Henley Probus Club - Curiosities in the Chilterns

THE 437th meeting was held at Badgemore Park Golf Club on October 10.

After the normal business had been completed, the guest speaker was introduced.

Alan Copeland is a licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain and presented “Curiosities in the Chilterns Part 1”.

The presentation, which comprised slides together with a little music occasionally, was a journey through 25 towns/villages in the Chilterns, starting with Reading in the west and moving eastwards before finishing in Hazlemere (north east of High Wycombe).

There were slides of the “curiosities” in each location. In Reading the first curiosity was the Maiwand Lion, a
16-ton sculpture and war memorial for the 329 men from the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot who died during the Afghan War from 1878 to 1880.

The journey continued, looking at curiosities in Caversham, White Waltham, Maidenhead (a green telephone box) and arriving at the quiet village of Cookham to find a notice on the wall of a cottage advising: “All fighting to be over by 10pm.”

The journey continued through Windsor to Eton, where there is a Victorian post box containing a vertical letterbox, one of only four ever built).

On the journey went until finally arriving in Hazlemere and a bungalow with topiary in the front garden depicting Goldilocks and the Three Bears. After a number of questions and comments, the members thanked Alan for his very informative presentation.

Henley Probus Club meets at Badgemore Park Golf Club on the second Tuesday (morning) of each month.