I came across your web site whilst browsing this evening and wondered if you or any of your members may be able to help me...
My late grandfather, Harry, worked for a company called Johnsen and Jorgensen for many years. They manufactured medical and laboratory glass. I believe their main factory was in the Charlton/Woolwich area. During the war a temporary factory was set up in Hildenborough, Kent (Oakfield Works) due to the bombing and he moved there with the company. The business later transferred to South Wales (Cardiff area) and he again moved with the company.
I would like to find out more information about the factory in Charlton/Woolwich, where it was located, and if there is anything left to see today. If anyone knows anything about the set up in Hildenborough that would be a bonus.
A bit of a long shot I suppose but you never know.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.
By the way, you may be interested to know that I write a blog called Kent Today and Yesterday. I have just written a post which includes pictures of the now derelict W T Henley/AEI Cables site in Northfleet which is currently being demolished.
http://kenttodayandyesterday.blogspot.com
Best regards,
Glen Humble
kentmoggies@aol.com
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Woolwich Antiquarians ferries
The WADAS newsletter has some interesting notes about Woolwich Ferry and why it is only running on one boat. Apparently John Burns has had a loss of hydraulic oil in a hard to trace place. It has now been sorted out - and the spare part is now being overhauled. These (now very old) vessels are all being overhauled and repaired
John Burns - was the leader of the 1889 Dock Strike and was the first Labour leader to become a Cabinet Minister
James Newman - was leader of Woolwich Council from 1941.
Ernest Bevin - was the Docker's trade union leader and later Minister of Labour. He was MP for East Woolwich in 1950.
The newsletter also has news of the Olympic events on Woolwich Common, a lecture on Woolwich Town Hall and various local lectures and events - AND the Severndroog Castle By a Brick Scheme.
John Burns - was the leader of the 1889 Dock Strike and was the first Labour leader to become a Cabinet Minister
James Newman - was leader of Woolwich Council from 1941.
Ernest Bevin - was the Docker's trade union leader and later Minister of Labour. He was MP for East Woolwich in 1950.
The newsletter also has news of the Olympic events on Woolwich Common, a lecture on Woolwich Town Hall and various local lectures and events - AND the Severndroog Castle By a Brick Scheme.
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Manchesters Trucks
Kindly supplied by Graham Manchester, here is a photo of one of the Manchester trucks from Charlton.
Interestingly, Corgi have made a model of this truck.
Graham also reports;
'We were the first ones onto the site after the closure of the Gas Works and took up residence in 1976! That was interesting! We were told we had to be off not later than 1996 as the Millennium building was going to be built there (so much for bidding from Birmingham and Manchester!)
Hottest year for years and mutant ladybirds about 1" diameter each which used to dive bomb us and bite us! (among many other stories!)'
Friday, 13 November 2009
Advert from 1930s Mercury
The above advertisement for South Metropolitan Gas Company appeared in the 100th anniversary of the Mercury. It is one of many illustrations to be used in a forthcoming book about the Greenwich Peninsula.Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Geodiversity
I am not sure that this is actually straight forward industrial history but I thought it was so interesting people should know more about it. This is about Gilbert's Pit - a site of scientific interest in Charlton. I understand that a recent event was held in the Pit for the local great and good (and that's not me!) by the London Geodiversity Partnership and to show new plans which the council has for the area.
They say Gilbert's Pit as one of the most important geological sites in Britain. The industrial link to it is that the rock face has been revealed because it was a quarry connected to the local glass industry (and Charlton had the biggest glass works in Europe in the 1960s).
The new plans hope to connect the area round Gilbert's Pit with other local parks and open spaces - and to manage it in a way to show its geological importance and to give people access and information about this important site.
There is much of interest there - above the pit is the site of a Romano-British fort and there have been finds of pottery there. In the 18th century it was a semaphore station and later a Home Guard look out. The sand in the pit was used for brass mouldings in the Arsenal and later in the glass works.
The rock formations in the pit show older rocks on top of newer rocks - and this is a puzzle and one of the reasons it is interesting to geologists. The pit is described as a 'reference locality for geologists' giving insights to change in climate over 55 million years.
I realise this is a very brief outline of an important, and rather obscure, subject. There have been reports published on the site - and generally on geodiversity by Government and London Government sources and I am happy to put some references here if people ask for them.
They say Gilbert's Pit as one of the most important geological sites in Britain. The industrial link to it is that the rock face has been revealed because it was a quarry connected to the local glass industry (and Charlton had the biggest glass works in Europe in the 1960s).
The new plans hope to connect the area round Gilbert's Pit with other local parks and open spaces - and to manage it in a way to show its geological importance and to give people access and information about this important site.
There is much of interest there - above the pit is the site of a Romano-British fort and there have been finds of pottery there. In the 18th century it was a semaphore station and later a Home Guard look out. The sand in the pit was used for brass mouldings in the Arsenal and later in the glass works.
The rock formations in the pit show older rocks on top of newer rocks - and this is a puzzle and one of the reasons it is interesting to geologists. The pit is described as a 'reference locality for geologists' giving insights to change in climate over 55 million years.
I realise this is a very brief outline of an important, and rather obscure, subject. There have been reports published on the site - and generally on geodiversity by Government and London Government sources and I am happy to put some references here if people ask for them.
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Teardrops
The latest edition of English Heritage's 'Current Archaeology' mentions something we ought to have known about earlier. This is the Teardrop site in Woolwich, and adjacent to the ferry.
They describe how 'one of the largest sections in London' was cut through a ditch and discovered that the ditch was probably Iron Age in origin and is thought to have enclosed a trading area (I think that means some sort of wharf). They also discovered five pottery kilns - does this also link with the well known kiln now languishing outside the Heritage Centre in its box?? Two of the kilns were 13th/14th century and used for London Ware production - the only such site ever found.
I have written to the team and hope to get more information.
Elsewhere in this edition is a note about Seager's Distillery at Deptford Bridge - which of course was described at the last GIHS meeting by Duncan Hawkins (thank you Duncan). They describe however, for those of you who weren't there, the remains of an 18th century sugar refinery, stonemasons cottages and of course the 19th century gin distillery and a late 19th century iron works.
They describe how 'one of the largest sections in London' was cut through a ditch and discovered that the ditch was probably Iron Age in origin and is thought to have enclosed a trading area (I think that means some sort of wharf). They also discovered five pottery kilns - does this also link with the well known kiln now languishing outside the Heritage Centre in its box?? Two of the kilns were 13th/14th century and used for London Ware production - the only such site ever found.
I have written to the team and hope to get more information.
Elsewhere in this edition is a note about Seager's Distillery at Deptford Bridge - which of course was described at the last GIHS meeting by Duncan Hawkins (thank you Duncan). They describe however, for those of you who weren't there, the remains of an 18th century sugar refinery, stonemasons cottages and of course the 19th century gin distillery and a late 19th century iron works.
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