Heather Couper

Hallmark August 2020. A Tribute To Heather Couper. By Nigel Henbest, astronomer.

Though she wasn’t born here, Heather was an adopted daughter of the Chilterns. After her parents moved from Wallasey to Ruislip, the young Heather loved to take the train and bus to West Wycombe, and walk the Chiltern ridge.

She studied astrophysics at Leicester University, which is where she and I met. Subsequent research at Oxford was too academic for her taste, and Heather instead followed her instincts and became a leading populariser of astronomy. Appointed Senior Lecturer at the Greenwich Planetarium, she burst onto television, first on Patrick Moore’s The Sky at Night, and then presenting two major astronomy series on Channel 4.

Heather was also elected President of the British Astronomical Association – the first female to hold that position, though she was always miffed she was only the second youngest! As well as her media appearances, Heather gave copious public presentations both in the UK and abroad: her favourite was being guest astronomer on board Concorde in 1986, to view Halley’s Comet as the plane flew supersonic to New Zealand.

By this time, Heather had gone freelance, and there was no reason to stay in Greenwich. Her heart was drawing her back ” to the Chilterns, and in 1990 she fell in love with the ideal property in Loosley Row – a plot of joined brick and flint cottages, with a inglenook fireplace, exposed beams and the most sensational view over the vale. When the previous owner opened the door for viewing, Heather thought “what’s that woman doing in my house?

For Heather, the focus of the village was The Pink and Lily. She loved the historical associations, particularly with Rupert Brooke, and had her favourite seat in the Brooke Bar. She regaled every visitor with Brooke’s ditty “Never came there to the Pink/Two such men as we, I think....” And she delighted in showing them Ring the Bull, swinging the copper ring over the hook in the wall. On her father’s first visit, she said “Daddy, this is really hard”; swung the ring, and hooked it first time!

Heather learnt dominoes in the Pink, and was delighted to be asked to join the pub’s team in the local Crib and Dominoes League. She was delighted when Geoff Baker, the blacksmith, declared “Coups, you’re a local now” – having lived in the village only ten years. And she was immensely proud when the team won all the trophies over two consecutive years.

During this time, Heather was appointed to the Millennium Commission, as the only scientist among the nine commissioners, and was responsible for seeing through the Eden Project in Cornwall and the National Space Centre in Leicester. After she’d pointed out the dilapidated state of our village’s old hall, she was delighted that the Commission agreed to fund our new Millennium Hall.

Inspired by the home and the view, Heather penned around 20 books on astronomy, produced television documentaries for the production company we’d founded, and presented countless radio shows and series. For the 30-part series Cosmic Quest, she persuaded the BBC producer to come out here to record her. It was spring-time and the birds on the terrace were active: her producer, a keen ornithologist, warned of potential interference with the sound recording: “Heather, we could have a problem with your great tits!”

Heather had a passion for nature, especially wild flowers, and was a lifelong vegetarian. She loved the countryside of the Chilterns, especially the carpets. of bluebells under the beeches. Her favourite walk was to the Pyrtle Spring, where a small stream gushes out of the chalk and flows down to Culverton.

When she passed away after a sort illness earlier this year, Heather’s wish was to be buried in the Chilterns. We laid her to rest at Green Acres woodland burial park near Beaconsfield, under an old oak in the wild flower orchard.