Winter seems to have arrived with a bit of a bang over the last week or so. I, along with many people have ended up closing the curtains in my living room and bedroom by as early as 3:30 in the afternoon on several occasions. I know that Seasonal Affective Disorder is extremely common at these and higher latitudes during winter due to the lack of natural sunlight. Conversely, in the summer months we can get daylight until nearly 10:00 p.m. so I suppose we have to take the rough with the smooth. The photo above - click on it to see a larger view - shows the very busy bus halt outside of Erith Riverside Shopping Centre. It illustrates just how dark and wet this time of year commonly gets. I understand that private vehicle ownership in the northern parts of the London Borough of Bexley is statistically below the national average. Whilst this can be attributed to people and families with a lower income, it can also be because the provision of public transport is actually pretty good. The only caveat with this is that whilst the bus and train services locally are usually great, we do not have any underground stations in the borough whatsoever. I understand that the reasons are both historical and geological. Much of the the geology of South East London merges with that of North Kent, consisting of a mixture of sand, chalk and flint. When much of Greater London was equipped with a tube service, Bexley was ignored; one of the reasons was that much of the mining equipment in use in the early 20th century was not capable of dealing with chalk that had large nodules of extremely hard flint embedded in it. The tunnel boring machines of the time could go through soft chalk easily, but the blades used to dig away the chalk would shatter and blunt when they encountered the extremely hard, vitreous flint nodules. Ironically if the extension to the DLR to Thamesmead actually gets built, it may well have the same challenges. Modern tunnelling techniques have however largely overcome the problems with geology that were the historical issues previously encountered by the tunnel boring engineers. Email any opinions and feedback as usual to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
Following my article last week on the imminent retirement of the PSTN analogue telephone system in the UK, it sparked a large response from readers, most notably from a very long time reader called Steve who had a very extensive and distinguished former career in the military. Some years ago he was awarded the MBE, and now resides in the West Country. He wrote to me earlier last week in response to my piece with his own experiences in respect of his now elderly mother. I reproduce his text in full below, with his permission. In my opinion, it does not make for confidence inspiring reading. Steve writes:-"After my Dad died and my Mum returned home (alone), we had a lifeline installed by the local authority. Because the house was already on fibre, the installer advised us to contact the phone & wifi supplier to order back up battery's (BBUs), for both the router and fibre box, to prevent loss of service during a power cut. Her provider is one of the companies that has signed up to the scheme to provide these free of charge to vulnerable customers with medical equipment connected to the network. I took me 8 weeks, 5 phone calls, 2 forms and 3 e-mails to finally get the correct equipment delivered. The challenge of getting this done is now under investigation by both the provider and Ofcom, although to date I have had no response from the provider. The greatest challenge was getting the call centre staff to understand the problem and then ensure the right boxes were ticked on their system. They simply did not understand the difference between a power cut causing the phone line to stop working versus a guarantee to quickly rectify a fault on the line (that their vulnerable customer service seems to be aimed at). I also took dispute with the necessity to have 'no mobile phone back up' as a qualifying criteria for a BBU, because a fall or medical incident requiring use of the lifeline is not automatically covered by the presence of a mobile phone (i.e. a fall in the shower). I am determined to push this issue because, as you mentioned last week, the fibre switch is going to put at risk numerous current lifeline users - many of whom may not have anyone to support them to get the BBUs they need to remain safe. *As an aside for anyone reading this who faces the same problem; having now received the equipment (which replaces the router and fibre box AC/DC adapters with battery-embedded versions), a normal computer-type uninterrupted power supply (UPS) is just as good if the exiting router and fibre adapters are just plugged in to it".
