LETTERS
September 2003
From Ted Barr
I am enclosing a cutting from Engineering News Tuesday, April
30h 1963 - That was the Greenwich that was (and
I knew) Weighs 90 tons - 500 ton press
built in London Works
Dished and flanged ends up to 9ft in diameter will be
pressed on a 500 ton down stroking press now being built and nearing completion
at the Greenwich works of G. A Harvey and
Company London Ltd. The press has
a stroke of 3ft 6 ins. with daylight 8ft.
With their extensive facilities for the manufacture of heavy welded
structures, Harvey’s were able to fabricate, machine and erect all parts of the
press in their own workshops. Overall height
of the machine, which weighs 90 tons is
25ft 6 ins and the clearance of columns is 11ft 10 in
From Iris Bryce
I feel
I must write to let you know that at last a
long time dream has come true - I have seen the inside of Enderby House. A few weeks ago I was given a tour of
Alcatel, arranged by Steve Hill, Technical Director. However the highlight of
the visit was for me to once again go into my old place of work in the 1940s -
the Buying Department. This was in the house by the side of Enderby House - The
one described in Mary Mills Greenwich Marsh book. with the Gutta Percha Leaves
and cable decor above the door and windows. As a lowly filing clerk in 1942. I
was not allowed in Enderby house - that
was the Dining Room for the Directors. Managers and Heads of Departments. My son in law accompanied me on Tuesday and
has taken some photos of the hexagonal room with its wonderful glass ceiling --
we were told that a compass is somewhere in the design of it but to date no one
seems to have found It. Do you know anything about this? If any of the photos
are suitable would you like copies? I was given two books as a memento of my
day - one is by Stewart Ash 50th Anniversary, From Elekktron - E Commerce, The
50 Years of Laying Submarine Cables. And the other one is by Steve Hill and
Alan Jeal Greenwich, Centre for Global Telecommunications from 1850. I’ve worked out that my visit was almost 60
years to the day I left the Telcon in 1943 - and found myself in the A.T.S.
within the next 6 weeks.
From Angela Smith.
I don’t know whether this enquiry will
come within the scope of Industrial History. We are trying to trace the history
of George Mence Smith. He owned a chain of hardware shops in London and the
South East in the mid/late 1800s. He was born in 1819 in Shadwell and died
1895, leaving a considerable fortune. We have recently found that he was
resident some time after his 1st marriage in 1846 in Woolwich, possibly
Beresford Square, before moving to Bexleyheath. Our interest would be to find
out two things firstly where he was living in Woolwich from 1846 to possibly
1860 and also if there were any of his stores in Woolwich. Would this come
within your scope?
From Lionhouse.
I can hardly believe my eyes - a treasure
trove of information on your web site. WOW. Wonderful. You say we can add to it
.........well! John Bennett was baptized in St Alphage Greenwich in 1786. He was
the son of George Bennett. milkman and Susanna (Wicks) who were married in St
Pauls Deptford in 1781. John, somehow, became a watch and clockmaker and is
recorded in Baillie & Loomis Watch and
Clockmakers of the World, along with his widow. His death is recorded as St
Alphage. 1828 and his Hill was proved in 1829. Elizabeth Sinnock Bennett, and
sons George Weldon Bennett and William Cox Bennett were working in the
Greenwich, Woolwich, Blackheath and Lee areas between 1814 and 1866. In the 1841
Census for Stockwell Road, Elizabeth Bennett, widow, and her two sons
William and John are described as Goldsmiths. In 1851 and 186 they lived in 9 Osborne Place, Blackheath I
hope this qualifies me, both on an industrial scale and as a descendant of
Goldsmiths. To join the society and I have sent 1 0 to Steve Dale at Shooters Hill today.
Anyone who can link the above to the earlier watch and clockmaker .Bennetts of
Greenwich. I.e. George working 1802 -11 or George working free of the
Clockmakers Company in London in 1702 -
22 I would love to hear from you
From Kevin Jones.
I am an archaeologist with the New Zealand
Dept of Conservation. I have been
working on the Auckland Islands (south of NZ) where the Enderbys set up a
colony under the aegis of the Southem Right Whale Fishery Company. I have been
working on mapping the remains of that settlement. At a later date we would be
pleased to offer a note for your newsletter. In the meantime I would be interested to make contact with y
Enderby scholars and to visit and photograph some landmarks in Greenwich.
From Corin Mills.
