Sculpture.

After several months absence the landmark De Luci fish sculpture situated in the middle of the roundabout at the junction of Bexley Road, Bronze Age Way and Queen's Road in Erith has been repaired and restored after it was hit by a vehicle and severely damaged in January. For some time it was unclear whether it would be restored or whether it would be permanently removed. The sculpture has proved to be quite controversial as some people love it, and others think it is a local eyesore. Personally, I was never keen on it when it was first installed, but I feel that it has become part of the local landscape now. The reason the statue shows a number of fish displayed in mosaic is because these fish formed part of the heraldic shield of former lord of the manor Richard De Luci. Historically, he founded the abbey at what is now Abbey Wood as part of his penance for his indirect involvement with the murder of Bishop Thomas A Beckett at Canterbury Cathedral on the 29th of December 1170. Incidentally, one of the myths popularised after the death of Bishop Beckett was that in the town of Strood, Kent, Becket is said to have caused the inhabitants and their descendants to be born with tails. The men of Strood had sided with the king in his struggles against the archbishop, and to demonstrate their support had cut off the tail of Becket's horse as he passed through the town.

I have had a number of readers contact me in order to enquire about my health. Unfortunately I'm still unwell and have now been housebound since mid-January. Last week I did manage to attend an appointment at Erith Hospital for a series of blood tests. I have to say that the staff at the local hospital were absolutely excellent, extremely efficient and I was in and out within around ten minutes. I have to return at some point in the future for some further tests as investigations into my illness are still ongoing. I was only able to attend the hospital as I was chauffeured from door-to-door as I'm still unable to walk more than a few paces before becoming exhausted. Thanks to everyone who has wished me well. It is greatly appreciated. Comments and feedback to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Erith is somewhat unusual in that it is a town that still has an old – style “cottage hospital”. Nowadays the hospital is mainly used for blood tests and X-rays, and an excellent urgent care centre which has a very good reputation. Back in the 1980’s there was a small surgical unit in the hospital where routine type procedures were carried out. There were two wards accommodating a maximum of thirty one in – patients in 1986. Nowadays the most common reason to visit the hospital is to have an X-ray, blood test, or receive treatment for a minor injury. The X-ray department is located in a rather unusual out building. You can see a photo of the building above – click for a larger view. The bunker was built in 1938 by the then Erith Borough Council as part of the Emergency Medical Service introduced by the Ministry of Health to deal with the anticipated large-scale casualties from enemy bombing during the Second World War. The provision was mainly hut based accommodation, and although another five of these concrete structures were planned on the site, no others are known to survive. The only other underground hospitals known are the one at Dover Castle built by the military as a Field Dressing Station as part of a combined HQ accommodation and the underground hospital at Jersey built by the Germans with forced labour for their defence from the allies. Neither of these examples are comparable with this structure at Erith. The bunker was converted from an emergency field hospital into an X-ray department in 1950. The bunker structure was granted Grade II listed status in 2003, due to its history and uniqueness.

Regular reader and occasional contributor Sandra writes:- "I took a photo of the tree l was telling you about that l spotted on the way to work. On closer look hanging in it were not large eggs but a good variety of decorative bird feeders. Still pretty and brighten up the street Dalmeny Road and worth a photo l thought." Dalmeny Road is located as a connection between Belmont Road and Rydal Drive in Northumberland Heath. 

Much has been written in the local press and social media about the recent 160th anniversary of the opening of Crossness Sewage Works and Pumping Station, which I will not repeat here. What is far less known is the story of a farm also located at Crossness. Some years ago Will Cooban of the Bexley Local Studies and Archives Centre, provided the following account of the story of Manor Farm in Crossness. Some parts of this article have previously been published on social media.

"THE HISTORY OF MANOR FARM, CROSSNESS - By Jane Showler.

