On Saturday 16th September, our Director Liz Power was invited to the unveiling of a blue plaque in honour of Dame Jennifer Jenkins, and her husband Roy.
Hosted in the small village of East Hendred, where Jennifer and Roy lived for over 20 years, the event was held at the family home. A large gathering of people important to the lives of both, as well as friends and family, including many great grandchildren, had gathered to see the new plaque installed on the wall of the house, the unveiling of which makes East Hendred only the second village in Oxfordshire to have two blue plaques
The Oxfordshire blue plaque scheme was establish in 1999, and is administered by the Oxford Civic Society. The Chair of the Board, Ian Green, spoke about Dame Jennifer’s dedication to public service, and in particular to heritage. Part of this story was her work at HB&P whilst it was still known as the Ancient Monuments Society (AMS), first as Secretary, and then, in 1985, as President. Matthew Saunders, who took over as Secretary from Dame Jennifer, spoke of working from the couple’s spare room when he first started at the AMS. There was also reflections on the life of Jennifer’s husband Roy Jenkins, a Member of Parliament and the sixth president of the European Commission.
The plaque was subsequently unveiled by members of Dame Jennifer’s family, with the whole afternoon celebrated as a wonderful reflection on two very important people, and for HB&P in particular, a great opportunity to show our appreciation for the work that Dame Jennifer undertook for us, and the difference that and her many other roles made for our Heritage environment.
