Closing the Woolwich (Free) Ferry – New Consultation

Docked Woolwich Free Ferry at Sunset
Docked Woolwich Free Ferry at Sunset

Transport for London have started a new round of public consultations about River Thames crossings in the east of London – in particular proposals to build a new tunnel between the Greenwich Peninsula and Silvertown and a new, Gallions Reach,  ferry from Thamesmead to Beckton. If the new ferry is approved it would potentially mean closing the Woolwich Free Ferry. The consultation questionnaire also includes questions about the option of a new Woolwich Ferry and about building a new bridge at Gallions Reach.

The new crossings would be funded by charging a toll (about £2 for cars) for the new Silvertown tunnel and also for the existing Blackwall tunnel. The consultation documents don’t say whether any new ferry would be free.

The results of the previous consultation, last February, showed support for a Gallions Reach ferry, but not overwhelming support as the report says:

There was also support for the Gallions Ferry, with over 60% of online respondents supporting or strongly supporting the scheme, but a sizable proportion (14%) neither supported nor opposed it, and 20% opposed it.

Responses to question 8: To what extent do you support the proposal to replace the Woolwich ferry with a new, purpose-built ferry at Gallions Reach?
Responses to question 8: To what extent do you support the proposal to replace the Woolwich ferry with a new, purpose-built ferry at Gallions Reach?

I wrote about my own concerns about the proposals in February. Apart from the loss of a piece of our history,  I don’t think the issue of traffic flow to the new Gallions Reach ferry has been adequately considered. The consultation documents don’t present any data on this, such as traffic modelling, and seems to think that any crossing at Gallions Reach would mainly cater for local traffic. In discussing the proposal for a bridge instead of a ferry it says:

The proposed tunnel at Silvertown would provide a new alternative to the Blackwall tunnel, improving both the capacity and reliability of crossings in that part of London and catering for traffic travelling along the A2. Therefore, any new tunnel or bridge at Gallions Reach would be likely to be used mostly by local traffic. This, and the presence of alternative crossings to the west, mean that the scale of a bridge or tunnel here could be minimised, and we believe that two lanes in each direction would be enough. However, traffic volumes would be higher than with a ferry option, so careful traffic management would be needed to avoid increased delays around the crossing.

However there’s nothing to back up this view, and no consideration of the risk of  increased traffic on local roads through Shooters Hill, Plumstead and East Wickham as motorists attempt to cut through to the new crossing, not to mention future threats to Oxleas Wood, Woodlands Farm and Plumstead driven by demands for improved roads to the new crossing.

Comments on the proposals can be made using an online survey with just 14 questions, or by e-mail to rivercrossings@tfl.gov.uk.  TfL are holding a series of consultation roadshows about the proposals, including one at Woolwich Library on Saturday 15th December between 10.00am and 4.00pm.

We have until 1st February to submit any comments.

Ernest Bevin and John Burns' Daily Dance
Ernest Bevin and John Burns’ Daily Dance

Black cat looking for a home

Can you give this black cat a loving home?
Can you give this black cat a loving home?
Do you remember me from the 9th of October?
I found myself lost in Linda’s garden and an intensive and wide search to find my owners has sadly been unsuccessful. I am a healthy, well mannered, very affectionate female cat about seven years old, and I am now looking for a loving home. I am a real love so please, please contact Linda on 07717 248636 who will be happy to tell you all about me and about all the love and affection I could bring to a loving home.

Out of Eltham?

Thamesmead and Plumstead BC
Proposed new Thamesmead and Plumstead Constituency Boundaries

Shooters Hill ward will move out of the Eltham parliamentary constituency into a new Thamesmead and Plumstead constituency if the latest Boundary Commission for England proposals are implemented. The map above shows which wards would be in the new constituency, and there is also an excellent visualisation of the changes on the Guardian web site – snippets of the old and new constituencies are included at the end of this post.

The Boundary Commission proposal aims to reduce the number of constituencies – hence the number of MPs – and balance the number of voters per consituency.  New constituencies will have populations of no fewer than 72,810 and no larger than 80,473 people, apart from Isle of Wight. The Boundary Commission also took into account:

•  special geographical considerations, including in particular the size, shape and accessibility of a constituency;
•  local government boundaries as they existed on 6 May 2010 (see paragraph 16 above);
•  boundaries of existing constituencies; and
•  any local ties that would be broken by changes in constituencies.

