Book Reviews - Greenwich Industrial History - Wilson - Thames Basin

I thought this week rather than look at another industry or site that perhaps I could do a slrtof  ‘a literature review’. Something about what peoplehave written about Greenwich’s industrial history in thepast.

 

As long ago as 1957 a group was set up called the Thames Basin Archaeology ObserversGroup andin 1966 they set up an industrial archaeology section.  More about them in a moment.

 

First of all I wanted to mention a big glossy book produced in 1961. In last week’s article  I quoted from IT - Aubrey Wilson’s ‘London’s Industrial Heritage’. It’s a very attractive book with great black-and-white photographs taken by someone called Joseph McKeown.  Theysay they were involved in the Industrial Monuments of London Project- but I have no idea what that was. The book takes in the whole of London and has many pages on specialist old machinery and some big well-known sites – like Tower Bridge, which was only 66 years old when the book was written.

 

So, what did Audrey Wilson have to say about Greenwich? There are actually only two Greenwichsites in the book.  One of them is the planing machine at Grafton’s factory in Eltham,which I described last week. The other site is ‘Deptford East Power Station’.  Of course in 1961 the power station was still at work and still expanding . The part of it which had been Sebastian Ferranti’s original ‘first power station in the world’ was still part of the working site. Aubrey Wilson’s text talks about Ferranti and there is the famous black and white drawing of the “first power station in the world to generate and transmit electricity next high tension”.  There is also a photograph of some of the original power station incorporated into the expanded power station as it was in 1961, so that we can see it is the same building. I guess they would be scandalised to know that that is now all demolished, old and new,  with no reference whatsoever to it on housing estate now on the site

 

All the other sites in the book  are in other boroughs and the nearest site to Greenwich – in Lewisham Borough - is a bit of a mystery to me. It is described as an ‘overhead crane in New Cross in the ‘General Engine and Boiler Company works’ – obviously long gone – andthat it was built for railway locomotive manufacture. Yes, we did make railway locomotives in South East London!Aubrey Wilson goes on about this crane at some length saying it was probably installed in 1873. Clearly it can’t possibly exist now and that whole site was cleared years ago.  But I have never heard anyone mention this crane. Can anybody out there who knows about it enlighten us?

 

If you get a chance to see it Aubrey Wilson’s 1961 book is interesting with beautiful pictures. Maybe the best thing ever produced on London’s industrial heritage.

 

To get back to the industrial archaeology section of the Thames Basin Archaeological Observers Group. In 1969 they produced a booklet on the Industrial Monuments of Greater London.  Its not a glossy publication and quite honestly it looks a bit home-made and although I know that copies were distributed among interested people I’ve never actually seen an original copy -  all I have myself is a very very dodgy scan.  I do however know some of the people who were involved in it  -all of course, men.

 

So, what did this keen group of researchers see as the industrial monuments to Greater London in 1961?. What they have to say about Greenwich?  I’m sorry but this is going to be a bit of a list but here are the sites which they identified  - with my comments in italics underneath each one.

 

FORMER ROYAL WOOLWICH DOCKYARD Founded early 16^thCentury. Woolwich Church Street, S.E.18 Retains several 18th and 19th century naval buildings, including two impressive granite graving docks, built in early 19th century.

Well yes, and good for them listing this.  In 1969 the housing estate was barely started and the group would have had no way obviously of knowing what the future was for many of the older buildings.  It’s good to see the two graving docks mentioned

 

ROYAL WOOLWICH ARSENAL, founded late 17^thCentury, North of Plumstead Road, S.E.18,  Several important 18th and 19th century buildings remain, also many  examples of iron construction and walling, and early use of reinforced concrete. The Rink has now been demolished.

Again, good for them! The Arsenal so often gets ignored despite its importance and size. In 1969 they would have had no way of knowing what was on the site or finding out what was there so this is a very brave entry indeed. Perhaps someone could enlighten me as to what they mean by ‘The Rink’.

