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THE PAST MONTH IN THEYDON BOIS
DECEMBER 2004
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY
IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS
DURING DECEMBER 2004 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON
BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.
Bill Best, 78 and his wife Pat, 73, of Dukes Avenue Theydon Bois (TB)
recently celebrated their golden wedding anniversary by holding a service
of thanksgiving at which the Canon Rev Colin Travers and the Rev Anthea
Cannell both of St Mary’s Church TB, officiated. Because of Bill’s
poor health, the service and a subsequent celebration party were held
at the St Clare Hospice in Hastingwood. Pat paid tribute to the wonderful
staff at the hospice who had not only organised the celebration but were
looking after Bill during his visits there.
Laurence Allen, 19, of Coppice Row TB pleaded guilty at Harlow Magistrates
Court to the charge of driving a motor vehicle (a motorised scooter) at
12.26 am on 22 06 04 near the junction of the M11 motorway and the A414
main road. He claimed that he was on the pavement and unaware that the
scooter, which had a small engine at the rear, was classified as a motor
vehicle and therefore required lights and the full documentation necessary
for a motor vehicle. He was banned from driving for 12 months, fined £50
and ordered to pay £43 costs. A police spokesman subsequently said
that this case highlighted the fact that the drivers of these scooters
needed to comply with the full requirements of the law and possess a driving
licence, insurance and road tax.
Christmas officially arrived in the village at 6.30 pm. when the Village
Christmas Tree was formally lit by Jane and Barry Turner, the Village
Personalities of the Year. A large gathering of villagers and friends,
together with many children, cheered as the new, living, Christmas Tree
lit up the winter sky with its seasonal message of goodwill. After a few
words of welcome from the Theydon Bois Parish Council (TBPC) Chairman
John Eaton and Past Chairman Wilfred Shales, a great cheer went up as
Santa Claus (Councillor Bob Glozier in disguise) arrived on his motorised
sleigh. The event then moved into the Theydon Bois Village Hall (TBVH),
which was quickly packed to capacity, for a Carol Service conducted conjointly
by the Rev, David Penegar of the TB Baptist Church and the Rev Canon Colin
Travers of St Mary’s Church. Phil Simmance then compared a programme
of events which included carols sung by the TB Primary School Choir, the
TB Baptist Church Girls Brigade, TB Guides and Brownies, St Mary’s
Pathfinders and the TB Singers. TBPC Councillor Sue Jones concluded the
occasion by thanking all who had organised the event and particularly
the TBWI who worked hard in served mulled wine and mince pies to the many
present. Finally, Santa Claus managed to survive the rush (and crush)
in the Foyer when he handed out gifts of sweets to the children as they
left.
Following the decision of the electorate of North East England to
reject a proposal for the creation of a Regional Assembly for that area,
questions were now being raised about the validity and usefulness
of the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA), which covered
the Epping Forest District. Two members of the EERA, Councillor Gerard
McEwen and Councillor Robert Glozier (TBPC), were against its existence
and appalled at the sheer waste of finance and resources incurred by its
operation. Councillor Glozier cited as an example the agenda he had received
for the next meeting. This comprised 325 pages and contained for the members
perusal and consideration (Regional Assemblies are non decision-making)
such topics as; Sustainable Futures – The Integrated Strategy for
the East of England, and Centre of Procurement Excellence East –
Member Reference Group. The Councillors considered the EERA to be the
worst of all worlds being at the same time expensive, unnecessary and
ineffective.
Christmas music was on the programme at the December meeting of the
TB Music Society and included such items as Little Road to Bethlehem by
Michael Head, Xmas Carol by Reinecke and a Fantasy on White Christmas
by Irving Berlin. The instrumentalist were Paul Chilvers – Piano,
Frances Chilvers – Soprano, Kelly Sharp – Mezzo Soprano and
Benjie De Rosario – Clarinet. Seasonal refreshments were provided
during the interval to complete the festive occasion.
The same Santa Claus (again incognito) paid another visit to the village,
this time to the Christmas Fayre, an open air event, held in the Playground
at Theydon (PAT). He was the natural centre of attention being snug in
his Grotto while the many parents and children patiently waited in the
cold to be welcomed with a warming smile and a small gift. He almost ran
out of these but a calamity was averted by helpers who rushed around obtaining
further gifts, wrapping paper etc. from the neighbouring shops. Other
attractions included a magic castle and stalls selling Christmas items,
lucky dip, a grand raffle and, most welcome, refreshments including hot
mulled wine and mince pies. The children took to opportunity to use the
newly installed play equipment, the centre piece of which was a Jupiter
Flexi Stand purchased from donations received from local organisations,
particularly the TBWI. The event was organised by the ladies of the hard
working PAT Committee, their partners and friends; good neighbour Dave
Sims provided the electric power for the illuminations and, most important,
the kettle! The PAT Chairman Joy Wainwright thanked everyone for their
efforts and was then photographed sitting on Santa’s lap! The Event
raised more than £500 which would be used to further improve this
wonderful play facility, a registered charity, dependant entirely on voluntary
contributions and very popular with children and parents in the local
area.