The new boundaries are different to those originally proposed, and the Boundary Commission have documented the reasons for any changes. In the Commission’s original proposals the Eltham constituency, including Shooters Hill ward, was to have been extended into Bexley, but this crossing of borough boundaries “provoked considerable opposition from local residents on both sides of the boundary” –  i.e both Greenwich and Bexley. In addition:

The Labour Party expressed strong objections, and Clive Efford MP highlighted the strength of the existing constituency boundary (reflecting not only borough boundaries but also the former division between London and Kent), the limited number of cross?borough access routes, and the division of residential areas on either side of the boundary.

The rationale behind the new Thamesmead and Plumstead constituency is based on strong local ties between different wards, even though this new constituency is split between Greenwich and Bexley. In particular the strong link between the Thamesmead and Thamesmead Moorings wards was seen to be  important. The ties between the different Plumstead wards was also a factor:

Some respondents highlighted the ties between Glyndon ward and Thamesmead. Many local residents urged us to recognise the links between Plumstead and Glyndon wards, and, to a lesser extent, Shooters Hill ward. The Royal Borough of Greenwich, among others, suggested that these three wards make up the area commonly regarded as Plumstead, and their shared interests would be best served by their being together in one constituency.

What would this mean politically? The ward-by-ward breakdown of votes in the election for London Mayor shows that the wards in the new Thamesmead and Plumstead constituency voted 56.5% for Ken with Boris on 29.7%, then Lawrence James Webb the Fresh Choice for London candidate just beating Green Jenny Jones into third place by 2 votes and Brian Paddick in sixth behind the BNP.

If you want to comment on the new proposal you have until the 10th December, and you can do it via the Boundary Commission’s web site.

Of course this is all  academic given that Nick Clegg has said that the Lib Dems won’t support the boundary changes, unless he changes his mind ….

 

Current Boundaries
Guardian Datastore: Proposed constituency boundary changes mapped – how would the alterations affect you? Current Boundaries
Proposed Boundaries
Guardian Datastore: Proposed constituency boundary changes mapped – how would the alterations affect you? Proposed Boundaries

Shrewsbury House Social

Shrewsbury House
Shrewsbury House

Mike, our friendly, local Very Green Grocer has organised a social get-together at Shrewsbury House on Saturday afternoon, starting at 2.30pm. His invitation reads:

The Very Green Grocer invites all its customers, friends and local residents to Shrewsbury House for a social get together.
The aim is for the local community to be aware of the gifted and generous people who live amongst us and also how Shrewsbury House can bring us together on a more regular basis.

Entertainment on the day will be provided by local professional artists:
Jo Quail International Cellist,
Acoustic Chairs – Shrewsbury Park Estate based Duo. “The Woolwich Community Choir”. A local choir looking for new recruits and sponsorship.
Also:
Richard Watson’s Model Train display
Seed and plant swap
Playdoh table
Complimentary Cheese & Wine, first come first served, Donated Cakes, Scones etc.
You do not have to bring something to share but let’s see what happens on the day.

I hear also that Shrewsbury House are looking for vounteers to help staff the community centre, so if you have a couple of hours spare to help at the desk, in the garden or in the office, your help would be appreciated.

The Very Green Grocer leaflet

The Woolwich

Equitable House
Equitable House

There’s been some good news about the regeneration of Woolwich recently, and some not so good news. Good that planning permission has been given to a development which will preserve the art deco Co-op building on Powis Street, not so good that there will be yet another betting shop in Woolwich, and that permission has been refused for The Woolwich,  a new, potentially transformational pub that pub chain Antic want to open in Equitable House.

The 853 blog covers the story about The Woolwich pub very thoroughly. Suffice to say that Antic seem to have a reputation for creating good, up-market pubs and they express sensible ideas about making General Gordon Square into a great  public space that is used by people at all times of the day and evening  – something we caught a brief glimpse of during the Olympics and paralympics – rather than mainly a pedestrian thoroughfare. They plan to reapply for a licence for The Woolwich, hopefully dealing with the council’s concerns about limiting noise impact from music events and possible problems from being in a “saturation area” where there are a number of other licenced premises.

