Lascelles Playing Fields, Slough: a history...Lascelles Playing Field Park: a history by Tony Pilmer 5 66,2504 and he was planning for an eventual population of over 100,000 residents

Lascelles Playing Field Park: a history by Tony Pilmer

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Lascelles Playing Fields,Slough:a history

By Tony Pilmer


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Acknowledgements

This project was initially started to provide background information for a

historical case to support the redevelopment of Lascelles Playing Fields

Pavilion, however when the project was put on ice, this history become a bit of

a hobby.

Thank you to Malcolm Hellings who trawled through three years of the Slough

Observer and discovered much of the historical background to this piece.

Angela Tuddenham provided some wonderful facts on the origin of the fields

and persuaded me to start this project. Thank you also to Leah Pilmer proof

reading this, and hundreds of other pieces of my work and Ros Sirr who made

some suggestions on an earlier draft.

Thank you to Colin Bailey and Bruce Hicks of Slough Borough Council’s

Parks Deparment for some invaluable material on the recent history of the

Playing Fields.

Thank you also to Slough Library and their local studies collection. The vast

majority of this material has been gleaned from their collections. Thanks also

to the staff of the Berkshire Record Office who trawled through handwritten

draft catalogues to find some amazing material.

April 2006


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Lascelles Playing Fields has been shaped by many of the forces which have

made Slough the town that it is today. Its name is a connection to the town’s

most noble family, while the land itself has been changed by enclosure, the

invasion of the nineteenth century middle class and the forces brought by a

rapidly expanding industrial town. It has also provided a home to some of the

town’s most important civic events and is the legacy of one of the town’s

anonymous heroes.

Enclosure

Slough at the turn of the nineteenth century would have been unrecognisable

to someone living in Slough today. There was the small village of Langley

Marish around their ancient church, a collection of houses around the village

pond in Cippenham and the prosperous coaching stops around Salt Hill and

Colnbrook. Nearer to St. Laurence’s Church was a collection of small private

and common fields, two hamlets known as Upton and Chalvey, and the small

coach stop of Slough. This collection of three hamlets made up the parish of

Upton-cum-Chalvey.

In 1809 the small common and private lands were enclosed.1 This process

transferred the ownership of small pieces of private and common land to one

owner who could then make larger profits from farming one block of land.

Michael Bayley’s map, The Farms of Slough, shows that the enclosure

included Pound (Gate) Field. This land was later to become Lascelles Playing

Fields.

Purchasing the park

Slough was transformed in the nineteenth and then again in the early

twentieth century. During the mid-nineteenth century the middle class were

attracted by large houses and apartments, the country address, a view of their

1 Judith Hunter, The story of Slough p.49


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royal neighbours at Windsor and the convenience of an easy railway journey

to and from London. The land around St. Laurence’s church had been

transformed by this influx. James Bedborough’s Upton Park development

provided flats and houses around a picturesque park, and large houses were

built around the Windsor Road. Large houses also reached the western

boundary of Pound Field when Upton Road was developed. However, the

Ordnance Survey maps dated between 1876 and 1925 suggest that the

Lascelles Family, who were the new owners of Pound Field, did not sell the

land for development but continued to use it as farmland.

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries brought industry, with the

establishment of Ellimans, Horlicks and the fledgling Slough Trading Estate.

The new jobs created by these companies drew people from across the

country and as a consequence, the town’s population exploded. This in turn

put pressure on local services run by local government. Roads, schools, parks

and the water supply were all designed for a small town and they needed to

be expanded. With a view of making such improvements to Slough’s open

spaces, a plot of land which ran along Lascelles Road and up to the Bath

Road, and formally known as Pound Field, was bought by Slough Urban

District Council (Slough UDC) in 1928 at a cost of about £7000.2 Slough UDC

earmarked their new fields as a site for a new Grammar School and for public

playing fields. The area intended for the fields covered ‘twenty-six acres of

ground and afford[ed] every facility for games’.3

There were two men without whom there may not have been a Lascelles

Playing Fields. The first was Alan Bromly A.M.I.C.E, Slough UDC’s Surveyor

& Engineer & Manager of Water Works. Bromly is one of Slough’s unsung

heroes and without him Slough would not have some of its most pleasant

areas. As the town’s surveyor he was the council officer responsible for

planning, running and developing the council’s infrastructure. He did this

throughout the inter-war years when the population exploded from 16, 392 to

2 S. Logan, “Round and about No. 32 – Lascelles Playing Fields”, Slough. Windsor & SloughExpress, September 1938, Slough Library’s Local Studies Collection Cuttings file.


