Ye who have a spark in your veins of cockney spirit, smile or mourn acccording as you take things well or ill;— Bold Britons, we are now on Shooter's Hill!
Mary Mills, Secretary of The Greenwich Industrial History Society will be giving a presentation to the SHLHG about the history of the Greenwich Peninsula next Thursday.
The presentation is based on her new book ‘Innovation, Enterprise and Change on the Greenwich Peninsula’.
The book is ‘a snapshop of the Greenwich Peninsula showing how it was home to industries which brought change both in Greenwich and worldwide’
See also, http://greenwichpeninsulahistory.wordpress.com/book/
Meeting starts at 8pm, a visitor fee applies.
I’m enjoying reading Mary’s book about the highlights of peninsula history from 1194 to the present, and it should be a very interesting presentation. All are welcome: there is a small charge for non-members to cover the cost of the room
Mayplace Lane near the bronze age barrow on Plum Lane
The Friends of Mayplace Lane will be holding a tidy up and planting session on Sunday from 11.00am, meeting in the Lane just down the hill from Plum Lane. They would welcome any help from local residents.
As well as picking litter and other larger rubbish, the Friends will be planting bulbs and trees. They have secured a donation of small saplings of various colours from the Woodlands Trust, including silver birch, rowan, hazel, dogwood and wild cherry. Some will be planted in the lane and others in gardens backing on to the lane.
The Friends are keen to encourage wild flowers and animals, and to deter fly tipping. They have had some success in attracting wild life as several hedgehogs have been seen in the lane and in gardens backing on to the lane, sharing the area with foxes as shown in the photo below from the Friends’ Facebook page.
Hedgehog and Fox in garden backing on to Mayplace Lane
Wide Horizons adventure learning woodland in Constution Rise
Wide Horizons, the Eltham-based adventure learning charity are looking for volunteers to help to transform the overgrown 5 acre woodlands on Constitution Rise into an outdoor learning centre. Jack Gower, their Senior Adventure Learning Tutor, wrote with details:
The staff at Wide Horizons Woodland Centre (Shooters Hill) are pleased to announce the launch of our new Volunteer Group. The group will meet every other Sunday from 10am until 1pm and complete work such as clearing brambles, maintaining paths and developing the site. The first meeting will be on Sunday 15th November.
The group will be led by Volunteer Coordinator Jo Hadland. If you are interested in attending or know somebody that might be, or if you would like some more information please contact Jo directly at volunteer@widehorizons.org.uk or by calling 07958523936.
We will be opening our gates to the public in March/April next year for another open day. More details will be sent out nearer the time.
Wide Horizons seem to have made a lot of progress on reclaiming the area which was once the site of a large house called The Rookery. It’ll be interesting to see what changes have been made, especially to the pond at the bottom of the site.
Memorial to the fallen of Woolwich in St George’s Garrison Church
A memorial to recognise the sacrifices of all soldiers based at the Woolwich Barracks, as well as civilians, who died as a result of military activity or conflict will be unveiled at St. George’s Garrison Church tomorrow, 11th November 2015. The names of 10 soldiers and one civilian, including that of Fusilier Lee Rigby, are listed on the memorial plaques. Lee’s mum, Lyn Rigby and her family will attend the ceremony.
The ruin of the Garrison Church seems a very appropriate place for such a memorial, which is mounted in the wall at the right hand side of the peaceful garden. The church also contains other memorial plaques and the Victoria Cross memorial with its recently restored marvellous mosaic of St George and the Dragon, and the names of all the Royal Artillery personnel who won the Victoria Cross from the Crimean War to the middle of the Second World War.
