The Bookstore Cafe opens.

The photos above were taken on Thursday at the launch of the Bookstore Cafe, which is located on the lower ground floor of the old Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. It is operated by local organisation The Exchange. The cafe opens for breakfast on Wednesday to Friday 8am - 4.30pm; 6 - 10.30pm. Saturday 8.30am - 10.30pm, and Sunday 9am - 4pm. The cafe is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Feedback from the first couple of days has been impressive; one prominent local visitor wrote:- "Both the staff and food were excellent and could not be faulted. Without a doubt we shall return". The menus can be seen by clicking here. There are also daily specials, which are listed on a chalk board. Cookery is by professional chef Marina Power, who has run a cooking school in Ireland, and also worked in a number of prominent restaurants in London. High quality ingredients, sourced locally are used throughout, with the emphasis on freshness, taste and healthy eating. The sausages served are a custom type made specifically for the cafe by Slomers Sausages in Crabtree Manorway South in Lower Belvedere. Yorkshire, green and herbal teas are available, as is freshly ground coffee in a number of styles. The Bookstore Cafe has a full drinks licence, and serves beer from the Bexley Brewery, a full range of wines, and even Kentish gin! Plans are in place for a full kitchen garden to the rear of the Carnegie Library with vegetables grown in there to be used in the cafe. There will also be a chicken coop for eggs, and even one or two beehives in due course. The Bookstore Cafe is the first phase of the regeneration and repurposing of the old Carnegie Library. When phase two is completed, the rest of the building will be converted into a community, arts and education centre for local people. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or alternatively you can Email me at the usual address - hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Launched in 2011, Google+ was an attempt by the search engine giant to compete with Facebook and Twitter on the social networking front. However, despite promising coverage, Google+ failed to lure users away from already established social network websites. In 2018, over 7 years later, Google finally announced that Google+ would close its doors.  I make no secret that I am a big fan of Google; they have turned online search into a verb, they are that good at what they do that to perform a web search has for many become “to Google”. Many of their online products such as Gmail and the Google G-Suite are excellent and widely used, but they have one product, which many people – myself included, actively dislike and avoid. Google+ was intended to be a direct competitor for social networks like Facebook, but it never gained the popularity or traction with web users – and nowadays Facebook is a verb as well. I predicted back in August 2015 that Google would pull the plug on Google+, and it would seem that this has now begun. In October 2018 Google announced that they would be phasing out Google+ over the next few months; they cited security loopholes and serous bugs in the application that could leave users data exposed to hackers. From my investigations, it would seem that whilst this explanation is essentially true, it hides the fact that Google have wanted to get rid of Google+ for ages, and this security issue provides them with a very convenient and well - timed excuse. The fact is that Google+ was and has for a very long time essentially been a source of embarrassment to Google, who have been keen to quietly terminate the unpopular and underused web service. The security issues surrounding Google+ have given Google exactly the opportunity they have been seeking for some time. I doubt many will mark the passing of Google+ - if indeed many had even heard of it. Despite some fairly lurid claims to the contrary, this does not affect other Google owned services, including your Google account, Gmail account, Google Doc accounts, Google Drive storage account or YouTube account. These are not affected. Any information you have uploaded to your Google+ account needs to be backed up, if you don’t have a local copy or haven’t done so already. The final closure is expected to happen in the first few days of April 2019. In an email sent on February 2019, Google reminded users of the impending closure. Despite only Google+ being closed, many users assumed that this would have an impact on their other Google owned accounts, such as their free web-based email service Gmail. However these worries are unfounded, since other Google services will operate as normal. It is only Google+ that will be closing.

Following the positive feedback I have had from several readers after last week's article on the 75th anniversary of the first use of Colossus - the world's first digital, programmable computer, I have news of another historical computer first, which is even less well known to the general public than the story of Colossus. After the end of World War II, the ten Collosi were either dismantled, or covertly moved from Bletchley Park to GCHQ, where they were used to break Soviet and Warsaw Pact ciphers for at least a decade. The engineers, programmers and operators of this ground breaking group of computers mostly went back to their pre - war civilian careers and due to the exceedingly high security around the whole project, nothing was said, and the whole idea of a digital, programmable computer was swept under the carpet - in the UK at least; in the USA academics picked up o the idea and a computer called ENIAC was created; but the story of ENIAC is for another occasion. In the UK, a war weary population still suffering under rationing looked for some way to lighten the post war gloom. A company called Joseph Lyons and Co were best known for their chain of tea shops and for the Lyons Corner Houses in the West End of London. The tea shops were slightly more up-market than their ABC (Aerated Bread Co) counterparts. They were notable for their interior design, from the 1920s Oliver P. Bernard being consultant artistic director. Until the 1940s they had a certain working-class chic, Situated on or near the corner of Coventry Street, the Strand and Tottenham Court Road, they and the Maison Lyons at Marble Arch and in Shaftesbury Avenue were large buildings on four or five floors, the ground floor of which was a food hall with counters for delicatessen, sweets and chocolates, cakes, fruit, flowers and more. As well as this they had hairdressing salons, telephone booths, theatre booking agencies and at one period a twice-a-day food delivery service. On the other floors were several restaurants, each with a different theme and all with their own musicians. For a time the Lyons Corner Houses were open 24 hours a day, and in their heyday each one employed in the region of 400 staff. They were colourful and bustling, with bright lights and ingenious window displays. In the post-war gloom, the Lyons Corner Houses, smarter and grander than the local tea shops, provided a degree of escapist relaxation. but by the 1950s and 60s they were more regarded as quick stops for busy shoppers where one could get a cup of tea and a snack or a cheap and filling meal. The tea shops always had a bakery counter at the front, and their signs, art nouveau gold lettering on white, were a familiar landmark. Before the Second World War service was to the table by uniformed waitresses, known as 'Nippies', but after the War the tea shops converted to cafeteria service. In 1954 Lyons established the first "Wimpy Bar" at the Lyons Corner House in Coventry Street, London. Originally the bar was a special fast-food section within the more traditional Corner House restaurants, but the success soon led to the establishment of separate Wimpy restaurants serving only hamburger-based meals. The management and Lyons was very forward thinking, and several of the board members were aware of the work that the Americans were carrying out on ENIAC, and the work that was being carried out at Cambridge university on a stored program, digitally programmable computer called EDSAC. They realised that the EDSAC computer could be modified away from its primary purpose of carrying out complex scientific calculations, and instead be used to undertake work to assist in the running of a large company - the very first business use of a computer anywhere in the world. The catalyst came in 1947, following a trip to America by Thomas Thompson and Oliver Standingford, two managers with wide experience of clerical procedures. On their return they produced a report for the Lyons board which basically said that electronic computers hold the key to office efficiency and for £100,000 Lyons could build one themselves which would show a saving in office expenditure of £50,000 per year. As mentioned, at this time Cambridge University were involved in their own computer project, EDSAC. This was designed for academic calculations and quite inappropriate for office work but Lyons did see the potential in the new technology. However, they did not want to play a passive role merely keeping in touch and in due course acquiring machines as they came available from manufacturers. In this way they could not influence machine design and this they felt was essential if the problem of commercial clerical automation was to be sold successfully. Instead Lyons donated £3,000 to Cambridge, to help in their EDSAC project, on the understanding that Cambridge would give them advice when needed. The result was LEO - which stood for Lyons Electronic Office. The LEO's makers were pioneers in software development and testing, and they refined the processes needed to run very large and complex computing jobs. These were truly early days of computer manufacture: there were no assembly-line robots, silicon chip fabricators and injection-mould plastics specialists forming a supply chain to build the LEO. Instead it was carpenters, plumbers, sheet-metal workers and engineers working on thermionic valves, switches, wires, ducting, resistors and power supplies. The LEO was built at a factory on Minerva Road in Acton, West London, and moved in crates to Cadby Hall, where it was assembled. The LEO was more or less the EDSAC: it sported 3,000 electronic valves, 32 storage tanks that held 32 numbers of 17 binary digits, and executed 650 instructions per second. An electronic key fob for a present day family car has more computing power. Later revisions of the LEO machine could share processor time across multiple scheduled work, known as multitasking these days, utilising spare capacity to run different jobs; it was a feature the machine's designers eventually turned into a business. The team also engaged in business process engineering and use of real-time analysis before these concepts actually entered the business arena. Also, the world's first woman business programmer worked on the LEO. LEO was capable of accounting for transaction data such as orders, supplies, invoices and complex payrolls in a fraction of the time it had taken clerks and conventional business machines. It was able to deliver management reports on the activities of the different business divisions in time for management to respond effectively, often at the end of the day in which the activities had taken place. A feature of the applications Lyons put onto LEO was the level of ambition. An application was not considered worthwhile unless it delivered an improved business process, entering the requisite transaction data into the computer once only to produce a multitude of outputs. Under the guidance of project manager John Simmons and with its very high caliber staff, the LEO team successfully launched what came to be known as the information age. Three versions of LEO were built; and mark one, two and three. All sold moderately well, but even by the standard of the day they were huge, expensive, power hungry machines. By the 1960s the Americans had captured much of the UK computer market. Their machines were better engineered, more reliable and above all, less expensive. With other British computer manufacturers suffering from the same American onslaught the British government supported the merger of British interests to counteract the imports. LEO merged with English-Electric and they in turn merged with other famous companies such as Marconi. In time British computer manufacture faded away. Incidentally, the EDSAC computer upon which LEO was based is being reconstructed / replicated by a group of volunteers at the The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. You can read all about it by clicking here. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

