1,000.

The photos above were taken by me on Friday evening at the 17th annual Bexley Beer Festival, which was held at the Old Dartfordians Rugby Club in Old Bexley.  The weather was outstandingly good, and the festival attracted what I believe to be a record crowd of attendees. The event was excellent, and very well run by the volunteers from Bexley CAMRA. 

Ask regular readers will know. This week marks the 1000th edition of my blog. I would like to thank everybody over the years who has contributed to its content and who has given me information on local issues and affairs, and also given me support during a couple of times when I had problems related to the publication of the blog which are thankfully now long in the past. I would say that I have gained a lot of friends and been part of several local voluntary organisations as a direct result of contacts established through the Maggot Sandwich over the years. On researching for this weeks' update I discovered that on average a blog lasts about 18 months - in July the Maggot Sandwich will have its' 18th birthday, marking the second major milestone this year. Below you will see a few comments from people who have contributed to the blog or who run their own online activities which have interacted with me and who have kindly agreed to submit some comments on the occasion of my 1000th edition:- (1) "Congratulations on your first thousand. I first stumbled across The Sandwich in 2009. A friend in Bromley had created a music blog and I began to read yours too. It seemed like it was the up and coming thing for a web nerd to do. I had dabbled with creating websites since the mid-1990s using an Acorn computer but the methods were very dated and the pages near impossible to maintain. I was keen to learn the newer authoring technique known as Cascading Style Sheets, Then a dispute with Bexley Council came along and provided the excuse to try blogging myself. (I often wish I hadn’t!) We first met on 25th September 2010 when OFCOM had hopes that blogging would become a mainstream news source. They hosted a meeting in the very same room of Riverside House in which I spent two years in the early 1960s  drawing up specifications for telephone exchanges (ROYal and HOP) and watching the colliers taking coal to Battersea Power Station. That meeting cost me a lot of money because you showed me your digital SLR and I realised how dated my 2003 model was. https://www.bexley-is-bonkers.co.uk/blogs/2010/sep/2501.php Not long afterwards you got me into hot water with your “pitchforks and flaming torches” metaphor aimed at our esteemed Council Leader. http://arthurpewtysmaggotsandwich.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/shrine.html For blogging my agreement with your sentiments I eventually found myself in the Police borough commander’s office accompanied by my MP where it was explained that Bexley Council had accused me of threatening arson. And no one said a word to you who had kicked the hornets’ nest. Thanks Hugh. And thanks for the 1,000 blogs - I especially like the ones about local industrial history". (2) "I first became aware of the blog when Hugh and I worked together on the carers' group at our then employer. Hugh was spending a lot of time with his Dad and I was running my mother's affairs as she was in a home with severe dementia. I have been a regular reader since around 2010.  My favourite items have been the articles about local residents and businesses and their contribution to British culture and manufacturing. Who would have thought that the area played such an important part in the development of TV, machine guns and modern music?  Hugh manages to find out about people and places in the context of the local area and comes up with some absolutely fascinating stories about its history and personalities.  I think that my only contribution to the blog has been the tale about the winter of 1962-3, following the blog on 29/12/13 which mentioned the little green buses which served the rural villages, including Cudham where I was living.  I went to Orpington with a friend and caught the bus back to Cudham  Alas it got stuck in a snowdrift near the church.  The handful of passengers on board could not get out of the door at the front and we had to use the emergency hatch at the back.  Fortunately we were only half a mile from home but the bus stayed there for weeks! Long may the blog continue and well done Hugh!" (3) "To think Hugh has been running Maggot Sandwich since 2006, this is a superb record. Hugh's blog has brought to light many local issues and he has pursued those that are not being taken seriously by the Council or Police not giving up until it has been sorted. He helped guide us through the Covid lock down periods and the various tricky issues that ensued. He always manages to find an interesting historic article or film clip to end each blog, most recently highlighting Radio Caroline's 60th anniversary. Well done Hugh". From Dana Wiffen/Heritage Railway and London Transport enthusiast and NW Coordinator.

