Their current newsletter lists out several events which might be of interest:
11th November. speakers Jim Marrett and Richard Buchanan on 'A date with buildings' and 'Wricklemarsh'
10th March - Mike Brown on the Spanish Civil War and World War II Britain.
Both 2.15 Grand Salon, Charlton House.
December 10th. . Falconwood Miniature Railway. Santa Special. (behind the Electricity Station on Rochester Way).
The newsletter also features the following article by Richard Buchanan on Enderby House.
"Enderby House Hopes by Richard Buchanan
Enderby House, listed Grade II,was built as a private house on the Greenwich Peninsula, but is also a major industrial heritage asset (the Gas Holder featured in the last newsletterbeing another). It is most famous as the headquarters of Telcon, the firm which made the first Transatlantic Telegraph Cable.
This cable ran from Valentia in Ireland to Heart’s Content in Newfoundland (with onward connections to London and New York respectively). The Irish Government is applying for Valentia Island to be a World Heritage Site, and encouraging Canada to follow suit for Heart’s Content – or even to form a single joint World Heritage Site.
This must surely add to the perceived importance of Enderby House, and improve the Enderby Group’s chances to have a Telegraph Cable display in it. This has garnered general acceptance, including that of Greenwich Council. However, the developers who own it, Barratt, despite making the odd encouraging noise, have not moved from their original proposal to use the House as a pub.
The House was built in 1846 with two floors and a basement, all above the old ground level (appropriate to a lower Thames level). There is an octagon room on the top floor, with its main window built out at 45O to the corner of the building to see ships coming up river. From inside the octagon room the window is just in one of its sides and one is not conscious of the 45O offset, but it makes an unusual external feature.
Since then the river wall has been raised, and for some years the river path has been at first floor level, where the House has a door to give access to it. However, the river wall has already been raised a further couple of feet with steps provided to get over it – and is to be raised again – though the river path remains at its existing level (with an ever increasing chance of being flooded).
Barratt currently have an application to raise terrace and other levels behind the new river wall to suit. The Enderby Group are objecting to this proposal as it would spoil the setting of the House as seen from within the site. They are also pressing for flood gates to be put in the river wall so that (when open) access between Enderby House and the river path is maintained; Barratt too would want this access for their pub."
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Running Past Blog
Running Past blog has produced a really excellent walk with pictures along the line of the old Greenwich Park Railway Line.
As the blogger points out, the line is relatively easy to follow between the site of the station - now the Ibis Hotel - and the A2. Various infill measures - the closed police station for instance - are pointed out, and include what is described as a 'ghost bridge'.
More, apparently, to come.
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GREENWICH FOOT TUNNEL
FOGWOFT (Friends of the Tunnel) have been approached by a Poppy Jackson to say that she has included Greenwich Foot Tunnel in her new book 'For the Love of London. What Makes London Great by the People who Make it Great'. We await for more info from Poppy/FOGWOFT on this.
and - by the way - we went the other day to a consulation meeting on 'culture' in Greenwich run by the Greenwich and Docklands Festival. We were asked to write down our favourite things in Greenwich and put them up as post it notes - anonymously. One of the first to go up was a note 'Greenwich foot tunnel'. We don't know who in the room put it up - but clealry there are some fans.
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AMERICAN IA
The American Society for Industrial Archaelogy now have all editions of their Journal on line. If you search on line for this remember to use the US spelling 'Archeology' or you won't find it. Sorry no linl anyway
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LEWISHAM LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
Sadly this edition includes an obituary to John West. John has not lived locally for many years but he did co-author an excellent book on the Lewisham Silk Mills. This was the site of the Greenwich Armoury and is where TESCO is now - almost in Greenwich since the border runs along there! Sad news
The Society is also asking for info on markers for the Meridian Line - and cites some in Lewisham. They also hightlight a website http://www.jont.org.uk/log/meridian.htm
They also mention Air Raid Shelters under Blackheath - with particular reference to the Zeppelins. Another aeriel thing on Blackheath mentioned is model aeroplane compeitions (Blackheath v. Grove Park!).
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IRELAND, NEWFOUNDLAND AND THE ATLANTIC CABLE
The Enderby Group is pleased to have the international expert on the Atlantic Cable on their committee - but he rarely comes to meetings, after all, he does live in New York.
Bill has however written an article of great interest in the TICCIH - The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage - Bulletin (No.78 4th Quarter 2017). The link is http://ticcih.org/bulletin-78-published/ but as you will see you won't be able to read it unless you join TICCIH
Basically the article is about the stations at the two ends of the cable - Heart's Content and Valentia - and Bill talks about the history of the cable, what is remains, and the current World Heritage site bid.
Bill - if you read this - can you let us have a version we could publish here????
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SECRET GREENWICH
We have had a prior sight of David Ramzan's new book 'Secret Greenwich'. Obviously, this is about all sorts of things, but does include some industry. Perhaps one of the strengths of the book is that industry turns up under a number of subject headings, and makes it part of Greenwich and society in general. The book is good on football - which is, of course, one of David's enthusiams, and, as a member of the Enderby Group, he has added in some good pictures and stuff about the cables. And it looks to be really good Christmas presenty material!
I am not aware what the publication details are, although I know some shops in Greenwich have had advance copies - and I await instructions from David on cost, etc. It is published by Amberley and the cover price is £14.99
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