We were the first family to move in to Cedar Chase, in August 1966 –
there were in fact two couples already living on the estate, but they
had no children, didn’t socialise, and didn’t stay long, so we can
claim to be the true originals. Amazingly, we are still here.
We had been living in south-east London, not far from Blackheath, which
was one of the strongholds of Span Developments. Span was then the trendiest
developer in Britain, and although we lived in a Span-type house on a
Span-type estate, it wasn’t the real thing. So when we saw the first
ads for Cedar Chase, which appeared in the
Sunday Times and the
Observer that Easter
Sunday, we leapt at the chance.
I was getting tired of dragging right across London every day to BBC
Television Centre at Shepherds Bush, and a half-hour tootle down the
new M4 motorway seemed very attractive (yes, seriously, it used to take
me 29 minutes in my Mini; I even used to come home at lunchtime
occasionally – but then, petrol only cost 3s 6d a gallon). As convinced
modernists, we were bowled over by the brilliant design of the houses
– Eric Lyons was probably the finest domestic architect in mid-century
Britain – and by the intelligent layout of the grounds, centred on three
great cedar trees. Sadly, the old trees fell victim to honey fungus long
ago, but their replacements are thriving.
Jill Frost, operating from a small caravan on site, had an easy job
selling us our house, for £7,650. It was not yet built, of course. Only
the bottom row had been finished, including the show house at No 9,
furnished and decorated in the height of sixties’ style, with walls
in Thames green, Seville orange and damson purple. The three and a half
months until completion were an agony of impatience. We could hardly
wait to move in. When we did, there were still no roads, footpaths or
garden fences, and workmen were laying floor tiles in our dining room
as we unloaded our furniture.
After all our excitement, our reception in the village came as something
of a shock. We soon discovered that the locals had dubbed Cedar Chase
"Taplow Toilets", because of the white brick, and they regarded us
with suspicion and even hostility. We were not made welcome in the pub,
the grocer’s or the butcher’s (Taplow still had all three, plus a
post office). When Rosemary was finally invited to a coffee morning,
she was paraded as a curiosity as someone who lived in "those houses".
Our daughters, then aged four and 18 months, had been used to having
many friends on tap but since there were no other children on the estate
at that time, they missed the company terribly. The village itself was
pretty child-free, too, and we began to be seriously concerned. There
were a few children of the right age in neighbouring Saxon Gardens. But
when we approached the families and asked if our girls could play with
them, we got a frosty response.
Emma and Amelia had to wait several weeks until other families finally
started moving in – and then our worries disappeared. By the time the
houses were fully occupied there were around 50 children on the estate,
enough to be the salvation of St Nicolas’ School, which had been under
threat of closure. With hordes of friends and five acres of communal land
to play in with complete safety and freedom, Emma and Amelia always say
they had an idyllic childhood. They have no memory of those awful first
few weeks. For many years, we stayed in Cedar Chase for their sake. Now,
it is our grandchildren who howl with dismay if we ever threaten to leave.
TONY READ
The original inhabitants were almost all young professionals. In the
early years four of them worked for BBC TV, and there were no fewer than
six architects.
The annual bonfire party, started by Rosemary Read in 1966 to burn the
builders’ discarded timber, helped break down the social barriers
between Cedar Chase and the rest of the village when it became a regular
social event for all. It faded away as the number of children on the
estate dwindled, and has been replaced by a summer ox-roast for residents
and their families and friends.
When the first residents moved into nearby houses after living in Cedar
Chase for several years, they were greeted by older Taplow people with
"Welcome to the village!" It’s an attitude that still lingers in
some quarters!
Cedar Chase was awarded the title of Best Residential Development in
1966 by the Ministry of Housing. The plaque commemorating this is fixed
above the Cedar Chase sign at the entrance.
Does anyone know how many Cedar Chase residents or ex-residents have chaired or served
on the Parish Council/HTPS/school parent-teacher association, etc? I
suspect we have made a significant contribution to the village community.
