Momentmal - Pixabar

History matters. The origin of things matters. Preserving our heritage matters. Take this bench. We do not know its history - it is an image taken from the internet, where it has been generously contributed by a gentleman called Bernd through the Pixabar platform (thank you!). But it is a beautiful and intriguing object, and makes us curious about its origins.

Suppose it had a history that was relevant to us in Normandy; how would we feel about it? Something like this, perhaps: 

“Our bench was carved by an expert Normandy carpenter who worked for the Coussmaker family at the Westwood Estate in the late 19th century. He made it from wood retrieved from the largest of the ancient oaks in the Oak Avenue linking Westwood Lane to Glaziers Lane - all part of the estate - after it was struck by lightning around 1901. 

It originally sat in the garden opposite Westwood Place but after WWI the family placed it on the Aldershot-bound platform at Wanborough Station, facing the fields where the oak once grew. This also recognised the local men who left the village on the train heading to the Army recruiting station and subsequently to France, some never to return. 

For many years the bench was appreciated by locals using the station, and children told stories of sitting on it at twilight and imagining the ghostly shapes of Roman people, walking along the line of the Roman road that linked London to Winchester and possibly crossed the fields behind the station. 

Sadly, the bench was badly damaged in the severe flood of 1985 and ever since has sat in need of repair in a resident's garage. Many still remember it and would love to see this treasured item restored and returned to its position so residents can again rest there and enjoy the wonderful, rural views.”

A fiction, maybe, but also a reminder of the precious heritage of the land on which it is now proposed to construct 950 new builds. And the ancient oaks in The Avenue are not a fiction, nor are the areas of Ancient Woodland that will also be threatened by the development. It may even be that the remains of the Roman road are under those fields!

A salutary reminder that we need to understand, respect, and preserve the heritage of this wonderful site. It’s a real and tangible link to the Normandy folk of the past. It is also part of the reason why we, as a community, are so opposed to the prospective development and are doing everything we can to make sure it never takes place.