SNT.

Some excellent news regarding local crime fighting, as has recently been reported by the Metropolitan Police, in the excerpt from their press release featured below. For information, where the article refers to the SNT this means the local police Safer Neighbourhood Teams. These are small groups of officers and PCSO's who work policing a small area called a ward, which they know intimately well. They have a level of local knowledge enabling them to see when things are not correct. They liaise closely with local residents, Indeed hold regular quarterly meetings with local community representatives, understand local worries and security requirements. The SNT's also often act as local advisors to larger police groups involved in special operations, such as the one that was carried out recently to break up what would appear to be an organised criminal gang. The SNT's often get overlooked and unrecognised for the invaluable crime-fighting work that they do. They also work closely with Neighbourhood Watch groups in order to fight antisocial behaviour and local crime. Thanks to reader Paul for bringing this particular story to my attention. "On Thursday 12 February 2026, officers from Bexley Safer Neighbourhoods Team executed two Section 8 PACE 1984 warrants at separate units on an industrial estate in Erith. These warrants were carried out in partnership with the Environment Agency, HMRC, London Fire Brigade, DNA Selector Dog teams, and BT’s cable theft unit, reflecting a strong multi-agency approach to tackling organised criminality. Following extensive searches across both premises, officers recovered:- One stolen vehicle, and a second vehicle that had been stripped for parts. Approximately £35,000 worth of Class A and Class B drugs, indicating clear evidence of drug supply activity. Three individuals were arrested at the scene, and enquiries remain ongoing. In addition, two of the buildings were found to present significant ongoing criminal and safety concerns. As a result, both have been issued with Closure Notices and will remain closed for a period of three months. This operation demonstrates the continued commitment of Bexley SNT and partner agencies to disrupting organised criminality, targeting local priorities, protecting communities, and improving safety across the borough". Comments to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Controversy surrounds the latest proposed addition to the visitor attractions located in Danson Park. The long established grade 2 listed public open space hopes to add a series of rope ways and zip lines between the trees in the wooded Northwest section of the park covering an area of just under three hectares. The proposed rope adventure area would be run by a private company called Adventure Forest Limited. At the time of writing, there have been 368 objections to this development from both users of the park and local residents. The main areas of concern are the fact that the rope adventure area would be run by a private company on what is council-owned and publicly funded land in order to make a profit, rather than directly for the benefit of local people. Secondly, local residents are concerned that their back gardens and houses will be overlooked by the rope adventure scheme, with users able to look into their private areas. Thirdly, they object to the potential installation due to damage to wildlife including squirrels, hedgehogs, foxes, and a variety of rare birds and bats, which are indigenous to the area. It is also alleged that the private company Adventure Forest Limited only sent out a public consultation over the Christmas holidays when virtually nobody was able to see it, and that details have only come to light recently. Personally I have no strong feelings either way, but it does concern me that once again Bexley Council seem to be privatising services which normally would be run within the council itself. As some would say, it would appear to be privatisation by the back door. I understand there is also concern that if this development goes ahead it will set a precedent whereby the Council might try to sell off more park land for housing developments in order to rake in more cash. They have already done this in West Street in Erith, so it would not be the first time where a piece of public land used for leisure was sold off by the council in order to make a short term profit at the expense of local amenities.

The blue plaque pictured above (click on it to see a larger image) is mounted on the wall of The Royal Victoria and Bull pub and hotel in Dartford. The pioneering steam engineer and mining expert Richard Trevithick died in the hotel (at that time known just as The Bull) back in April 1833. He had been lodging there for some months. Following a week's confinement in bed he died on the morning of 22 April 1833. By this stage in his life, he had been declared bankrupt; he was penniless, and no relatives or friends had attended his bedside during his illness. His colleagues at Hall's works (where he has been an engineering consultant) made a collection for his funeral expenses and acted as bearers. They also paid a night watchman to guard his grave at night to deter grave robbers, as body snatching was common at that time. Trevithick was buried in an unmarked grave in St Edmunds Burial Ground, East Hill, Dartford. The burial ground closed in 1857, with the gravestones being removed in the 1960s. A plaque marks the approximate spot believed to be the site of the grave. Another plaque lies on the side of the park, near the East Hill gate, and an unlinked path. Richard Trevithick, was born in Illogan, Cornwall, in 1771. He was educated at Camborne School, but he was more interested in sport than academic learning. Trevithick was six feet two inches high and was known as the Cornish giant. He was very strong lad and by the age of eighteen he could throw sledge hammers over the tops of engine houses and write his name on a beam six feet from the floor with half a hundredweight hanging from his thumb. Trevithick also had the reputation of being one of the best wrestlers in Cornwall. Trevithick went to work with his father at Wheal Treasury mine and soon revealed an aptitude for engineering. After making improvements to the Bull Steam Engine, Trevithick was promoted to engineer of the Ding Dong mine at Penzance. While at the Ding Dong mine he developed a successful high-pressure engine that was soon in great demand in Cornwall and South Wales for raising the ore and refuse from mines. Trevithick also began experimenting with the idea of producing a steam locomotive. At first he concentrating on making a miniature locomotive and by 1796 had produced one that worked. The boiler and engine were in one piece; hot water was put into the boiler and a red hot iron was inserted into a tube underneath; thus causing steam to be raised and the engine set in motion. This was not a practical design, as without a firebox, the steam pressure could only be maintained over very short journeys. Even when this problem was solved, he encountered more issues with the rails on which his steam engine travelled - at that time the rails were made of cast iron, rather than rolled steel, and they were very brittle as a result. In the summer of 1808 Trevithick erected a circular railway in Euston Square and during the months of July and August people could ride on his locomotive on the payment of one shilling. Trevithick had plenty of volunteers for his locomotive that reached speeds of 12 mph (19 kph) but once again the rails broke and he was forced to bring the experiment to an end. Without financial backing, Richard Trevithick had to abandon his plans to develop a steam locomotive. Trevithick now found work with a company who paid him to develop a steam dredger to lift waste from the bottom of the Thames. He was paid by results, receiving sixpence for every ton lifted from the river. Trevithick found it difficult to make money from his steam dredger and in 1816 he accepted an offer to work as an engineer in a silver mine in Peru. After some early difficulties, Trevithick's steam-engines were very successful and he was able to use his profits to acquire his own silver mines. However, in 1826 war broke out and Trevithick was forced to flee and leave behind his steam-engines and silver mines. He was a good engineer, but it is generally accepted that he was an exceptionally poor businessman. Although inventors such as George Stephenson argued that Trevithick's early experiments were vital to the development of locomotives, in February 1828, the House of Commons rejected a petition suggesting that he should receive a government pension. After this, and several other misguided schemes failed, Trevithick was forced to seek paid employment at the Hall's engineering works in Dartford, where he later died whilst lodging in the pub.

