MEASURES to improve the water quality in Widmer Pond on the common are being taken to try and safeguard the health of the fish.
Last summer a number of dead fish were found on the surface and the poor condition of the water is thought to have been the main factor.
So this year Chepping Wycombe Parish Council’s grounds team has removed a skip-load of reeds which were beginning to overwhelm the pond and the water level is being monitored on a more regular basis.
In addition an aeration system which would transfer oxygen from the surface into the rest of the pond is being considered – a move that may become urgent if there’s a drought this summer and the water level drops significantly.
Some years ago over 100 dead fish surfaced on the pond and an investigation at the time concluded that one cause could be that people were overfeeding the ducks with bread.
This resulted in leftover bread decaying at the bottom of the pond, producing increased algae and reducing the oxygen content.
*Widmer Pond’s spooky mystery – see further down this blog.
Penn Surgery set to expand and reduce appointment waiting times
PENN SURGERY is to receive Government funding to improve its facilities.
It is one of 21 GP practices in Buckinghamshire, west Berkshire and Oxfordshire that’s been selected to develop more consulting and treatment rooms.
One aim is to increase the number of GP appointments available at the surgery. A survey among patients at Penn and its linked Simpson Centre surgery in Beaconsfield this spring found that 14 per cent felt they waited too long for an appointment.
Dr Abid Irfan, director of primary care at the local integrated care board said: “The new funding will help GP surgeries make better use of existing space…and ensure patients get better access to GP care.
“We will now work closely with the practices to carry out the next steps in the upgrade programme.”
Local news
National award – A local company launched by Penn businessman Chris Sadler has been named the national Renewables Installer of the Year by the consumer group Which?
The group said that Kimbletech Ltd set “high levels of customer care and service in the green energy sector and excels against benchmarks set by our trading standards professionals for the Which? Trusted Trader endorsement scheme.”
Chris also chairs the Penn Seven and Fun Run organising committee. He’s pictured receiving the award with his dad Bill, of Sandpits Lane, who’s been involved in village community activities for many years.
Road and path plea – Some residents living on Tylers Green back common have asked the council for a more permanent resurfacing of the track leading into the common opposite the village hall. However Chepping Wycombe Parish Council, which is responsible for the maintenance of the common, has been legally advised that as the land is a registered Village Green, protected by Acts of Parliament, it would be illegal to cover the track “with tarmac or similar surfacing material”.
Meanwhile, on the front common, Penn and Tylers Green Football Club has asked the council to create a suitable footpath running along the edge alongside School Road, linking Widmer Pond with the existing track footpath opposite the entrance to Tylers Green First School.
Rich list – Peter Kelly, who lives in the village and is listed as one of the three directors of Rayners Penn – the company converting the former Penn School into a luxury hotel – was named as the 144th richest person in Britain in the Sunday Times Rich List. His accumulated wealth of £1.116 billion put him one place above Lord Alan Sugar and seven places ahead of Sir Paul McCartney.
Local property developer Michael Shanly, whose base is in Beaconsfield, increased his personal wealth by £23 million last year to £568 million according to the newspaper. Andy Hill, owner of the construction company the Hill Group, which is to further develop Ashwells in Tylers Green, did even better. His earnings grew £204 million last year to give him and his family owned group a total wealth of £724 million.
Taking the reins – Nineteen year old university student Lois Logan, who lives in Penn, is hoping to be one of a dozen amateur female jockeys to take part in a special charity race at Glorious Goodwood next month. Already an established show-jumper, Lois, pictured above, is part of a famous sporting family: her twin brother Reuben is a professional rugby player; her dad Kenny a former international rugby player and mum Gabby, a TV sports presenter, was an international gymnast.
MP’s stand – Penn and Hazlemere MP Sarah Green (Lib Dem, Chesham and Amersham) has lent her support to a Parliamentary Early Day Motion condemning the Israeli Government’s plan for an indefinite occupation of Gaza and calling on the Government to ban arms sales to Israel.
Police appeals – Police are asking for help in tracking down motorcyclists said to be riding in an anti-social manner in Penn, Tylers Green and Hazlemere. They’ve had lots of reports but nothing to positively identify them. Call 101 if you can help with information such as number plates, number of riders, time of day, type of bike, rider and clothing description.
