From
Sean Creighton
Agenda
Services Book Clearance Sale. Nights drawing in, Why not read a book instead of
watching TV?
[Agenda
Services specialise in political history – with an emphasis on local history in
South London].
From
Barry Taylor & Marcelo Olmedo, English Heritage.
As some of you already know the Greater
London Sites and Monuments Record (GLSMR) is a database of over 70,000 sites of
historic and archaeological interest across London's 33 boroughs. The last year
saw some changes to the office as new staff joined the team. Barry Taylor is
the new manager and Marcela Olmedo the assistant, and both are working hard
towards the objectives set for this year.
It is our aim to make the GLSMR, not only
a powerful tool for research and planning but also a way to encourage and
develop a greater understanding of the historic environment for everyone.
Our most important goal is to make the
GLSMR more accessible for our existing users and to encourage more people to
make use of the information we hold. We now use email to disseminate our data.
To receive information in this way please contact us at
smr@English-heritage.org.uk. In partnership with other heritage organisations
in London We have begun the first stages
of a project to put our database online. We are also looking into other ways of
delivering information using non-paper media such as CD-Rom. Finally we are considering distributing the
entire database to a number of organisations across Greater London and would
appreciate your comments on this. We are also planning to increase the both the
depth and scope of the GLSMR through a rolling strategy of data enhancement
projects. For this we invite you to propose areas where our data needs
enhancing, from which key areas for improvement will be highlighted and
subsequent projects designed. The first call for suggestions is now open and we
have set a deadline of March
We hope to have a close working
relationship with your organisation and will keep you updated of all the latest
changes and improvements. We will also have a new information leaflet ready by
the summer. We would, therefore, be grateful for any suggestions you may have
on the targeting of the GLSMR in your area and any ways in which we can improve
our service to you.
If the person who deals with these
matters or your address has changed then please let us know.
This will help us to keep our records up
to date.
I look forward to receiving your reply
and would like to thank you in advance for your co- operation. Please feel free
to contact us at anytime on the number below.
We have replied pointing out that their
officer met our committee some two years ago promising a scheme for us to
record industrial buildings in Greenwich – he never came up with the further
information and we have heard nothing since – what has happened?
From
Barry Bowdidge
Perhaps the Greenwich Industrial History
Society could provide or have some information on my family who were a group of prolific carpenter/joiners in
the Deptford Greenwich Borough in 1881. There were seven members who appear in
the 1881 census as carpenter/joiners.
181 Church Street, Deptford – father
William, and three sons Richard (21), John (16) William (23)
15 Eaton Street, Deptford – Joseph Bowdidge
(30)
11 Royal Naval Place, Deptford – Walter
Bowdidge (28)
70 Watergate, Deptford – John Bowdidge (30)
In addition my mothers maiden name was
Brome and we are descended from Lieutenant General Joseph Brome, Royal
Artillery, Woolwich. He started as a
drummer boy and his career spanned from 1751-1793. He died at Woolwich in 1796.
From Lesley Bossine (Kew Bridge Engines
Trust)
Thanks to the support of a private
benefactor we are currently restoring a horse gin used to lift well water on a
farm near Basingstoke. The main frame of the horse gin bears the inscription
‘J.Stone & Co. Engineers, Deptford’ – can anyone supply any information
about this company and it’s products, we are particularly keen to know whether
the manufacture of horse gins was a speciality.
We are also calling for papers for a
seminar to be held next year on Richard Trevithick.
From Myles Dove
RACHEL MCMILLAN COLLEGE SITE, CREEK ROAD,
DEPTFOED SE8.
I am writing about the proposed destruction of most of the buildings
on the Rachel McMillan.College site in Creek Road. The College was founded by Margaret McMillan
as a memorial to her sister Rachel for the work they did together for the
health and education of poor children in Deptford. Queen Mary,
great-grandmother of Prince Charles, formally opened the college building in
1950 and it happens to have a porch with classical columns of which he might
approve. The halls of residence added at the eastern end of the site by ILEA
architects were more carefully detailed.