A death was announced in the specialist music press last week, but unfortunately it was almost completely ignored by the mainstream media organisations. Yet the deceased was hugely influential in 1960's and early 1970's music technology, and was a massive influence on the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, among many others. The man's name was Del Casher, an American who collaborated with a local company with a large manufacturing facility that used to exist on what is nowadays the large housing estate adjacent to West Street, Erith. Del Casher was a session musician, a performer, a composer and studio producer in addition to being an inventor. He died of cancer in Los Angeles aged 88 in October, although his death was only reported on the 9th of November. In the mid to late 1960's, he worked closely with Dick Denney of JMI / Vox. The Vox factory in Erith was formerly the Vickers factory which used to be located in Nordenfeldt Road, off West Street. The factory had several owners over its life; after Vickers no longer had need of it, the place was sold to a company called Elizabethan Electronics, who made radios and record players primarily for domestic use; when the company relocated to a new factory in Romford in the early 1960’s the place was sold on to Jennings Musical Industries (JMI), a company that was soon to be better known by the name of their best known products – the Vox range of guitar amplifiers. Dick Denney lived for many years in a house in Halt Robin Road in Upper Belvedere, and was one of the main creative and engineering sources at the JMI / Vox factory in Nordenfeldt Road, off West Street - photo above - click on it to see a larger view. Casher and Denney collaborated on one of their most influential musical hardware designs, the Wah Wah pedal, A sound effect that was employed by numerous musicians, most famously by Jimi Hendrix. The prototype of the pedal was a modified Vox Continental organ volume pedal, which the two inventors modified with additional tone controls and audio filters. Determined to demonstrate what the pedal could do, he recorded a promotional album showcasing its possibilities across blues, jazz, rock, country and other styles. He then took the prototype to music stores and industry events in the USA, demonstrating the effect to guitarists and trying to generate interest. The response was initially disappointing. Del Casher eventually found a more receptive audience in Frank Zappa, with whom he had worked before the Wah-Wah's development. According to Casher, he gave Zappa a pedal and encouraged him to introduce the effect to Jimi Hendrix. Zappa helped bring it to Hendrix's attention, and the guitarist would go on to make the Wah-Wah an integral part of his sound. Hendrix's use of the effect on his groundbreaking 1968 album Electric Ladyland helped establish it as one of rock's defining guitar sounds. His performance at Woodstock the following year further cemented its place in the electric guitar vocabulary. Other major players quickly embraced the effect. Eric Clapton put it to memorable use with Cream on "White Room," while Jimmy Page, David Gilmour and Tony Iommi were among the guitarists who incorporated its distinctive vocal quality into their own playing. The Wah-Wah would become a staple of rock, funk and countless other styles. The pedals were mainly made in the Nordenfeldt Road factory, but some were made under licence in the USA by the Thomas Organ Company.
Over the past year or so, the residents of Slade Green and Erith have suffered an ongoing series of major roadworks causing disruption to local traffic, bus diversions and all kinds of serious inconvenience. There have been major long-term issues such as the closure of Fraser Road in Erith for the best part of 12 months whilst the drainage was replaced in the major road, which caused serious problems for a number of small, independent local businesses. In June of this year, Manor Road in Erith was completely closed to traffic for 2 weeks due to a burst water main. Ironically, the leak had been originally reported 6 months prior to any action being taken, but Thames Water did nothing about it, meaning that the leak became progressively worse, and presumably much more expensive to repair because of their earlier apparent negligence. Coincidentally, on Friday morning the temporary traffic lights shown in the photo above - click on it to see a larger view - were set up in exactly the same place as the original June major roadworks. This time it was apparently to regulate traffic not only in Manor Road but that coming to and from the Frobisher Road housing estate. The reason for this was some kind of remedial engineering work taking place on the corner of Frobisher Road and Manor Road. This was ironic as no workers were on site apart from to deliver the temporary traffic light, and set up road cones and temporary signage. After this they left site, and no work was undertaken whatsoever.
As regular readers will be aware, I have in the past written quite extensively on the problems encountered by the government whilst trying to roll out smart energy meters throughout the UK. The original target was that approximately 80% of the households in the UK were scheduled to be fitted with a smart meter by 2020. 6 years after the target date, only about 36% of households have any form of smart meter, and in some cases those that do have meters find that they do not work. The reason for some smart meters failing can be multiple. In some cases, there is a physical fault, in other cases. After the householder switched energy supplier, the meter has stopped working, and in other cases it is because the mobile phone signal the smart meter uses to communicate to its server is too weak or non-existent. Until 2024 smart meters in the UK employed legacy mobile phone technology, called 2G or 3G. Newer smart meters use 4G technology. The older smart meters are failing because mobile phone companies have now already switched off 3G mobile phone networks, and then schedule to switch off 2G phone networks. This will mean that a substantial number of households with smart meters will need to have them replaced with units that employ the newer 4G communication. The oldest smart meter technology, called SMETS1 Which is installed in around 7 million UK homes cannot be upgraded, and in those cases the whole meter unit will have to be replaced at a cost of approximately £350. In the second generation of smart meter called SMETS2, A communications module can be replaced without the need for the entire meter to be changed. The overall cost of upgrading existing smart meter technology will cost the energy supplying companies somewhat in excess of £4 billion, which inevitably will be passed on to the energy consumer. As I have previously outlined, whichever communication technology the smart meters use, the radio signal they send to the base station server is either un-encrypted, or using an old encryption system that has long been broken by hackers. I envisage potential problems far in excess of those recently experienced by various supermarket chains with malicious operators causing fridges and freezers in supermarkets to massively overheat and spoil the chilled or frozen goods within. The scope of damage potentially caused to millions of dwellings would far exceed this. Personally I have stuck with my old analogue meter.
