Olympic athlete and businessman Chris Brasher on Petersham Meadows. Chris was one of the driving forces behind setting up a charitable trust for the protection of Petersham Meadows. During the Residents’ Association summer fete in 2000 someone asked him about the progress of his project. The answer was in fighting spirit: “The Council is still being difficult, but what they don’t realise, is that they are not going to win…”
Ken Knight, lock keeper at Teddington Lock in May 2000: “One thing I have learned over the years and meeting so many people, they seem to exist only in their job, once that is taken away from them, they fade away too.” He talked about his many interests, such as family history, the World War I battlefields and the problems of getting a a small plaque mounted at the lock to commemorate the Evacuation of Dunkirk.
Edward Bostock, “a well-known and revered resident of the borough for almost 70 years”, sitting on his bench in the Terrace Gardens on Richmond Hill in May 2000. Aged 92 he was proud to be “the only living person to have a bench dedicated in his name on Richmond Hill”.
Bob Colett, the owner of Petersham Nurseries (centre) with John Mus (left) and William Cowell (right) in one of the nurseries’ greenhouses in May 2000. Bob has lived in the area for 54 years – all his life, “not like some media people, they come and go…”. Since 1999 he owned the freehold to Petersham Nurseries and runs the business with a profit, “just about”. “There were always some smallholdings here before the nursery came and frankly, I want to keep it that way. We don’t want any developers putting up more houses on this land.”
Dave Hastings, farmer at Petersham Meadows, photographed next to the cow sheds with one of his chickens in May 2000: “The foxes don’t worry me, they get a blast with the gun occasionally, they are just town foxes. They are more interested in rubbish bins than in hunting chickens. A country fox would be different…”.
Stan Rust, ferryman at Hammerton’s Ferry between Twickenham and Ham. His sign “FOR FERRY PLEASE SHOUT” had disappered a few years before the picture was taken. The old ferry had recently been replaced by a shallower aluminium boat, “because they don’t dredge the river any more as they used to…”. The cost of operating the ferry was partly subsidised by the moorings that Stan owned either side of the ferry. One crossing for an adult cost 50p and for a child it was 30p.
Prof. Peter Crane, shortly after his appointment as the 12th Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. The photograph was taken at the Evolution House in Kew to reflect his research interests in the integration of studies of living and fossil plants .
Sir Ghillean Prance was the 11th Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew between 1988 and 1999. The picture was taken in the Palm House at Kew, an environment close to his scientific interests in the botany of the Amazonian rainforest.
Sir David Attenborough, broadcaster and environmentalist, is a resident of Richmond. He was photographed as a Trustee outside the British Museum in London.
Dame Ninette de Valois, founder of the Royal Ballet, during her 90th birthday celebrations in London in 1988. Under her directorship the Lower Ballet School moved to the White Lodge in Richmond Park in 1955.
Richmond 2001 - LOCAL FACES - 