Hungerford Arcade is always buzzing, but today it echoed to a wondrous sound coming from Rafters Cafe`.  Customers stopped and listened to this marvel and told me that there is a choir upstairs in the cafe singing beautifully as they waited for their lunch.  I rushed upstairs, camera and notepad in hand and stood at the top just listening to the beautiful voices. 

The Choir is the Cor Divisi from Valls, Tarragena, Spain.  They told me that they had come over to England for the weekend on an exchange with the Harmony Choir in Newbury.  Having spent a marvellous weekend together sharing songs, typical dances and cultures, they were told that they must go to Hungerford Arcade before they fly back home.  They were not disappointed and neither were we.  

Thank you Harmony Choir of Newbury for sharing this special weekend with us.

I did take a video so that you could hear for yourselves how wonderful the Cor Divisi Choir is but unfortunately, downloading it onto this blog has proved rather difficult. When I get it sorted out, I will post it.

Hungerford Arcade will be looking forward to Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th Birthday on the 21st April along with the rest of the country.  In readiness for this wonderful event, a task has been set to clean up the streets of Britain in time for this great celebration.

Hungerford Arcade co-owner, Adrian Gilmour with Girl Guide Leader, Zoe Hopkins

An army of volunteers all over the country are leading the way in this campaign for the Queen’s special day.  You will see men, women and children with their litter pickers and colourful bags clearing all the rubbish from our streets.  Here in Hungerford, we had the Hungerford Girl Guides and their leaders enthusiastically clearing every piece of litter that they could find.  These range from sweet wrappers to takeaway cartons.  This event also serves to remind each of us that we all have a duty to keep our streets clean everyday by using one of the many bins provided or to just take our litter home with us.

Here you can see the Hungerford Girl Guides with one of their leaders in action, clearing out rubbish that had been thrown into one of Hungerford Arcade’s flower containers.  They were very keen not to leave any rubbish behind.

Hungerford Arcade’s wonderful friend and author, Stuart Miller-Osborne has written this fascinating article during his very busy schedule for which we are truly grateful.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did with a nice cup of tea!

A few days ago I popped into a bookshop in Henley on Thames during my lunch hour just really to shelter from the showers of the day.  As I was about to leave I noticed an antiquarian book which looked interesting.  Its title in short was, The Beauties of England and the book dated from 1791.  What initially took my interest was that there was a bookplate inside the front cover which noted that the book had once belonged to Bernard Edward, The Duke of Norfolk.  Above the bookmark the name Charles Howard had been added in black ink.

I purchased the book for two reasons.  One was that it appeared to have been part of the library of The Duke of Norfolk and also, I was fascinated to find out who Charles Howard was.  The other reason was that Beauties of England was full of short portraits of the villages, towns and cities of Great Britain including Hungerford.

Hungerford 64 miles from London stands on the River Kennet, famous for the best trout and cray-fish; but neither its buildings or market are considerable.  The constable who is chosen yearly, is lord of the manor, and holds it immediately under the King.  They have a horn here, holding about a quart, which the inscription says, was given by John of Gaunt.

This is a short description of Hungerford in 1791 and whilst the town has changed a little, one can still see our eighteenth century town.  Our neighbours in Newbury also have an entry on the opposite page.

Newbury or Newborough 56 miles from London, remarkable for being the birthplace of that great clothier, Jack of Newbury.  Large qualities of shalloons and druggets are still made here; which with its other trades render it a flourishing town.  It stands very peacefully on the River Kennet. The streets are spacious, particularly the market place, in which stands the guildhall.  History reports, that at the sand-pits near the town, several were burnt for their religion, in the bloody reign of Queen Mary.  

The streets in Newbury have a sense of space but the town has obviously been built up since 1791.  The Kennet and Avon Canal was still a few years away and it would be nearly seventy years before the railways reached both Newbury and Hungerford.

Lambourn also gets a short mention.

Lambourn or Langhorn, 10 miles from Newbury takes its name from the little river that runs by it, and falls into the River Kennet at Thackham.   It stands on the S side of White-horse-hill in a pleasant sporting country.

