Modern architecture in Ham, Friday 23 June
This talk is by Richard Woolf, the well known local architect. Richard has given local tours, explaining our local buildings with his expert eye, and HAG is very pleased to have him talk about one of his passions.
St. Richard’s Church is undeniably “modern”, but it’s over 50 years old. Are Parkleys and Langham House Close modern architecture? They were built in the early 1950s, and are both listed. The most recent, and attractive, modern buildings are at Grey Court School.
The talk will be on Friday 23 June at 7:30pm at Ham Library and there will be an open discussion after Richard’s illustrated presentation.
Richmond’s princess, Friday 21 July
Princess Mary Adelaide lived in White Lodge, Richmond Park, and was the mother of Queen Mary. She has a memorial just outside Richmond Gate, sadly neglected, but restoration is planned. She was a very active member of the Richmond community, was very popular, and was always in the local press.
Ron Berryman will be giving an illustrated talk on “The People’s Princess” on Friday 21 July at 7:30pm at Ham Library. Ron has extensively researched the life of the Duchess of Teck and the campaign to erect a memorial to her by Richmond Park after she died in 1897.
Coming to our events
Our meetings are held in the community meeting room at Ham Library in Ham Street and start at 7.30 pm.
Admission is £3. Reserve your seat with Gill Douglas-Smith on 020 8546 9179 or email her at gillham1@john-lewis.com.
There may be some tickets available at the door but our talks often sell out so you must book to be sure of a place.
Visit to Thenford House
On Saturday 13 May we will be visiting the 1760 Georgian house near Banbury in Oxfordshire has 70 acres of parks and gardens with over 3,500 varieties of plants, medieval fishponds, a walled garden and lakes.
The estate, owned by Lord Michael and Lady Anne Heseltine, is only open four days a year so we are very fortunate to get tickets.
HAG members £27, others £29.
Contact Gill Douglas-Smith on 020 8546 9179 or email her at gillham1@john-lewis.com for more information and booking.
Some of our previous events
The History of Ham
On Friday 21 April Gordon Elsden, will give a talk on the history of Ham. People have been living by the Thames for thousands of years but until now nobody has collected all of the records to tell this fascinating story.
800 years of Kingston History
Jill Lamb, former Head of Heritage Service, explained how Kingston has evolved since the Royal Charter was given to the town by King John in 1200. She covered plague and palaces, crime and punishment, trade and taxes and, of course, shopping!
History of Eel Pie Island
Dan van der Vat told us about the history of Eel Pie Island. He co-authored the definitive book on the island’s history, with particular emphasis on the music at the Eel Pie Island Hotel in the 1960s.
Traditional Craftsmanship meets High Technology
There will soon be three Huf Houses in Ham and Petersham and we were very fortunate to get Peter Huf, chief architect, to speak about his award winning houses.
Coombe Conduit, an enigmatic Tudor waterworks
Dr. David Kennedy, the Kingston Society’s officer responsible to English Heritage for the management of Coombe Conduit, shared the latest research on this subject.
Writing a Psychological Thriller
Fleur Smithwick, the well known author and Petersham resident, gave a talk on writing a psychological thriller, and about her books How To Make A Friend and One Little Mistake
Wimpole Hall Farm
A coach trip to Wimpole Hall and Farm in Cambridgeshire, run by the National Trust.
