Christmas Cards 2023

This year’s Christmas card is a view of Holland House from the formal gardens’. It is a view we all know well and combines two of the best loved features of the park. It is again by Clare Weatherill, who has also painted our popular card  “Holland House through the Trees”, which we sell throughout the year. 

The standard greeting on all Christmas cards is “With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year”, but you can choose to ask for them blank. We hold a supply of these cards, with greetings, in three options:
• Large, 152 mm x 197 mm format at £6.50 for five 
• Small, 118 mm x 168 mm at £11.00 for ten.  
• Mixed packs of ten designs of Holland Park from past years, at £6.50. These will be mostly the large size and in three or four different designs.  
All of these are in stock from now and can be quickly delivered.

In addition, there is a range of other Holland Park cards, which you can find on Mountbatten’s website, mountbattencards.com . Members may be especially interested to see two versions of the view of the café, pre and post the new café terrace layout, which was completed in 2018.

It would be a great help if you could order early, so that the publisher knows what initial printing he needs.

If your newsletter is hand-delivered (no stamp,) our delivery of Christmas cards is free. If your newsletter is delivered by post, we have to charge an additional £2.50 per ten small cards or a single pack of five large. If you are unsure whether you are in the free delivery area, please ask rhoddy.wood@virgin.net. Please note that sending the order to The Friends instead of direct to Mountbatten gets the Friends an extra discount, unless overprinting is required.  If you do order direct, please remember to say which charity you would like Mountbatten to make a donation to; naturally we would hope it was The Friends, but you are free to choose any charity.

Rhoddy Wood

[September 2023]

News update as at 3 November 2023

Kyoto pond clean up 
The Kyoto Garden was closed for three days in October, so that the pond could be emptied, then scrubbed out, before being re-filled. So, what happened to the koi carp?

What looked like a children’s paddling pool, but was actually a temporary fish pond, was erected in the garden. When the main pond was refilled, some of the old pond water, complete with the good bacteria that nourish the fish, was included. That’s how the fish like it. If the water were to be cleaned of all bacteria, for example water direct from the mains, the fish would probably become ill because tap water has chlorine in it and that kills all the good bacteria. 

Visitors are asked not to feed the fish, or birds in the Kyoto Garden, or elsewhere in the park. The wildlife doesn’t need it and it can cause harm.  

Lord Holland statue

Over the years, this statue has attracted dust, general grime and the unfortunate result of pigeons sitting on Lord Holland’s head. Recently, specialists were brought in to clean up the bronze, which started with a jet wash. The work will be completed when the weather is more clement.

Holland Park Café
Following The Friends’ contact with the council to express concerns about some aspects of the proposed new lease, a meeting was called between council officers, councillors and the chairman of The Friends, Jennie Kettlewell. We were reassured to hear that the terms that impact on the park would be negotiated with whoever is chosen as the future operator of the café to ensure the lease is appropriate to the running of the park. The Friends were to be kept in touch with progress, before the proposal goes to the RBKC Leadership Team in December for a decision. It is understood that the new lease will start from April 2024. Since the meeting on 7 September, we have heard no more.   

Open-air gym and golf practice area
The open-air gym, to be found at the extreme south west of the sports field, is about to undergo  improvement. It has been extremely popular and this means that the equipment is coming to the end of its life. The same applies to the golf practice area. The council has held well-publicised on-site meetings in October to hear the views of those who use the facility. There is an on-line questionnaire, but the deadline is 27 November, shortly after you receive this newsletter.
If you want your view to be heard, act quickly by completing the survey on Holland Park | Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (rbkc.gov.uk). If you need a hard copy or have queries, please contact the Parks Project team via email parksprojects@rbkc.gov.uk or by phone 07971 391404.

Marouflages
We have always called them The Murals, but they are ‘marouflages’ because they are painted on canvas and not on the plaster wall. The conservation expert will remove panels 1 and 2 in March for repair work to the canvas itself. We are waiting to hear when Mao Wen Biao will retouch the surface of the other nine panels, which should be as soon as possible so that they don’t deteriorate further.

