NOW RELEASED = NEW BOOK INNOVATION ENTERPRISE AND CHANGE ON THE GREENWICH PENINSULA
£8 plus £2 packing and postage. by post to M.Wright, 24 Humber Road, SE37LT or email marymillsmmmmm@aol.com
also available SABO Crooms Hill, SE10. or Warwick Leadlay Nelson Road SE10 (let us know if you have a shop prepared to sell it)
Members of the Enderby Group are still hard at work trying to secure ongoing recognitions of our heritage in whatever the future holds for Enderby House. The developer is required to put the house back into a decent condition under the terms of the Planning Consent – but what then?? One group of our members has been talking to various developers and interested parties, but, as most people will be aware a lot has been going on both with proposals for the Enderby site itself and on some of its neighbours. Much will need to be resolved before we can move forward.
Meanwhile members have been working hard on getting over the Enderby heritage message. Richard Buchanan has been talking to any local group interested in hearing about the site and its importance in the history of international communications. He is happy to take bookings – so please get in touch. richardjbuchanan@aol.com
Stewart Ash has written a series of pieces on the history of the site. The whole text for these are on the Atlantic Cable Web site – this is a vast American site run by the English enthusiast, Bill Burns – and thank you Bill for doing this. The links are:
Click to access Eponymous_Enderbys.pdf
for the story of the Greenwich based Enderby family
and http://atlantic-cable.com/CableCos/EnderbysWharf/Enderby_Telcoms_Story.pdf
for the story of cable making on the site.
In addition Stewart has written three pieces complementing these which are on the Ballast Quay website:
About the Enderby Wharf Jetty: http://www.ballastquay.com/relics-of-a-glorious-history.html ;
About the Enderby family http://www.ballastquay.com/the-eponymous-enderbys.html
about Brunel’s Great Eastern and its role in laying Greenwich made cable http://www.ballastquay.com/isambard-kingdom-brunel.html
Stewart would be happy to communicate with anyone interested in these histories: Stewart.ash2@btinternet.com
Mary Mills and Ian Worley have both had articles, relevant to the site, published in ‘East of Eden’ which is mainly highlighting the work of architecture students at Greenwich University – it is a weighty tome, and anyone interested should enquire through the university bookshop.
We also hope to bring out something about other industrial achievements on the Peninsula – and Mary Mills is working on this – we need to engage the interest of local people, politicians and developers that there is something special here, which is unique to the Greenwich Peninsula and in particular Enderby Wharf..
On the 1867 map Thames Foundry is marked – and directories carry advertisements for the sale of ‘white brass’ a Thames Foundry, East Greenwich, the invention of a Mr.P.M. Parsons.
Neil Rhind says of Parsons – One of the most extraordinary industrial pioneers in our area was Percival Moses Parsons, first of No 44 in 1855, then to the brand new No 136 Shooters Hill Road. He invented manganese bronze in his back garden. His obituary in the Blackheath Local Guide (November 19 1892) was full. Young Parsons, born in London in 1819, had shown a great interest in engineering, mechanics and invention from an early age. After an education at a private boys’ school in Blackheath (name not known) he worked from the age of 15 at the Portsmouth Dockyard and later on the Eastern County Railways until 1845. While with them he invented switches and axle boxes. In 1851 he married Anne Jane Rexford, of Greenwich, whose mother also Jane conducted a private school for girls in Greenwich South Street, and still standing.
In 1855 he achieved what seemed to be an undoubted technical and business success by contriving a system of converting useless cast iron guns into rifled guns by boring them out and inserting steel tubes. In 1859 he suffered another disappointment, the failure of his plan (with others) to invest in the plans for the Central London Railway, where all the new railway lines coming into London would not finish at the various London termini – King’s Cross, Euston, Waterloo, Victoria etc.
In 1871 Parsons was appointed Engineer to the Bessemer Steel & Ordnance Company and supervised the building of the whole of the Company’s new works at East Greenwich, a task which occupied him at least two years.
