We have probably come to the end of the brass monkey weather, which is good news but Harrow’s potholes are getting bigger and bigger. But as the potholes grow deeper the snowdrops grow taller. Surely, these pretty little flowers with a sweet fragrance are a sign of optimism?

This edition kicks off with a new contribution, which will hopefully become a regular feature: the thoughts of Acting Chairman Ted Allett. There is a second article by Ted about Churchfields on page 7.

At the AGM one of the interesting items was a suggestion for us to propose a change in the law on the planning process to end the arrangement whereby anybody can do anything to his/her property without planning permission and if caught, can apply retrospectively and get permission to do what has already been done months or years before. If we accomplished a change in the law to discourage or change this practice it would benefit many communities, not just ours. One option would be to apply a retrospective fee three to five times higher than if the application had been submitted in advance of the works being carried out. Alan Evans, Chair of the Plan-ning Committee, has given us an update on planning matters on page 2.

There was an embarrassing moment for me personally at the AGM when somebody enquired if there really was going to be a Harrow Hilton. Serves me right. I thought I was being amusing when I described Grove End, a re-developed private residence so large (built with retrospective planning permission) that it could have been a small hotel. That was a joke. So, apologies again if I confused anybody. No Hilton Hotel to worry about then, although you might have noticed that there are a number of hotel developments in Harrow in the planning pipeline.

In line with our policy to feature profiles about outstanding people on the Hill, Solveig Wilson has written about a much loved lady who needs no introduction: Barbara Miller.

On page 4, Debora Catherall reviews some of the Trust events which have taken place since the last newsletter and announces a great programme of things to come on The Hill. There is also some interesting detail about help available on the Hill, especially by boys of Harrow School, co-ordinated by Loretta Moseley who teaches there.

I was much impressed at the recent AGM by the research presented by Judith Mills and Mike Benwell into the history of the gantry outside the King’s Head since the redevelopment of what used to be the hotel. More information in the article on page 7.

I extend a warm welcome return to our much respected ex-editor Don Walter. He has been doing some in-depth research into the history of Harrow School and gives us a sneak preview of his forthcoming book on the subject on page 3.

Another interesting piece of research into the history of the Hill is by Victoria Peet and her partner Jake Thomson - see page 6. They have researched the prop-erty in Crown Street into which they moved just 12 months ago.

Any contribution by our webmaster Mark Mills is always worth reading so please look out for his brief article on page 3 on how you make use of the Trust’s website.

I must apologise to our corporate members for a lesser visibility on the back page of this edition which will be rectified for the next one.

If you have any comments or suggestions on this edition of the newsletter, or on any matter which should merit the attention of the Harrow Hill Trust, please don’t hesitate to send them to us at hhtinfo@aol.com.

Peter DetreEditor

The harrow hill TrusTCaring for the heritage of the Hill and its future

SPRING 2010

From your Editor

Your Trust Needs You!

As you are aware all the Trust activi-ties and events are organized and run by volunteers (including myself, your Editor). We would be very grateful for willing helpers to support the tireless team of volunteers. There are a number of areas that might interest you:

• Do you have an hour to spare, once every six months to distribute about 20 newsletters along two roads on the Hill?

• Would you like to be involved in any of the Committees (Planning, Environ-ment and Social) to help shape the Trust and its activities? We meet for two hours every other month.

• Would you like to help at any of the events, either before or during, for about 2-3 hours per event?

• Would you like to suggest and run your own event as part of the Trust’s list of activities? This is what Jona-than Edwards does for his Walks and Sheena Hulme did for the Plant day.

If the answer is ‘yes’ to any of these questions please contact us via the website at hhtinfo@aol.com or Mark Mills on his mobile 07977 257 703.

1www.harrowhilltrust.org.uk

Spring has sprung on the Hill

hht spring 2010.indd 1 07/04/2010 11:48

2 www.harrowhilltrust.org.uk

I write this, my first contribution, shortly after the recent Annual General Meeting. Those attending heard reports on our activities to protect the Hill from inap-propriate development (Planning), to repair and improve its public fabric (Environment), and to entertain and enjoy ourselves (Community Relations).

