Continuing our republished series, “A Question of Royston”, covering the little-known history of Royston, as written by the late Councillor F John Smith (1932-2021).
Arthur Whydale – E. Hertbert Whydale, known to his friends as Bert, was the gifted painter and etcher whose work is loved by Royston people. Many of his pictures are held by the Royston and District Museum – and if you have never been to see them, get down there at the first opportunity! His face can be seen in the photograph there of the Air Raid Wardens from Post C during the Second World War. He is the tall upright man in the back row.
There’s a talk on his works at the Museum on Wednesday 17th September for Royston Arts Festival.
However, also in the picture is his brother Arthur, who in those days was one of the stalwarts who kept the town going. Arthur Whydale was an architect. It was he who was one of the leading lights in organising the savings weeks, the Holidays at Home weeks, and the Homecoming Fund; the latter raised thousands of pounds to donate to all our returning servicemen in 1945.
After the War he was responsible for the design and layout of the Priory Memorial Gardens, when the Royston Urban District Council acquired them to be the memorial to those from the town who fell in the War between 1939 and 1945.
Arthur was a quiet man but immensely popular for what he did for Royston, so that it was no surprise when he topped the poll in 1946 for the first Urban District Council election after the War. He took 1251 votes in the whole-town election (no wards in those days) in a poll that approached 70%.
Sadly, there are no Whydales left in Royston now. Both Bert and Arthur were bachelors, who were looked after by their two spinster sisters; the four lived in a large bungalow in Newmarket Road.
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You can find out more about Royston’s history in the book “A Royston Miscellany” by F John Smith, available to borrow or reference in Royston Library