McDonald's in James Watt Way, Erith have applied for a physical extension to the existing building, in addition to the extension in opening hours that I detailed some time ago. Bearing in mind how busy and crowded the existing facility often gets, I can understand their logic. Whether any changes to the existing building will increase noise to local residents is currently unknown. More regarding this in a future edition. 

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "On Monday 11th February at approx. 10.15am a resident in Northumberland Way opened his front door to a man purporting to be a police officer. The 'officer' asked for his name and phone number, as he walked away he tried to cover his face from a neighbour's CCTV. The resident was suspicious but did provide his mobile number. Later that day the 'officer' phoned. The resident asked for his warrant number and the 'officer' rang off. The resident describes the man as aged in his late 20's/early30's. He got into a silver Vauxhall, where there were 2 other man sitting. This incident has been reported to the police. There are still reports coming in regarding theft from motor vehicles offences with three being reported this week. The first was on Thursday 7th February at 10.15pm in Barnehurst Avenue where two males were disturbed breaking into a transit van. They were both described as being black and one wearing all grey clothing The other two both occurred overnight. the first on the 7th February where Ray Ban sunglasses were stolen from a Peugeot 208 in Northall Road the second on the 8th February where a handbag was stolen from the boot of a Nissan Qashqai in Barnehurst Avenue. There was no damage to any of the vehicles. Please make sure that your vehicle is locked securely. Do not rely on the electronic fob - always check manually that your vehicle is locked. The team have been and will continue to work later shifts both in uniform and plain clothes this week whilst on uniformed hi visibility patrols. This in response to the increase in motor vehicle crime. A group of males were stopped in Old Manor Way one of the males decamped from the scene, unfortunately for him he left his car, mobile phone, and house keys behind. He has since been interviewed and admitted the offences of possession of drugs and obstructing police. We are always grateful for any information received regarding criminal activity, the team will look into all intelligence received and take action where appropriate. If you feel uncomfortable talking to the police consider calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 this is completely anonymous and you do not have to give any personal details. A member of the team will be at Barnehurst Golf course on Friday 8th March at 1pm, please come along for an informal chat about any concerns or issues that you may have or just pop in to say hello. Please be aware that sometimes due to operational reasons on very rare occasions we may have to cancel our contact sessions at short notice, Any cancellations will be published on our twitter and Facebook pages which can be found for twitter @MPSBarnehurst and Facebook, Barnehurst Police". Belvedere ward:- "As part of Operation Sceptre (our initiative to reduce violent crime in London) we are once again completing searches of areas across the ward in an attempt to locate items that have been used in or may be used to commit crime (weapons and suchlike). Please do not be alarmed if you see officers searching in areas you would not usually expect us to. Staff at the Lesness Abbey Heritage site discovered a kitchen knife in the undergrowth / entrance to the woodland last week which was subsequently collected by the team and taken to a safe location for destruction. We are continuing to visit a ‘street a week' and this week have visited Halt Robin Road. The team spoke to various residents and a few issues were raised such as speeding and fly tipping in that particular street. Over the coming weeks, the team plan to monitor this location due to these issues being raised. We have been busy across the ward with enquiries taking place in Viking Way (on the industrial estate), Cheshunt Road, Osborne Road, Albert Road and Methuen Road in relation to a number of offences/ crime reports. There has been one reported burglary in the last week, between Friday 8th and Sunday 10th February where an occupant of a house of multiple occupancy in Barnfield Road reported that his room had been broken into. It is unknown at this stage what, if any, items were taken from the property". Bexleyheath ward:- "Below is our brief summary of what has been happening on the ward: There has been one report of a burglary along St Audrey Avenue Bexleyheath on Sunday 10/02/2019. The time was about 1900hrs and entry was via upstairs bathroom window Also another one reported on the 01/01/2019 between 5.30pm & 5.30pm along Bedonwell Road Bexleyheath, entry was via rear kitchen door. In relation to both burglaries, both addresses have been given smart water packs as crime prevention. Both streets were leafleted with criminal prevention leaflets and the team would conduct burglary patrols within that area. Between Wednesday 06/02/2019 & Thursday 07/02/2019 Overnight a vehicle was broken into using the wireless key system along Brummel Close, laptop was stolen from vehicle. Between Tuesday 05/02/2019 and Wednesday 06/02/2019 Another vehicle was broken into using the same method of entry and currency taken, this was also overnight. This was along Mayplace Road East. There was also a report of criminal damage to motor vehicle along Belvedere Road Bexleyheath between the Thursday 07/02/2019 & Friday 08/02/2019 that had happened overnight. A large rock/boulder that was the size of a football had ended up on the vehicle and windscreen smashed. On the Thursday 07/02/2019 – There was a report of an interference with motor vehicle along Midhurst Hill Bexleyheath during the early hours in the morning, vehicle was rummaged through and nothing taken. We had had reports from LIDL that youths are riding their bikes in the car park area causing ASB, the team conduct regular patrols to disrupt the group. The team has received reports of males on bikes causing ASB in the carpark area at the Premiere Inn, patrols are conducted daily. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. If you are after crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has lots of information that you may find useful. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 or 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "On Wednesday 06/02/2019 there was a report of criminal damage to a motor vehicle along Beech Walk Crayford. We have been at TOWN HALL SQUARE over the last week surveying our residents living there about anti-social behaviour there and around the town centre. Over the coming weeks we will be calling at homes around the Bourne Road / Marden Crescent and Hall Place Crescent area to speak with residents about their concerns. We will be at the Ellenor Charity shop in Crayford Road on Wednesday 20 February between 12.00-13.00. We will be providing crime prevention advice so please feel free to come and have a chat with us. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email or via the ward phone. If you are after crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has lots of information that you may find useful. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 or 101 for non-urgent reporting". Erith ward:- "Last Friday and Saturday we had a joint operation with the Dogs unit, Slade green SNT and Northumberland Heath SNT – Patrolling around all 3 wards hot spot areas a number of people and vehicles where searched with some good positive results, We are hoping to do this again. Crimes are down this week in Erith no Burglaries but 3 theft from M/V just keep remembering to not leave items in your vehicle when you park it up. Crimes of note for the week: Theft from MV (Motor Vehicle) Wednesday 06/02/2019 South Road; Shoplift <£200 Friday 08/02/2019 Morrisons, James Watt Way; Theft from MV (Motor Vehicle) Friday 08/02/2019 Erith High Street; Theft from MV Friday 08/02/2019 West Street". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Last weekend we worked in partnership with the Specialist Dog Unit and conducted patrols in drug hotspot areas with a Springer Spaniel called Katie. With the assistance of Katie and her handler we patrolled all the hotspot areas within Northumberland Heath, Slade Green and Northend and Erith. A number of people and a vehicle were searched, as a result of this we are looking to work with the dog unit again in the near future. Following our recent Ward Panel Meeting the team are focusing on Motor Vehicle Crime in Charlieville Road, fly tipping in the alleyways around Bexley Road and regularly patrol these areas but we need your help and assistance to improve on these issues. reported anti-social behaviour/ drugs in Becton Place. The team regularly patrols these areas but we need your help and assistance to tackle and improve these issues. A number of items were stolen from an unlocked porch in Mill Road overnight on Friday February 8th between 10.45pm and 7.30am the following morning. Please ensure all windows and doors both inner and outer are secured when retiring for the night. Theft of a motor vehicle in Cookson Grove on Thursday February 7th at approximately 2.30pm. The victim advertised his vehicle on Gumtree and arrangements were made with the prospective buyer to inspect the car at the victim's house. On checking the vehicle the suspect made off. A black Ford Focus was stolen between 4.15- 4.20pm on Friday February 8th near the dairy in Brook Street, unfortunately the victim briefly stepped out of the vehicle and left the engine running. Two power tools were stolen from a panel van parked outside the Wheelies bike shop in Bexley Road on Saturday February 9th between 9am and 1pm. Also a recovery vehicle was broken in to in Hind crescent overnight on Sunday February 9th and Monday 10th February when the owner returned to it at 7am and discovered two ramps had been stolen. The next drop in Police Surgery will be held in the Northumberland Heath Library on Wednesday February 20th at 2pm". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "In the very early hours of Sunday 11th February a male was attacked at an HMO (House of multiple occupancy) in Craydene Road. He received nasty injuries to his neck and was taken to the Royal London. Fortunately the injuries are not life threatening or life changing and he is now out of hospital. 2 suspects are outstanding and one of them has been named. This was not a random attack as it was part of an ongoing family feud but we will keeping up our patrols of Craydene Road for reassurance purposes. One other crime of note was a van being stolen overnight Sunday 11th February into Monday 12th February from Bridge Road. A different stolen van was today found in The Nursery by PC's Mark and James after some information was sent to us by a resident. The happy owner has been informed. This sort of good work has come as a result of information received by the public which is why we always ask everyone to let us know of anything they feel may be suspicious in their road. It may be nothing but unless we know, then we can't help. Mark and James, along with Erith SNT, assisted our colleagues from Northumberland Heath SNT in executing a drugs warrant last Friday. No major drugs factory was found but there were some drugs present after this they went on patrol late Friday (and Saturday) with a police dog handler who brought along a drugs dog for patrols of all three wards late into the night. Several stop and searches were carried out by all officers and some cannabis was seized during the course of Saturday night. PCSO Mark will be attending the Slade Green Big Local Community Safety meeting on Wednesday the 20th to get update on all their latest news and events etc". Thamesmead East ward:- "Non Dwelling Burglary: Bayliss Avenue Thursday 07/02/2019 between 1:am - 3am By Suspect/s unknown entering the premises and taking the till from inside. Criminal Damage to Motor Vehicle: Alsike Road Saturday 09/02/2019 7:20am passenger side window smashed, vehicle searched no property stolen. Good News: On Monday 11/02/19 PC Nana arrested a male for Domestic related offences. On Thursday 07/02/19 The team attended St John Fisher RC school to interact with their reception class, whilst there we learned they had received a letter from the Rt Hon Damian Hinds (Secretary of State for Education) and the Rt Hon Nick Gibb (Minister of State for School Standards) congratulating St John Fisher for being in the top 1 percent for schools in England. On Saturday 09/02/19 PCSO's Buckley and Hobbs were invited to celebrate the induction of new reverend Angela Bacon to Emmanuel Church in Yarnton Way. Next Meeting: Street A Week in Aspen Green on Saturday 23rd February 2019 between 10-11am. The team would like to invite Thamesmead East NHW members to join our Ward Panel. Ward Panel members have the opportunity to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour by working with your neighbours and your police team to set priorities for the forth coming months. Meetings are held 4 times a year". West Heath ward:- "We are very pleased to announce that there have been no reported burglaries over the last week and only one theft of number plates stolen from a car in First Avenue overnight Tuesday 5th to Wednesday 6th. Hopefully this means our burglary Besafe message is working. If anyone would like a copy of our DIY Home Security Survey to share with your neighbours please call the team on 0208 721 2885 or email on Westheath.SNT@met.police.uk. The team held a street briefing in First Avenue on the 10th February, several residents attended despite the inclement weather and the main issue arising from it was people smoking drugs in the alleyway between First Avenue and Madison Crescent. The team will be increasing our patrols to the area. We have been concentrating on our drug hotspot areas of Heath Avenue and The Pantiles with extra patrols both on foot and mobile patrols. We have a new NHW Co-ordinator for Iris Crescent putting our NHW coverage up to 78 percent". 