111-113 Powis Street, former HQ of The Woolwich
111-113 Powis Street, former HQ of The Woolwich

“The Woolwich” building society was an important part of Woolwich life for over a century, and a key part, with the RACS, of the growth of mutualism in the area. I think it would be highly appropriate if its name could be preserved somewhere in the town, and nowhere better than in the former building society’s headquarters, Equitable House. Commemorating “The Woolwich” as a pub is also quite apt as it could be argued that the Society started in a pub. According to Collin Brooks’ book “The First Hundred Years of the Woolwich Equitable Building Society” the Castle Inn  in Woolwich was the venue in 1842  for the predecessor to the Woolwich – a terminating building society chaired by the pub proprietor, Mr Thunder. Terminating building societies were set up to build houses for all their members, after which they terminated. It was five years later, in September 1847 that a breakaway faction from this society formed the “permanent” Woolwich Equitable Benefit Building and Investment Association. However they moved away from the Inn, to what was then 145 Powis Street (later renumbered 131), and their first patron was a Dr John Carlile, Pastor of the Congregationalist Salem Chapel. They also had as president William Stuart, who was Surgeon to the Police, Surgeon to the Marine Society’s ship Warspite and also Public Vaccinator for Woolwich.

The Society was located at a couple of addresses in Powis Street, including offices they had built at 111-113, before the construction of Equitable House in 1934-5. Collin Brooks is very enthusiastic about the building of which he says “no photograph can do justice to so well-designed a structure”, but he reserves his greatest praise for the interior:

Its interior is remarkable for two qualities – spaciousness and quietude. Its executive rooms are lofty, dignified and well lighted. They are panelled in English oak, and their carved adornments are adequate but restrained.  The furniture and appointments of its rooms are of the same handsome but unostentatious quality.

The tone of the interior is, indeed, set by the entrance hall. One mounts the stairs from the street to an oblong plateau, very lofty, and very quiet, for here, as everywhere, a quarter inch rubber flooring muffles all sound. The row of cashiers’ grills which confront one, and the two sets of writing desks, right and left, facing them, are identical with those which  one would meet in a great New York banking house. High above the plateau runs a balcony of polished stone. No matter how much business is in process of transaction there is an air of quiet efficiency, an absence of fuss, an absence of confusion. The waiting client or inquirer on either of the two great twin walnut settles receives the impression of tremendous solidity, of skilled smoothness, of good taste – if a building can be said to be embodied courtesy this (he must think) is such a building. This plateau is known as the Banking Hall, and it was here, under the picturesque glass and metal roof, in the marble walls, between the silver grilles and the great walnut screen which divides the hall from the vestibule that the ceremonial opening of the building took place on Tuesday 14 May 1935. It was a ceremony honoured with the presence of no fewer than three of His Majesty’s ministers – the Viscount Hailsham, Secretary of State for War, the Rt. Hon. J.H. Thomas, Secretary of State for the Dominions, and the Rt. Hon. Sir Kingsley Wood, the Postmaster General.

The Banking Hall is the proposed location for The Woolwich pub. I wonder if it still has the Hopton Wood stone walls  and  coursed and polished Derbyshire fossil skirting mentioned in the British Listed Buildings description.

Equitable House was a technological pioneer for its time, with all departments linked by telephone and a pneumatic chute for transporting pass books around the building. Its accounting department boasted thirty-nine book-keeping machines, developed in collaboration with the Burroughs Adding Machine Company, plus twenty-six calculating machines, forty-seven listing machines and four machines for cashiers to record cheques and cash. But what most interested visitors was the innovative way of notifying one of the twelve principals when they were wanted on the phone if they were not at their desk – their number would be illuminated on each of  the 46 electric clocks in the building. A method that only worked as long as there were just 12 directors.

There is an online petition asking the Royal Borough of Greenwich Council to grant Antic a licence for “The Woolwich”  here.

If ... Architecture's picture of the renovated art-deco Co-op building
If … Architecture’s picture of the renovated art-deco Co-op building

The Council’s decision to approve Dagmar Ventures Limited’s application to convert the Co-op building in Powis Street into 73 flats above ground floor retail space looks like very good news. The neglected art-deco building had been threatened with demolition, and even though the Woolwich Master Plan said that it “should be converted to high specification residential development” there wasn’t an approved,  funded plan to achieve this. Some compromises have been made; the horizontal window layers will be turned into balconies for the flats, and the building will be extended upwards by three storeys, though in such a way as to minimise the impact on the building’s tower. I was glad to see that the planning meeting stressed that “in particular that steps be taken to restore and replace the tiles of the external building in keeping with the geographical history of the environment”; one of the conditions of approval is that the Planning Authority has to approve the materials for the repair work to the outside of the building before work starts. Also plans showing how the staircase will be retained and incorporated into the development must be submitted and approved by the Council. The regeneration of the West end of Powis Street is starting to look optimistic; next step is to get the Granada Cinema restored as an entertainment venue!

