The Bonham Carter's of Torrington and Queen's Park...

Celebration reception Wednesday 2nd April, 7.30pm, National Liberal Club

The Torrington by-election in March 1958 was the first gain by the Liberal party in Britain at a by-election since 1929. The election of Mark Bonham Carter provided a major boost to Liberal fortunes at the time.

For the Liberal Party it was a short lived victory - Mark was defeated eighteen months later in the 1959 general election and didn't re-take the seat in 1964, but Torrington proved to be the first Liberal success in the long revival that continued in the 1962 Orpington by-election.

Mark went on to be the first Chairman of the Race Relations Board, Director of the Royal Opera House, Vice Chairman of the BBC and in 1986 was made a life peer serving as Foreign Affairs spokesman in the Lords. He passed away in September 1994.

My own contact with Mark was at Party Conference (1990?) when I was a volutneer steward and was asked to help Mark with a round of media interviews essentially acting as a bag carrier. The result was that I had an amazing time and effectively trailed round with Mark for a week accessing receptions and fringe meetings. His kindness and warmth to me was very special and I remain grateful to him.

Coming full circle, one of Mark's daughters Virginia now lives in Hampstead and Kilburn (Queen's Park) and has been immensely supportive of our campaign locally and that was how the idea for this commemoration came about.

Members of Mark's family - including his widow Leslie - will be joining us on Wednesday 2nd April in the David Lloyd George Road at the National Liberal Club, London. The meeting is open to all those interested in Liberal history, the Torrington by-election and the fortunes of us winning another parliamentary seat in Hampstead and Kilburn.

There will be a collection and the evening will commence at 7pm for 7.30pm.

More information is helpful or to confirm attendance email me on ed.fordham@hampsteadandkilburn.org.uk or ring 020 7625 6300

Hampstead Old Town Hall war memorial

In the genre of plaques I thought we could branch out into war memorials - this one in Hampstead Old Town Hall is especially impressive.

It's to the 32 members of staff of Hampstead Borough Council who dies in the First World War.

The Coats of arms is listed in full detail here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Borough_of_Hampstead

I'm a 'friend' of Hampstead Town Hall and have a real affection for it. Thomas Stearns Elliott was married to Vivien Haigh-Wood there (http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/poets/bio/eliot_ts.htm), there is also another war memorial for the Boer War, it has great architectural plans on display in the reception area (side room) and has an air of the grandeur with which local government used to conduct itself.

Of course the Town Hall building was famously declared suplus to requirments in 1994 by the Labour Council and that led to the campaign to save it, re-open it and preserve it on a footing for the future.
http://www.interchange.org.uk/content/
http://www.camden.gov.uk/print/ccm/content/contacts/categories/arts-music-culture/contacts-for-historic-buildings.en

The war memorial is listed on the national inventory:
http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/server/show/conMemorial.11069/fromUkniwmSearch/1 as is the one from the Boer War:
http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/server/show/conMemorial.11068/fromUkniwmSearch/1

Post Offices? Que?

Just in case you were in any doubt...

As the deadline for responses to the 'consultation' [read 'sham'] get closer temperature is rising.

There is genuine anger and genuine desire to 'do something'.

I think Labour have got themselves onto a very sharp hook and will struggle to shake off this major major blunder...

Petition to get rid of Glenda Jackson and Frank Dobson

Finding yourself on the wrong side of the debate?

I am agitated about Post Office closures and in particular the threat to South End Green, England's Lane and Harrow Road - on the one hand it's a great campaign and it's exciting collecting signatures, drafting responses, but crucially on the other hand it really really matters. Beyond the fun as we do the petitions, the campaigns, the leaflets the aim is to save the Post Offices from closure.

MPs voting in the house last week could vote against the closure programme...

Here in Hampstead and Kilburn we have two MPs currently: Sarah Teather MP and Glenda Jackson MP. Both spoke in the debate, both spoke against closures, both have been cited in their press as being against the closures in their area. YET WHEN IT CAME TO THE VOTE GLENDA JACKSON ABSTAINED. Sarah Teather voted against the closures, as did other local Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone I'm delighted to say. Frank Dobson MP voted with the Government for the closures.

So here is today's verdict of the local paper the Ham and High (Hampstead and Highgate Express). For a local newspaper and a cartoon this is astonishingly but hilariously damning - It's a huge credit to them for putting their finger bang on the button.

Saying it in three words

Sometimes newspapers say the nicest things - or at least their billboards do...

For some of us the Queen's Park by-election (march 13th 2008) wasn't a great shock - but the scale of the victory was at the upper end of anyone's prediction. But it's good to see it on the record.

Well done to Simon Green - he's proving to be a great councillor already and has only done one planning committee for local residents.

The bird theme :-)

In the bird theme (http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/03/birds-of-prey-on-fortune-green.html) this is one of the more interesting pubs around - at the bottom of West End Lane - it's near (3-400 yards) from the junction with Kilburn high Road on Kilburn Vale.

I have no experience of the pub being open, though clearly it has been open in recent times (http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pubsandbars/the-bird-in-hand-info-10527.html) - but it's a great location and I think dead good that the occupier has kept the facade and all the features. - especially the pub sign.

Birds of prey on Fortune Green

A huge well done to Mark Stonebanks and the team that are the committee of the Friends of Fortune Green.

On Saturday they had an open day type event with a exhibition of birds of prey.

To quote Camden Council website:

"Birds of prey fascinate people. On Saturday 22 March between 11am and 3.00pm you can get up close and personal with a range of native owl and other species, many of them rare.

"They will be on display as part of our ongoing work to raise awareness about nature conservation and offer hands-on opportunities for children and adults."

It was really stunning to see the birds up close. It was great to see how many people were coming along to what was a fairly smallish event - but there was a really steady trickle of people with the crowd rarely dipping below 20-30 people... Snapped this nice little image of local councillor Flick Rea and this lovely barn owl.

Fortune Green is a great open space and is really beginning to benefit from the enhanced care and attention that the Friends are bringing it.

The litter has been minimised through a pretty intensive litter pick the other week, graffiti is dropping and being tackled as it occurs and the paving round the fountain has been improved.

We just need to get the fountain working again now (and a clever source says the pipes are all there - they just need connnecting up)

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/01/where-is-metropolitan-drinking-fountain.html