Gillian Clegg died peacefully on 21 February 2012, after a long illness. She was the elder daughter of John Clegg, the well known natural history author. Sadly her mother died while she was still a child, from multiple sclerosis, the same disease that was to dog Gillian’s later years.
She was sent off to boarding school. After leaving school she qualified as a professional librarian, and worked in that capacity for J Walter Thompson, Campaign magazine and then the Consumers’ Association. She transferred to journalism in her thirties, editing a magazine called Small Business Confidential and writing two books on running successful businesses. At the same time Gillian had become a keen amateur archaeologist, joining the West London Archaeological Field Group which worked with the Museum of London on many digs in this area. She became Secretary of the Group and collaborated on a book on the archaeology of Hillingdon and later wrote her own book on the Archaeology of Hounslow. This led to her appointment in 1992 as Production Editor of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society’s annual Transactions. She was responsible for producing 11 issues and was awarded the annual Ralph Merrifield award for services to London’s archaeology for her work on it.
Gillian had lived in Chiswick for about 35 years, first in Bedford Park, where she met Patrick, whom she later married, then on the Glebe estate, before finally achieving her dream of living within sight of the river, at Chiswick Staithe. Gillian’s first local history book was Chiswick Past, published in 1995, a well-illustrated and very useful history of Chiswick, with each chapter covering a different subject area. Brentford Past in the same series followed in 2002. In between she also wrote Clapham Past and two non-fiction books for children. Next, in 2004, came The Chiswick Book: Past and Present, an A-Z of Chiswick people, buildings and institutions, followed by a history of Brentford and Chiswick Pubs in 2005, and Brentford Through Time in 2011.
In 1996 Gillian revived the Brentford and Chiswick Local History Society’s annual Journal and edited and oversaw its production until 2007, contributing a number of articles herself. Her skill in editing and the advances in production methods have transformed it into a well written and well produced magazine of which the Society is justifiably proud. The Society made her an Honorary Member in recognition of all her work on the Journal. When she wasn’t actively writing books and articles Gillian worked as a volunteer in the local history department at Chiswick Library until illness made this impossible. She then catalogued the collection of horticultural articles at Gunnersbury Park Museum. In 2006 she became a volunteer with the Kitchen Garden Project at Chiswick House, and the following year joined the Archivist to help in setting up the Chiswick House and Gardens Archive, cataloguing several hundred documents, and preparing the 2008 exhibition on the history of Chiswick House and gardens and the restoration project. She received an award from the Mayor for her work on the Archive.
Gillian’s last book arose from her interest in Chiswick House and her work with the Archive. Entitled Chiswick House and Gardens: a History, it is a beautifully illustrated account of the House, the people who have lived there and the gardens that surround it. Proving she could also work with modern media Gillian set up a website in 2007: www.chiswickhistory.org.uk; a popular resource for information on everything relating to the history of Chiswick.
But Gillian did not spend all her time writing and editing – she had a wide circle of family and friends, keeping up with people from all stages of her life. She loved travelling to exotic places, having a drink and a meal with friends, playing scrabble, doing crosswords, and despite her increasing problems with MS and cancer she remained committed, interested and uncomplaining.
Through her writing and editing Gillian has made a huge contribution to the local history of this area – her books will be her lasting memorial.