These activities are described more fully in this newsletter and as you will read, the Trust is as vigilant and energetic as ever. Despite not having an elected Chair-man or Vice Chairman the Trust is in fine fettle, courtesy of more than 17 active members of its committees who do such a wonderful job and make my workload as Acting Chairman light indeed. A little bit of healthy rota-tion this year requires huge thanks to John MacDonald for ten years of Scottish prudence in looking after our finances, to Paul Catherall for taking up those reins after putting our membership records in better order, and to Victoria Peet for joining us as our new Membership Secretary. It is particularly good to be able to welcome a new and (hopefully not ageist to say) young face to the committee ranks.

You know what comes next of course – that we would always welcome more! It is not only a case of many hands making light work, but fresh minds and ideas inject the energy that any organisation needs to thrive. So if you want to do a little more to further the aims of the Trust in its 50th year please do get in touch with us at hhtinfo@aol.com.

Members attending the AGM had the opportunity to comment on the proposed increase in minimum subscription from £5 to £8 per year (from £3 to £5 for concessions). Many of you of course already give more than this for which we thank you. The AGM supported your Executive’s proposal, and I can report that at the recent meeting of the Executive Committee the decision to increase subscriptions has been ratified. It will apply from 1 September this year.

After the formal proceedings had been completed, the AGM heard a presentation on our 50th anniversary project to renew the wooden structure – be it a gantry, gallows or loading gauge – on the Green.

I look forward to enjoying Spring on the Hill.

Chairman’s blog

Ted AllettActing Chairman

At the Trust’s Annual General Meeting in Febru-ary some members expressed concern about a recent development for which planning permission was sought only after work had already started. It was suggested that the Council might discourage this by applying a much higher charge for retrospective applications. However, the Council have told us that this would not be possible since the charges are set nationally, not locally. We agreed therefore at the AGM to see if we can interest others to join us in a national campaign.

On a more positive note it appears that Harrow Council is taking enforcement more seriously than it has in the past. The report on Planning Enforcement presented to Planning Committee of 10th March said that the number of statutory notices requiring action issued between the beginning of April last year and the end of February this year was 51, as against only 20 for the whole of the previous year. Of the 51 notices, six related to properties on the Hill, all of which, served last September, required the various properties between 43 and 55 West Street to be tidied up.

The report also said that the Council’s enforcement team was to be increased in number. At present there are only two members of staff but Planning Services is currently recruiting additional professional planning

staff for enforcement. This may not prevent work being started without first obtaining planning permission, but it should certainly mean that the Harrow planners will be better able to follow up complaints, and that they will be less willing than they may have been in the past to be ‘flexible’ about what needs permission, and whether what actually has been built was the same as what was permit-ted. So it should be worthwhile ringing up the Planning Department if you notice anything out of order.

From a retrospective application we turn to one which has been discussed for some five years. The appli-cation by Dandara for development of the former Post Office site was turned down by the Council last year and the appeal was heard at a public hearing in March.

The Campaign for a Better Harrow Environment (CBHE) is actively participating in the Appeal proceedings supported by the Trust. Our main concern is the height of the tallest of the proposed buildings which would be as tall as the roof of St Mary’s Church and would radi-cally alter the view of the Hill from many vantage points. We are fairly confident that this will not be permitted, particularly as our concern is shared by English Heritage, but we have to await the Inspector’s decision, which will be published after you receive this Newsletter.

Planning Matters Update

Alan EvansChair of the Planning Committee

Following the support at the AGM for the increase in the annual membership subscription from £5 to £8 (and concessions from £3 to £5) we would welcome members support in helping us to implement this where it applies.

A large percentage of members already contrib-ute £10 or more, for which we are most grateful. We suggest one way of updating contributions would be for members to send in the enclosed form with a signed

mandate at the new level. Of course a cheque would be fine. If you would like to consider a gift aid declaration for UK tax payers that would allow the Trust to benefit even further. Many thanks for your continued support. We encourage members to make the most of the Trust. We hope that you like the new newsletter, our new website, the walks and events and enjoy the Christmas tree on the Green.

A word from our new Treasurer

Paul CatherallTreasurer

hht spring 2010.indd 2 07/04/2010 11:48

3www.harrowhilltrust.org.uk

Members aware of my long connection with the Trust as well as my series of local history books may not be surprised to learn that, right now, I seem to be writing a potted history of the Trust’s first 50 years.

The one who is surprised is myself as my current project is actually an “outsider’s” history of Harrow School which, to the best of my knowledge, will be the first-ever record of the somewhat turbulent relationship between ‘town and gown’ over some 400 years.

It would be fair to say that when I began writing some 18 months ago, I had not fully realised that I would be re-telling not just the School’s story but also the history of the Hill (and its many institutions) which is why, even in its present incomplete state, the book already runs to some sixty chapters!