The end video this week features some coverage of the recent Erith Model Railway Society Show, which was held on Saturday the 26th January 2019 and Sunday 27th January 2019 at the Longfield Academy in Longfield. Comments to hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Yates.

Thanks to a couple of enterprising Maggot Sandwich readers, more information has come to light regarding the former White Hart pub in Erith High Street. It turns out that the building is now owned by a company called Dhadda Estates Ltd, whose registered address is at 95 Woolwich Road, Upper Belvedere. The company are actually the builders that refurbished and extended the former pub building, originally for The Wellington Pub Company, but it would appear that they liked the building so much, and could see the clear commercial opportunity that the historic local building offered, that they purchased it from Wellington. From what a couple of readers have told me, Dhadda Estates specialises in refurbishing and converting former pub buildings. The White Hart is a locally listed building within the Erith Riverside Conservation Area. It was built in 1902 to rehouse a White Hart pub that had operated on the site since at least 1715. The main part of the building has been converted into a number of self contained apartments, but the ground floor, former bar area is still looking for a new use. Local rumours have included it becoming a Gelato parlour, but at this point nothing seems to be clear; Bexley Council merely state that:- "There are plans to put the building to use once again, with a new café or restaurant on the ground floor and flats in the upper storeys". The general consensus is that the conversion work to the locally listed building has been carried out sensitively and to a high standard of workmanship. It will be interesting to see how the phase two of the project is undertaken - that is the low rise apartments which are to be constructed in what used to be the pub garden, adjacent to the existing retirement apartments in Riverside Court. 

