Welcome
The Society formed in 1985, saving from demolition, London's first public library in Great Smith Street
(above right).
We respond on behalf of residents and businesses to local planning applications. Our 350+ members
enjoy local visits & talks of historic and other interest, social events and an archive of books, prints, plans
and ephemera.
Thorney Tales (13) - Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville is one of the most fascinating, if transient, inhabitants of Thorney Island. She was a queen in her own right (wife of Edward IV), mother of another king (Edward the V, albeit uncrowned) and her daughter married yet another king (Henry VII) which resulted in her being declared Dowager Queen. But it is for her stay on Thorney Island – where she twice took sanctuary to avoid prison during the Wars of the Roses – that she is chiefly remembered. After her husband Edward IV was forced to flee the country she escaped from the Tower of London at night and claimed sanctuary in the Abbey on October 1st, 1470.
Visits & Events 2017
To book events, please go to our Eventbrite page CLICK HERE.
If you do not wish to book online, please contact us and we will be happy to make your reservation.
Tuesday 19th September - Tour of the Church of St James the Less, Pimlico
Although slightly outside our area, we could not resist a tour of this Grade 1 listed Gothic Revival Church, which was a favourite of Sir John Betjemin who campaigned successfully to save it. 6pm - Tickets on sale £6pp
Wednesday 15th November - AGM, followed by talk by Caroline Shenton on her new book "Mr Barry's War", sequal to "The Day Parliament Burned Down"
Grange Rochester Hotel 6.30pm - No booking required
Suffragist Millicent Fawcett - First women honoured in Parliament Square ?
July 2017: Following an announcement in April 2017 (Read BBC article here), a planning application has now been made. Millicent Fawcett may have pipped Lady Thatcher to the post ! See our Planning page for link to WCC to make a comment.
Our response to the planning application: "Although we have no objection to the subject matter of this statue, which is not controversial, we have strong reservations about the current rapid increase in the number of monuments in an area that has been declared a Monument Saturation Zone. This Westminster City Council policy should be adhered to, both now and in the future."
Visit to HM Treasury building - July 2017
Many thanks to Dan & Rebecca for their tour and commentary as we wandered the corridors and courtyards of the Treasury building.
Work started at 100 Parliament Street in 1899 to John Bryden's design. Stately, spacious and light with sweeping stairs and statues. But it was not until 1907 that the land was purchased for the 2nd half of the building, demolishing narrow streets, houses and churches. Sir Henry Tanner, a Government Architect, incorporated & finished the new building quickly and cheaply by 1917, ditching some of Bryden's original ideas including 580 fireplaces. So a building of two halves.
Moving swiftly forward, it received a much needed revamp in the early 2000's, sympathetically given by (Sir Norman) Foster & Partners via a PFI initiative, including the addition of a new mansard roof and opening up inner courtyards with gardens, ponds and benches. Today it is an exciting, efficient workplace with every desk having natural light and lots of it ! Although much is open plan now, one cannot avoid the corridors, one is even Listed as a 'heritage corridor'.
Some ordinary meeting rooms, off our first corridor, were used by Sir Winston & Lady Clementine Churchill as their private living and bedrooms during WW2, not wanting to sleep in the Cabinet War Rooms underneath and underground. See photo below. The building has 3 levels of basements and there is a constant flow of water through a channel in the sub-basement. Our river Tyburn perhaps ? Now up to the 'heritage corridor', past the Chancellor's enormous, carved office door ! Each current chancellor may choose what artwork they would like from the Government's extensive collection (on view near Tottenham Court Road - a Pippa visit a few year's ago !). Mr Hammond is said to prefer large, classical pictures but some of Gordon Brown's more smaller, modern pieces are still to be seen. Now into the very grand Old Chancellor's Room (see photo below) and then the Churchill Room where the creation of the NHS and the Independence of the Bank of England, amongst other monumental plans, were worked on and signed. Glimpsing, through the net curtains, the narrow balcony where Churchill delivered his VE day speech, which at the time was the Ministry of Health's boardroom. Then out into 'the Drum', the huge round central courtyard, with tremendous echoes, used for filming The Fast & The Furious and for speeches by George Osborne and the Pope ! Not missing a view, through tall iron gates, past the FCO, straight to No.10 Downing Street. During the war, the Drum had been covered in anti-torpedo netting. Very successfully, as a torpedo sat on it from 1914 to 1950 when it was eventually removed.
We didn't meet Gladstone, the Treasury cat, but his reputation was hailed of catching 14 mice since he had been in residence, bought in to cheer everyone up after the referendum in June 2016. Thank you again to the organisers for their time and enthusiasm. Congratulations too on the 100th birthday of the building.
