Spring Newsletter 2008

Download the full newsletter as a PDF document (500kb)

Welcome to the Spring 2008 newsletter, packed with information about our plans for this year. You can find out more about our projects at the Spring Members Meeting on Monday 17th March at Grove Gardens Chapel.

Many thanks to Mabel Law, who responded to our request for a membership secretary in the last newsletter and helped us sort out the backlog of subscription reminders. Sadly, Mabel moved on to ‘real’ work, so we are once again looking for someone to help out in the office. If you have a spare hour or two, perhaps you would like to find out how you can get involved? If so, just give us a call on 020 8891 5455.

Trustee news

Paul Chamberlain will be standing down as chairman this spring as he is moving away from the borough and Andrew Darby is coming to the end of his term as treasurer this year, so we are currently recruiting new trustees and will be holding an event for prospective trustees in April. If you are interested, then do get in touch to find out more (020 8891 5455).

We were saddened to hear that our former treasurer Brian Daly died on Boxing Day last year.

Sara Black

Dates for your diary

Monday 17th March 2008 (7 pm), Spring Members Meeting, Grove Gardens Chapel

Thursday 19th June 2008 (7.30 pm), Annual General Meeting

Saturday 21st June 2008 (10.30 am), Summer Cake Stall, Vineyard Passage Burial Ground, just off Paradise Road (you will be able to see the green striped tent from a distance). Contributions for sale are very welcome, and you are invited to bake cakes, scones, quiches or whatever you fancy and bring them along on the day for sale on the stall, to benefit the group’s funds.

SUMMER FAIRS

Richmond May Fair, Saturday 10th May
Twickenham Charity Fair, Monday 26th May

Securing Sir Richard Burton’s last resting place

A new project for the Environment Trust

In the secluded burial ground of St Mary Magdalen’s Roman Catholic Church in Mortlake is the last resting place of an adventurous explorer, prolific author and translator of major works of Arab literature including the Kama Sutra and Arabian Nights.

Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821–1890) was a traveller, linguist, poet, soldier and diplomat. After time in the army in India, he travelled to Africa and the Americas under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society, including an expedition to find the source of the Nile. He undertook definitive and unexpurgated translations of the Kama Sutra, One Thousand Nights and a Night and other works and wrote The Kasidah of Haji Abdu El-Yezdi, a poetic work distinguished by its layers of Sufic meaning. Burton served as British Consul in Equatorial Guinea, Brazil, Syria and Italy from 1861 until his death and was appointed a KCMG in 1886. He died in October 1890 and was laid to rest in his mausoleum in Mortlake in June 1891, where he was joined by his wife on her death in March 1896.

The grade II* listed mausoleum takes the form of a Bedouin tent, created from sandstone, with surfaces finished to simulate the irregularities of canvas. The stone door at the front, originally hinged with gunmetal flanges but now sealed shut, is finished to simulate a canvas drop-curtain. Within the tent, the floor is paved in Carrara marble with black marble inserts, and the underside of the roof is painted to represent the heavens. At one end is a marble altar and tabernacle with candles. In addition to a number of the explorer’s possessions, the interior contains dried flowers preserved in glass, hanging lamps of Middle Eastern character and origin, and a string of small camel-bells supported from the ceiling which would tinkle when the door was opened.

Currently, the mausoleum is included on English Heritage’s Register of Buildings at Risk. Repairs were carried out in the 1970s, but the monument is once again in need of restoration. In addition to the poor condition of the stonework and dampness, the interior decorative paintwork is seriously deteriorating and needs to be conserved, as do many other features and items within the tent. A fully repaired mausoleum will enable its cultural, historical and educational roles to be promoted in celebration of the life and interests of Sir Richard Burton.

The project to repair, restore and reinstate the Burton monument is being directed by a local group, the Friends of Burton led by Yannick Banks, working in collaboration with a project group under the auspices of the Environment Trust. As well as seeking to raise funds in the local and broader communities, the team is applying for financial support from English Heritage, the Heritage of London Trust, and other grant-making bodies.

If you wish to help to secure a sound future for the mausoleum and to celebrate the life and interests of Sir Richard Burton, please get in touch with the Environment Trust office (020 8891 5455).

Paul Velluet

Volunteering

It’s about 7 months since we last reported on our volunteer projects, which have continued to be well supported. We have a loyal band of regulars who come to most events and others who attend occasionally when they have a special interest in the site or in the kind of work we are doing. Whichever group you belong to, your efforts are much appreciated. (Perhaps somebody could think of a suitable prize to award to the longest serving volunteers&hellips; a green watch for example!) A special welcome this time to Fran Morrison, London Arcadia’s Project Officer, who has taken over from Tasha Hunter and has already helped a lot with some of our events.