The end video this week is an in - depth documentary about Lesnes Abbey Woods, its history, the woods, activities and events that happen at Lesnes. Featuring interviews with the people who use, work and enjoy this unique and beautiful oasis in the London Borough of Bexley. Comments and feedback to me as always at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
The historic photo above - click on it to see a larger view - shows the old SeeWoo cash and carry warehouse which was located in Horn Lane, Charlton. The building used to house a giant trade outlet stocking ingredients for Chinese restaurants and takeaways. Back in the mid-1990's I used to visit the place on a semi-regular basis. Unfortunately the Charlton location is no longer trading as SeeWoo, as the organisation split the business into two halves some time ago. The cash and carry part of the business was sold to a Japanese cash and carry trade outlet called Tazaki, and the conventional smaller consumer Chinese supermarket chain which shared the name SeeWoo was franchised, and subsequently has opened a number of individual supermarkets open to the general public. I have been reliably informed from an impeccable source that a branch of the SeeWoo consumer supermarket is scheduled to open in Bexleyheath Broadway in the near future. I understand that it will be located in what originally used to be the retail unit that was occupied by Woolworths. At present no date has been set for when it will actually open. The original SeeWoo supermarket branch is still located in Lisle Street in London's Chinatown. Please send your comments and feedback to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
As readers will be aware, last Thursday was Bonfire Night, and the local area has what I consider to be a somewhat tenuous link to the historic Gunpowder Plot; let me explain. Erith has cropped up a few times in the course of the greater history of the United Kingdom, most famously as the place where Alexander Selkirk – the real life “Robinson Crusoe” came ashore after being shipwrecked and living on a desert island. Something that until now has been less known is that Erith is thought by some historians from Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre to have played a pivotal role in The Gunpowder Plot; they indicated that their research showed that in the summer of 1605, Erith Manor House, which was located on what is now Erith High Street, was rented under a pseudonym by Anne Vaux, the daughter of Lord William Vaux, the head of one of the wealthiest and most prominent Catholic families in the country at the time. Anne Vaux was known to arrange for safe houses to be made available for Catholic priests to hide up and hold underground church services – Catholics were widely persecuted in England at the time. Erith Manor House was considered an ideal location for Robert Catesby, Guy Fawkes and the other plotters against the King to hide up, as it had, according to Catesby “a secluded but convenient location” on the banks of the Thames, which had the added benefit of offering an easy escape route by boat, should the situation arise. What the plotters did not realise was that the intelligence service of the time was aware of them – spymaster Sir Anthony Standen, first assistant to Sir Francis Walsingham, who was then head of the English Secret Service, working directly for King James I, had broken up a plot (The Bye Plot – click here for more details) eighteen months before hand, and was now acutely aware that other Catholic activists had designs on the life of the Protestant monarch. Sir Anthony Standen had informants all over the place, and soon became aware of the small group of men who were acting very suspiciously in and around Erith. Several of the plotters had also been seen in a number of taverns in Southwark, and it is possible that they were followed back to Erith, where their safe house was then discovered. When agents subsequently raided the house, the conspirators had already made their escape, and the place was deserted. Some of this is extrapolation from verified facts – it is certain that Anne Vaux did indeed rent Erith Manor House using the cover name Mrs Perkins, though it is not certain the Gunpowder Plotters did use it as their primary base of operations – there may well have been an underground church in the house, which in itself would have aroused suspicion. Unfortunately there is no opportunity for Erith Manor House to become a tourist attraction, as it was demolished in the 19th century after falling into a state of disrepair. Personally I find it unlikely that the Gunpowder Plotters would have used Erith as a main base of operations; Nobility and the wealthy would stand out like a sore thumb in the Erith of 1605, which, much like now was inhabited by working people who back then were mainly involved in trade on the River Thames and fishing. If the plotters wanted to keep a low profile, expensively dressed strangers appearing in Erith would not be a very intelligent idea, as they would not have fitted in with the locals. Tying up a purebred, high quality horse outside an inn in Erith back then would have been the equivalent of parking a Ferrari 488 GTB outside of the Running Horses pub nowadays - people would most definitely notice, and tongues would wag.