Visit to St Margaret's Church - July 2017
Thirty Thorney Island members were delighted to be shown around St Margaret's Church, Westminster, by Blue Badge guide Ian Godfrey. St Margaret's church is full of history and interesting people, the only downside being that it is almost touching Westminster Abbey and is largely ignored by tourists. On the day of our visit on July 11 there were huge queues for the Abbey yet no one but ourselves in the church.
More's the pity because, as Ian pointed out, as the church is a treasure trove of memories.
William Caxton, the pioneer of printing in Britain, who worked a stone's throw from the church has a dedicated stained glass window, or rather the remnant of one, and is buried there as is Sir Walter Raleigh who was executed around the corner in Old Palace Yard yet promptly given a prime burial place under the altar.
Many interesting people are commemorated in the church including Olaudah Equiano, a freed black slave, who became a celebrity in London and a leading light in the anti-slavery campaign. Members were pleasantly surprised at the number of Americans who had helped finance stained glass windows and other memorials including Cubby Broccoli of James Bond fame and Frank Sinatra.
The church was built in the perpendicular style and dedicated in 1523 though virtually nothing of the original stone work remains. One of the reasons for its proximity to the Abbey is that the Benedictine monks did not want parishoners interrupting their prayers and other activities inside the monastery as they had traditionally done.
The oldest part is probably the huge stained glass window commemorating the marriage of Henry VIII's elder brother Arthur to Catherine of Aragon which was added later. St Margaret's - named after Margaret of Antioch - also has a large crypt which, we were told, is full of dust with a skull or two and, sadly, not open to the public. Our heartfelt thanks to Ian for a very entertaining visit.
Proposed memorial statue to Lady Margaret Thatcher in Parliament Square
UPDATE ! July 2017 STATUE BLOCKED ?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40529770
May 2017 - Our response to Westminster City Council (Nelson Mandela statue details corrected 7th July 2017)
We acknowledge the significance of Lady Thatcher as the first female Prime Minister and the longest serving of the twentieth century, but we feel that the principle of leaving a ten-year gap between the death of a subject and the erection of a public memorial should in this case be adhered to. We note that the statue of Nelson Mandela was erected before he died but that should not set a precedent, especially as Mandela was an entirely uncontroversial figure, respected throughout the world. While Lady Thatcher was also widely respected it cannot be said that she was uncontroversial in this country. There is a strong case for the ten-year rule to be respected - there should be a decent interval before permanent statues are erected, especially when they are controversial enough to risk vandalism.
We also feel that the quality of the sculpture does not do justice either to the subject or the site. The understated and reverential character of the statue is disappointing given that the Churchill statue is so much more interesting. We understand that Lady Thatcher's daughter dislikes the statue.
For further details or to give your own comments to WCC, follow this link (CLICK HERE)
Parks: Our Shared Heritage - July/August 2017
Two of the exhibits from the The Royal Parks exhibition, in partnership with the Hearsum Collection and the Office of Public Works, Ireland held at the Mall Galleries.
The Victoria Tower Gardens & The National Holocaust Memorial
27th April 2017 UPDATE! Due to the announcement of a general election, the Jury has had to be postponed. The London exhibition has also been postponed and will now take place at the V&A from Saturday 29th July until Tuesday 22nd August and the final decision will take place after this consultation period.
14th April 2017 Article in The Telegraph (Christopher Hope)
12th April 2017 Article on BBC website. See here
4th April 2017 It is thought that only a major issue like, traffic or security will stop this memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens. A decision on the chosen scheme will be made by NHMF jury in May. Still not too late to write to Sir Peter Bazalgetti, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please do!
2nd March 2017 30-40 local residents, interested parties and members of the House of Lords & Commons attended an exhibition in Westminster Hall of the 10 short-listed Architects submissions, followed by a meeting in the House of Lords chaired by Sir Peter Bazalgette of the Holocaust Memorial Foundation. With over 1,000.00 signatures on the petition now, the Foundation was left in no doubt of our opinions as to why this is the wrong site. READ MORE on the petition page.
More publicity for our cause, as it was featured in The Times on Saturday 25th February.
Read the article here http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jewish-peer-criticises-holocaust-memorial-kwh3jjhfn.
9th February 2017 Sir Edward Leigh's adjournment debate in the House of Commons. Read Hansard transcript here.
PARK THREATENED !
To read more and SIGN THE PETITION - CLICK HERE
Here are some of the comments by those who signed CLICK HERE
5th February 2017 : Article in The Observer (Rowan Moore)
4th February 2017 : Article in The Guardian (Ian Jack)
27th January 2017 - On Holocaust Memorial Day, the Shortlist was announced. To view CLICK HERE
The organisers are requesting feedback so if you agree that another location should be found, please write to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
One of the submissions on the Shortlist :
Studio Libeskind and Haptic Architects
Spring/Summer 2017 Newsletter
