TWICKENNAM CHARTER DAY
It has to be admitted that September 9th, 1926, began with a monumental public error! This was the day when Twickenham was to
become a borough after 1222 years of life and Sir William Joynson Hicks, the Home Secretary, as well as MP for Twickenham for 18 years, was one of the principal players, bringing the charter with him from Central London, as arranged.

The other main participant was the new “Charter Mayor, Dr Rudd Leeson, who changed into his robes at Richmond Town Hall and headed for the far side of Richmond Bridge, where Twickenham officially begins, and where the posters for the event proudly proclaimed that the charter would be handed over to the new mayor at 11am. For reasons best known to the authorities however, when the two official cars reached the appointed spot they ignored the crowds completely - and kept going for Cambridge Park, where the mayor received the charter in Denton Road, a small, little known, side street instead!

From then on, however, the day went like clockwork and a huge procession of 80 residents’ cars, decked in Twickenham colours of green and white, followed the Mayor’s car on a tour of the borough, starting with Richmond Road, Crown Road, St. Margarets Road and Winchester Road.

The procession halted twice, at Twickenham Green and at Radnor House, near Pope’s Grotto, for the town clerk to read an extract
from the charter to the crowds gathered there, before reaching its final destination of York House, which was designated as the new Town Hall for the area. (Bought and altered at a cost of £60,000 for public use) Here an open air public meeting was held at 12.30, primarily for the blessing of the charter by the Bishop of Willesden, before all the dignitaries headed indoors for an official ‘Public Luncheon’ , to which a limited number of tickets were made available to the public at 7/6d each. The menu included Surrey Fowls, York Ham, Pigeon Pie and Borough Trifle!

The speeches made clear that “incorporation as a borough” would make it easier to borrow money and would result in local affairs being administered by a Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors, instead of an Urban District Council. Above all, it was a massive step forward in terms of pride and status, as befitted a town that had been in recorded existence since AD 704, contained nearly 35000 people and boasted 794 gas lamps, 47 postmen and “good provision for open-air bathing for both sexes... provided by the bathing place situated on the River Crane”

The Mayor had designed the town’s new coat of arms himself as well as presenting it with an elegant mace, on which were many famous names associated with Twickenham, ranging from Charles Dickens, (who wrote Oliver Twist in Ailsa Villas, St Margarets), to Tennyson, who lived in Montpelier Rowand gave the town its motto, “Looking Backward, Looking Forwards”. Formalities concluded, afternoon sports were held at nine local schools, a fairground entertained the public in Marble Hill Park,(where music was provided by the Feitham Brass Band) and Miss Chapman’s orchestra entertained the crowds in York House Gardens.

Meanwhile a peal of church bells was rung for 2 hours, dancing took place in Marble Hill Gardens from 6 to 9pm (admission 4d) and the Twickenham Rowing and Yachting Clubs jointly organised a procession of boats on the river, with prizes for all. To end the evenina a sDectacular fireworks ‘display was presented on the river bank opposite Marble Hill.... And just in case you missed anything, a film of the whole day’s activities was made and subsequently shown at the New Gaiety Cinema by Richmond Bridge!

The Evening News summed up local rivalry by remarking that “the haughty folk of Richmond had better look to themselves now, their superiority is ended at last," whilst the Manchester Guardian put the event to rest in magisterial style by saying "in all the twelve hundred and twenty two years of its recorded history, Twickenham can have had no lovelier day than this, on which it received the charter of its incorporation as a borough.”

Michael Goldsmith.

NB. Apart from pictures 3, 4 and 7, kindly loaned by Richmond Local History Library, the photos illustrating this article are all from an original album assembled by St Margarets photographer G De Rohan, which is on sale at this fair.