You may recall that last week I mentioned that Bexley Council had published the final version of their growth strategy document, and that I felt that it had a number of mistakes and erroneous assumptions. One fact the growth strategy document makes amply clear in several places is that it thinks that the long suggested but subsequently abandoned plan for a river crossing between Lower Belvedere and Rainham is now back on. The document makes a number of references to the crossing. To expand:- There is a degree of polarisation of opinion regarding the necessity of extra river crossings; Latest estimates have London’s population growing by 1.5 million in the next 15 years, with South East London already taking on vast new housing developments - Erith alone has Erith Park, Tower Hill, the currently under way redevelopment of the former Riverside Swimming Baths site, and the large development at Erith Quarry. The combination of all of these new homes will mean an influx of several thousand new residents to the area. Proponents of the river crossing scheme believe more road links linking the north and south banks should be built sooner rather than later to accommodate the extra traffic the new residents will bring. There is also a discrepancy between crossings in the West and East of London – there are twenty six Thames crossings between London Bridge and Kew Bridge to the west, while there are only eleven from Tower Bridge to the Dartford Crossing in the East. I have mentioned the proposals to build either a bridge or a tunnel that would link Lower Belvedere with Rainham in Essex on several occasions before. Both options have plusses and minuses. There are a number of factors to consider if building a bridge at Belvedere:- 1) It would be close to major working wharves and would therefore require a high and long span, which could increase the cost to be similar to the cost of a tunnel at Belvedere. 2) Pedestrian / cycle facilities could be accommodated, although users would be exposed to poor weather. 3) Being further from the London City Airport, there is more flexibility on the type of structure that can be built than at Gallions Reach (there is a legal restriction of fifteen metres on the height of any structure located a kilometre or less from an airport). Conversely a tunnel would have its own issues:- 2) It could be a similar cost to a bridge. 2) It would have little or no impact on shipping. 3) It potentially has less of an impact than a bridge on local properties and the future development of the area, particularly after construction. 4) It would be less susceptible to poor weather than a bridge. 5) A pedestrian and cycle tunnel could be considered less attractive to users than a bridge. My suggested solution would stretch between the Ferry Lane roundabout, South of Rainham town centre and the A2016 Bronze Age Way / Picardy Manor Way roundabout in Lower Belvedere. In effect, this would connect the A13 and Rainham in South Essex with the A2 and M25 via Bronze Age Way, and the South Circular via the A2016 Eastern Way towards Woolwich. This coincidentally is pretty much the same route that the the official crossing solutions (both tunnel and bridge) would take. It could also have the added bonus of connecting Rainham and Belvedere railway stations via a regular bus service through the tunnel. My vision would be of a structure very similar in size and scope to the existing Medway Tunnel which links Strood with Chatham in Kent. The Thames tunnel would use the same kind of immersed tube construction that the Medway Tunnel does – that is, sections of prefabricated reinforced concrete tunnel sections are sunk into the river, joined together, then the water is pumped out. This relatively new method of construction is well suited to shallow and medium depths of water, and creates tunnels which are both very strong and relatively cheap to construct. Unlike the Medway Tunnel, I would hope that the Lower Thames tunnel would permit the use of bicycles via a raised cycle / walkway kept physically separate from the vehicular traffic. As previously indicated, by the time any tunnel of this nature had been constructed (which I understand normally needs an Act of Parliament) the level of harmful pollutants emitted by vehicles will be far lower than the levels now, and many of the cars may well be zero emission via either conventional batteries, Hydrogen fuel cells or possibly other zero emission technologies. What do you think? Please leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Dana Wiffen, Chair of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association has issued the following appeal to Maggot Sandwich readers:- "Message to all Erith Neighbourhood Watch members - do you know your DWO's? DWOs are your Dedicated Ward Officers of which there are normally 2 PCs and 1 PCSO. All Coordinators should know their DWOs and we appreciate that some do and some don't. We together with Bexley Police are working to encourage DWOs to visit our members especially when they are cocooning around a burglary in your road/area. We also ask if you could try to introduce yourselves. A good way of doing this is at one of their regular 'coffee with cops' or similar meetings which are detailed in their Ward updates below. They will pleased to meet with you and make you feel welcome. We are hoping that all our Coordinators will get to know their Ward Officers over the coming weeks. Please let us know how it goes. Appeal for new co-ordinators. Over the last 3 weeks of January 2018 Erith has had burglaries in the following roads that have no NW-Cover, if you are interested in joining NW please contact by Telephone: 0208 284 5537 or email: bexwatch-office@btconnect.com. They are Queen Street, Carlton Road, Christchurch Avenue & Chandlers Drive. If you live in any of the above roads please consider joining Neighbourhood Watch in an effort to reduce this sort of crime in your road". The weekly Neighbourhood Watch local safety and security updates will appear later in this edition. 

Another former pub / wine bar is being transformed, after years of being left empty and abandoned. Readers with a good memory may well recall that when Bexleyheath Broadway was rebuilt and pedestrianised in the early 1990's, after the opening of The Broadway Shopping Centre in 1984, some new retail and bar / restaurant units were created on each side of the re-routed Mayplace Road West. On one side a block including The Furze Wren pub, TK Maxx and some other retail units, and on the other side of the road is located Bexleyheath bus halt and a large, purpose built bar / restaurant building. The building was originally occupied by Yates Wine Lodge - an Oldham based pub chain with most of its outlets in the North of England. Yates is the oldest pub chain in the UK, with the first branch opening in Oldham in 1884. In earlier times, it invented its own range of drinks which it called Blobs, which consisted of sweet Australian wine and brandy, sugar, lemon and hot water. The pubs were the first to be visited on a "pub crawl", they were the first port of call on a night out. It was most popular on Fridays and Saturdays, and many were quieter in the early week; the pubs were not often seen as family pubs, though were regularly the start of a hen night or stag night or just the start of a "pub crawl". The reasoning being that "The Blob" was an affordable and easy start to the night, with its cheap (comparatively), high alcoholic content and being hot, it didn't take many to get the consumer "in the mood". Yates in Bexleyheath was OK during the daytime - a bit like a trendier version of Wetherspoons, but at night it was a nightmare - under age drinkers and people binge drinking before getting the free mini bus to a nightclub in Swanley. I recall waiting at nearby bus stop after a Friday night cinema visit in around 2004; two women, who were apparently mother and daughter were fighting in the street - it turned out that they were both having a relationship with the same man. This was fairly typical of a night at Yates; It got so bad that the bus stops in Mayplace Road West were closed on a Friday and Saturday night, and Yates and The Furze Wren (then called Lloyds) opposite had different closing times enforced by magistrates to try and stop fights when the places turned out. One local commented at the time:- "Don't think a single punter in there hasn't got any Burberry in their wardrobe. Regular 2-pot screamers getting into fights and girls (yes girls!) getting glassed - Nice!" Another Bexleyheath local commented:- "Yates is an awful place. Just a large, sterile drinking den with no atmosphere worth mentioning. The food is mediocre at best and the bar staff make you feel like you should be privileged your getting served by them. The clientele are the type that wouldn't know a decent pub if it came up and poked them in the eye. One good point is that places like this attract the scum and keep them out of the decent pubs in the area." I could not have described the place any better. In 2005 the central Yates company was subject to a takeover by the Laurel Pub Company, and the Bexleyheath Yates was sold off - it had become unprofitable after it introduced a £5 entrance fee on Friday and Saturday evenings, and the bar on the first floor had been closed down. It re - opened some time later, rebranded as RSVP Bar - as you can see in the photo above - click on it to see a larger version. This struggled on for a couple of years, but never recaptured the popularity of Yates when it was first open. The RSVP Bar seemed to make most of its money by selling alcopops to teenagers, and many of its former customers instead went across the road to the increasingly successful Furze Wren - which was / is operated by Wetherspoons. RSVP Bar closed and the building was empty for over a year, before a company took over the building with plans to turn it into an Afro - Caribbean restaurant. They spent ages on building work, with little progress towards opening being apparent. The whole restaurant project soon collapsed when a Nando's branch opened directly opposite it on the corner of Mayplace Road West and Geddes Place. Since then the building has been empty and apparently abandoned, with only a couple of faded posters and menus from the ill fated Carib Restaurant in the windows to remind passers by of the failed project. Very soon after the building was left empty, thieves broke into the electricity substation at the back of the structure, and stole most of the copper wiring and pipework from the building. It has now been several years since anything happened to the building. I was passing it by on Tuesday morning on my way to a meeting when I noticed builders in the place, and some positive signs of activity. After some research, I have discovered that the building has recently been sold for just under £1.5 million to law firm McMillan Williams. The solicitors are having the ground and half of the first floor of the former bar / restaurant converted into client facing office space. The remainder of the first floor, and all of the second floor will be sublet to another organisation in due course. I am pleased that the landmark building is finally being put back into productive use - it has been an eyesore in the centre of Bexleyheath for far too long, and in many ways I am surprised that it has taken such a long time for it to be returned to use. After all, it is in the centre of Bexleyheath; it has excellent road connections with the A2 and the M25 and is only a short train ride from central London. If you want decent food and a superbly kept and served pint of real ale, the building is only ten or so minutes walk from the Robin Hood and Little John in Lion Road. 

