Meet the man who loves to document ‘hidden’ history

THE man behind Hidden Henley is stepping down after 25 years.

Martin Cook has uncovered more than 1,000 historical items within the area since January 2000, which has been featured weekly on the diary page of the Henley Standard.

But Mr Cook, of Gainsborough Hill, Henley, has now decided to archive his findings online.

The 76-year-old has always had an interest in the history of the town and its environs and enjoyed scrolling through newspaper archives and library books.

The keen photographer claims his traits of being nosy and inquisitive helped him with his pet project.

Mr Cook said: “It intrigues me that people walk right past churches, alleyways and beautiful old buildings and don’t notice or question the history. I certainly don’t miss them and I like to find out all about them.”

His parents lived in Hambleden when he was born at the former hospital in Watlington and they later moved to Park Road in Henley.

He attended Trinity School and Maidenhead Grammar School before studying art at East Berkshire College.

Mr Cook went on to work on the trolley buses in Reading, despite his mother’s embarrassment.

He recalled: “My dad said I had to get a job. He didn’t care what but I was told to not come back until I did, so I became a trolley bus conductor. Later, I became a printer in London and eventually ended up at Higgs Group printers, where I have been for 30 years.”

Photographing people has been a passion since he was a boy and his first attempt at the age of nine was taken on a box camera he found at home.

One of his first shots was a black and white photograph of his younger brother, Barry, which won him 10 shillings in a competition.

In 1999, he took the idea for a weekly picture of Henley’s heritage to George Tuckfield, the editor of the Henley Standard from September 1990 to 2008.

He said: “George was a tough nut to crack but I knew this idea that I had would blossom because there were lots of curiosities in the town and villages.

“They were historical and peculiar things that weren’t necessarily hidden but definitely not noticed.”

Last week, his penultimate Hidden Henley featured one of his favourite discoveries. Down a quiet single-track road in Bix Bottom, you will find the ruins of St James’s Church standing in the isolated valley.

The church, which dates back to the early 12th century, was repaired during the 18th century, before falling into disrepair and becoming abandoned in 1875.

“It has so much history,” Mr Cook said. “It has been a ruin for years and has been used for filming the 1966 horror film, The Witches, and various bits of Midsomer Murders.

“It’s such a curious location because, when you walk around, you don’t see another human being or building anywhere, just the peaceful remains of what used to be a church.”

Another one of his discoveries was finding an abandoned, blown-up safe on Old Bix Road.

Mr Cook said: “The door was open and it had been splintered. It had been lying there for as long as I can remember.” He had asked Standard readers if anyone knew its history but he is still none the wiser.

Two peculiar architectural features in Henley are flying buttresses, one near the Old Speaker’s House in Hart Street and another near Davis Tate estate agents in Bell Street. They look like structural supports, he said, but they are not.

Mr Cook said: “They are pieces of rubble and, when you look closer, they’re not even joined to the wall, so what are they there for?

“Perhaps it is because Henley used to have around 50 pubs in the old days and people would urinate up against the wall if they could find a little corner. By putting these in place, people couldn’t tuck themselves in.

“It could also be to smooth the progress of cattle being driven through the streets. The curved iron barriers with spikes, which were set into the stonework at the entrance to our bridge, as well as churches and other public buildings, may have been for the same purpose.”

Other favourites include Red Lion Lawn and the two faces on the keystone on the central arch on Henley Bridge, with Isis facing south and Tamesis facing north.

Throughout the years, Mr Cook has also organised guided Hidden Henley walks and exhibitions displaying his photographs.

He hopes to continue these, complementing the weekly features on his own website and has registered to trade mark “Hidden Henley” with the Intellectual Property Office.