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66,2504 and he was planning for an eventual population of over 100,000

residents. In this capacity Bromly was in charge of the design and building of

Slough Waterworks, the “futuristic” Slough Cemetery and 242 council houses

along Stoke Poges Lane.

Bromly was also passionate about parks and open spaces. During his time of

employment he oversaw the expansion of Slough’s allotments, the building of

Salt Hill Pleasure Grounds and an open air swimming pool on Montem Lane,

as well as the purchasing and development of Lascelles and Upton Court

Playing Fields.5 His passion can most clearly be seen in his notebooks. In his

notes for the 3 July 1931 meeting of the Playing Fields Committee he argues

for greater land for open spaces considering the exploding population, and

laments his failed attempts to persuade the council to buy the parkland once

belonging to Baylis House. The parkland containing lakes and landscaped

gardens was then developed for housing.6

Bromly’s influence over the council’s parkland went further than persuading

the council that it needed more open spaces. As surveyor he was in day-to-

day control of the playing fields, as well as their development and design. As

shown below, he also had the key role in building the Lascelles Playing Fields

Pavilion.

The second key individual in the purchasing of the park was a man called

Richard Jewry Harbert. Jewry Harbert was an insurance agent, former florist

to Queen Victoria and Edward VII, magistrate, and at the time of the park’s

purchase, Chairman of Slough Urban District Council.7. According to “Sweep”

in the Slough Observer, a mysterious private individual was also interested in

3 S. Logan, “Round and about No. 32 – Lascelles Playing Fields”, Slough. Windsor & SloughExpress, September 1938, Slough Library’s Local Studies Collection Cuttings file.4 1921 figure from Maxwell Fraser, The History of Slough, p.153 & 1938 estimated figure fromPatrick Abercrombie, Greator London Plan 1944, London 1945 p.1975 “Some interesting biographies”, The Slough Observer Chartership Supplement, 16September 1938 p.11. The article also includes a photograph of Bromly; something heavoided in the Town Hall opening supplement of 1936.6 Report for 3 July 1931, Surveyors SPF Parks Report Book. Berkshire Record Office refS/AC4/1/7. p.377 “Death of Mr. R. Jewry Herbert”, Slough Observer, 1 May 1931.


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buying and developing the site for housing. Luckily for the town, Jewry

Harbert privately obtained an option to buy the land. This gave Slough UDC

time to complete the purchase before the developers were able to put in a

bid.8

The threat which Jewry Harbert fought off was not the only one which may

have prevented the transformation from farmland to playing fields; the second

threat came from the County Council. During the late 1920s and early 1930s,

Buckinghamshire County Council’s Higher Education Committee was

searching for a site for a new Technical Institute for Slough. During 1929 and

early 1930, the committee actively considered the playing field site as the new

home for their adult education college. Fortunately for the generations that

have played on the fields, early in 1930 Charles Watkins, the Bucks Education

Secretary, stated that ‘having regarded all of the circumstances of the case

the Committee are of the opinion that the site offered is not suitable for the

purpose of a Technical Institute, and no further action should be taken over

the matter’.9

Naming the Park

On 31 January 1930 the power to shape the new playing fields was given to

Slough UDC’s Salt Hill and Playing Fields Committee. One of the first jobs of

this body of Councillors was to suggest a name for Slough’s newest playing

field. In March 1930, Slough UDC’s Playing Fields Committee suggested to a

meeting of the full council that the new playing fields should be named after

the Lascelles Family. The full council discussed alternatives to the plan.