Plaque on memorial to the fallen of Woolwich in St George’s Garrison ChurchPlaque on memorial to the fallen of Woolwich in St George’s Garrison Church
The men commemorated died in conflicts since the end of the Second World War, including Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and the bombing of the Kings Arms in Woolwich by the IRA:
Warrant Wardmaster James McDuff
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
Died 9th February 1946, aged 51
Private George Turner
Royal Norfolk Regiment
Died 27th June 1952, aged 19
Fusilier Denis Jacobs
Attached to the Royal Fusiliers
(City of London Regiment)
Died 25th November 1952, aged 25
Fusilier Stanley Anstead
The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
Died 25th November 1952, aged 22
Fusilier Lee Rigby
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
Died 22nd May 2013, aged 25
When I dropped into the Garrison Church on Sunday the lettering on the central white marble memorial stone hadn’t been finished. The missing words are two well-known lines from Robert Laurence Binyon’s poem “For the Fallen”:
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Memorial to the fallen of Woolwich in St George’s Garrison Church
Green Chain Mega-walkers gather at Crystal Palace Station
If you fancy a 16.5 mile, 8 hour walk through some of south-east London’s greenest scenery then this Saturday provides an opportunity. Once again Ian Bull is leading the Green Chain Megawalk as part of Walk London’s Autumn Ambles weekend. It’s a slightly different route than last time, taking in Charlton’s parks and ending at the Thames Barrier rather than Bostall Woods and the Thames at Erith, which cuts some five miles off the distance. Walkers will meet at 9.15am outside Crystal Palace station, and the walk finishes at Charlton Station. The Walk London website has more details:
Walk Description:
A packed lunch is essential as is water to drink along the way. There is a small supermarket at the beginning but opportunities to re-stock along the way are very limited.
No other London walk offers such a pleasant challenge.
The Green Chain Megawalk is by a considerable margin the longest established long-distance guided walk in London and many hundreds have participated. Some thought they wouldn’t complete such a distance, yet the camaraderie and expert guidance have seen all but a handful achieve an on-time finish. Every one of the participants has taken wonderful memories from the day. Here’s your chance to join the institution!
South East London possesses London’s finest landscape but in places the remarkably bucolic components of that landscape are not quite contiguous. The ‘Green Chain Walk’ was laid-out in 1977 to link those Pearls together becoming the Capital’s first long distance footpath in the process. Today the Green Chain network is over 50 miles long and the many thousands of acres of open space and woodland it joins are deservedly to be considered for Regional Park status. The Megawalk carefully balances distance, gradient, landscape, and views to bring a true taste of this exceptional system into one day.
We’ll gently climb to some of the highest points in the city, suburbia giving way to outstanding views and much woodland, some established for 8,000 years. For lengthy sections you won’t know you are in a town, let alone the Metropolis, as well over half the route is off-road. After lunch we descend through woodland and across heaths to a splendid complex of parks in Charlton that were a principle location in the 1960s cult film ‘Blow Up’. From there it’s a short distance to our destination at the remarkable Thames Barrier, hopefully glinting in the setting sun. Excellent transport into central London is close-by.
The route is steep in places, a packed lunch is essential, and of course you must be reasonably fit. You must also be able to sustain three miles per hour for most of a day and if you think you can, this particularly friendly event is the one Walk London walk that you should do. There is no need to book, just turn up and go, a remarkable day awaits you.
The Megawalk is never, ever, allowed to finish late. Should the necessary pace prove wearisome there’s plentiful public transport throughout for a comfortable return home. You are also most welcome to join the walk at any point.
The walk leader is the Green Chain Walk’s surveying contractor and will be delighted to share his extensive knowledge both along the way and in advance. Feel very free to contact him, Ian Bull, for further information. T. 020 7223 3572, E. ianbull@btinternet.com
“Baby Killers Over Woolwich – how Zeppelins brought the First Blitz to south east London”
A talk for the Shooters Hill History Group by Andy Brockman
8pm Thursday 15 October 2015
Venue: Shrewsbury House, Shooters Hill
A century on form the first blitz on London, the talk will tell the story of the attempts of the German Imperial Navy and Air Force Zeppelin crews to attack London and their impact on Woolwich and Plumstead.
All welcome
Cost: Free to SHLHG Members, Guests: £2 to help cover room hire.
Andy is a very engaging speaker on our local history: it should be a fascinating presentation.
Andy Brockman at Colonel Bagnold’s air raid shelterWW I poster from Wikipedia – “It is far better to face the bullets than to be killed at home by a bomb. Join the army at once & help to stop an air raid. God save the King” Public domain.