Nor did I anticipate that the later chapters, carrying the narrative from 1960 to 2010, would have to refer quite so frequently to the activities of the Trust. But, in truth, there has not been a single issue of any conse-quence concerning the Hill in which the Trust has not had some serious involvement.

To name only a few such momentous moments, I have found myself researching and recording the stories behind the threatened loss of School properties at the top of Peterborough Road…the troublesome creation of the Hill Reservoir…the sale of Ducker and the threat of a gigantic temple in its place and, most controversially of all, the building of the Ryan Theatre which saw the Hill almost as cruelly divided as in the years of the English Civil Wars (which, of course, are also covered by the book!)

Another reason for the book’s long gestation has been the sheer amount of research it has entailed which has thrown up all kinds of fascinating facts new to me.

I never knew, for example, that for some 30 years at the end of the 19th century, Harrow School maintained a separate house for boys of the Jewish faith (for which in quite recent times the School was asked to make a retrospective apology!). I was equally ignorant of the fact that, just over 100 years ago, Town and Gown were united in fighting off plans to link Sudbury and Stanmore by tram-car which would have meant running tram-lines

along the entire length of the old High Street. Backed by the Middlesex Country Council, the idea had many supporters but ultimately failed not through the weight of public opinion but through the sheer cost of its implementation.

Although the book is primar-ily about the School rather than its pupils, I have naturally found space for, I hope, unfamiliar details about familiar names such as Churchill, Byron and Trol-lope. In addition, I seem to have uncovered some amazing untold stories such as the Head Boy who, in 1918, (temporarily) vanished into thin air even though he was wearing his full Sunday rig of top hat and tail-coat; also, the sorry saga of the Old Harrovian who, having survived running in front of the horses at the 1913 Ascot Gold Cup, later wrote a book called - accurately enough - “From Harrow School to Herrison House Asylum”.

Whilst in a piece such as this, I am allowed to jump from period to period, the actual book, of course, has had to be written in strict chronological sequence. For this reason, I have found it practical to add a number of appendices, each one dealing with typical aspects of School life, such as fagging and flogging, that survived from the earliest days until the relatively recent past. Another such sequence deals with all the works of fiction inspired by Harrow School life including the barely believable “Gerald Eversley’s Friendship “which enshrines the immortal phrase “No being, perchance, is so distinct, none so beautiful or attractive, as a noble English boy”. The author, who was not ashamed to use his own name, was none other than James Welldon, otherwise best remembered as Winston Churchill’s Headmaster!

Whilst naturally hoping I have now whetted your appetite, I have to admit that my book has a working title “Town and Gown” but, as yet, no publication date. But, as the saying goes, watch this space…

Don Walter’s new book ‘Town and Gown’Fast becoming a mini-history of the Trust

Don Walter

It is now just over a year since we quietly launched the new look website, www.harrowhilltrust.org.uk, which I hope you are all finding easier to use and the content useful. Over the last five months we have had over 700 visits to the site and 2,108 pages of information have been viewed!

Over the next year, my intention is to develop the website further, with new content, more interactivity and to try (in partnership with you) to create an online community within the Trust.

I hope that you are finding it easy to learn about our events. We list them here in the newsletter, and about a month before I put posters up on our noticeboard and on Middle Road, Byron Hill Road, London Road and Mount Park Road. If there are any other locations you

believe are well suited, please let me know at hhtinfo@aol.com

Finally, if you haven’t already, please visit the website and push the grey “join” button on the top-right of every page, just next to the search box. In this way we will be able to pass messages and reminders to you.

Website Update

Mark MillsHHT webmaster

click here!

hht spring 2010.indd 3 07/04/2010 11:48

4 www.harrowhilltrust.org.uk

Reflections on last year’s social activities

We have had a pretty active social year last year and just reading through the review on the right made me want to applaud the efforts of those who organized them. There is no doubt that we are a social bunch in Harrow. And there is more to come this year. Just glance through the plans on the next page and I hope you will be impressed. – Ed

Harrow School Community Service

Since the last newsletter in September 2009 our new team of Rita Boswell, supported by Rev. Tim Gosden and Jonathan Edwards led a walk via Waldron Road, Crown Street and West Street to St. Mary’s Church. The highlights included details about the Hewlett family, Lord Shaftesbury, Gerald du Maurier, Annie Besant, Rev. Cunningham and the Church commemorative plaque. The walk concluded at the Church Room with a cup of tea kindly arranged by Rev. Tim Gosden.

