Letters May 2006
From: Robin Hoare
Greetings from New Zealand! I wondered if any of your members can answer
a question that has been puzzling me. My great-great grandparents lived in
Deptford from before 1730 to around 1800, when they moved to Bethnal Green.
They are shown in the 1841 censuses as silk weavers, which is entirely
consistent with the surname, Mace and with Bethnal Green but not with Deptford.
Is there any history of silk weaving in the Deptford district I
wonder?
From: Rob Cumming
I have for some time been collating information for possible publication
on windmills in N.W. Kent before the 1888 boundary changes.
I am currently researching sites in:
Blackheath (4 - Morden Hill, Holly Hedge House, Mill House, Talbot
Place)
Deptford (4 - Tanners Hill, Black Horse Fields, Victualling Yard,
Clayton)
Lee Green/Kidbrooke (1 - Meadowcourt Road)
Mottingham (1 - Fairy Hill)
Plumstead Common (1- ‘The Windmill')
Woolwich (2 - Mill Lane and Nightingale Lane)
Can any of your members offer any assistance?
From: Beryl Reynolds
My father's family's history is associated with the gateway to Woolwich
Arsenal. The Bower family owned stone quarries near Swanage and were contracted to
supply stone for the gateway to the Arsenal in Beresford Square. Two brothers,
William and Edwin? came to live in Woolwich, presumably to work on the gateway,
while a third brother Ambrose stayed at home in Dorset to look after the
business at that end. Unfortunately some of the stone was sub-standard and the
family business suffered. William returned to Dorset but the other brother, who
was my grandfather remained in Woolwich. He deserted my grandmother and his
children; I am hoping to trace him but so far I have not had any luck. Can
anyone suggest where I might be able to get some help? Does anyone know of any
records to do with the building of the Arsenal gateway and exactly when it was
being constructed?
From: Pieter van der Merwe
Glad to see Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce has been
formed. I've just been going through the Greenwich Hospital minutes of the
1850s and have run across all the detail of how they bought the ground, then
being used as a fruit orchard by a Mr. William Miles as tenant of the estate of
the late Sir Gregory Page Turner, purchased it at £550 an acre, bought out
Miles's interest through arbitration: then had Philip Hardwick, the Greenwich
Hospital Surveyor, draw up plans for the lodge, gates, boundary wall (all built
by Lucas, of Lambeth) and plan the graveyard, bought a six-coffin patent hearse
from Shillibeer's (with seats for mourners) and changed their burial contractor
from Mrs. Shepperd of London Road, Greenwich to Richardsons, ditto, to do the
burials: it all involved a delay of over a year from when they were supposed to
close the old burial ground (in 1856). A Captain Drake in Deptford previously
refused to sell them ground at £400, which he planned to make much more for and
did not want to see used a cemetery. No doubt this is backed up with plans,
correspondence etc. in supporting papers.
From: Dr. Danea Cowell
While Birkenhead is a long way from Woolwich we ask if anyone there
knows where we might find information on an engineer and crane maker, James Taylor, of Birkenhead c.1840-1890. He was an important figure in the design and building
of large steam cranes widely used at many major UK ports. Howe ever - some time
in the late 1890's the firm and he simply disappeared. Enquiries at Birkenhead
revealed little. He was connected to Hulse of Whitworths in the 1850s and
design and built a seminal blocksetter for Colombo about 1870 to the specs of
Sir Thomas Coode and Matthews of London. Any help about this you can give will
be most appreciated.
Research Sec. The Historical Steam Crane Society. Pacific Chapter.