Woolwich Betting Shops
Woolwich Betting Shops

Woolwich already has seven betting shops, and it now looks like there will be an eighth – there’s a notice in the window of the former Pizza Hut restaurant, next to Holland and Barrett saying that a licence for another Betfred betting shop has been applied for. That will make two Betfreds, two Corals, two Jenningsbets, a Ladbrokes and a Paddy Power in Woolwich town centre. According to a tweet by local councillor John Fahy there is little chance of stopping the increasing number of betting shops without a change in the law. This seems to be a problem affecting many town centres – for example the Deptford Dame blog documents the long battles of Deptford residents to prevent more betting shops being set up in their town centre. Not being a betting person I find it difficult to understand how so many betting shops in such a small area manage to make money. According to a Guardian article it is through so-called fixed odds bettting terminals (fobts),  which allow punters to bet up to £100 every 30 seconds and which make an estimated £297 million a year from problem gamblers. No more than four fobts are allowed in any betting shop, but they seem to be so lucrative that it’s worth opening another betting shop near 7 others in order to get another four fobts. The Deptford Dame includes a link to another online petition asking Eric Pickles to give local councils control over the number of betting shops in their area.

Although it’s not all good news I’m optimistic about the regeneration of Woolwich town centre, maybe because the Co-op decision is a sign that the Master Plan might be feasible. If you have views about the town centre’s development, Councillor Fahy has arranged a “Support the Woolwich Town Centre” public meeting at the Grand Theatre in Wellington Street at 6pm on the 23rd of October. And if you find the idea of a meeting about the town centre too frightening you could always book up for the Grand’s Halloween showing of the original Dracula film, Nosferatu, with a live piano accompaniment courtesy of James Buckham,  followed by a little ghost tour of the building.

Equitable House
Equitable House

Sloe Season at Woodlands Farm – Bring Gin

Hedgerow Liqueurs and Wild Wines leaflet

Maureen from Woodlands Farm sent me details of their 2012 Hedgerow Liqueurs and Wild Wines event on Saturday 20th October:

Saturday 20th October 2012
1.00pm-4.30pm
£10 (£8 for Woodlands Farm Trust members)
Over-18s only
Join us for a tramp around the hedgerows, followed by sloe gin making.
Bring your own gin or spirit of choice together with at least a one litre, wide neck (>2.5cm) container.
Book early via the Farm Office, numbers limited.
Please dress appropriately for outdoor activities.

To whet your appetite for sloe gin there’s a reminder of how it is made in this previous post.

While there you might like to drop in on their latest arrival – a little white bull born to Ennis, one of the farm’s Irish Moiled cows, yesterday evening. I hear there might be a competition to name the bull at the Woodlands Farm Apple Day on Sunday. Meanwhile here are some photos of Ennis and her calf…

Ennis the Irsh Moiled Cow and her new calf
Ennis the Irsh Moiled Cow and her new calf
The new calf
The new calf
The new calf
The new calf

Black Cat Found

Is this your cat?
Is this your cat?

Have you lost a black cat? Linda was in touch to say that they have found a black cat and are desperately trying to find its owners. Please call Linda on 07717 248636 if you think the cat might be yours.

Oxjam at the Pelton Arms

oxjam poster

Katy from the Greenwich Oxfam Fundraising Group asked me to let people know about their Oxjam events at the Pelton Arms this week. She wrote:

This October the Pelton Arms pub is holding a week of charity events and gigs featuring the best local talent as part of the nationwide Oxjam music festival.

There will be a variety of events & people involved, from the best local bands & DJ’s to a music quiz and the pub’s knitting group. The week opens with an “Oxjam Pub Quiz” on Tuesday 9th, and closes on the Sunday with afternoon entertainment from local band The Los Dawsons. Both Friday and Saturday night will feature evenings of music, with Tom Minchin of The Dirty Reds & Andrew Abbott of Star Witness kicking the weekend off on Friday, and then Charlton rockabilly band Ronnie Ripple and the Ripchords start the music on Saturday followed by the Bob Dylan Experience with the night ending with some authentic rhythm & blues from Kit Curtis & The B3s.

Oxjam is a month-long music festival that takes place throughout the UK  during October to raise money for the charity, Oxfam. Since the first year of the festival in 2006, Oxjam has raised over £1.75 million for Oxfam’s causes.