I was expecting some critical comments following on from my observation last week that for me personally, mobile phones have more negative aspects than positive ones, and that this is the reason that I don't have one. In fact quite the contrary happened - I had a number of messages from readers who agreed with me, and one who even envied me for not having one. Whilst this was going on, I was sent the cartoon that you can see above, which dates back to 1926. As you can see it was amazingly prophetic in its predictions in respect of the potential problems that being constantly in telephone contact could bring - and indeed have, as we now know. The cartoon was originally published in the Daily Mirror; it was drawn by a man who went on to become known as "The father of the British strip cartoon". His name was William K Haselden; He was the second of five children of Adolphe Henry Haselden and his wife Susan Elizabeth (née Kerridge). Haselden's parents were both English but met in Seville, where his father was director of the Seville Gasworks. Haselden's father died during a family holiday to England in 1874, and the remaining family stayed in England, settling in Hampstead. The young William's education at a private school was cut short due to the family's financial problems, and he left school at the age of 16 with no formal artistic training. He worked unhappily as an underwriter at Lloyd's in London for thirteen years before some of his sketches were accepted for the periodical The Sovereign. When this ceased publication a few months later, he obtained some freelance work on the Tatler and St. James's Gazette. After approaching the offices of Alfred Harmsworth in 1903, Haselden managed to obtain a full-time post on Harmsworth's new venture, the Daily Mirror - a newspaper that was at the time aimed at an almost exclusively female readership. Here he remained until his retirement in 1940. At the Daily Mirror, Haselden originally started with political cartoons, but soon settled into his trademark style of gentle, conservative social commentary reflecting on middle-class fashions and manners. His cartoons usually consisted of a single frame divided into a number of panels, for which he has been viewed as the father of British strip cartoon. Haselden often lampooned social and technological trends of the time by making bold predictions about how the future would transpire, including fashion, mobile camera phones and feminism. His daily cartoons on the fads, fashions, foibles and follies of the age soon earned him a large following. His style was gentle, subtle and his tone conservative. His targets were the upper middle-class householder and his family, and he was greatly exercised by the advances made by women, their careers, their voting rights and their increasing independence from the corset, both the physical and the metaphorical one of male domination. A viewpoint with which at the time the majority of his readers would have approved. From 1906, Haselden contributed to Punch as a theatrical caricaturist, retiring in 1936 due to increasing deafness. Haselden spent most of his working life resident in London, but from the mid-1930s spent more time at the family's holiday home in Aldeburgh, Suffolk to where he eventually retired. He died of natural causes on Christmas Day, 1953. His obituary in The Times recalled the hallmark of his work as its "unfailing amiability". Its editorial of the same day complimented his work as a sourcebook for the social historian, adding that "the man who could avoid the cartoonist's two pitfalls of cruelty and insipidity was no small artist, even in a small field".

