I was delighted to receive a copy of the Hitcham and Taplow Preservation Society Newsletter 82, Autumn 2004, from Sheila Horton. It gave me a great feeling of nostalgia for Taplow and its residents. I must immediately own up to being the “psychic Australian friend” in Sheila’s article on her wonderful murals.
We lived in Taplow in the 1970s, the 'we' being my then husband Glenn Cornelia, myself (Elizabeth) and subsequently our two sons - Giles and Guy. We first arrived from London to take up residence in Lynn and Eric Pope's converted stables "The Cottage", situated behind "Queen Anne's House". (No children in those days). Soon after our arrival, Eric took us to the "Oak and Saw" and introduced us to many denizens of the village. We were warmly welcomed by everyone and soon felt very much at home. We became friends with the Hortons and Clemency was later the favourite baby-sitter for our boys.
Once settled in, I began enjoying long walks through field and hedgerow, Cliveden Woods, Burnham Beeches and to Cookham. Bapsey Pond was a favourite spot, and one moonlit night I ventured after dinner across to the Burial Mound where my encounter with the Saxon Warrior apparition occurred. After this experience I refrained from further moonlit rambles!
After returning to Australia for the birth of our first son, Giles, we sold our house in Sydney and returned to live in Taplow, this time buying a house in Marsh Lane. Our second child was to be born at home with a midwife in attendance, but it was not to be - Guy was born 12 weeks premature at the Canadian Memorial Hospital on 28 March, 1979. He was soon diagnosed with a heart condition (Tetralogy of Fallot) and transferred to the Radcliffe Neonatal Unit in Oxford. Guy has survived all this plus three open heart operations and uncontrolled epilepsy. He is now an artist and his elder brother Giles is a Captain in the Australian Army, currently an instructor at Royal Military College Duntroon in Canberra and married to childhood sweetheart Heidi, who is a vet.
During 2000 I visited Taplow after a 20 year absence. I stayed with Sheila and Brian and their growing clan. Their hospitality was as warm and generous as ever, and I so much enjoyed meeting Clem and Andy's children and other family members. I caught up with old friends (particularly Sue and Chris Brock), saw Sheila's murals and wandered around my old haunts in and near the village. After I expressed a desire to see the old Canadian Hospital, Sheila told me it was a ruin, fenced off and out of bounds. Irresistible! So we went there one afternoon - Sheila sat in the car ready for a quick getaway - and I broke into the grounds with some difficulty to take some photos for Guy to see where he was born. Nobody caught me, thank heavens! How very sad to see the place in such a run down state. By now I suppose it has been demolished.
In closing, I do hope that the residents of Taplow and surrounds can prevent the over-development and slow destruction of your very special part of the world. I now live in a solar-powered limestone cottage on a hill looking out to sea on Kangaroo Island off the South Australian coast. We too are trying to prevent our special part of the world being "developed" and the incremental destruction of the natural beauty and wildlife.
If anyone would care to make contact: my e-mail is
pentagram@kin.net.au and address is PO Box 247 Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 5222, Australia.