Openreach has recently issued a reminder to customers that the legacy analogue copper phone line network is being officially switched off on January the 31st next year, and that the deadline will not be postponed, as it has been in the past. The infrastructure arm of BT Group, Britain’s biggest telecommunications business, circulated the warning last week in a letter to communications providers that use its network to deliver their services. Openreach informed them that any customers still on legacy analogue public switched telephone network (PSTN) copper phone line connections are at risk of disruption when these are retired at the end of January, 2027. The analogue phone line switch-off could affect businesses and consumers alike. Beyond the plain old telephone, systems that rely on PSTN connectivity include point-of-sale terminals, fire and security alarms, and personal care alarms for elderly and vulnerable people. The move is part of a wider government scheme to get the UK onto all-digital high-speed networks running on fibre-optic infrastructure, and the legacy phone service – with its dependency on copper cabling – was standing in the way. Unfortunately many members of the general public are still unaware, or only dimly aware of this switchover, and very few are aware that the cut-off point is so close - approximately 100 days from now. In an interview with IT news website The Register, Charity Director Caroline Abrahams at Age UK said:- “With only three months to go, the digital landline switchover is entering a critical final phase. Most people have moved over without major problems, but nobody who relies on their landline or TeleCare should be left behind," anyone with concerns should contact their provider, but the responsibility cannot rest with customers alone. Providers must not give up on people who have not responded. They need to keep trying to reach them and offer practical, individual support, recognizing that some may be unwell, living with dementia, worried about scams or without anyone nearby to help”.
A new crime wave has been under way in parts of North Kent and it shows signs of spreading into South East London. Criminals have been stealing the backup batteries from mobile phone transceiver masts, presumably to sell as scrap. Now that scrap dealers can legally only accept scrap from registered traders, and no cash deals are permitted by law, it is going to be far more difficult for the crooks to get away with their thefts, and I gather that the mobile phone companies have their own security investigators on the case, as well as the Police. More on this in the future.
Following the announcement of the forthcoming redundancy of the PSTN analogue copper telephone lines I described in the article above, and the ongoing story in the popular press about how hackers - whose identity is currently unknown - have been remotely altering the temperature of fridges and freezers in supermarkets to maliciously damage or destroy food items on a large scale, it did strike me that we have become increasingly vulnerable to using technology which it is possible for bad actors to disable or circumvent. We may be sacrificing security for convenience in some cases. For example, I recall that quite some years ago there was a well – used BT public payphone in Manor Road, Erith, outside of the former Royal Alfred pub - which nowadays is a successful Premier convenience store. A reliable source told me at the time that the phone box use got very much heavier, the further into the month one went. Apparently this was because local addicts would use it to phone their drug dealers when the credit on their pay as you go mobile phones had run out. That all ended back in the autumn of 2011, when joy riders in a stolen BMW lost control of the car and crashed into the phone box – you can see a historic photo of the damage above – click for a larger view. It was thought at the time that as the pay phone generated a fair deal of cash, that BT would replace it, but after a few days the box was removed and the hole it left in the pavement was covered with tarmac. That was the end of what I understood to have been the most profitable phone box in the area, so I am not exactly surprised that less well – earning phone boxes have been retired, and public phone boxes in general are now almost entirely absent from the local area. I do have concerns however; mobile phone signal coverage is generally good in and around Erith, due mainly to the cell transceivers and antenna farm on the roof of Electricity House next to the Fish roundabout. Other parts of the London Borough of Bexley have far patchier coverage, not to mention what would happen in the event of a national or local disaster, an outage caused by hackers, or even a terrorist attack? One of the first things to go down in such an event are the mobile phone networks. The authorities have the ability to disable all mobile phones in a given cell or series of cells, with the exception of specialist mobile phones (which have to be approved by the Police and the Home Office) which are used by the disaster recovery teams in large organisations. In certain circumstances, the entire mobile phone network may go down. If this happens the only alternatives are old fashioned copper landline telephones - which we know are being decommissioned at the end of January of next year, or the most reliable backup method of communication – two way radio. Unless, like me you are a Radio Amateur, the options for two way radio operation are very limited; UK CB and PMR 446 are pretty much limited to line of sight – 4 to 6 miles at sea level on average (your mileage may vary due to a number of factors I won’t go into here). This is where the organisation RAYNET steps in; RAYNET is a voluntary emergency service operated by Radio Amateurs that provide short, medium and long range voice, video and data communications in areas where there has been a total loss of mainstream communications. RAYNET volunteers train alongside the Fire Brigade, Police, Ambulance Service, Mountain Rescue and RNLI. When all other forms of communication have failed, radio will always get through. What I am really saying is, if you want to maintain reliable communications under any sort of adverse circumstances, then you really need to become a Radio Amateur – you can read all about how to apply here.