Not to be outdone in the current climate of local festive music, the
TB Singers gave their Christmas Concert in the TBVH to a large audience.
Their programme comprised a miscellany of music and readings including
excerpts from Handel's Messiah and carols by a number of composers including
Peter Rutter and Edward Elgar; the audience was invited to join in the
singing of the popular items. Frances Chilvers was the Soprano Soloist,
Janet Cass the conductor and the excellent accompanist, playing with the
Singers for the last time after many years, was Ellie Morrow. The proceeds
from the concert were made to the PAT Charity.
The police had reported a 70% drop in crime at the station car parks
at Theydon Bois, Epping, Loughton and Debden since Vinci Park UK became
responsible for their management. Improved lighting, CCTV and customer
instant-contact points had been installed with direct links to the British
Transport Police. The Vinci organisation had subsequently received a Secured
Car Parks award.
The Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) decided to introduce a new
domestic waste recycling scheme commencing in October 2005. Most households
would be issued with a wheelie bin for domestic waste, sacks for green
recycling waste and a box (or the existing blue box) for other recyclable
waste. The collection of waste in black sacks would eventually be discontinued,
as there was no control over the number of sacks put out by each household.
Theydon Bois was a silent village at first light on Christmas Day.
A sharp frost and a cold northerly wind, bringing the promise of possible
snow, kept most “early risers” indoors where children were already
opening presents and busy housewives preparing festive meals. The Bookshop
newsagents and the Tesco convenience store were closed on this one day,
as also was the railway station so no rail and road traffic disturbed
the peace of this early Christmas morning. Nature was able to assert herself;
the twitter of robins in the hedgerow, the song of the mistle thrush,
that harbinger of spring, and the calls of the wildfowl on the pond could
once again be heard without interruption. As the sun rose in a clear sky
to give natural light to the village Christmas tree, and also to the special
“best kept village” sign on the green, early worshippers emerged
to hurry by foot or car to St Mary’s Church to celebrate Holy Communion.
A little later, morning services were held at the Theydon Bois Baptist
Church and at All Saints in the neighbouring parish of Theydon Garnon,
a short distance away. Here, some villagers celebrated Christmas morning
in this historic 15th century church protected by a geological fold from
the massive intersection of the M11 and M25 motorways half a mile way.
The church was candle lit until the morning sun shone through the ancient
windows and the increasing sound of the motorway traffic, much of it bound
for the Stansted International Airport, announced that the world was awake.
By lunch time, Theydon Bois was astir and the four pubs began to serve
their patrons. By afternoon, families were out in force with the favourite
destinations being the pond, to feed the wildfowl, or the playground and
the village green where young legs and lungs could be exercised to the
full. All too soon the lowering temperature warned that the afternoon
was over and most people disappeared indoors for further festivities and
an evening of television or, even family generated entertainment. By midnight
a hard frost had once again fallen on a sleeping village, lit only by
a full moon and the bright festive decorations which illuminated the exteriors
of many homes.
The ready availability of cheap air travel and the low cost of living
in third world countries encouraged many tourists, including some residents
of Theydon Bois, to spend Christmas in warm or tropical climates. However,
the idyllic holiday for thousands of tourists in the Indian Ocean region
of South East Asia was shattered at breakfast time the day after Christmas
by a series of tsunamis (giant waves travelling at high speed),
caused by a massive underwater earthquake off Sumatra. The coastal regions
of Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and even East Africa
were devastated. By evening the number of known casualties was 13,000
dead with 20,000 missing and these figures were expected to increase enormously.
Many victims were those on the beaches who had been swept out to sea or
trapped in wrecked beach hotels and cafes. More than 10,000 tourists were
in the region, which had been declared a disaster area, and aid was being
sought world wide and from the United Nations. Drinking water, food and
especially medical supplies were urgently needed because of the threat
of disease from the thousands of unburied bodies. Where possible tourists
were being flown home immediately and some arrived clad only in swimming
clothes, as all their possessions had been lost. At this time, it was
not known if any residents of TB had been involved in the disaster.