The force has also appealed for witnesses after they and an ambulance were called to the Horse and Jockey pub in Church Road, Tylers Green following a pub fight on Sunday 25 May. A teenager had to be treated for injuries and a 16 year old youth was arrested.
Squirrel menace – Grey squirrel traps are set to be installed in King’s Wood, Tylers Green in an attempt to reduce the squirrel population which has been damaging a number of trees.
Station revamp – The Shell petrol station at Hazlemere Crossroads closed last month for a total refit, including new fuel tanks. The shop is also being refitted to Waitrose specifications. It is due to reopen again in early September.
Public muzzled – Strong objections have been received to a new plan to partly demolish and enlarge April Cottage, a listed building in Elm Road in a sensitive part of the Penn’s conservation area. Both the parish council and a local councillor have objected to the proposed removal of seven trees and say the proposal is too big for the site.
Comments by members of the public are being kept secret because of Buckinghamshire Council’s unexplained decision not to publish public views on planning applications (see April blog).
Pub’s long wait – Work should be completed this month on placing a new soakaway under the Horse and Jockey car park in Church Road, Tylers Green which, added to extensive new drainage in the area, should mean no more flooding. It means the pub will get its car park back after nearly two years of disruption.
Bitter retreat – The Beech Tree pub in Hazlemere is looking for a new manager after it closed last month following reported clashes with some neighbours over noise. Manager Jason Noble said on social media: “There have been forces that have not wanted to see us succeed and due to these factors I have made the decision to move on.”
Bitter regrets – Former Wycombe (and Tylers Green) MP Steve Baker, who lost his seat in last July’s general election, is calling for MPs to receive a year’s redundancy money when they are beaten. It was needed, he told Politico, “to get over the horrible process of actually getting a job when you are well-known.”
School fund-raisers – Tylers Green First School has abandoned the idea of a summer fayre this year and instead will hold a pop-up circus in a big top in the school field. Tickets are £10 each and the 45 minute performance is being held for three shows on 11 and 12 July. Manor Farm’s school fayre is on 5 July and Tylers Green Middle School’s on 20 June.
Library changes – Our local library at Hazlemere has restricted opening hours this month while preparations are made for a new system which begins in July. The scheme, called Library Flex, means fewer staff in attendance but longer opening hours thanks to technology(see January blog). Details can be found on this link https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/libraries/library-flex-opening-hours/#hazlemere-library
Waste not, want not – The head teacher’s house at the former Penn School was the first to be demolished last month as work to convert the site to a luxury hotel called Rayners Penn continues. The brickwork of the 1960s building was retained, crushed and cleaned for reuse as a base for internal drives and hardstanding areas.
Elsewhere, the Rayners Estate original stable block, built in the mid-19th century, is being dismantled entirely by hand. Each brick is being individually removed, cleaned and carefully stacked for reuse as part of the restoration and rebuild.
Top class! Tylers Green Middle School’s glowing report from Ofsted…
TYLERS Green Middle School is exceptional in the way it oversees its pupils personal development says the latest report by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education).
In a report published last month following an April inspection – the first at the school for six years – the inspectors said: “Pupils have an excellent understanding of fundamental British values. They demonstrate their secure understanding by the way they display tolerance towards others.
“Pupils talk with deep comprehension about the importance of having positive mental health and ways to support this.”
The inspectors have given the school an “outstanding” rating for personal development and a “good” rating for the quality of eduction offered; the leadership and management of the school and for behaviour and attitudes of the pupils.
The school “acts decisively to raise standards and embed change”, says the report and therefore it continues to improve.
However, in its only criticism, Ofsted says that in some subjects checks are not always made to ensure children have understood and remembered what has been taught. Consequently pupils do not achieve as well as they could in those subjects.
You can read the full report on this link: https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50277940
…while Manor Farm offers ‘outstanding’ early years education
IN A SEPARATE inspection Ofsted is equally effusive about Manor Farm Community Infant School in Rose Avenue. It has been rated as a “good” school with “outstanding” early years provision.
