A reflection on last year’s Teddington 800 events, which celebrated 800 years of history in Teddington, has been written by the organiser, Anne O’Neil McTear, in the latest edition of Tidings, our quarterly magazine for members:

Last year’s festival was truly wonderful for many reasons, the greatest being the way in which we partnered with the people and organisations of the town – not least the Teddington Society. At every one of the 25 events, and for every one of the six months, there was the most tremendous joining together in common purpose – whether to party at the ball, to learn at the lecture, to perform at the Review, to pray at the riverside or to perspire pushing the pram at the pram race! And we relished every minute of it.

For some people, Teddington 800 was about history and heritage, and keeping it alive and appreciated – and thanks to Paddy Ching, Ken Howe and others in the History Group, we were able to do that. For others, 800 was about being with friends and sharing passions with a much broader range of local people, in the hope that their lives might be enriched by it – and thanks to the Landmark, the NPL, Normansfield, the Lensbury, the sport and river clubs and the Traherne group, we were able to do that too.

For more still, and certainly for me, 800 was also about the central and supportive role of the church in its community, and the service it has offered for so long and will continue steadfastly to provide.

In truth, we’d hoped and aimed for the festival to be all of these things, and thanks to the contribution of 30 organisations, 12 steering group members (including, of course, the dynamic Sheena Harold) and 350 additional volunteers from the town, that hope came true. We just can’t thank everyone enough!

So now, what will Teddington 801 hold for St Mary’s? To find out, watch for our next exciting instalment coming to Tidings soon!

A remarkable First World War information resource has been created for the Teddington Society by David Neller, to whom we offer our grateful thanks.

Here you will find an alphabetical list of Teddington people by surname; a list of WW1 memorials in Teddington; and a Roll of Honour. To access the page, please click here

A similar Second World War memorial can be accessed here

To celebrate Teddington in Flower 2018, hundreds of people visited the nine gardens on show across the town last weekend. They were well rewarded with a glorious display of expertise, ingenuity, passion, attention to detail – and, of course, tender loving care, that essential ingredient that came in bucket loads.

As well as blossoms and blooms galore, the day also delivered cakes, lemonade, cream teas, hand bell ringing, fishing for tiddlers, plant sales and visits from the Mayor and Mayoress of Richmond, Councillor and Mrs Ben Khosa.

The weather sang for us – plenty of sunshine with the lightest of breezes. Perfect for the gardens, perfect for the visitors.

First indications are that we raised more than £2,000 for charity – this year, the Landmark Arts Centre and the Friends of Bushy & Home Parks, both of whom will use the proceeds to improve their garden areas. We’re also delighted to welcome scores of new members who signed up on the day; in one garden alone, in Fairfax Road, some 15 people joined the Society!

Our grateful thanks to Siân Morgan, who again so expertly organised the event; to all the volunteers who staffed the gates at each garden, and to Belinda Rozalla, who organised them so seamlessly. Also to the gardeners themselves, and to everyone who visited – not least the Mayor and Mayoress, who said afterwards how enormously they had enjoyed the afternoon.

See the event in our photo gallery.

A full house at The Lensbury was recently enthralled by an evening of entertainment that recalled the heroic events of the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, and Teddington’s role in it.

The event was the second Teddington Society annual lecture. Stars of the evening were John Tough, grandson of the legendary Douglas Tough, and singer-songwriter Mike Pemberton (pictured above with Lensbury Chief Executive Lacy Curtis-Ward). Together, they created an evening of nostalgia, folk music, wit, charm, old photos and historic film.

The evening was a huge success: it raised a remarkable £500, which we have donated to the Teddington RNLI – which today has its base just metres away from the original Tough’s Boatyard.

The Boatyard was a familiar landmark on the Thames at Teddington. It was from there that Douglas Tough organised and assembled 120 private boats to join in Operation Dynamo, which helped rescue more than 385,000 soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk. At the lecture, John Tough vividly described that historic event, and he also traced the history of the family business since its foundation as Tough & Henderson in 1917.

Mike Pemberton then sang his specially written ballad, a powerful musical tale full of drama and action which was accompanied by archive footage from the Imperial War Museum and other sources. Afterwards, Sheena Harold, Chairman of the Society, thanked Mike and John for combining to create an absorbing and entertaining evening. She also paid tribute to Lacy Curtis-Ward, Chief Executive of The Lensbury, who generously provided the excellent facilities for the evening.

Watch out for details of next year’s third Teddington Society annual lecture. And see Mike Pemberton performing his engaging ballad here

We’re delighted to report that a work by Michael Minas, local artist and long-term member of the Society, is currently on show at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in London.

Michael’s charcoal portrait of his friend Roberto Podda (below) was selected by Grayson Perry, coordinator of this year’s event, and can be seen in Room V of the RA from now until August 19th. The Summer Exhibition is one of the foremost art shows in the calendar, attracting visitors from all over the world.

“The picture selected is one of 12 charcoals of family members and friends I’m currently drawing” Michael told us. “The sitters come to my studio in Teddington four times, each for a two and a half hour session.”

Roberto Podda, by the way, is well-known to many people in Teddington: until last year, he owned La Bottega café in the High Street.

Michael, on the right in the main picture above, is seen with his friend Doros Partasides, a cameraman from the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC), and the ever-charismatic Grayson Perry himself. Doros invited Michael to present this year’s RA Summer Exhibition for the CyBC – a programme that was broadcast not only in Cyprus, but also to the wider Cypriot diaspora.