One of my occasional "Then and Now" photos. The upper photo shows Erith railway station as it appeared in the spring of 1970; the lower photo shows what it looked like somewhat more recently.  It is immediately obvious that the building has changed remarkably over the time period, and in my opinion it looks far better nowadays than it did back then. I believe that the way the station looks now is pretty close to what it originally looked like when it was built back in 1849. The structure on the front (to the right) in the 1970 photo appears to be a "goods in" depot for freight - I know that historically the station used to have a small branch line and an extra mini platform for the loading and unloading of sheep, pigs and coal, amongst other commodities. By 1970 this kind of freight was long in the past, and newsprint was the main load, though commuting into and out of London was very much on the increase - the days of most Erith residents working locally was decreasing. The focus of the station was already moving away from freight and onto catering for daily commuters instead. The station was (pre Covid lockdown) host to around 2,500 passengers every weekday - somewhat less at weekends. Nowadays the current figures are unclear, but would appear to be somewhat lower than this, due to many people working from home for at least part of the week. 

Thanks very much to regular reader and occasional contributor Richard for the following information. It would appear that planning permission has been applied to redevelop the former Slade Green football club site, including  the buildings, pitch and the former Sportsman social club in order to construct yet more housing. The site is located in Hazel Road and Moat Lane, Slade Green. Details of the application are as follows:- "17/02464/OUTEA Outline planning application (with only access to be determined) for the demolition of 116 Hazel Road and the former Slade Green F.C. clubhouse and pavilion buildings, the removal of the former Slade Green F.C. football pitch and tennis courts and erection of up to 235 residential apartments (C3) comprising 65 x 1 bed, 160 x 2 bed and 10 x 3 bed apartments with associated parking, sports hub, provision of new football pitches, changing facilities, a trim-trail route, a dedicated car park, open space, landscaping, infrastructure and groundwork. | Site Of Former Slade Green Football Club, 116 Hazel Road, The Sportsman, Slade Green Recreation Ground, Moat Lane, Erith Kent DA8 2ND".

The end video this week is something a bit different. As most of you know, normally I try and feature a video from YouTube that has some connection with the local area. This week it is not the case. It features a very short summary of the life and times of Tommy Flowers, who was one of the most influential and pioneering people in the early days of computing.  I have a family connection with him. My late great uncle Horace worked for Tommy Flowers at the Post Office Research Centre in Dollis Hill, London and was one of the people responsible for Colossus. This was one of the very first computers ever built. Tommy Flowers completely revolutionised the whole whole area of computing and data processing and is almost totally unknown. He was instrumental in cracking the Nazi Lorenz Cipher. Many people may have heard of Alan Turing and the breaking of the Enigma Code, but the Laurenz Cipher, which was introduced later in World War II was several degrees more complex and astonishingly difficult to decode. It could only be done reliably and efficiently by a computer and Uncle Horace was one of the engineers who made this possible. He never talked about it during his life. The level of secrecy that it was held at Bletchley Park, and was so secret decrypting was held was so high, It was actually higher than the security classification of the atom bomb in America. I have written about Uncle Horace in the past but it was quite a long time ago. He was an amazing engineer and lovely guy. He was kind, thoughtful and very, very clever. He was persecuted, as was Alan Turing after the war as Horace was bisexual, which at the time was regarded as being a major security risk. He never let on about his connection with Bletchley Park and Colossus and we only found out any vague details after his death. He used to live in Lee. The Tommy Flowers video gives some indication of what they both went through. They will both working class people who rose above their assigned station in life to become astonishingly successful. Horace never wanted publicity or any kind of fame. He was quiet and wanted no kind of publicity. Even before I knew of his past, he was an absolute hero of mine. Intelligent, resourceful and a fantastic engineer, who cared for his sibling, who when modern standards are applied, his brother Gordon had quite severe autism for all of his life. Horaces's wartime boss Tommy Flowers is a giant of technology who has little recognition when he should be recognised as an absolute founder of the modern IT age. Comments and feedback to  me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.