The ignominious saga of the demise of Wansfell College in Piercing
Hill TB reached its sad conclusion when the Essex County Council (ECC)
announced that it had received “several expressions of interest”
for the purchase of the now empty premises. The College building occupied
an area of 14,607 square feet and there was a landscaped garden of five
acres with a four-bedroom house. Former College Governor and professional
actor, John Rapley, said, “It’s a desperate shame that such
a valuable asset to adult education has been disposed of. It has been
standing empty, as far as students are concerned, since August 2004 during
which it could have been put to some educational use”. A spokesman
for Lambert Smith Hampton, the property consultants appointed to handle
the sale, said, “The Victorian house is of significant size due to
various conversions since its construction in 1871, and could be converted
back to residential accommodation”. The property was purchased by
the ECC in 1945 for conversion into a residential educational College.
Sir Winston Churchill frequented Wansfell and Patrick Moore, the astronomer,
had lectured there for some years.
In London, the New Year was ushered in at the stroke of midnight with
a tremendous fireworks display on the Thames, which was also intended
as visible support for London’s bid to host the Olympics in 2012.
The night sky was illuminated for miles around, even as far as Theydon
Bois where the display could be seen from local high points. But before
the display, a two-minute silence was observed to commemorate the now
150,000 souls who had died in the Indian Ocean earthquake and tidal wave
disaster of 26 12 04. However this figure was increasing continually and
it was feared that thousands more would never be found having perished
either on remote islands or in the sea; it was now established that at
least 100 Britons were officially dead. British tourists were being flown
home but, against official advice, many relatives of those dead or missing
were flying out to the region to search for or identify loved ones; meanwhile
others could only wait for news. For many, the year 2004 went out on a
very sombre note.
Top
THE PAST MONTH IN THEYDON BOIS
NOVEMBER 2004
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY
IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS
DURING NOVEMBER 2004 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON
BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.
The Theydon Bois Baptist church helped to provide more than 100 goats
for poverty-stricken families in Africa by raising £2,800 in support
of the "Get Your Goat" appeal held by the Farm Africa Charity.
This organisation aims to make a lasting impression on the lives of poor
rural African farmers and their families by providing two goats per family
for breeding purposes, providing milk and generating fertiliser. This
is a repetitive process as the recipient family donates two of the goat's
offspring to another needy family. The appeal was launched at this autumn's
harvest festival where a goat from Ashlyns Organic Farm was in attendance
and caused great interest.
The Youth Initiatives Committee of the Theydon Bois Parish Council
(TBPC) held an open meeting in the Theydon Bois Village Association (TBVA)
which was attended by Parish Councillors, Essex County Council (ECC) Youth
Advisors, villagers and a small number of young people. Councillor Robert
Glozier announced that only 43 replies to a youth activities questionnaire
had been received from the 150 young people estimated to be residing in
TB. The most popular facilities requested, in order, were a cafe bar meeting
place, a hall with snooker and table tennis facilities, a live music venue,
roller blade/skateboard/cycling facilities. The Chairman, Councillor John
Padfield pointed out that these all related to a youth club environment,
which no longer existed due to closure of the village youth centre by
the ECC.
Bob Day of the TBVA detailed incidents of damage to the Theydon Bois
Village Hall (TBVH) to the roof and wooden gates; the intimidation of
hall users by skateboarders was also cited. A statement from the police
was read out in which it reported the two community support officers had
visited the village and made 26 behavioural spot checks on young people
which had resulted in letters being sent to parents; some parents had
reacted favourably, but many had not.
The Gardening Group from the Friends of Wansfell College made a last
return to the gardens, not to maintain and improve them, but to help remove
shrubs and trees which could be lost when the College is sold. These would
be transferred to a memorial garden in St Mary's Church, Shenfield, the
gardens of sheltered accommodation in Brentwood and the grounds of Debden
House, an educational establishment run by the London Borough of Newham.
The larger trees were to be removed by professional arborists, later.
Brian Staples, leader of the Group said that in 13 years they had planted
trees, shrubs and countless bulbs.
The Friends subsequently held a lecture evening at the TBVH partly
to show that the Friends organisation still existed despite the closure
of the College. Some eighty Friends and guests enjoyed a joint
presentation given by Mary and Doug Hawkins on the subject of Medieval
Venetian Music and Art. The music of Vivaldi and other composers provided
an appropriate background to a slide display of religious paintings by
Italian artists of the renaissance period including those by Titian and
Botticelli. Marilyn Taylor, the principal of the now defunct College told
the audience of her work in founding a new college but explained that
its function would differ due to the lack of a permanent residence; moreover,
fees would be much higher because of the absence of financial support
from educational and other authorities. Nevertheless, she was continuing
with her efforts.
The death, in last September, of villager Terry Steele of Graylands
was recorded by the Walthamstow coroner as being "death by accident".
