Happy birthday to memorial hall

ABOUT 100 villagers came together to mark the centenary of Shiplake Memorial Hall.

Guests joined the hall’s trustees for strawberry teas made by the village branch of the Women’s Institute while about 20 cars from 1925 to the present day were displayed in the field behind it on Sunday.

A collection of 16 photographs from the day the foundation stone was laid in 1925, which had been discovered in a skip in Bournemouth just weeks before the centenary, were on display.

The pictures showed the day of July 18, when several members of Thames Lodge marched in full regalia to witness the laying of the stone by Mark U Weyland, the deputy provincial grand master of Oxfordshire assisted by the worshipful grandmaster.

There were also photos of the opening of the hall in April 1927 by Field Marshall Sir William Robertson with Mr Reginald Mardon whose son, Heber Reginald Mardon, was killed in the closing days of the First World War aged 19.

The hall was built in memory of villagers who had lost their lives in the conflict and it was financed by Heber’s parents, who put forward a proposal to provide land and to finance its construction at a cost of £3,500 in 1924.

A table of historic records from the hall’s past was manned by Janet Matthews, who runs the village history group.

They included an original plan of the hall when it contained a billiard room, reading room and tower and a council chamber and a memoir from an 18-year-old who had been evacuated to the village to live with his aunt and uncle, who were caretakers of the hall during the war.

There was also a book with the details of the Shiplake soldiers who died in the First World War.

Mrs Matthews said: “Originally, the hall used to have lots of committee rooms but the internal plan has changed quite a lot.

“Originally, it was just meant to be a social club and a place for people to meet but, more recently, it has been used as a social event and for parish council meetings and so it needed to be expanded.”

David Davidson, who lives in Lower Shiplake, had restored the skip photos, scanning and digitising them for the event.

They had been in an album of Henley discovered by a woman who posted them to Henley library shortly before its refurbishment in January.

They were then passed on to amateur historian Norman Topsom who brought them to the attention of the trustees in the hall in Memorial Avenue.

He said: “They were in pretty good condition. They were a bit spotty but overall, they were not in bad nick at all. It didn’t take much work in Photoshop.

“It was amazing in the first place that they were able to find them just in time for the 100th anniversary. It was only a few weeks ago and we were surprised at the quality.”

Norman Topsom said he felt “chuffed” to see people inspect the old photos for the first time after he looked through them at Henley library. He said: “I’m quite chuffed that I’ve helped these people.

“I’m pleased people are looking at them and admiring them and they’re not shut in a drawer out of the way.”

Caroline Fairbrother, who has been a trustee of the hall for 26 years, said: “When Sir Frederick Eley Baronet Sagamore announced that he was buying the five acres adjacent so we would have a field, a bowls club and a tennis club.

“Between them, they gave us the wonderful community that Shiplake and Binfield Heath share together today. There are an awful lot of people who don’t realise the amenities here.”

Bob Partridge, who chairs the trustees, brought along his 1925 Austin which is believed to have been registered three days before the foundation stone to the hall was laid.

He said: “It’s a really bright event to mark 100 years of a really important facility. The team have done a tremendous job organising this. It’s bringing the hall to be noticed by perhaps some people who haven’t been here very often.”

Pippa Thomas, of Mill Road, attended the event with her husband Geoffrey. She said: “Somebody was watching over us I think when the photos were discovered. It’s the highlight of the exhibition. I hadn’t realised why it was built and it’s a terribly sad story. This really does bring it home to me.”

The great grandchildren of Reginald Mardon, Moira McClure and Kate Bonfield, were special guests at the tea.

Mrs McClure, who travelled from Devon, said: “The variety of people who have come is lovely, everybody is getting a chance to learn about the hall’s history.”