Now for the aforementioned local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly, Barnehurst ward:- "We have had two reported burglaries this week both in Marden Crescent, The first occurred overnight on the 1st February where a shed was broken into by suspects forcing the locked shed door, no property was taken. The second occurred on the 1st February between 8am – 12 Noon where a suspect has apparently gained entry to a property through an unlocked window and taken £1000 cash from within. Please be vigilant and make sure that all doors and windows are locked when leaving your home, even for a short period of time. I am pleased to inform you that all the animals seized from our warrant with the RSPCA last week are reported as doing well. The investigation is ongoing and I will update you all with any further news when I am able Please join me at Hall place car park on Tuesday 13th February at 1pm to discuss any local issues that you may have. Thank you to all our twitter followers who now number over 400, we would like a lot more so please spread the word and follow us @MPSBarnehurst for news on what you team are up to and up to date crime prevention advice". Belvedere ward:- "Update on what we’ve been up to: On Friday the team located a stolen bike on Picardy Street. Items were found in the bike which have been submitted for forensic analysis; CCTV enquiries were also conducted. We will welcome any information that will aid our investigation to come forward regarding a person on a damaged black moped in the Picardy Street area. The bike was displaying a registration of LJ55LYA – there are images of the bike on our Twitter page: @MPSBelvedere . On Monday PC Green conducted the search of some unused garages that appeared to have been lived in. PC Green & PC Holmes interviewed a male on Tuesday in relation to 2 racial public order offences. PC Green will be looking to progress with the matter and deal with the suspect suitably. PC Green & PCSO Worrall also held a crime prevention surgery at ASDA on Tuesday. On Wednesday PC Green attended Belvedere Junior School to talk to parents about Online Safety and Sexual Awareness. PCSO Worrall was making efforts to sign more roads up to Neighbourhood Watch. PC Rob assisted in the arrest of a male who was found in possession of cannabis. More updates on what we have been up to can be found on Twitter: @MPSBelvedere and Facebook: Belvedere Police". Brampton ward:- "Brampton Ward continues to be one of the safest Wards in the Borough with only two crimes affecting residents directly. There was a theft from motor vehicle in Long Lane where the victim had a bag containing valuables including a purse and laptop taken from the car along with other items. The bag was later discovered with most items including the laptop returned to the owner; unfortunately the purse was not recovered. Please if you can do not leave anything of value on show in your car. There was also an attempted distraction burglary in Sheldon Road where a male dressed in a high vis jacket knocked on an elderly resident’s door. He claimed to be working for the water board and demanded entry, fortunately the victim refused and the man made off. Enquiries made to Thames water showed that there were no operatives in the road at the time of the incident. Thames Water also assured us that they will always show ID and that there is a number to ring to check if they are at your door". Christ Church ward:- "Unfortunately we have had three residential burglaries reported recently. One burglary was reported in Lewin Road. The suspect broke a rear window at the property to gain entry. Another burglary occurred in Woodlands Road and on this occasion a side window was broken to gain entry. Both of these burglaries occurred on the 31/01/2018. The third burglary occurred on the 02/02/2018 in Oaklands Road, whereby entry was gained through a rear window. On the 02/02/2018 a report of a theft of motor vehicle in Chapel Road was received. On the same day there was a theft of number plates from a vehicle on Woolwich Road. Criminal Damage to a dwelling was reported on the 31/01/2018 on Woodlands Road, a window had been smashed. Also criminal damage was reported along Oakland’s Road where a CCTV camera was damaged. A robbery was reported on the Broadway on the 02/02/2018 near Barclays Bank. In the area of Nationwide Bank an elderly female had cash taken from her bag on the same day. Two theft of purses where reported also on the 02/02/2018. One of these incidents happened inside Peacocks and the other was an elderly female outside the Conservative Club. In relation to this particular incident investigations are on-going. On the 04/02/2018 a report was received for a theft of a mobile phone from Arcadia Lounge Bar. The team are conducting patrols along Hawthorn Road & Methuen Road and the surrounding streets. Residents have reported drug dealing and anti-social behaviour in the area. This information has come direct from the residents to us but so far we have not received any further information from other sources, I.E.101 On the 15/02/2018 at 11:00hrs the Christchurch team shall be available outside the Bowling Alley, Bexleyheath, conducting a bike marking event. The team shall be offering free bike marking to the public in conjunction with Bike Register. Please feel free to pop along and if you wish bring your bike along to get it registered. On a daily basis, the team conducts targeted ASB patrols around the ward in known area’s which have been highlighted via information and intelligence. At this time these patrols are mainly in the area of the Broadway, including ASDA and the car parks on the ward". Colyers ward:- "We are pleased to report that Colyers have had no reported burglaries this week. However there were 2 theft from motor vehicles and 1 vehicle interference. Of the 2 theft from vehicles, one was in the early hours of Saturday 3rd February in Coniston Road Bexleyheath. Two males were seen searching a car and were cashed away empty handed by an eagle eyed resident. The other was in Eversley Road sometime between 2pm Sunday 4th February and 8am Monday 5th February, the side passenger window was smashed and the Satnav stolen. Lastly, sometime between midnight and 9am on Monday the 5th February in Appledore Avenue a car window was smashed and the vehicle searched but nothing taken. Our next Community Contact Session is on Monday 12th 1pm in Cupcakes Bakery on Colyers Lane". Erith ward:- "PCs Gill and Tom have been across the ward in plain clothing and made an arrest. New NHW members in Tower Road, Morris Drive. Anti-social behaviour took place in both McDonalds and Dominos. The CCTV has been viewed for both and we are looking at identifying those involved, Drugs found in Compton place. PS Young has been patrolling the ward in the CCTV van and on motorbike January Recap: Your Erith team executed 2 search warrants & found a drugs factory. We conducted weapon sweeps on several estates, finding weapons & drugs. We have reduced and are continuing to reduce ASB and associated crimes in hotspot areas". Lesnes Abbey ward:- "Burglary - No Burglaries. However remain vigilant at all times. Remember lock windows and doors.  Motor vehicle crimes - On Friday 02/02/18 between the hours of 06:00am and 04:20 pm a motorbike parked in the car park behind Wilton Road was damaged; Overnight of Sunday 04/02/18 and Monday 05/02/18 a vehicle parked in Wolvercote Road had bodywork dented. The victim had been visiting friends. Dates for your diary. All are welcome - Monday 12/02/18, a Community Contact Session will be held at the Bostall Library Community Group, King Harold's Way between the hours of 11:45am until 12:45 pm. An opportunity for members of the community who prefer face- to–face contact to speak with a Dedicated Ward Officer; Police surgery on Tuesday 13/02/18 4:00pm until 5:00pm at the Bostall Library Community Group, King Harold's Way; Half term event: Kite making event for children on Tuesday 13/02/18 between the hours of 10;30 am until 3:00pm. Location : Lesnes Abbey Lodge, Lesnes Abbey Ruins, New Road, Abbey Wood, SE2 0QJ. Any Burglary or Motor Vehicle Crime prevention information wanted, please contact the Lesnes Abbey team on the details above". North End ward:- "Only one crime of note this week. A family had racist comments made to them in Dale View on Friday evening. A suspect has been identified and this is an ongoing investigation with all the correct reassurance etc put in place. After recent calls regarding cannabis being smoked in the stairwells at Grange House, we have been and knocked on every door in the block giving reassurance, gaining intel and giving all residents our team contact details to report any further issues. Patrols will continue inside the block. Last Thursday myself and PC Telfer got some lunch from Morrison’s in Erith, as we left a male was outside smoking cannabis. He was promptly stopped, his joint seized and then issued with a cannabis warning. Luckily, lunch wasn’t ruined! The following day, in Frobisher Road, PC Telfer stopped another male who had cannabis on him and after several checks, it was discovered he had already had a cannabis warning so he ended up with a £90 fine. Maybe next time he will not be so vocal. At our ward panel meeting last Thursday, the residents chose, Drug Issues, Robbery and ASB as the ward promises for the next 3 months. Our surgeries and street briefings will now be call Community Contact Sessions (CCS). These will take place at least one per week and they are now a chance for members of the public to come and report crime on top of the usual chit chat and confidential intel reporting". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Good news this week officers from the team arrested a male youth for possession of cannabis and possession of a weapon following a stop and search. Home visits are still being conducted to parents of youths coming to Police attention in and around Bexley Road. There were two commercial robberies in the Brook Street area this week on the same evening of Thursday February 1st February. The robber made off with cash and cigarettes having threatened staff in two separate premises with a knife. One criminal damage to a bedroom window in Nurstead Road last Friday evening. A double glazed window was cracked and the victim believed a beer bottle was thrown at it .A transit van was stolen from a driveway in Parsonage Manorway overnight between Sunday February 5th to Monday February 5th. A tyre was stolen from a parked car in Becton Place on Sunday February 4th and also criminal damage to a motorbike parked on a drive in Hurlingham Road. One attempted burglary reported this week but it is unclear exactly when this took place. The victims had left ladders in their garden which had been moved and an attempt was made to force the kitchen window open. Thankfully entry was not gained. Our next drop in Police Surgery will be held at the Library in Mill Road Erith this Friday February at 4pm. All are welcome to attend. We have had a report of of two males in Horsa Road impersonating police officers over the last week. This took place on the afternoon of Tuesday January 23rd. The males were in plain clothes and stated they were conducting arrest enquiries, they had a warrant holder with a gold coloured police badge but no ID card. Please check all credentials of any callers carefully. A genuine caller will not mind waiting outside while a phone call is made to check their identity, particularly is an appointment has not been previously booked. Please also be vigilant of any suspicious telephone callers. On Saturday January 27th an elderly resident in Horsa Road received a call from a male claiming to be from BT. The male insisted that there was a problem with the internet speed and tried various tactics to persuade the gentleman to part with money to resolve the problem. Thankfully the gentleman reported the call to police and did not answer any further calls from the number. On Sunday January 28th overnight in to Monday 29th a Ford Fiesta was stolen in Northumberland Park. The victim still has the keys and there is no tracker fitted to the vehicle. On Monday January 29th, also in Northumberland Park, a vehicle had the back window smashed in. Entry was not gained and nothing was taken; On Wednesday January 31st a caravan was broken in to in Little Heath Road and a battery charger was stolen; One Burglary in Ling Road between Saturday January 27th between 7.30pm and Sunday afternoon of January 28th. The victim went to Bexley Road to get a takeaway and left his wallet in his coat in the house. He discovered his wallet missing the following day. Unfortunately the victim did not lock his front door properly. Please always check that your UPVC door is locked properly by putting the handle up and locking the door with the key. --- A vape shop in Brook Street had goods stolen to the value of over £100 on the evening of Tuesday January 30th. Three youths distracted the shopkeeper and stole the items before running away. The team held a coffee with cops event at the Tea on the Pantiles teashop on Saturday January 27th and will continue these at various locations across the ward". Thamesmead East ward:- "31/01/2018 Muskovy House, Kale Road, 17:00 – 1030am, Vehicle Interference. Person(s) unknown have smashed the tailgate window on her car possibly in an attempted entry into the vehicle although Victim does not think any entry gained and is confident no property stolen from the vehicle; 02/02/2018 Manor Close SE28 02:00 – 09:00am - Residential Burglary. The door is a UPVC sliding door with a large pane of glass, door frame had been bent away from the door in two places. As if a tool had been prizing it away. Entry not gained; 03/02/2018 Argali House, Kale Road 17:00 – 17:20 Theft Of Motor Vehicle Unknown suspect has stolen the victim's vehicle from outside her home address. On 07/02/2018 the team attended a meeting at Sporting Club Thamesmead with Fiona Hamilton (Thamesmead Communities Manager) from PEABODY to discuss partnership working at both The Link in Bazalgette Way SE2 and The Sporting Club. Fiona informed the team there are some exciting activities over the half Term holiday check out the clubs Twitter page on @SCThamesmead. Date for your diary: Tuesday 13th February 2018 14:15 – 15:15hrs Thamesmead East Police Surgery. Crime prevention advice – Remove any personal belongings from your motor vehicle. If you lock your car using a remote key fob please try at least one of the door handles to confirm it's locked before you walk away. Always lock your car when unattended, even for a few moments. Never leave items in view in your car or home. Keep your purse or wallet secure".

The end video this week shows some footage taken at the Erith Model Railway Society show at Longfield Academy on the 28th January 2018. Please feel free to leave a comment below; alternatively you can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Erith Market returns.

As I have previously mentioned, Erith Riverside Shopping Centre is shortly to get a couple of new shops – a Subway sandwich takeaway, and a new expansion to the existing Mambocino coffee shop / café which will offer “sit down” dining in the evenings. This will be the first honest to goodness restaurant in central Erith for many years (I refuse to count the cafeteria in Morrison’s, before anyone points it out). This is all excellent news, and the sooner both outlets open, the better. There is also a public event aimed at the children coming up shortly - The centre will be hosting its annual Easter fun day from 11am to 4pm on Saturday March 19, with a variety of themed stalls. An egg hunt will also be held across the centre, with hunters just having to keep their eyes peeled for Easter themed posters in the windows of selected shops, go inside and receive a treat from the retailer. There will also be a free face painter on hand to transform children into chicks, bunnies and fun Easter characters for the children to meet. It sounds like I had better avoid the centre on the day. I am not exactly in the demographic that the event is trying to attract. Another welcome piece of news which has been rumoured for the last year or so is that a new weekly street market will be launching in Erith soon to attract footfall and new businesses to the town. The market will be held at the eastern end of Pier Road, a location which provides a link from Morrisons’ superstore to the centre of Erith, encouraging customers to spend more time in the town. Initially, it will feature around ten stalls offering products including clothes, accessories and more, to complement businesses in the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre. It is a pity it is (initially at least) only going to be held on Wednesdays, starting Wednesday the 30th March and will last for up to fourteen weeks, and the feedback from the public and Erith Town Forum will decide as to whether it becomes a permanent fixture. Why it is not also being held on Saturdays, as Erith Market traditionally always was is not presently known. Still, i will be paying it a visit with my camera when it does start, and I sincerely hope that it does well. 