Text & photos by Jennie Kettlewell

[November 2023]

Christmas Concert

Sunday 10 December in the Holland Park Orangery. 7.30pm

We hope you already have the date of our Christmas Concert in your diary. Douglas Somers-Lee will entertain us with his Ariel Consort of London this year. Douglas has sung in the Tallis Chamber Choir for many years and shared conducting with Philip Simms in 2021 and 2022, so you will recognise him. You will notice some familiar faces among the singers and there will be new singers from the Ariel choir. 

Douglas has been planning the programme for us and tells us that: ‘It will include some Christmas favourites, with a dash of music from Advent. As always, there will be the opportunity for the audience to raise their voices to some familiar tunes.’  We will of course miss Philip Simms and Lizzy Groves after all these years of glorious music, but we are reassured that our Christmas Concert can continue in a form that is familiar and appreciated.

After the concert we will be treated to delicious canapés and a glass or two of wine.  Please don’t leave it until the last minute to book, as that makes it difficult for us to plan.

Tickets at £27 can be ordered online HERE.

[November 2023]

Festive event in Holland Park

On Saturday, 2 December, The Friends will be running a festive pop-up stall in Holland Park’s Café Yard. We will be there to catch up with members and other visitors to the park, and will have Christmas cards for sale, as well as tea towels printed with pretty paintings of either wild flowers or autumn berries. There is also a jute shopper with a tree design, and note cards, all of which make lovely Christmas gifts. Tasty festive treats from the Holland Park Café will also be on sale on our stall. 

Just to add to the excitement, two of the Met’s police on horseback hope to visit us. There will be carrots available for children to feed to the horses, provided adults check first with the police riders.

Rassells has provided a festive fir tree, which will become our ‘wishing tree’.  Some people are less fortunate and do not have a friend or relative to wish them well over the festive season. Any visitor to our stall can write a best wishes message on the coloured labels provided and tie it onto the tree.

Once it is decorated with best wishes labels, the tree will be donated to a local charity or care home.

Come and say ‘hello’.  We will be at the stall from 10am to 3.00pm.

Text & photo by Jennie Kettlewell

[November 2023]

Christmas cards and Christmas presents

When you are thinking of small presents to give family and friends, do have a look at what The Friends have on sale. There are two cotton tea towels; one showing paintings of some of the flowers that grow wild in Holland Park and the other with paintings of autumn fruits in the park. The greetings cards ‘Holland House through the trees’ make an excellent gift, as does the handy jute shopper decorated with a tree motif.

All are available to buy from the Park Reception Office in the Stable Yard or from our website under Merchandise.

There is a selection of Holland Park Christmas cards, with a new design for this year, ‘Holland House from the formal gardens’. It is a view we all know well and combines two of the best loved features of the park. It is again by Clare Weatherill, who painted the card  ‘Holland House through the Trees’. Christmas cards are available from the Park Reception Office, or they can be purchased online. Prices of all our cards and merchandise are under the Merchandise heading.  

The local retailers in our Friends & Neighbours discount scheme offer lots of ideas for presents: stylish gifts from The Design Museum shop, presents for the home from Lipp, plants and flowers from Rassells, and picture framing from Gallery 19.  The Kensington Health Club and Spa offers beauty treatments. Or enjoy some holiday cheer at one of the restaurants and cafés in our scheme. The Holland Park Café has festive chocolates, Florentine biscuits, mince pies, stollen logs, gingerbread trees and more. All the participants in our programme support us with a special price for our members’ and we should support the participants in return. A full list of our Neighbours and discounts offered is on the Friends’ website. 

Jennie Kettlewell

[November 2023]

Subscription Renewals and Membership Cards

Thank you again for all your support and we hope you will want to continue to help through these troublesome times when the park is more appreciated than ever, but also has had extra strains put upon it. Your membership also gives The Friends clout when negotiating with the Council on matters relating to the park’s future.