Autumn seems to have been particularly fruitful at Woodlands Farm this year, with Blackthorn bows bending under the weight of sloes and the wild roses covered with bright red hips. Time for the farm’s annual Apple Day, which this year features the music of folk band Skinner’s Rats and concertina band Kettle Bridge Concertinas. Maureen from the farm wrote with the details:
Apple Day 18 October 11am-4pm
Join us for a celebration of British apples on Sunday 18 October, from 11am to 4pm. Discover and buy different types of traditional British apples. There will be music by Skinners Rats, Kettle Bridge Concertinas, food from our Café, a variety of activities including: crafts, a treasure hunt, apple pressing to make delicious juice, stalls selling local produce, including our own honey and homemade jams, and an opportunity to try some delicious Kentish cider. A great day out for all the family. Entry is free, but donations are always welcome and go towards the running of the Farm.
As usual there will be a good selection of English apples to try and buy.
Apples at Woodlands Farm
Then on the 25th October there will be a walking tour of the farm followed by a hearty lunch. Hannah sent details:
Mid-Autumn Walk at 10am followed by lunch at 12pm Sunday 25th October
Join us for a seasonal guided walk around Woodlands Farm. The walk will be at a strolling pace for about 2 hours and will show changes on the farm with the seasons and the cycle of the farming year. Dust off those boots and come and join us. Meet in the green education building in the Farmyard at 10am.
In addition to the walk we will be providing a lunch suitable for country appetites at 12pm. Lunch will be a mug of farmhouse soup, followed by a cheese Ploughman’s (suitable for vegetarians). Feel free to bring liquid refreshment (and glasses) to accompany the lunch, or we can supply hot drinks on request. Lunch will still go ahead even if the walk is cancelled as this is a catered event.
Walk and Lunch £6
To book please contact the farm office on 020 8319 8900 or email us at admin@thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org
Sloe berries at Woodlands Farm
Finally for October, Maureen also sent details of the farm’s half term activities for children, which coincides with Halloween:
Hibernation Trail Wednesday 28th October 1pm-3pm £1 per child
All the animals are getting ready for the winter and finding somewhere to hibernate and sleep through the coldest part of the year. Can you follow our trail and find them hidden round the farm yard? This is a drop in session so no need to book. For more information call 020 8319 8900. Make a felt key ring or badge Thursday 29th October. 10am-12pm £2 per child
Come along to this session to design and create your own key ring using felt. All the materials will be provided just what can your imagination come up with? This is a drop in session so no need to book. For more information call 020 8319 8900 Horrible Halloween Friday 30th October 6pm-8pm £4 per child
Come along to a spooky evening at Woodlands Farm. Wear fancy dress as we explore the farm by night as well as make a spooky craft to take home.
To book go to our website www.thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org Horrible Halloween Saturday 31st October 6pm-8pm £4 per child
Come along to a spooky evening at Woodlands Farm. Wear fancy dress as we explore the farm by night as well as make a spooky craft to take home.
To book go to our website: www.thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org
The weather for the weekend is forecast to be “Fine and dry with settled conditions,” so a good weekend to get out into our local parks. Both Shrewsbury Park and Eaglesfield Park have community activities this weekend.
On Saturday the Friends of Shrewsbury Park are having one of their regular tidy-up sessions. Kathy wrote with details:
If you can spare an hour to help clean up the park by picking up rubbish and cutting back brambles, please meet this Saturday at 11am at the Garland Road entrance to Dothill. Please bring your gardening gloves and secateurs.
Then on Sunday the Friends of Eaglesfield Park have things going on all day. In the morning they have one of their clean-up sessions at the lilly pond, assisted from 11.00am by Youth Volunteers from NCS (National Citizen Service), then after lunch another free Tai Chi session led by Tai Chi teacher Chew-Yeen. Following the Tai Chi, Chew-Yeen has organised a “cake sharing” for a donation of £2 in support of MacMillan Cancer Nurses. We’ll need to bring our own flask of tea or coffee
The details are all on the Friends’ blog, but the key times are:
10.30 am – Monthly pond and meadow tidy up and weeding.
11.00 am – 3.30 pm Youth volunteers from NCS (National Citizen Service) weeding and community survey.
1.00 – 2.00 pm Tai Chi session.
