Enderby House, Lay Lines, ourTelecom's Heritage - and what's going on??

The Enderby Group has been refurbishing its web site - and adding a page about the new sculpture which is standing outside of Enderby House.  Here's the link - https://enderbywharf.wordpress.com/sculpture-lay-lines/

Now this raises a number of issues - but before that, what is the current situation at listed riverside Enderby House??

The house has been stabilised, renovated and made to look good on the outside and an extension built.  Doing this was a condition of the planning consent for the flats, etc. The developer brought in a firm of conservation architects to do the work to the satisfaction of inspections by Greenwich Conservation staff and Historic England.  BUT the inside of the house is still in a very rough state although thoroughly dried out and with some essential replacement of rotted or damaged elements. In short, ready for a tenant's fit-out.


Barratts - who, people may remember, were not the original developer,  were never particularly forthcoming about their plans for the future of the house . However all the indications were that the intended end use was for licensed premises and that any hopes the Enderby Group had for something different were not up for discussion.  We were eventually given to understand that a lease on Enderby use was being offered to Youngs brewery. As they began to prepare a licensing application for a public house there, a number of events on the Riverside nearby made this more problematic. Hopstuff were refused a licence for a bar at Riverside Gardens following public protests and we understands that people on Ballast Quay have been complaining about issues around the very old established Cutty Sark pub. Youngs do however have a reputation as extremely responsible pub managers.

The Council has granted a licence to Youngs for a public house at Enderbys but with a good many restrictions on outside and riverside drinking in order to meet concerns raised by residents in the flats around the house.   Before it can open there is a great deal of work to done on the interior of the house and we look forward to hearing what that will be. In the meantime Enderby Group has met with Youngs and the Council and hopes to continue to talk to Youngs about issues around the use of the house in addition to its use as a bar/restaurant  establishment to provide something for the new community growing up around it and also an reflect our concerns about the unique telecoms heritage here.

Having said all that - back to Lay Lines and the Riverside generally  - issues raised -

Lay Lines has been built because the installation of an artwork was part of the planning consent. So ....

• We understand that similar requirements are in place for The Telegraph Works and Morden Wharf South but are there  similar requirement on other Riverside sites and developers?
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• What plans do organisations like  Visit Greenwich have to publicise such works?
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• Are there plans to link this work with those installed via the Now Gallery by Knight Dragon.

Enderby Group members - Stewart Ash in particular - have worked hard to help with this project to fruition and to ensure the historical information is accurate.  One feature of it is the QR tags which will provides online interpretation of sites.

• This sort of scheme could be extended around the Riverside on the Greenwich Peninsula. 

QR tag used at Enderbys

• What is being done by the Heritage Trust and Visit Greenwich to achieve this??

• Will they work with the Enderby Group and use their in depth historical knowledge and experience.
• And of course all the other Riverside sites in Greenwich between Deptford and Thamesmead 

Meanwhile we have some news of how our work on Greenwich's telecoms heritage is progressing:.

Issue 104 of SubTel Forum has now been published.   https://subtelforum.com/products/subtel-forum-magazine/

Stewart tells us that his article on John Pender and Daniel Gooch is on pages 48-53, which includes a brief description of Lay Lines.  There is also a short article by Bill Burns on pages 24-25(who runs http://atlantic-cable.com/)

 He is also speaking about John Pender to the Bromley Chapter of retired Institute of Engineering & Technology at Bromley Central Library on 5 March 2019

and also at the Greater Manchester Archeological Festival 2019: Telecommunications Heritage Conference http://www.engagingwithcommunications.com/events/salford_telecoms_heritage_conference.html   on Saturday 22 June 2019