Exhibition on MAUDSLAY SON AND FIELD, ENGINEERING PIONEERS at Kew Bridge Engines, Green Dragon Lane,
Brentford, Middlesex TW8. – will run until 30th September. It
features not only Maudslay but also a photo of our own Jack Vaughan, and Alan
Pearsall – plus some very complimentary things about Jack.
The Woodlands Farm
Trust Newsletter
Woodland’s Farm Newsletter for summer 2001
gives bad news about the effect of both constant rain and foot and mouth
disease on work at the farm. Things are
improving though and sheep shearing has gone on regardless. They continue to call for volunteers –
particularly to pull ragwort!
GLIAS Newsletter
The August 2001 edition contains notes
about the Crossness Open Day and the opening of Firepower (already reported by
us!). And information about the Royal
Iris, berthed at the Thames Barrier,
Industrial
Archaeology News
Autumn 2001 edition gives information about
the Royal Iris – berthed at the Thames Barrier – in a letter from Bob Carr.
Newcomen Society
Bulletin
Has been asking for information about the
Great Wheel at Earls Court – which some have claimed was built by Maudslay Son
and Field in Greenwich. The replies
given in this issue (August 2001) suggest otherwise. Robert Bossing writes to say that the axle
only was made by Maudslay (but not at which of their works). The ironwork was made by William Arrol and
the carriages by Brown Marshall of Birmingham.
Paul Calvocoressi repeats this information – and since he is one of our
members – perhaps he could comment on which Maudslay works was likely to be the
site of the axle manufacture, and if Arrol might have had anything to do with
the Greenwich based Appleby Works (next door to Maudslay in this period, and
associated with Arrol).
Bygone Kent
The July 2001 issue contains an article of
interest to Greenwich historians. This is Part 2 of Mary Mills’ series for
Bygone Kent on copperas manufacture in Deptford and Greenwich. This describes work at the Deptford works in
the mid-17th century and the founding of the Deptford Works by
Nicholas Crispe. It goes on to discuss
the possible ownership and operation of sites on the Greenwich bank of Deptford
Creek and on the Peninsula.
The August 2001 issue contains several
articles of interest to Greenwich historians – one by R.B.Parish details ‘Some
Follies of the Weald, Central and South Kent’. In this he mentions the Rotunda on Woolwich
Common ‘remarkable’ and asks the whereabouts of ‘the tower of an underground
church – a shaft constructed for a sewer’ which was somewhere in Eltham.
An article by Bernard Brown is ‘All Change
at Greenwich. Or the 'Blackheath Omnibus’.
This is about Stephen Scudds, coach and fly proprietor of Eltham who
initiated a coach service from the new Greenwich Railway Station to St.Mary
Cray via Eltham and Foots Cray in 1838.
This was extended over the year to other local services based on meeting
travellers by train from London who wished to continue into suburbs yet not
served by train. Eventually the
business failed and Tilling became the predominant omnibus provider in the
district.
Finally, Mary Mills has contributed the
third in her series of articles about Greenwich and Deptford Copperas. This
article is based on the diary of Elizabeth Pearson, sister of the owner of the
Deptford and Greenwich copperas works in the early nineteenth century. It
describes some of the entries in her diary with relation to copperas works in
the area and to her life in Greenwich before 1820.
Redriff Chronicle
The Summer 2001 issue contains several
articles of interest to Greenwich industrial historians. First, there is a
resume of the talk given to the Society by Peter Gurnett on Stones. Peter has
also given this talk to GIHS in the past and, as Redriffe Chronicle points out,
those wishing to read more should look at Peter’s account in the Lewisham
History Society Journal for 1986/7 pps 6-46.
Another article by Mary Mills is about the previous history of the old
Molins Site in Deptford and describes the Torr family factory which stood on
the site previously (Torr were animal charcoal makers). An article by Peter Gurnett and Malcolm
Meachen describes Captain Taylor and his Museum in Amersham Grove.
Historic
Gas Times
The
September 2001 edition contains a letter about East Greenwich Gas Works
(reproduced below) and also another article from Mary Mills on ‘A
Phantasmagoria and Mount Etna – on stage'.
If you want to know what it is about you will have to ask me. There is also a response to a previous
article from Brian Sturt which details some buildings built on local gas works.
He gives particular details of the amazing sulphate store at Phoenix Wharf
Greenwich, completed in 1955 ‘This was designed to protect 10,000 tons of
ammonium sulphate and has a near parabolic concrete roof of 60 foot span and
rise of 66 feet. The building was demolished just as the world outside was
beginning to realise its architectural significance.
Biography of
Stephen Lawrence
While not being industrial this little book
is of great local importance. It is by
Verna Allette Wilkins,
Lewisham Local
Studies and Archives Newsletter.