Terry had been electrocuted while attempting to repair the cable on his
hedge trimmer which had been accidentally severed. It appeared that a
circuit breaker installed in his home some 20 to 25 years ago had not
disconnected the supply and Terry would not have known this. Professional
advice was that modern circuit breakers should be installed during any
electrical work at any premises. External breakers, obtainable from electrical
shops, should be used with garden equipment; it was also important to
unplug any electrical equipment before attempting a repair.
Eleanor Laing MP was at the TBVH to receive a petition containing
more than 13,000 signatures of Epping Forest District residents objecting
to Government housing plans which threatened the local green belt. This
petition had been organised by the Council for the Protection of Rural
Essex through a group comprising the Theydon Bois Rural Preservation Society
(TARPS), the Epping Society, the Friends of Epping Forest, the North Weald
Society and the Ramblers Association. Village support came from Peter
Newton, Alan Giles and Trevor Roberts. The objections were based on the
Eastern Regional Assembly's (ERA) recommendation that Essex should take
123,000 new homes by 2021 with the Epping Forest District having 11,000
homes. North Weald was earmarked for 6,000 and Harlow for 8,000. A major
objection was that the ERA was a non-elected body directly responsible
to the office of the Deputy Prime Minister; a proposal for a similar body
in the North East of England had been massively rejected by the residents
of that area. Eleanor Laing was subsequently televised at the House of
Commons presenting the petition to the Speaker, and reading a section,
part of which was worded; "The petitioners therefore request that
the House of Commons urges the government to review the research on which
plans for new housing in the Epping Forest District are based and confirm
that the principle of protecting the green belt will be upheld".
She invited anyone who had not signed the petition to write to her at
the House of Commons; she would add any new names to her list (not the
petition).
The usual fireworks displays and a few bonfires commemorated the arrest
of Guy Fawkes and his conspirators (who nowadays would be called "terrorists")
in 1605. This saved King James 1 and members of parliament from a "bomb
outrage" at the Houses of Parliament, which would have changed the
course of English history. In the village, some residents were outraged
by the use of the now vacant Fairytale Flowers shop in Coppice
Row as a temporary outlet for fireworks sales. The garish signs detracted
from the appearance of the neat line of shops and representations against
this enterprise were made to the local authority. The Theydon Bois Primary
School (TBPS) held its own display in the school grounds which was organised
by the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and raised over £3,000
for PTA funds. Safety was paramount with the fireworks kept well away
from the onlookers. A best guy competition was won by school pupils Chloe
Kingscote, Molly West and Henry Massey.
Remembrance Sunday was commemorated in the village on a fine morning
with the usual parade to St Mary's Church. In attendance were the Royal
British Legion, Epping Forest District Council and TBPC Councillors and
representatives of many local organisations one of which, the tennis club,
was represented by Richard Risdon who laid a wreath. Most important, a
large number of young people took part especially Cornet player Sian Cornwell,
a pupil from the TBPS who played the last post. A particular comment was
made by a member of the older generation regarding these youngsters; "In
the national press we hear so much about wrongs the young have done. These
are the youngsters we should be hearing about; they represent the future
of our country".
Following a disclosure that the intelligence services had thwarted
a plot to crash an aircraft into the Canary Wharf Tower in the London
Docklands, concern was expressed as to how well the EFDC emergency planning
procedures would cope. The Epping railheads featured prominently in the
evacuation plans due to the major link with the metropolis via the Central
Line. It was envisaged that some 5,000 people would arrive by train during
the first hour and have to be accommodated; and if contamination was involved
due to a nuclear incident or similar, only 400 people could be treated
in the decontamination tents which would be set up. The leader of the
EFDC, John Knapman, said that he had real concerns how well the District
could cope if there was a significant emergency.
The village pubs continued to be featured in local good food guides.
An assessor found the Railway Arms to be a clean, traditional, hostelry
with high-backed seating and numerous alcoves; a bar billiards table was
in keeping with this old fashioned interior. The few customers there were
not eating so the Green King IPA beer was critically examined and found
to be reasonable; so the Railway got a good rating. But the sixteenth
century Bull Inn was almost a horror story. The assessors were so unimpressed
by type of clientele, poor beer, lack of food and the excessively high
level of sound (music ?) that they curtailed their visit and adjourned
to a nearby Indian restaurant for a meal. Happily the Inn is now under
new management and a radical improvement has taken place. Enough said!
The large audience present at the November meeting of the Theydon
Bois Music Society heard Rachel Calaminus - piano and Rachael Buxton -
viola, give a recital of chamber music. Items particularly appreciated
were the Suite in C Major for solo viola by J S Bach, and the Romance
by M Bruch. The usual raffle was held and the Chairman, Barbara O'Connor,
congratulated the players on their fine performance
At the AGM of the Theydon Bois Woman's Institute, Doreen Snell was
re elected to office as President. The Treasurer Daphne Bowe stood down
and was replaced by Mary Leng, Minute Secretary Ann Washer did likewise
and Peggy Cooke took her place; Beryl Evans continued as Secretary. The
Committee now comprised Margaret Davis, Doris Hill, Beryl Mcleod, Ruby
Parrott, Jackie Robertson, Marjorie Roberts, Kay Rush and Pat Williamson.