Katy, Chair, Greenwich Oxfam said “We are really excited to be putting on a whole series of events for Oxjam this year, they are incorporating a variety of local talent and  should have a real community feel. This will be our best Greenwich Oxjam yet!”

There will be events most nights from 9th-14th October and entry to all gigs is free. To get the listings for the week and news as it becomes available, follow @OxfamGreenwich on twitter. You can donate online to Greenwich Oxjam at http://www.justgiving.com/Greenwich-Oxjam-2012

The line up is as follows:

9/10 – Pub quiz (£1 from each entry donated to Oxjam)

10/10 – Rock n’ Roll Knitting and a DJ set from Blackheath Panda Scooter Club

12/10 – Acoustic sets from Tom Minchin (The Dirty Reds) & Andrew Abbott (Star Witness)

13/10 – Kit Curtis & The B3s, The Bob Dylan Experience, Ronnie Ripple & The Ripchords

14/10 – The Los Dawsons

All monies raised go to helping Oxfam’s work in countries around the world.
For more information, visit http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxjam

The Pelton Arms
The Pelton Arms

Million Meal Appeal this weekend

Million Meal Appeal Leaflet

Last year shoppers’ donations helped food redistribution charity Fareshare beat by 200,000 its target of collecting enough food for 1 million meals  – a total of 1.2million meals. They are hoping for similar success this weekend, 6th & 7th October, when their Million Meal Appeal takes place at Sainsbury’s supermarkets across the UK.

FareShare‘s usual way of working is to collect food that  food retailers such as supermarkets are unable to sell and would otherwise throw away – 3,600 tonnes of food last year – and then distribute it to a network of some 700 organisations in the UK, such as church groups, hostels, women’s refuges  and school breakfast clubs. Last year they fed 36,500 vulnerable people each day. They typically get fresh but perishable food, and they don’t usually get many non-perishable items such as pasta, rice, tinned food etc. The Million Meal Appeal asks shoppers to buy an extra food item from this list and donate it to the FareShare trolley on their way out of the supermarket. Last year Sainsbury’s matched shoppers’ donations.

Fareshare have recruited 600 volunteers for this year’s appeal, though they still need more.  Volunteers greet customers, give them the shopping list and encourage them to buy an additional item of food for FareShare.

Last year shoppers at Sainsbury’s in Woolwich and Greenwich filled many shopping trolleys with food donations; hopefully this year we will be just as generous.

Million Meal Appeal Shopping List
Million Meal Appeal Shopping List

Shrewsbury House Estate For Sale – in 1873

Print of the old Shrewsbury House
J.T. Rawlins’ sketch of the old Shrewsbury House

The heavy tome I carefully carried from the counter in the British Library’s Maps department to one of the reading desks was about A3 size, some 4 inches thick and solidly bound. It contained a set of Victorian sales literature for great houses in the south of England, including Shrewsbury House and Mayfield. The Shrewsbury House set was typical:  it included a pastel-coloured lithograph of the house,  a hand-drawn fold-out map of the estate and half a dozen pages describing the mansion and its grounds. The descriptive statements were centred on each page and contrived to use as many different fonts and sizes as possible.

I’ve included a full transcript of the Shrewsbury House details at the bottom of this post, though I haven’t attempted to reproduce all the different fonts. In true estate agent style it brings out all the advantages of the area –  “The Neighbourhood of Shooter’s Hill is exceedingly picturesque and much admired, and a favourite one for residence” – and the location of the house which:

“Is almost on the summit of the hill, about 350 Feet above the Sea Level and commands a beautiful landscape, exhibiting a great variety of extensive distances, a cheerful luxuriance of sylvan scenery, including on the south the Knockholt range in Kent, on the north and east the hilly parts of Essex and Hertfordshire and the Alexandra Palace and Park; on the South, parts of Sydenham and the Crystal Palace and Windsor Castle; and as a home view, the extensive windings of the noble river Thames with its shipping. From the mansion it is said Seven Counties are visible in clear weather.”

This original  Shrewsbury House, built in 1789 by the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury was a substantial property with 15 bedrooms, including those for servants, and extensive grounds including pleasure gardens,  stables and buildings for livestock, and a 20ft long vinery.

