Wednesday, 17 August 2022
Delivering the news from Henley on Thames and South Oxfordshire for over 100 years
Misled over road repairs Editor, — Residents of Bell Street, Henley, were given false hope when in receipt of letters from Oxfordshire County Council dated June 13 and July 14. We imagined that some relief from the constant bouncing and rumbling of heavy goods vehicles was about to be afforded by a comprehensive resurfacing project. The letters stated that carriageway maintenance and resurfacing ...
15/08/22
Sir, — This photograph in your Homes Weekly section (Standard, July 29) should have read “three fir trees for sale with a view of bungalow”. — Yours faithfully, Audrey Fox Baytree Rise, Sonning Common
15/08/22
Sir, — Last Friday my wife proposed that we paddle from Henley, where we live, to the St George and Dragon pub in Wargrave for dinner. I thought she was slightly mad but, not one to shrink from a challenge, off we set together at 6pm. Much to my surprise, we arrived just one hour later, having passed some quite amazing woodland scenery and stunning riverfront houses along the way. Back we paddled ...
15/08/22
Time to act on pollution The problems of atmospheric pollution in and around London are taking a more sinister tone at local and national level, according to reports in the Times last week. I invite Oxfordshire County Council to be ahead of the game rather than waiting for government legislation to grind through the parliamentary legal process, given that it is now run by the Liberal Democrats ...
08/08/22
Editor, — This lovely lot was fly-tipped in the lane leading down into Russells Water from the B481 over the weekend before last. There really are despicable people out there, clearly targeting the quieter areas around and about so please be extra vigilant, folks. — Yours faithfully, Mark and Julia Williams Russells Water
08/08/22
Ian Shaw, from Aston, took this picture on July 19 and says: “Here’s a panoramic with some dramatic skies, unusual cloud and eerie light after the worse of the heatwave.”
08/08/22
“Keeping the dogs cool,” says Charlotte Narula, from Wargrave
08/08/22
Hugh Archibald, of Greys Road, Henley, says: “On the hottest day ever our small pond looked like a detail from Monet’s Water Lillies.”
08/08/22
Sir, — We have just returned from a few weeks touring northern France in our motorhome and visited Henley’s twin town of Falaise in Normandy. It is an interesting little town with a town hall not that dissimilar to ours in Henley. However, we saw no streets or squares with the name “‘Henley” in them. Falaise is proud to display a statue of William the Conqueror who was born there. — Yours ...
01/08/22
I well recall the date When we lost the bottle of Britain When the many beat the Few When Boris — remember him, The chump who thought he’d won As the UK came undone? And Trump returned to power And Putin won his war. Phwoar! — Yours faithfully, James Kelso Gorwell, Watlington
01/08/22
Damaging for country Sir, — So, only now (Standard, July 15) does John Howell MP say Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson had to resign as Prime Minister. Yet, he did not earlier, after illegally proroguing Parliament, the PPE fiasco, “Wallpapergate”, “Carriegate”, the Owen Paterson affair. Or, worst of all in my opinion, after “Partygate”. This Prime Minister, who set the social distancing rules ...
01/08/22
IN the light of recent political events, that’s a relevant question. The resignation of the Prime Minister as leader of the Conservative Party came because of the perception that he had “lost the trust” of the public and of his party. But, of course, the question of trust is not just a question to be asked at a political level. The question of trust is more personal, isn’t it? Sadly, some people ...
25/07/22
On Henley Festival Sunday I had the pleasure of joining Timothy Dodd-Wilson aboard Lilly, the big duck, fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support. That evening we raised £1,488 and over the entire festival more than £7,000. Thank you to Tim & Lilly. — Yours faithfully, Piers Burnell Henley
25/07/22
We saw this small purple hairstreak butterfly (Favonius quercus) on the ground at Turville. Apparently they normally live high in oak trees which may explain why we have not seen one before. — Yours faithfully, Hugh Archibald Greys Road, Henley
25/07/22
Take care of our history Sir, — I am writing as chairman of the Henley Archaeological and Historical Group about the plan to secure a sustainable future for the River & Rowing Museum (Standard, July 1). We very much welcome this development. At the end of last year about 20 members of the group visited the museum at the invitation of its senior staff. We were briefed on the outlook and met the ...
25/07/22
AMID pomp and pageantry, the clicking of cameras and saluting, a christening took place in Henley on Monday worthy of any royal occasion. The “baby” was named by the Queen and blessed by the Bishop of Oxford and her head was wetted with a 15-minute trip on the Thames. The 28-ton lifeboat of the Solent class is ready to take the place of any of the 250 lifeboats already owned by the Royal National ...
18/07/22
Wild flowers cut down Sir, — With depressing predictability, after No Mow May, comes Henley Royal Regatta week when the town council resumed the cutting of the grass on Fair Mile with a vengeance and included the wildflowers. After explaining at length in my letter of June 3 the environmental and economic benefits of not mowing and how it conflicts with the council’s declaration of an ecological ...
08/08/22
Sir, — It was very sad to see the copper beech on Station Park, Henley, being cut down on Friday due to irreversible decay affecting its structural condition and roots. Henley Town Council and South Oxfordshire District Council are to be applauded for their swift action to ensure the safety of local residents and nearby buildings. Credit where credit’s due. From an appreciative and very local ...
18/07/22
Widen appeal of museum Editor, — I read your front page article about the River & Rowing Museum in Henley and the comments by David Worthington, chairman of trustees, about its difficulties, both financially and with the fabric of the building itself (Standard, July 1). I have just returned from a few days in Falmouth where I took time to visit the National Maritime Museum and found the exhibits ...
11/07/22
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