The members had enjoyed a very successful year and all were congratulated
on the smooth running of this very successful Institute which now had
over 100 members.
The Epping Railway Circle held its 17th model railway exhibition in
the TBVH. Ten working layouts of all gauges from all over the country
drew a large attendance, many of whom were "young boys" well
past retirement age. The Railway Circle's layout "Tanglewood Common"
proved popular, as also were the trade stands and the refreshment facilities.
The Theydon Bois Branch of the Epping Forest Conservative Association
held a wine tasting evening in the TBVH which was attended by some seventy
members and guests. Bob Glozier, Branch Chairman, hosted the evening and
Colin Hooker gave a most informative and expert presentation of four white
and three red wines for tasting. All had been obtained from the Epping
Tesco Supermarket and were currently on sale there at very reasonable
prices. Martin Oliver set a clever but exacting quiz, which baffled not
a few drink fuddled minds. The ladies provided an excellent snack supper
and a raffle raised some £250 for Branch funds.
A local press photographer in the village was surprised to see a rat
attacking a mallard duck by the village pond and promptly recorded the
fight on camera; the pictures appeared in the national press. It was possible
that the rat was either defending its territory or else competing for
bread left for the wildfowl which, during the current "warm"
period, was unlikely to be taken by the birds. However the incident highlighted
the problem of pond pollution and pest encouragement resulting from overfeeding.
During November the following baptism was recorded in the register
of St Mary's Church:
07 11 04 Jason Dean
Top
THE PAST MONTH IN THEYDON BOIS
OCTOBER 2004
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY
IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS
DURING OCTOBER 2004 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON
BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.
The leader of the EFDC (Epping Forest District Council), John Knapman,
was present at the October meeting of the TBPC (Theydon Bois Parish Council).
This was part of his tour of parish and town councils in the Epping Forest
District and the meeting was well attended by the general public. He was
informed about the lack of traffic calming measures in the Abridge Road
and Loughton Lane, and he consequently implemented action to give priority
for traffic calming action to these thoroughfares. The issue of the large
number of lorries carrying earth along the Abridge Road was also raised
together with parking problems within the village.
Forty eight men were present in the Theydon Bois Baptist Church Hall
for the first 2004/2005 meeting of the popular Theydon Bois Men’s
Forum. The speaker was Chris Pond, the librarian at the House of Commons,
whose subject was (surprisingly) the railways of SW Essex. He particularly
talked about the railway lines which ran from London out to Chingford,
and from London to Loughton and eventually Chipping Ongar and how they
opened up residential areas for those working in the City. He also dealt
with the electrification of these services and how this change actually
increased travelling times, due to the absence of “expresses”
as in the days of steam, due to trains now stopping at every station.
The officers of the Forum for this season were David Walling – Chairman,
Vic Dowsett – Vice Chairman, Geoffrey Hooper – Treasurer, and
Committee Members – Vic Dowsett, Keith Duggett, Alan Hollingbery
and David Walling.
The Theydon Bois Primary School was the recent scene of fashion and
glamour when the Katwalk Company held a ladies fashion show. Clothes from
leading high street stores were modelled by six ladies; three mums, an
older sister of a school pupil, a member of the teaching staff and the
Head Teacher Elspeth Bonds. Hayley and Alice from the local George Hairdressers
styled the "models" hair and parent Deb Snow took care of their
make up. £250 was raised for school funds.
An almost capacity audience was present at the TBVH (Theydon Bois
Village Hall) to hear an interesting lecture given by Tony O’Connor,
Curator of the Epping Forest Museum, on the “Retreats “of Epping
Forest. The talk was arranged by the Theydon Bois Rural Preservation Society.
Local residents Mary Glozier, Pat Pleasant, Ted Norris and Harry Memory
attended a recent presentation at the premises of the Epping Bowls Club,
given by Prakash Aurora, a volunteer of the Essex Air Ambulance Service.
Mary, of Orchard Drive, serving in her capacity as the Club Ladies Vice
Captain, together with the Ladies Captain Margaret Mealing conjointly
presented a cheque for £300 to Prakash in support of this charity,
which is an essential component of the Essex Ambulance Service.
