Over the past couple of weeks we have put out three old newsletters from 1998 - I thought perhaps I ought to jot down some 'where are they now' comments about some of the articles and people. so:
From Newsetter No.1.
Redpath Brown History - happily Andrew Turner is still working on the firm and the Greenwich steelworks, and we hope to have him back with an update talk in the next year or so. Thanks Andrew - and thanks for leading a Greenwich riverside walk for Docklands History Group next week
North Woolwich Walk - Howard Bloch, who led the walk for us and was the Newham Local History Librarian, sadly died some years ago. His job had been deleted by London Borough of Newham. The North Woolwich Station Museum has also been closed by London Borough of Newham and the building still stands derelict.
First meeting - Jack Vaughan, our very wonderful first Chair, also died some years ago. He was a great source of strength and very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Woolwich. We could do with a lot more like him!!
Barbara Ludlow, who was also a great source of strength now lives at the coast and is no longer very mobile. She has a vast reservoir of knowledge about the area and is endlessly helpful, albeit now by post. Thanks Barbara.
Nick Catford - contributes to many many railway history web sites and seems to have been taking photographs of interesting sites since before the year dot. He now edits the Sub Brit journal.
Pat O'Driscoll edited ByGone Kent until the title was sold by the Publisher. I haven't heard from her for some years and would love to do so - she is a great authority on barge building and the river.
The Georgian Cottages by the Pilot. We managed to get them listed at the very last minute (thanks English Heritage) and they still stand now in their own little square. It turns out the landscape designers for the Dome, etc. had planned to demolish them and were really furious at the listing.
Prof Tony Arnold - published his book 'Iron Shipbuilding on the Thames'
White Hart Depot - English Heritage agreed to list this and it still stands
Wood Wharf - it proved impossible to save any aspects of the ship repair yard or the old ferry remains. There is now a tower block on the site. Clive Chambers, who bravely dived the ferry chambers, has also sadly died.
NEWSLETTER No.2.
John Day - who wrote about the Arsenal in this and subsequent editions, and who did a lot of work at the Royal Artillery Archive, has sadly died.
Ian Sharpe - goes on promoting the history of Wapping through his Tourbridge web site
Michael Ward - has sadly died, and no more blue plaques have gone up
David Cuffley continues to run the North West Kent Family History Society and has been to talk to us on several occasions. Hope he will come again soon.
Rick Tisdell has sadly died
Terry Scales - goes on from strength to strength and is coming to speak at the next GIHS meeting
The Gas Museum was all packed up and sent to Leicester, where. I think it remains in its boxes.
The Conservation Group goes on from strength to strength - but I have no idea what happened to the Cultural Plan
Newsletter No.3.
Katie Jones wrote her history of the old Mercury building and then left the MS on a bus. The building has since been demolished.
The Naval Dockyards Society flourishes and holds its annual AGM in Greenwich
Greenwich Foot Tunnel - think I have just heard a rumour about a Friends organisation about to be set up.
The East Greenwich Gas Holder - is still there although under constant threat. I'm afraid the Julian only agreed to let me use his name on an article written by me. The Christopher Dresser bit was, I'm afraid, a red herring albeit an interesting one
Mumfords Mill - is now housing, as are most of the Arsenal buildings.
Greenwich Power Station - is still with us. Peter's article appeared in the GLIAS Journal - which I was editing at the time
The Greenwich Yacht Marina (in fact a semi derelict jetty held together with rope and old oil drums). That is a saga not suitable for publication here, I think. Whatever happened to Kenny??
Two women in a footpath - we did our best and happily Ursula is still around and up to all sorts of things.
Millennium Doomsday - upset a lot of people - but, there you go!
ps Greenwich Yacht Marina - they used to advertise on the Blackwall Tunnel Approach 'Drink and music at a riverside location' This in fact meant sitting on one of the oil drums at the less rickety end of the jetty, with canned beer and a transistor radio. You could watch the ducks though.