I have just finished reading Mary Mills
book Greenwich and Woolwich at Work which I found absorbing. My great great grandfather was born in
Manchester. and eventually settled in Plumstead to work as an iron turner at the
Royal Arsenal. On page 56 of your book is a photograph with a mystery. As an ex
metalwork teacher I think I can answer some of the questions. I believe this is
the area where small castings were broken out of the boxes of sand in which they
were cast. You will note that the platform is raised off the ground and I think
that the men are standing on a mesh so that the sand is sifted as it falls
through. When the casting is clear of the sand the sprues, runners and risers which carry the molten metal to the cavity in
the sand are broken off and these are visible in small heaps. As anybody who
has done metal casting will know small pieces of metal put into a large furnace
will burn rather than melt so they will be put into a small crucible for
melting down and reuse. There are a number of these crucibles at the extreme left
edge of the photograph. In the extreme foreground is a pair of crucible tongs for lifting these out of the furnace
and one of the men is holding another pair. The molten metal would then be
poured into ingot moulds and these are the four square boxes on the Floor. The
ingots would then be added to the main furnace you can see some piles of these
ingots. The wheeled implements, I think, might be used for transport of the
crucibles from the furnace, but I can’t see the working ends. These might also
be used for moving the ingot boxes around. A fining pot is defined as a vessel for
refining metal. Fines are small pieces of waste metal and can go down in size
to the microscopic i.e. metal particles
in suspension in old motor oil . I hope you
find this useful. Picture on page 57:
These cartridges are being produced by the method of deep drawing . If you follow the link you’ll find a fair
description of the process. Even though it has been modernised the process uses
the same principles that held in 1914. The machines that the men are working
are obviously hydraulic presses and not
metal spinning machines. Metal spinning can produce the same shape as deep drawing.
I don’t think the cylinders in the foreground are solid - you can just make out striations along the
length of them produced by the process of deep drawing. The closed end is slightly flared or flanged, so keeping the cartridge
casing in the breech of the gun when the shell is expelled. The flat pieces of
metal that you call blanks are, I think,
too thick for drawing and might be a red
herring
From Roy Kipp.
I would like to research the tools and
processes used by The UK to manufacture large ordnance from about 1880 . (i.e.
the end of the RML era) into the early 1900s (pre WWl). Your organisation came
to my attention when I located Your March 2001 newsletter on the Web, in which
Nicholas Hall references an article he prepared for the Royal Ordnance Yearbook on Blakeley and Vavasseur.
The shops associated with
Vavasseur. et al in the 1880s would be particularly interesting. Could you
offer a recommendation on how I should proceed from across the pond in Texas.
From Jackie Settle.
In a previous issue you published an article
about Wheen the soap manufacturers based in Deptford Creek. I am interested as
Emma Wheen daughter of Richard married Samuel Berger. I am also a Berger
descendant and I am researching the Berger family -- Berger were the paint
manufacturers based in Hackney Wick.
From David Pitt.
Can you please tell me where to find information
regarding the lifts at either end of the Greenwich Foot Tunnels. I want to know
how these are operated and whether the current method of propulsion is the same
as when thee were built in 1902. As
circular lifts do they use giant
bearings all around
We asked the Greenwich Council Engineers about this and they
replied. “The existing lifts were installed in 1992 and are similar to the
original lift. The wood panelling was
re-used although the new lifts are slightly smaller, in keeping with the
British Standard requirements. They operate in a similar fashion to the
originals with new electric motors and wire ropes at the top of the lift shaft.
The lifts run up guide rails and do not have circular bearings, the lift cars
being restrained at three points. The only major change between new and
old lifts is the replacement of the
sliding grille doors for solid doors. This was a safety requirement.
From Tim Geyer.
I am
seeking information on Appleby Bros. What
we know is they had offices at 80 Cannon
St, London and Works at Greenwich. Old Bessemer site. And may have later become Jessop Appleby . We have
the only remaining Steam operated Beam
Engine made by Appleby Bros 1883, left in
the southern hemisphere, possibly wider,
and are gathering information as part of the engine’s story . The engine is
fully operational and still in its original pump house, on the banks of the Wollondilly
River, Holbom NSW. Australia. The site is now a museum, run by volunteers under the banner of Friends of the
Waterworks Museum. Anything you may be able
to assist with would be very helpful
From Lynn Hampson.
I have only just read Issue 1, Volume 4 in January 2001 where you printed a letter from Angela
Pascoe who mentioned that she was related to Robert Simpson. Proprietor of the
Ship Hotel. Greenwich. I am too! My
father. Stan Shore grew up in Greenwich (as did my mother Marguerite Longman)
and my paternal grandmother was Ann Simpson, daughter of Robert Simpson. My parents, now mid 80s, know a lot about Greenwich
and would no doubt be delighted to tell you
any of their stories
From Ken Smith.
I am enquiring into the possibility of finding any list that may exist of the
names of Thames River Pilots during the middle to late 1800s and of any pilots that may have drowned in the Thames.
From Roger Bone.
I read the small article by Ted Barr in the May 2001 issue 3. Volume 4 of
the GIHS on the net regarding Harrison Barbers
slaughter house in Blackwall Lane and remembered that my Great Grandfather
Robert James Oak was manager at the Blackwall Lane Depot in the 1890s. My
Grandfather described to me when I was a boy , what it was like to live on the
premises. I believe the house was called Holmesdale . My Grandfather took me to see the old place in 1960.
It was a laundry then. Sadly I did not lake any photos. If you have any more information I would be very interested
From Justin Dix.
I have
hundreds of old pictures of Woolwich rescued from a skip where my Stepfather
had thrown them. One example -- a cinema - pencilled on the back is last night
of the Empire Kinema in Woolwich 1st October 1960. Another is of the Woolwich
Ferry in 1961. Don’t know if these Interest
you
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