I recall back on the 26th November 2003 when three Concorde jets flew in formation over London to mark their final flights and their retirement. I was standing on the flat roof of the office building where I worked, in Blackfriars Road, Southwark. It was an extremely impressive, and very sad sight – a triumph of Anglo – French engineering being given the chop by a bunch of faceless bean counters who knew the price of everything and the value of nothing. It was for many years thought that the classic aircraft would become museum pieces and that would be the end of the era of supersonic civil aviation. Recently it has become clear that this may well not be the case. A group of Concorde experts claim to have received adequate financial backing to recommence flights by the end of this decade. Aviation enthusiasts who may not have the means to fly on board could also have the opportunity to admire an aircraft placed on permanent display in central London. A group calling itself Club Concorde, which comprises former Concorde pilots, charterers and frequent fliers, among others. Though British Airways and Air France have no plans to recommence Concorde flights, the group has now secured what it believes to be sufficient financial backing to independently return the supersonic aircraft to service. They have two aims: firstly, to place one of the aircraft on a purpose-built platform positioned by the London Eye and above the Thames; secondly, to return another to use as part of a Return to Flight project. Drawing from a £40 million investment, the club is aiming to purchase a Concorde currently stationed near Orly Airport in Paris, and to place it as the main draw in a £16-a-head London tourist attraction that would include a restaurant offering dishes that were originally served on Concorde flights. Club president Paul James hopes the plane could be on display by 2017. Getting Concorde back in the air would be rather more complex. The club has access to an additional reserve fund worth £120 million and plans to use this revenue to purchase a Concorde currently on display at Le Bourget airport in Paris. When restored (and painted in an entirely new, neutral colour scheme) and also deemed safe to again take to the skies, the plane would be deployed for use in fly-pasts at air shows and made available for corporate and special events, as well as for private charter. Club Concorde is aiming to recommence flights by 2019, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the inaugural Concorde flight, and should the initiative prove a success the organisation may subsequently aim to make a second Concorde flightworthy at a later stage. Bearing in mind the entire venture will be financed by private money, I think it is entirely laudable. None of the retired Concordes were anywhere near their maximum airframe flight hours, and they were built to exceedingly high engineering standards. Providing the two machines to be returned to service have been correctly stored over the last thirteen years, there is no reason why with sufficient time, money and skill that they could not be refurbished, updated and returned to service. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

You may recall that I recently wrote about how the imminent arrival of Crossrail (more properly now entitled The Elizabeth Line) has already had an effect on local house prices. Now, a survey undertaken by estate agents Rightmove has shown that the average price of a two bedroomed terraced house in Abbey Wood has risen by 34.7 percent between 2015 and 2016. The survey was based on like for like properties within a one kilometre radius of Abbey Wood station. Rightmove said that the rise was due to  a number of factors, including the Elizabeth line, people looking for better value further out from the centre of town, and London property proving to be an attractive investment. The downside of this, as I have mentioned before, is that it is becoming increasingly difficult for first time buyers to get on the property ladder – and considering that the Abbey Wood / Belvedere / Erith / Slade Green area has been viewed as the joint best value region in which to buy a home within the M25, along with Barking and Dagenham. With the forthcoming opening of the Elizabeth Line, this may well cease to be the case. As other areas of Greater London become unaffordable to anyone other than a Russian Oligarch or Saudi Royal, then the search for (relatively) cheaper housing will march ever outwards.

The woes of Southeastern Trains, and anyone (myself included) who is unfortunate in having no choice but to use their terrible service have got even worse this week. On Thursday there was more service disruption on the North Kent Line, after a track defect outside of London Bridge station affected trains travelling to and from Cannon Street, Charing Cross and Waterloo East. The disruption lasted for most of the day, and my own journey back from Greenwich to Erith was delayed by forty five minutes - and I got off quite lightly compared with some other unfortunate travellers. The sooner that TfL take over the franchise the better, in my opinion. 

I saw the sad news about the former TV star and magician Paul Daniels, who has been sent home from hospital for his final days with terminal brain cancer. I used to know him, back at the height of his fame in the early to mid-1980’s, as he was one of my customers when I worked at a Saturday job at Silica Shop in Hatherley Road Sidcup, who at that time were the largest independent computer retailer in the UK, which at its peak had an annual turnover in excess of £45 million - a huge amount back then. You can see an example of a typical Silica Shop advertising flyer above - notice the large amount of detailed text - this was a Silica Shop trait - they lumped huge amounts of technical detail into all of their advertising; something that would put off a lot of potential shoppers today. All this is targeted advertising is routine nowadays, but back in 1983 it was unique, and Silica Shop had debatably the most sophisticated customer database used anywhere in the United Kingdom at the time. My own thoughts are that if Silica Shop had taken this self-written ground breaking business software and ported it onto the then new IBM PC, they would have had a huge business in selling and supporting enterprise level Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications now. Instead they continued to shift boxes of home computers, and eventually went out of business in the mid 1990’s. If the management had employed a more creative vision, Silica could have been a global software name like Oracle Corporation now. I have to say that I learned more about computing in my few years working at Silica shop than I have learned anywhere else. My entire career in IT has been built on stuff I picked up in a quiet side street in Sidcup. I digress:- Paul Daniels would always ask for me in person – for what reason I really don’t know. He came into the shop maybe once every six Saturdays, and would always spend around £800 – which was a lot of money back in those days. He had several Atari 8 bit computers, and he was one of the first people in the UK to have an Atari 520ST – a pioneering sixteen bit pseudo clone of the Apple Macintosh at a quarter of the price, and with colour graphics. To be honest, Paul Daniels was a challenging customer. He knew his stuff, and would try and trip you up – but my product knowledge was pretty sound back then, and it was very rare that he managed to get one over on me. Looking back, it was obvious that he must have liked my service – as there were other staff who whom he could have asked for, but he would always ask to be served by me. I recall him getting somewhat spiky when he asked me what I had thought of his show the Saturday before, and I responded that I had missed it (I had been down the pub with my mates – what did he expect – not that I mentioned this to him). If I had been earning commission on sales, I would have made a small fortune from him alone. Sad to see him in the current circumstances. 

The photo above was sent to me by Maggot Sandwich reader and Chairman of the Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association, Dana Whiffen. It shows London Mayor Boris Johnson visiting Welling Welling on Wednesday to congratulate Bexley Neighbourhood Watch Association, and the local Welling Police teams of Falconwood and East Wickham for working together to achieve 100% Neighbourhood Watch coverage in these two wards. Coverage in Erith and Slade Green has yet to reach these levels.

