Friday 7 October 2016

Greenwich Industrial History News

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  • 11th October 2016 Terry Powley. Society's Changing Perceptions of Youth in the Twentieth Century

WOOLWICH ANTIQUARIANS
We have their newsletter (they STILL haven't got a website)

They advertise future meetings 
8th (that's tomorrow!!) October Mike Jones on Crossness Past and Present
11th March - Stuart Robinson on A Year of Murder, a year of Poverty.

2.15 at Charlton House, both of them.

Articles 

- one on Charlotte Matthews of Pre-Construct Archaelogy who has been photographing buildings with dates on their facades. She would like to know if anyone can recommend some. 
- Plaques to Woolwich Worthies - which includes their founders Tom Vincent and Frank Charles Ellison-Erwood, and boxer Tom Cribb - reported frustrations
- some memories of Nora Wickham who was a past Treasurer and recently died.
- a note on the closure, in Greenwich, of the Thames path
- report on the Council's Public Spaces Protection Order (against street drinkers)

They also report on work by the Enderby Group - as follows:


A “Plaza” proposal for Enderby Wharf at Greenwich Peninsula  by  Richard Buchanan

The Enderby Group is working on a proposal to treat the environs of Enderby House as a whole, with the working title of the “Plaza”.  It would unite the House, the space around it in front of Barratt’s apartment blocks, the Thames Path and the jetties and cable loading equipment on the foreshore; it would provide for commercial use, refreshment and portray the heritage of the area.  Also of historic interest are the adjacent Steps & Causeway (used by boats to ferry crew to cable ships moored in the river – and, allowing for rebuilding in the meantime, to gunpowder ships when the Navy had their proof testing Magazine there).

This we will put before interested parties, three being: Barratt London who own and are to restore and extend Enderby House, and landscape its surroundings: Submarine Network Systems (successors to Telcon, and now part of Nokia) who are responsible for the jetties and cable loading equipment on the foreshore; and the London City Cruise Port immediately to the north.  The major interested party is of course the Council of Royal Greenwich.  It has two roles - as the planning authority under whom Barratt London and the London City Cruise Port operate - and as the manager of the Thames Path.

Should the idea be received favourably, a possible name is “John Pender Plaza”.  John Pender established and became the first chairman of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company (Telcon) who laid the first successful transatlantic telegraph system in 1866.  He then went on to found cable companies around the world - who bought their cables from Telcon.  He died at his home in Footscray in 1896, and is buried at All Saints Church, Footsray.  There is already Telcon Way, a new road on the north side of Submarine Network Systems leading to the yet to be built London City Cruise Port, which will connect with the “Plaza”.

The Woolwich newsletter also advertises:

Blackheath Scientific Society - 18th November Future Missions to Uranus and Neptune, Adam Masters.  8.45 Mycenae House, 90 Mycenae Road,

Welling and District Model Engineering Society, Rochester Way, adj Falconwood Station (I've still not found out how to get in there!!).  October 9th Open day 2-5  www.wdmes.co.uk


GREENWICH SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
(thanks for the resend, Steves)

they give a detailed report on emergency repair work to protect a section of river wall from the Royal Steps to Bellot Gardens. There is dramatic erosion of the foreshore exposing the chalk footings of the wall and introducing a risk of scour. They are working on a repair which will minimise sensitive archaeology by a method also used at the Tower of London - and everything will continue to be accessible.  
(meanwhile - this is by me, Mary, because its not covered by the Greenwich Soc - down in east Greenwich erosion to the river wall means path closure for maybe two years, no one can find out what is being done or what is going on, and any archaeology has been shifted out quick as you like)

- and back to the Greenwich Society - in general news they feature two sites on the old Greenwich Park Rail line (unbeknown to them!!). On is the happy opening of the Community Garden in Burney Street - the other is the closure of Greenwich Police Station. (They ask - what will happen to that site?? er - rebuild the railway??)

LONDON RAILWAY RECORD

This dynamic little publication (www.londonrailwayrecord.co.uk) features this month pictures of the new London Bridge - although never a word about those of who cannot actually see the station because our trains no longer stop there).  Nice pics too. Also a note about an abortive visit to Deptford to see the inclined plane. 


GLIAS NEWSLETTER (Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society)

Sorry we missed Andrew Turner's Erith walk - hope it went well. GIHS happy to put a report on the blog??
They advertise:

16th November - GLIAS Pub evening Horsehoe Pub, 24 Clerkenwell Close, EC1ROAG,. This is an open evening and anyone can come along with a 5 minute presentation on their favourite IA related hobby horse. Helpful to tell Dan first though so he can programme you in  treasurer@glias.org.uk

18th January Conkers, Cordite and the birth of modern biotechnology - Prof Martin Adams
15th March  Crossrail Archaeology - Jay Carver and Andy Shelley
19th April  The Royal Arsenal, Then and now. Ian Bull (NOT TO BE MISSED)
17th May AGM
All at 18.30 The Gallery, Alan Baxter Ltd., 75 Cowcross Street, EC1

.... but nothing at all about Greenwich otherwise

TIDAL THAMES NEWSLETTER 

This is an emailed publication, so sorry, can't give a web link

The current issue features

Article on planned discounts for Greener ships.   The lack of regulation on emissions from ships of all sorts has been a big issue in Greenwich. PLA are to give discounts to cleaner ships. Happy to send more info on this.

Michael Heseltine and the Growth Commission are said to have sailed down the river - past us all - to see how we were getting on. They are apparently looking for a vision.

Tate and Lyle - which is right opposite us - go to the cafe on the arts complex on the old Siemens site and watch the action of the Tate and Lyle Wharf. Anyway the newsletter features an article on them and their work at the refinery following a visit

Cory - down in Charlton where we still (just) have a bit of real riverside, Cory have their tug depot. They have three new barges - report and pix

Thames Tideway Tunnel - report on that too

NEW BOOK ON RAILWAYS OF THE ROYAL ARSENAL

- by Mark Smithers.  Tell us more?? Review copy??



As Firepower goes the Heritage Centre seem to be following up the Artillery (rather than the Arsenal, which is what most people are interested in - or indeed the Royal Engineers who also had historic links with the Woolwich and Arsenal site).  We have been sent a copy of a form - although not by the Heritage Centre.  There doesn't seem to be a way of dealing with this electronically but there IS and email address  mark@rght.org.uk.  The form wants to know basically about you helping set up a gallery about the Artillery 


TELCON MAGAZINE

The Enderby Group have been lent a number of Telcon house magazines from the early 1950s.  They are being scanned and we intend to reproduce some articles here.  Sorry if this blog gets to be Telcon Telcon Telcon - please send other info. we are always happy to publish (within reason)



LENOX PROJECT

Their newsletter is with us - It reports on their Open House day opening when nearly 1,000 people went along. They also report on an ITN programme in which they featured.  They ask us to publicise their gifts - happily http://www.buildthelenox.org/contact/


MARITIME ARCHIVES INSTITUTE

We have seen a programme for a very interesting conference on 4th November at the National Maritime Museum about the archives of maritme related archives around the country.  There is no booking or cost information with what we have been shown but we think Lizelle de Jager, (Research Department Executive at the Royal Museum Greenwich) at ldejager@rmg.co.uk is the person to contact.

In relation to this - we used to get all sorts of info from the NMM about events and other things. We always publicised it, and sometimes also went along.  This doesn't come any more and its not clear how to get it started again. Hopefully someone from that august institution will read this and see that little small organisations get stuff from them.



 


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