Although I do not know Lambourn well, I am fully aware of its sporting connections which probably have not changed that much since 1791.  One of the great things about living in the countryside is that things do not change that much.  If the developers had their way then as with Thatcham and Newbury, new estates would spring up spoiling the landscape.  But we are safe in Hungerford and beyond.

The true Berkshire countryside I believe, starts as you leave Newbury.  If you are travelling by train it is noticeable how unspoiled the countryside becomes as you travel towards Hungerford.  In the distance one catches glimpses of the far off Downs in all their moods.  The canal follows the railway loyally and various creatures such as deer, rabbits and foxes are easily spotted.  Kintbury comes and goes as does Hungerford, Bedwyn and Pewsey.  The traveller is in some of the most beautiful countryside in Southern Britain.  And it is here for each of us to enjoy. 

A man such as myself in 1791 although with a lot less time on his hands, would have appreciated the landscape and maybe would have written about it.  He might have been as privileged as to own a copy of the Beauties of England who knows?  But what I do know is that Bernard Edward the Duke of Norfolk had previously owned the book that I purchased in Henley.  As had the mysterious Charles Howard.  It was time to research these men a task which I found surprisingly easy.

Bernard Edward Howard (1765-1842) was the 12^th Duke of Norfolk who inherited the title being the third cousin of a certain Charles Howard (1746-1815).  This was the mysterious signature above Bernard’s bookplate.  Charles Howard had been the 11^th Duke of Norfolk and to think that this 1791 book had belonged to both men was quite moving.  It had most probably been part of the library handed down and is likely to have spent many years at Arundel Castle in Sussex. Quite how it ended up in Henley on Thames is anybody’s guess.  Perhaps it was stolen by a member of the staff and sold on or more likely it became redundant and was sold by the house.  It is not likely that I will ever find out but to imagine that this modest little book had been handled by both Dukes (Who were both direct descendants of Edward the First) is rather interesting to say the least.

Here in Hungerford in the early spring of 2016 I have this book in front of me.  I am referring to it as I write this short article very much as the Dukes might have referred to it all those years ago.  Charles Howard may have had occasion to go to Great Bedwyn and would have found the following rather strange description.

View eastwards from Great Bedwyn showing river, canal and railway

Great Bedwyn, formerly a city and the metropolis of Cissa a Viceroy of Wiltshire and Berkshire in the time of the Saxons is 70 miles from London.  The church which is a spacious fabric is built in the form of a cross, has a lofty tower in the center and several ancient monuments.

You can see the history of the now sleepy Bedwyn in this short and slightly mysterious account.  Nearby Marlborough is described beautifully.

Marlborough 76 miles from London, so called from the chalky soil in which it is situated is prettily built, but consists chiefly of one large straight street, with piazza’s along one side of it.  It has a parish church and several commodious inns being the grand thoroughfare from London to Bath and Bristol.

But my favourite is little Froxfield which is surprisingly included.

At Froxfield, 7 miles distant, the late Duchess of Marlborough endowed an alms-house for 30 poor widows, with an ample annual stipend for apprenticing 10 or 12 children.

The alms-houses are still there and have not changed that much in the last two hundred and twenty-five years.  As far I as I am aware the buildings still cater for widows although I think that the apprenticeships may have become a trust or the like since then.

I have only covered Hungerford and her neighbours in this article but the book itself covers the whole of Great Britain.  It was a chance find during a damp lunch-hour in Henley on Thames.  But then again, many of the most interesting finds occur when you are not actively seeking them.  To stumble upon a book owned by the two Dukes of Norfolk is interesting enough in itself.  But to see some of the towns and villages of this area over two hundred years ago is quite memorable.

I have lived in Hungerford for nearly ten years but feel that I have known the town and its neighbours for a much longer period.

Stuart Miller-Osborne       

Richard Fordham with stallholder Philippa Harper

There is no limit to the extraordinary people who come to Hungerford Arcade.  Richard Fordham is a prime example.  He told us that the company he owns is a well established company and have been in business for over 25 years.  The company is based on the border’s of Suffolk & Essex in the village of Mount Bures.  He  said, “We have an excellent record & high standard of services and approach from our respectful & dedicated team.