This gives details of ‘Ideal Homes –
Suburbia in Focus’ – a website funded by the New Opportunities Fund which will
chart suburban development in South East London. It will include detailed studies of
Blackheath and Deptford New Town.
Lewisham Local
History Society Newsletter
Gives details of ‘Lewisham Voices’ a
project set up with the Museum of London and Lewisham Libraries. This will use
digital technology to produced instance images of people and places and leave
an interactive record of thoughts, feelings and life experiences of a cross
section of the community.
Holiday Geology
Guide - Greenwich
This glossy fold out leaflet is one of the
most exciting things to turn up for a long time. It is basically a discussion of the stone
work and its relevance in the World Heritage Site area of Greenwich. This is a geologist’s look at the tourist
quarter! It tells us for instance that
the Bellot Memorial is made of ‘Peterhead Granite with paler granite (aplige)
veins and small darker patches of hethens
of included Highland Rock. It
illustrates ‘shrimp burrows’ on the Wolf Statue and shows us how in the Royal
Naval College Chapel is ‘remarkable for its geological deception’ Portland
Stone and Cornish Granite are only used where they show – the statues are all
cheaper Coade Stone and the Sienna Marble columns are paintings on a papier
mache base (you can tell the fake bits by tapping). This wonderful little leaflet is available
from the British Geological Survey
The Magic of Hot Water.
The latest illustrated guide to come from
Andrews Water Heaters – in reality extracts from Paul Yunnie’s collection of
pictures and leaflets about his favourite subject – hot water. At £5 this is
terrific value for 138 pages and a great picture on every one.
Kent Underground
Research Group Newsletter
The newsletter features the following story
about Abbey Wood – ‘Sand Mine, Abbey Wood’ by Nesta Caiger …. On Friday 8th
June 1001 KURG investigated a small sand mine in the back garden of 18 Old Park
Road. A short adit had been dug into the
sand and it seemed clear that there was another short adit close by which was
inaccessible. This was due to a vast collapse of walls and rock – garden debris
from a landscaped part of the garden.
The adit had been driven straight into the sand level and measured about
8 ft by 6 ins in length, 4ft 6ins wide.
Pick marks were seen on the walls but the original floor level was
unknown, due to the fill of earth – so the roof level above the investigators
was only about 4 ft. A probe with a pole was made to try and estimatge where
the second small mine could have been and a somewhat limited void was
found. The owner of the house which had
been built in the 1930s on land known to have been part of ‘Cook’s Farm’ was a
Mr. John Davis.
AGE EXCHANGE
Has set up a scheme for legacies and
donations. Age Exchange was founded in 1983 as a professional theatre company
mounting original productions based on older people’s local reminiscences. The Reminiscence Centre in Blackheath Village
opened in 1987 and has 30,000 visitors a year.
ASSOCIATION
FOR INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Dr. Mary
Mills has been elected to the Council of the Association of Industrial
Archaeology – a national organisation based in Ironbridge.
GREENWICH
RIVERSIDE PATH
Rumour has
it that the path round the Dome is to open to the public on 17th
September.
THAMES
AND WATERWAYS STAKEHOLDERS FORUM
This new
organisation began with a flourish
LIFE AT EAST
GREENWICH GAS WORKS
This article is from Tony
Coles, Grange over Sands and is reprinted from Historic Gas Times, with their
permission
I am writing this
sat at a leather topped oak desk made by the Chippies at East Greenwich Gas
Works pre-1958 and bought for £1.50!
I started in 1956
at Old Kent Road Gas Works, then went to Sydenham Gas Works and then East
Greenwich Gas Works. Nothing much had changed!
I do miss the characters. The
Station Engineer at East Greenwich - not a Colonel, but ‘God' was referred to
as ‘Kipper’. I was told not to let him
hear you say it, as it was 'gutless and two faced’.
Some time in 1963
I was a Gas Engineering Assistant at East Greenwich, after graduating. I was relief Shift Controller (paid at the
rate of £1,200 when acting!) £870 basic salary. Early on, I had to do a couple
of shifts on my own as my mentor Fred Page had a car accident and was off.
First, round the
works - I went to no 1 CWG plant - a great cavernous building containing eight
Humpheries and Glasgow CWG units. These
were set up for naphtha (petrol in effect) reforming. I wandered up to the first floor where the
foreman's office was located - one Ernie Low an ex-serviceman in his
forties. He said ‘Tony do you want tea?'
