Obituary of Alan Cornish

1/1/1940 to 14/2/2018

Played football with Bobby Moore, Liberal Party politician, environmental activist and  successful businessman – these are just some of the highlights of the life of Alan Cornish, who died recently at the age of 78.

Alan Cornish was a man of the community, always involved, a participant, not a spectator on life.

I first came across Alan as part of the Wanstead Park Community Project, established in 2005 by Stuart Monro, Alan and a number of others concerned about the state of the park.

The group was about the preservation and promotion of the history, ecology and archaelogy of the park.

Alan was passionate about the park. His understanding of the carefully balanced water system - that saw flows between the lakes - was second to none. In 1978, he co-authored, with James Berry, The Lake System of Wanstead Park & the Mystery of the Heronry Pond, that remains a key work to this day.

More recently he urged examination of  the impact of the drainage system in neigbouring Northumberland Avenue on water being lost from the Heronry lake and highlighted the need to clear drains around the Lake House estate. He also arranged for repair of the overspill channel from the Basin lake on the golf course.

A keen historian, Alan wrote, Tudors – Twenty-Eight Days, about the meeting of Elisabeth and Mary prior to the latter taking over as Queen. In 1982 Alan produced the first edition of Wanstead Park: A Chronicle, a detailed timeline of people and events connected with the park which has been updated and reprinted at intervals ever since.

Alan urged the re-establishment of the member based Friends of Wanstead Park in 2009. He became the first chair, remaining in position for the next four years before passing onto new blood. 

Putting it politely Alan was forthright in his views. He could be blunt to the point of alienating people, who may have been in broad agreement with what he was proposing. However, he knew his stuff and some could mistake his passion for plain argumentativeness. He was though always committed to the welfare of the community in which he lived.  

Alan played an active role in politics, becoming a lifelong Liberal supporter after he left the army at the age of 23 in 1963. At one point he was employed by the Liberal Party, undertaking the role of driver for the then leader Jo Grimmond.

Locally, Alan stood as a Liberal and later Liberal Democrat candidate for Redbridge Council. He also stood as a Liberal candidate for the Greater London Council. In 1979, he contested the Parliamentary seat against the Tory incumbent of the time Patrick Jenkins. Alan was never elected but together with wife Janet was the bedrock of the Liberal cause in Wanstead.

Another successful piece of local activism saw Alan taking a lead role in the campaign to ensure that the M11 Link Road went under Wanstead in the cut and cover tunnel that now exists. He supported the Lister-Goldsmith tunnel option. Opposition to the desecration of Wanstead by the new road became a family affair, with son Neale becoming a direct action protester against the road.

Alan was brought up in Barking, going to South East Essex County Technical School. He had a bit of a reputation as a naughty boy at school as was evidenced by his sister Anne, who coming to the school 12 years after her brother was asked directly by the head teacher whether she was related. Alan was remembered all those years later for leading the teachers a merry dance.

Also, in those early years, Alan used to kick a football around the streets outside his house with the legendary Bobby Moore.

After leaving the army, Alan became involved in the travel business and as a transport consultant. He worked for a number of companies, including Hoverlloyd – in the early days of the development of the hovercraft. Alan took some particularly powerful pictures of the hovercraft from Goodwin Sands. Later he worked for Cosmos and Viagresor.

In 1980, Alan set up his own local travel business, Corona Holidays, which specialised in the Canary Islands. The company was sold some years ago.

Alan has suffered poor health for the past five years, being diagnosed with Parkinsons. He fought valiantly against his ill health, ably supported by his wife and family.

Alan Cornish is survived by his widow, Janet, and his sons Adrian and Neale.

*The funeral will take place at 1 on Thursday 8th March 2018  the City of London Cemetry, North Chapel. Reception at 2 at Wanstead Cricket Club, 1 Overton Drive, Wanstead.

* published Wanstead & Woodford + Ilford Recorder - 5/3/2018
also - Wanstead Village Directory