“Children in the early years make an excellent start to their education,” the Ofsted inspectors wrote in a report published last month.
“Children learn through an exemplary mix of adult-led activities and play. They love retelling stories through drama and role play…(and) are extremely well-prepared for their learning in key stage 1.”
The report said children love their school and parents are generous in their praise. However, in another sole criticism, the report says that in subjects other than maths and English checks by staff on pupils’ understanding is not as effective as it could be.
You can read the full report on this link: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/110297
From ice baths to saunas; meditation to fire circles. A very different Penn Festival
IN PREVIOUS years the last weekend of July comprised bands, booze and burgers as Penn Festival rocked the nights away.
This year it is difficult to think of anything that could be more different.
The Oh Shala Festival occupies the same slot at the same Penn Street venue. It’s alcohol-free with vegan food and entertainment ranging from sitar to African drumming offering a laid back and more relaxing experience.
Full details on this link: https://www.ohshalafestival.com
Floods, drought and gorgeousness – all in one month
A CLOUDBURST brought a flash flood to roads by the Cosy Corner shopping centre in Hazlemere last month while, at the same time just a mile or so away, there were a few paltry raindrops in Penn and Tylers Green.
In fact it’s been the driest spring here for years bringing concern to arable farmers who fear their maize and barley harvest will be down by up to 40 per cent this year.
Meanwhile, a wet February, cold March and dry and warm April and May are thought to be responsible for a splendid display of bluebells in local woods this spring. In Penn Wood, below, they were simply stunning.
Good grief! A hint of political intrigue in boring old Buckinghamshire
THE THREE Reform councillors who find themselves at a centre of an intriguing political position following last month’s Buckinghamshire Council elections are hoping they’ve got the majority Conservative group looking anxiously over its shoulder.
The election resulted in 48 Tories and 49 non-Tories being voted onto the slimmed-down council.
Since then there’s been the expected wheeler-dealing and corridor huddles and three main blocks have emerged.
As the biggest group, the Tories have formed the cabinet under a new leader Steve Broadbent. The Lib Dems are the official opposition with their 27 councillors while Labour, the Greens and 14 independents have formed a loose coalition called Impact Alliance and have 19 councillors.
The Reform trio – already known as the Three Bs, presumably because they represent Burnham, Bierton and Berryfields – decided against joining any grouping.
They envisage a situation where if the Lib Dems and Impact Alliance vote against a Conservative proposal at a full council meeting they will muster 46 votes against the Tories 48. So, as Reform sees it, the three votes they bring can hang over Conservative heads like the sword of Damocles.
That’s how it looks on paper. The reality, especially in politics, can be very different. The independents, for instance, are, well…independent, Impact Alliance or no Impact Alliance. There’s nothing to stop individuals voting with the Conservatives if they so wish on particular issues.
And as most of the big decisions are made at Cabinet level where the Tories have kept their grip, it will take an extraordinary effort for the non-Conservatives to upset the Tory apple cart.
Still, after 137 years as a virtual one party state where nothing much happened, boring old Bucks now has a touch of House of Cards. It’s almost a revolution.
Picking the right side
TROUTWELLS, the charming house in Church Road, Penn – part of which is currently on the market for around £1.25million – owes its very existence to some ill-gotten gains and a family rift.
It was built at a tremendous cost of £1,000 in 1660 by politician Sir Henry Norton just after the restoration of Charles II to the English throne.
Henry had made a brave but smart move some years earlier in supporting the monarchy in the Civil War even though it meant an irreparable rift with his dad Sir Gregory, an ardent republican.
In fact Sir Gregory, also a politician, was such an anti-monarchist he was one of the MPs who signed the death warrant for Charles’ father, Charles 1. For his trouble he was given Richmond Palace and much of the deposed king’s furniture, making him a rich man.
But so determined was he that his son Henry wouldn’t benefit from his riches, he disinherited him.
It didn’t work out as he wanted though. His eldest son and heir died, then Gregory himself died and Henry made up with his mother. Consequently Henry inherited the title and the money that went with it, enabling him to build Troutwells as a fine country house.
In the 1950s the house was split into three and it’s the middle bit that is up for sale through Kingshills estate agents.
