NOVEMBER 2022 GROUP MEETING REPORT
Our feisty members and visitors did not let the strong wind and heavy rain put them off attending our November meeting when popular speaker and history walk guide, Christoph Bull, presented ’Our Thames from Dartford to Grain’, liberally accompanied by illustrations and photographs, including various types of crafts, women boiling shrimps and The Thames iced over at Gravesend in 1895.
Describing The Thames as ‘liquid history’, the first illustration showed the River Darent as it flowed through Dartford, Dartford Creek and flood barrier and across the Dartford Marshes to join The Thames. Ariel views showed Joyce Green Hospital, built “by Londoners for Londoners” in 1903 originally as a fever hospital. Sufferers from diseases such as smallpox were also treated in three hulks moored in the river and The Orchard Hospital.
Greenhithe, with a long history of ship building, was the next stopping place on our virtual journey. Home to Mrs Beaton, a celebrity cook of her time, as well as ships used for training recruits for the Merchant Navy and Royal Navy. Queen Victoria called in on her royal yacht, on a visit to her daughter Victoria who married King of Prussia Frederick III. There have been several versions of Ingress Abbey. The current one was built in 1833 for publisher and solicitor James Harmer. We are all familiar with attempts to turn the Swanscombe peninsula into another ‘Disneyland’. At one time a Royal Naval Dockyard was planned.
Moving onto Northfleet with high chalk cliffs, this was once a town with plentiful jobs in the busy dockyard and harbour, cement works such as Blue Circle and paper mills such as Bowaters and Kimberley Clark (the only one still operating). Several monarchs are said to have visited Elizabethan manor house Orme House (demolished in 1872) including Charles II. Rammed by another ship, “The Northfleet” sank and 400 were drowned – at that time river traffic did not need to stay on the port or star port side of the river. Rosherville Gardens with various entertainments was once a destination for day trippers on paddleboats from London.
Gravesend was our next stop, parts looking like Bath in some of the photographs. Christoph’s soapbox was well used when referring to Gravesend’s town planners in more recent times! Gravesend was once visited by ocean going vessels, photographs showed a Chinese Junk and a Japanese Cruiser. Christoph said The Town Pier (opened in 1834) is the oldest cast iron pier in the world. The Royal Terrace Pier is the headquarters of The Port of London Authority. A ferry links Gravesend with Tilbury, famed for Tilbury Fort where Queen Elizabeth I rallied her forces to face the Spanish Armada.
Travelling towards Grain are several abandoned forts built for defence during WW2 such as Cliffe Fort, the site of an early guided weapon system, Coalhouse Fort on the Essex side and, famous for pirate radio stations, the seven Maunsell Forts.
Christina Tyler, Programme Organiser
Our next meeting will be Tuesday 6th December when Delia Taylor will tell us about Victorian Street Life in 19th Century London.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT FROM JANUARY 2023 OUR MEETINGS WILL BE ON THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH. VENUE AND TIMES WILL REMAIN THE SAME. THE UPCOMING PROGRAMME WILL BE PUBLISHED SHORTLY.
Our feisty members and visitors did not let the strong wind and heavy rain put them off attending our November meeting when popular speaker and history walk guide, Christoph Bull, presented ’Our Thames from Dartford to Grain’, liberally accompanied by illustrations and photographs, including various types of crafts, women boiling shrimps and The Thames iced over at Gravesend in 1895.
Describing The Thames as ‘liquid history’, the first illustration showed the River Darent as it flowed through Dartford, Dartford Creek and flood barrier and across the Dartford Marshes to join The Thames. Ariel views showed Joyce Green Hospital, built “by Londoners for Londoners” in 1903 originally as a fever hospital. Sufferers from diseases such as smallpox were also treated in three hulks moored in the river and The Orchard Hospital.
Greenhithe, with a long history of ship building, was the next stopping place on our virtual journey. Home to Mrs Beaton, a celebrity cook of her time, as well as ships used for training recruits for the Merchant Navy and Royal Navy. Queen Victoria called in on her royal yacht, on a visit to her daughter Victoria who married King of Prussia Frederick III. There have been several versions of Ingress Abbey. The current one was built in 1833 for publisher and solicitor James Harmer. We are all familiar with attempts to turn the Swanscombe peninsula into another ‘Disneyland’. At one time a Royal Naval Dockyard was planned.
Moving onto Northfleet with high chalk cliffs, this was once a town with plentiful jobs in the busy dockyard and harbour, cement works such as Blue Circle and paper mills such as Bowaters and Kimberley Clark (the only one still operating). Several monarchs are said to have visited Elizabethan manor house Orme House (demolished in 1872) including Charles II. Rammed by another ship, “The Northfleet” sank and 400 were drowned – at that time river traffic did not need to stay on the port or star port side of the river. Rosherville Gardens with various entertainments was once a destination for day trippers on paddleboats from London.
Gravesend was our next stop, parts looking like Bath in some of the photographs. Christoph’s soapbox was well used when referring to Gravesend’s town planners in more recent times! Gravesend was once visited by ocean going vessels, photographs showed a Chinese Junk and a Japanese Cruiser. Christoph said The Town Pier (opened in 1834) is the oldest cast iron pier in the world. The Royal Terrace Pier is the headquarters of The Port of London Authority. A ferry links Gravesend with Tilbury, famed for Tilbury Fort where Queen Elizabeth I rallied her forces to face the Spanish Armada.
Travelling towards Grain are several abandoned forts built for defence during WW2 such as Cliffe Fort, the site of an early guided weapon system, Coalhouse Fort on the Essex side and, famous for pirate radio stations, the seven Maunsell Forts.
Christina Tyler, Programme Organiser
Our next meeting will be Tuesday 6th December when Delia Taylor will tell us about Victorian Street Life in 19th Century London.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT FROM JANUARY 2023 OUR MEETINGS WILL BE ON THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH. VENUE AND TIMES WILL REMAIN THE SAME. THE UPCOMING PROGRAMME WILL BE PUBLISHED SHORTLY.