The Friends’ subscription year runs from 1 January each year. 
• New members, who joined since 1 September 2022, or existing members who have renewed since that date, are already covered for 2023.
• A useful number (about 60%) pay by bank standing order every year on 1 January, so will be covered for 2024.  
• Others, who do not pay by bank standing order, have already paid in advance for 2024, because you have paid since 1 September 2023.
• If you do not have a standing order and have not paid since 1 September 2023, your membership needs to be paid for 2024. You can do it online HERE.

If you do not have a standing order, please check when you last paid and whether your membership is due for renewal. Members who have not kept payments up to date will no longer receive the members’ discount card. If in doubt, check with Graham Franklin 07802 761 548 or ggfranklin3@aol.com. 

It is less trouble, to both you and us, if you pay by standing order.

To pay by standing order, please contact your bank and get it to set up a standing order, payable on 1 January each year to The Friends of Holland Park, Account Number 60636975 Sort Code 20-47-34, at Barclays Bank Kensington Branch. 

Rhoddy Wood

[November 2023]

Mike Quaia revisits the park

We had a surprise visit at our pop-up event on 25 October, from Mike Quaia, whose family ran the Holland Park Café before Cooks & Partners. Mike’s parents, as well as Mike and his wife Yvonne, are remembered with affection as a wonderfully warm Italian family who made the café  welcoming and engaged enthusiastically with the Holland Park community. Mike said he had lots of stories he could tell us about the café in those days, but they will have to wait. His focus has changed from running a café to painting and he hopes to enter work in The Friends’ 2024 Art Exhibition. 

Jennie Kettlewell

[November 2023]

Holland Park on BBC Channel 5

BBC Channel 5 ran a series of programmes on ‘The Royal Borough’.  Sadly, it focused solely on the rich and famous and did not explain that the borough is made up of a diverse community. We are grateful that Holland Park’s head gardener, Owen Rogers, was filmed giving a more balanced view, when he and his idverde team of gardeners explained the gardens and assets of the park, which is open for all to enjoy. Owen starred in the final episode, on a day when the team was under a lot of pressure to finish planting the Napoleon Garden on a sweltering day in September.  

Jennie Kettlewell

Photo courtesy of Channel 5

[November 2023]

News update as at 1 September

Good news on ‘the murals’
They are not actually murals, but ‘marouflages’, as they are painted on canvas, not the wall itself, and that makes a difference to how the 11 panels are conserved. The good news is that the council (RBKC) has agreed to go ahead with the conservation work proposed by Richard Rogers Conservation (RRC).

Mao Wen Biao, the artist, can proceed with cleaning, retouching and re-varnishing all but the two panels on the extreme left. The Friends have agreed to pay Mao’s cost of £5,600 and are delighted he is able to undertake this work once again. 

The two panels on the left have suffered more extensive damage and the canvas backing itself is affected. After the paint surfaces of the two canvases have been stabilised, they will be carefully eased off the wall. A thin but strong frame will be inserted behind the canvases and the whole lifted off and taken to a site where the conservation work can be done. The repaired canvases can then be returned to their original site so that Mao can retouch the surface paintwork. 

It is a complex operation and we don’t expect to see the work completed until early 2024. The Friends, who commissioned the paintings and donated them to the council, see it as important  they are preserved in good condition as a historic record, and for the enjoyment of park visitors.

We await news of what the council will do to prevent water ingress from the walkway above the painted panels.

Holland Park Café
The Friends were invited to attend a meeting to hear plans for the new lease to be offered to the preferred operator. The name of the preferred operator was not shared. Following the meeting, chairman, Jennie Kettlewell, responded with comments on some aspects of the lease where it was thought they might impact on the park itself. A second meeting still left questions unanswered and further discussion will be held before a decision is made on what is included in the lease.