Widmer Pond’s spooky mystery
THE DEAD fish conundrum isn’t the only mystery Widmer Pond on the common has presented to villagers.
Back in the day when the village was pitch black at night with hardly any car headlights to pierce the dark and thick curtains blocked the light from houses, the common could be a pretty eerie place.
In a memoir, villager Maurice Hore wrote that the eeriness became even more spooky when the silence was broken by a long, loud trilling noise, heard across the common.
People guessed it must be something living in Widmer Pond, probably among the newly planted lilies which covered about a third of the pond before the war. But what could it be?
Mr Hore recalled: “One very dark night a man called Harris and his friend, armed with a child’s long handled fishing net, a flashlight and wearing rubber boots set out to catch the culprit.”
And they succeeded: it was a frog – “yellow in colour with black stripes and about the size of a man’s thumb,” wrote Maurice.
“It was amazing how such a loud noise could come from such a small creature.”
Harris and his mate took the frog in a glass jar into the Red Lion to show everyone they’d solved the mystery and the landlord, Mr Voss, treated them to a free pint… provided they put the frog back. Thereafter, whenever the loud trilling noise broke the night silence again, people said: “Ah, there’s our whistling frog.”
Widmer Pond has undergone many changes over the years. The pictures above, taken in 1907, show the view towards the Red Lion (upper) and the view towards the shops in School Road (lower). Pictures: Chepping Wycombe Parish Council.
The picture below shows the pond in the early 1960s with the elms of Elm Road still in place. Picture source unknown.
Regional news
Hospital gift – Garden designers Jen Donnelly from Chalfont St Peter and Catherine Gibbon, from Great Missenden, whose Room to Breathe Hospital Garden, pictured above, won a gold medal at last month’s Chelsea Flower Show, are transferring the main elements of the garden to the grounds of Amersham Hospital. A fund raising campaign to cover the cost of the transfer is on this link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/room-to-breathe-at-amersham-hospital?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=015
Countryside blow – The former Chilterns Conservation Board said the Government has scrapped the project to extend the boundary of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) now called the Chilterns Natural Landscape, although there has been no official Government announcement. In this area the ANOB runs alongside the northern side of Hazlemere Road and the eastern side of Hammersley Lane.
Polski leads – A survey has found that, after English, the most commonly spoken languages in Buckinghamshire are Polish (one per cent), Romanian (0.8 per cent), Panjabi (0.8 per cent) and Urdu (0.7 per cent)
Some welcome – Chilterns Open Air Museum was highly commended in the Museum and Heritage awards last month for its improved accessibility and the warmth of its welcome. So we can only assume this welcome at the Roman Gladiators event over the Spring bank holiday weekend isn’t typical!
Special midwife – Stoke Mandeville Hospital midwife Alison Heffernan has been given a special award for excellence in maternity services following a vote by mums and their families.
Respectful farewell – A Windsor soldier who was killed in the First World War was buried with full military honours last month after a painstaking seven year investigation to identify him.
Private John Tame’s remains were discovered by road-workers in Belgium in 2018. Researchers at the Ministry of Defence established he died at the Battle of Langemarck in 1917 and traced his descendants via DNA. John’s two brothers, who also were killed in the war, are still missing.
River dispute – Lock keepers on the Thames have voted to strike on various days over the summer over concerns about staff shortages. The employers, the Environment Agency, say locks and weirs will continue to operate on strike days.
High speed; long delivery – Rail magazine reported that it could be 2039 before trains are running on HS2 between London and Birmingham across the Chilterns – 30 years after the high speed railway was proposed.
Oh deer – Firefighters rescued a deer which got its head stuck in iron railings on Amersham Hill, High Wycombe.
Her ladyship – Bekonscot in Beaconsfield, the world’s oldest model village, has some brand new model characters this summer thanks to some talented students just up the road. Trainee model makers from the National Film and Television School have created a dozen mini-sculptures which are on show at the village. They include Lady Barbra Chestington “who glides through the village like she’s walking on red carpet”.
You can contact this blog at peter@pennandtylersgreen.com It will be updated as necessary through June but the next full update will be on 1 July.