As regular readers will be aware, I do not normally comment on stories that have national significance. On this occasion I am making an exception, as I have some minor personal experience with the individual involved. About 10 years ago, I was waiting for a train home from Greenwich station, I was standing on the platform minding my own business when a chap sauntered beside me. He was wearing a loud red sports jacket and blue jeans that appeared to be so impossibly tight that they looked like they were either sprayed on, or he had been sewn into them. It was Russell Brand. A group of teenage school girls saw him and started giggling and pointing at him, it appeared that they were besotted with him. He then proceeded to make several lewd comments both to them, and following this he made some remarks to me which I found incredibly repulsive. I ended up blanking him completely and walking away towards the other end of the platform. I found him to be utterly offensive, and incredibly repugnant. It would appear that the jury in his recent court case not only found him guilty of several serious offences, but also questioned his atrocious attitude towards women and girls. I now understand he may well face prosecution over a further set of offences over and above those that he has already been found guilty of. I have always considered him to be a creep, and it would appear that the court and the jury concurred with this opinion. I sincerely hope he goes to prison for a very long time. An utter scumbag in my view.
The end video this week is a historic walking tour around Woolwich, including some relatively obscure facts about the origins of the Woolwich Arsenal. Along with the town's two little known links to The Beatles. Comments and feedback to me as usual at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
Following my article last week on the opening of the new Waterstones book shop inside the Mall, formerly known as Bexleyheath Broadway Shopping Centre, there have been two other outlets that recently have opened in a similar location in the centre of Bexleyheath. The fast food outlets Wing Stop, and Smoke and Pepper have recently opened in what used to be the large double fronted Argos store, directly opposite Bexleyheath clock tower. I can see both establishments in the photo above, click on it to see a larger view. Thanks to the reader who sent me the photo, and prefers to remain anonymous. After doing a bit of research online, I have discovered that Wing Stop is as the name suggests, primarily an outlet for chicken wings served with a variety of coatings and sauces. Smoke and Pepper primarily sells somewhat upmarket beef burgers, which I guess will be in direct competition with the nearby McDonald's outlet. The main differences between Smoke and Pepper and McDonald's is that Smoke and Pepper produces slightly more expensive, more upmarket burgers, and all of its products are Halal. The difference in price however, is relatively minimal, as over the last couple of years, all over the UK McDonald's restaurants have substantially increased their prices. It is a common misconception that McDonald's UK centrally set their food retail prices. This is factually incorrect, prices are actually set by the individual franchise owners. How well the two new fast food outlets will fare is currently unclear, but Bexleyheath already has a large number of takeaway food establishments, and I feel that competition in this sector of the market is and will be fierce. Having said that, it is good that after a long period in the doldrums, that the shopping centre is gaining new commercial tenants, and the area is starting to feel busier and more welcoming as a result. I know that local MP Daniel Francis has been deeply involved with encouraging new investment in Bexleyheath and the surrounding areas. I understand that he started his working career as an employee of Marks and Spencer in Bexleyheath. I would imagine that this must give him a better insight into the world of retailing than other people who have not shared his experiences. Comments to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
I know that a substantial number of my readers also regularly consult the KentLive website for Kent county related news, gossip and information. Unfortunately it has recently been announced that the website is closing with immediate effect, and that the journalists involved in the sites' creation and maintenance are to be made redundant. The announcement on the KentLive website reads as follows:- "From October 30 our KentLive website will be switched off. We're sorry to bring you this news, and it's a decision we haven't taken lightly. KentLive was launched in 2016 to bring you live news, features and the best of What's On to people in and around Kent. We've loved informing and entertaining you, our readers, for 10 years, and we'll miss you all. We have championed this wonderful county, from coast to countryside, village to town, and have been immensely proud to do so. Our Kent journalists have been with you every step of the way, sharing your triumphs and celebrations, or the tough times, when there's been loss and heartache. We've highlighted issues which make your lives harder, whether that was with roadworks and public transport, education and healthcare, or crime and antisocial behaviour. KentLive has helped pave the way for telling untold stories from a wide range of communities, from refugees to Kent’s growing Black communities, through the work of our race reporter, always putting people at the heart of our stories and ensuring their experiences are represented accurately and authentically. We're honoured to have been part of your lives for the past decade. But it's time to say farewell and thank you. Times are tough in media, and hard decisions have to be made in the face of rising costs, competition, advances in technology and changing trends in how people consume news. Closing KentLive may come as a shock to you, and it's been an emotional time for us behind the scenes. But we are so grateful for your company, all your feedback, whether good or bad, and the fun we have had with so many of you along the way".