The native hedge

The hedge was planted immediately east of the sports field in 2007 as a staggered double row. The row nearest the sports field is the native Crataegus monogyna (hawthorn) and the eastern face is a mix of native hedgerow species. Both faces provide a prime habitat for wildlife, and the space between is a safe corridor for small mammals. Hedgecraft re-laid the hedge in 2013, in the South of England style, and it is likely there has been virtually no management of this hedge since. The laid west face of hawthorn is almost intact but overgrown, and the east face has mostly disappeared. The entire hedge is invaded with weeds.

The plan is to replant the east face this autumn with two-year whips, after idverde has removed the worst of the nettles and bindweed. The Friends have obtained an estimate for Hedgecraft to re-lay the hedge, merging the top of the two faces once the new whips have grown. Hedgecraft needed to know the length of the hedge which was a puzzler for The Friends, until idverde offered to help and came back very quickly with the answer – 145 metres.   

idverde are always busy but we hope they are able to zap the weeds soon, so that the planting and re-laying don’t have to be postponed.

Plan for the Dutch Garden

In our summer newsletter, we said that the box hedging has been demolished by the box tree caterpillar, which is widespread in London. Box is now high-risk and the plan is to take out all the defoliated plants in October and replace them with four or five other evergreen species. This means there will be no winter bedding while the work is carried out and the new hedge plants are given time to establish. A-boards in the garden will explain the new hedge plants. We will have to be patient and wait until we can enjoy the customary colourful spring bedding.

Text and photos byJennie Kettlewell

[September 2023]

CANCELLED

Holland Park Quiz Night!

Thursday 26 October, 7- 9pm, in the Holland Park Orangery

We thought we would try something new for our autumn event, so we are running a Quiz Night, based on Holland Park, past and present. 

Small groups will sit around tables, so they can discuss answers to each question amongst themselves before marking their choice from three possible answers on the quiz sheets provided. Professional quiz master, Ben Millington-Buck, will ensure the questions are clear and encourage lots of conversation and fun at the tables. It’s not a test!  Answers will be read out at the end.

Crisps and similar snacks will be provided on each table, together with wine and soft drinks. Entrance will be via the car park gate in Abbotsbury Road and parking is free after 6.30pm. Do join us, but please arrive on time, as the gates to the car park will be closed promptly once the event starts.

Tickets, at £15, can be ordered online HERE. 

[September 2023]

Friends & Neighbours news

As a member of The Friends, your membership card entitles you to a discount on purchases from a number of named local businesses. Not only is it a benefit for you, but it helps us build a community round the park.

One of the founding participants was the health club and spa at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Wrights Lane, south of High Street Kensington tube station. This used to be run as a franchise, but has recently been taken back under the management of the hotel and has changed its name to the Kensington Health Club & Spa. That’s not all that has changed. Smiling staff in smart new uniforms greet members and guests, the changing rooms are being upgraded, the reception now boasts a display of swimming and sports equipment for sale and everything is sparklingly clean. The new manager, Mo Abbas, told The Friends about the possibility of future events, such as the wellbeing session organised recently to experience the wonderfully fragrant spa products from Templespa.

Facilities include an 18-metre indoor swimming pool, a fully equipped gym, sauna, steam room hot tub, swimming classes and treatment rooms. Friends enjoy a special membership price of £75 per month for minimum of 3 months, paid by direct debit, with no joining fee. There is a 20% discount on food and beverages in the hotel restaurant and a there is a ‘secret’ garden behind the hotel.

Jennie Kettlewell

[September 2023]

History of Holland House and the people who lived there

Sunday 8 October 2.30-4pm

 Come and hear fascinating stories about the long history of Holland House and what went on there – scandals and all. The tour will be led by Blue Badge Guide, Leila Sukiur. It is the first time you will be able to get a close-up view of the recent conservation work on the exterior of the building since the opera vacated the site. There is no entry to the house itself, as it is a shell since the bombing in 1940. 

To book a ticket online, click HERE or contact Jennie Kettlewell on 020 7243 0804 or email jennie.kettlewell@thefriendsofhollandpark.org 

£10.00 per person. The meeting point will be shown on your ticket.