Councillor Shrapnell suggested that the park should be called Upton Playing

Fields, as they had already honoured the Lascelles family by naming the

adjacent road after them. However, the councillors were worried that the site

would be confused with Upton (later Herschel) Park. Councillor Bayley

suggested naming it ‘ ”Daw Playing Fields” in tribute to Councillor Daw who

8 “Round and about”, Slough Observer 16 October 1931 p.5


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had been chairman of the Playing Fields Committee’. However, as the Playing

Fields Committee had already approached Henry George Charles Lascelles,

Earl of Harewood, on whether he would prefer the park to be called either

Harewood or Lascelles Playing Fields, the meeting decided that they should

agree to the Playing Fields Committee’s suggested name.

However, should the fields be called Lascelles or Harewood? As Lord

Harewood ‘had replied that he did not mind which’, the Playing Fields

Committee ‘considered that as Lascelles Road ran along the side of the fields

that would be the more appropriate name’.10

As Councillor Daw stated in the March 1930 full committee meeting, the

Lascelles family had a long connection with the parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey.

‘In 1711 Benjamin Lane conveyed to Edward Lascelles and his heirs “all that

capital messuage or mansion house called Upton Court”’.11 As with most of

the residents of Upton Court, not many members of the Lascelles family lived

in the Slough manor house; Maxwell Fraser only knew of one.12 There were,

however, members of the family who were buried at St. Laurence’s Church.

One mural monument on the north side records ‘near this place lie the

remains of William Lascelles, Esq. of Upton Court, in this Parish”.13

Upton’s Lascelles connection was highlighted in the 1920s when King George

V and Queen Mary visited Upton Court on 4 June 1922. They were viewing

the house to decide whether it was a suitable country home for their daughter,

Princess Mary, when she married Viscount Lascelles, later 6th Earl of

Harewood. However, Upton Court did not get the royal seal of approval and

the Lascelles family sold the house in 1929.14

9 “Slough Technical Institute”, Slough Observer, 24 January 1930, p.910 “Naming Slough’s new playing fields”, Slough Observer, 21 March 1930, p.9.11 Dorothy L. Powell, “Upton-cum-Chalvey”, in The Victoria history of the counties of England:Buckinghamshire, Vol. 3 p..31512 Maxwell Fraser, The history of Slough, 2nd ed. p.3213 George Lipscomb, The history and antiquities of the county of Buckingham, p.57214 Maxwell Fraser, The history of Slough .p.32


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The early development of the playing fields.

By 1930 Lascelles Playing Field contained areas for ‘the playing of organized

games…. but is not laid out at present with any walks or ornamentation.’15

The “natural” appearance of the field was part of the finance committee’s

plans to keep the rates as low as possible.16

The playing fields and courts were also made available for clubs to hire on an

annual basis.17 Slough Rugby Club and Slough Ladies Hockey Club started a

trial season of playing at the club in September 1931.18 Though both clubs

now play at nearby Upton Court Park, other football, cricket and hockey clubs

still use the field to play their home matches.19 These teams were joined by

children from local public schools, such as Halidan House, St. Joseph’s and

Tower House Schools.20 Those schools have also stopped using the field,

however they have been replaced by Long Close School who use the cricket

pitches in the summer and Langley Grammar School who use the hockey

pitches in winter.21

The conversion process did not run smoothly. During 1930 and 1931, the

Playing Fields Committee wanted to stop all organized sport taking place on

Sundays. However, after appeals from sports clubs and members of the

public, this decision was reversed by the full council.22 The groundsman,

Charles Price was also appointed a special constable to “make him better

qualified to deal with anything which cropped up”.23

15 Slough, the official guide of the Urban District Council & Chamber of Commerce, 1930 p.2616 “Lascelles Playing fields”, Slough Observer, 24/7/1931 p.917 The 1931 rates were set in April 1931, see “Tennis and cricket”, Slough Observer,25/4/1931 p.918 Sports news, Slough Observer, 4/9/1931 p.1119 Thames Valley Sunday Football League 2003-04 website accessed via.http://thamesvalley.members.beeb.net/committee.html20 Minutes of Slough UDC meeting of 11 August 1930 & 4 September 1931. Berkshire RecordOffice ref. S/AC 1/3/21.21 Information from Colin Bailey, Parks Development Manager, Slough Borough Council. April2006.22 “Muscular Christianity’ and Sunday games” Slough Observer, 23/5/193123 “Playing field groundsman as special constable”, Slough Observer, 25/7/1930


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Extract from Ordnance Survey Maps Bucks LVI.2 & LVI.6 1899. Not to scale.