We offer a wide range of professional service’s which are carried out all over the UK, from tree surgery to the harvesting and felling of cricket bat willow’s for one of the largest companies throughout the world, J.S Wright & Sons Ltd (Cricket Bat Manufacturer’s) Great Leighs, Chelmsford, Essex”.

Read the early history of the Wright & Sons’ Company below.  It is fascinating.

History Pre 1963

Early History of the Company

Born in 1874, Jessie Samuel Wright lived at Warren Park in Little Leighs where he ran a building company.

On occasions he would meet a gentleman named Mr. Odd. Mr. Odd asked Jessie if he knew of any willow trees in his area, by his own admission Jessie’s knowledge of willow trees was limited. However Mr.Odd asked him to look out for any and let him know when he found some, he would then inspect them to see if they were the right variety. Once Jessie knew what to look for he decided it would be more lucrative than the building industry, so he bought The Willows in Little Leighs and named the company J. S. Wright in 1894.

This man was almost certainly Montague Odd, who made cricket bats, and in particular, he made bats for W G Grace at a guinea each.

His father (Amos Odd) had a cricket bat manufacturing business and sports shop in Croydon which Montague inherited.  It was Amos who perfected and patented the cricket bat from its original crude form to that which we know today.

Jessie married Annie Mansfield, they had five children; Grace, Bessie, Stanley, Albert and Doris. Annie died very young and Jessie then married Kate Cranfield (c.1910) and they had two more children; Laura and Carleton.

This photo shows Carleton Wright riding on the trailer with George Herbert Driving © 1929

As regards the Willow business, Jessie would do all the carting of trees and delivering of clefts to Rayne railway station, among other places, using a horse and cart. In those days the clefts were split from the rolls and left to stand for eighteen months before being sold air dried, no circular saws were used to shape the cleft.

Stanley, Albert and Carleton were involved from a very early age. During the first world war Jessie did not go to war but was in the Special Constabulary, therefore the business was able to continue. Occassionally soldiers would march from Colchester Barracks to Warley Barracks and would stop in the village for their lunch, the officers would come into The Willows and have lunch with Jessie.

Around 1922 Princess Marie Louise visited the company and took time to look at the process and inspect the clefts. She arrived by horse and coach, much to the delight of the local children.

It was now the second world war, only Carleton was called up for service, he was first stationed at Littlehampton and eventually travelled to many countries.

L to R: Stan, Jessie, Albert and Carleton

Stanley and Albert were in the Special Constabulary, so, as in the first world war, the company was able to tick over. The site was nearly destroyed, when a German bomb landed in the field at the back of the yard.

Jessie died in 1963 aged 88.

The family are still very much involved in the business. The business is run by the Chairman Nicholas Wright (Jessie’s Grandson) who has recently been awarded an MBE for Services to Industry,  Jeremy Ruggles (Jessie’s Great Grandson) and Oliver Wright ( Nick’s son and Jessie’s Great Grand Son). The Company now produces more cricket bat blades than ever.

You can read more of this company’s amazing history by clicking on this link to their website at http://www.cricketbatwillow.com/

FORBURY GARDENS

(Reading’s Hidden Gem)

Reading to me is like a curate’s egg, good in parts.

There is the wonderful Town Hall and many handsome Victorian and Edwardian buildings but there is also the faceless urban sprawl and the endless traffic.  In time I think the new railway station will be more loved although in my view it has some alarming design defects.  Have you noticed that when it snows it can actually snow inside the vast overbridge?  Yes I was walking across the many lines when to my surprise there was snow being blown in through the enormous vents on the roof.  I would not imagine that the architects would have missed this phenomena or that when it rains heavily the overbridge floor becomes quite wet and those obvious yellow signs begin to increase.

But overall I love Reading station as I do the superb kinetic bridge that crosses the River Thames between the Reading and Caversham Bridges.  It is a beautiful bridge and in my view is as graceful as the Millau Viaduct in the South of France.  I am looking forward to walking across this elegant bridge very soon and I am planning a visit to see Norman Foster’s bridge the next time I am in the South of France.   Although my Reading visit is more likely at present.