Last Thursday, the 29th of October marked the 40th anniversary of the completion of the M25 motorway. It was opened by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It was then and remains now Britain's busiest road. Back in 1986, the 117 mile long motorway which encircles Greater London, cost £1 billion. When it was originally designed, it was estimated that it would carry up to 100,000 vehicles a day, but very soon after it was completed, the number of vehicles using the M25 exceeded 150,000 every day. Ironically, although construction of the M25 did not start until 1975, the concept of a major road encircling Greater London was first conceived back in 1906, but at that time there was little justification for it, and the idea stalled. It was only after two world wars and the the massive increase in the number of privately owned vehicles that the idea was resurrected. The scale of the engineering involved in constructing the M25 was immense. Building the motorway required more than 2 million tons of concrete, massive earthworks, and the construction of bridges and junctions to connect it to the existing road network. The completed M25 linked five counties surrounding the capital and provided a major new corridor for businesses, motorists and the transport industry. As anyone who has used the M25 either as a driver or as a passenger, they will be aware that the road is regularly gridlocked, and always extremely busy. Some sections of the road have been widened to six lanes in each direction, but this has not proved to be a solution to the problem of congestion. Much has been written in the popular press, in literature, and even in music about the problems that using the M25 can bring. I think one of the most famous of these is the Chris Rea song, The Road to Hell.
The photograph above is around 160 years old, and thus well out of copyright. I have digitally restored it, as the original was very yellowed and covered in dark spots. The photo, which you can see above, is what may well be the earliest surviving photograph taken in Erith. It depicts a structure that was apparently known as the Round House. Can you see the lady sitting on the steps? The man with the what looks like an outsized musket can be clearly seen in the foreground - the weapon is actually what is known as a punt, or duck gun. It is a muzzle loading flintlock weapon that was designed operate in a similar way to a modern 12 bore shotgun - firing a cloud of lead pellets at the intended target. The punt or duck gun was designed to be fired from the prone position, as if you were standing, the ducks and geese would see you and fly away, and also they had a fearsome recoil, likely to knock you off your feet. The usual way of operating such a weapon was to use a small boat (punt), lay down lengthwise in it, and to float out into the river or pond and then to wait until a flock of game birds landed nearby, then give the unwitting flock a broadside. Not very sporting, but that did not count for much when you were trying to bag some food for the table. Some years following this, an article about the history of the area was written. It details events that took place after the Round House was demolished. It makes for fascinating reading. The article was originally published back in 1925 in the Kentish Times - it was written by "Tumbler" Bell, the pioneering sportsman and union activist of late Victorian times who became a chronicler of old Erith in the pages of the then local newspaper. He wrote:- "Prior to the establishment of Messrs Easton and Anderson’s Engineering Works on the river bank at the bottom of what is now known as Manor-road, Erith, what was known as the Round House stood on the site. A short distance away was Anchor Bay Farm, occupied by old Mr and Mrs Harry Graham, who saw the rise, decline and passing of both the engineering works and Messrs J R White and Co’s brickfields. They lived to a ripe old age, deservedly respected by all who knew them. To provide housing accommodation for the workmen, the houses in Appold-street, Wheatley-terrace, James Watt-place, and Rumford-place were built, and owned by the proprietors of the engineering works. Houses were also built on one side of Manor-road, including the Royal Alfred public-house. After sundown the locality was very dark, the exception being the well-lighted Royal Alfred, consequently the spot for congregation was the “New Light”, and by that name the house was generally known. The youths of the neighbourhood used to meet outside this house to discuss Rugby football, quoits, running, etc. There were English, Irish, Scotch, and Welsh lads. Many could play fifes, whistles, etc. A fife and drum band was formed; practice was allowed in the “Shant” (a long, narrow wood building, in which Easton and Anderson’s workmen took meals). When proficient, the band paraded the streets, and a good show it made. All went well till the day it was discovered that the side drummer’s mother had converted the drum into a cinder sieve. The band broke up as a consequence. The “New Light” was used by workmen from both the works and the brickfields. Lively arguments took place as to who could run the faster, which usually ended with the men taking off coats, waistcoats, and boots, toeing a line in the centre of the road, and racing each other along the road, round the houses, or round the backs in the brickfield. That soon started the running craze, and young brickmakers and