Villager Gervase Dawdwick, together with his son Richard, 12, were
among the first passengers to travel on the North Weald to Chipping Ongar
railway since its closure ten years ago. At that time, the service was
provided by the Central Line underground trains working at the extremity
of the Line in rural Essex. Before then, steam locomotives worked the
railway but today’s transport was a DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) operated
by the Epping Ongar Railway (formerly Pilot Developments). It was hoped
to extend the service to Coopersale and then on to Epping with conjoint
use of Epping station, which is part of the London Underground system.
A recent proposal by the EFDC Cabinet that households across the Epping
District could be issued with “Wheelie Bins” instead of black
sacks for the disposal of domestic waste resulted in strong adverse reaction.
Two bins would be issued to each residence for containing household and
garden refuse respectively; the existing blue box scheme would now cover
glass and sacks provided for other recyclable materials such as paper
and cans. John Gilbert, the EFDC Head of Environmental Services said,
”Landfill is a rapidly diminishing resource and it is essential to
find new ways of dealing with the ever increasing levels of waste generated
in the District. We must recycle more or be faced with other kinds of
refuse disposal ie. incineration. The Village had just received a Best
Kept Village Award, partly due to its attractive appearance which would
undoubtedly be marred by badly kept and smelly bins emptied only once
a fortnight.
Theydon Bois is “blest“ with four pubs. One, The Sixteen-String
Jack, is near the top of the hill in Coppice Row and the others, The Bull,
The Railway Arms and the attractive Queen Victoria comprise a group of
three in the village centre. The Queen Victoria was the subject of a customer
survey by the reporter of a local newspaper who paid a Sunday lunchtime
visit. The writer was complimentary about the building with its three
bars, the largest of which served as a combined bar and dining area and
was decorated with a selection of Victorian china, horse brasses and copper
ware, with the latter lacking a good polish. The second Victoria Bar was
very neat but, like the dining bar, packed with customers. It was therefore
a surprise to find the last and smaller bar completely empty but a real
jewel. Here, combed wood boards rose to the ceiling to finish in a dado
with the remaining wall and the ceiling painted a warm “tobacco”
colour associated with warm cosy evenings. A visit to the Pub was therefore
recommended.
The shopping facilities in Theydon Bois were greatly improved when
the refurbished Theydon Pharmacy was formally reopened. The small old
world chemist with varnished woodwork and small glass cabinets was replaced
by a large modern pharmacy of clinical appearance with enlarged dispensing
facilities and a consulting room. Eleanor Laing MP, who formally opened
the new premises, members of the TBPC and the EFDC together with leading
members of the community and the medical profession, attended the event.
The owner of the pharmacy, Sailesh Dawda explained how the pharmacist
had become an essential part of the health service by supporting doctors
with medical advice to patients, hence the new consulting rooms. Sailesh
and his wife Rakesha were well established in the village, providing medical
advice and support for villagers which extended well, beyond the normal
scope of their business.
At the October meeting of the TBWI, Mrs Louise Reed gave a very amusing
and informative talk entitled “Behind Harem Walls” (which quite
a few husbands would liked to have heard!). Eileen Tyrell gave an account
of the cookery course which she attended at Denman College. The TBWI cake
stall at the recent St Clare Hospice Autumn raised nearly £250 and
plans were in hand to assist with the Village Tree Lighting Ceremony next
December.
The American practice of knocking on peoples’ doors on Halloween
(the evening of the 31 Oct) and requesting a ”Trick or Treat”
is now firmly established in the UK and popular among children. However,
the friendly aspect of this practice was becoming lost with acts of intimidation
or even violence against householders who do not wish to participate,
especially the elderly and infirm. Consequently, Essex police have been
circulating window or door posters for display which say “Sorry,
No Trick or Treat Tonight”.
At a recent meeting of the EFDC Planning Committee, an application
by the Theydon Bois Tennis Club for the floodlighting of its courts was
rejected. The Epping Forest Conservators, the Theydon Bois Rural Preservation
Society, and the Friends of Epping Forest were among the 41 objectors;
the application had already been rejected by the TBPC and a similar application
had been turned down some ten years ago. The current application also
included an extension of clubhouse hours to permit greater use of the
club’s playing facilities by members and young people under training.
It was pointed at that this extension alone would have a serious and deleterious
impact in a quiet area of some 40 local residents. EFDC Councillor Janet
Whitehouse said, “The darkness of Theydon Bois is a unique situation.
The application is right next to the Forest. Another Councillor Robert
Glozier said, I would like to increase the amount of tennis the youth
can play. However, we have to balance the effect on local residents; the
glow from the sky will be visible from all directions”.
A new village sign was erected on the village green to commemorate
the success of the village in wining the Rural Community Council of Essex
Best Kept Village competition, and the Village of the Year Compton sponsored
by Calor Gas. The occasion was marked by a small ceremony attended by
the TBPC Chairman, John Eaton, Parish Councillors and representatives
of village societies.