Then in November we hosted a very interesting talk on the re-birth of St Pancras, presented by our acting chairman Ted Allett. Ted was Environment Director for the company that built the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and told the story from the start, from the choosing of the route, through to the Royal opening of St Pancras.

St Mary’s Hall was packed and I’m sure that anyone there would agree that Ted’s story was fascinating and a real eye-opener. Gilbert Scott of course designed not only the hotel in front of the station but also the Harrow School Vaughan Library and the picture showed the common likeness in the buildings. There are so many things that have to be considered when modernising an old station – from moving houses to moving bodies. I found the design of the original construction and the thoughts of Thomas Hardy fascinating. Also thanks to Betjeman who, in the 1960s, fought the destruction of St Pancras. “He didn’t save it singlehandedly, but it certainly wouldn’t have happened without him,” said Andrew Motion, one of Betjeman’s successors as poet laureate.

December saw two activities from the Trust that have become traditional Christmas events. First, Mark Ellis

and the team put up arguably one of the best Christmas trees of recent years. It looked lovely, particularly at night with the lights sparkling. The carol concert with music provided by the Salvation Army was well attended. Over 200 people met together at 4.45pm on the Green on Sunday 20th December and made this event part of their Christmas celebrations. It was probably the largest crowd ever. I have made a note to have more carol sheets next time though a copy is also available from our website.

The Trust then held a party to thank all our help-ers - and there are many. The people behind the scenes that ensure that the events happen, that newsletters get distributed, and that the environment is looked after, are the backbone of our organisation and we are very grateful for all their efforts.

Debora CatherallChair of the Community Relations Committee

There are several people living on and around the Hill whose only regular contact with the outside world is through the visits made by Harrow School boys. Recently, a lady in her 80s who lives alone said “the boys don’t seem to realise how important their visits are to us”.

Two fifth formers were recently reunited with former Kenton resident, Lily. Boys from the school have visited Lily at her home for more than 20 years, but just before Christmas she moved into residential care near her family in Gerrards Cross. The boys, who had a timetabled day out of school, took her to lunch at a local hotel in order to celebrate her 94th birthday.

Other boys make weekly visits to a number of elderly people to help with light domestic tasks such as window cleaning, gardening and filing.

As a result of the information on the Community Service programme in our previous issue, we are happy to report that following enquiries from a number of sources, contact has been established with two sets of readers in the area and Harrow Boys are making weekly visits to them. Please contact me at the school on 020 8872 8295 if you would feel that you might benefit from this service.

Loretta Moseley Harrow School teacher

Lily with her Harrow School visitors

John Betjeman statue at St Pancras

hht spring 2010.indd 4 07/04/2010 11:48

5www.harrowhilltrust.org.uk

HHT happenings planned for 2010Places of Worship Walk Sunday 9 May 2010, 2.30pm The Green, outside Blues

The first of Jonathan Edwards’ series of walks for 2010. Although St. Mary’s Church may be ‘the most visible’ church, this walk looks at the many other places of worship - Christ Church, Roxeth; a Welsh Congregational Church; a former Mission House and former Baptist Church. St. Mary’s will feature on a future walk. Adults £3, conces-sions £2, children free.

Plant SaleSunday 16 May, 2pm - 4pm Waldron Road

The gardeners of the Trust will be holding a plant sale in aid of a local charity. This was a hugely popular event last year so get there early for the best plants! Last year the event raised £400 for St Luke’s Hospice. We were amazed at the generosity of our local plant nurs-eries Wyevale and The Plantation who gave us both plants and pots to sell. Also Clinton Cards kindly donated 50 helium filled balloons to mark the route to the event. So if you are green-fingered, think of us as you plan your garden and perhaps nurture a few extra plants to donate. Please bring them labelled.

Other Garden EventsWe have decided not to run our Front Garden competition this year, but we are planning a local open garden event. Please keep an eye on the website or look at the noticeboard for more details of both of these garden events.

Children’s Treasure Hunt and Picnic Saturday 12 June, 12 noon Bottom of Church Hill by Harrow School war memorial

Our newly formed Kids Committee has organised its first event. All children are most welcome: we plan to go on a Treasure Hunt and then finish with a picnic on Churchfields. It will cost £1 per treasure sheet and all the money raised will be given to the Salvation Army. Please bring your own picnic.