[Sept 2023]

Dates for your Diary 

Events in Holland Park

The events listed below are either organized by The Friends (F), or organized by the Ecology Service (ES), most of which are sponsored by The Friends.

FULLY BOOKED

History of Holland House and the people who lived there.
Sun. 20 Oct. 2024.   10.30-12 noon. (F)
 Come and hear fascinating stories about the long history of Holland House and what went on there – scandals and all. The tour will be led by Blue Badge Guide, Rowan Freeland. It is the first time you will be able to get a close-up view of the recent conservation work on the exterior of the building since the opera vacated the site. There is no entry to the house itself, as it is a shell since the bombing in 1940.  

Book a ticket online HERE, or contact Jennie Kettlewell on 020 7243 0804 or jennie.kettlewell@thefriendsofhollandpark.org 
£10.00 per person. 
Meeting point will be shown on the ticket.

The Ecology Service (ES) events can be booked on Eventbrite.  

The Friends’ (F) Blue Badge tours can be booked HERE on our website, or by contacting Jennie Kettlewell on 020 7243 0804 or  jennie.kettlewell@thefriendsofhollandpark.org.  Unless otherwise instructed when you book, meet by The Friends’ notice board in the Café Yard.

Holland Park Conservation Volunteers (adults) meet on the third Saturday of each month from 10.30am to 3.30 pm. Tasks focus on practical conservation that helps deliver the Ecology Service management plan and might include dead-hedging, scything, pond clearing and maintaining the paths in the Wildlife Enclosure. If you want to join, or find out more, please email Gerry Kelsey, idverde’s Training and Community Manager, at Gerald.Kelsey@idverde.co.uk. 

[September 2024]

Guided tours of Holland Park

The history of the buildings, people, sculptures, statues, art and the gardens.  

Expert Blue Badge Guides will entertain you with fascinating stories about the long history of Holland Park and what went on there.– scandals and all. 

Sat 18 May. 2.30-4pm. History of the Holland Park gardens and
              grounds.  Guide Leila Sukiur.  

Book a ticket online or contact Jennie Kettlewell on jennie.kettlewell@thefriendsofhollandpark.org or call 020 7243 0804.  

£10.00 per person. Meeting point will be on the ticket.

Book online HERE

[January 2024]

Summer party in the park 

We’ve had the rain, so now it’s time for the sun to come out and what better way to celebrate summer than to come to The Friends’ party in the park. The date is Tues. 18 July. The time is 6-8pm and the place is the marquee at the east end of the Dutch Garden. Access is from the Dutch Garden only.

There will be refreshing Pimm’s fruit cup, tasty canapés and good company, all with the lovely view of the Dutch Garden summer planting. We are most grateful to James Clutton, CEO of Opera Holland Park, for allowing us once again to borrow their marquee on the raised terrace to the east of the Dutch Garden. Come rain or shine, we will be protected from anything the weather will throw at us.

This is the one event of our year that is only open to Friends and their immediate guests, but not the general public. Do come and celebrate with us! The car park is free after 6.30pm.

Tickets, at £25 each, can be booked online HERE.

[June 2023]

Dates for your Diary

The events listed below are either organised by The Friends (F), or organised by the Ecology Service (ES), most of which are sponsored by The Friends.

Sat. 30 Sept.   Bird ringing demonstration in the Wildlife Enclosure.             
                      Free to attend. Must book. ES 7-11am

Check for an update on Ecology Service events (ES):  Holland Park Ecology Centre Events/ Eventbrite

Ecology Service events can be booked on Eventbrite. Please note that events will not be posted on Eventbrite until around 8 weeks before the date. 

Holland Park Conservation Volunteers (adults) meet on the third Saturday of each month from 10.30am to 3.30 pm. Tasks focus on practical conservation that helps deliver the Ecology Service management plan and might include dead-hedging, scything, pond clearing and maintaining the paths in the Wildlife Enclosure. If you want to join, or find out more, please email Gerry Kelsey, idverde’s Training and Community Manager, at Gerald.Kelsey@idverde.co.uk.