During October and the previous months, the following were recorded
in the registers of St Mary’s Church:
Marriages 25 09 04 Mark Taylor and Melanie Philcox
Baptisms 26 09 04 Claudia King
Funerals 20 09 04 Pat Schofield
Burial of Ashes 10 10 04 Pat Schofield
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THE PAST MONTH IN THEYDON BOIS
SEPTEMBER 2004
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY
IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS
DURING SEPTEMBER 2004 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON
BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.
The state of some village roads and footpaths, especially Forest Drive
and Woodland Way, were causing concern generally. Numerous potholes were
appearing possibly caused by the extensive use of four-wheel drive vehicles.
Broken kerbs were also evident and were invariably due to goods vehicles
mounting or backing onto footpaths. ECC (Essex County Council) member
Janet Whitehouse and EFDC (Epping Forest District Council) member Kay
Rush, both local residents, were pressing the ECC to rectify this state
of affairs.
Residents were reminded of the pending onset of autumn and then winter
when electric blankets were tested free of charge at the TBVH (Theydon
Bois Village Hall). This service was provided by the EFDC a spokesman
for whom said that a faulty electric blanket could be the cause of a house
fire and testing such items was a quick and easy way to prevent this.
Tragedy struck the Steele family of Graylands in the village when
Terry Steele 30, was electrocuted while working in his garden with an
electric hedge cutter. He had married his wife Saffron only some three
months previous; the couple had met while trekking in Nepal. Terry, who
was a medical addiction specialist, worked as nursing director for the
Seagrave Trust overseeing detoxification programmes particularly within
the HM Prison Service. His colleagues paid tribute to his dedication to
his patients and his profession, and said that he would be sorely missed.
after someone, he was that kind of person.
The village was reminded of its World War Two experiences by the 60th
Anniversary of the commencement of the bombardment of this country by
intercontinental ballistic missiles. These were German 7-ton V2 rockets,
46ft long and 11 ft wide, which descended from the stratosphere at supersonic
speeds of around 3,500 miles per hour. They were ground launched from
the Continent (mainly Holland), left a crater 10 ft deep and devastated
the surrounding area. The first two landed at Battersea in London and
at Parndon Wood in Harlow where the crater can still be seen in the nature
reserve. These missiles arrived without warning and such was their speed
that, after the roar of the explosion had faded, the sound of their descent
through the atmosphere could then be heard. There was no defence against
them and in certain areas, eg. Ilford, some ten fell in one square mile
and as each could demolish much of a street, the damage and loss of life
was substantial. The worst incident was in South London, where more than
200 people were killed when one fell on a Woolworth’s store on a
busy Saturday afternoon. Theydon Bois was fortunate with only one incident
when a rocket fell in the Abridge Road near the Station but fortunately
caused little damage due to the open nature of the area.
The 2004/2005 series of concerts presented by the Theydon Bois Music
Society got off to a grand start with a recital given in the TBVH by Alison
Gillies, cello, and Masachi Nishiyama, piano. They played works by Beethoven,
Brahms, Rachmanioff, Saints Saens and Gaspar Cassado. They finished with
an accomplished and powerful performance of Caesar Franck’s Sonata
in A major for cello and piano, for which they received a resounding ovation
from the large audience present.
TBPC (Theydon Bois Parish Council), Epping, Magdalen Laver, Lambourne
and Chigwell received a grant of £16,000 under the Parish Transport
Grants Scheme. This will allow Community Transport Epping Forest organisation
to operate a service from Epping through Theydon Bois, Lambourne End and
Chigwell to Loughton, and another from Epping to Magdalen Laver and the
surrounding areas. This action follows the loss this year of underused
bus services following the withdrawal of financial support from the ECC.
These new routes should operate on a twice-weekly basis and supplement
the current Community Transport.
The speaker at the September meeting of the TBWI (Theydon Bois Womens’
Institute) was Mrs Joy Shippcott who talked about her “moving experiences”
which related, not to moving house, but to dealing with the harrowing
experience of subsidence to the foundations of her home. A one-minute’s
silence was observed in memory of Pat Scholfield who had died recently.
The members were informed of two pending outings; on the 22 Oct 04 to
the Bluewater shopping complex, and on the 20 Nov 04 to Southend to attend
a performance of the Rogers and Hammerstein Musical “The Sound of
Music”, given by local operatic group SODS.