Courtesy of the Local Studies Collection, Slough Library.


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Extract from Ordnance Survey Map Bucks LVI.2 & LVI.6 1932. Not to scale.



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Extract from Ordnance Survey Map SU9879 SW & SE 1955. Not to scale.



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The playing fields continued to develop throughout the 1930s. The December

1931 meeting of the Playing Fields Committee of Slough UDC agreed to

spend £52 on children’s playground equipment.24 A bowling green was also

converted into a tennis court.25

The lack of ornamentation had been rectified by the end of the decade as the

1938 Slough Official guide describes the field as ‘being laid out with paths and

flower beds, hard and grass tennis courts, football, hockey and cricket

pitches, and a children’s playground equipped with slides, etc.’ The guide

goes on to describe the playing fields crowning glory as ‘an attractive Pavilion

where refreshments are obtainable’.26

Planning the pavilion

The process of building the pavilion started in mid-1931. The Playing Fields

Committee reported to full council on 20 July 1931 that they had received

complaints that there were no public lavatories on the playing field. It was

agreed that the Surveyor should prepare a scheme for a permanent facility.

Councillors also thought this scheme should be extended to provide seating

for the elderly and a house for the groundsman. At least for the time being the

committee reported that they had not been given money for such a scheme

but “at a future date an improvement will be made”.27

Not only were there no public lavatories, but the changing facilities were also

less than ideal. As an interim measure, Slough UDC rented an old stable

building from the adjacent Upton Towers,28 though later in 1931 the full

24 Report for 27 December 1931, Surveyors SPF Parks Report Book. Berkshire Record Officeref S/AC4/1/7. p.3725 Minutes of Slough UDC meeting of 18 January 1932. Berkshire Record Office ref. S/AC1/3/21. p.254.26 Maxwell Fraser, Slough Borough Council, Official Guide. 1938 p. 53. There is also a viewof the pavilion and Windsor Castle in the central photographic inserts.27 “At Lascelles Playing Fields”, Slough Observer 24 July 1931.28 Minutes of the Salt Hill Playing Fields Committee, meeting 29 August 1930. BerkshireRecord Office ref S/AC4/1/7


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council was told that the accommodation was not stabling, but a former

pigsty.29

The regular users of Lacselles Playing Field did not have to wait long for their

promised improvements as in September 1931 the full council was informed

that the Playing Fields Committee had asked the Surveyor to add a

caretaker’s lodge to their original plans for ‘proper lavatories for both sexes’. 30

Bromly delivered plans far beyond his brief. The Christmas council committee

meeting heard that, not only was there to be a caretaker’s lodge and

lavatories, but a pavilion ‘including dressing rooms, refreshment rooms and

caretaker’s quarters, all under one roof’. This would cost the council the sum

of £1500. However, as with many schemes before and since, the council was

told that the revenue from the refreshments, rent from the caretaker’s rooms

and entrance fees for the lavatories would mean that the ‘erection should

involve little (if any) charge upon the rates’. Not surprisingly, the council

‘instructed your surveyor to prepare the necessary plans, sections and estates

with a view to the matter being proceeded with’.31

Building and opening the pavilion

Work on the pavilion was started on 16 June 1932 and was estimated to have

lasted for three months.32 The pavilion was ready by the end of September

1932, but it was not to budget. At a late stage the site of the pavilion was

moved further away from Upton Court Road. This led to more pipes having to

be laid and the project was over budget by £100.33

29 Minutes of Slough UDC meeting of 29 August 1931 & 4 September 1931. Berkshire RecordOffice ref. S/AC 1/3/21.30 Report for September 1932, Surveyors SPF Parks Report Book. Berkshire Record Officeref S/AC4/1/7. p.8731 “New lavatories at Lascelles Playing Fields”, Slough Observer, 25/12/1931 p.932 “Counsellors delighted with the new pavilion” Slough Observer, 23/9/1932 p.533 Minutes of Slough UDC meeting of 21 December 1931. Berkshire Record Office ref. S/AC1/3/21.