As to our programme, we have completed five projects since our last report. A sixth event – the riverbed clean-up at Twickenham Riverside – had to be cancelled for the second time running due to high water levels following excessive rain. (We will need to give Twickenham priority during the draw-off in November 2008.) However, the corresponding event in Richmond was very successful and included further repairs to the stone revetments around Corporation Island. Another highlight was the raft building on Richmond Riverside, supported as ever by the boys, staff and parents of Tower House School. They are setting a fine example to others in the borough about how to engage young people in caring for the natural environment and they have made a particular contribution with some of our older volunteers to the willow spiling on Kew towpath. The stakes planted in early 2007 have rooted strongly in most cases as we found on returning to the site last October. By the time this newsletter is published, we will have completed a third project there, with the aim of extending the area of riverbank protected by willow stakes and woven brush piles or logs.

Unfortunately space does not allow for more detailed accounts of our other projects but in brief we have:

• Undertaken maintenance to the planting we did last year in Bridge House Gardens
• Planted new hedges in Cambridge Gardens and the Old Deer Park
• Pruned the willows along Warren footpath
• Helped in eradicating Japanese knotweed (an invasive weed) on Ham Lands

We are working on the programme for the rest of this year so please tell us if you have any particular projects you would like us to consider. Keep an eye on our VOlunteering page for planned events up to the summer break. If you would like to know more and to receive our programme on a regular basis, please contact the Trust office (020 8891 5455).

Patrick Kidner, Zeph King & Jenny Willis

School allotment projects

Since September last year the Environment Trust has been funding my work in association with Richmond Environment Network supporting the borough’s schools with their environmental projects. Teachers in schools are already overstretched by administrative and assessment duties, so finding additional time for running gardening clubs is often very difficult. To help them we are looking for volunteers who have an interest in gardening and enjoy working with children.

Research has shown and it is my own belief and experience that contact with nature and wildlife is incredibly important for us all and for children in particular. To see others caring for the earth, grow­ing and harvesting their crops, then to have the satisfaction of preparing the soil, making compost, nurturing and growing plants themselves, really helps children to be connected to and care about the wider environment. It also gives them skills and pleasures that they will have all their lives.

If you are interested in getting involved in this important and fun project, it would be great to hear from you. Please contact me on 07974 725 557. I look forward to hearing from you.

Joe Pecorelli

St Helena Boathouse

The Boathouse Group is glad to welcome two new families who now store their dinghies in the boathouse: one read about us in the last Trust newsletter, and the other saw on the new noticeboard on our doors that there was a boat for sale, and a space in the boathouse to store it. So four families now store their dinghies and canoes in the boathouse, and last year the Thames Landscape Strategy boat also wintered here. We still have one space free, but are currently enjoying the extra elbow room.

Work to improve the boathouse continues: over the winter, a canopy was successfully installed over the domed ceiling to prevent water and debris falling on the boats below. Improvements to exclude all water at high tides is in progress.

The group has a rotating chair and secretary, so the management of the boathouse is shared, as are day-to-day costs, repairs and improvements – ensuring that the boathouse is self-supporting.

Honor Bailey

Hire Grove Gardens Chapel

A great venue for community and family events

If you are looking for a venue for a regular event or one-off occasion, then the Chapel could be for you.

The building seats 60 people comfortably or has the capacity for 100 guests standing and is fully accessible for people with disabilities.

Rates: £30 for the first hour + £10 for each subsequent hour
Special rates Friday evenings & Saturdays
Discounts for regular events and voluntary groups
Sound system/projection facilities available for hire

Find out more by calling the office on 020 8891 5455.

Come along to see the Chapel on Saturday 31st May when we’ll be giving it a spring clean, which you are welcome to help with!

Kilmorey Mausoleum

Two open days for the public to visit Kilmorey Mausoleum in St Margaret’s are planned this year: the first will be on Saturday 7th June when the meadow surrounding the grade II* listed mausoleum should be at its finest and the second on Saturday 20th September when the mausoleum and its garden will feature as part of the nationwide Open House Weekend.

On both occasions the site will be open in the afternoon between 1 and 5 pm. The mausoleum itself will be open along with access to the surrounding wildlife garden created and maintained by the Environment Trust. There will be other occasions when more limited access is available to the site on St Margaret’s Road (roughly opposite the Ailsa Tavern).

In July it is to be the destination for one of the special walks led by the Richmond guides, and Kilmorey is also being used by a local school as the site for an eco-club and by a local scouts group as the base for conservation and community work leading to their badges.

Further work on maintaining and enhancing the garden will take place each week, usually on Monday lunchtimes. Tools and gloves will be supplied so just bring along your enthusiasm. Best to check that the team will be there by calling the Trust office or 07955 172 940 in advance.

Derrik Mercer

Twickenham River Centre

A public exhibition on the Twickenham Riverside site was held at York House between 13th and 17th February, showing the council’s proposals for the overall site and the Environment Trust’s proposals for the Twickenham River Centre.

