PREFACE

book front cover If you have read the pages on this site "History of All Saints" and particularly "Our Story Our History" you will have come across the name of Charles Drew many times and have come to realise what an important member of the church and therefore the Parley community he was. His interest in West Parley must have been immense, for he wrote and had published a book simply titled "West Parley", which is an authoritative account of the Parish from the perspective of 1928, the year of publication. It is, of course, out of print now, though when researching the building of St Marks there were indications there was a copy in the library at Lambeth Palace, though an online search of their catalogue drew a blank.
I now feel like a dog with two tails, not knowing which to wag first. In this case how to best present this wonderful book to you. I am so glad that it is being shared with others as this is being done (in Autumn 2013) at a pivotal time for West Parley, with the imminent development of much of the green fields that are referenced in the book. It has spurred me on to photograph the areas referenced to record their present state before vanishing under concrete. I am sure others will do the same, but I hope to be able to tie the photographs to the locations mentioned in the book, which I hope will give it yet more interest and meaning. My other dilemma is whether to provide a commentary. I am certainly no historian or expert on Parley but I feel there are some things in the book that require a comment or some explanation, to make them fit in with a modern usage or organisations and this I will append at the very end of these pages. The book contains several hand drawn illustrations which given the absence of any acknowledgments must have been drawn by Drew himself. A truly talented man.
Finally, I wish to record that I do not have a copy of the book, but photocopies of it, in its entirety. I came across these when helping a friend sort out some papers following her husbands death. Out of great sadness came some cheer.

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