Remenham History

Thank you to all our contributors, who help to ensure that our history pages are constantly being updated with interesting articles and photographs. 

We are particularly delighted with the aerial photographs, below, but any historic photographs are of interest - especially from our parishioners.  

Maybe you have an interesting story or photograph from Remenham’s past.  If so, we’d love to see it, so please don’t hesitate to send it in.  The more the merrier!

Our contact address is hello@remenhamparish.org.uk. 

Some pictures of a Morris  Minor outside Nuffield Place ( NP)  near a Henley on Thames taken last Friday- her 60 th birthday.

  This car was featured when it visited the home of sometime Morris Motors Managing Director Lord Thomas of Remenham - Remenham Court.

Before the renovation.

The iconic red K6 phone box at the top of Aston Lane has undergone a remarkable transformation. Thanks to Remenham Parish Council, this beloved landmark has been restored and repurposed as the Aston Lane Library, a book exchange for the community.

Using authentic paint, glazing and the services of L. Newman Carpentry, it has been given a new lease of life and is already attracting admiring glances from passing cyclists and walkers. 

In addition to the book exchange, the library also contains a community noticeboard for local announcements, upcoming events and information on local footpaths. 

The Aston Lane Library is a testament to the power of community and the importance of preserving our local heritage. Remenham Parish Council hopes residents and visitors alike will use and admire this on their travels and reflect on how communications have changed. So please do visit, take a book, leave a book and enjoy!

Before the renovation, inside the phone box.

The finished phone box.

The finished result with L. Newman Carpentry.

Under the Northern Lights.

The first of the two statues being produced of Sir George Dowty beside a Lancaster wheel and undercarriage was formally unveiled at Glebe Farm, Lower Stanton St Quintin, Chippenham.

The unveiling was performed by James Gray – sometime MP for North Wiltshire.

The ceremony was led by Mr John Kett- White who lived here in wartime – his father was a squadron leader at nearby RAF Hullavington.

These diaries, covering the years 1919 until the passing of Sir George Dowty in 1975, have recently been acquired by Martin Robins.
These diaries contain many references to Lord Thomas who served on the Dowty Board from the early 1960s until his passing twenty years later. Miles was both a well-liked and respected person in Dowty circles.
If anyone wishes to comment regarding Miles, please contact Martin Robins: martinrobins@btinternet.com

Sir Miles Thomas - later Lord Thomas of Remenham -was the Managing Director of Morris Motors at the time Alec Issigonis was designing the Morris Minor. It was his enthusiasm that saw the project to completion in 1948.
He subsequently became Chairman of BOAC and a director of the Dowty Group .
In 1959 he acquired Remenham Court and lived there until his passing in 1980.
(The calendar below includes images of Remenham Court)

Sir George Dowty met Sir Miles Thomas - later to become  Lord Thomas of Remenham - in the early nineteen  sixties when they were both returning from the USA on a transatlantic liner. Miles impressed Sir George greatly - reaching the same conclusion that Sir Winston Churchill made when he witnessed Miles stewardship during wartime as the de facto head of Morris Motors - which had been switched to armaments. Miles joined the Dowty board shortly afterwards and served until his passing in 1980.

Regards 

Peter Mace
Storrington, West Sussex

SIR – A Royal Commission on healthcare will only waste more time and money. It is blindingly obvious to everyone that there are too many NHS managers. We should follow the example of Sir Miles Thomas who, when put in charge of the failing British Overseas Airways Corporation in 1949, removed an entire level of senior management. The company improved dramatically.

In the case of the NHS, apart from reducing costs, I am sure that such a move would improve the morale of the many professionals trying to do their job, which would in turn aid recruitment.

This is a low res version of a 1914 map of Remenham Hill 

Aerial Photographs of Remenham in 1923, 1947 & 1952 (courtesy of Historic England [EAW044548 ENGLAND (1952).  Remenham, the Henley Royal Regatta in progress and the town, 1952]).

Aerial Photographs of Remenham and Aston in 1923-1952 (courtesy of Historic England [EAW044548 ENGLAND (1952)]): eights racing at HRR in 1923, Remenham surroundings (x2) in 1952, HRR (x4) in 1952 and Aston surroundings in 1947.

These images are subject to copyright and owned by Historic England.

We are starting  to compile a comprehensive history of the parish.

Jim Bland, a long-time resident has kindly given us a map that he has drawn up of Archaeological Finds in Remenham. See the pdf as follows:

We have also been given an extract from the 1850's Gazetteer:

This is a very small start so please do send us what you can and we will include on the site.  Please contact hello@remenhamparish.org.uk.