Borough of Woolwich Electricity
Junction Box
Richard
Buchanan and Susan Bullivant
Some years ago Woolwich Antiquarians Newsletter mentioned that:
"on Shooters Hill one of the roadside electricity distribution boxes
(green, about 3 '6" high and 1'6" by 1' in plan) still has its cast
iron doors with the Arms of the Borough of Woolwich, from pro-grid days when
the Borough generated its own electricity".
On the evening of Monday 25th September 2006, Dr Barry Gray who lives in
Eaglesfield Road (its location), phoned GIHS Chair Susan Bullivant to say that
it had been knocked by a car, and was leaning across the pavement at a
dangerous angle. As there are very few of these junction boxes left, they were
both concerned that the box should not be consigned to a skip.
The next morning
Susan phoned the Greenwich Highways Department, as they are responsible for
'street furniture' and are the owners. They showed no interest in the matter; but
did give her the phone number of EdF, the electricity supply company, whose
office is in Ipswich. The staff there were sympathetic and concerned - that the
box should be saved - that the electricity supply was safe - and to determine
its owner. Susan then rang Chris Foord at Greenwich Heritage Centre who
confirmed that they would like to acquire the box, and gave him the Ipswich
phone number. On the evening of Tuesday 26th, Dr Barry Gray again rang to say
that men were removing the junction box, and had told him they had to be
careful with it as "a lady has phoned up about it". Susan went along,
and was assured they were taking it in their big EdF van to their depot in
Bexleyheath Broadway. They gave her the phone number of their boss. This she passed
on to the Heritage Centre the next morning, who then made arrangements for the
junction box to be transferred to them from the Bexleyheath depot on the
following Tuesday, 3rd October. EdF duly delivered it (less a small part of the
bottom of one of the doors which had been broken off).
So thanks are due to the
EdF staff in Ipswich for their concern over a historic junction box with the
Woolwich coat-of-arms on it.
The Heritage Centre staff (and Richard Buchanan, a volunteer who was
there that day) were pleased to see it and immediately started to talk of
refurbishing it, and putting it on a plinth so that it could be stood upright.
Below ground the casting continues for another foot with a leg at each comer,
presumably to fit over a conduit, leaving a clear cable entry from below.
However, two of the legs had been cut off, probably to avoid a below ground
obstacle when the box was in service. Its top has a round cap fitted over the
centre, suggesting that it was designed to mount a lamp standard. Most such
electricity junction boxes surviving on Shooters Hill are of (probably) later
manufacture, on the 1935-6 Laing estate where they are situated in roadside
verges planted with shrubs. These boxes were made by Siemens to a similar
pattern, but lack the Woolwich Arms and do not have provision for mounting a
lamp standard. Nowadays electrical supply connections are generally in boxes
below the footway.
This item originally appeared in the
Woolwich Antiquarians Newsletter in 2006 – with thanks.