Over 600 people visited the exhibition and there was considerable interest in our proposals; so far, 115 people have completed our questionnaire on the River Centre and some 90% of these are in favour of the project, with many interesting new ideas for the building and the associated open space being suggested.

The overwhelming consensus is that the River Centre will provide a valuable community focus for Twickenham, enlivening the riverside and helping to revitalise the town. People of all ages are calling for facilities that will engage with the energies of young people in a positive way, while older people are requesting space for reflective enjoyment of the river, and there will be space within the building and the surrounding open space to meet all of these needs.

There is particular interest in the history of the site as a boat house and a venue for the Twickenham Regatta. The boat house in the River Centre is being welcomed as a return to this, as is the provision of apprenticeships for young people wishing to carry the tradition on into the future. The proposal for a riverside pontoon with the potential for ferry links between Twickenham, Richmond, Kew and Teddington is also very positively received.

The Trust is considering all of the feedback from the exhibition and using it to develop a programme of uses for the River Centre, in association with more than 40 largely local groups and organisations. Updates on our progress are published regularly on www.rivercentre.org.uk, which is currently featuring our first architect’s impression of what the building could look like. We remain very interested in receiving views and ideas for the River Centre from individuals and organisations alike, so please do contact us if you have any comments.

Angela Kidner

Events

Get in touch with the office on 020 8891 5455 if you are interested in any of the following events. If you have any spare time, are relatively organised and like planning things, perhaps you could help us organise more events for later in the year? We’re looking for someone to help develop a varied programme of events for members throughout the year.

Watermen’s Hall – Friday 11th April, 11 am
Tickets cost £10 (including entry and light refreshments)
Home of the Company of Watermen and Lightermen, the Hall dates back to 1780 and remains the only original Georgian Hall in the City of London. Read more about it at www.watermenshall.org.

Clifton Lodge again
After a highly successful visit to the Rambert ballet school last year, we are hoping to repeat the visit for those who couldn’t come last time. Date to be confirmed

Richmond Theatre
We occasionally get offers for group visits to Richmond Theatre, which we will put on our Events page when we get a chance! Let us know if you would like more information.

And don’t forget the Members Meeting at Grove Gardens Chapel on Monday 17th March from 7 pm

Want to get more involved?

If you’ve got some spare time and are wondering how you can fill it, why not consider the following. Just get in touch with the office to find out more (020 8891 5455).

• Practical volunteering – monthly or weekly gardening and conservation work at various locations around the borough (e.g. Vineyard Passage Burial Ground, Kilmorey Mausoleum, and the riverside)
• Research and ‘information management’ – find out about the history of local buildings, places and people and help sift through all of the information that we get sent, so that we can swiftly pass the relevant bits on to the right people
• Website project group – the website is often the first point of contact that we have with potential new members so it is critical that it wows and woos them! Would you like to share your opinions on the current site and offer help in redesigning it?

Sponsorship opportunities

• Computer software – £60 gives us extra computer memory; £125 lets us upgrade to Office 2003; £75 enables one more person to update the website with Adobe Contribute; £40 for Photoshop Elements and £130 for QuarkXpress help with newsletter layout
• Training courses – from £30 to £300, there are a range of courses in computing and charity management that will help us do what we do even better!
• Office costs – we currently spend around £100 month on phone bill, broadband, stationery and postage, so why not sponsor a month! (or give us lots of stamps)

Or how about a sponsored office tidy-up and archive clear-out – I’m not sure how this would work, but if you give us lots of money, I’m sure we’ll find a way!

Use EveryClick to raise money for the Trust when you search the Web – go to www.everyclick.com/uk/environment-trust-for-richmond-upon-thames/136109/0, start searching and watch the money roll in!

Sara Black

Welcome to the Trust’s newest supporter!

Gracie Bates, pictured with proud grandmother Angela Kidner, was born on 17th February (luckily after the Twickenham Riverside public exhibition had ended!) Congratulations to parents Hatty & Dan and, of course grandparents Angela & Patrick.

Art Picnics: ‘Learning Through Looking’

Following the success of the 2007 Art Picnic series, we are delighted to be able to announce our programme of picnics for 2008, visiting some old favourite sites, as well as new places around the borough, such as Mortlake, Richmond Park and East Sheen.

The aim of the picnics is to enable people of all ages and abilities and from all backgrounds to learn about both the built and the natural heritage of the borough through observational drawing and painting.

Come along to one or more of these picnics to develop your own personal creative skills under the guidance of a number of highly experienced tutors, including Jill Storey and Emily Burton.

If you are unsure about your artistic abilities, there will be a dedicated ‘beginners’ tutor at each picnic giving special coaching.

The next art picnic is on 16th March at Strawberry Hill (where we will also be helping out later in the year with their landscaping project).

If you are interested in coming to the art picnics, then just get in touch with the office to buy a ticket or be added to our mailing list.