Pub.

Word reaches me that the Royal Standard pub in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere has been shut for around two weeks. I understand that the temporary closure of the popular pub is due to a change in proprietors. It would appear that the couple that have been running the pub for the last 25 years have retired and the pub company has appointed a new team to head up the management; it would also appear that at least a minor refit is being undertaken to refresh the interior of the large pub with its attractive conservatory and beer garden at the rear of the property. I'm aware that the previous landlord and landlady appeared to struggle after the Covid lock down. Sometimes closing the pub at very short notice early in the evenings and not always offering food during lunch periods. If one wanted to eat there you would have to either phone to check if the kitchen was open or physically walk past the building to see if a chalkboard outside was announcing that the kitchen was open that day. In my opinion, this unreliability did little to enhance the visitor experience and it would seem to me that some new blood running the pub might be beneficial not only for the business but also for the customers. I'm also of the opinion that in addition to their traditional drinks offering including two or three real ales, the new proprietors should expand and enhance the food, offering both at lunch time and in the evening as this is one way to raise the reputation of the pub. It has been noted by some, that apart from a few cafes which are only open during the day, there is nowhere to sit down and eat in Nuxley Road. Some years ago the previous proprietors did partner with a lady who came in on Thursdays and Fridays and cooked authentic Thai food. Unfortunately I never got to experience it myself but the reports I have heard were very positive. For reasons unknown the Thai offering did not last very long. It would be nice to see something similar in the future. I do not believe a date has been set for the reopening of the Royal Standard, but I would imagine it will be in the fairly near future. Some years ago, I organised a small get together of fellow old school friends; we met for a quiet drink and a chat at the Royal Standard. The pub has an excellent conservatory at the back, and the group sat at a table there. One of my friends bought me a pint of Young's London Original (one of my favourite "bog standard" real ales) and placed it on the table. As we chatted, seemingly all on its own, the full pint glass started sliding across the table and dropped to the floor, spilling beer down my trousers and into my shoes. Fortunately the glass itself did not break. A replacement pint was sourced - and the landlady gave it free, saying that the pub was well known to be haunted by a ghost, and that the ghost must take the blame. Since I got a free replacement drink, I was not going to argue. What I did note was that the wooden table top we sat at was recently varnished and had also been polished, possibly earlier that evening, and that the pint glass had a flat and smooth bottom that was wet with a little spilt beer. The actions of the "ghost" was actually physics. The table top was inclined at a very slight angle, and the spilled beer formed a thin, friction less layer between the underside of the glass and the waxed table. The glass actually aquaplaned over the table and onto the floor. Science works whether you believe in it or not.

As I have previously written in some detail, the BBC have plans to switch off and decommission their Long Wave transmitter site, thus ending over one hundred years of broadcasting on Long Wave. A recent report casts strong doubts on the validity of the reasons the BBC cites for the close down. In a report entitled “Still Speaking to the Nations”, researcher Dr. Tobias Thornes lays out a robust case for keeping BBC Radio 4’s Long Wave service alive. Contrary to the BBC’s claims that Long Wave is outdated, energy-intensive, and has few listeners, the report finds those arguments do not hold up under scrutiny. Firstly, on energy. The BBC argues Long Wave is inefficient. But Thornes’ analysis reveals that the 198 kHz Long Wave service uses just 4% of the BBC’s analogue output power. In fact, FM networks consume significantly more energy - up to six times as much - due to the hundreds of transmitters required to reach the same audience. Moreover, analogue radios - especially Long Wave - use far less energy than digital radios, smart speakers, or internet-connected devices. It is not just about the environment. The report highlights the crucial role of Long Wave in national security. In an age of cyber threats and misinformation, Long Wave radio remains the only platform that can reach the entire UK - and much of Europe - from a single transmitter, even during power cuts or internet outages. While some dismiss Long Wave as obsolete, the report says it is anything but. It is still relied on by rural communities, seafarers, and those with limited digital access. The Shipping Forecast, a maritime staple for a century, still depends on the 198 kHz signal. Yet, the BBC has never surveyed those rural or seafaring groups to understand their listening habits. There is also a strong heritage argument. 2025 marks 100 years since the BBC first broadcast on Long Wave. Campaigners want to see the Droitwich transmitter - which began broadcasting in 1934 - protected as a historic site. Public support is growing. A petition to save Long Wave has already gathered nearly 5,000 signatures, with listeners from across the UK and Europe describing it as a “lifeline” and “a vital backup in emergencies.” Dr. Thornes concludes that ending Long Wave would not only risk leaving millions without reliable radio access — it could also weaken the UK’s emergency broadcast resilience. He calls on the BBC and the government to reconsider. You can download and read the full report as a PDF file for free by clicking here. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Although I am still housebound, a reliable contact informs me that the cafe in Erith Morrisons supermarket has now permanently closed, as I wrote about recently. In addition, I understand that the wet fish bar, the custom-made pizza bar and the salad bar are also under threat of removal. I know that many readers have been in contact with me over the past few months to describe how they feel that Morrisons has gone greatly downhill over the last few years since it was purchased by the American investment company Clayton, Dubilier and Rice, and taken out of the Morrisons family control. Levels of stock on the shelves, the quality of goods and the number of staff available to serve customers have all reduced whilst prices have increased remarkably. I do wonder if this will eventually mean the end of Erith Morrisons. Discount supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl are overtaking the major High Street supermarket chains, and as I have previously written, I would not be surprised if one of them were to buy out the Erith Morrisons store and then convert it for their own use, as this would be far cheaper than building a new supermarket from scratch. We know that Lidl are constructing a supermarket in Fraser Road adjacent to the Quarry housing estate, and I feel that it is only time before additional shops will be required in the local area. In years previously, I had concerns that the discount stores would not offer goods of particularly high quality. I have to say that nowadays I feel that the quality of their produce is comparable or exceeds that of many of the major High Street brands. And since Morrison's quality has now dropped, I feel that both Aldi and Lidl now exceed these quality standards, and they are also considerably more affordable. I have been a customer at the Erith Morrison's since the day it opened in 1999 and I have until recently been quite satisfied with both their produce and their level of service. Unfortunately, I have to say that nowadays the store is definitely in decline which I fear may well be terminal. If you work at the store and have any insights into the situation, please contact me in complete confidence so that we can discuss what is going on behind the scenes. I would welcome the response of other readers and their opinion of the situation with not only the Erith Morrison store, but the Morrisons supermarket chain in general. Britain’s sixth biggest supermarket chain Lidl revealed its annual store opening “wish list” last week, as it said it will spend £500 million on expansion this year. The discounter will open 40 stores nationally in the current financial year but has its eye on hundreds of other neighbourhoods that it believes have the potential to support a Lidl branch. This year will also see the completion of the expansion of Lidl’s Belvedere regional distribution centre, which has more than doubled in size. Lidl already operates more than 120 stores within the M 25 and says it has requirements for at least 100 more. It is increasingly targetting affluent central London neighbourhoods in territory previously dominated by Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