It’s autumn and the wild fruit is ripe at Woodlands Farm: the season to slowly forage for sloes and damsons and prepare some sloe gin. Maureen from the farm wrote to tell us about a chance to make some Hedgerow Liqueurs next Saturday:
Hedgerow Liqueurs
Saturday 26 September 2015 10am-4pm
Price: £20 (£15 members) 18+ years only
Join us for a tramp and forage 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 container. Alternatively, Kilner type jars, 1.5 litre, will be available at cost price. Sugar, sloes and wild damsons will be provided by Woodlands Farm. Book early as numbers are limited. Please dress appropriately for outdoor activities.
To book your tickets go to our website at: www.thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org
“Back to London for Lot 220, Land adjoining Furze Lodge, Plumstead SE18″, the auctioneer said, “Lot of interest, someone on the phone, couple on the internet. Shall we start at £30,000?” The bidding quickly progressed to £60,000 in £5,000 steps when it was sold to a phone bidder.
I was watching the final stages of Allsop’s residential auction over the internet at home. I had dropped in for a while to the real thing at the Cumberland Hotel, in a large basement meeting room smelling of toast and hotel breakfasts, picking up a thick, glossy brochure and sheaf of addenda on the way in. There were probably a couple of hundred people there, sitting on a dozen long rows of chairs, loitering at the back and huddled against a wall that had been declared a TV-free zone for those who didn’t want to accidentally appear on a TV show that was being made about the auction. On the opposite side a raised dais hosted a set of be-suited phone bid takers. At the front alongside the auctioneer was a powerpoint slide showing the current property being bid for with the latest price. The auction was surprisingly slow; many times a new bid was announced seconds before the gavel descended for the third and final time taking the auction off again in decreasing increments. Unfortunately I couldn’t wait for lot 220, which was just as well as they didn’t get to it until some 7 hours later.
The catalogue description of the scrap of land that looks like a small, tree-filled garden area for Furze Lodge was:
A Freehold Site extending to Approximately 0.016 Hectares (0.040 Acres). Possible Development Potential subject to all necessary consents being obtained Tenure
Freehold. Location
The property is situated on the west side of Plum Lane close to Dallin Road, opposite Shrewsbury Park with views across London. Local amenities are available nearby, with the more extensive facilities of Woolwich town centre being within 1 mile to the north. Docklands Light Railway (London City Airport 10 minutes) and Overground services run from Woolwich Arsenal Rail Station. Road access is afforded by the A207 (Shooters Hill) and A205 (Academy Road). The open spaces of Shrewsbury Park and Shooters Hill Golf Club are close by. Description
The property comprises a broadly rectangular shaped site which extends to approximately 0.016 hectares (0.040 acres). The site has frontage to Plum Lane. Accommodation
Site Area Approximately 0.016 Hectares (0.040 Acres) Planning
Local Planning Authority: London Borough of Greenwich.
Tel: 020 8921 4661.
The property may afford possible development potential subject to obtaining all necessary consents.
The area of the plot, 0.016 hectares, is equivalent to a square of side 12.7 metres, so why would someone pay £60,000 for it? I can only assume that it’s because of that magic phrase “possible development potential”. Any development would, of course, require planning permission, and at the moment it seems unlikely that permission would be granted. The people who carried out the conversion of the former gas decontamination centre that expanded Furze Lodge applied for permission to build a tiny “two and half storey two-bed dwelling house” on this plot. Amongst the 8 reasons the Royal Borough planners gave for rejecting the application were that the proposed property would “be built on land previously set aside for the use of the flats at Furze Lodge as a communal garden space”, which was approved under the original Furze Lodge application. They also mentioned the adverse impact of the house on homes in Brinklow Crescent and the problem of overlooking neighbouring properties in Dallin Road and the new Furze Lodge flats, and that the density of the development was too high.
London’s housing shortage is the root cause of developers’ willingness to pay high prices for tiny plots of garden land like this. There are a number of other cut-off scraps of gardens in the area, particularly along Mayplace Lane, where multiple applications to build tiny houses have been rejected by the planners, following which the land has been neglected and in some cases has become an eyesore. I get the impression that the owners are waiting for political change or the pressure of increased demand before submitting yet another application to build, leading to uncertainty for neighbours who value their environment. At a time when tens of thousands of new homes are being built across Greenwich do we really need to squash little boxes into every gap on the hillside?