Roxeth Hill and Middle Road WalkSunday 27 June, 2.30pm The Green, outside Blues

Jonathan Edwards will be striding out again with us on Roxeth Hill and Middle Road. Roxeth Hill played host to the development of local health services in the 19th and 20th centuries, providing the location for two of Harrow’s original hospitals. Middle Road contained a number of shops and some fine buildings by local archi-tect E. S. Prior. Adults £3, concessions £2, children free.

Quirky Corners of the Hill WalkSunday 12 September, 2.30pm The Green, outside Blues

Having recovered from the previous walks, Jonathan will lead his final walk for this year, which he calls ‘Quirky Corners of the Hill’. When is a window not a window? The eagles have landed - but where were they previously, and why did they move? Where is - allegedly - the smallest house in Middlesex? Find out the answers to these and other questions when we look at some of the quirkier aspects of the Hill. Adults £3, concessions £2, children free.

Also look out for...Hillplayers Summer Production: ‘Play On’ by Rick AbbottFriday 4 June, 7.30pm Saturday 5 June, 2pm and 7.30pm Ryan Theatre

The hilarious story of a theatre group trying desperately to put on a play in spite of maddening interference from a haughty playwright who keeps revising the script.

Tickets are £7, concessions £5, and can be purchased on 0844 357 8153 or online at www.hillplayers.co.uk.

Harrow Symphony Orchestra ConcertSaturday 5 June, 6.30pm St Lawrence, West Wickham (Bucks)

This concert is in aid of the Friends of Milton’s Cottage: visit the website www.miltonscottage.org to learn more about the cottage and museum. The evening’s programme will consist of:

• Reznicek: Overture “Donna Diana”

• Bruch: Violin Concerto

• Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte

• Delius: Intermezzo & Serenade from Hassan and The Walk to the Paradise Garden

Gabrielle Teychenné will be the solo violinist, Robert Was the Leader and Michael Teychenné the Conductor. Find more information at www.hso.org.uk.

Who wrote Noises Off, a play very similar in

hilarity to our summer show Play On?Drop off or post your entry (inc.

name, address and number) before

15 May to Maggie at 2 Nelson Road,

HA1 3ET. The first correctly drawn result will win two free tickets

to a performance of their choice.

COM

PE

TIT

ION

hht spring 2010.indd 5 07/04/2010 11:48

6 www.harrowhilltrust.org.uk

We moved onto the Hill a couple of years ago, instantly drawn in by its history and village atmosphere. Since then we’ve become interested in the history of the Hill, of course buying one of Don Walter’s books, but it got us thinking about the history of our own house at 8 Crown Street, formally Hog Lane.

If you’ve never been inside No. 10, or No. 8 for that matter, these houses have a slightly odd layout. The dining room and lounge are where you’d expect them to be, but the bedroom and bathroom are in what at one point would have been next door – over next-door’s kitchen and under their lounge. Strange, and it certainly got us wondering: why would you convert two two-bed cottages into a one and two-bed jigsaw puzzle? Did it mean they were originally one house? And, when exactly was it built? Armed with these three (what we thought were simple) questions, one slightly cold September day we set out in search of some answers.

After a slightly false start at Gayton Road Library, we were directed to the Civic Centre Library. If you’ve never been there before, your Harrow library card gets you in, and it’s an incredibly rich resource of information about the Hill, from old Post Office records to maps from at least the seventeenth century, if not earlier. If you’re interested in the history of the area the maps really are a fascinating read, but there is also an enormous number of photos that have been painstakingly catalogued by landmark and by street.

Several hours later and with maps everywhere, we

discovered that No. 10 and No. 8 Crown Street were, as expected, originally two houses. One question down, two to go. We quickly realised that finding anything about the history of No. 10 itself is a long-shot, especially for a couple of amateurs like ourselves. So next we looked into the history of No. 8, following the trail of ‘Harrovian Lodge’ which is printed on a window above the door. This answered our second question. The Harrow Branch of Oddfellows, a Friendly Society, converted the two cottages so they could have a meeting room across the top floor of Numbers 8 and 10.

On a roll, next we latched on to the richer history of neighbouring No. 6, today a meeting room for hire. Delving back into the archives at the Civic Centre, we discovered that it opened as the Harrow Workman’s Hall in 1862, rebranded as the Royal Oak Coffee Tavern in 1879 and then St. Mary’s Temperance House by the early 1900s – whose collective history was steeped in maintaining the sobriety of young workers on the Hill. With the house-detecting bug firmly taken hold, the next day we ended up at the London Metropolitan Archives in Farringdon where the plot began to thicken.

