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Illuminated River

We have been consulted about this interesting new project, the Illuminated River. The idea is to enliven all 15 bridges between Albert Bridge and Tower Bridge at night with a lighting scheme that celebrates each particular bridge’s characteristics. Because LED lights will be used the total energy consumption will be less than the current lighting schemes and will also be less intrusive to the wildlife in the river, which depends on natural darkness.

If you want to read more about the project, and watch an animated visualisation go to: https://illuminatedriver.london/project#about-project

 

 

 

Dolphin Square Redevelopment

Residents of Pimlico are very concerned by the threat to Dolphin Square from a development that plans to make significant alterations to the buildings and threatens the garden. They would welcome support in fighting this proposal - initially by signing their petition at Change.org:

https://www.change.org/p/westminster-city-council-save-dolphin-square-and-its-beautiful-listed-grade-ii-gardens

The issue is of Westminster-wide concern because the increased density proposed, in what is already a high density development, is setting a dangerous precedent.

 

 

Townsend House, Greycoat Place

UPDATE !   

 

February 2019    Whilst we are still sorry to see the demise of the present Edwardian building, we think the new version, without the metallic upper floor, is a big improvement on the first submission last February 2018.  Read our full response on the Planning page.

 

January 2019  This application has been backwards and forwards to WCC with various changes over the past year.  The current proposals for the latest planning application were unveiled at a public exhibition on site on Thursday, 17th January. 

 

6th February 2018   We are sad that this attractive brick-built building is to be demolished; it is surprising and unfortunate that none of the surrounding conservation areas cover this small area, which includes the nearby Grade 2 listed Greycoat Hospital School.

Read our full response here and go to the Planning page for a link to WCC to view the planning application :

We are of course unhappy that some dwellings in Emmanuel House and the probably residential first floor of the Greencoat Boy will suffer from reduced natural light.

We note the changes to the façade made since the public consultation, but we are disappointed that the corner facing Artillery Row has not changed significantly. It seems to us that this corner, identifying the entrance, will be a weak element in the façade, rather than the strongest.

The gradual increase in massing of the top floor roof element has diminished the quality of the façade. This element does not work well with the two contrasting glazing rhythms below.

The windows on the to residential floors are presumably openable – it would be good to have images of their appearance when open.

Car parking spaces: Estimate of one arrival and departure per day does not equate to a single car. It is not obvious to us that there is surplus residents’ parking provision. We would like to see a change in policy over allowing residents’ parking permits for new developments that are well-served by public transport.

 

Townsend House, Greycoat Place

Autumn-Winter 2018 Newsletter

 CLICK IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW:

 

AGM 2018

The Society's AGM was held on 13th November 2018 at the Grange Rochester Hotel.  The meeting was pleased to welcome Ptolemy Dean, architect of the new Weston Tower leading to the Queen's Jubilee Galleries and 19th Surveryor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey, who gave an excellent talk with slides on the background, design and construction of the tower and explained some of the future plans and challenges facing the Abbey in order to improve the overall visitor experience, ticket hall, security check and storage areas.

Please click below to view:

Annual Report

Financial Statements

 

 

 

Centenary of Armistice Cenotaph Service and Exhibition in St James's Park

Remembrance Day, 11th November, started at 11am with two minutes silence marked by the firing of guns from the King’s Troop on Horse Guards Parade followed by a service at the Cenotaph. TTIS Vice President, The Right Revd Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London led the service of remembrance which was attended by the President of Germany for the first time. 

St James’s Park has made a special contribution this year by hosting the “Fields of Battle, Lands of Peace” exhibition with superb images of the sites of battlefields by photographer Michael St Maur Sheil. It demonstrates the “healing power” of the land and minds over the raw memory of war. The exhibition continues until 19th November.
 
 
 
 
 
 Centenary of Armistice Exhibition in St James's Park

Relocation of Emmeline Pankhurst statue from Victoria Tower Gardens

 

 

UPDATE!  The application for the removal of the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst from Victoria Tower Gardens was withdrawn following a very large number of objections and considerable press coverage.

This statue was commissioned by the women who worked with her and its position next to Parliament is symbolic of her significance in British history.  It is planned that after she is relocated to Regents University in Regents Park, a larger statue of her be placed in Canning Green, at the back of Parliament Square, but we are still not happy and do not want to lose this particular statue in its current position.  Read our objection letter on our Planning page and CLICK HERE to leave your own comment on WCC's website.

Relocation of Emmeline Pankhurst statue from Victoria Tower Gardens

 

Visit to The Queen's Jubilee Galleries, Westminster Abbey - September 2018


More than 30 members enjoyed a delightful visit to the new Queen’s Jubilee Galleries (or Triforium) in Westminster Abbey.  We have already reviewed the opening in June but this took nothing away from a remarkable experience. We were welcomed in the Chapter House by Tony Trowles, Head of the Abbey Collection.  He described the work of Ptolemy Dean Architect and exhibition designers MUMA that made the new external access tower and exhibition space possible.  He thanked the Society for their valuable contributions at design and planning stages in 2014.
 