For a century, between 1860 and 1960, three generations of the SHOWLER family lived at Crossness. Their story is the story of Manor Farm. Thomas SHOWLER (my 2x Great Grandfather) the youngest son of a Lincolnshire farmer Robert Showler, was born in 1819. In 1846 he married Ann, a daughter of a farmer and by 1851 Thomas was himself a tenant farmer with 56 acres. In 1856 Thomas and Ann’s 7th child died aged only 4 months. Soon afterwards Thomas and Ann left Lincolnshire with their 6 children to start a new life. Thomas took a job as “Horse keeper” with a Lincolnshire builder, William Webster. Thomas and Ann and their growing family moved with Mr Webster’s company, stopping at Cambridge and then Hitchin. In 1860 they arrived in London where Mr Webster had been awarded contracts for the building of the Crossness Southern Outfall Sewer, Abbey Mills Pumping Station and the Western Pumping Station. In 1861 Thomas and Ann were living in a cottage owned by London County Council on “Thames Wall” at Crossness. Thomas was still “a Horse keeper” with Mr Webster’s company who were building the Works and the Crossness Cottages. After the Southern Outfall Works was opened on 4 April 1865 Mr Webster moved on to London to complete the Albert and Chelsea Embankments. With 12 children it was no longer practical for the Showler family to move. Thomas and his wife were destined to remain at Crossness for the rest of their lives. Thomas took employment working at the Penstocks in the new Works. By 1867 he had been promoted to Foreman and his 14 years old son George was also employed at the Works, as a messenger. Thomas and Ann’s 14 th and last child was born at Crossness in 1868. By the time the Census was taken in 1871 Thomas and Ann and 8 of their children were living at number 10 Crossness Cottages. Thomas’ occupation was “Labourer Sewage Works” although in 1881 he was again recorded as being Penstock Foreman. Thomas died 2 April 1884 aged 64. Son George (my Great Grandfather) had progressed to being a labourer by 1871. George met his wife at a dance at the Crossness Social Club, marrying Mary Ann in 1876. In total George and Mary Ann had 12 children born between 1876 and 1897. In the 1871 and 1881 Census George is recorded as being a Labourer. Sidney (my Grandfather) was their 9 th child, born in 1889. By 1892 George was employed as Penstock Foreman. In 1901 and 1911 George and his wife were living at 11 Crossness Cottages with their children. George continued to be an employee at the Works. Around 1911 George had taken the tenancy of land adjacent to the Works from the London County Council. Sons Fred, Leonard, Percy and Sidney were all recorded in the Census as “Market gardener”. They traded as “F and P Showler; Market gardeners, Manor Farm, Crossness, Belvedere, Kent”. In 1915 the whole family moved from Crossness Cottages to a house in Belvedere. They would walk down Picardy Road, crossing the railway at Belvedere Station and continue to the farm each day to work. Sidney and his brothers grew various crops including seasonal vegetables such as asparagus, kale and rhubarb for sale. They had a regular stall in London at Borough Market. Potatoes were grown, harvested and stored in “clamps” to provide a supply all year. In the 1930s one London news agency reported “10,000 bushels of potatoes were grown on 40 acres”. Cereals and hay were grown as bedding and fodder for livestock. The haystacks were easily visible standing proud on the flat marshland. Straw was used to protect the potatoes in the clamps. The farm had one lorry, a 1928 Dennis that was later replaced by an Austin. The lorry was used to transport produce to market. Shire horses were used on the farm to pull the ploughs etc. There were dairy cattle providing milk. One of the younger Showlers would deliver milk and eggs to the Crossness cottages before going to school. Milk would be taken in a bucket straight from the cowshed and ladled into jugs left out in the porches of the cottages. There were also stock cattle. Pigs were kept, thriving on scraps from the table and milk from the dairy. Rabbits were reared for the table. Poultry included chickens, geese and a few turkeys which were sold in Dartford market at Christmas time. Prizes were won by entries in various classes at the Dartford Fat Stock Show and the Dartford Market Christmas shows during the 1930s to 1950s. Sidney married Florence (Flo) in 1923 and they began their married life in 3 Manor Cottages, Manor Farm. Their first child, James born 1925, died at only 16 months old. Their second child, Betty SHOWLER (my Mother) was born in 1928. Sidney would host regular shooting parties on the farm. These were an opportunity to discuss farming practice with friends. More often gunshot heard across the fields would be the removal of a fox or a rabbit that was threatening the livestock or the crops. During the 1939-45 war land was requisitioned by the MOD for bomb disposal. Tragically on 12 th May 1941 the 20th Earl of Suffolk, leading a research team was killed by a 550lb (250kg) bomb. The bomb had been dropped six months earlier during the Blitz in London and moved to the so called “bomb cemetery” on the marshes to await detonation in a controlled explosion. The Earl and his team had successfully disarmed 34 bombs but while he was trying to recover the two fuses the bomb exploded. It was thought the bomb was booby trapped. In all 15 people died including the Earl and his 2 “team mates”, his secretary Eileen Morden and his chauffer Fred Hards. The northern boundary of the farm was alongside the tidal stretch of the River Thames. On 31 st January 1953 a particularly high surge tide caused the river to breach its banks. Manor Farm was flooded. Sidney and his wife and daughter retreated upstairs as the flood water engulfed the downstairs rooms. A few days later Jeffrey COURSE, a crane driver, at Crossness was asked to visit Manor Farm to see if there was any assistance they could offer. Betty, leaning out of an upstairs window, was not impressed by his opening question “are you alright?” while there was water 2 feet deep around her piano in the living room below. The salty flood water caused damage to crops and also affected the structure of the soil. To limit the effect 276 tons of gypsum was provided by the Ministry of Agriculture to spread on the 138 acres that had been affected. Despite a poor start, Betty and Jeff became the best of friends and married on 30 October 1954. Jeff continued to work at Crossness, becoming a Shift Foreman in the new Works, until his retirement. He was a founder member of the Crossness Engines Trust. Jeff died in 1995 and Betty in 2008. Manor Farm continued in existence until the London County Council requisitioned the land for the proposed construction of the new Works. Originally Notice to Quit was given on 19th December 1950 and a second notice was issued in December 1954. Sidney obviously did not expect any changes to happen soon as he purchased a new bull in October 1955. There were negotiations with LCC regarding alternative land being made available. When this failed, compensation was paid by LCC for loss of land and crops, including the clearance of rhubarb growing on more than 3 acres. On 28 November 1957 the entire farm stock was auctioned at Manor Farm. The catalogue lists everything moveable from cart wheels and fence posts, rabbit hutches and poultry sheds, implements and tractors, livestock including cows and poultry, to stacks of meadow hay (to be cleared by 28 February 1958). The Manor Cottages were subsequently demolished and the building of the new Works began. Sidney and Flo retired to a bungalow in Wilmington, near Dartford. They continued to grow fruit and vegetables including rhubarb and asparagus, potatoes and kale in their large garden. Rhubarb was also used to make a very pink and potent wine. Sidney died on 14 January 1968 and Flo in 1972". Thanks again to Will Cooban of the Bexley Local Studies and Archives Centre for originally supplying this fascinating piece of local history some years ago. 

The end video this week features a detailed visit to the aforementioned grade 1 listed Crossness Sewage Works and Pumping Station by popular transport YouTuber Jago Hazzard. Comments and feedback as always to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.