(1925 – 2011)
Published in Windlesora 29 (2013)
© WLHG
Ellen was Windsor born and bred, proud of being the last baby born in River Street before the old housing was demolished (for the car park) in 1929. She was educated at Clarence Road Secondary School , later Trevelyan School, which she loved (Windlesora 20). Though she did not talk much about her childhood she drew on those memories in the Group’s millennium book, Windsor: A Thousand Years, where she wrote of street traders such as the pavement artist, the carpet beater, and the post-card sellers of Castle Hill who were not allowed to set foot on the pavement. During the Second World War, Ellen served in the WAAFs, where she met her husband, Peter. They were married in Holy Trinity, the garrison church, and lived in Old Windsor with their daughter Patricia. Ellen worked as an Usher at Slough Magistrates’ Court and was a keen Guider, a Brown Owl, and member of the Trefoil Group.
She joined what was then called the Windsor Local History Publications Group in 1987, and was an enthusiastic member. She wrote several articles for Windlesora, notably an exciting discovery on architectural drawings for All Saints Church, Frances Road, the building if which was overseen by Thomas Hardy. Ellen had a great regard for the author’s work (she was a member of the Thomas Hardy Society) and she was thrilled to work with a Hardy scholar on authenticating the drawings, found behind the organ of the Parish Church. They are now on show in the church in Frances Road. Her article about them – “Thomas Hardy and All Saints’ Church, Windsor” – appeared in Windlesora 06 and she also wrote about the Theatre Royal (14) , and the history of the Old Windsor Carnival (16).
One of the most valuable things Ellen did was to take photographs of Windsor buildings, particularly those being demolished. She pasted her pictures into carefully-labelled scrapbooks, which are now in the Windsor Museum collection. She was also enormously helpful whenever the Group mounted an exhibition. For the Old Windsor exhibition in the Cemetery Chapel in 1997 she helped in the rescue of the nineteenth-century Old Windsor stained glass from a garden shed in the grounds of The Tapestries. The windows, created by the Royal Windsor Stained Glass Works, were restored by Old Windsor Parish Council are now on display in the Cemetery Chapel.
Ill health prevented Ellen maintaining her links with the WLHG in her last years, but she is remembered with affection by many members, We have missed her cheerful friendliness.
Hester Davenport & Beryl Hedges
Windsor Local History Group 