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The Stratford Society has won a £500 award from the West Midlands Amenity Societies Association for a project to encourage school age children to appreciate their historic environment and the effect carbon emissions may have on it. It will be used as part of the citizenship curriculum by Bridgetown School and Stratford High School from next September. The prize was presented last Saturday (May 17) to Beryl Downing, the designer of the project, by the chairman of the Civic Trust, Philip Kolvin, at WestMASA’s annual general meeting in Malvern. He complimented the Society on an idea which could be adapted by other schools all over the country, adapting it to their own local traditions. The pilot booklet, called ‘Mopopolis,’ includes a Monopoly-style game based on the Mop Fair and contrasts the environment as it was when hiring fairs began in the 14th century with the carbon emissions produced by transport, packaging and daily living now. There are also sections on how the local councils work and who makes the decisions which will affect today’s teenagers in the future – and how they can help to influence them. “The project is very much work in progress, but it is a tremendous boost to receive this prize at such an early stage,” says Beryl Downing. “Today’s youngsters are very concerned about protecting the planet and we are hoping that if our booklet proves a useful teaching tool, we shall be able to extend the idea to other local schools. |
The Island Café is one of the town’s number one eyesores. Efforts to get it cleaned up had consistently failed until the Society used the CA Rookes Memorial Lecture in October 2005 to set up a photo opportunity for the press with John Gummer, MP, standing outside the Island Café. John Gummer’s lecture got good press coverage and this provided the Society with a pretext to approach the Leader of the District Council to ask what the Council intended to do about this blot on the landscape. The Leader immediately grasped what the Society was on about and the Council has now started a process that will hopefully lead to the compulsory purchase and redevelopment of this site. |
The Society organised a seminar on “Improving Urban Design” and one of the clear messages that emerged from the seminar was spelled out by Dave Nash, the District Council’s corporate director for environmental services. He stated, “There is an urgent need to develop a long-term vision for Stratford …..There has been a clear challenge to the District Council to re-establish in-house [urban] design expertise.” After the seminar, Cllr Stuart Beese, Portfolio Holder for Planning, sent a message to the Society advising that the District Council Executive had agreed to employ a full time [urban] design specialist. He added, “I found your recent seminar very useful and I do listen and, hopefully, learn.” To see a full summary of the seminar, click here: Improving Urban Design |
During 2004, the Society entered into an informal agreement with the County Council to replace the dead and dying trees in Chestnut Walk. The Society raised £750 from the Town Trust to cover the cost of new trees, while the County agreed to remove the dead trees, plant the new trees and have the wrought iron seat refurbished. To ensure the trees took root, volunteers from the Society watered the trees throughout 2005 and only one tree has subsequently died. It is due to be replaced in the autumn. To see a full review of the project, click here: Chestnut Walk |
The project formed part of the Stratford Renaissance and aimed to improve the quality and attractiveness of High Street by showing how a combination of pedestrian priority measures, better signage and surface treatments, more sympathetic treatment of the building facades and improved lighting could turn the street into a magnet for residents and visitors alike. The project was carried out by Colin Davis Associates (Urban Designers) and their draft final report was discussed and agreed with all major stakeholders at a meeting in the Town Hall. Funds are currently being sought under the World Class Stratford initiative to enable small grants to be made to encourage shop owners to re-model their shopfronts in the way recommended in the report. The County Council is also being urged to implement the report’s recommendations on street lighting. To see a full review of the project, click here: Streetscape Project |
The CD was prepared in 2003 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. It highlighted the Queen’s three visits to Stratford and showcased the Golden Jubilee Flower Display put on at the Guild Chapel by the Avon Evening Flower Club. The CD is housed in a hand-crafted case with a cover made to look like the front door of the Guild Chapel. A replica CD and case, together with the Queen’s letter of thanks to the Society, is on display at the Town Hall. To see a full review of the project, click here: Golden Jubilee CD ROM |