Our decision to focus on the history of No. 6 paid off as we uncovered the original copy of the Conveyance of Land on Crown Street in 1861; the record showing when various plots of land at the corners of West Street and Crown Street were auctioned for development.

It was a Mrs Rachel Barclay in 1861 who bought the plot of land where Numbers 8, 10 and 12 Crown Street now stand. To this day we haven’t discovered if it was Rachel who commissioned the builders to build the cottages, although we assume so. And a creative leap of faith lead us to answer our third question – that our house was built at the same time as its more recognisable neighbour, in 1862.

But then why divide the plot into three? Who lived there? And how could a woman living in the 1800s have been able to afford to buy the land and build the cottages? A whole new avenue of questions. Suddenly our search took an unexpected twist into genealogy to try and find out more about the life of Rachel Barclay.

The story as it stands ends where Rachel’s does: underneath a tree in the peaceful graveyard of St. Mary’s. We now have many more questions than we started with, but it has been a fascinating exploration through the history of Harrow.

www.ancestry.co.uk and www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lam

Fascinating research about the Hill’s heritageThe story of 10 Crown Street

Victoria Peet and Jake Thomson

Street map c.1894

Are you a volunteer already working for a group in the Harrow area? Have you ever heard of your Harrow Association for Voluntary Services (HAVS)? This umbrella group, representing all Voluntary and Community Sector groups in Harrow, offers free services to local groups including help with governance and trustee development, finding funding, recruiting volunteers and networking within the Voluntary Sector in Harrow. To find out more please visit www.harrowcvs.org.uk

Or maybe you feel that you have something to offer the local community - advice, experience or simply time?

There are lots of ways to help. But how do you get in touch with the organisations that need volunteers like you? Contact the Volunteer Centre at HAVS on 020 8863 5426 or email volunteer.broker@harrowcvs.org.uk and book an appointment to match you to a voluntary job. You can also view all voluntary jobs in Harrow online at www.do-it.org.uk.

Who knows you might be nominated by the group you volunteer with for an extra special thank you and win an award at the annual award ceremony for volunteers - Harrow’s Heroes!

Do you have any spare time on your hands?

Sarah KerseyHarrow Council’s Volunteer Centre Manager

hht spring 2010.indd 6 07/04/2010 11:48

7www.harrowhilltrust.org.uk

The Gantry ProjectTo celebrate the Trust’s 50th year, a project group has

been working on a plan to restore the gantry or “gallows” on the Green on top of the Hill. There once to signpost the King’s Head Pub, the current structure was hastily erected in the 1980s by its then landlord, and has fallen into disrepair. This is only one of several versions that has existed on that spot, since the 18th Century.

You can see it first recorded in the painting ‘Entrance to Harrow’ by John Inigo Richards dated 1770. The plan is to replace the existing structure with a replica of an earlier design, made of green oak. The King’s Head (now houses and flats) has played an important role in the history of the Hill since the 16th century. The group - Mike Benwell, Debora Catherall, Anthony Leyland, Judith Mills and Paul Ostwind - are working with Harrow Council and hope the new structure will be up later this year.

Memories and volunteers requiredThe Trust intends to produce a leaflet outlining the colourful tales of the old King’s Head as part of our project

looking at restoring the gantry on the Green. If you have any anecdotes about past times to do with the pub, the ball room and the Green we would love to capture your memories and add them to our pamphlet. Alternatively, if you know any interesting historical facts about it, or have time to dig into the historical archives we would welcome you in our team. Please contact Debora at hhtinfo@aol.com or 07711 920823.

The grass is growing again, the start of another seasonal cycle. In Churchfields the grass, or more accurately grasses, are enhanced by wildflowers. In a few weeks the lower slopes, below the tarmac path, will become a sea of yellow: not oilseed rape but buttercups, joined by taller grasses with their red seed fronds. Above the path, the finest lightest grasses that turn almost pink at the height of summer will be threaded with profusions of oxeye daisies. Go walking in these higher areas, and you will find cowslips, common sorrel, meadow cranesbill and numerous others.