 

 

THAMES PEDESTRIAN SUBWAY (1876) Woolwich - North Woolwich Pedestrian tunnel constructed using Greathead devised compressed air tunnelling apparatus and hydraulic segment lifters.

They’ve actually made a mistake here. The 1876, tunnel was never finished and  never opened. The existing foot tunnel is 1912 and built by the London County Council

 

GREENWICH PEDESTRIAN SUBWAY  Greenwich.  Narrow bore foot tunnel.

This dates from 1902. I would also question whether this tunnel, only 60 years old in 1961, really counts as industrial heritage. It’s useful but it’s a public work not an industry

 

BLACKWALLROAD, TUNNEL (1897) Tunnel Avenue S.E.10 The current dueling of the tunnel retains the Southern Tunnel House, which is in the form of a stone gatehouse with art nouveau detailing.

I am not sure if the southbound tunnel was opened when this book was produced. My impression is that it opened sometime in late 1969. It’s also interesting that here they say nothing about the construction of the ‘old’ tunnel which is exceptionally interesting although good for them to mention the gatehouse.  Again we are talking about something which was only sixty years old and not really industrial

 

FORMER WINDMILL late 18thCentury Old Mill Road, Plumstead Common, S.E.18 Only brick tower of former tower mill remains.

Then again congratulations to them mntioningthis fairly obscure site.  Well it’s still there. I’ve never been in it.

 

DEPTFORD EAST GENERATING STATION in Aubrey Wilson’s book

 

DEPTFORD SEWAGE PUMPING STATION Greenwich High Road, S.E.10  Brick and stone Italianate pump house, by the Metropolitan Board of Works,originally containing four single cylinder beam engines now removed, which lifted low level flow into Southern Outfall Sewer.

Still there and a site which needs to be mentioned, still in use and of course now part of a groundbreaking scheme for the Tideway Tunnel.

 

WATER TOWER (1910) Shooters Hill, S.E.18 Octagonal multicoloured brick and stone water tower with high pitched roof above steel tank.

Another site which doesn’t get mentioned very often and again it’s a public service building rather than industrial, although it was built by private water company

 

CORN MILL & SILOS J.H.Robinson, Deptford Bridge & Creek, S.E.10 Typical florid late 19th century multistorey mills with boat dock facilities on site of former tide mills.

At last a real industrial site - which was not to last very much longer being burnt down in the early 70s. Some of the Robinson site was on the oldtide mill site but the larger part of it was on Deptford Bridge.

 

MUMFORDS FLOUR MILL & SILO (1897) Deptford Creek, Greenwich High Road, S.E.10 Fine multistorey windowless silo built in decorative red and yellow brick, with stone dressings and plaque, by Aston Webb.

Clearly a major feature of Greenwich High Road and converted to flats. It shows what happens when you get a really posh architect building your silo but it’s a site which gets noticed and is in lots of books

 

BAIRDS MALTINGS Greenwich High Road, S.E.10 Group of mill buildings .1852, 1888 Kilns and owners house

Bit confused by this. The Maltings site which everybody knew about and which was subject to an archaeological dig was in Stockwell Street.  The Greenwich High Road site was fairly obscure and I’m surprised they knew about it. Of course Bairds  had moved to Witham in the early 1960s but only in this last couple of months have they stopped. makingGreenwich Crystal Malt

 

WHITWORTH PLANING MACHINE In Aubrey Wilson’s book

 

This is allwell and good but most of the sites they have picked up have been public infrastructure with only a few bits of manufacturing industry.  Where are some of the massive factories which were very much still in work in 1969 - where are the cables, the telephones. Th medicine bottles, the motorbikes and much much more?

 

The Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society was set up in 1969 with anewsletter covering all London. Perhaps I should go right through it and see what Greenwich sites they mention. I might write something about these early newsletters in another article if people think it would be interesting.