Alan Secker & Co - Chartered Accountants

<BODY BACKGROUND="as-bkgd.gif" VLINK="#990099" ALINK="#FF0000" LINK="#0000FF"> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="47%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="5"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica"> Visitors to our site may wish to visit our village. You will be very welcome. Situated so close to London, yet still quite rural in character, Pinner and the surrounding area are beautiful.<BR> <BR> The leaves of its many trees, varying from pale yellows through greens to dark reds convey an atmosphere of tranquillity so close to the everyday hustle and bustle.<BR> <BR> This section of our web site is devoted to trying to illustrate its character by showing its historic buildings, some of its history and snippets about its famous or otherwise interesting residents<BR> <BR> From time to time new pictures and information will be added. This update is dated 7 July 1999.</FONT> <BR> <BR> <B><I><FONT SIZE="3">Opposite:'Naseby' A cottage on Pinner Hill, June 1999</FONT></I></B> </TD> <TD WIDTH="3%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="388" VALIGN="TOP"> <P ALIGN="RIGHT"><FONT FACE="Arial,Helvitica" SIZE="2"><IMG SRC="Naisby.gif" WIDTH="475" HEIGHT="300" BORDER="1" ALT="'Naisby' A cottage on Pinner Hill, June 1999"></FONT></P> </TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="44%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="5" ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica" SIZE="2"><IMG SRC="high_street.gif" HEIGHT="300" ALT="Pinner High Street, towards the parish church" WIDTH="506" BORDER="1"></FONT></TD> <TD WIDTH="8%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="3"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="47%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="10"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica"> <BR> <BR> <BR> Nearly every town and village in England has its high street but few can be as short as Pinner's. It is barely 150 metres long.<BR> <BR> 'The Village' is the physical heart of the area known as Pinner. Its heart in turn, is the High Street.</FONT><BR> <BR> <B><I><FONT SIZE="3">Opposite: Looking up High Street towards the parish church, during the winter of 1983</FONT></I></B></TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="44%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica"> One of tributaries of the river Pinn rises on Pinner Hill and until recently sometimes flooded houses in Albury Drive, Woodhall Gate and elsewhere before flood ponds and an expensive piping system were introduced during the early 90s.<BR> <BR> It runs through Pinner in several streams. At the foot of the High Street, the Pinn emerges from the bridge from which Bridge Street derives its name. It was reconstructed a few years ago to meet EU standards. <BR> <BR> High Street then stretches upwards for approximately 150 metres towards Pinner Parish Church</FONT><BR> <BR> <B><I>The view opposite, was taken in early June 1999 from the opposite side of Bridge Street.</I></B></TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="47%" VALIGN="TOP" ALIGN="LEFT"><IMG SRC="high_st_99.gif" ALT="Pinner High Street" WIDTH="521" HEIGHT="300" BORDER="1"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="59%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="11"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica" SIZE="2"><IMG SRC="parish_church.gif" ALT="Pinner Parish Church" WIDTH="484" HEIGHT="300" BORDER="1"></FONT> </TD> <TD WIDTH="4%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="41%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="4"><FONT FACE="Arial"><BR> <BR> <BR> To the left of the church, High Street becomes Paines Lane. Next to the church and just into Paines Lane is Elthorne Gate, previously Hayward House and the site of the Cocoa Tree.<BR> <BR> On the opposite side of the High Street/Paines Lane is Church Farm. Farming ceased at about the turn of the 20th century. (see the photograph in 'About us').</FONT><BR> <BR> <B><I>Opposite: Pinner Parish Church, parts of which, date from the 12th century.</I></B> </TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="59%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="11"> <FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica" SIZE="3"><BR> <BR> <BR> Although the village is the physical core of Pinner, it has two other components: the spiritual and cultural.<BR> <BR> Pinner has always been a warm and all-embracing community as well as a very charitable one. It has several churches and a synagogue and there is a considerable degree of cross-community support when it is needed.</FONT><BR> <BR> <B><I>Opposite: The Victory public house, High Street, Pinner<BR> Part of it was a house dating from between 1480 and 1520. The 1580 on the side is probably guesswork. The present building dates drom about 1954. </I></B></TD> <TD WIDTH="4%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="41%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="4" ALIGN="RIGHT"><FONT FACE="Arial,Helvitica" SIZE="2"><IMG SRC="victory.gif" ALT="{The Victory" WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="300" BORDER="1"></FONT> </TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="44%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="4"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica"><IMG SRC="fair_carrier.gif" WIDTH="365" HEIGHT="258" BORDER="1"></FONT> </TD> <TD WIDTH="3%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="47%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="11"><BR> <BR> <FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica" SIZE="3">About 6.00 pm on Tuesday 2nd June 1999, a little later than in previous years, the bandwagon of vehicles comprising the machinery of a modern fair swept into the village. As usual, the roads had been closed and extra policemen and women drafted in to ensure that no through traffic was allowed into the centre.</FONT><BR> <BR> <BR> <B><I>The picture opposite was taken through one of our windows over-looking Bridge Street.</I></B></TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="99%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="60%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="6"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica"><BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <B><I>Opposite:</I></B><I></I> Barclays Bank, Bridge Street about to be upstaged by a roundabout. <BR> <BR> The day had been hot and sticky and the evening seemed to predicate a similar day to follow. It was not to be.