You may have noticed that I have dealt with the spectacular.

Reading Town Hall is a spectacular building.

Reading Railway Station is a spectacular building.

The kinetic bridge over the River Thames is spectacular in its own subtle way.

But there is an area of Reading which is quite small but in my view is the hidden gem of the town.  Do you know that Jane Austin once played in the area as a child?  Or that in its centre there is an enormous lion which commemorates a rather tragic battle which took place during the high days of our Empire.

I am of course referring to Forbury Gardens a small park which can be found not far from the centre of the town.  Many of you may have visited it but how many know of its fascinating history?  I certainly was not aware of its full history.

For those unfamiliar with Reading here is thumbnail guide on how to find the park. Essentially it is about five minutes’ walk from the railway station. All you need to do is turn sharp left when leaving the station and head towards the Town Hall where you will find a short street called Valpy Street.  The park is at the end of this street and can be easily seen.  It is surrounded in part by a decorative stone wall and be entered through an ornate gate again to your left (this is not the only entrance but the nearest to the station).  As you enter the park you will immediately feel the Victorian ambiance of the gardens.  Everything is pleasing to the eye.

But what of Forbury Gardens and its history how much do we actually know about the park?   My researches indicate that the actual area of the park was the site of the outer court of Reading Abbey whose ruins can be found to the left of the gardens.  Reading Abbey itself was founded in 1121 by Henry the First and soon became very influential within the town and beyond.  The actual name Forbury is a meeting place where fairs could be held and the town could meet the Abbey.

Initially Forbury Hill did not exist but was built in 1150 during the civil war between King Henry’s daughter Matilda and his nephew Stephen.  This was to fortify the Abbey.  It has remained in its position to this day.  All went well within reason until 1538 when the Abbey was mostly destroyed during Henry the Eight’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.  

Indeed the final Abbot was actually executed in front of the Abbey Church.  The building was plundered and robbed with anything of value stolen or used elsewhere.  The English Civil War and the Siege of Reading (1642-43) further harmed what was left of the Abbey and the hill was again used for defensive gain.

During the next two hundred years the area was used for a variety of purposes including military use as well as the location for many markets and fairs.  There was the famous Michaelmas Fair (later known as The Reading Cheese Fair) where stock and crops were sold.  This fair has also been recorded as a Hiring Fair which was really was a place where prospective employers and prospective employees could be matched.

Jane Austin is one of our most famous authors and has been strongly linked with Hampshire and the City of Bath (which she disliked).  But not many people know that Jane and her sister Cassandra were actually educated in Reading along with another cousin also called Jane.  They had been taught in Southampton and Oxford but this proved unsuccessful and they moved to The Reading Ladies Boarding School (The Abbey School) which taught the Jane(s) and Cassandra the staple eighteenth century diet of music, sewing, dancing and spelling (which would serve Jane well in later life).

It is estimated that she stayed for three years leaving in 1786. The school may have been used as the model for Mrs Goddard’s school in Emma.  Although it would be over sixty years before the park was actually created Jane is known to have played on the grounds in front of the Abbey ruins during breaks from lessons.  Just think you might be sitting in the park eating your healthy Subway sandwich and not so healthy sugary drink in exactly the spot where Jane first thought of Mr Darcy.  But why would you be sitting there in the first place?

This was because in 1854 the Forbury Hill and the eastern part of the present gardens were sold to the Reading Corporation for £1200.  From then it was all systems go. The Victorians were at the heart of the park mania where every large town had to have a park (in my view this was one the greatest gifts bestowed on us by our forefathers).

Possibly with Kew in mind, the gardens were planned with a botanical character. A fountain was planned, a summerhouse and a tunnel was built to link the gardens to the Abbey ruins in 1859.  The work started in 1855 and the park opened on Easter Sunday in 1856.  However the western part of the Forbury was still being used for fairs and because of this the area had a refuse problem which was spoiling the enjoyment of the visitors to the park.