In 2003, the Society’s chairman (Prof Ian Heggie) took a former colleague from Washington, DC, on a City Sightseeing tour of the town. During the tour, he happened to mention the nuisance caused by Canada Geese. It turned out that his colleague lived in a small town in Virginia that had developed a humane way of dealing with the growing problems caused by the proliferation of Canada Geese. He passed on the names of the people managing the US programme to the Town Management Partnership, together with news of a planned visit by them to the UK in January. The Partnership invited them to visit Stratford, agreed a date and asked the Stratford Society to jointly sponsor a meeting to share their experience. The meeting took place on 15th January 2004 at the Swans' Nest Hotel. The GeesePeace team, consisting of David Feld and Holly Hazard, toured the riverside that afternoon and then in the evening told the audience at the Swans' Nest Hotel how in 1998 they undertook to tackle the problem of Canada Geese on Lake Barcroft in Fairfax County, Virginia, and how their successful and humane programme has now been adopted in other states, mostly in the eastern United States, but now spreading farther west. With support from the District Council, the Town Management Partnership, assisted by volunteers from the Society, adopted the GeesePeace programme and started implementing it in 2005. The programme has been highly successful and has already earned the programme two prestigious awards. To see a full summary of the project, click here: GeesePeace Programme |
The Society spent many hours spread over a period of four months presenting the Society’s response to the emerging Local Plan that was due to set the framework for the development of Stratford up to the year 2010. The process started with the Planning Officer producing a draft of the revised Local Plan and inviting comment on it. The Council received 3,800 registered objections, including 60 from the Society. Following receipt of written objections, the Planners re-drafted their text and many of the Society’s objections were accepted and reflected in the revised text. There were nevertheless some 18 subjects about which the Society remained concerned and it was decided that oral presentations would be made to the Inspector during the formal hearings that take place as part of the Local Plan review and approval process. The Society was represented by five of its members who presented evidence on such things as parking, traffic management, pedestrian priority, the new theatre, conference facilities, the proposed Shottery development and the proposed riverside development. The Inspector responded favourably to the Society’s submissions and -- based on the Society’s comments -- invited the Planners to reconsider their proposals on several policies. As a result, a number of the Society’s suggestions were incorporated into the revised Local Plan. |
In 2002 the Society launched a programme of awards to improve the quality of Shopfronts in the town. Some 240 shops and restaurants were invited to participate in the awards programme and some 75 agreed. The initial list of 75 participants was first reduced to 32 “hopefuls” who were then reviewed by a panel of two judges and two assessors. The panel selected one outright winner and six commendations. The winner’s Special Award and Certificates of Commendation were presented to the recipients at a Town Centre Management Partnership business breakfast at the Falcon. To see a full review of the project, click here: Shopfront Initiative |
This seminar was designed to complement the earlier seminar on Managing Traffic in Historic Towns and the study tour to examine the operation of Park & Ride in Oxford. This seminar focused on parking strategy. How do you balance the need for better access to the town centre, with the need to create a pedestrian-friendly environment to encourage more usage of the town centre. The seminar was opened by Colin Buchanan, one of the country’s leading transport specialist, and was followed by two case studies. Canterbury and Salisbury were selected to illustrate how historic towns with a similar population to Stratford dealt with their parking needs. The speakers from each town not only included someone from the local authority, but also someone from their Town Management Partnership. It was hoped that this would ensure a balanced presentation on the way different parking strategies affected the underlying visitor economy of the towns. To see a full summary of the seminar outcome, click here:Parking Seminar |
In mid-2004, the Society took a group of influential local councillors and planners on a fact-finding tour to study Park & Ride in Oxford. Oxford was chosen because it was the first city in the country to introduce Park & Ride and, although much larger than Stratford, it offered interesting insights into the successes and failures of P&R and the city’s overall transport policy. The impact of P&R in Oxford has been impressive – 1.3 million cars per year kept out of the city centre and, after an initial subsidy, all P&R services now operate commercially. There are 20 per cent fewer people travelling through the city centre in cars and bus usage has increased by over 85 per cent in 12 years. The hope was that the study tour would facilitate the introduction of Park & Ride in Stratford. To see a full report on the study tour, click here:Oxford Study Tour |
