I thought that I would strive for an upbeat note in these increasingly depressing times.
You will see from articles in this and recent newsletters that we are extremely fortunate that some, although by no means all, of the great houses in Taplow have been, or are being, lovingly restored and made ‘fit for purpose’ for the 21st century and their survival ensured. They may not all fulfil their original functions but have acquired different roles in which they sit comfortably.
Cliveden, our grandest house, is being very well looked after by the National Trust with the gardens being brought back to their former glory. Interestingly I went to a talk many years ago by the head gardener there and he told of the problems of restoring old gardens which have gone through a number of transformations over the years because one has to decide to which era to restore them. Many of you may have wondered why there is a pavilion near the long garden sitting in splendid isolation. It was placed there in the era prior to ‘Capability’ Brown who disliked straight lines, and introduced curves into the gardens. These curves overwrote the straight sight line radiating from the house to the pavilion and left it high and dry with no seeming purpose. I digress.
Hedsor House is in good heart and being run as a film, conference and wedding centre. Taplow House has been rescued from neglect and dereliction by successive owners who have all poured money into the fabric of the house and garden and made it into an upmarket small hotel. Taplow Court is beautifully restored and maintained by SGI, our Buddist organisation, who contribute to the life of the village; we are delighted to have them in our midst. Elibank, an important building in the centre of the village, has been transformed into two lovely private homes. And as we report in this newsletter, Dropmore in the north of Taplow is about to be brought back from the brink. Lord Grenville's delight has suffered so many outrages of insensitive tinkering, abandonment and neglect. We hope to be bringing you news of its awakening in future newsletters.
Our conservation areas have kept their character and so all in all I consider that we in Taplow are fortunate and your Society hopes that we will continue to be of that opinion. Both we and the Parish Council will do our best to keep Taplow a pleasant happy place.
Eva Lipman
