Happy Christmas

Father Christmas arrives at Woodland Farm, pulled by Bob the pony
Father Christmas arrives at Woodland Farm, pulled by Bob the pony

This year’s Christmas card photo was taken at Woodlands Farm’s Christmas Fair a few weeks ago, and shows the arrival of Father Christmas in a carriage drawn by Bob the pony. Once again I’d like to combine my season’s greetings and best wishes for next year with those of the Friends of Eaglesfield Park.

Madeleine sent me the Friends’ card, which is included below, and has a brief update:

We have planted approx. 2,500 spring bulbs, but still need help with remainder in early January (hope not too late!).   Plans are in hand to clean pond and reduce lilies and thin water margins.   Keep up to date with our blog at http://eaglesfieldpark.org/

Happy Christmas and all the very best in 2016.

 

Friends of Eaglesfield Park Christmas Card 2015

 

 

 

Request to de-list Elmhurst Cottage turned down

Elmhurst Cottage
Elmhurst Cottage

I was very pleased to hear that the council has decided to reject the request to remove Elmhurst Cottage in Shrewsbury Lane from their Locally Listed Buildings list, retaining for it the protections given to buildings on the list.

The e-mail with the news came from Principal Conservation Officer Rebecca Duncan, and said:

Please find below details of the decision taken on 15/12/15 by Councillor Thorpe, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, which comes into force today 22/12/15.
Decision:
·         Approved: the retention of Elmhurst Cottage on the Royal Borough’s List of Buildings of Local Architectural or Historic Interest (known as the ‘Local List’).
·         Agreed: the amendment of the List entry for Elmhurst Cottage to accurately describe the building’s architectural interest, historic interest and environmental significance.

Full details of the decision, including an interesting report, can be found on the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s web site. The new listing for Elmhurst Cottage gives much more detail about the cottage’s importance:

A small, single storey weather-boarded cottage, with slate roof and sash windows.  Decorative trellis work to sides of windows and projecting porch.  Set back from the road at an angle, with extensive front and rear gardens.  The building and its site is of historic interest since it has historic associations with the Lidgbirds and the Dallins, significant and well-known landowning families who shaped Shooters Hill.  The estate containing the cottage can be traced from the Lidgbirds in 1851 to the trustees of Mary Dallin in 1901.  The building is of architectural interest since it is a rare example of a small, weather-boarded Kentish dwelling, the last-surviving one of its type in the area.  Built between 1866 and 1894, it is one of the oldest buildings on Shrewsbury Lane and survives the two large houses in the locality, Haddon Lodge and the original Shrewsbury House.  The building is of environmental significance since, with its unusual and attractive open setting, it is a time-honoured and locally valued feature which contributes to the character of Shrewsbury Lane and also provides a valuable wildlife haven for lizards, butterflies, bats and birds.

Twentyseven of us responded to the consultation about Elmhurst, of whom 25 were against de-listing the cottage and 2 in favour.

I suspect we haven’t heard the last of attempts to redevelop the land that the cottage occupies.

 

Christ Church Carol Service on Sunday

Christ Church Shooters Hill Christmas service sheet

Stephen Matthes, the Secretary of Christ Church Shooters Hill wrote to say that all are welcome at their Advent and Christmas services, which start with a Carol Service this Sunday, 20th December at 6.00pm.

Christ Church’s full list of special services during Advent and Christmas are:

4th Sunday of Advent – 20th December: Carol Service 6pm
Christmas Eve – Thursday 24th December: Crib Service 4pm
Christmas Eve – Thursday 24th December: Midnight Mass 11.30pm
Christmas Day – Friday 25th December: Pilgrim Eucharist 10am
Epiphany – Sunday 3rd January: Pilgrim Eucharist 9.30am
Candlemas – Sunday 31st January: All Age Service 11.30am

Christ Church Shooters Hill is the Church near the top of Shooters Hill opposite the Red Lion Pub. Stephen said that last year’s Carol service was fantastically attended by the local community and finished off with mince pies and mulled wine.

Christ Church Shooters Hill
Christ Church Shooters Hill

Shooters Hill Local History Group meeting on Thursday

The Ypres Milestone at Christ Church
The Ypres Milestone at Christ Church

Shooters Hill Local History Group‘s final meeting of 2015 will be a “Social and Curio” evening at Shrewsbury House this Thursday at 8.00pm. Steve sent me details:

The next meeting is on 17 December and will be a Social & Curio Evening.
Everyone is encouraged to bring along an item with a history and talk about it.
It does not necessarily need to have a link with Shooters Hill, it could be a book; map; photograph; medal; football or concert programme to name but a few.
All welcome, bring nibbles, drink and a glass!
Visitor fee applies.

The group has also been planning their programme for 2016. Currently they have:

21st January: Films of Shooters Hill and area – “The Catherine Wheel dig” and “This girl went to market” etc.
18th February: TBA (perhaps St George’s RA Chapel
17th March: Talk on the local tram system

Should be interesting.

Detail of moulding at Shrewsbury House
Detail of moulding at Shrewsbury House

A Christmas Carol at Shrewsbury House

Front Room Theatre A Christm,as Carol flyer

Local theatre group Front Room Theatre will be presenting their adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at Shrewsbury House on Saturdays 12th and 19th December at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from TicketSource and cost £10 (concessions £8).

The adaptation is billed as a “multi-sensory experience for all the family”, and includes new music by local actor Natalie Wilcox and a special composition with lyrics by Natalie and music by Joseph Finlay. The play’s narrator is Sarah Barrowman.

Shrewsbury House has also hosted Front Room Theatre‘s previous productions “Lie Back and Think of America” and “Maya and Natalie’s Marvellous Mishmash of Musicals“.

Oh, and there’ll be mulled wine.

Natalie Wilcox at the Shrewsbury House Christmas Fair
Natalie Wilcox singing at the Shrewsbury House Christmas Fair

Friends of the Pet Cemetery new website

A gravestone at the Pet Cemetery
A gravestone at the Pet Cemetery

The Friends of the Pet Cemetery Charlton  have just launched their new web site, The Old Blue Cross Pet Cemetery, with the URL  http://www.oldbluecrosspetcemetery.org.uk/

It has a lot of interesting information about the cemetery, including the history of its development from its start as the Blue Cross Quarantine Kennels in the years following the First World War, when it was used to house pets brought home by returning servicemen. There are some great archive photos, as well as pictures of how it has changed since the Friends took over responsibility for looking after it. There are also details of how to become a member of the Friends, for only £2 a year, and how to have a plaque commemorating a pet put on the memorial wall.

The events page announces their first open day next summer on 9th July 2016 and the dates of their regular clean-up sessions.

Liz, the Friends’ Chair,  who wrote to tell me about the web site said that they would welcome feedback on the website either by through their Facebook page or by contacting the Chair or Secretary whose details are on the closing page of the site.

I’ve updated the links on the right to include this new local web site.

New bench in the Pet Cemetery garden
New bench in the Pet Cemetery garden