foundry workers were soon finding quiet spots for practising to prepare for racing each other at a given distance. When talking to admirers or critics some of the runners boasted of remarkable running feats done. One evening one of them visited the “New Light”. After drinking a quantity of liquor, he began to boast, and got so speedy that those present deliberately doubted his statements. “How far is it from the ‘Light’, up Manor-road, to Beadle’s Bridge, round Crescent-road, to the bridge at Whittingham’s shop, and back to the ‘Light’, and how long would it take you to do it?” He told them. Challenged, he took off coat, waistcoat, and boots, and toed the line in the road. Watch in hand, the time-keeper and starter got him off, and immediately stopped the watch. All went back into the “pub”, to wait. After a time the runner stumbled into the bar, panting heavily. The judge showed him the watch, and said, “You’ve done it in no time.” “If I hadn’t fallen down twice, I’d have done it much quicker,” said the runner. Amusements would be arranged to take place on the same day as major events. A farmer’s four-wheeled waggon was stood opposite the “pub”, to be used as a platform for singing contests, bobbing for apples, eating treacled rolls, etc. A well-greased pole with a leg of mutton tied at the top was erected for a climbing competition. Running races and other items took place. On these occasions Don Andrews (a local comic singer) would climb into the lamp frame at the top of the lamp standard nearby, and recite the words of a ditty, and finish each verse with “Sing, brethren, sing,” and the assembled crowd would join “Don” and sing wholeheartedly."
Last week marked the sixty first anniversary of the first regular transmissions from an offshore radio station called Radio Essex. This small, relatively short – lived, but extremely influential station broadcast from the abandoned ex – WW2 military Knock John anti – aircraft fortress in the Thames Estuary. Test transmissions started on the 27th October 1965 on 1365 kHz Medium Wave, and regular broadcasts started on the frequency of 1353 kHz on the 7th of November 1965. The station was the first to broadcast around the clock, with no overnight shut down. The station used a modified Royal Navy ship’s transmitter, with a reported output power of 1,000 Watts. The actual radiated power was certainly quite lot less than that – indeed some sources say that the transmitter actually only had an output power of between 25 and 35 Watts. Nevertheless the station was able to cover large swathes of Essex and North Kent, and soon built up a dedicated listener ship thought to be around 30,000 strong. The station had an unusual format; they played middle of the road, easy listening music in the daytime, and a top forty pop format overnight. There is an excellent account of the full story of Radio Essex, and its rise and eventual fall on the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame website here.
Something rather unexpected and certainly unwelcome has happened since the various Covid-19 lock downs that took place five years ago. A family of drugs (or more accurately a series of chemically very similar synthetic compounds) that were banned back in 2016 have made a dramatic return to common use by drug abusers. It in known by a generic name - Spice - which in turn was named after the fictional drug featured in the "Dune" novels and movies. Spice is extremely powerful, and users are mainly those who are homeless, suffering mental health issues (which drugs commonly make worse) and prisoners. Generally the most vulnerable members of society. Spice is actually a generic name that refers to a whole class of medicines called synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists, which control functions as fundamental as sleep, appetite and libido. These drugs were developed in medical research labs, but the formulae were hijacked from research literature and sold as “legal highs” in the first internet drug craze of the late 2000s. Every time the UK tried to crack down on it, a new variant – usually more potent, often more toxic, and always more obscure – has been developed to take its place. There are now dozens if not hundreds of synthetic cannabinoid mutations now available. The UK finally banned it and all variants in 2016, but that only made its sale more profitable, and supply has stayed level, with the previously mentioned recent peak. Professor Harry Sumnall, a member of the Home Office’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), said in an interview that the economics of producing the substances – often collectively dubbed “spice” – versus that of growing traditional cannabis made them an appealing proposition. Sumnall said the ingredients were easily available online. “We were making some in the lab the other day. Very, very easy to do, pretty much shake and bake. Really easy to make, highly profitable, these drugs aren’t going anywhere.” Spice is now sold on the streets for under £10 for a 0.5 g bag. Spice users can be in grave danger. Synthetic cannabinoids, when abused, can cause tachycardia, hypertension, hallucinations, nausea and vomiting, seizures, memory changes, somnolence, respiratory depression, acute anxiety, psychosis and death. The potency of these chemicals outstrips that of most recreational drugs, often by a factor of 100: an active dose of street heroin might be 100-200 mg and a typical line of cocaine