Workshop by Jens Jakobsen, Master Florist at the Blewcoat School - March 2020

A lucky group of members spent a few hours in the 300 year old schoolroom of the Blewcoat School and treated to a workshop by Jens Jakobsen.  Jens has created a beautiful garden around the building which has become a local treasure.  Sadly the occupier of the schoolroom, Ian Stuart wedding dresses, has left and a new tenant is being sought by The National Trust.  We do hope the new tenant can share the building and Jens can remain in the basement where he runs his acclaimed florestry business and operates a shop.  To read further about the workshop, see page 7 in our Spring/Summer 2020 Newsletter (to be published soon) and do pass by to admire his beautiful seasonal creations.

Workshop by Jens Jakobsen, Master Florist at the Blewcoat School - March 2020

Ignatius Sancho, Short Talk by Victor Keegan - February 2020

This was the 2nd of our 35th anniversary series of short talks and we were treated to Victor Keegan's personal research into the unique and intriguing C18th Thorney Island resident, Ignatius Sancho. 

Reading like a guest list to a royal garden party, Victor highlighted the numerous aristocrats of the day who subscribed to a book of Sancho's letters published after his death by Joseph Jekyll.  The book became a bestseller which was quite extraordinary at the time for the memoirs of a black man born on a slave ship whose mother died of disease and his father from suicide.  At 2 years old he was given to 3 sisters in Greenwich whose treatment and regard for him is not very complimentary and it was they who named him Sancho. 

It was not until he met the Duke of Montague who took him under his wing, he learned to read and write and he flourished as a thinker of the day.  He worked for the Montague family for many years until after the Duke's death and with money from the family, he moved to Charles Street, now King Charles Street (between the Treasury and the Foreign Office) and opened a small grocery shop.  Married at St Margaret's Westminster, he lived with his wife and 6 children, not all of whom survived.  They would have walked over Westminster Bridge, the only bridge in the area and strolled through St James's Park. 

He had many important acquaintances and was a prolific letter writer to politicians, newspapers and reknowned thinkers and authors of the day.  He urged them to talk and write about the abhorrant slave trade.  He also wrote poems, plays and music.  It was clear that this extraordinary man had a unique life in London at a dangerous time, at the height of the trade, when he could have been press-ganged, kidnapped or deported at any time.  Clearly highly regarded, his portrait was painted by Thomas Gainsborough in 1768 and he is buried in what is now Christchurch Gardens and has no known decendents.

Ignatius Sancho, Short Talk by Victor Keegan - February 2020 

Christchurch Gardens Reconstruction Short Talk - January 2020

 

Illustrative CGI used for previous public consultation in June 2018

 

We were delighted to welcome David Beamont, from Victoria Business Improvement District (BID), to launch our 35th birthday events and short talk series, fulfilling our plan to use our Archives for talks on planning and history.

 

The reconstruction of Christchurch Gardens in Victoria Street is now in full swing.  The design and planning were extensive due to this very historic site including arrangements in the event of archaeology discoveries.  Dating back to the 17th century this was the burial ground of St Margaret's, Westminster, prior to the construction of Christ Church in the 19th century, which was destroyed in the Blitz.  Among those buried there are Captain Blood, who famously tried and nearly succeeded in stealing the Crown Jewels, and Ignatius Sancho who was born on a slave ship but educated himself to become a distinguished man of letters in Georgian England (more about Sancho in our February Talk).

David explained how with great reluctance they cut down a number of plane trees which prevented sufficient light from reaching the grass and gardens. New flowering trees are being planted and although it will be a long time before they have the same impact on carbon reduction, most people accepted that this had to be done if the gardens were to be made attractive for visitors and increase bio-diversity.  New lighting and benches are being installed together with a new paved performance area.  Flower beds would be re-installed with well chosen shrubs and permeable resin pathways would further aid drainage.  The Purcell sculpture will be moved slightly to enhance its visability, the Suffragettes sculpture will stay where it is and then the back wall, against the ugly BT building, will be covered in flowering jasmin.  To remember the history of the site, we have contributed to the content of a series of information noticeboards which are displayed together with a historical map.

With thanks to David and his team and we look forward to the new gardens opening in late summer.

 

Christchurch Gardens Reconstruction Short Talk - January 2020

 

 

 

 

Christmas Party 2019

Our Christmas Party at the Rochester by Blue Orchid Hotels was loud and fun with the South Westminster Community Choir and accompanying brass section.  Many thanks to all for a great evening.

Richmond House, Whitehall - The Northern Parliamentary Estate

The Government has just applied for planning permission to radically alter their Northern Estate. They have been working towards the Restoration and Renewal project in the Palace of Westminster and the full decant of all the people who work there into the various buildings in the ‘northern estate’ – the block that contains Portcullis House at the south end and Richmond House at the north. It has been decided that the two parliament chambers will move, the House of Lords into the Queen Elizabeth ll Conference Centre, and the House of Commons into a temporary replica chamber. It is claimed that the only possible site can be achieved by demolishing the interior and rear façade of Richmond house.

SAVE Britain’s Heritage is leading a campaign to save the whole of Richmond House from demolition – see https://www.savebritainsheritage.org/campaigns/item/550/Richmond-House-a-building-worth-fighting-for

We will also object strongly to the demolition of the interior of Richmond House. Facadism might be acceptable in certain circumstances, but for the sake of a temporary building it should not be countenanced. We will also object to the alterations to the buildings facing Whitehall and encourage a more sympathetic treatment of the various gateways to the Estate than currently exists.

The Planning application can now be viewed at:    https://tinyurl.com/wqryu5t

It would be good if as many people as possible make their views known as a Comment through this web page.