[August 2023]

News update, as at 22 May 2023

Repairs to the terra cotta bricks
These can be found in the wall across the front of Holland House, and in a wall to the west of the house. They were probably made by John Blashfield of Ironbridge and installed when the raised terrace was created in about 1848. There are two designs: H for Holland, with a baron’s crown; and a winged cherub, wielding a four-pronged fish spear while riding on the back of a wyvern. Some of the bricks have been damaged, so moulds of both designs will be taken during the summer. Cleaning of all the bricks and the repairs will take place once Opera Holland Park has vacated the site at the end of September.

The Friends have agreed to pay the cost of £13,675.

Photo by Jennie Kettlewell

Murals
Following expert advice, it is likely that only two of the 11 panels are so badly damaged that they need to be removed for conservation of the backing canvas, and because of rapid deterioration. These are the two panels nearest to the Café Yard and they will be stored until the site is dry and safe for them to be returned. Seven panels can be retouched by the artist, as the backs are relatively dry and it is the paint surface that has suffered from being in the open air. That leaves two panels which have some damage, but do not need immediate removal. The surface of these can probably be retouched in a way that is reversible, in case they need a more drastic solution in future. We still await news from the council about when they will seal the walkway above the murals, in order to prevent further water ingress. Some of the pillars between the paintings had suffered from rising damp due to flooding after torrential rain, but have now dried out. There is risk of future flooding if the cause is not corrected.    

North Lawn
Following closure for the past six months, the North Lawn is now open again and is a wonderfully green sward. New fencing will guide people to the exit at the south via the central pathway.

                                                        New grass on the North Lawn                                                             Photo by Jennie Kettlewell

Toilets

The new toilets are open and functioning well after initial problems. The Friends havequeried the absence of a ramp entrance to the main toilet and, although this is not simple to achieve, it is being explored as it really is necessary for parents with prams and for those who can’t manage steps easily. The wheelchair access toilet is open for those entitled to hold a radar key.    

New toilets, with main door on left and radar key access door on right.                     Photo by Jennie Kettlewell

Café
We understand that the Cooks & Partners’ lease for operation of the Holland Park Café has been extended for the summer. We have no further news about which company will hold the lease after that. Nor do we have any news about the very necessary improvements to the interior, which will enable faster service at the till and service area. We have been told that potential leaseholders have understandably proposed interior decoration, and hope the Council will ensure the chosen style is in keeping with the historic site.

Sports ground
Our members tell us they are ‘willing the grass to grow faster’ on the fenced off part of the sports field. It has been treated and seeded and now it needs sunshine as well as rain to create a strong and healthy green turf. Much as it is needed, it should not be opened for use too soon, or the new grass will not withstand the pounding of all those little feet.

[June 2023]

Kathleen Hall – sad news 

It is with regret we record the death, when she was only a month short of her 100th birthday, of Kathleen Hall who was a trustee of The Friends for a number of years. She joined as a member in 1997 and came to our attention in the early 2000s. Our then editor asked if we would offer her a place on the committee because she would be able to give support on the technicalities of editing. Her last paid job before retirement had been as fulltime editor of an annual journal. We would have expected this to be of some literary organisation but it was about engineering or something similar. We were quickly impressed with her energy and application and we offered her the editorship of this newsletter when the incumbent retired but, unfortunately, this coincided with the severe deterioration of her eyesight, making it impossible for her to use a computer. With typical determination, she remained a trustee, writing the occasional article by hand and delivering newsletters well into her 80s until overcome by the effort and danger of negotiating front steps on her round. We heard that she went on playing tennis at the local lawn tennis club until she had to admit that she could not see the balls. Her interest in and support of The Friends remained until the end and members will remember seeing her at events in The Orangery when someone was available to give her a lift.

RIP Kathleen.  We were honoured to have had your support and expertise.

Rhoddy Wood

[June 2023]

Tours of Holland Park

Expert Blue Badge Guides will entertain you with fascinating stories about the long history of Holland Park and what went on there – scandals and all. 