Police coverage for Theydon Bois and Epping was sharply criticised
at a meeting between the Essex Police Authority Chairman Robert Chambers
and councillors and residents from the two areas. ECC Councillor and local
resident, Janet Whitehouse, said that she had received numerous complaints
from residents who had experienced difficulties in contacting the police,
especially over non-emergency issues, and/or obtaining a satisfactory
response. Mr Chambers replied that he would follow up these matters with
the Assistant Chief Constable and would subsequently give a response to
Councillor Whitehouse. He further advised that his three priorities were
to improve visible policing (with more community support officers), improve
call handling at police stations and tackle anti social behaviour more
effectively.
On another occasion, Loughton Councillor Stephen Murray also adversely
commented on police services in the Epping Forest District. He cited one
incident when a victim of a serious assault had to wait three days for
a police visit. He also claimed that there was a total breakdown of the
ward-based community policing team. He pointed out that the Epping Forest
District paid 45% (a massive £5,226,747) of the police bill as opposed
to 29% for Brentwood and 26% for Harlow. The conclusion he drew was that
the District was not getting a fair share of police resources.
Stuart Smith of Loughton Lane took a leading role in the current theatrical
production presented by CROADS (Chigwell Row Operatic Society) at the
Victory Hall in Chigwell. The Society’s staging of the comedy/farce
Trivial Pursuits gave Stuart the opportunity to portray the entertaining
and effeminate character Teddy, to the delight of the audience. Stuart
had been a member of the Society for many years taking many roles and
also producing a number of popular shows.
The application by former EFDC Councillor and village resident Roy
Newlands to register land in Loughton Lane as a village green, was accepted
by the ECC as being sound and this authority had therefore publicly advertised
the application with objections being invited. This land is the site of
the building, which housed the Village Youth Club, now closed by the ECC
who wished to sell both building and land. However, a strong factor in
support of registration was that local people had used the land for recreation
purposes for the last 30 to 40 years including the local scouts whose
building was also on this site.
The annual Business Golf Day held at the Theydon Bois Golf Club raised
£6,000 for the dual charity appeal being made by the current Chairman
of the EFDC, Councillor Richard Morgan, during his year of office. He
was supporting the Ongar and District League of Friends, which was committed
to improving patient's facilities at the Ongar War Memorial Hospital.
He was also supporting the Essex Air Ambulance which, so far, has been
deployed on over 4,000 life saving missions. The event was supported by
Derek Higgins, head of the Higgins Group PLC of Loughton. The overall
winner of the individual competition was Mike Perry from Epping; Matthew
Carleton, John Wren, and Paul Field of Triangle Leisure from Waltham Abbey
won the team prize.
The National Farmers Union announced that the grain harvest this year
was better than that for 2003 with yields of wheat and barley being particularly
high. Poor results had been forecast due to the exceptionally wet weather
in August, but a fine spell in early September allowed crops to dry out
and be harvested quickly.
The ECC had offered the Wansfell College site to the TBPC for a sum
in excess of £2.5m on terms to be agreed. The offer was open for
six weeks from 27 Aug 04 following which it would be placed on the open
market.
The TBPC had requested that the old road between the old railway crossing
site and the Abridge Road be designated “Station Hill”. London
Transport had also applied to the EFDC for a road stoppage order on the
old road and the subsequent erection of gates or bollards to prevent fly
tipping. Pedestrian access would not be affected and provision would be
made for bona fide users.
The Deed of Gift, which provided proof that the TBPC owns the allotments,
had been found in the TBVH archives by Jill Oakley and Joy Wainwright.
The TBPC Chairman, John Eaton, thanked them accordingly for their efforts
EFDC Highways had agreed to the replacement of the dilapidated road
signpost at the junction of Coopersale Lane and the Abridge Road, and
to the reinstatement of the old oak finger post which had once stood there.
An anonymous local resident would meet the cost of £595. The TBPC
agreed to find the ongoing maintenance of the new sign, which should not
exceed £100 per annum.
The Chairman of the Theydon Bois Preservation Society, Peter Newton,
invited villagers to sign a petition against the building of 18,600 homes
in the Epping Forest District. Eleanor Laing MP would present the petition
to Parliament. The petition had been raised by the Epping Branch of the
Council for the Preservation of Rural Essex and was also being canvassed
throughout the Epping Forest District and was receiving substantial support.
The major concern was the threat to the green belt and, indirectly, Epping
Forest.
During September and the previous months, the following entries were
recorded in the registers of St Mary’s Church:
Marriages
04 09 04 Stephen Fisher and Sara Demetriou
John D’Ercole and Aimee Cooper
Baptisms
27 07 04 Archie Turner
01 08 04 Lauren and Harry Tebbutt
08 08 04 Emma McSpadden
22 08 04 Horatia and Anouska Duggan
05 09 04 Anna Sagoo
Funerals
19 08 04 Carlo Terry 07 09 04 Sheila Chalk
14 09 04 Terry Steele 16 09 04 Alice Allen
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