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When the pavilion was nearing completion, the council looked to appoint

someone to run the cafe. The groundsman, Charles Price, together with his

wife, was appointed and allowed to live in the caretaker’s quarters. The Prices

took possession of the building on Wednesday 12 October 1932, however as

the chairs for the café had not arrived, their contract started on 9 November

1932.34 The Prices had to pay £1 a week rent for the cafe as well as for the

lighting and heating.35

In 1938 the pavilion was described as follows:

Here there are a main refreshment room and kitchen, above which is accommodation

for the park keeper, while a long, dipping roof of mottled slates and the tall chimney

stacks make it a picturesque as well as a practical addition to its surroundings.36

The pavilion gained praise from councillors and even the often hard to please

“Around and About” columnist in the Slough Observer:

When I passed that way the other day the building was only partially finished, but it

was even then possible to see that the design was uncommonly graceful. I can

imagine that the lodge will be well-suited to its surroundings, and will be something to

be proud of.37

However, universal praise could not last for long. Perhaps regretting such an

enthusiastic endorsement, the Around and About later stated that to

my mind [the pavilion] is spoilt by the colouring…… why, for instance, had the council

to choose sickly green and grey slates…… I confess that last week when I saw the

place again I was very disappointed in it.38

34 Minutes of Slough UDC meeting of 4 November 1932. Berkshire Record Office ref. S/AC1/3/21.35 “Lascelles Fields caretaker”, Slough Observer, 25/11/32 p.836 S. Logan, “Round and About No. 32 – Lascelles Playing Fields, Slough” in Slough Express,September 1938.37 “Around and about”, Slough Observer, 29/7/1932 p.938 “Around and about”, Slough Observer, 2/9/1932 p.9


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History has been a little more kind than “Around and About’s” second piece.

In 2006 Martin Andrew, Slough’s Conservation Officer commented that the

pavilion was

The Lodge is, however, a distinguished essay in Arts and Crafts style…… and any

replacement would be hard put to provide a building of such architectural distinction

and careful and well-balanced and detailed design.39

The Greatest hour? – Slough’s Charter Day, Wednesday 14 September1937.

Soon Lascelles Playing Field was playing host to some of Slough’s most

important events. Not only was it to be a venue for a controversial circus in

1932, but held Slough’s celebrations of King George V’s Silver Jubilee

celebrations in 1935 and the coronation celebrations of King George VI and

Queen Elizabeth in 1937.

However, perhaps the greatest event held in Lascelles Playing Field was the

presentation of the Royal Charter which converted Slough from an urban

district to a borough. This not only gave the town greater prestige, but also a

new coat of arms, and the chairman of the council became a mayor with all

the pomp and circumstance which that entails.

The charter day did not start at the playing fields, but at the newly built Town

Hall. Here the dignitaries met, and after signing the guest books, they formed

a procession to Lascelles Playing Field. They were met by up to fifteen

thousand people and the field was covered with a sea of tents.

39 Slough Borough Council, Report from Martin Andrew, Conservation & Urban DesignManager, Urban Design Division, Wycombe District Council, January 2006


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Photographs of Lacselles Playing Field Pavilion taken by the Parks

Department, Slough Borough Council. Courtesy of the Local Studies

Collection, Slough Library.


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The main event of the day was held in the “chartership pavilion”. This may

have been positioned near the pavilion built in 1932, though it seems very

unlikely to have been the same thing. The Slough Observer describes the

chartership pavilion as ‘the great open air arena seating many hundreds’ of

people, while the pictures show a reasonably sized raised stage.

What is certain is that the playing field hosted one of the key events of

Slough’s civic history. The Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Lord

Cottesloe presented the Slough’s Charter of Incorporation that day signed by

King George VI – the Borough of Slough had come into existence. Colonel J.

N. Horlick, the President of the Slough Civic Society then presented the

mayor with the civic mace as a gift from the Society.

After the presentation there were celebrations throughout the rest of the day.

