Stuff

Various newsletters have turned up - for instance

Woolwich Antiquarians Newsletter
Forthcoming meetings include:  2nd May Richard Buchanan on the Atlantic Telegraph.   Charlton House. 2.15 pm

Friends of Greenwich Park Newsletter
The Friends are announcing an inaugural meeting for a Greenwich Park History Group.  22nd May 11 am Wildlife Centre.    Info sueyates@ntlworld.com

Greenwich Society Newsletter
Includes a great picture of Greenwich Marsh in the early 19th with accompanying text.  It is thought the site shown is part of what is now the building site on the riverside at Enderbys.    Thanks to Roger Marshall for the picture and the interpretation.
The newsletter also includes details of the new - Creek Swing Bridge - Westcombe Woodlands project - Low Carbon plans for East Greenwich Power Station - Planning at Marsh Wall Isle of Dogs - Creekside East Development.

Lewisham Local History Society Newsletter
Among articles (of Lewisham interest obviously) one on some of the work of Margaret MacMillan, nursery pioneer, in the Greenwich bit of Deptford.
26th  June Pioneers of Photography. Methodist Church Hall, Albion Way, SE13. 7.45

Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society. Newsletter
19th May. AGM and talk on the Importance of Technological Developments in the History of
Brewing in London.  18.15.-18.30  Swedenborg Lecture Theatre, Barter Street, WC1
David Wood - sadly an obituary to this great expert on sailing barges - full of info on Greenwich barges and of great help and support on the subject
Crossness Engines - brief note on their 150th anniversary
Sainsburys Peartree Way - a brief note to regret the imminent demolition of this prize winning building and its inclusion in '100 buildings 100 years' as the best British building of 1999

Thames and Medway Canal Association
OK - not in Greenwich - but just down the road, a group of enthusiasts working on restoration and promotion of a canal which doesn't actually go anywhere!  It went through the Higham tunnel - now used for trains between Gravesend and Strood.  Its a great tunnel too!!
www.thamesmedway.co.uk

AND - perhaps most importantly  - Greenwich Power Station,   Local residents around the power station have been consulted on this BUT - only the locals immediately adjacent. Because I live up the hill a bit, I and my neighbours heard nothing.  I went to the consultation and as a result they have sent me a handout. Some of which is scanned below (sorry this programme doesn't accept PDFs).   This is a very important local industrial building - we all need to know about it.

TFL says:

"As part of our strategy to reduce the impact of transport operations on the environment, we have developed a proposal to install up to six new gas engines in  Greenwich-Power Station's Old Turbine-Hall. This will provide a steady-source of cheap, reliable, low carbon power for London's Tube. We are also developing plans with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the Greater London Authority to use surplus heat from the Power Station to supply hot water and heating for nearby schools and homes. This will reduce utility bills for residents and Improve local air quality, by eliminating the need for gas fired domestic boilers. The scheme directly contributes to the Mayor of London's target to produce a quarter of London's energy demand from local sources by 2024, as set out in his Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Strategy.

The proposal is still at a very early stage. We will shortly commence concept design work for the installation of the first two engines. This will include emissions modelling as part of our emissions permit application to the Environment Agency. It is anticipated that physical works for the first two engines will not start before late 2016/early 2017. The installation of the remaining four engines is expected to be staggered over the next 20 years.

The new engines will be made using the latest technology and will be highly efficient. They will run on natural gas, and create no smoke or smells. Additionally, with Greenwich being an Air Quality Management Area, emissions will be further reduced through the use of emissions abatement equipment.
 
Greenwich Power Station was built in 1902 to power the Capital's tramways and Tube railways, which were being electrified at that time. It is currently an operational power station and functions as an emergency electricity source for the Tube network in the event of a major power supply failure from the National Grid. It currently operates 400
hours per year on average, with no noise disruption to the local community.

While Greenwich Power Station is not currently listed, it is a building of significant heritage. The current proposals preserve this historic building through avoiding any changes to its external appearance, therefore it is anticipated that no planning application will be required. The change from traditional gas and oil powered electricity generation to combined heat and power generation will preserve the use of this important asset well into the future.


--------------------

and ps - Other events which might be interesting:

9th May, Trevithick Day.  Dartford Park
Various East London canal towpath walks  www.waterways.org.uk