Sunbury Matters Issues

This month there is a lot happening. The Sunbury & Shepperton Arts Festival, Staines upon Thames Day, the TW12 Jazz Festival… and we have the Gloriana visiting Sunbury.

In this months issue read about how Sunbury & Shepperton played a part feeding the growing population of London in the late 19th century. You can also see how the Mount Felix hospital which cared for 27,000 wounded soldiers in WW1 has been immortalised in a tapestry. We say our farewells to David Brown, architect and creator of the Sunbury Millenium Embroidery, who died in April.

In this months issue we hear about the crazy and exotic cowboy wedding in Shepperton in over 100 years ago. We also learn about the Walton on Thames connections with New Zealand through the Mount Felix hospital which cared for 27,000 antipodean patients during WW1.

There is plenty to get your teeth into in this issue. With news of Kempton Park’s threatened demolition and the building of a small village on the site, we report on the threat to our green spaces from developers and lament the strain in infrastructure and services.

In this issue we revisit Christmas past through history. We also have a chat with the High Sheriff of Surrey, none other than Dick Whittington (well Richard Whittington to be fair, but related to the Dick Whittington of tales of old). Brewing Heritage is still being kept alive in Spelthorne.

This month we hear of a Victoria Cross holder who lived in Sunbury. We also meet a local girl, Emily Varney, who wants to teach the world to sing and we learn about the Re-store food bank programme.

We look at several issues concerning planning and changes which will affect our village including the threat to the 555/557 bus service and the dangers posed by swimming in the Thames. We also look at the talent in Sunbury, with a visit to the band that won Has Sunbury Got Talent.

This month we hear from the man who ran The Listeners, a series of concerts from (future) world class musicians in his own home, put on for the visually impaired. Alan Gifford ran the project for some 20 years bringing happiness to so many. We also hear about the 40th anniversary of the Spelthorne Natural History Society and take a look at Open House London attractions not too far from home.

We take a look at the 10th anniversary exhibition of the Embroidery Gallery in Lower Sunbury, looking back to the initial idea for the millennium project through to the design of the gallery and finally the royal opening. We also visit RHS Hampton Court Flower Show and congratulate Squires on 80 years in business and the 80th birthday of Chairman Colin Squire.

In this months issue we look back to a summer unlike this one, where bombs were falling on our area. We should be thankful for peace! We also discover links to the past through some postcards sent during the first world war to a cottage in Shepperton that was moved not once, but twice. We share some of the images from the lovely events to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday with you here too.

In this issue we try to piece together the past again, looking at a boat called the Jane Scott depicted in one of the Sunbury Embroidery panels at the Walled Garden. Why was this boat chosen? Does it still exist? We meet the grand daughter of the man who built it to find out more. We also visit an exhibition showing Heathrow ‘firsts’, at Spelthorne Museum.

In this issue we help someone piece together the past from an old family album and photos from the 1920’s. The result was amazing. We hear about a celebration of 150 years of Sunbury characters to mark the 150th anniversary of the Methodist church in Sunbury. Even Sunbury Matters gets a mention! Congratulations to everyone who won civic awards. We have the list of recipients in this issue.

We look to the river this month again, having visited the Jubilee River, and worry about the effect the River Thames Scheme will have on our communities. We also look to the proposed development on Kempton Park green belt land. When is Green Belt not Green Belt? As magazine publishers we are always interested in how things have been done in the past, so it was with great interest that we have been lent some old community magazines from Kenyngton School in the 1950’s. Fascinating!

In this months issue you can find out about the history of Chertsey Bridge in advance of a talk about Bridges of the Thames. We also meet Tony Kinsey, a jazz legend, who has composed music to celebrate the Millenium Embroidery which celebrates its 10th anniversary.

This month sees two years since the devastating floods of 2014. The front cover was taken at that time and beautiful as the image is, the memories still haunt river dwellers. This month we reconsider dredging and what a difference it would make to our communities. We also have coffee with the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and hear about Sunbury featuring in literature.

We look at what treasures have been found in the Thames over the years when it was being regularly dredged. Yet another benefit to dredging! We also share the story of a couple of cousins reunited through Sunbury Matters, and finally take a look at the 50 years since the Shahin restaurant opened.

In this months issue we look at the role Middlesex played in growing the fruit and veg needed to feed the growing population of London. We also hear about a ghost story from Battlecrease house in Shepperton.

We revisit the past in this issue. A look at how the Thames was at Shepperton Lock in the 1920’s, a visit to a former holiday home on Wheatley’s Ait in Sunbury where actors and actresses got up to all sorts in the 1920’s.

Sunbury has some famous new comers – Our 6 cows in Sunbury Park have made it onto the ITV News and the Daily Telegraph. Read all about Sunbury Park’s uses through the past century. You will be surprised. You can also find out about the origins of the name Rope Walk, as we explore rope making in the area.

A packed issue this month. Full of history and local stories. I joined St Trinian’s, a long held ambition! We have a look at local houses George Wilson’s boatyard, and Pomfret Cottage both either sold or up for sale. We also congratulate local businesses celebrating milestones this year.