Ickenham Library is due to undergo its biggest changes since it was first opened in 1962. The library will be closed whilst a mezzanine floor, accommodating most of the library’s IT facilities and providing more meeting space, is installed. Outside, at the rear of the building, a small extension will be constructed, providing space for children’s activities as well as a meeting place for the community. Subject to final planning approval, work is due to commence in August and should be completed by December. See progress reports in future editions of ICN.
In anticipation of the closure, the next three scheduled Ickenham Ward Councillors’ ‘surgeries’ will be held in St Giles’ Church Hall. These will take place from 7pm – 8pm on the third Wednesdays of July, September and November.
The sad news of the death on 17th May of Beryl Fisher, aged 92, will stir fond memories among long-standing residents of Ickenham. Beryl and her husband Fred ran the Pelican Café from 1935 until they “retired” to Devon in 1968. The Pelican, now replaced by the Birothi Restaurant, was the only place in Ickenham at the time where you could get a coffee and a cake and it became the social and gossip centre of the village.
Prior to the Fishers coming to Ickenham, Fred ran a bakery in Ealing and the Pelican was one of his customers. When the café came on the market, Fred and Beryl welcomed the opportunity to take over, installing a bakery there at the same time. Beryl was a popular figure in the village, as was her daughter, Janet, who helped in the shop. Janet said, “During the War, after Pelican closing time, mum would take food to the fire watchers who were members of the Home Guard, based in Church Farm”.
The Fisher family are proud that their initials are inscribed on some of the bricks forming the URC, signifying that they contributed to the construction cost by “purchasing” these bricks.
Ever the workaholics, when the couple moved to Devon, they started a shop selling newspapers and essentials. Janet and her family came to live nearby. Fred died in 1988 and Beryl now leaves her devoted daughter Janet, sons Brian and David, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Thanks to their Ickenham friend Maurice Walsh, Beryl received and avidly read every copy of the ICN until her demise.
Alan Noad
John and Elsie Harris and family would like to thank the clergy and members of St Giles’ for their prayers and support during Elsie’s recent illness, and also their friends and neighbours in Sussex Road for their continuing help.
