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An early Christmas for Hampton

Christmas in Hampton starts on Sunday, December 4 – that's official. It lasts from 4.00 until 7.00pm to be precise. Last year's event, organised by local retailers, proved an enormous success when hundreds of local families turned out to greet Santa outside the Scout hall in Station Road. There were competitions, lucky dips and plenty of Christmas fare on offer from participating shops.

This year the event is likely to be even bigger, boosted by the loyalty card scheme recently introduced by the Hampton Village Traders association (HVTA). The card costs £5 and entitles the holder to various discounts and value added services from the participating businesses throughout the year. it also benefits societies such as ours, local schools and charities, as half the fiver goes to the organisations who sell them.

Although it has only been operating since October, the scheme has already proved to be a great success, according to HVTA Chairman michael Badgery of Village estates. The remaining £2.50 goes towards production and administration, as well as supporting events like this one. For this year's celebrations he explains the association has organised a children's passport scheme whereby they earn the chance to meet santa by having their passports stamped at local shops.

They don't have to buy anything", he says, "but they must get a stamp from just ten different shops"

Santa's sleigh – kindly lent by Teddington and Hampton rotary Club – leaves the Jolly Coopers pub in High Street for a tour around the village. His route takes him up station road, over the railway bridge, right into Wensleydale road, around the triangle at its junction with gloucester road, back along ashley road and station approach to the railway level-crossing. Being a sunday and with even fewer trains about, here's hoping santa won't be delayed! Then it's back down station road again to the scout hall, where richmond mayor, Councillor Clare Head, and Twickenham mp Dr. Vince Cable will help santa light the Christmas tree while st mary's church sounds a special peal for the occasion. santa will go inside the hall to greet the children who have filled in their passports.

Richmond mayor, Councillor Clare Head, and Twickenham MP Dr.Vincent Cable will help Santa light the Christmas tree while St Mary's church sounds a special peal for the occasion"

What with most of the food shops offering Christmas fare to the punters, along with a treasure hunt for a hamper filled with goodies, time is likely to fly until the finale on Hampton green when choirs from local schools, the Hampton Choral society and Hampton academy's steel pans Band and the rock Choir will all perform. Sam Badgery, the 13 year-old that won 'Hampton's got Talent' at the Hampton Fun Day if none of this appeals, ladies, take yourselves off to syzygy in ashley road, where you can enjoy hairdressing demonstrations and learn how to look after your own hair!

Photograph of Hampton High Street from the Triangle by William Redfern.

 

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Elizabeth Hossein signs her book "Grace and Integrity". Behind her stands Trish White, school archivist, who contributed greatly to it. She was a pupil at LEH from 1947 and taught Chemistry there until 1994.

Lady Eleanor Holles chalks up 300 years

This year of 2011 LEH is celebrating its 300th anniversary. Indeed it goes on doing so into 2012. But it should have started a year earlier. Not until retired history teacher Elizabeth Hossein had completed her researches into the school's history was the blunder discovered.

a wonderful story of how a charity school founded for 50 poor girls developed into one of the leading independent school for girls in Britain"

We now know that as early as 1710 funds were provided by the Church of England and private benefactors for 50 poor girls from the parish of St Giles, Cripplegate to attend school. nor was its original patron Lady Eleanor Holles. Elizabeth discovered the prime mover was the Hon. Anne Watson, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Rockingham. The Hon. Anne was directed by Lady Eleanor's will to use any surplus money from it for charitable purposes, nothing more specific than that.

One of many celebratory events is Elizabeth's book "grace and integrity". She describes it as "a wonderful story of how a charity school founded for 50 poor girls developed into one of the leading independent school for girls in Britain". Many such schools founded at about the same time failed to survive.

Elizabeth is a longtime resident of Hampton and taught at LEH for 16 years, and before that at Rectory school, now Hampton Academy. Only a year after retiring she found herself researching and writing the Holles' history. a solid tome costing £45, it represents 18 months of devoted attention to truth and detail on her part.

As well as the book launch on November 15, a thanksgiving service is due to take place at St Paul's Cathedral on the 18th of the month. 2012 sees an alumnae service at St Giles, Cripplegate in March. Eucharist at Trinity College, Cambridge, follows in may and a ball at Hurlingham Club, also in May. Celebrations close with a concert, picnic and firework display in the school grounds next July.

Photograph by Sam Redfern.

 

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Chestnut tree blight

Autumn came all too early for many of our many chestnut trees this year. During the summer the leaves turned brown and withered, making many of us fear the worst. Yet all is not lost, according to Nicholas Garbutt, the Tree and Wildlife Conservation Manager of Historic Royal Palaces over at Hampton Court.

Last August, Nicholas took HS members on a tree identification walk in the Wilderness and the Palace grounds and was able to allay our fears for the chestnut trees. It's all down to a small moth, the horse chestnut leaf miner. "It's at the caterpillar stage that it feeds inside the leaves," he explained. "The tiny brown and silver adult moths lay eggs on the foliage and, after hatching, the caterpillars enter the leaves and eat the internal tissues."

There are usually three generations of a leaf miner during the summer, leaving the foliage extensively damaged with, in some cases, early leaf falls.This pest overwinters as pupae which continues the cycle the following year."

The browning leaf phenomenon was first noticed in Wimbledon nine years ago. Since then it's spread to much of England and into Wales. But all need not be lost. Nicholas says that even after repeated infections the trees will still come into leaf the following year. But there are concerns that seed weight, photosynthetic storage and reproductive capacity may be affected, making the chestnut trees more susceptible to other pests and diseases.

Finally, he stresses, "There is no reason to fell and remove trees just because they are attacked."

Horse Chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella) photograph courtesy of Clewer Park Nature Notes

 

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