From: Professor Timothy Peters
I am researching the use of asphalt in the repair of the Wendover Arm of the
Grand Junction Canal in 1856-60. My researches suggest that 4 miles of the Arm were
lined with Coal Tar Asphalt and this confirmed by IR Spectroscopy. Initially
the asphalting was successful, considerably reducing the leakage from the
canal. The pitch was obtained from John Bethell of Greenwich. I have details of
the price and how the pitch was transported to Wendover. I also have
information on the asphalt composition, which was supervised by Sir William
Cubitt. I am writing to ask if you have any information about Bethell's Works,
e.g. equipment, source of coal tar, manufacture of the pitch and any details of
its composition and properties. The asphalting lasted until 1870 when the Arm
was again leaking badly. I am interested in the reasons for its failure. The
analyses reveal that the asphalt had high free carbon content and this may have
contributed to it. The free carbon is a reflection of the methods used in
preparing the pitch and asphalt. From information unearthed at the Institution
of Civil Engineers this appears to be a novel use of asphalt. I know of John
Bethell's work with creosote but any information or possible sources about his
preparation and use of coal tar would be of considerable help.
From: Denis Poole
I hope you don't think me cheeky, but I wonder if any of your members
can help me. I live in Edinburgh and am currently looking for a link to a master builder in Greenwich or maybe
Deptford. His name is Shorter. The dates I am looking for 1910 to
1920.
From: Foster Lovesay
I have found some information on your website regarding the South Met Gas Co. and I wonder
whether you could help me. I was led to believe from a young boy that my Great
Grandfather Thomas Lovesay saved some people from a gas works explosion and was
presented with a gold watch in gratitude. However seeing the watch it only
mentions his retirement in 1919 after 34 years employment as a foreman with
them. Can you tell me if there was any explosion at this gas station and if so
have you any records of anyone helping survivors?
From: Alison Dawe
I am hoping that you may be able to assist me in locating any
information about my ancestor John Lewthwaite, 1816-1892. He was a brilliant
inventor and I believe that he had some of his inventions exhibited at
the London Industrial Exhibition of 1857. He is noted in
particular for a Railway Ticket Printing Machine and a Fire Detection System.
From: Allan Green
I have very much enjoyed coming along for the past 2 years to tell you
something of my researches. In 2004 it was the Cables &
Cableships with my friend Glyn Wrench and last year PLUTO. I hope that I might
be allowed back later on to tell you something about work I have been do
on W T Henley?
Mr. Henley was not a son of Greenwich, however he did have strong connections.
He started his submarine cable-making business at Morden Wharf before moving
downstream to North Woolwich and then (after his death) the Company moved to
Gravesend. I am hoping that perhaps some GIHS members and / or visitors to the
web-pages might be able to help me with a few bits of missing information?
• Samuel Edmund Phillips (jnr) worked for some time as
"electrician" for Mr. Henley but left him in 1875 (when times were
financially bad for Henley) to join Claude Johnson (who left Telcon at
Greenwich) and they founded the firm of Johnson & Phillips at Charlton.
Does anyone have any information about S.E. Phillips's activities when he was
working for Henley? Also, can anyone enlighten me as to the activities of J.E.
Phillips senior who was reputed to have been involved in the telegraphy
business?
• A fine portrait of Henley painted by Basil Holmes is preserved in the
archives of the IEE. It was painted in 1870 when Henley was 56. I am interested
to know what might have been the relationship between artist and sitter? Could
they have been neighbours? It seems so unlike Henley to have commissioned a
portrait of himself. Little is known of Holmes except that he painted no other
known portraits and he specialised in landscapes.
• In the 19th century there was a pub called "The Henley Arms"
close to the factory in North Woolwich. There is a "Henley Arms"
there today but certainly not the original! Does anyone have information, or
photographs perhaps of the original pub?
• Any information at all about Old Bill Henley would be gratefully
received.
From: Andrew Freeman, Pepys Estate
Visual History Project
I am writing on behalf of Pepys Community Forum based on the
Pepys Estate in Deptford. We are planning a celebration of the 40th anniversary
of the building of the Pepys Estate on the site of the Victoria victualling
yards controlled by the Navy Board up till 1964 (the estate opened July 31st 1966).