The new spiral glass staircase did not disappoint with stunning close up views of the Chapter House windows, rows of gargoyles and beyond to the Houses of Parliament.  The materials and craftsmanship in the construction and finish was of the highest quality befitting the Abbey and shards of medieval stained glass, found by cleaners under the floor, had been incorporated into the new glass panes. Once in the Triforium the space is calm and gently lit behind huge carved leaded arch windows.  We walked on the wooden floor put in by Sir Christopher Wren who, we have recently learned, appointed a woman, Elizabeth Gregory to be head carpenter there to finish his work, circa 1700.
 
The views down onto the Abbey floor are magnificent and it is easy to imagine it as a popular viewing gallery at many coronations and funerals. 16 metres below, a perfect view of the normally inaccessible Henry V Chantry Chapel and Poets Corner.
 
The Galleries show over 300 objects belonging to the Abbey and collected over centuries.  Including, several carved wooden royal funeral effigies including of Henry VII and also Nelson, an early Roman sarcophagus (which had been re-used down the centuries), ancient illuminated books and documents including what was known as the Westminster Domesday Book of the 1300s which was compiled by the monks as a record of major grants and the travelling filing chest of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, who inherited the vast House of Lancaster and was a very shrewd businesswoman who kept a very close eye on the management of the estates.
 
Our thanks to the Dean and Chapter for putting this special visit into place.  For those who missed it, you will have to pay £22 entrance fee to get into the Abbey and another £5 to visit the Galleries but armed with a (free) Westminster residents card and a secondary proof of identity such as a driving licence, you can get into the Abbey for free, then just pay £5 and also you do not have to queue !
 
Photographs with the kind permission of Westminster Abbey.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Visit to The Queen's Jubilee Galleries, Westminster Abbey - September 2018
 
 

Thorney Tales (16) College Hall, Westminster Abbey / School

 

One of the least visited parts of Thorney Island is the College Hall of Westminster School. This is because during the day it is a full time dining room for the pupils and outside of term time it reverts to the Dean of Westminster as part of his dwelling. And not without reason because this used to be the medieval dining hall of former abbots of the Abbey. It is claimed to be “ the most perfect, indeed only almost complete mediaeval house existing in London“. It is not be confused with the much bigger - and less attractive - School Hall visited by TTIS members recently where, among other things, the annual pancake “Greaze’ takes place.

The structure of College Hall is largely unchanged from medieval times and the oak roof immediately recalls an Oxford or Cambridge college. The windows have been replaced but shards of the original 1376 stained glass can be seen at the arched top of two of the windows. There used to be an open fire in the middle of the hall through which junior Scholars were made to jump through as a rite of passage. You can still see the aperture in the roof through which the smoke would escape. 
 
The hall, which is not open to the public, is accessed from a private courtyard near the entrance to the cloisters and has been in continuous use since it was constructed by the free spending Abbot Litlyngton who also built the Jerusalem Chamber (where Henty lV died) in the early 1370s. 
Queen Elizabeth l visited the hall on several occasions to hear the annual Latin play which her own statutes for the school had laid down.
It was in this hall that another Elizabeth - Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV’s Queen - twice claimed the ancient right of sanctuary when her life and that of her family were threatened. On the second occasion she was with her five daughters and second son, Richard, the Duke of York trying to escape the wrath of Richard lll when things turned nasty. See our earlier post https://tinyurl.com/y7spbo66
 
The right of sanctuary in the area immediately around the Abbey was so ingrained that even a ruthless king like Richard dare not abuse it. One of the celebrated people to take advantge of it was the poet John Skelton sometime tutor to the young Henry Vlll who composed sycophantic verses for royalty and noblemen. But he could also be acerbic and when he turned his satirical pen on the over-indulgent lifestye of his former patron Cardinal Wolsey it was a step too far. He sought refuge in the Sanctuary at Westminster to avoid being sent to prison by the Cardinal and spent the rest of his life there. 
 
The hall is believed to be the oldest regularly used dining room in London. Although it iis difficult to visit it, the outside wall is visible above the gift shop adjacent to the western entrance to the Abbey. The building peeping above the shop to the left is the Jerusalem Chamber and to the right is College Hall.
 
Thorney Tales (16) College Hall, Westminster Abbey / School 
 

Visit to The Church House - August 2018

 

We were privileged to be taken on the first ever official tour of The Church House, Westminster, the headquarters of the Anglican church - temporal and spiritual, which sits proudly between Dean’s Yard and Great Smith Street.