A civic lunch for over 400 people was held. The festivities spread over to

Upton Court Park where there was a ‘military band, fun fair, vaudeville and

pipes’, with some of the events being broadcast on BBC Radio. The children

were not left out as they had races and a tea party.40

The expansion and reduction of Lascelles Playing Field

The playing field has declined since its peak in the 1930s. As the population

of Slough has increased, Lascelles Playing Field seems to have become too

small to hold Slough’s big civic occasions. Instead the near-by Upton Court

Park held a 'Grand Country Fair', celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the

creation of India and Pakistan, and the 2003 Youth Festival, whilst the Slough

Bonfire and Slough Mela have become annual events.41

40 Slough Observer, 16 September 1938. The back page also shows photographs of theevents.41 Slough History Online, Upton Court Park Theme. Accessed from the World Wide Web at:http://www.sloughhistoryonline.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=slough&f=generic_them


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Many of the sports clubs that rented out pitches at Lascelles, such as Slough

Rugby Club and Slough Ladies Hockey Club, have also moved to Upton

Court Park, though other clubs have taken their place. The Slough

Laurencians & Frontline football clubs rent out pitches in the winter, while in

the summer Malik XI, Majestic, Medina, Middex Spicers and Abhijit Cricket

Clubs rent out cricket pitches.

The size of Lascelles Playing Field must have been recognised as a problem

as because at some time between 1948 and 1953, it had grown from 28 to

31.0 acres.42 By comparing maps published in 1932 and 1955 it seems that

the Borough of Slough had purchased the grounds of Upton Towers and

incorporated them into the park. Surprisingly, Slough Borough Council’s 1987

Leisure Strategy Statement suggests that the field had shrunk back to 28.28

acres,43 however there seems to be no difference between the size of the

fields in the 1955 and 2005 maps.

The changing fortunes of the pavilion

The pavilion continued to be used as a tearoom into the 1960s, and the exact

date of its closure is uncertain. A newspaper report from 1978 suggests that it

was open until 1965, while the Slough Official Guide still has reference to “a

café where refreshments can be obtained” in 1972/73.44

The café remained derelict until three women applied for and gained a three

year licence to run the pavilion as a tea room. Mother and daughter Else &

Diana Mitchell of Langley, together with Diana’s sister, Pat Stanhope from

Dulwich gained the licence, and with help from their husbands and children

e%2ehtm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&%3dtheme_record_id=sl%2dsl%2duptoncourtpark&s=_HT5Fv0K1xh .42 The 28 acres figure comes from the 1948 Official Guidebook, with the 31 acre figurecoming from the 1953 handbook. Both books were written by Maxwell Fraser.43 Slough Borough Council, Leisure strategy statement 1987, p.3544 The café is referred to in the 1972/73 Official guide, though it is absent from the 1975/76guide, suggesting it closed between 1972 and 1975, however the Slough Observer states thatthe pavilion had been closed for thirteen years in it’s 1978 article, “Tea room with a royal viewsaves pavilion”, Slough Observer, 12 September 1978


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redecorated and repaired the pavilion. Slough Borough Council also promised

to repair the outside of the building. The café was re-launched in Summer

1978 as a commercial concern and was open daily between 9 am – 5 pm.

The idea to reopen the pavilion came to Diane Mitchell when she saw

cricketers walking to Slough High Street for their tea during May 1978. 45 It is

currently unknown how long the café stayed open; however there is no

mention of a café in the 1982 Slough Official Guide.

Though reopen the café were unsuccessful, there have been plans to put the

pavilion to other uses. In 1999 the Bucks & Berks Football Association were

hoping to use the pavilion as a regional administration centre, however these

plans fell through. The England & Wales Cricket Board were also keen to

refurbish the pavilion with the help of Channel 4, however this fell through

when Channel 4 lost the option to show Test Match Cricket from 2006.46

Disaster struck the pavilion at around 8pm on Thursday 22 January 2004

when the changing rooms were burnt to the ground. It took four fire crews six

hours to put out the fire after a jet of flames came from a leaking gas pipe. A

week after the event the cause of the fire was still unknown. With an

estimated rebuild cost of more than £200,000, a Slough Borough Council

spokesman said that there were ‘no immediate plans’ to rebuild the pavilion.47

A new beginning?

