Notes from minutes of meetings of the Harwell Parish Council.
Prepared by Martin Ricketts and published in Harwell News #176
The Parish Council’s consideration of a site for the Rec at the end of the 1st World War was tied up with the discussion of extra housing provision.
At the meeting on 29th Nov. 1917, where it was noted that the Chairman Mr Greenwood had joined the army so the Chair was taken by Dr Rice, it was minuted that “A reply to a communication from Mr Ormond (Wantage RDC) concerning Housing for the working classes it was unanimously decided that the answer to whether such houses be required in the Parish should be answered in the affirmative, the number of houses so required should be stated as four, and the weekly rent that could be obtained from 5/- to 6/-, and with regard to the … possibility of such houses being built after the war by private enterprise a negative reply should be given.”
The site chosen was to the west of Wantage Road, which seems to have been used for football, but wasn’t owned by the Parish Council. While work on the proposal, increased to 8 houses, was still going on there were calls for a Rec. In 1920 at the Annual Parish Meeting in March there was discussion of the United Service Fund “& the desire to so distribute about one & a half million pounds for the benefit of ex-servicemen. … Major Wiggins was keen to be a member of that Committee to push the Claims of Harwell men …”
The matter of a Recreation Ground was brought forward by Mr G Bailey. It was explained how the law stands in regard to securing land for Recreational purposes. On April 15th at 7.30pm, following the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council, a Parish Meeting was convened to discuss “The Advisability of procuring a Recreation Ground.” The opinion being unanimous that a Recreation Ground is necessary for the Parish it was decided a Committee be formed to select possible sites and get in touch with the Owners to discover if they are willing to sell voluntarily.
1921 Feb 2nd The following Agenda was discussed
1) The action taken by Harwell Parish Council to secure the “Jubilee Meadows” for Recreational purposes.
2) The Result.
3) Suggestions from Parishioners.
Comments
- memories of harwell
karen missen nee teague –
11 May 2014 my sister was born in our bungalow in broadway close in 1963, I remember my gran taking me to the playground and I used to buil fairy houses with the cut grass under the trees next to the road. my dad worked at the atomic, the house was haunted, and mum and dad recall lots of hauntings, and a large black dog with red eyes seen on the lawn, dad thinks the close was built on the site of the old cemetery?
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