Tues 20 June. 2.30-4pm. The history of Holland Park's gardens. This will be the first for this subject. Guide Leila Sukiur. Click HERE to book online.

Book online or contact Jennie Kettlewell on 020 7243 0804 or on jennie.kettlewell@thefriendsofhollandpark.org
£10.00 per person. Meeting point will be shown on the ticket.    

[February 2023]                                                         

News update as at 13 February

Murals

The very attractive murals under the arches south of the Iris Garden have been suffering from water ingress for a long time. The Friends have pushed to have the walkway above made waterproof, but there has been delay after delay from the council and now we hear there is to be further delay as the project is transferred to a different budget pot. Meanwhile the paintings are being badly affected. The Friends last paid for the original artist, Mao Wen Biao, to conserve the panels about 10 years ago, and would have been prepared to pay for a further round of repairs, but there is little point in retouching damp panels that will inevitably suffer further damage. As no action was in sight, we have asked that the panels be removed and stored safely, so Mao Wen Biao can restore them off-site. They may be off-site for quite a while. The Friends are working with Park Management to find expert advice on how to handle and store the paintings, as well as how to re-install them, so an airspace is left between the panels and the Stable Yard building behind them.

Until 1991, the wall along the Arcade was painted plain white, which became stained and dingy and was vulnerable to graffiti. The Friends found Mao, who after executing vast murals in the Beijing Underground, had come to London where he was unknown and so took a commission decorating hoardings for a developer. Ours are not strictly murals but are oils painted on canvas in Mao’s studio and then affixed to the wall. There is quite a story as to how the images were arrived at, with locals sitting for the artist in appropriate costume hired for the occasion. One of the ‘locals’ was Rhoddy Wood.  Can you spot her? 

Toilets
Here’s some good news. All the structural work, first-fix plumbing and electrics are now completed. The next stage is the ceiling, flooring and then installation of the toilet cubicles, showers and sanitary ware. Completion is now due in mid-March. Although this work has taken longer than expected, we will have the benefit of a really high standard of toilets.

Kyoto pond
The pond needs its annual clean out to remove silt, leaves and any bread or other food people choose to inflict on the fish. This will mean emptying the pond and storing the fish in a holding tank for a few days, while the work is being carried out. It is important that some of the original pond water is kept, as filling the pond with chlorine-laced water from the mains would probably kill the bacteria that the fish need to survive.  The Kyoto Garden will be closed for around three days in early spring, with advance warning given through notices in the area. 

The opportunity will be taken to repair the Tortoise and Crane Island, which has become waterlogged and lost its green topping of plants as a result. Fitting a membrane to keep the pond water away from the plant’s roots won’t work, as it would fill up with rainwater. So, we have to find planting that enjoys wet roots, doesn’t obscure the view of the waterfall and is in keeping with the original concept of the garden. That’s quite a challenge! 

We notice that the ‘deer-scarer’, just outside the Kyoto Garden wall, has been mended. It clunks regularly as the water weighs down the bamboo pipe and is released into the well beneath.

The Holland Park Café 

We understand that a number of operators have tendered for the new lease, several have been shortlisted and their proposals are being discussed. The new operators were due to be in place by April 2023, but have been told that this will now be delayed. The Friends have written to the Council to make our views known on:
• Reduction of noise inside the café. There is a hard wall, hard floor, hard ceiling and a glass wall, which cause sounds to bounce around and intensify. An acoustic study was carried out in July 2013 and action recommended to reduce noise levels. 
• Pigeons are a nuisance in most cafés with outside tables, but the birds have started coming inside our café. Pigeon deterrents have been discussed following successful installation on Holland House during conservation works. 
• Re-alignment of the counter area, to enable faster service and shorter queues. This should take place as soon as tendering for the work is completed.

North Lawn

This area will remain fenced off until the grass has re-established, the ground spiked, with margin beds replanted and edged to prevent people treading on the plants. The south side, under the pleached hornbeams, will have a low fence to prevent erosion of the grass at the south corners.  We have asked for a notice to be erected to explain what is being done, and why it takes time to ensure the work is done in a way that it lasts.

