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Princess Alexandra dropped in on her new neighbours on the Queens Road estate, Richmond at the end of April,1983 and made many new friends among the younger residents. The princess was unveiling a plaque to mark the completion of phase I of the development.Her home is Thatched House Lodge in Richmond Park which backs on to the estate. The princess was met by the Mayor of Richmond upon Thames Cllr Mrs June Robinson. The development, by the London and Quadrant Housing Trust was on land first given in trust to the parish by her ancestors, King George III and Queen Charlotte. And she clearly delighted the tenants of the new homes on the Hill with her friendliness and interest.

One hundred years ago photographs were appearing with increasing regularity in our newspapers. On May 2, 1908, The Richmond and Twickenham Times included this picture in a report of The Surrey Congregational Union's 46th annual conference held in Richmond.

Around 130 delegates attended from all parts of the county and at the close of the first morning's assembly around 200 delegates and others adjourned to the Pagoda Tea Rooms for luncheon where this photograph was taken by Mr T S Rose.

The party, the report goes, was very merry - if abstemious, judging by the afternoon's lecture on alcohol hosted by the wife of the paper's owner, Mr F W Dimbleby at her home at Fulwood, King's Road.

After the repast, Rev R J Evans, secretary of the London Union, proposed the health of the SCU. It was usual to associate toasts with songs and he thought that the Song of Surrey very appropriate. The words are reproduced here although the tune is not given In Modern Science and Alcohol, Mr W N Edwards FCS conceded that produced by the operation of natural laws, alcohol was not of itself evil, but became so by misuse. It was valuable as a fuel, a preservative, for thermometers; necessary to around 100 trades; of value in organic chemistry and helped produce choloroform. But when taken into the human system even in minute quantities it had a deteriorating effect which could be calculated by modern scientific instruments. It was not a food it was a poison and the lecturer showed by experiment that it had the same effect on the white of an egg as mercury, carbolic and nitric acids and tannin. Further experiments followed.

Song of Surrey

Surrey, fair daughter of England, Peerless in thirty and nine, Common and upland and moorland, Bracken and birches entwine.

Coarse land and chalk land and poor land, Odour of pine! Years in the turn round her flinging Raiment of bluebells till June, And her voice is a nightingale singing, Silent too soon.

Count me the counties of England! Match me arrival for mine!

Common and upland and moorland, Odour of fir tree and pine.

Bared is her breast to the weather, Stripped to the storm and the bloom, Flushed is the face with pink heather, Golden her tresses with broom Gorse gold lies loose on her shoulder, Stirred by a breath from the sea, He who made heather and boulder Loved her and bade her be free.

Count me the counties of England!

Match me a rival for mine!

Common and upland and moorland, Odour of pine.

Ten years ago

Celebrations rang out across Hampton as the town's non league footballers clinched promotion to the premier division for the first time in their 78 year history.

Historic walls in Richmond and Bushy Parks are in the verge of collapse due to the lack of routine maintenance.

Solicitors firm Russell Cooke sponsors of the Richmond and Twickenham Times' charity corner was named in the recent government list of fat cat' lawyers.

Mindless vandals continued to wreak havoc at a crematorium, throwing wreaths around and breaking fences. Yobs flattened bushes, pulled disabled signs off the walls and shattered glass in the latest in the series of incidents at South West Middlesex Crematorium, Hounslow Road, Hanworth.

Brentford Football Club was plunged into crisis this week with players and staff left in mystery over who controls the club.

SmithKline Beecham has announced that it will be moving to a new corporate headquarters in Brentford, allaying fears that the pharmaceutical giant might move away from Hounslow.

25 years ago

A new mayor was elected by Richmond upon Thames Council on Tuesday night in an atmosphere of council chamber calm and behind the scenes confusion. Up to the last moment it was far from clear whether Conservative Cllr Ray Gillum who has earned a reputation as the 'rogue' element of the Tory group on the hung council would support his party in voting for Cllr Harry Hall who was elected mayor. In the event Cllr Gillum voted with his party.

Thames News presenter Tina Jenkins will be among the many celebrities on Richmond Green tomorrow for the 1983 May Fair, the borough's biggest fundraising event of the year.

The latest proposal for a new St Lawrence with St Paul School in Brentford has received a firm thumbs down from headmaster Graham Legg. The Brentford Group proposed a two storey school on an enlarged site including part of the grounds presently housing the nearby church hall. But Mr Legg says this as "an impossible idea What will they do with the school while the site is being rebuilt".

About 80 full time jobs will be created when the International, Brentford's first superstore in the High Street opens on Monday.

50 years ago Letter: Although summer has barely started I have already seen one lobster coloured baby howling in a hot pram. I should be grateful if you would print this as a reminder that, like all tonics, sunshine should be used in moderation. The bbc regularly broadcasts appeals to the public regarding animals but none as far as I know about kindness to children.

Chairs and scenery from Q theatre have been bought for the new Ham and Petersham Youth Club.

Mr Norman Smith and his wife Edna of Gainsborough Road, Richmond are searching for their £250 caravan which has been stolen from the municipal car park near Richmond station.

Socialists gained three seats in elections for Brentford and Chiswick Borough council and so made sure of a comfortable majority for themselves after the aldermanic elections later. In Brentford West Mr Vickers won the seat from retiring Cllr A G Nay by a bare 11 votes. Miss Irene Naylor took the Grove Park seat from retiring finance committee chairman Mr T J Crispin by 55 votes.

At 6.30 on Saturday morning the turnstile at Chiswick Open Air Swimming Baths had started clicking. With swimming costumes rolled up in towels the first swimmers of the season had arrived. There was a nip in the air but this did not deter 15 years old John Wills of 5 Devonshire Road, Chiswick who was first to take the plunge.

100 years ago A plucky act by a young lad was witnessed at Moor Mead. Some children were playing by the side of the river Crane when one of them, named John Williams aged two or three, of 50 St Margarets Grove fell in. The screams of the others attracted the attention of a boy named C Wright of Arragon Road and without hesitation he plunged into the water and rescued the child.

Councillor A W Hall has presented the Institute with a dozen photographic views of Ham which he has taken. In the centre is a photograph of the late president the Rev A S V Blunt with the Rev J R Pridie and the Rev E E Dorling on either side.

The shadow of Theodore Hook, practical joker has invaded Hounslow and the time honoured hoax that Hook played on the Bomen Street resident has been perpetrated on Colonel White who has just taken up his residence at Hanworth Road. By lettter a number of tradesmen of Hounslow were called to the house to receive orders but found that they were not required. The police have been asked to try and find the practical joker.

On Monday Mr Edwin Underwood and Mrs Underwood celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding. Mr Underwood was superintendent of the Brentford Docks.

10:15am Thursday 8th May 2008

In April 1983 Gunnersbury Catholic School pupils were training hard in preparation for a marathon relay in memory of schoolboy Philip-Johnson who died of leukaemia at the age of 15. The school hoped to raise more than £1,000 towards the Philip Johnson Appeal Fund, set up after the brave Gunnersbury pupil's death in 1981. The fund helps research into leukaemia at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Philip spent his last months. Some 24 boys planned to run the Grand Union Canal towpath from Birmingham to Brentford a route of more than 100 miles. A similar event the previous year raised more than £1,000. According to the school, Philip was a great influence and inspiration to fellow pupils who often visited him in hospital. He developed bone cancer at the age of nine and had to wear a wig after losing his hair through chemotherapy treatment. He never became pessimistic and attended school whenever he could, although often in great pain and he knew he had only a 50-50 chance of conquering the disease.

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