One of the projects we hope to do later this year is a creative history project
based on some photo's taken in 1967 by the Royal Institute of British
Architects when the estate was the recipient of a RIBA award. As part of the
HLF funding aspiration is to provide direct education on heritage-related
topics we are trying to arrange short talks for the participants from people
with knowledge of the history and practices of this area. Having seen the
material on your website I am hoping that you can recommend some of your
members who may be able to come along and give short talks of topics of
interest, this may include how recent developments are affecting the area as
well as historical material about the industries that operated in the area. One
of the goals of the project is to stimulate general interest in active
participation in heritage issues in the area and hopefully some of the
participants will want to develop their interests further. Another larger
project that is still on the drawing board here and that we are looking for
partners to work with, is connected with the impending development of Convoys
Wharf (Kings Yard). As you may know there are three sites on the development
that will be excavated under the supervision of GLAS. We would like to offer residents
of the area an opportunity to be involved in some capacity and for a focus on
our mostly hidden heritage to coincide with these excavations. If this is
something you might be interested in then perhaps we can arrange some meeting
of interested parties at a later date.
In addition as we are having a heritage-themed festival day on the last
Saturday in July (29th) this year in Pepys Park you may be interested in having
a stall to promote your activities?
From: Tim Sargeant
Can I refer to a letter from Jonathan Clarke in Vol 6, Issue 2, March
2003 about Sherwood, Tunbridge Wells. In case no-one else has answered this
query: ‘Sherwood' at Tunbridge Wells was on the Pembury Road out of Tunbridge
Wells. It was at one time a nurses' home but has recently all been
re-developed. I do not know if the original house is still there. This would
account for Siemens being a friend of Sir David Salomons who lived nearby,
another electrical pioneer. Now I know that Siemens lived in the house I will
take a closer look at it. In connection with Mr. Clarke's researches - would
you have any knowledge of a three-wheeled electrically powered vehicle that was
constructed by Sir David Salomons c.1878? Obviously Siemens would have had an
interest or possibly even a hand in this. I am sure that somewhere there must
be a picture of it. I have heard about a drawing but unfortunately this is now
lost.
I am also trying to trace a chap by the name of Alex Cleghorn and noted that
there was a reference to someone of this name on your site in connection with
the restoration of the Massey Shaw. The Alex Cleghorn I want to trace was a
motor rallyist in the 1960s and was co-driver to Don Grimshaw on the 1961 Monte
Carlo Rally.
From: G Broughton
Re: GIHS Newsletter January 2006 – Recording of Chemical
Department Building.
In November 1931 I joined the Research Department, Woolwich Arsenal Metallurgical
Section as a Laboratory Attendant. A relative with a similar rank already
worked in the Cordite Section of the RD. My recollection is that the all
research work was undertaken in the RD situated in Griffin Manor Way accessed
by a gate near Plumstead Station.
The RD, responsible then to The War Department, was headed by a Chief
Superintendent from the Armed Services – in the 1930s a Naval Captain. It has
an imposing administrative HQ Building more recently occupied by The Chemical
Inspectorate following the RD move to Fort Halstead. The RD has moved through
the years as A.R.E., A.R.D.E., R.A.R.D.E and now QUINETIQ!
From: Sue Bullevant
Re. the enquiry about the Woolwich Infant and Bill Shipp.
The Woolwich Infant was the popular name for the ‘Armstrong Gun’ of 35
tons. There is still a public house called ‘The Woolwich Infant’ in Plumstead
Road opposite the Royal Arsenal. The Armstrong Gun was not a mortar. There is a
‘Mallett’s Mortar’ on display at Woolwich Common.
Bare Knuckle Fighter - Tom Cribb was in the 19th century the famous
‘bare knuckle champion’ of England. He retired to Woolwich and there is a lion
memorial to him in Woolwich Churchyard.
Bill Shipp – unfortunately I know nothing about him or a fighter called
‘The Woolwich Infant’. Perhaps there is a web site on bare knuckle fighters?
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