The Trust prepared 3000sq metres of ground and planted these wildflowers in 2001 with the benefit of Mike and Barbara Miller’s expertise and Marion Hobbs’ energy in working with the Council to achieve our vision. Not all of the species have survived, but those that have enhance our enjoyment of this treasured place – espe-cially on those gorgeous evenings watching the sunset.

For the flowers to prosper, they have to be allowed to seed each year. This means that the grass should not be cut until late August at the earliest. For some years now, the Council has cut most of the grass just once, in September. They also gather and pick up the cuttings. If they didn’t do this, the cuttings would increase the fertil-ity of the soil which is good for the grasses and thistles, but bad for the wild flowers.

Last year, at the request of some residents, the area below the path behind Nelson Road was kept shorter, but still more like a field than a park. This provided space for games, or just an alternative surface to relax on, where the field is flatter. Elsewhere, the longer grass provides a visual feast, especially in the wind and in the late sun, and a place for dogs (and humans!) to hide. It’s clear that they love it.

You will also have noticed that the Council keep the edges of the tarmac path and some of the more used natural paths cut short. As well as making the seats and bins more accessible and generally tidier, this cutting edge stuff reminds us that they haven’t just forgotten to cut the main part. It is a deliberate regime to encourage the wild flowers and wild life and make Churchfields a different experience to the more park-like Grove Open Space.

Cutting Edge StuffSome erudite and flowery words on Churchfields

Judith Mills

Ted Allett

Inigo Richards: The Entrance to Harrow, possibly exhibited at the RSA c.1770

hht spring 2010.indd 7 07/04/2010 11:48

8 www.harrowhilltrust.org.uk

I first got to know Barbara when she and her late husband,

Michael, moved in next door to us in Middle Road, to the ‘Arts and Crafts’ terrace by

E.S. Prior, a local architect who had taken his inspiration from William Morris.Barbara was a local girl from Kenton. At the age of 16 she

met Michael, a budding horticulturalist, at the local jazz-venue - the British Legion Club in Northolt Road. The venue hosted all the big jazz names of the day: Chris Barber, Johnny Dankworth, George Melly to mention just a few.

The romance lasted and Mike and Barbara married at St. Mary’s Church, Harrow on the Hill in 1961. The wedding-breakfast was held at the then beautiful King’s Head Hotel, a much sought after venue with a lovely west-facing garden. The King’s Head was redeveloped in 2002/3.

Before moving to Middle Road in 1966, Mike and Barbara travelled the world, working in Canada and Australia. They had two daughters, Tamsin and Sophie, who have gone on to have families of their own.

They were inspirational neighbours from the start, full of creative ideas for the house and garden. When Michael was re-creating the garden for Paul McCartney who then lived in St. John’s Wood, a Japa-nese cherry tree was surplus to requirements. Michael replanted it in his garden. For many years it was a joy to see the tree coming into a pinky white canopy of bloom in February. Sadly, the tree is no longer there, but we did benefit from quite a few logs when it had to be cut down a few years ago. Mike and Barbara were great supporters of the Trust from the beginning. Mike was instrumental in having the Christ-mas tree on the Green and with ingenious help from Mike Benwell, the tree was lit in all its glory.

In the 1980s Barbara was active in co-orga-nising memorable social evenings. Sheila Walter was a fountain of enthusiasm and wonderful ideas, from musical to themed events. The ideas would not have got off the ground without the help of Maggie Bishop and Norma Williams and a small group of dedicated volunteers. The HHT was grateful for the generous support of the Headmaster of Harrow School for allow-ing the Old Harrovian Room to be used for these events. One such evening was a 1940s extravaganza, where uniforms and gasmasks were dusted down and worn. I can still hear the Benny Goodman tunes...

Barbara has been a driving force in improving the environmen-tal quality of the Hill and has developed good working relationships with key people at the Civic Centre. Knowing whom to contact is an achievement in itself when overgrown areas needed clearing, things needed planting or lamp-posts needed fixing. A lasting achievement has been the planting of daffodils and wild flowers on Churchfields and an understanding by the Council as to the correct time of cutting the grass. Too early, and the seeds are lost. Too late and people start wondering when will the grass be cut! Today we can enjoy the labour of all the work that went into the wild flower planting Barbara worked with many to achieve this and in particular with Marion Hobbs, Ted Allett, and not least with Mike. There is now a wild flower field, an uninterrupted vista and a view-point with seating to mark the many things Barbara has been involved with.

Her input is greatly appreciated as she continues to be an active member of the Social and Environmental Committee of the Trust. She loves skiing and is as graceful and energetic on the slopes as she is at the David Lloyd Sports Centre. She is a unique treasure on the Hill.