The situation was remedied in 1860 when the western area was purchased by the town for £6010.  Fairs were no longer held in the park but a wall separated the two parts of the Forbury.  Each had its own character. As far as I can see the western part was reserved for more recreational use whereas its eastern neighbour was more botanical in nature.  This situation did not last long for in 1873 the western part of the Forbury was absorbed into the whole and the whole area became known as Forbury Gardens. 

The familiar Lion was erected in 1886 and the Victoria Gates in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.  To a great extent the gardens at the turn of the twentieth century are the gardens we enjoy today.  However, the park was allowed to deteriorate as the twentieth century progressed (this was true of many parks in the country and many soon became no go areas after dark).  Forbury was no exception. I had known the park vaguely since the 1960s and was shocked at its state when I visited the town in 1973.  It seemed a place for drunks and addicts and other unfortunate activities and subsequent visits did nothing to improve my image of the park.  I always felt the brave lion was on the verge of weeping at the decay that it was witnessing.  Something had to be done otherwise the park would have faded in all but its name. 

By 2005 a restoration project had been completed to the cost of £2.13 million pounds.

The historic features so beloved by the gardens were improved as well as safety and access.  CCTV was added to deter the few who wanted to spoil others enjoyment but most of all the famous lion was spruced up.  For anybody who visits the gardens what is the image that they do not forget?  It is the Maiwand Lion.  But who is this beast and why should he be position in the middle of a park in Reading? 

The Maiwand Lion is actually a war memorial to commemorate the Battle of Maiwand in 1880 which was one of the principle battles of the Second Anglo–Afghan War (1878-1880) in which the Afghans defeated two brigades of British and Indian troops.  The victory came at a high price for the aggressors as they lost some 2700 warriors whereas the Empire forces lost just under a thousand.  Amongst these were 329 men from the 66^th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot and to be really precise the memorial actually commemorates these brave men.

.

Here are a few facts about the Maiwand Lion.

Its sculptor was a George Blackall Simmonds (1843-1929) and one of the most enduring urban myths concerns the sculptor.  It is said that he committed suicide as it was observed that the lions gait was wrong and that of a domestic cat.  But on closer study the gait is correct and George lived for another forty-three years. This said I have never been able to find the lion’s tongue.

The sculpture is made of cast iron and weights sixteen tons and is Grade Two Listed.  It has an IPA named after it as well as appearing on the crest of Reading Football Club.  

I was in last the gardens (apart from a whirlwind visit to the Ice Fair) as the summer grew tired and the days grew shorter.  My wife was shopping in the town so I decided to escape to the tranquillity of the park.  I had treated myself to a small volume of Keats poetry at the nearby Oxfam Books and sat silently reading, awaiting my wife’s return. Although there were many people in the park there was a quietness that I did not notice immediately but was soon aware of.  The light and the semi-silence reminded me of that rather nice children’s programme In the Night Garden.  True there we no oddly shaped creatures carrying red blankets with them or a young lady who always wanted to dance (forgive me I do not know their names).  But the light and the vivid colours as well as the peaceful nature of the evening put me in mind of the night garden.

.

Soon after this my wife returned and John Keats was placed into my jacket pocket and my thoughts of the BBC programme and the gardens were committed to memory.  I waved to the lion and we were on our way. 

If you are in Reading do try to visit this amazing park and meet the lion and the young author of Emma and other books.  Sit on the hill, visit the Trooper Potts memorial just outside of the gates.  Take time to have a sandwich or a coffee and just take in the Forbury Gardens for a while.

You will not be disappointed.

Stuart Miller-Osborne  

Wendy with stallholder, Kathy Coen

At Hungerford Arcade we always look forward to meeting lovely people with a story to tell and Wendy Dobbenie has a wonderful one about how she makes animals and scenes from 1960’s and 1970’s crockery into mosaic art.  Here you can see Wendy with stallholder Kathy Coen and below with Arcade co-owner, Adrian Gilmour.  Further down, you will see the wonderful work Wendy does with the crockery in making her mosaics.

Wendy with Arcade co-owner, Adrian Gilmour

Wendy started doing mosaics a few years ago purely as a hobby and something to do in her spare time. Wendy said “I enjoy de-stressing by smashing up crockery and creating new pieces with it”.  As you can see, it works!