July - Aug 1998
A reminder that the judges of the Best Kept Village Competition will be making their inspection one day this month. We can all do our bit to keep our area of the village tidy. If you do see any problems, please tell John Pringle, our Parish Clerk, on 01442 822704, or any Parish Councillor.
CHIPPERFIELD COMMON MANAGEMENT
The main task in this year’s work programme for Dacorum Borough Council’s management of the Common involves thinning work and felling sycamores on the area to the south of Windmill Hill. At the Annual Parish Meeting in April, Cameron Lewis, the Woodlands Officer for the borough, offered to walk over the area concerned with interested residents to point out on the ground what might be involved and to hear local people’s views.
The date for this on-site meeting has now been fixed for Wednesday 8 July at 7.OOpm, when all those interested are invited to meet at the car park opposite the ‘Windmill’.
David Nobbs
Warmest - if belated - congratulations to Bill and Doris Yates, who celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary on Saturday 16 May. Bill is the advertising expert for Chipperfield News, and we send him and Doris our very best wises for their future!
THE BROUSSON FAMILY
During the second World War, I was sent to Chipperfield with my mother and sister as evacuees from North London.
On Friday afternoons, while attending Chipperfield School, all the evacuees were led crocodile fashion, across the common to the Manor House, where Mrs Elizabeth Brousson taught us how to gargle, clean teeth, tie shoe laces and fasten buttons etc., and then we did floor exercises on the parquet floor! It was quite an adventure in those days and we all enjoyed this special treatment. I think we were also allowed to take a favourite cuddly toy with us.
Mrs. Brousson was indeed an extremely kind lady to us children, and certainly did her best for the war effort through this voluntary work. I did not know her husband Robert or son Claude.
Yours sincerely,
Brenda Harpley
CALLING ALL HISTORY BUFFS!
The new management at The Two Brewers explores its history
Frederic and Julia Dubois, landlord and landlady at The Two Brewers, would love to hear from any hoarders in the area who have any old photos, press cuttings or memorabilia about the pub.
The Two Brewers building dates back to the 18th century, when it was one of three private houses next to a shop. It did not become an inn until the next century, when a Mr. Robert WaIler bought the middle cottage, and licensed it to see beer, but no intoxicating liquor! Just why the pub was named The Two Brewers is a mystery.
The Two Brewers soon became the focus of village life, and even acquired a certain fame, with well-known prize fighters often visiting the Two Brewers after a training run around the common opposite. The inn also played host to visitors from further afield, as Londoners attended cricket matches on the common, surrounded by Chipperfield’s picturesque surroundings - the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of the city.
‘We would love to know more about The Two Brewers - can anyone solve the mystery of its unusual name, or does anyone have any information on people who visited the pub in the past?’ says Frederic. ‘Also, we would love to find out more about the pub’s sporting connections - if there are any budding historians out there, please contact us.’ Anyone who thinks they may have something of interest can ring Frederic and Julia Dubois on
01923 265266.
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
The wet weather we experienced in the spring has proved the worth of the raised beds I made during the winter in the vegetable garden. At the moment I have three of them, four feet by eight, and although they’re only raised six inches above the paths, I was able to work on them in all but the worst of the weather. Not that everything has been successful, however, as most of my cabbage seedlings seem to have succumbed to snails and slugs, while my usually reliable parsnips, which I always sow on St David’s Day, have disappeared without trace this year.
The sweet peas are beginning to move as I write and I’m hoping to be able to put at least one vase in our Summer Show, which will be taking place on June 20th. I’ve never been very successful with these up to now but I’m hoping for better things this time round. The summer show has been the least well supported of our three shows during the last few years, so please make a note in your diary and come along and give us your support. Better still, why not try your hand at exhibiting? If you’ve never done it before there is always help on hand to give you guidance - details of all classes can be found in the members show schedule.
The show will also be your last chance to put your name down for our coach trip to the Henry Doubleday Gardens at Yalding in Kent on Sunday June 28th. There are 14 different gardens, including a special one for the children so there is bound to be something that will be of interest to everyone. You will find full details in the leaflets which are available at our shop, which is open every Saturday morning behind the Village Hall. To make sure of your seat on the coach please contact Kathy Ward on 01923 496301.
BRITISH RED CROSS K.T. THE MILLENNIUM AND FIRST AID COVER
If you’ve ever considered becoming a Red Cross volunteer, now is the time to think seriously about enrolment. Millennium celebrations seem likely to concentrate between Christmas 1999 and the first week in the year 2000. Some, if not all of these will need first aid cover, and local branches will be at full stretch to provide this cover.
The solution to this problem can be reached if more people seek enrolment now, in order that they may be trained and prepared for public duties in time.
The local branch is based in Hemel Hempstead and incorporates a thriving Youth Group (10-15 years). They meet on
EDMUND WARD
Edmund Ward, who was a resident of Chipperfield for 55 years, died on March 27 aged 85. He was an acclaimed architect, and perhaps his most famous scheme was that for the refurbishment and enlargement of the Royal Opera House. He was also a railway enthusiast and built a miniature railway in a field adjoining his garden, with steam locomotives powered by coal. He was a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission from 1974 to 1983, and is survived by his wife, now living in Bournemouth, and his daughter.