First of all - thanks for everybody who is sending a fabulous amount of stuff through. We are hardly catching up with it. Need to be more disciplined and have a daily posting here soon, I think.
GREENWICH PARK
Hardly to be seen as an industrial site - but their latest newsletter has some information about the park as a workplace.
Their newsletter gives on its front page news about the archaeological dig at the Old Keepers Cottage. Basically they have found some walls - but hope to have an exhibition about it soon. A handout from the park also says how they aim to reveal more of the park's history - and need the ideas and help of local people They have a public opening meeting on 22nd November (tomorrow!!)7-9 at West Greenwich Library.
A kind person has been sending us lots and lots of press cuttings - more on those soon. As a taster - here is the shortest one which is from 1867. It just says that a 'salmon trout measuring 18 in in length was caught last week off Bugsby's Hole, Blackwall'.
from Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle 26/10/1867
The story from FOGWOFT about the plaque on the history of the Greenwich Foot Tunnel is now appearing far and wide. Latest one was the Westcombe News - but I also guess there are others we haven't seen.
Email from a desperate family history researcher - he is asking us for help and says we are his last chance of info. Please help him! We can pass any info on - and a lot of what he says is very very interesting
GREENWICH PARK
Hardly to be seen as an industrial site - but their latest newsletter has some information about the park as a workplace.
Their newsletter gives on its front page news about the archaeological dig at the Old Keepers Cottage. Basically they have found some walls - but hope to have an exhibition about it soon. A handout from the park also says how they aim to reveal more of the park's history - and need the ideas and help of local people They have a public opening meeting on 22nd November (tomorrow!!)7-9 at West Greenwich Library.
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A kind person has been sending us lots and lots of press cuttings - more on those soon. As a taster - here is the shortest one which is from 1867. It just says that a 'salmon trout measuring 18 in in length was caught last week off Bugsby's Hole, Blackwall'.
from Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle 26/10/1867
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The story from FOGWOFT about the plaque on the history of the Greenwich Foot Tunnel is now appearing far and wide. Latest one was the Westcombe News - but I also guess there are others we haven't seen.
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Email from a desperate family history researcher - he is asking us for help and says we are his last chance of info. Please help him! We can pass any info on - and a lot of what he says is very very interesting
I have been researching my family tree and have strong Greenwich connections. (My mother was shown a shop in Greenwich where her grandfather worked and used to make the Lord Mayor's whip for the London Lord Mayor's show every year.) I'm not sure how you can help with this query, but I'm hoping that at least you might be able to point me in the right direction. It relates to an intriguing puzzle I have over one of my ancestors with a Greenwich connection that is possibly industry related. I have an ancestor Ayton Hyde (m. Watts) born about 1821 and, according to 1861 census, born in Cape of Good Hope. I am trying to find out what her father was doing in Cape of Good Hope at that time as there were few British settlers there at that time. I do know about the 1820 Settlers but Ayton's parents names are not on the list (or at least I cannot find them). Ayton's father was William Hyde (or Hide) b abt 1791. The 1842 census shows him born in Kent and living then on Ship & Billet Row, Woolwich Road, Greenwich, and his occupation was Shipwright. He was married to Elizabeth (possibly nee Brown Deller). Their 2nd child was born in Greenwich in 1826, indicating that they had returned from Africa by then. I suspect William Hyde might have gone to Cape of Good Hope in connection with his occupation as a shipwright. I understand shipbuilding docks around Greenwich were closing around that time so possibly he followed the work. I deduce he would have been in the Cape from about 1820 (or a bit earlier) till about 1825.
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Woolwich Antiquarians Newsletter
Lots of items of interest.
--- they note the possible sell off of the last remaining Woolwich Barracks - and particularly note the now almost invisible Rotunda
---- they are looking for a home for a parish marker which has been recovered, by a member, from a tip! They are trying to establish where it came from.
----- Plumstead Common Environment Group are applying for a grant for Workhouse Wood in Plumstead.
---- Meantime Brewery have opened a tiny tiny tiny pub in Peninsula Square
and something else which I hope to add soon
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Greenwich Power Station
We understand a consultation is about to be launched about refitting this station by Transport for London as part of a district heating scheme - to cut pollution from (they say) 20,000 small boilers. This is being launched today and there will be public access via a web site
We also understand (thanks EGRA!) that there will be meetings about this at the Forum in East Greenwich on 1st and 5th December.
They also say they can arrange visits if any of us want to go
This is the oldest power station in Britain - and may be in Europe - still functioning. It is a stunning building if a bit crowded out with horrid old tanks - but it is a monument to municipal public enterprise in the early 20th century - to see it with a new use is stunning!!