Barbara Carpenter Turner - TrustNews Spring 1997
22 OCTOBER 1915 - 15 JANUARY 1997
The Hampshire Chronicle has produced an excellent obituary of our past President giving a good account of her other activities in Winchester, but I feel impelled to take this opportunity to convey why to many of us Barbara was Winchester.
Not only did she help to found the Preservation Trust back in the mists of time (I hope Jeffery Smith as our only surviving founder will forgive this description of what he no doubt regards as the day-before-yesterday), but when I came on the scene she seemed to have been representing Winchester itself in the City Council as almost a permanent fixture, not infrequently as its Mayor!
Those who saw her in action knew her as a courageous and stalwart upholder of all that is good, or a pigheaded, unreasonable die-hard depending on whose side she was on. But friend and foe all shared admiration and affection for this formidable personality. This was because she never wavered in her ideals, was ever open in her dealings, mixed opposition with respect whenever it was deserved, and laced all her doings with both expertise and humour.
Her expertise is still accessible in her many books and papers, but they do not convey the riveting instancy of her personal delivery. Whether as her only listener or one of a crowd, all were drawn into a perception of history which was as compelling as if present at the actual event.
"Throw him down, throw him down" she bellowed, standing in the middle of the High Street while cars swerved to avoid her. And, when urged to retreat to safety, "they would not dare run down their Mayor", she said! This was a not a untypical event in a guided tour and on this occasion gave her listeners a thrilling insight into the rombustuous politics of 18th century Winchester as she described the shouts of the crowd when addressed from the old town hall balcony by their MP.
There were other sides to her character which are equally memorable. Her thoughtfulness and generosity were very personal; as a new employee of her husband's firm I found little Christmas presents left in the porch for our children whom she had not yet met. Her hospitality was legendary whether in the spacious rooms of no 10 The Close, or crammed into the small room of her first house in St Swithuns Street - I think her parties always lingered on for hours after they were supposed to finish; nobody wanted to go.
But above all else, since I am writing this for the Trust Newsletter, we remember her for her tireless support on any matter affecting the welfare of the Trust or the Heritage Centre, her wise advice on conservation matters, and her quite exceptionally detailed knowledge not only of past history but, if I may use the expression, present history, in that she seemed to know everyone in Winchester, who their relations were, and what views they held!