When travelling back from occasional business meetings I need to attend in Watford, I find myself on a Southeastern train from London Bridge back to Erith. I am usually travelling during the mid-afternoon period, before the start of the busy period (the term “rush hour” is a misnomer, as it lasts for several hours in the morning and evening). On several occasions a person has walked along the carriage, placing packets of tissues on empty seats opposite commuters. The tissues are accompanied by a note saying that the person placing the tissues is unemployed and has young children to feed – this is done in the hope that travellers will hand over cash in sympathy. Earlier this week British Transport Police announced that the beggars are part of several organised criminal gangs travelling to the UK for three month “tissue begging tourism” stints. The beggars target off – peak travellers to avoid sceptical and aggressive regular commuters and very packed trains. The begging notes apparently all have identical wording , and some are even commercially laminated – something quite pricey for someone who is meant to be penniless. Southeastern, Thameslink and Southern Rail have all issued warnings to their customers about the issue. What also interests me is that if the person is meant to be skint – how did they afford to pay the train fare? Of course they did not. In an interview with The Metro newspaper on Monday, British Transport Police Superintendent Jenny Gilmer was quoted as saying “We have noticed a pretty significant escalation of reports. There is no doubt that this is an organised activity, and it is clearly profitable for people. There are members of the public who are handing out money”. The message would seem to be, don’t give these people money for tissues – it is an organised criminal con. Have you seen these operators in action? What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I get very annoyed by Apple Mac users who claim that their computers are “virus proof” or some such thing – whilst Macs are pretty robust, any computer that can run executable code can run malware. I have a Mac, and love it,  but I would not claim it was any more robust than any other platform. This is backed up by the news that The first "fully functional" ransomware targeting OS X has landed on Macs – after somehow smuggling itself into downloads of the popular Transmission BitTorrent file transfer client. Transmission's developers have warned in a notice splashed in red on the app's website that if you fetched and installed an afflicted copy of the software just before the weekend, you must upgrade to a clean version. Specifically, downloads of version 2.90 were infected with ransomware that will encrypt your files using AES and an open-source cryptographic library, and demand a payment to unscramble the documents. Transmission has millions of active users. It is possible the application's website servers were compromised, and the downloads tampered with to include the KeRanger nasty. Those who have had files encrypted will be asked by the malware to cough up US$400 in Bitcoins, paid to a website hidden in the Tor “dark web” network, to get their files back. In an interview with Reuters last week, Ryan Olson of Palo Alto Networks said "It is a little bit surprising because ransomware has been so incredibly popular for Windows, and mobile platforms, It's now of the most popular criminal business models. The fact that it hasn't made it to Mac shows that it's had a great amount of success on the Windows side. But the fact that [the malware] was distributed through a legit application demonstrates that we will see this again." The KeRanger malware, which imposes a 72-hour lockout window unless the victim pays 1 bitcoin (around £320), appears to have been first discovered via a rogue version of Transmission, a widely popular BitTorrent client. For some time now, ransomware has primarily targeted Windows machines—threatening total data destruction if the ransom isn't paid. Recently, even a Los Angeles hospital was infected, which resulted in the payment of a $17,000 ransom. In June 2015, the FBI said it had been contacted by 992 victims of CryptoWall, a similar ransomware scheme, who have sustained combined losses totalling over $18 million. In the UK fewer reports have been made, but this may be due to embarrassment / desire to protect an organisations image and business credibility. An analysis of the KeRanger ransomware showed that “The KeRanger application was signed with a valid Mac app development certificate; therefore, it was able to bypass Apple’s Gatekeeper protection. If a user installs the infected apps, an embedded executable file is run on the system. KeRanger then waits for three days before connecting with command and control (C2) servers over the Tor anonymizer network. The malware then begins encrypting certain types of document and data files on the system. After completing the encryption process, KeRanger demands that victims pay one bitcoin (about £320) to a specific address to retrieve their files. Additionally, KeRanger appears to still be under active development and it seems the malware is also attempting to encrypt Time Machine backup files to prevent victims from recovering their back-up data.” All very grim stuff. Time Machine is Apple’s proprietary backup and restore application (and very good it is too). I have not heard any reports of infections reaching the UK, but as is usual with this sort of thing, it is probably only down to time. 

I took the photo above a while back, whilst on the Woolwich Ferry; it was an experiment in black and white, moody photography. There has been much concern locally for a couple of years; there have been strong messages from TfL and the Department of Transport were looking to phase out the Woolwich free ferry. This would be a very poor move if it happened, as records of a ferry across the River Thames at Woolwich date back as far as 1308. The documentation from that date refers to the waterman who ran the ferry, William de Wicton, sold his business and house to William Halle, for £10. In 1320 the ferry was sold again for 100 silver marks. There is no further mention of the ferry during the years that Woolwich rose to prominence as a royal dockyard under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Much later, in 1810 the army established its own ferry that ran from Woolwich Arsenal to Duvals Wharf. In 1811 an Act of Parliament was passed to establish a ferry across the Thames from Woolwich at the Old Ballast or Sand Wharf, opposite Chapel Hill, where the dockyard then terminated. The ferry became known as the western ferry and was run by a company that called itself The Woolwich Ferry Company. The Western ferry continued to operate until 1844, when the company was dissolved after a history of inept management. The current free ferry was set up in the 1889 and has run ever since. You can read more about the opening of the free ferry service by clicking here. Good news regarding the continuation of the Woolwich Ferry service; It was announced earlier this week that two brand new ferry boats will be commissioned to replace the three ageing vessels in operation – John Burns, Ernest Bevin and James Newman. The reliability of the modern boats making up for the loss of the third vessel (I doubt this - there will always be a need for a backup ship). In addition, there will be new mooring facilities at Woolwich and North Woolwich, the embarkation points. The work should be complete by March 2018, according to papers lodged with TfL’s finance and policy committee. In an interview with The Wharf newspaper, TfL's general manager of river services Andy Thompson said: “We are working to extend the life of the Woolwich Ferry service into the 2020s. We’ve completed work on the jetties and lifting bridges, so we are now focussing on the ferries themselves, and can confirm that we are planning to buy two new boats to replace the existing 1960s vessels. The buying process for these has now started and we have encouraged a number of ship building companies to bid for the contract. Alongside this, we recently consulted on plans for new fixed river crossings in East London, including two new crossings at Thamesmead and Belvedere, which could be delivered by 2025, subject to funding.” Whatever your opinions on the proposed bridges / tunnels, it does annoy me when people talk of Thamesmead and Belvedere, as if they were in East London! 

The Slade Green Community Forum have just released the following request for help:- "On the weekend 15/16/17 April we will be commemorating the 75th anniversary of the 'Slade Green Heroes' whose brave actions saved the centre of Slade Green from being blown up ( is a copy of the commemorative plaque at the railway station for anyone who doesn't know the story). Below is a summary of what is currently planned (with support from Slade Green Big Local) and the help we need. Note that some dates/times are provisional. Below that note details of two current consultations, in particular proposed new ward boundaries that will divide Slade Green between two wards, and Erith likewise. Friday 25th March to Sunday 3rd April - Distribution of publicity material. We are in need of people to help with the deliveries to all local roads. Friday 15th April 8 - 11 pm Slade Green & Howbury Community Centre. World War 2 Dance. We need a couple of volunteers to check tickets on the door, and volunteers to help with set up from 7pm and with clearing away after the event. Saturday 16th April - morning - children's event at St Augustine's Hall, time and details tbc. Saturday 16th April 2pm - 2.15 pm at Slade Green station. Commemoration at the site of the commemorative plaque. Does anyone know a bugler who can play The Last Post? Generally, could do with some people to help with stewarding and some people to look after invited guests. Saturday 16th April 2.45 - 4 pm Afternoon Tea at the British Restaurant (St Augustine's Church Hall). Remembering the use of the old St Augustine's Church Hall as a British Restaurant during the war (it served meals to people who had run out of rations, and provided meals for local armaments factories and schools). We're serving a simple afternoon tea and will have displays about British Restaurants and about local history prepared with help from the Crayford Archive and Slade Green Library. We need some help serving refreshments, and people who can help with set up between 12.30 and 1.30 and with clearing away afterwards. Also we'd be pleased to have any donations or loans of period photos or information. Sunday 17th April 3.30 - 6pm Big Band Concert at Slade Green Christian Fellowship (corner of Elm Road and Slade Green Road). The Little Big Band are students and teachers from Bird College and we will be splitting any proceeds with them as they are fundraising to take their band on tour (aside - they were really excellent when I saw them at a church in Blendon last year). We need help with checking tickets on the door, with the interval refreshments, and ensuring that pre-ordered refreshments are taken to the band members". 

The end video this week features extended coverage of the Erith Model Railway Society 2016 exhibition, which took place over the weekend of the 30th and 31st January at Longfield Academy. The exhibition featured over thirty railway layouts. See what you think, and either leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.