During his research into the re-boring of guns his attention was turned to study of the use of metals generally; and his experience with machinery had demonstrated to him the importance of the arrangement of shaft-bearings and other surfaces which rubbed together and for which ordinarily “gun metal” (an alloy of copper and tin) had been used. Parsons was convinced that he could improve on this and installed a private mechanical laboratory at his house on Shooters Hill Road. Here he experimented with all sorts of metals and, finally produced a better compound comprised of zinc and lead which he called “white b rass”. It was another success and came to be used widely through the rest of 19th century especially in marine engines. By his death his invention was known to every engineer in the land as white brass.
More dramatic, perhaps, was his continued quest for a material which while as strong as steel should be free from the risk of corrosion which developed with all preparations which included iron. After many years work he produced a dramatic result a material with the strength of steel and one that would not corrode. in his back garden furnace.
Parsons hit the jackpot once more with manganese bronze, a combination of ferro-manganese with bronze and brass alloys. There was at first some difficulty in getting it known and introduced but it was taken up by a commercial company and in due course manganese bronze was fitted to virtually every vessel driven by a propeller. By the end of 19th century it was in considerable use for the propellers of steamers and in other cases where strength and durability were required equally.
Parsons went on to develop screw bolts for armour plating and other fixings including a tubular armour-plated bolt that the Russian government adopted with eagerness.
It also seems very likely that he had a foundry in what is now Chester Street, on the east side and the south corner with Derwent Street
Return to Lovells Wharf
Thomas Scholey notes
Based on Pipers Wharf/Dawsons Wharf
1881 Census. Thames Street, Greenwich Thomas SCHOLEY/M/23/Lighterman (born Bermondsey,Surrey)with wife & daughter
1903 Scholey, Thomas Edward ..21 Chevening-road,Westcombe Park, and trading at Piper’s Lighterman and Barge Owner Greenwich (The Gazette)
1904 Name Pennant Florence Scholey (NMM http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/845.html)
1912 tenders received for the removal of ashes from the Greenwich generating station… by barge fora period of 1 or 3 years from 31st July, 1912—Names and addresses of firms. … T. Scholey and Co., Limited, Dawson’s Wharf (LCC Minutes)
1922 Thomas Sholey, Dawson’s Wharf. Owners of Sailing Barge, Thomas Sholey (Oil & Colour Trades Journal) An account of living on Brian Boru in the 1950s http://frederickalancook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/early-days.html
1930 Thomas Sholey of East Greenwich …. owners of the sailing barge Brian Boru (Lloyds List).
1950 T. SCHOLEY & COMPANY LIMITED Motor, Sailing and Dumb Barge Owners Licensed Lightermen, Wharfingers, … month or year OUR MOTTO SERVICE AND DESPATCH Dawson’s Wharf, Christchurch Way, East Greenwich London, S.E.10 (Lloyds List)
Bar on the Embankment, London. This bar and restaurant was originally built in 1926 as a Thames cargo barge by J. Piper of east Greenwich under the name WILFRED. From 1926 to 1949, she worked in the sand and ballast trade under the ownership of Thomas Scholey & Co. Ltd., out of Dawson Wharf, Greenwich until 1953. From here she was re-named STARGATE and sold to Rochester Trading Co. to trade in general cargoes. ……………………. In 1991 she moved to Temple Pier along Victoria Embankment where she traded as El Barco Latino, a Latin American bar and restaurant. Recently it has been renamed Bar & Co.offering a Spanish bar by day and popular night club venue by night. (http://thamesvessels.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/bar-co-barge-wilfred.html)
Return to Lovells Wharf
Return to Pipers Wharf
In 1997 a society from the north arranged a trip round the Greenwich Peninsula to see the works on-going to remediate the site and build the Dome. The following notes were written up after the event by one of the participants.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THESE ARE NOTES TAKEN BY SOMEONE ON A COACH TRIP ROUND THE SITE FROM MEMORY – THEY ARE NOT AN AUTHORATATIVE ACCOUNT BY AN OFFICAL PARTICPANT OR A CONTRACTOR AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. THEY DO, HOWEVER, GIVE AN IMPRESSION OF THE SITE.
Notes on the project team’s presentation.