The 5th May 2024, marked the 44th anniversary of the arrival of the machine that did more in its time to awaken ordinary Britons to the possibilities offered by home computing: the Sinclair ZX81. Although it was only generally available from May, it had been advertised from the early part of March of that year, though more for promotional purposes than general availability. While its successor, the Sinclair Spectrum, got the nation playing computer games, the ZX81 was the tipping point that turned the home computer from nerd hobby into something anyone could buy and use. Sir Clive Sinclair would later say his Science of Cambridge company - later Sinclair Research - developed its first computers to make the money needed to fund other projects closer to his heart: the portable TV and what would become the infamous C5 electric car. The predecessor to the ZX81 was launched in January 1980, the ZX80 was a DIY kit. It had a Zilog Z80A processor, 1KB of memory and used a cassette recorder for storage. The ZX80 had a key flaw - literally. Press one of the touch pad-style keys and the display momentarily blanked, as the CPU was diverted from maintaining the display to reading the keyboard buffer. Orders had been taken so SoC had to ship the product, but before the ZX80 was officially released work had begun on its successor. A year on from the ZX80 debut, in January 1981, the ZX81 was still in development. But then the BBC came knocking on Sinclair's door. The Corporation was looking for a cheap home computer to tie in to a series of programmes it was planning to broadcast later that year. Having seen the success of the Apple II, Tandy TRS-80 and Commodore Pet in the US, BBC senior management believed Britons needed to be quickly awoken to the personal computer revolution. It established the BBC Computer Literacy Project. A series of programmes would show viewers the potential of computers in their business and daily lives. The machine itself would get them directly involved. The ZX81 was developed by a team led by SoC's chief engineer, Jim Westwood. Its Basic interpreter and OS was written by John Grant and Steve Vickers at Nine Tiles, a company contracted by Sinclair for the ZX80's software. A bigger Rom chip - 8KB to the ZX80's 4KB - allowed Grant and Vickers to extend the new machine's functionality considerably, in particular floating point maths and trigonometry functions. SoC's Rick Dickinson designed the iconic casing. The look was based on the ZX80, but out went that machine's vacuum-formed cover in favour of superior injection moulding. Once again, SoC used the Z80A CPU and equipped the ZX81 with 1KB of memory. A 16KB Ram Pack add-on would later be offered, and become the source of much annoyance - but hilarity to owners of rival machines - because its poor fit ensured that any movement could cause it to lose electrical contact, crashing the computer. Like the ZX80, the new machine was offered as a £49.95 kit. But this time - and the use of a quality plastic casing suggests this was always going to be the case - it was also sold pre-assembled for £69.95. Both versions were made by Timex, which would later license the design for the US market, where the computer would debut in the States as the Timex 1000. At such a low price - though still beyond the reach of many a computer-keen kid at the time, this reporter included - Sinclair sold truckloads. He was helped in no small part by the retailer WH Smith, which, by offering the machine in its shops, put it in the way of far more ordinary buyers than adverts in early computer magazines would have done. WH Smith had an exclusive for six months, and then other high street retailers jumped in too. Sales soared, Sinclair became a household name and even richer as his company's fortunes rocketed. More importantly, a new consumer electronics category was born, and the UK home computer market was defined and led by UK companies. That would change, but not for a few more years. But by then thousands of schoolkids had had their first taste of computers, programming and, - crucially - games. Comments to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