The national emphasis on the problems associated with the ever-growing increase in traffic prompted the Stratford Society to make contact with the civic societies in other historic towns to investigate common areas of concern regarding traffic, to examine whether solutions they had adopted might apply to Stratford and to form links which could result in an effective combined voice to influence national government on aspects of transport policy. In the event, ten civic societies attended the seminar to share their experience with Stratford. Other participants included representatives from the Town, District and County planning departments, the police, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, local businesses, residents’ associations, disabled groups and environmental organisations. The main topics discussed included pedestrian priority, Park & Ride and the need for some form of bypass to keep traffic out of the town centre. The main speakers came from Chichester, Oxford and York and their presentations were followed by facilitated workshop sessions. To see a full summary of the seminar outcome, click here: Traffic Seminar |
During 2000/01 the Society’s Photographic & Awards Group, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, undertook a photographic survey of town centre streets. Over 2,600 photos were taken of the whole of the conservation area, covering about 60 streets in the town. The photos were assembled into ten albums which have been deposited in the Records Office of the Shakespeare Centre where they can be consulted by researchers and interested members of the public. The negatives and a master set of prints are being stored in archive condition. Selected photographs from the archive were showcased at three exhibitions in the town, first at the Cinema for four weeks, second at the Town Hall for a week and, finally, at the Royal Shakespeare Pavilion for two weeks. |
In 1994 the Town Clerk (Philip Latham) brought the sorry state of the Marie Corelli monument in the cemetery to the attention of the Society. Prominently standing just inside the gates, it had become damaged, bits were missing and it was dirty and discoloured. The Town Council is not responsible for the upkeep of private graves, but there was no one to care for this one privately. Marie Corelli was possibly our first conservationist and the Town Council asked if the Stratford Society could take over that responsibility. Clifford and Sons gave us an estimate and offered to do the work and to charge the Society over three years. The Society agreed and continues to be responsible for its maintenance. |
Since 1990 the Society has worked on an oral history project in conjunction with the Records Office of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. During that time, over 250 interviews have been recorded and transcribed. The original tapes and the transcriptions are held on deposit in the Records Office. We continue to interview people today, with more interviews being recorded as people with interesting stories become available. To see a summary of the project, click here: Oral History Project |
While the Stratford District Council was using the Town Council offices at what is now the Civic Hall, a bust of Edward Fordham Flower was discovered under a tree in the garden, awaiting the demolition prior to the building of the new hall. The bust had been given to the town in 1948 by the then Mayor Fordham Flower, who was also Chairman of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. Edward Fordham Flower was a distinguished Stratfordian, Mayor in 1864 in charge of the Shakespeare Tercentenary, father of the founder of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, grandfather and great-grandfather of two mayors and founder of Flowers Brewery, but apparently now no longer of interest to anybody. Being alerted by a District Councillor, Clifford and Sons rescued the bust and the Stratford Society paid to have it restored. For several years it stood in the little garden inside the Civic Hall but now stands in the Stratford Cemetery sheltered beneath the memorial to his father, Richard Fordham Flower. |
In 1984 the clock on the American Fountain had not worked for some time and the Town Council felt that the estimate for repairs (£600) was unaffordable. The Society’s Vice-President (the late Douglas Hockerston-Tagg) knew of two clockmakers who offered to do the repairs for half that price. The Society then offered to pay half of that cost, and the work was done. The Society’s President, Mrs. Priestley, attended the first noon striking and the Town Council held a small reception at the Town Hall. The American Fountain celebrated its centenary in 1987. |
When the Firs residence was demolished to make way for the new police station the Society asked the County Council to preserve the Dovecote which backed on to Grove Road. There were discussions about whether the structure might be developed to provide a meeting room or headquarters for the Society. However, despite the County Council's agreement in principle, the estimated £6000. cost of the work -- there are no windows, no electricity or plumbing -- would have provided space for only 15 or 20 people. So the building was made safe, but is still waiting for a purpose. It is the last such building in the town, a remnant of a lost way of life. |
When part of the Alveston Manor Hotel garden was appropriated for the redevelopment of the approaches to the Clopton Bridge, the Stratford Society successfully campaigned to save the 18th century gazebo which stood at that corner of the garden. It now graces the junction of the Tiddington, Banbury and Shipston Roads. |