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:
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.
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:
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.

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.




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.
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.