From Tim Smith,
I came across this yesterday in Nicholas
Owen’s Book ‘History of the British Trolleybus, (1974). In 4th September 1897 a most
intriguing reference had appeared in the Autocar to an electric omnibus
supplied with current from an overhead wire. The surprising element is that the
trials were apparently being made on a quarter mile run in Greenwich, south
London, but all records of such an event have disappeared;’ – any ideas???
From Mike
Neill, Project Officer, Greenwich Heritage Centre.
The Woolwich
Kiln will soon need to be moved from its present site to an area of the site
adjacent to the proposed Greenwich Heritage Centre. We will need to have a look
to ensure no damage has occurred, so this may be a good opportunity to
see what the state of things are.
On a
slightly different issue, we opened up the undercroft and roof of the Charlton
House summerhouse yesterday to check for condition etc. before the imminent paving works. I've posted photos and
a few notes at
Editorial
Note: this really is a super web site about the underground workings and
architecture of the ‘Inigo Jones public toilets’ at Charlton House.
From Jeremy
Shearmur, Parks & Open Spaces Dept
Your web site
contains somewhere reference to the "convicts flower" or red dead nettle. Can you give any information
on this as I am trying to make a
botanical identification of this plant. This is part of the research for the new park Royal Arsenal
Gardens.
From: J G Walker
My name is Jim
Walker, I am a widower living in Yanakie
which is at the southern most point of Victoria, Australia.In 1943 I
started work as an apprentice with a company named Robison Brothers & Company Pty Ltd of Melbourne.
Robison Bros commenced business in 1854 and closed for business in 1973 and
were pioneers in the engineering history of Australia. In my old age I am attempting to compile a history
of this great company which may be of
future use to some industrial archaeologists.
At this time I am researching the following: In 1878 a contract for the supply of a steam
launch between Robison Brothers &
Company and The Melbourne Harbor Trust Commissioners was initiated. The launch was to be 50' long x
10'6" breadth x 5'6" deep. In
general terms the launch was to be used as work boat around Melbourne's harbor facilities. Included in the specifications was for
Robison Brothers to install for fire
protection purposes a
Merryweather & Sons Improved patent single cylinder steam fire
engine No (b-h-6) ( Stationary engine for launch). Reference to
the pump is shown in Merryweather &
Sons - Book 1874 - page 11. ( I hope the
No ( b-h-6 ) is correct) I am hoping
Mary that your Society or some person or organization may have a copy of the
Merryweather & Sons - Book, from which a photocopy could be taken, if I
could obtain a copy I would be very grateful, the added information would
enhance my notes and give those that
view the notes an indication of the quality of fire protection equipment that
was available over 120 years ago.
From Sue
My family are all ex-Woolwichies and my
parents are currently living in a Somerset village called Woolavington. This is
close to a Royal Ordnance Factory site. During recent clearance of the village
hall (which was once the ROF social club) a large photo was found of some
policemen posing in front of a rather grand building, it has a Woolwich
photographer's stamp on the back. Woolavington have put a copy of this photo on
their website and asked for help in tracing its history. My parents think the
building could be the old town hall but there the connection seems to end. Can
you cast any light on this please?
Many thanks for
any help you can give on this, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your website and
will join up
I am also
passing your details to a friend who owns one of the very first Merryweathers
(it's in his garden shed!!), I'm sure he'll be most interested.
From Richard Menari
Whilst
researching my family tree, I came across a reference to a public house called
The Railway Tavern in Hamilton Street Deptford. Apparently one of my ancestors
namely a Mr Duncan Jenkins was the publican of this establishment in the 1880s,
I believe the pub has long since gone but was once a regular meeting place for
the dockers who worked in the area. I would be grateful for any information
regarding the above, would particularly like to obtain a photo of this public
house if
anyone has
one.
From:
Annerley
I am wondering if you can help me.
My husband's Great Grandfather is believed to have had a
timberyard/sawmill on the Thames at Deptford. His name was James Coppell/Copple
(m Emma Gidley). His dates are b 1850c, married at Wandsworth 1884, d 1900c.
Apparently his funeral procession went down the Thames. With these basic details I am having problems
confirming where his business premises were. I was just wondering if you may
have come across his name in your historical studies. I have found your site very interesting.
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