One took place in North St Margarets. Driven by no other reason than to have some fun, get together with old neighbours and welcome in the new ones, the local Residents Association (NSMRA) and the congregation of the neighbourhood church, All Souls, had a “Big Lunch” Street Party, one of a number held that day across Britain. Although these “Big Lunch” street parties were promoted by the Eden Project as a way of fostering neighbourliness, I suspect that we needed very little encouragement to get involved. Street parties are something that we do instinctively. We’ve been holding them since villages first joined together to form towns and cities. Royal Jubilees, Armistices¸ Coronations, Royal Weddings - whatever the excuse we’re genetically hardwired to block off the road, wheel out some tables and chairs, slap on some music and then sit down in the middle of it all to share food and drink with the people from next door - and that is exactly what happened on the corner of Haliburton and Northcote Road last Sunday. The gentry may have their ballrooms and grand halls in which to hold their festivities but working people traditionally hold their ‘knees-up’ in the street - a custom that the middle class has taken up with enthusiasm.

Of course the heavy hand of bureaucracy has descended in recent years - and now we have to have licenses and permissions and approvals - but for all that the form of the street party is always the same…

1. Close the street
2. Put out tables and chairs
3. Add bunting if you’ve got it
4. Sit down with your friends to eat and drink

There are some possible variables to decide on - Children’s fancy dress parade? Live music? Karaoke? A raffle? Tombola? - but essentially the format remains the same. Go to one street party and you’ve been to them all. That is their appeal. Familiar rituals and observances unite people and make them feel at home wherever they are.

There was another street party in Twickenham (or South St Margarets as we like to call it) last weekend when the good people of Court Way held their annual bash - something that they have been doing since 2002 when they celebrated the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. The moment the barriers were up Court Way became a children’s playground, a dance floor, a skating rink and a football pitch. Bands played, there was a bouncy castle and neighbours danced the conga - a dance style that is supposed to have disappeared with Liberty Bodices, the “Penny Chew” and Mantovani. And when the sun went down, so did the bunting. All over the country empty streets, partied out, returned to normal. The children were in bed dreaming of hopscotch and picnics on the pavement and their elders were asking themselves if they should do it all again next year. Yeah! Why not?

“Fairs and revels, highdays and holidays, every citizen still has the right to enjoy these simple pleasures - just so long as he can appreciate that behind…the amplified pop music, the hot dog and candy-floss stalls, on his own doorstep exists a living, breathing example of the medieval past.”

Brenda Kidman — “The Changing Face of the Fair”

See a slideshow of the Big Lunch on flickr

— from Martyn Day

Would you like to be included?

If so send a short piece about yourself and some photos of your work to Jeannine the magazine editor at magazine@mystmargarets.com. To be considered for the autumn edition please ensure that your email arrives by 30 July 2010.