The picture at the top of the post isn’t taken from the sales particulars, the British Library would have charged £60 for a digital reproduction. It is a scan of a sketch originally published in  Greenwood’s 1838 “An Epitome of County History“. The house would have been the same in 1873 though – a photograph in the Shrewsbury Park Estate conservation area appraisal shows that the appearance of the house was unchanged through to 1901. The Epitome of County History also extols the views from Shrewsbury House:

Shrewsbury House, in the Parish of Plumsted, the seat of John Cooper,
Esq. is situated on the north-east edge of Shooter's Hill, and commands pros-
pects unequalled in any other part of the county. The metropolis, the shipping,
the winding course of the Thames to the verge of the horizon, the County of
Essex, and the most interesting parts of Kent, including the populous towns of
Greenwich and Woolwich, are all presented to the eye in a vast panorama from
the leads of this lofty mansion. This was the residence, for a considerable time,
of her late Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte, during her education : and
certainly no situation could have been selected more salubrious, or better adapted
to compose the attention to literary pursuits. In the study there is an immense
globe geographically delineated on the floor, formed, it is said, to familiarise the
science to the mind of the illustrious pupil. The interior of this house is
decorated with many works of art, among which are paintings by Waltean,
Permigiano, De Here, Weenix, Glover, Chamberlain, and others ; some fine
sculpture, &c.

The 1873 sales document doesn’t mention the expected price anywhere, it would be too vulgar to mention money I guess, and I wondered how much the estate sold for. However it’s not clear that the house sold at all in 1873 – dependable Colonel Bagnold lists the owners of Shrewsbury House from 1789 through to its demolition in 1923, and he says that the Rev. John Smallman Masters owned it between 1856 and 1888, though he mortgaged it more than once during 1862-76.

The occupants of the old Shrewsbury House were a varied bunch: from royalty (Princess Charlotte) and the head of the Royal Dockyard,  through to the early experimenter in gas lighting, Mr Winser. It also had spells as a boarding school with a dozen boy pupils and as the Crole-Wyndham Home for Convalescent Children  – housing 32 poor children from the slums of London. In 1923 the old Shrewsbury House was pulled down by  former mayor and later Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Kent F.T. Halse, who then built the current Shrewsbury House, now in active use as the community centre.

One mystery remains about the old house – what happened to the foundation stone?  This stone, according to Colonel Bagnold,  is  inscribed “CHARLES, XVIth Earl &c., &c., of Shrewsbury laid this stone , July 29th, 1789.”, and was installed in a rockery in Well Hall Pleasaunce. It doesn’t seem to be there now as far as I can see – I wonder if it was moved somewhere, or is buried under the shrubbery? The Colonel thought the stone should be mounted on a plinth on the roundabout in Mereworth Drive, which is close to the site of the old Shrewsbury House – what a good way that would have been to commemorate our local history!

Shrewsbury House
Shrewsbury House

Transcript of the 1873 sales description:

KENT,

ON THE SUMMIT OF SHOOTERS HILL

About 8 1/2 miles by road from London Bridge

__________________________________________________

PARTICULARS, WITH CONDITIONS OF SALE

OF

The Shrewsbury House Estate

A VERY CHOICE AND VALUABLE

FREEHOLD RESIDENTIAL

AND

BUILDING PROPERTY

ON THE CREST OF SHOOTERS HILL

About 350 ft. above the sea level and commanding

Very distant and exceedingly beautiful views of Kent, the River Thames with its shipping, the hilly parts of Essex etc.

AND CONSISTING OF

A LARGE FAMILY MANSION

Placed in the midst of its PLEASURE GROUNDS, in the centre of

Undulating and well-timbered park and woodlands,

COMPRISING

About 54 Acres,

VERY COMPACTLY SITUATE NEAR THE MAIN ROAD FROM LONDON TO DARTFORD,

WITH POSSESSION ON COMPLETION OF THE PURCHASE:

WHICH WILL BE OFFERED FOR SALE BY AUCTION,

BY

Messrs. DANIEL SMITH, SON , & OAKLEY,

AT THE AUCTION HOUSE, TOKENHOUSE YARD, CITY, E.C.,

On TUESDAY, the 29th day of JULY, 1873

AT ONE FOR TWO O’CLOCK PRECISELY, – IN ONE LOT

__________________________

Particulars may be obtained of Messrs. A.F. & R.W. TWEEDIE, Solicitors, 5, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, W.C.; at the

Place of Sale; and of Messrs. DANIEL SMITH, SON , & OAKLEY, Land Agents and Surveyors, 10, Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, S.W.