We soon learned of a special link between us as when Church House acquired buildings on the Abbey side of Great Smith Street to build their new HQ, they demolished the public library and moved it to the other side of the road. This is the 1893 public library that was saved by a campaign group in 1985 which then became The Thorney Island Society.

Our host, Chris Palmer, chief executive of The Church House, gave us a fascinating tour of the building, starting on the outside, where Tufton Street meets Great College Street, he pointed out the equisite flintwork of the building.  Amongst the flints were notched stones from a pile of 14th century stones found in the Abbey ditch when the nearby gatehouse was excavated. Some stones also contained traces of fossils and builders’s personal trade marks.  I was lucky enough to also view in the basement almost immediately beneath the wall, remains of a pillar in situ believed to be part of the ancient gatehouse leading onto Thorney Island and dating back to the 14th century.  At first glance you would miss the intriguing images within the flint, a dove to represent the name of the builders and a partridge for a dignitary of that name, a cottage loaf, an eye, a wheel, an 'N' and there must be more !

 

Our visit took in the beautiful oak and marble (sourced from all over the UK) chapel to the large circular hall which has held over 600 people and survived a bomb during the Second World War so well that Churchill took it over as an alternative site for the House of Commons.  It was here that the first meeting of the United Nations took place after the war, the preliminary meetings prior to the Nuremburg War Trials and where numerous inquiries have been held including the Brixton Riots, the Kings Cross Fire and leaks of information from the Bank of England.  It now uses some of the most modern hi-tec audio-visual equipment for global and local conferences amit beautiful plaster icons on the walls representing Anglican communities around the world.

We are very grateful to Chris Palmer for this memorable visit.

 

 Visit to The Church House - August 2018

  1. "The Devil's Acre before Peabody" Talk - August 2018
  2. Visits to Westminster School - July 2018
  3. Purcell Musical Tour of Westminster Abbey - June 2018
  4. Proposals for Christchurch Gardens, Victoria Street - June 2018

