Wishing you all a Healthy, Happy New Year. Thank you to all for your support and efforts during 2014.   

We hear of sudden 'flash flooding' but we don't associate it with New or Old  Malden but there are times and places that the area has been subjected to flooding. If you recall any of these why not complete a Recollections 2 form . 

As you will see from the images (under Current Projects, and Recording Old Buildings) the Vicarage is, sadly, being demolished. I am recording its destruction not as some masochistic ritual but solely as a record. Thankfully we have managed to persuade the Vicar to salvage the door and some other aspects of the building just to acknowledge that 'it was once there!'     

The Society which was formed in June 2012 and its membership has increased steadily and now stands at over thirty.

We meet regularly on a monthly basis at New Malden Baptist Church in Kingston Road. The meetings are usually on the last Wednesday of the month at 7pm and last for about two hours. It is advisable to confirm the date of the next meeting by contacting Mary Clark 0208 949 3157 or Robin Gill robinislander@hotmail.com

The object of the organisation is to promote awareness of the Maldens and Coombe and its rich history and to compile an archive of that history. To that effect we started a “Recollections” project led by Julian McCarthy our archivist, who is very busy encouraging anyone who has lived in the area to put down on paper or discuss with him, their memories of the district. These will placed in small booklets to encourage other recollections. Julian can be contacted at 52 Blagdon Road, New Malden, KT3 4AE.

Another project, this one led by Chris Coke, is to obtain memories of Ann Packer. Ann won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964 competing in the 800 metres. She is a former teacher at Coombe Girls School and Chris would like to make contact with any former teachers and pupils who remember Ann. She now lives in Cheshire with her husband Robbie Brightwell, who was captain of the Great Britain Men’s Team at the same Olympics. He is also a former teacher at Tiffin Boys School in Kingston.

Further projects being undertaken by members include the history behind the names on our war memorial by Graeme Hodge, and the history of New Malden Baptist Church by Shaan Butters. I am sure that Graeme and Shaan would appreciate any information that you can give them. Most of these projects are organised by these individuals, with the society being there to lend a hand when needed.

Speakers at our recent meetings have included Amy Graham on the 213 bus route, and Richard Holmes on local pubs. These are ongoing projects, and both Amy and Richard would love to hear from anyone with information on either of the subjects (they can be contacted via the Society).

At these meetings we try to assist members with their own research, whether local, or family history and we set aside a certain time for questions, discussion, and advice during the evening. We also encourage members to bring in and share documents and photographs relating to the history of the local area.

Jim Reilly, one of members is currently developing a website for the Society, which we are hoping will be up and running shortly.

We have been lucky enough to have received guided tours if New Malden Library conducted by John Jones (Customer Services Supervisor) and we hope to organise further tours in the future

Recently we had a stall at the Farmers Market in St Georges Square, where we were able to distribute leaflets, and talk to interested parties about the Society. We are hoping that this will result in an increased awareness of the Heritage Group, and an increase in our membership.

So, as you can see we are a varied group, if you are interested in local history and would like to learn about the Maldens and Coombe, please come along to one of our meetings.

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