As I have previously written, Easter 1964 marked the launch of Radio Caroline; another offshore radio station launched in the same year, in May 1964 and it is now 60 years since David Sutch, an outrageously extrovert pop singer, better known as Screaming 'Lord' Sutch, together with his Manager, Reg Calvert, decided to establish an offshore radio station. Both men had been inspired by the success of Radio Caroline, but this new station was largely to be a publicity and promotional exercise for himself and other, then unknown, artists. managed by Reg Calvert. Screaming Lord Sutch (born David Edward Sutch - was the founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and served as its leader from 1983 to his death in 1999, during which time he stood in numerous parliamentary elections. He holds the record for losing all forty elections in which he stood) said he would start his own station. On 27th May Radio Sutch began broadcasting from the south tower of the Shivering Sands former army sea fort. It was a low-powered, low-budget amateurish operation. Broadcast (intermittently) on 194 metres (1542 kHz) medium wave. The broadcasting hours of Radio Sutch were somewhat variable – DJ’s would wake up late for their shows, or the studio equipment would experience regular breakdowns. Even the broadcast transmitter was a total lash – up, based on a heavily modified wartime Royal Navy H.F transmitter unit re – crystalled for medium wave, which was powered from a bunch of truck and milk float batteries. The antenna system was laughably inefficient, and it seems to me that it was a miracle that it worked at all, based as it was on a scaffold pole with a skull-and-crossbones flag on the top! The first broadcast started with a record by Screaming Lord Sutch himself -"Jack the Ripper" - but was on very low power and only audible within a close radius of the Fort. However, within a few days the transmitter power had been increased and the station was heard 10-15 miles inland in Essex and North Kent. The wavelength was also now being announced on air as 200 Metres. Promoted as "Britain's First Teenage Radio Station" broadcasting hours for Radio Sutch, although advertised as 12 noon - 2.00pm and 5.00pm - 11.00pm, were erratic, with DJs over sleeping and consequently sometimes opening transmissions up to an hour late. Another reason for the sporadic broadcasts was that, initially at least, the station's transmitter was battery powered and had to be turned off while new batteries were connected or flat ones recharged. Eventually however, the Fort's original wartime generator was repaired and put into working order, but none of the equipment used by the station was of professional broadcast standard and the poor sound quality and weak transmission signal reflected these deficiencies. Musically Radio Reg Calvert / Sutch's output favoured rock and roll, rhythm and blues and country and western artists. Reg Calvert used Radio Sutch to extensively promote the various artists and pop groups he managed through a partnership with Terry King and the King Agency. Regular audience figures for Radio Sutch were never reliably obtained, but they were generally accepted to be only a few thousand compared to the millions attracted to the station's contemporary offshore competitors, Radio Caroline and Radio Atlanta. By September 1964 Screaming 'Lord' Sutch, having been offered a concert tour in Australia and New Zealand, was no longer interested in further involvement with the radio station he had founded some four months earlier. His manager, Reg Calvert, who had been the driving force behind the project anyway, acquired Sutch's interest and took over complete responsibility for operating the station. Record shop owner Eric Martin, who had arranged tendering services and supplies for Radio Sutch, became Station Controller and Manager of the new  station - Radio City. That story is for another occasion. 

I’ve been contacted by Maggot Sandwich reader and sometime contributor, Brian Silk, who asked if I would mention Erith Town Football club. Brian (the man on the left in the photo above), who is a fan of the club, told me:- “Erith’s eponymous local semi-professional football club has had an outstanding season. The ‘Dockers’ (as they are known) have enjoyed two cup victories and just got promoted on Bank Holiday Monday. “The first of this trio of honours came at the end of March, when Erith Town won the Southern Counties East Football League (SCEFL) Challenge Cup after a penalty shoot-out with fellow- finalists, Corinthian FC. Winning two trophies in a season would be considered a sufficient exceptional achievement by most football clubs, but the prize Erith Town really wanted was to gain promotion from the SCEFL Premier Division to the Isthmian League,” Brian informed me. “Having battled to make it into the playoffs, The Dockers progressed through to the Final on Monday, when they faced Corinthians FC again. Yet again, it went to penalties and, as before, Erith netted the ball more successfully than Corinthians. As a result, next season Erith Town FC will ply their trade in the Isthmian League South East Division - the Fourth Tier of the non-league football pyramid - for the first time in their 65-year history.” Brian went on to tell me why he is a fan of Erith Town Football Club. “I’ve been going to watch The Dockers for about seven years. I live in Erith and I can go and watch high-quality football at a reasonable price not far from where I live. The club recently moved to the Stanmore Stadium in Thamesmead, which is a fantastic venue. “One of the great things about Erith Town FC is the friendly family atmosphere at home games. The club goes out of its way to make everyone feel welcome and they run various schemes in the local community. Having a dream season with a fairy tale ending has been the icing on the cake. I’m already looking forward to the 2024-25 season and seeing where that takes The Dockers’ story.” Comments to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Last week a food market was established in Bexleyheath Broadway, with stalls mainly selling hot food from many different countries, although there were a few places selling clothes and other goods. I am no sure if this was a one - off event, or if it will be something regular. If you have any insight into this, then please email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

