I have a request for information as follows
I would like information about a little tanker which carried molasses from Cantley, Norfolk and linseed oil from Holland (and fuel oil) to and from various wharves in London and I wish to trace information about them to incorporate into a record of her trading routes. In your area I am interested in Greenwich Inlaid Lino Co. Victoria Works, and Greig's Wharf area; The Mollassine Co. Ltd, Tunnel Glucose Refiners - Tunnel Wharf, Thames Soap & Candle Works (Unilever).
I am also particularly interested to find out about Younghusbands Wharf, Rotherhithe Street Lower Pool which I see on my port chart is named as King & Queen Wharf, more or less opposite Shadwell New Basin entrance lock and just downstream of Bellamy's Wharf. Also the run of wharves downstream of the Mar Dyke in West Thurrock marshes to Stone Ness which includes Anglo American oil Co, Caspian Wharf, Jurgens Ltd wharf and Tunnel Cement works wharf, all just upstream of Everards base at Greenhithe.
I would be most grateful if you could point me in the right direction for information.
5 comments:
My grandfather, william Henry Smith was a foreman at Greigs wharf,I have been unable to find out anything about this wharf
My greatgrandfather, James Robert GREIG, held a lease on seed crushing and oil refining premises that came to be known as Greig's Wharf in the late 1800s. The name persisted after his death in 1915 when the lease was sold by his executors; the latest documented use of the name that I have found so far is 1926, with a possible mention in 1935. I am researching the history of the site and would be glad to hear from both of you.
John
I left the original post in 2009 re my Grandfather am trying again to find out a bit more and have just noticed that I missed your talks on Greig's Wharf. My G/f died before I was born and my father died in 1984, he never really spoke about his childhood in Greenwich and so I have practically no information. Would it be possible to e-mail me with whatever info you may have of the life and times of Greig's Wharf? I was hoping to find my g/f's name on a list to employees at wharf around the 1920s when my father was a child. Many thanks
jooliesmi@hotmail.co.uk
A summary of the main changes that gave rise to and affected Greig’s Wharf is:
The original lease, for a site of ca 10 acres, was given by Morden College to William Henry Courtenay (WHC) for a period of 80 years from 1863. He became bankrupt and others appear to have taken over the lease which was subdivided. The plot containing the jetty constructed by WHC was occupied by 3 consecutive limited companies involved in seed crushing. Each of these failed and money was owed to Gregor Turnbull & Co. of Glasgow, of which my greatgrandfather James Robert GREIG (JRG) was junior partner. A sub-lease signed in 1885 came to JRG and the premises were run as Greig & Co.’s Mills until the late 1890s. Financial difficulties and the forthcoming formation of a major conglomerate of oil seed firms (British Oil and Cake Mills) may have made the mills unviable. In 1898 the premises were sub-let to Bell’s Asbestos Company Ltd with Poyle Mills Company Ltd as, apparently, sub-tenants.
At this time the property became known as Greig’s Wharf — with that designation being recorded in Morden College’s Trustees' approval of the Bell’s Asbestos sub-tenancy and the Companies House change of registered address for Poyle Mills. After the death of JRG, in November 1915, the sub-lease which he held was sold by his executors to the British & Foreign Wharf Company Ltd (BFWC). Shortly after that Morden College sold the freehold of all the land that had comprised WHC’s lease to the Delta Metal Company Ltd.
In 1922 BFWC sublet 2 warehouses on the site to the North British Agency Company Limited, then, in 1926, they sold their leasehold interest in Greig’s Wharf to Eastwood’s Wharfage Limited. The use of the name Greig’s Wharf still persisted in 1935.
I have no knowledge of any employee lists concerning Greig’s Wharf - there are many companies that might be involved. I believe that the only BFWC documents surviving for the period that you are interested in are the director’s minutes, with nothing relevant. Bell’s Asbestos, later Bell’s United Asbestos, took over Poyle Mills and was itself later taken over by Turner & Newall. Delta Metal has recently moved out to the Far East and a query of mine close to the move did not get any reply. I know nothing else of North British Agency or Eastwood’s Wharfage. Can you provide any more details - 1920s and Greig’s Wharf is a wide spread!
John
You may be interested in a book that's about to be published which is about one of the seamen who worked for Everard's and travelled between Norfolk and Holland with molasses and linseed oil. He kept detailed diaries of all the voyages. The Prowess of Charlie Fielder is published by Chaffcutter press.
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