Original proposals to retrospective planning brief in 1980s
1992 Planning consent for revised masterplan after intervention by Michael Heseltine
Jubilee Line brought back south of the river by amendment of Bill in Parliament
3rd Blackwall Tunnel affirmed
1993 Reports proposing national Millennium Exhibition at Greenwich (incidence of any lottery) Greenwich eventually selected in later Millennium competition.
English Partnerships involved summer 1996
£147 ½ m of infrastructure in the next 2 years
Acquire freehold June/February 1997 from British Gas of whole Peninsula except industries on the west side. Long term renewal irrespective of Millennium Festival. (This followed British Gas’s statutory remediation. English Partnerships now to do development remediation.
Lead consultants W.S.Atkins with sub contractors including Richard Rogers master planners.
Refinements of master plan currently ignoring continued existence of the Millennium Dome.
18 separate development remediation contracts. Starting with the Dome site – first segments handed over in June. ( third of site) Piling able to start day after government announcement confirming the project.
See English Partnerships ‘The Millennium Riverbank Experience” . Some parts set back to become salt marsh/ reed bed. Planted stepped terraces rather than vertical piling
Constraints of highways and utilities
Power supply in new tunnel from north side of the river 40MW capacity (including 10MW for the exhibition).
Gas main relocated – just started £27m
Water supply under regeneration – may include pipe jacking
A102M Northern Gateway Junction – new roundabout and four lane widening
Replacement of Horn Lane as distributor road
Outcome of Public Enquiry expected (fast track of four weeks to decision)
Question – How is the regeneration being recorded?? For use and reassurance of future developers
Each contract has outturn survey and formal handover to succeeding contractor.
Not on Global Information Systems (too early)
Question – Local reactions
Pleased but worried about future traffic
Exhibition will be car free
Question – Extent of breaking out
Foundations being broken to 1m below formation to allow for services, etc.
Hot spots of contamination being dealt with, as found.
Capping layers being suited to end users
Coach park will be solid paved, so no capping.
Removal of 200,000 t in each of two phases of statutory remediation and an equivalent quantity removed subsequently.
Transport
Rail congested and trips limited
Road used for disposal to 10 different tips in the south east at contractors discretion
(?? Illegible) material via private river wharves
Exempted from land fill tax
Each consignment fully audited
Quantity of material to each tip agreed with HM Customs and Excise
Dutch guidelines about what must be taken off site based on statistical sampling of soil which is stock piled and retested.
Quantitative and qualitative risk assessment
Retesting of cleansed material.
In situ remediation taking longer period of time than available.
————————————
Statutory remediation was aimed at protecting environmental receptors only assuming no site development or public access.
All monitored by the Environment Agency and the London Borough of Greenwich who receive results of all monitoring.
———————————————–
No changes after tender without a Control Order
Contract is ICE 6 with client amendments to fixed price lump sum with most risks lumped onto contractors.
Contaminated land work £20m including capping
Statutory decontamination was also £20m.
Disposal costs of waste are the largest
£30m/3 for low grade, free of tax
£50-60m/3 for high grade waste, free of tax
Going away to Kent, Bedfordshire, etc
None came forward with river transport
Relative economies of different sites not the concern of the client
——————
Contingencies for inflation and 10% for extras
£55m on south 1/3 of site outside the Millennium site additional to the £147 ½ m for the Millennium site.
A Charitable Trust will be endowed with a sinking fund to repair the river walls and it will levy a service charge for maintenance of open spaces, etc.
The tour of the site was by vehicle with photos taken through the window
Driver/guide was working on the statutory remediation by British Gas followed by the development remediation by English Partnerships this year.
Ground was 5m of made ground. Alluvial clays, peats and Terrace gravels. London clay and WRB, surface falling to north.
Return to Gas Works
Return to Dome
May 1930
SEQUEL TO GREENWICH ACCIDENT
INJURED MAN’S GALLANTRY
At Greenwich Police Court yesterday the Grays Ferro Concrete Co. Ltd. Imperial Wharf, Tunnel Avenue east Greenwich were summoned under the Factories Act for using a scaffolding pole from which the bark had not been stripped and for having a gangway over twelve feet from the ground which was not provided with a suitable handrail. The company through their solicitor pleaded guilty.