Despite the council spokesman’s statement, the Park’s Department have

continued to look for further uses for the pavilion. In 1999 MENCAP started to

look for a new Slough home and approached the council to see if they could

redevelop the Lascelles Pavilion. In 2005 there was renewed interest in the

project again, however after an investigation found that it would be cheaper to

45 “Tea room with a royal view saves pavilion”, Slough Observer, 12 September 197846 Information from Colin Bailey, Parks Development Manager, Slough Borough Council. April2006.47 “Pavilion burns in mystery blaze”, Slough Express 29 January 2004 p.3


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re-build the pavilion rather than refurbish it, the scheme has again been put

on ice.

There is still hope for refurbishing the pavilion. Slough Borough Council’s

Parks and Planning Departments value the history and architectural style of

the building. The council’s conservation officer puts the essence of the park

and buildings very well when he said

It is sad to see it with its windows shuttered, the walls graffiti'd and broken tile

hangings and slates. The slates look like Westmoreland types. In my view it is well

worth seeking ways to conserve the building as a significant part of the history of

Slough and the old Urban District Council's far sighted policies which led to the

formation of numerous public parks for the citizens to enjoy.48

48 Slough Borough Council, Report from Martin Andrew, Conservation & Urban DesignManager, Urban Design Division, Wycombe District Council, January 2006


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Bibliography

MapsMichael Bayley’s map, The Farms of SloughOrdnance Survey, Bucks LVI.2 & LVI.6 1924Ordnance Survey, Bucks LVI.2 & LVI.6 1932Ordnance Survey, SU9879 SE & SW 1955Ordnance Survey, SU9879 SE & SW 2005

BooksPatrick Abercrombie, Greater London Plan 1944, London 1945 Maxwell Fraser, The History of Slough 2nd ed. Slough, 1980.Maxwell Fraser, “History of Slough” from 1948 Official Guidebook, Slough,1948Maxwell Fraser, “History of Slough” from 1953 Official Guidebook, Slough1953. Judith Hunter, The story of Slough Newbury, 1983.Judith Hunter, A history of Upton Park & Herschel Park Slough Aylesbury2003Kelly’s directories of Slough, various editions.Kelly’s directory of Buckingshire, various editons.George Lipscomb, The history and antiquities of the county of Buckingham,Dorothy L. Powell, “Upton-cum-Chalvey”, in The Victoria history of thecounties of England: Buckinghamshire, Vol. 3 London, 1925Slough Borough Council, Leisure strategy statement 1987 Slough, 1987Slough Borough Council, Official guide, 1972/73 Slough 1972Slough Borough Council, Official guide, 1975/76 Slough 1975

ArchivesSlough Borough Council, Report from Martin Andrew, Conservation & UrbanDesign Manager, Urban Design Division, Wycombe District Council, January2006Slough Urban District Council, Surveyors SPF Parks Report Book. BerkshireRecord Office ref S/AC4/1/7. Slough Urban District Council, Minutes of full Council Meeting, BerkshireRecord Office ref. S/AC 1/3/21.Slough Urban District Council, Minutes of the Salt Hill Playing FieldsCommittee, Berkshire Record Office ref S/AC4/1/7

Newspapers:Extracts from the Slough Observer 1928 -1932. Accessed at Slough Library.Also available at www.sloughhistoryonline.org.uk. S. Logan, “Round and about No. 32 – Lascelles Playing Fields, Slough”.Windsor & Slough Express, September 1938, “Some interesting biographies”, The Slough Observer ChartershipSupplement, 16 September 1938 “Chartership reports”, Slough Observer, 16 September 1938. “Tea room with a royal view saves pavilion”, Slough Observer, 12 September1978“Pavilion burns in mystery blaze”, Slough Express 29 January 2004 p.3


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Photographs:Tony Pilmer, Lascelles Playing Fields in 2004. Courtesy of the Local StudiesCollection, Slough Library. Parks Department, Slough Borough Council, Lacselles Playing Field Pavilion.Courtesy of the Local Studies Collection, Slough Library.

Websites:Slough History Online, Upton Court Park Theme. Accessible through theWorld Wide Web at:http://www.sloughhistoryonline.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=slough&f=generic_theme%2ehtm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&%3dtheme_record_id=sl%2dsl%2duptoncourtpark&s=_HT5Fv0K1xh .

Documents

Lascelles Playing Fields, Slough: a history...Lascelles Playing Field Park: a history by Tony Pilmer 5 66,2504 and he was planning for an eventual population of over 100,000 residents