PARTICULARS

______________________

THE

SHREWSBURY HOUSE ESTATE

IS SITUATE AT

SHOOTERS’S HILL

IN THE

PARISH OF PLUMSTEAD, KENT,

Near the Main Road from

LONDON TO DARTFORD,

Having a Frontage of nearly

1,500 FEET TO SHREWSBURY LANE,

About 8 1/2 Miles by Road from LONDON BRIDGE; about 20 Minutes’ drive from BLACKHEATH STATION, 30 Minutes from

GREENWICH, and 15 Minutes from WOOLWICH ARSENAL STATION, all on the North Kent Line of the South-Eastern

Railway, with quick and frequent Train Service to and from Charing Cross, Cannon Street and London Bridge Stations

during the day about half-an-hour’s ride from the Metropolis

______________________

The Neighbourhood of Shooter’s Hill is exceedingly Picturesque and much admired,

AND A FAVOURITE ONE FOR RESIDENCE

______________________

THE ESTATE

Is almost on the Summit of the Hill, about 350 Feet above the Sea Level and commands a

BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE,

Exhibiting a great variety of extensive distances, a cheerful luxuriance of Sylvan Scenery, including on the South the

Knockholt Range in Kent, on the North and East the hilly parts of Essex and Hertfordshire and the Alexandra Palace

and Park; on the South, parts of Sydenham and the Crystal Palace and Windsor Castle;

AND AS A HOME VIEW, THE

Extensive Windings of the Noble River Thames with its Shipping

From the MANSION it is said Seven Counties are visible in clear weather

______________________

The most important element in the value of this

CHOICE FREEHOLD PROPERTY

Is the facilities it presents as a

BUILDING SPECULATION

Which will suggest itself to an enterprising Capitalist, a Building Society, or Private Company, as offering a favourable

opportunity for Safe Investment

______________________

The Subsoil being Gravel and Brick Earth, the Materials are already on the spot for the formation of New Roads, and

the Manufacture of Bricks.

And as the Property is on a Hill it is admirably situate  for Drainage

The Roads leading to this Estate having been recently widened, greater facilities of communication have been opened up

which cannot fail to be of considerable benefit to the Property, whether it be developed as a Building Estate or kept as a

Residential Property

Some of the Adjacent Land is now being covered with Residences of a superior class, and Building operations are carried on

adjoining the Estate.

The Land might be so laid out as to preserve the House and Grounds in the centre, and, if not required for a Private

Residence, it would be available for a Public Institution, for which purpose the high and healthy situation renders it

eligible.

______________________

The Property comprises

A SPACIOUS

FAMILY MANSION,

Built by an Earl of Shrewsbury, and once occupied by Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte, placed on the crest of the

Hill, approached through Ornamental

Shrubbery and Pleasure Grounds,

BY A

CARRIAGE DRIVE WITH LODGE ENTRANCE.

______________________

The House is surrounded by

UNDULATING PARK LANDS,

WITH A

BEAUTIFUL WOOD OF 4 1/4 ACRES,

The whole being Richly Timbered with Oak, Elm, and other Timber Trees.

The Mansion possesses the advantages and the quietude of a Country Residence, notwithstanding its nearness to London, in

addition to being in a healthy situation, and in good position with regard to Society, and is in every respect adapted for

the Residence of a Gentleman of position.

______________________

The Extent of the Property is 54a. Or. 21p.,

All being in Pasture except the Wood of 4 1/4 acres, the Pleasure Grounds and Sites of Buildings

THE MANSION

Is principally three Stories in height (part being of two Stories), and Basement, substantially built of Brick, Stuccoed, with

strong Lead Flat Roofs, from which (and other parts of the Property), the Views before mentioned can be obtained.

IT CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INTERNAL ACCOMMODATION:-

LOFTY ENTRANCE HALL

AND CORRIDOR.

The former being 39 ft. 6 in., by 10 ft., and the latter 21 ft. 8 in. by 7 ft. 8 in., approached by a flight of stone steps.

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THE DINING ROOM

23 ft. 6 in.. with Bow Window overlooking the Lawn, fitted with a Black Marble Chimney-piece, and an

Ornamental Cornice.

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An Alcove or Garden Entrance,

Paved with Stone, of semi-circular shape, 15 ft. by 9 ft. 6 in.

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THE LIBRARY

20 ft. by 18 ft. 6 in., with Bow Window overlooking the Gardens ; (with a Black Marble Chimney-piece)

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THE BREAKFAST ROOM

19 ft. 6 in. by 16 ft. 0 in., of irregular shape, with a St. Anne’s Marble Chimney-piece

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A GENTLEMAN’S ROOM

15 ft. 4 in. by 12 ft., with Statuary Marble chimney-piece; A DRESSING ROOM adjoining 12 ft. by 7 ft. 6 in.