<BR> <BR> The next illustration, an expanded version of the three photo collage taken about 9.00 am the next morning followed a night of electrical storms and heavy rainfall. </FONT> </TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="5"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="*" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="5" ALIGN="RIGHT"> <IMG SRC="tumbrill1.gif" ALT="Barclays Bank about to be upstaged by a rundabout" HEIGHT="300" BORDER="1"></TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="117" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="75%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="8"> <IMG SRC="faircollage.gif" ALT="View from the church tower" BORDER="1" WIDTH="700" HEIGHT="300"> <FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT><BR> <FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT><BR> <FONT FACE="Arial">The only annual cross community event (apart from Pinner Fair and the annual Wheel-Barrow race) is Remembrance Sunday.<BR> <BR> At the top of the High Street, just in front of Pinner Parish Church, stands the war memorial. It is barely visible just behind the tree in the foreground of the picture above.<BR> <BR> Every November on Remembrance Sunday, Pinner residents gather at the memorial to pay their respects to the dead of two world wars and other conflicts and watch while a succession of wreaths from a wide variety of Pinner organisations are laid in memory, respect and gratitude. </FONT></TD> <TD WIDTH="12%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="49%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="8"> <FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica" SIZE="2"><IMG SRC="memorial_gdns.gif" ALT="Tne Memorial Gardens" WIDTH="425" HEIGHT="300" BORDER="1"></FONT> </TD> <TD WIDTH="5%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="3"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="44%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="5"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica"> Most of the High Street can be described as Elizabethan in style if not in fact. Its survival, relatively intact, is not by chance. Which brings us to Pinner's the cultural dimension.<BR> <BR> The Pinner Association devotes itself, to a range of social activities, including the continued maintenance of the historic character of Pinner. <BR> <BR> It monitors the activities of the local authority, ensuring that Pinner is protected from mistakes of bureaucracy. It inhibits the erection of inappropriate facsias to High Street frontages. It contributes to the maintenance of the gardens. It provides public benches. Annually organises christmas street lighting and publishes The Villager.</FONT><BR> <BR> <B><I>Opposite:The gardens in which sits West House. The former are supported by the Association and the latter was retored by its efforts. </I></B></TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="59%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="11"> <FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica"> <BR> Local historians ensure that the richness of Pinner's past is not lost to future generations.<BR> <BR> Patricia A. Clarke's book 'Pinner' published in 1994 contains reproductions of photographs reflecting the changes in Pinner, since photography was invented. <BR> <BR> The collection really captures the relaxed atmosphere of an 18th century rural village that is now a captive of London's suburban sprawl.</FONT> <BR> <BR> <B><I>Opposite:The folly in Pinner Hill Road, the remaining marker of what was once Pinner Park Farm. It was restored about 15 years ago.</I></B> </TD> <TD WIDTH="4%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="41%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="4"> <P><FONT FACE="Arial,Helvitica" SIZE="2"><IMG SRC="folly.gif" ALT="the folly at Pinner Park farm" WIDTH="367" HEIGHT="258" BORDER="1"> </FONT> </P> </TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="38%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica" SIZE="2"> <IMG SRC="Ribb.gif" ALT="The House in which Joachim Von Ribbentrop lived" WIDTH="313" HEIGHT="220" BORDER="1"></FONT></TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="49%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="14"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica">According to "Harrow before your Time"; John Zephaniah Holwell, a survivor of the Black Hole of Calcutta wrote his account of the tragedy while living in Pinner. <BR> <BR> A less desirable resident was the Nazi Joachim Von Ribbentrop sometime foreign minister during the Nazi regime. He was ambassador to Britain from 1936 to 1938. He lived on Pinner Hill.</FONT><BR> <BR> <B><I>Opposite: The house on Pinner Hill where Ribbentrop lived during the 1930s. Interestingly, it has been said that there is no higher point between Pinner Hill and Moscow. This has not been verified and may not even be significant in relation to Von Ribbentrop but it makes you think....</I></B> </TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="48%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="7"><BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica">The romance of Lord Horatio Nelson with Lady Hamilton is well known.<BR> <BR> Less so is the fact that their natural daughter Horatia Nelson Ward lived for a time at 'Elmdene' in Church Road or that her son Nelson lived at West House, recently restored, on West End Lane.</FONT><BR> <BR> <B><I>Opposite: West House from the Memorial Park</I></B> </TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="2"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="45%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="7"> <FONT FACE="Arial"><IMG SRC="westhouse.gif" ALT="West House" WIDTH="429" HEIGHT="300" BORDER="1"></FONT> </TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <HR> <BR> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="38%" VALIGN="TOP"> <IMG SRC="police_station.gif" ALT="Pinner Police Station at the junction of Bridge Street and Waxwell Lane" WIDTH="444" HEIGHT="300" BORDER="1"></TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> <TD WIDTH="49%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN="14"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvitica"> <BR> In recent years, many celebrities from radio, television, cinema, sport, and journalism have been seen in the village, often supporting local charitable events.<BR> <BR> Before retiring from show business Ronnie Barker could often be seen in the High Street as has been David Suchet. Andrew Paul (Dave Quinnan in 'The Bill') lives here.<BR> <BR> Bob Hollness still is and hopefully will be for many years to come. Barry Cryer lives in the area and Elton John was born here. Molly Weir can still be seen round and about and we're told Mark Ramprakash and Angus Fraser also live here. There are many others.</FONT> <BR> <BR> <B><I>Pinner Police Station at the junction of Elm Park Road (the continuation of Bridge Street) and Waxwell Lane. built 1899</I></B> </TD> <TD WIDTH="2%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </BODY>