Two men who between them created Chislehurst Golf Club

This is the tale of our Club’s formation,

Of profit versus conservation,

Of the men who fashioned what we have today,

Who defined the ground on which we play.

1n 1890 the Willett clan

Bought our land, and their investment plan

Was to build, across the Camden estate,

Houses too numerous to contemplate

But lurking on the common land

Was a champion of the common man.

He had convictions on the commons uses;

Travers-Hawes set out to stop abuses

He knew that in some old by-laws,

(Hidden in a short but useful clause),

A ransom strip barred their right of way;

And to cross it, the Willetts would have to pay.

He didn’t want to be unreasonable

Private access was entirely feasible.

But by refusing suppliers any rights to cross

Meant the Willetts had bought an albatross

Negotiation followed day and night,

Travers-Hawes position was watertight……

…….Until they found an accommodation

To keep half the land for recreation

The compromise was the saving grace,

Two 9 hole courses at Camden Place.

Yet the sign that hung above the door

Read “Mr William Willett – proprietor”

Now Travers Hawes had quite different dreams,

And soon he unveiled his membership scheme

To buy, for thirty-six thousand pounds,

Camden Place and all the grounds

To raise the money for this venture,

We offered shares and some debentures.

And then, in eighteen ninety nine,

We bought our freehold, for all time.

The experience bound these heavyweights,

And strangely they became good mates.

So, when the debenture sale was looking thin

The Willetts coughed up to save our skins!

The property scheme was a huge success,

Camden Park Road and the Wilderness.

Daylight saving was Willett’s epitaph,

The Daylight Inn his final laugh

But dark clouds gathered, we confronted fate

As the debentures reached redemption date.

We had our assets but, to be frank,

There was no money in the bank

As our chairman,

Travers Hawes presided over creditor meetings

To hear the debenture-holders bleatings.

He turned the tables, allayed their fears………..

And deferred repayment for twenty years

Travers-Hawes passed in twenty four,

Our giant of the commons law.

He was no golfer, sought no rewards,

But he lives forever on our honours boards

So that is how we came to be,

How different goals found commonality.

If anyone deserves your warm applause

It’s William Willett and Travers Hawes.

The History of Chislehurst Golf Club