After a bracing winter walk in the Colne Valley, what could be nicer than curling up in front of the fire with a steaming mug of restorative tea and a good book?
With Christmas rapidly approaching, we’ve got a few suggestions you may wish to add to your festive reading list. All are of local interest and full of fascinating stories and information.
This book is a retitled edition of Longford: A Village in Limbo. Given the renewed threat of airport expansion, it sets out the history of the area in West Middlesex that will be lost should a third runway ever be built at Heathrow Airport.
Various expansion plans have been mooted over the last eight decades, but the most recent would wipe out 783 homes in the villages of Longford and Harmondsworth as well as a host of ancient listed buildings. A third of the southern end of the Colne Valley Regional Park would also be lost.
The current Government pledged its backing to the latest scheme, and for people in the airport villages the uncertainty and anxiety continues. These are ancient settlements with a fascinating past, and this book covers 300 years of village life and its links to national and international events.
For example, at one time Longford was a haven for non-conformists and a refuge for highwaymen.
No spoilers here, but there are also stories of human frailty as well as enterprise and survival.
The buildings may be threatened now, but the history rich history of this area has been meticulously captured in these pages allowing future generations to see what has been lost, and judge the wisdom of such far-reaching destruction for themselves.
The Men of Denham Lost in the Great War
By Paul Graham
Paul Graham is a well-known and long-serving Trustee of the Colne Valley Regional Park. He has just written a new book which serves as a memorial to the 67 men with Denham connections who died in World War One.
It was printed and published last month, happily just in time for Remembrance Day.
Most parishes seem to have a similar history written commemorating the men who died, often concentrating on the names on the war memorial, but this is the first such publication focusing on Denham.
There are full biographies of 67 men with Denham connections, including the 27 whose names are listed on the war memorial in St Mary’s churchyard. Barrett, Bronsdon, Ceillams, Delderfield, Evans, Ewer, Hine, Hull, Kedge, Peverill, Rance, Sirett, Sudbury, Tillard, Wareham… the names are part of the rich fabric of Denham. This book brings alive the stories of the men and their families, many descendants of whom are still living in Denham or close by.
Highlights include a summary of the history of World War One; a description of Denham before 1914 and a chapter devoted to the conflict’s long-term effects on the village; details of the wonderful work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The book tells the story of how a German prisoner of war came to be buried in St Mary’s churchyard, outlines the role of Denham Camp as an Army and RFC/RAF base – the beginnings of Higher Denham – and a full history and description of Denham War Memorial and its architect, Francis Bacon.
Paul’s meticulous research also touches on links with wallpaper manufacture Sanderson’s in New Denham, and the disproportionately significant role of young men solely from Newtown Road, 14 of whom were born or lived there and failed to return from the battlefields.
Detailed historic Ordnance Survey maps of Denham are also featured, along with photographs of 28 of the 67 men.
This is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the Great War, or with local ties to the area. It is the result of many years’ work, and you can read more about Paul’s research here: Sadly lost and some to be remembered, Denham Community History Project, 09/11/2023.
- Hardback, indexed, illustrated in full colour, with more than 300 pages, non-profit price is £10. If you would like a copy, contact Paul Graham at [email protected]. If required, postage and package will be an additional £4.50, but Paul is happy to hand deliver in the local area. The book is also available during office hours (cash or cheque only) at the Denham Parish Council office, rear of Village Hall, Village Road, Denham, UB9 5BN, 01895 834709.
Walking in the footsteps of an Edwardian
Paul Graham and Fiona Brewer
The Colne Valley Regional Park’s walking guide, Walking in the Footsteps of an Edwardian, is based on Stephen Springall’s 1907 Country Rambles Round Uxbridge, which reflects on the landscape changes in the past 100 years – from gravel extraction, motorways, and housing development – Springall’s landscape has changed beyond recognition in some cases, but it is heartening to see how much has survived, too.
Stephen Springall was a man who loved a walk and many of his rambles passed through what is now the Colne Valley Regional Park. He thought nothing of walking 20 miles in a day and then leaving the reader to find a bus or a train home!
Walking in the Footsteps of an Edwardian has been updated for modern readers so that they can enjoy some his walks today.
Interwoven with quotes from the original Country Rambles Round Uxbridge, photographs and artwork, illustrations of the current OS map of the walk and a corresponding historic map showing the landscape Springall would have rambled across, and highlighting specific Points of Interest, this book provides a fascinating glimpse of the Colne Valley Regional Park’s history and heritage in an often fast-changing landscape.
As Springall stated in 1907: “Immutability is decidedly not the chief characteristic of this world, and hence we find many changes to be continually occurring. Rural conditions often change…” and all these walks are clear examples of that, but there is still much to see.
Friends of the Colne Valley Regional Park membership – Special Offer
We are offering a free copy of Walking in the Footsteps of an Edwardian to any new member joining the Friends of the CVRP.
So why not encourage your friends, relatives and neighbours to join? We will also give a free copy of the book (which normally costs £6) to any current member who introduces one new member.
Even if you already have a copy, it would make a perfect Christmas present.
As a bonus, any new members joining between now and 31 March 2026 will have their subscription confirmed for 2026/27 as well.
Pass this on to the prospective member who should contact Paul Graham, Membership Secretary of the Friends, at [email protected] for details.
If you manage to get a new Friends member, claim your free book by e-mailing Paul at [email protected]
