Reviews and snippets March 2003
BLACKHEATH SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY
At a recent meeting
of the Blackheath Scientific Society, Mr. Cantle brought a piece of Pluto
pipeline used in World War Two, and spoke briefly about it. The sample was of
3" bore lead pipe, with double steel tape round it, armoured with
galvanised steel wire, and covered in tar impregnated hessian tape. This was
designed at Siemens in Woolwich, and derived from lead sheathed power cable
without the cable. With the assistance of other cable companies, it was
manufactured in lengths of 35 miles for laying between Dungeness and the Pas de
Calais (11 pipelines) and 70 miles for laying between the Isle of Wight and
Cherbourg (2 pipelines), using specially adapted merchant ships. After the war
the pipelines were recovered, because of their hazard and for their scrap
value.
THE GREAT STINK.
Channel 5 recently showed a programme, The Great Stink, which featured
Crossness Sewage Works – and the Crossness Engines Trust. Here’s what the
Winter 2002 edition of Crossness Record, had to say about it:
The 'Great Stink', made for Channel 5 and presented by Peter Bazalgette,
the Trust Chainman, was very informative to the layman but 'bread and butter'
to the volunteer Trust member, who has a weekly opportunity to become
re-acquainted with the consumption of the previous day. It told the story of
London's sewage disposal or principally its transportation from one sensitive
location to the great Cathedral of sewage - Crossness.
An interesting programme which involves every member of the public, full
of facts and well presented . . .although the presenter, after wading in
sewage, manure and visiting cess-pits, latrines and public conveniences,
complete with illustrations on the wall, managed to keep his shoes so clean.
However, he found it necessary to don protective clothing, safety harness and
breathing apparatus in order to descend into a main northern sewer, which was
large enough to accommodate a single-decker bus, and enthuse over its
construction and brick-work built with Portland cement. This must have dulled
the olfactory sense as he seemed unaffected by the odour and the sensation of
cold, wet sewage flowing past his knees with the fear that his boots would not
be high enough to prevent the flow going over the top.
Unfortunately, although Crossness was mentioned it was not a programme
which could give credit to Crossness Engines Trust. This would require a
separate programme, featuring the original construction by William Webster and
the recent restoration, supported by the Trust members. This would be an epic
narrative of intrigue, expert knowledge and wonderful workmanship, together
with the daily lives of the management and workers: the muscular artisans in
their tight moleskin breeches, swigging the velvet brew in the Halfway House,
attended by camp followers and buxom wenches from the surrounding hamlets: what
was the purpose of the pulley at the top of the column ? Why the bath, large
enough for two in the condenser chamber ? Who attended, and took advantage of
being screened from the public eye, a riotous party in the candle-lit reservoir
? What was really kept under the stove pipe hats ? All this, including the
secret formula for obtaining 90° proof spirit from Brasso …and more can be
revealed. GJO
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The Docklands Light Railway.
We welcome the Docklands Light Railway coming to Woolwich, but
unfortunately many listed buildings will be demolished during its construction.
All the buildings between the Woolwich Equitable Buildings and the
"Elephant and Castle" public house, including the Lloyds Bank
building will be demolished, at Greens End; and in Woolwich New Road all the
buildings from the Station to the corner of Spray Street, including the baker's
on the corner will go.
The "Pullman" pub, formerly the "Royal Oak", was of
course, where in October 1886 the Dial Square Football team changed its name to
"Woolwich Arsenal". This is the team that in 1913 moved to North
London and dropped the name of Woolwich. (We believe they still play somewhere
in North London!) Ironically the public inquiry into the Docklands Light
Railway proposals will be held in the Directors suite at Charlton Football
Stadium at the Valley SE7. This started on the 28th January, 2003, and anyone
may attend.
Susan Bullivant
(Writing
in the Newsletter of the Woolwich and District Antiquarian Society as the
Secretary of their Conservation sub-committee)
BYGONE KENT
The latest issue of Bygone Kent (Vol. 24 No.2.) contains an article by
Barbara Ludlow on Billingsgate Dock, Greenwich, the Story of an old Draw
Dock. This is a very important and interesting article.
In October GIHS Chair, Jack Vaughan, went to talk to
Rotherhithe and Bermondsey Local History Group on the:- The Royal Arsenal
at Woolwich. Here is what their
newsletter, Redriffe Chronicle, reported:
“The history of Woolwich Arsenal as a facility dates
back over 300 years, though records show the presence of ordnance facilities as
early as 1565. Jack commenced with a map showing the initial area size of the
establishment, then known as the Warren, a name which still persists in the
town centre of Woolwich today, only changing its name to the Arsenal at the
insistence of George the third in 1805. During WW1, at its peak, 80,000 were
employed within its extensive boundaries, appropriately described as a Secret
City, walled, guarded and self-sufficient, with its own railway system, both
narrow and standard gauges, power generation plants, with over 1000 buildings
of various sizes, wharves, canals, ships and housing for employees. Over the
centuries it evolved and adapted while possessing the capability to research,
manufacture and prove a vast range of armaments ranging from earliest forms of
cannon and shot, through to massive WW2 naval gunnery and field and tank
weaponry. The key feature of Jack’s talk centred on the Verbruggens, Dutch
Master Founders of the 1700s . A serious accident while casting
Malcolm Meachen
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