Barbara Millerby Solveig Wilson

Alex HairdressersDasso, Alex’s son, is pleased to be

contributing to the neat appearance of Hill customers, some of whom have

been coming for 30 years. 152 Greenford Rd 020 8422 1349

Caroline VersallionBeautiful evening dresses and bridal attire, designed and made for you.

01525 234 111 versallion@msn.com

Craig Goodman AccountantsSmall business specialists.

020 8864 4644 paul@craiggoodman.co.uk

Harrow on the Hill MotorsMOT, servicing, tyres, exhausts, brakes, steering, suspension, clutches, electrical

work, diagnostics and bodywork.020 8422 4220

Harrow SchoolBoarding school for boys aged 13-19

General enquiries 020 8872 8000Admissions (registrar) 020 8872 8007

Harrow Welsh Congregational Church

Croeso Cynnes I BawbLower Road (Middle Path) HA2 0DE

020 8954 2907

IncantoItalian restaurant and delicatessen.

A charming location, impeccable cooking, the freshest produce and friendly staff

bring you the true essence of Italy.41 High Street, HA1 3HT

020 8426 6767

I-Realise LtdProviding cost-effective, quality-driven software for Microsoft Windows and

the web.www. i-realise.com

Ireland Abrahams SolicitorsPurchases, sales, mortgages of houses and flats, commercial leases, property

development, wills, probate and tax, busi-ness and company matters.23 High Street, HA1 3HT

020 8864 5557www.irelandabrahams.com

Lysiane Bysh AssociatesConsultants in Human Resources and

Training. Assessment and selection, performance management, coaching and

customer care.Tel/Fax 020 7431 8230

Marketing Image LtdCommitted to providing strategic solu-tions and creative excellence in design,

advertising and web development.64 High Street, HA1 3LL

020 8426 5000www.marketingimage.com

MLP Private FinanceSavings, investments, mortgages,

insurances.100 Fenchurch Street, EC3M 5JD

020 7423 6402Regulated by the FSA & Mortgage Code Compliance Board

Musik OdisseyAudio visual specialists: home cinema, multi-room audio, aerial and satellite systems, one-touch remote control.

All work customised and guaranteed.23 Wickham Road, HA3 5PN

Email Tony Cox at: tc@muzikodyssey.net020 8427 7965 / 07860 791492

www.muzikodyssey.net

Orley Farm SchoolDay preparatory school for boys and

girls aged 4-13South Hill Avenue, HA1 3NU

020 8869 7600 www.orleyfarm.harrow.sch.uk

S.R.M. Plastics LtdPlastic Injection Moulders73 West Street, HA1 3EH

020 8422 9607

Saks Hair and BeautyGreenford Road, UB6 0HX

020 8422 4002 www.saks.co.uk

St Dominic’s Sixth Form CollegeMount Park Avenue, HA1 3HX

020 8422 8084 www.stdoms.ac.uk

Stephen J Woodward LtdResidential and commercial estate

agents offering sales, lettings, building surveys, valuations, estate management, structural reports, lease extensions and

rent reviews.90 High Street, HA1 3LP

020 8864 8844 www.woodward.co.uk

Van Dare Properties LtdProperty Managers

50 Crown Street, HA2 0HR 0844 806 8307

Woodrow Morris Estate AgentsResidential sales, lettings and new devel-opments. Free, no obligation valuations.

104 High Street, HA1 3LP020 8864 4441

www.woodrow-morris.co.uk

In addition, all the following hold Corporate Membership to the HHT:Copperfields Management (Harrow) Ltd, Roxborough Park – Cygnet Hospital, London Road – Fifth Dimension, 36 Byron Hill Road –

D. Geraghty, West Street Police Station – The John Lyon School, Middle Road – J.E. Kennedy Solicitors, 59-61 High Street – S. Mills, Copperfields, Roxborough Park – NIM Design, The Old Bank, 92 High Street – Roxeth Mead School, Middle Road – Shaw News, 82 High Street – J. Ian, Tait Properties, 27 West Street –

Tea at Three, 3 West Street – Thomas Clive & Co., 104 High Street – Waitrose Ltd, 140 Northolt Road – Wilson & Hawkins, Estate Agents, 33-35 High Street

OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

SP

OTLIGHT

hht spring 2010.indd 8 07/04/2010 11:48