Jennie Kettlewell

[February 2023]

Andy Walker steps down as trustee

Andrea Walker, always known as Andy, has been a trustee of The Friends for many years. We first became aware of her when she badgered us to let her have a newsletter round until we had to find one for her. From that, she was “promoted” to running the art exhibition, no mean task, which she did for four years. When she wanted a rest from that, it was her enquiries (at her hairdresser’s!) which found us the French family to take over. Andy then reverted to delivering her round which she has continued to do.  

She subsequently took responsibility for the logistics of our events. As she found she had less time available, she became the Park Observer, which meant she kept an eye open for what needed doing in the park. Those of you who have been to our summer party and events in the Orangery will remember Andy, and husband Tony, running the bar, and Andy has very ably read the AGM report of the past year’s achievements.

In total she has undertaken a significant amount of work on behalf of members, but has now told us that other commitments mean she cannot continue. We are sad to accept her resignation as a trustee, but respect her decision.  

We will keep in close touch with Andy, who now becomes an Ambassador of The Friends. The trustees have conveyed to her how much her help has been appreciated over the years.

We will see you in the park Andy.  A big thank you.

[February 2023]

Janice Miles

Sadly we have to announce that Janice is retiring.  Difficult though it is to believe, her swansong for the Friends was at Tim Marlow’s talk in the Orangery in mid-February. 35 years ago she attended a talk by Sir Hugh Casson, then president of both the Royal Academy and The Friends of Holland Park, which inspired Janice to offer us her services.  She joined the committee and was soon catering for all our Orangery events.  At that time she lived in Holland Park, near several other committee members, and it was squeezed on to one of their sofas that I can still see her saying that she was resigning, but that it wouldn’t make any difference, she was happy to go on catering. We all sighed with relief and she has carried out her promise ever since. What makes this truly remarkable is that, though a highly professional and much sought after caterer, she has never charged us a penny for her work, only for the ingredients. She has saved us thousands of pounds.  

We have all loved her food and sold tickets to our Orangery events by saying she will be bringing her distinctive canapés again.  Everyone’s style is different, so we won’t be able to offer the same again. But she has taken holidays sometimes in the summer, when we have had to find someone else for Pimm’s, and they have been good in their own way, though we have had to pay commercial prices.

Our best wishes go to Janice on her retirement and all our thanks for 35 years of cheerful and friendly support.  

Rhoddy Wood

[February 2023]

Member, Simon Grantham, wins award

In November last year, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea held their first Sport and Physical Activity Awards since the pandemic. The event celebrated local sporting heroes and organisations that dedicate their time to helping borough residents get active. Ten awards were presented by Swimming World Champion and former Olympian, Mark Foster. 

We are delighted that one award went to member of The Friends, Simon Grantham, for his work as Wellbeing Walk Leader for RBKC’s Active for Life programme. He leads a daily walk and co-leads the Nordic Walk in Holland park each Thursday afternoon.

Having been on some of the walks myself, I can attest to the fact that Simon is very careful to ensure walkers are safe, which has been particularly important during icy weather. He is  reassuring to those who haven’t taken a walk in a while and welcoming to all. The groups get to know each other, look out for each other and often go to a café after the walk for a friendly chat over a coffee and bun.

Other walk leaders who won an award were Mike Bates, Ewa Kingsleigh-Smith and Svetlana Mills (also a member of The Friends), who guided the first walk some 20 years ago.  

Lead member for Culture, Leisure and Community Safety, Cllr Emma Will, said of the awards,
“The Sports Awards celebrate local people and the organisations in our borough who support their community day in and day out and work hard to inspire them through a range of physical activities.” She praised their commitment, enthusiasm, and encouragement that helps people to feel connected and to improve their health. 

Congratulations to Simon and thank you for your support and your patience.  Do check out the Active for Life programme (see contact details under Links) and join one of the walks.

Jennie Kettlewell

[February 2023]