Mr R. U. Shaxby factory inspector said that on March 10th while the company were erecting a large building in Ferro Concrete at Imperial Wharf Greenwich Cecil Albert Scotter on of their employees fell from a gangway and broke two ribs
Return to Delta Wharf
The area before industrialisation
The area now known as Victoria Deep Water Wharf is the next site to the north of Bay Wharf. Marked on the Skinner Plan as ‘B’ – for Blisset, in the occupation of Thomas Jeffrey
HOUSE OF LORDS COMMITTEE ON SOUTH MET CO BILL 1881 – some notes on the proceedings . This is the bill to allow East Greenwich Gas Works to be built and deals with objections.
An enormous amount of time was taken up with the Blackwall Point Dry Dock at the enquiry – although only a small proportion of the total submissions were about it. To summarise very briefly: The owners of the dock wanted compensation for likely damage to their work and they wanted the Gas Company to buy it. Most of the time is taken up with legal arguments on precedents, etc. but there is a strong undercurrent of argument which suggests that the purchase of lands either side of the dock site means that it will be landlocked and they therefore want the gas company to buy it before its value falls – on the other hand the gas company
want to wait until the value does fall.
However the following are items from the cross examinations with relevance to the dry dock:-
Submission of evidence from Alfred Davis Lewis of 34 Leinster Gardens, shipbuilder and Samuel Hyam 109 Westbourne Terrace and the Biphosphated Guano Company – the petititioner Alfred
Davis Lewis is lessee of the said Samuel Hyam for a long term of years of extensive premises consisting of a ship building yard including a dry dock – at which he carries on external painting
operations and employs a large number of skilled artisans and workmen.
In his evidence he says that the dock is used for the purpose of repairing and painting and decorating ships and is used by Mr. Lewis who is a shipbuilder with large contracts existing with many companies and owners to submit vessels ranging over a long period
George Livesey says “I saw a large ship in there some time back – which had touched a rock somewhere and injured her stern post – they were taking it out and putting a new stern post in –
this is a rough kind of repair
Question to Livesey “have you ever seen delicate work being done, painting of colours, decorating a ship and supplying the upholstery?
Livesey – I have not seen it but I should suppose it would be – it is said the supply of gas would be very injurious to work of that kind – I do not think that it would – it would only be injurious so far as the dust is concerned – the storage of gas would not do so.
Sir Edmund Beckett QC (acting for SMGC) Mr. Hyams is a gentleman of a certain persuasion as could be seen from his name and he was hoping to do a little business.
Lewis wants the Gas Company to accepts a clause in the bill which says ‘The Company shall
purchase the ship building works docks and all belonging to it reputed to belong to Samuel Hyam and Alfred Davis Lewis’.
Surveyors evidence – Messrs. Lewis property is of about 3 acres with a 400′ long dock and workshops with a 400′ frontage on the river and Hyam owns another 800′ of frontage. It can take ships of 2,000 or 3,000 tons. Mr. Lewis takes contracts from lines of ships to repair them. The ship owners will need to take out more insurance if the work is done near a gas works.
They land coal at the jetty already. The prevailing wind will carry coal dust onto the ships.
Lewis gives evidence – they have a 410′ long dry dock and wall, They take Cape ships in it which have to be repaired within 24 hours – they employ 250-350 men. They do gilding work on side of ships and if the engine room is open they will get grit in it. They have 45 years left to run on their lease. They do gentlemen’s yachts and had W.H.Smith’s yacht in there once and the P & O company’s steamers.
The House of Lords decision was that South Met. Gas Co. must buy the dry dock and a clause to that effect should go in the Bill.
Return to Blackwall Point Dry Dock
Return to East Greenwich Gas Works
This cutting describes the fire at Enderby wharf in 1845 which destroyed their rope and canvas factory
These cuttings relate to two accidents at the Robson and Dyer Firework Factory in the 1880s. The factory was in Woolwich Road (roughly the site of the chip shop) and covered the area which is now Tunnel Avenue
robson and dyer deaths reports KM0001 robson and dyer KN ACCIDENT REPORT0001
Greenwich Peninsula History 