The weather couldn’t have been better for this year’s Teddington Village Fair at Udney Hall Gardens. Volunteers were on hand from 7.30am onwards on June 24th to erect stalls, bouncy castles and gazebos, deliver ponies, a lifeboat, a dinghy and a skiff, in preparation for the hundreds of people who visited us from midday onwards.

This year’s entertainment acts delighted audiences ranging from grandparents to toddlers; Juggling Jake’s Circus and the Carnival of the Animals (above) were hugely popular with the children, while the British Airways Brass Band and Redshift provided lively music for all ages. And, as always, the young members of the Teddington Dance Studio went through energetic routines in the afternoon sunshine. Meanwhile, ponies from the Park Lane Stables in Teddington gave gentle rides to children ranging from toddlers upwards.

Food a-plenty was on hand, not least a constant supply of beef burgers from the 3rd Teddington Scout Group; nearby were the Richmond District Scouts, who were raising money to send a delegation to next year’s World Jamboree in West Virginia. There were also local speciality burgers from Mr Pig Stuff BBQ, who didn’t stop grilling all day. Shambles restaurant and wine bar were on hand to provide an endless supply of prosecco, beer and other liquid necessities – and for those needing to cool down by other means, ice-cream in myriad flavours was readily available from Vincenzo’s Ice Cream van.

Further refreshments, including a fine glass of Pimm’s, were on hand at the Church Hall – as was a large-screen television for fans watching the England-Panama World Cup football match.

We were delighted to welcome the Deputy Mayor of Richmond, Cllr Mona Adams; Sir Vince Cable MP (who arrived, as usual, on his bicycle!); Mrs Lacy Curtis Ward, CEO of the Lensbury; and a number of borough councillors during the afternoon. All proceeds from the event are being donated to local charities which will be announced soon.

Finally, our grateful thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Village Fair: the stall-holders, entertainers, organisers, face-painters, refreshment providers, litter pickers, and everyone who came to enjoy the day. And special thanks to our sponsors: The Lensbury, Teddington Riverside, the National Physical Laboratory, and our latest sponsor, Palmers Solicitors.

You can see plenty of photos from the Village Fair here and a video here

Teddington Lock is looking absolutely stunning at the moment. The lock keepers are very proud of their patch, and they keep it immaculate throughout the year. But in the summer, thanks to a long-standing partnership with Squires Garden Centre, they always excel themselves – and this year is no exception.

Teddington marks the point where the Thames becomes tidal and the Lock, an island built in 1810, is the lowest full-tide lock on the river. And it was from here, in 1940, that the boat-builder Douglas Tough organised and assembled 120 private boats to join in Operation Dynamo, which helped rescue more than 385,000 British and Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk. To this day the boats are known as the ‘Little Ships’, and some of them are still to be seen in fine working condition on the river.

See more images at our Photo Gallery

Local MP Sir Vince Cable has intervened in the long-running dispute over the future of the Udney Park playing fields in Teddington. Quantum Teddington Development Ltd has applied for permission to erect 107 residential apartments, a GP surgery and other buildings on the site in Udney Park Road – which the Teddington Society opposes.

In a letter to James Brokenshire, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sir Vince wrote, “The overriding consideration has to be the fact that the development represents a serious breach of [Richmond] Council’s policy, which has wide support, to retain green open space (which would be lost permanently) and to retain playing fields which are widely used by the local community.”

The controversial planning application has attracted more than 4,500 representations to Richmond Council – believed to be a record for any planning application in the authority’s history.

A pair of fine monkey puzzle trees in Stanley Road have been permanently protected by Richmond Council – thanks to swift action by the Teddington Society and the Council itself.

In February, a resident in Fulwell Court, where the trees stand, had threatened to cut them down to make room for parking spaces. Until, that is, the Society intervened. Following a flurry of emails and telephone calls between ourselves and the Council, a temporary Tree Preservation Order on the trees was issued – and on Wednesday this week, the local authority’s Planning Committee unanimously agreed to make the Order permanent.

At the meeting, local councillor Jonathan Cardy described the trees as “a very important part of the landscape”. The Teddington Society agreed, and in our submission to the committee we declared, “These trees are too unusual and important to lose; the local community would be diminished without them. It would be shameful and irresponsible if they were felled to make way for nothing more than car parking spaces, particularly as on-site garages are provided for that very purpose.”

The trees – Araucaria araucana, to give them their formal Latin name – are believed to be up to 80 years old. The TPO will remain in place for as long as the specimens are healthy.

The Teddington Society has formally objected to plans to construct 107 residential apartments, a GP surgery and other buildings on the Udney Park Playing Fields which lie between Udney Park Road and Kingston Road. We cite six principal reasons for our objection to the planning application by Quantum Teddington Development Ltd.

The decision on the future of Udney Park playing fields will now be made at a public inquiry to be held early next year, probably in March. The developers, Quantum, appealed to the Planning Inspector on the grounds that Richmond Council had not made a ruling on the matter soon enough.

The Teddington Society continues to oppose Quantum’s plan and we have lodged our objections with the Planning Inspector. Click on the red link Teddington Society UPPF objection to download our submission, including the reasons for our objection.

See what your Society has been doing to reach a better outcome for this important site in Teddington.