A regular reader and occasional contributor, who chooses to remain anonymous writes:-  "I didn't know if you were aware that the Council have begun working on the area of park land down at Avenue Road which has been fenced off for quite some time. I had originally thought it was fenced to leave it wild for the environment!   But I gather that it was fenced off as it appeared from a helicopter flying over that there was something going on under the ground - and it turned out that there are old air raid shelters buried there which apparently are collapsing. I took this photo this morning, but last week when I was there, there were several JCBs at work".

The end video this week features 1950's historic film of the local area; it is a mixture of silent and in black and white, but there are also sections in colour. The film covers:-

0.00 Erith

3.40 Crayford Vickers Works and White Swan. Including school and kids crossing

5.50 Welling Corner

8.00 Bexleyheath Broadway

10.00 Bexley Village, Love Lane, Parkhill Road, Bridgen

 Colour Video Now late 1950s

11.08 In colour: A2 Blendon, A2/Danson Road junction, A2/Westwood Lane junction

13.30 In colour: Welling Corner

14.40 In colour: A2 Black Prince junction

Views of Erith local streets, including the road junction at the corner of High Street and Avenue Road with a building of the 'Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society' on one corner and the Odeon Cinema on another. The passing traffic around Erith High Street includes a horse drawn delivery vehicle, private automobiles, a Route master bus (numbered 480), trolleybuses (numbered 696 and 698) cyclists, handcarts, a motorcyclist, women pushing prams, and children walking with their mother. Many shops and building are visible including Mitchells Stores and the Ritz Cinema (which is showing 'Five Fingers', a 1952 film starring James Mason). 

At some factory gates (Vickers Sons & Maxim's Erith Works on Crayford Road), there are people leaving and going to a nearby trolleybus stop. 

At a busy road crossing in the centre of town, motor vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists are shown, and some buses pass including the 89, 126, 160, and the 241 for Sidcup. 

Attendees are seen boarding their coach home from Hyde Park in London (the coach is marked 'Curries Coaches Stone, Dartford'). 

Back in Bexley the film continues with views of the exterior of the Regal Cinema on Bexleyheath Broadway, where a group of schoolgirls are queuing to enter (films advertised include 'Home At Seven', 'Today' and 'Broderick Crawford in Remember That Face'). Some further street scenes around Bexleyheath, now with snow piled up on the edge of the road, with busy road traffic in town and the clock tower visible. 

Some quiet tree-lined country lanes are contrasted with a busy trunk road. 

A colour sequence in Welling and A2 areas follows with shots of a busy road in a suburban area of new housing with prominent red signs marked 'Accident Area' and 'Caution' on the side of the street. At a busy road junction in town, some of the stores in the background can be made out including Grays, K.E. Carter & Co. House Agents, Barclays Bank and A.B. Hemming.

Comments and feedback as always to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.