An issue that may have passed some readers by has come to my attention; it may well affect some motorists who are not aware of the changes shortly to be made to the law. Sitting alongside a range of new safety features destined for all new cars, mandatory speed limiters came as part of the General Safety Regulation proposed by the European Commission, approved in 2019 by the European Parliament and all EU member states. Though the UK is no longer in the EU, it has been confirmed that the UK will still utilise the technology, and it is set to come into force in July this year. Dubbed Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), the limiters will use GPS data and/or traffic sign recognition cameras to determine the speed limit of the road a vehicle is travelling on. Engine power will then be limited to match this, preventing the car from exceeding the speed limit. It will be possible to override the system for the current journey by pushing hard on the throttle, however the system will be re-engaged every time a car is started. If you think you can simply keep pressing a little harder on the throttle to break through the system, think again. ETSC also states that: ‘If the driver continues to drive above the speed limit for several seconds, the system should sound a warning for a few seconds and display a visual warning until the vehicle is operating at or below the speed limit again.’ A feature already seen on all new Volvos and models such as the Ford Focus, the speed limiters are also set to come alongside data loggers, autonomous emergency braking systems, lane keep assist, driver fatigue detection systems and other safety measures. It’s not all quite as bad as you may think, though, as the European Transport and Safety Council admits the system will come with a full on/off switch initially. This is only 'to aid public acceptance at introduction' however, and so it’s likely that it intends to push for even stricter rules in the future, meaning a permanent system may come into force. The systems will be required on all new UK cars sold from July 7 2024, with even unsold factory-fresh showroom examples needing to be retrofitted with the technology after that date. With the recent confirmation of the UK’s adoption of the technology came interesting news from the Department for Transport, stating that it expects limiters 'to give drivers feedback when the speed limit is exceeded rather than limiting the speed' with a reduction in engine power as previously understood. The push for the new safety technology is being driven by the supposed reduction it will bring in traffic collisions and lives lost; ETSC says the limiters will reduce collisions by 30 per cent and save 25,000 lives within 15 years of being introduced.

Back in 2019 Lidl applied for planning permission for a supermarket to be built on the former Atlas Paints site in Fraser Road, Erith, next to the Wickes DIY store. It was denied by Bexley Council. The original proposed architects impression image is the upper of the two above - click on it to see a larger version. The lower of the two images shows the revised building exterior design which has been resubmitted for planning permission. Erith is dominated by Morrison's supermarket - there is no realistic competition - I don't feel that Farm Foods or Iceland offer anything like the full range of goods that Morrison's does. As I have written on numerous previous occasions, in my opinion Morrison's has been on the slide in respect of availability, quality and price of goods ever since the supermarket chain was purchased by American private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) who have loaded the supermarket with a mountain of debt since they took over. I have serious doubts about Morrison's long term viability. On top of this, the Erith Quarry housing development - next door to the proposed Lidl site is now open, with over four hundred new houses and apartments. This equates to roughly a thousand new people coming to live in the area. Lidl carried out a survey of local residents; the results were overwhelmingly positive. A total of 1,366 people responded to the survey, of which 1,276 local residents supported the construction of a new Lidl store on the former Atlas trading estate site. That is a majority of 93.6 percent. A full five years since the original planning application was made by Lidl, the revised application has been approved - with certain restrictions. You can read the details of the planning application by clicking here. The new Erith store will employ around 40 local people; I am led to understand that priority consideration will be given to people who were employed by the retail outlets previously on the Atlas site. Malcolm Knight's "Bexley is Bonkers" Blog has recently covered this story - one of the down sides of the Maggot Sandwich being published on Sundays is that stories that I actually get early end up being broken elsewhere due to my weekly publishing format; also Malcolm has an extremely good nose for a story, and in some instances we have in the past covered similar subjects. 

The end video this week is a short aerial view of the exterior of St Augustine's Church in Slade Green. Comments and feedback to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.