THESE APARTMENTS ARE ON THE RIGHT AND LEFT OF THE CORRIDOR AND ALL COMMUNICATE

They are 11 ft. in height.

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A WINDING STAIRCASE

CONDUCTS TO THE CORRIDOR ON THE FIRST STORY

31 ft. 2 in. by 7 ft. 8 in. and 23 ft. by 9 ft. 8 in. and 11 ft. 6 in. in height from which is approached

THE VERY HANDSOME

DRAWING ROOM

OF NOBLE PROPORTIONS,

42 ft. 3 in. by 29 ft. 9 in., including 3 large Bow Windows, a deep enriched Cornice, the paper in panels of an Elegant

Pattern. There are 2 Fire Places. An Iron Balcony extends round the garden Front.

THIS ROOM COMMANDS THE PARK GROUNDS AND LAWNS,

And is 15 ft. 9 in. high.

ON THIS STORY ARE ALSO

TWO PRINCIPAL BED CHAMBERS OR ANTE-ROOMS

AND A DRESSING ROOM

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ON THE UPPER STORY

Are 3 PRINCIPAL BED ROOMS, occasionally used as Nurseries, fitted with convenient Closets &c. A Housemaid’s

Closet and Water Closet.

TWO FLIGHTS OF STAIRS LEAD TO THE LEAD FLAT ROOFS.

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ON THE FIRST STORY IN THE WING

Are also 2 PRINCIPAL and 5 SERVANTS’ BED CHAMBERS; a Store Room, fitted; a Water Closet; and a

Secondary Staircase to the Ground Floor.

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THE DOMESTIC OFFICES,

ON THE GROUND FLOOR,

Are shut off from the Entrance Hall and comprise a Butler’s Pantry and Scullery, a Water Closet, Servants’ Hall, a good

Kitchen, Scullery and Coal Cellar.

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IN THE BASEMENT

Are also the following Offices :- Extensive Arched Cellarage, also a Wine Cellar and several Rooms formerly used

as Kitchen, Scullery, Butlers’ Pantry, 3 Bed Rooms, Mangle Room, Larder, Knife Room, Bakehouse, Dairy &Cc

THE HOUSE AND PREMISES

Are supplied with an abundance of Spring Water from the  Well by a Force Pump

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THE STABLING DEPARTMENT

CONSISTS OF

Two Stalls, with Loft over, Brick, Board and Slate; a Pony Stable; and a Gig House, Board and Tile ;

ALSO

A 2-Stall Stable and a Carriage House, a Hen House,  Board and Felt, and yard, 3 Pigstyes, and a Potting Shed,  Board

and Tile, a Lean-to Cow House for 4 Cows, Board and Tile.

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THE PLEASURE GROUNDS

Are embellished with a profusion of well-grown Shrubs and Ornamental Timber Trees, including handsome Cedars of

Lebanon, Pink, Red and White Thorns, Arbutus, Azanthus, and specimens of Oak, Beech, Sycamore, and Wych Elm,

and there are Banks of Rhododendron, the Flower Borders being arranged in Parterres.

A SMALL SEMI-CIRCULAR ROSE GARDEN

Contains a Greenhouse in 3 Compartments, 60 ft. long, and at the back a Gardener’s Bothie, and a large Potting Shed,

Brick and Tile, and a Closet.

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There are

TWO PRODUCTIVE KITCHEN GARDENS.

ONE CONTAINING A VINERY

About 20 ft. long.

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IN THE PADDOCKS

Are a Barn, with Cow Shed and a Hen House, with 3 Men’s Rooms over, Brick, Timber and Tile, and a Lean-to Shed.

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THE ENTRANCE LODGE

is of one Floor, built of Brick, Stucco and Slate, containing 2 Rooms and a Washhouse.

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The whole is further described in the following SCHEDULE :-

No on                                                                                                                           Quantity

Plan     Description                                                       State                            A.         R.         P

1          Mansion and Pleasure Grounds                                                             5          1          11

2          Park Ground                                                     Pasture                        30        1          10

3          Wood                                                               Wood                           4          0          27

4          Pasture                                                            Pasture                        2          1          14

5          Do.                                                                   do.                               11        3          37

6          Pond                                                                Pond, &c                      0          1          2

Total of the Estate              A   54        0          21