- dare I refuse! I said that I had seen in the Shift Log that the naphtha
control valve was faulty on No 1 unit and that it was shut down on standby. (Replacement of the valve required that it was isolated, steamed out to remove all
traces of naphtha with a full permit to work issued by an authorised person.) I
said ‘I think we had better get the shift process fitter and instrument
technician to replace the control valve’ and that I would give a permit. Ernie
said ‘Can you do this Mr. Coles?’ I said ‘We can't let the plant stay out of
action’. Ernie then said ‘Can you give a
permit, sir?’ I said ‘Well I will have to. I can't leave the unit off.’ Ernie
then said ‘You had better put a note in my book, SIR! You are the Engineer - on
your head be it!’ I then said ‘You may be right we will leave it for the next
shift!’ Ernie then said ‘How about that cup of tea Tony’.
The postscript is
that on the Tuesday (it was a Bank Holiday) I came in on days and was
instructed to see the Deputy Station Engineer, Fred Cope. After the regular
wait of ten minutes in the corridor outside his office - I was summoned in and
was asked in no uncertain way why I had left a CWG plant unavailable on a Saturday
Night? This plant was important! I answered that I could not issue a permit
since I was not yet authorised so to do.
Fred Cope then
reached into his drawer and ceremoniously gave me a completed form of
authorisation to issue work permits. Had I issued a fudged permit then I would
have been dressed down and left under supervision for several more weeks! I did thank Ernie!
Angerstein
Railway
By Andrew Turner
The Angerstein
branch has always operated as a freight only line, but occasionally
enthusiasts' passenger trains have ventured onto the line. One such ran in July and I took the
opportunity to join it and see the area from a different angle.
The tour first visited two other branches
once associated with Thames river traffic - the truncated former GWR line to
Brentford and the line to Thames Haven in Essex. From the latter, it made a leisurely run to
Charlton, where we turned off onto the Angerstein branch. After curving past the former signal works
and passing under the Greenwich line, the train paused for a few minutes before
continuing along the embankment and crossing over the Woolwich Road. Just before Bugsby Way, the line splits with
the section straight ahead now forming part of a run round loop. The train took the other line, passing a WW2
pillbox and crossing Bugsby Way on the eastern bridge. Beyond this is a largely vacant area, once
presumably covered by sidings. We
continued across this and finally came to a halt about 250m from the River,
just short of the covered discharge shed used by Aggregate Industries. This receives incoming stone by train from
Leicestershire for local distribution.
To the east, another siding runs to Tarmac's loading point, where
dredged gravel and sand are loaded for distribution by rail to several
locations in the London area. The
various items of plant and machinery on the site restricted the view forward
and made it difficult to understand the overall layout of the various works. After a stay of a few minutes, the train set
off back along the branch and returned to central London.
SciTech 2001
11 am to 4 p.m. at Crown
Woods School, Riefield Road, Eltham SE9
A unique event designed to celebrate the role of science and technology
in society - past, present and future. A
fantastic day out that will include lectures, exhibits, and demonstrations,
with a few extras (crafts, entertainment and refreshments) to make sure there
will be something to appeal to everyone in the family. Incorporates 9th Annual Car and Vehicle
Show. Free parking at Avery Hill campus.
Greenwich Industrial History Society
will need help on our stall. .
__________________
SWIFTSTONE
LATEST
REPORT AND ADVENTURES of a newly
preserved tug
June - Nothing happens for ages and then suddenly
it all comes at once!! The Swiftstone finally transferred to us officially on
June 1st 2001. She was close to the action though on barge race day, moored on
the roads off Wood Wharf at Greenwich... and we have since moved her onto the
foreshore and started to really get to know 'the old girl'. It was an amazing manoeuvre, repositioning
the roads' anchor, getting her up on the foreshore (without crashing into the
wharf!) and securing her with a web of ropes & chains. A wonderful day and
thanks go to everyone involved
.
Ian Hale wrote –
‘ privileged, here I am standing on the ex-Cory motor tug Swiftstone taking in
the sights and sounds of a large turbo-charged diesel engine. This is Swifty's
first trip in private preservation and favours will be done today for the barge
owners and ex-Tilbury Ferry The Edith – moored near Wood Wharf. We admire the
shape of Swifty’s hull, enthuse over the machinery, and generally run out of
superlatives! After copious amounts of tea and coffee are imbibed, Reg is
presented with a special flag, which now adorns the masthead. .
Greenwich Industrial History Society would
like to add our names to the many people who expressed their sadness at the
death of Kay Murch. Kay had worked on
the East Greenwich Gas Works site from the time it was a gas works – starting
off as a copy typist in the 1960s and ending up as the only person left on
site. She went on to become English Partnership’s site manager – looking after
the site with the eyes of the world on it through Millennium Year. Kay was a
member of GIHS from its earliest meetings – and indeed her support made early
organisation much easier than it would otherwise have been – Thanks Kay – and
our condolences to Brian.
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