The big news in the world of Greenwich history is the sudden
closure last week of the Greenwich archive and the Heritage Centre. Although this was scheduled it was not
expected to be so sudden and promises for the future are not very clear. The archive is overwhelmingly important to
local historians and indeed to visitors who may be from overseas or students working
to a deadline.
As a result of this is that within the past week or so a Greenwich Archive
Users Forum has emerged. At the moment this is a very ad hoc body. Last night some members went to the Greenwich
Planning Board meeting where some of the buildings proposed for a new cultural
centre on the Arsenal site were discussed. They hoped to draw attention to the
issues around the archive and hopefully this happened.
The Group is keen to build up support among archive users
and groups with members who use it.
Please get in touch if you would like to go on the supporters
list (e.pearcey@gmail.com) and hopefully
we will have news of the current situation in due course.
The archive belongs to the Council
but has been managed for some years by the Greenwich Heritage Trust - and we
are hoping to meet them as soon as possible
The campaign on the East Greenwich Gas Holder continues - the
petition is still open and still growing.
They hope to meet planning officers along with Southern Gas Networks
staff soon. Peter and Mary met Cllr
Sizwe James on this recently and he has been extremely helpful. Cllr Nigel
Fletcher has also been asking a lot of the right questions and we understand the
Council has written to SGN.
Last week a group of us were taken out to dinner at the
Greenwich Kitchen (very nice) on the Peninsula by Malcolm Tucker - who is the
great expert on gasholders. This was to welcome to London Barbara Berger whose PhD
from Munich University features our amazing gas holder.
In a different subject area - among the experts who Malcolm
had invited were people from the History of Structural Engineering Group and we
took them to see some features of the Peninsula – including the Pilot and
cottages. They commented that the cottages must be built on a ridge of gravel
in order for them to have stood so firmly over the past 218 years. This is now being investigated.
Bell
Green
We
understand that the gasholders at Bell Green which Lewisham Council locally
listed are now facing the same fate as our East Greenwich holder. SGN have got prior
approval of demolition from the Government and Lewisham Council have been
forced to agree a management programme for demolition. (told you, told you, local listing was useless). We look forward to hearing what more is happening
there.
Crossness Engines.
We have a copy of their latest newsletter which sadly on the
front page caries an obituary to Harry Collinson. More happily inside they
spotlight Langridge, father and son volunteers.
Crossness of course also had its problems with the big engine
house closed because of asbestos. They say a full survey has been undertaken and
they need £417,000 pounds in order to clear it. They are fundraising and meanwhile
trying to do their best to keep the show on the road
The valve house has now been opened and has an exhibition of
small engines- and they list the huge team of volunteers who worked to achieve this.
Finally they announce a grant of £29,800 to allow them to
buy locomotive Busy Basil for their future Rang Railway.
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There is an article by Allan Green in the Subtel Forum (https://subtelforum.com/products/subtel-forum-magazine/
on Enderby Wharf. This is a copy of a
paper Allan gave to a conference in 2004 and is thus out of date in some
details. It is however a major article from a major author on the subject and
we would very much commend it to readers.
Our
wonderful gas holder was highlighted by feature writer Jane Shilling - who
lives in Greenwich - in the Daily Telegraph on the 18th of June this
year. Thanks Jane
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Woodlands Farm
We
understand the farm held an event on the Great War and the effect on farming
particularly in the Welling area. Happy to hear more details of this from the
farm - please let us know.
GLIAS Newsletter
Great to see pictures – actually coloured pictures - in the
newsletter. We understand however that this may be costing more than is
economically reasonable. GLIAS is therefore looking to produce an electronic
version – if you would like to get this email gdpr@glias.org.uk
GLIAS advertises walks – book via walks@glias.org.uk
- on 13 September around Park Royal and Old Oak
- on 6th of October around London Bridge and Bermondsey
They are also rescheduling the GLIAS visit to Morden College
– the Blackheath based charity which has an amazing archive of local industrialised
area. This will be on 25th
September and places need to be booked before the 21st September (d.perrett647@btinternet.com)
With reference to Greenwich –
- the newsletter features an article by our Richard Buchanan about trends in electrical transformers (but not those in Greenwich)
- An article by Bob Carr on Greenwich Town hall (that’s GREENWICH Town Hall) giving some details of its modernist architecture. It there the Greenwich activists who have suggested that it would make a good museum of history of Greenwich as a town with an industrial and civic history – apart from Henry VIII and the navy
- Bob has also highlighted the refitting into an old diesel engine dust cart with a low noise zero emission eRCV by the Borough of Greenwich – which will also give the vehicle a much longer life.
Finally and sadly the newsletter
includes an obituary for Sue Hayton who was one of the mainstays of the GLIAS committee
since the early seventies. She was yet another alumnus of Denis Smith’s Goldsmiths
College course. She had been responsible for the membership of GLIAS from its
outset and also worked on the printing and production of the newsletter. She is
a great loss to the society. Condolences to Danny, Alice, Barbara and of
course, little Sid.
A recent visit to the site of Betteshanger Colliery, near Deal
in Kent. involved a discussion about the
opening of the Kent Miners Museum there next March. We were told that in their archive is an address
list of families in Greenwich and put up Kent miners in the 1980s strike - some
will remember that well. It would be good
if people in Greenwich were able to send their memories of the Kent Miners to
compliment this archive and will be happy to forward anything should anybody send
in.