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Articles

  • St John's Smith Square Online Concert - 15th February 2021 at 8pm
  • The Buildings of Green Park, A talk by Andrew Jones via Zoom - 2nd February 2021 6.30pm
  • Visits & Events 2021 - Details
  • LIVE Carols & Thorney Christmas Quiz via Zoom - Monday 7th December
  • Thorney Tales (20) A History of Parliament in Two Glimpses
  • Refurbishment of 7 Millbank
  • The Society's 34th AGM & Talk via Zoom - Tuesday 10th November
  • The definitive book on the history of VTG ......
  • A History of St James's Park through Trees, Talk by Greg Packman - October 2020
  • Westminster Coroner's Court
  • 10 Greycoat Place - Developer's Consultation
  • Visit to the RHS Lindley Library
  • St. James's and The Green Park Update and Movement Strategy - 10th July 2020
  • Caring for the Poor and Vulnerable on Thorney Island, Guided Walk
  • Stephen Myers
  • The Truth behind the National Holocaust Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens
  • Bearskins, Bayonets and Bravery - New Guards Museum podcast
  • Victoria Tower Gardens - Judicial Review brought by the London Gardens Trust
  • Two Africans with strong links to Thorney Island escaped slavery to become role models in London over 250 years ago
  • Collecting fine bookbindings Zoom Talk - June 2020
  • RUSI, The Royal United Services Institute, Whitehall
  • London History Day, 31st May 2020 - 10 Old Pye Street
  • Urban Tree Festival 2020 - Online
  • Live Video of Feeding St James's Park Pelicans
  • St Stephen's Church, Rochester Row
  • Westminster Kingsway College
  • Save Victoria Tower Gardens - Planning Inquiry 6th October - 13th November
  • Thorney Tales (19) Revd James Palmer and Palmer's Village
  • Dear Members
  • Workshop by Jens Jakobsen, Master Florist at the Blewcoat School - March 2020
  • Consultation Begins - Southside, Victoria Street
  • Ignatius Sancho, Short Talk by Victor Keegan - February 2020
  • Christchurch Gardens Reconstruction Short Talk - January 2020
  • Christmas Party 2019
  • 55 Broadway - Planning application
  • Richmond House, Whitehall - The Northern Parliamentary Estate
  • 20mph Throughout Westminster ? YES !
  • The Society's 33rd AGM, 12th November 2019
  • Visit to the Palace of Westminster & Jewel Tower - October 2019
  • Thorney Tales (18) The Buxton Memorial Fountain
  • Mission: Invertebrate, The Green Park - August 2019
  • Tour of Buckingham Palace Gardens - August 2019
  • From Beer to the Bard - A Victoria Walk by Anthony Davis - July 2019
  • Special Tour of Westminster Abbey - July 2019
  • Gems of Thorney Island, A Walk by Victor Keegan - July 2019
  • The Guards Museum, Wellington Barracks - Volunteers
  • Victoria Tower Gardens, poem by Elizabeth Witts
  • The Green Park Tree Walk - May 2019
  • Visit to Bonhams Auctioneers - May 2019
  • Visit to Westminster Cathedral - May 2019
  • Visit to The Speakers House - April 2019
  • Ann Carlton our Co-founder
  • Thorney Tales (17) Westminster Coke and Gas Company
  • Duck Island Volunteer Project
  • Illuminated River
  • Visits & Events 2021
  • Dolphin Square Redevelopment
  • AGM 2018
  • Centenary of Armistice Cenotaph Service and Exhibition in St James's Park
  • Visit to The Queen's Jubilee Galleries, Westminster Abbey - September 2018
  • Thorney Tales (16) College Hall, Westminster Abbey / School
  • Relocation of Emmeline Pankhurst statue from Victoria Tower Gardens
  • Visit to The Church House - August 2018
  • "The Devil's Acre before Peabody" Talk - August 2018
  • Visits to Westminster School - July 2018
  • Purcell Musical Tour of Westminster Abbey - June 2018
  • Reception to mark the opening of The Queen's Jubilee Galleries, Westminster Abbey - June 2018
  • Proposals for Christchurch Gardens, Victoria Street - June 2018
  • Thorney Island Sources Tour of Westminster Archives - June 2018
  • Visit to the Institution of Civil Engineers - May 2018
  • St James's Park Tree Walk - May 2018
  • Unveiling of Millicent Fawcett Statue in Parliament Square - April 2018
  • Visit to Watts & Co, Ecclesiastical Furnishers & Outfitters - April 2018
  • Broadway & Carteret Street
  • Thorney Tales (15) Henry Purcell's Birthplace
  • AGM 2017 & Talk
  • Townsend House, Greycoat Place
  • Thorney Tales (14) Siegfried Sassoon
  • Chelsea College of Art & Design Collaboration
  • Introducing our New Chair
  • Lambeth Bridge Roundabout
  • Tour of St James the Less church in Pimlico - September 2017
  • Local Tree Walk with Paul Akers, WCC Arboriculturalist - September 2017
  • Visit to HM Treasury building - July 2017
  • Thorney Tales (13) - Elizabeth Woodville
  • Suffragist Millicent Fawcett - First women honoured in Parliament Square ?
  • Visit to St Margaret's Church - July 2017
  • Parks: Our Shared Heritage Exhibition - July/August 2017
  • Consultation by WCC on Future Growth/Building Height
  • Proposed memorial statue to Lady Margaret Thatcher in Parliament Square
  • Thorney Tales (12) The Jerusalem Chamber
  • 61-71 Victoria Street
  • Vauxhall Bridge Road/Tachbrook St Draft Development Opportunity
  • Visit to Tate Britain's Archives & Library, November 2016
  • Thorney Tales (11) - The Abbey Garden
  • St Andrew's Club - 150th Anniversary, October 2016
  • June Stubbs 1927 - 2016
  • Henry V's Chantry Chapel Visit, October 2016
  • Thorney Tales (10) - Oliver Cromwell v Charles I
  • The Victoria Tower Gardens & The National Holocaust Memorial & Learning Centre
  • Old War Office, 57 Whitehall
  • Our visit to Parliament's hidden medieval places, 28th July 2016
  • Westminster Fire Station
  • Thorney Tales (9) - Governor of Duck Island
  • Thorney Tales (8) Westminster Opera House
  • Fundraising Gala Dinner September 2016
  • Fundraising Gala Dinner September 2016
  • New Scotland Yard, 10 Broadway
  • What is Thorney Island ?
  • Millbank Tower grows taller
  • Welcome
  • Thorney Tales (7) - Storey's Gate
  • Thorney Tales (6) - St Margaret's Church, the amazing history of a window
  • Paddington Tower
  • WCC say "No" (AGAIN!) to proposed sculpture outside Westminster Central Hall
  • Objection to proposed cycle stands in Queen Anne's Gate
  • A visit to the hidden archives of Westminster Abbey, 4th November 2015
  • Visit to new Parliamentary Education Centre, 28th October 2015
  • Thorney Tales (5) - Westminster Hall Roof
  • Thorney Tales (4) - The tomb behind one of Britain's biggest fortunes
  • Thorney Tales (3) - The Jewel Tower
  • Visit to the RHS Lindley Library, 14th July 2015
  • Thorney Tales (2) - The River Tyburn
  • The Garden Bridge Controversy
  • Visit to Bridgewater House
  • Queen's Walk Cycle Route, The Green Park
  • Thorney Tales (1) - Britain's Hidden Treasure Trove
  • AGM 2016 & the Panorama of The Thames Project
  • Annual Review 2014-15

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