might contain 75-100 mg, but most variants of spice are active at just 1 mg, making accurate dosing impossible. After 2016, Spice use dropped in most parts of the UK - but not in prisons - because it is easily smuggled, does not have a characteristic odour like Cannabis, and can easily be mixed tobacco to make a roll - up cigarette. It is said that smoking certain types of Spice can cause time to appear to pass more quickly - something desirable for many of those who are incarcerated. Spice is made in China and imported to the UK by criminal gangs, who dissolve the powder in acetone and spray it on to herbal matter such as Damiana - a wild shrub that grows in Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies. The volatile solvent evaporates, leaving the plant matter infused and ready to smoke. The chaos seen in city centres in recent years, with smokers sprawled out on benches or paralysed on pavements, was caused because batches of the drug vary wildly in strength and content: one might contain a 1:100 mix, while another could be as high as 1:10 – meaning a single draw on a joint might incapacitate users instantly.While the dangers of spice and other “novel psychoactive substances” are at the forefront of public consciousness, the numbers of people seeking treatment for their use are minuscule compared with those presenting with problems from using traditional cannabis.
Since we have just had Halloween, this weeks' end video describes a murder with unusual consequences for the time. The video describes itself thus:- "In 1890, a young machinist named Walter James Lyons committed a shocking act of violence on the streets of Plumstead. What drove this 20-year-old to murder a decorated soldier in broad daylight? The answer lies in a moment of rage, a clash of Victorian morality, and a mother’s decision that scandalised an entire community. Leaving the Old Bailey to decide: was Walter truly a killer, or just a son pushed beyond his limits?" As usual, please send any comments or other feedback to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
The photos above, click on either of them to see a larger view, show the location and interior of the Erith Fish and Steak restaurant, which is located on the outside of the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre. In December of this year it would have been open for 10 years, after opening on the 10th of December 2016. Unfortunately, I have heard several rumours that this restaurant is very likely to close in the near future. It has never really been as successful as I believe the owners would have liked. It has both a takeaway section, and a sit-down restaurant section, which was originally designed to open until late at night, but this was very soon changed to a very limited number of opening hours, as they were so few customers in the evenings. The takeaway section did moderately well, but the restaurant never really flourished, which I was disappointed to see. Unfortunately, Erith has a reputation, which is at the present quite deserved as what is known as a dormitory town. Local residents tend to not go out in the evening in the local area; they are more likely to travel to Bexleyheath, Dartford, or even as far as Bluewater to go out for the evening for drinks or a meal. More often than not they stay at home and get a takeaway delivered to themselves if they do not fancy cooking. Not only has the catering world changed since the Fish and Steak restaurant opened, but the costs associated with running a restaurant have absolutely escalated. It is not just the cost of raw ingredients such as potatoes, fish and meat, but to a greater extent it is also the problem of a huge increase in the cost of energy, the deep fat fryers that fish and chips shops use are very expensive to run either on electricity or sometimes on gas. On top of this, the rent for the location, which was always expensive would have certainly been increased over the last decade. I feel very sorry for the chap who has spent so much time and energy running the place, as previously he also used to run the popular, if never financially successful Mambocino coffee shop and cafe further into the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre, which went bust some years ago, after never having actually made a profit in all of the years that it was open and available for business. I must stress that the information I have received at the present time is based on just rumours, albeit from a number of very reputable sources. I have no concrete confirmation of the fact that the the restaurant is going to be closing, but unfortunately I am of the opinion that it is extremely likely, as it would appear that the place has never been economically viable, as much as I would have liked it to be, along with many other local people. Comments and feedback as usual to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
There has been much coverage over the last week in the popular press about the BBC's decision to close a number of its services in the future. This apparently will include, but not be limited to BBC 3, the youth channel, BBC Alba for Scotland, and most controversially BBC Radio 4 Extra. I have been in contact with a number of friends who are still active in the radio industry, and they all share my opinion on the proposed closure of BBC Radio 4 Extra. If you are unfamiliar with the radio station, it broadcasts archive programmes featuring classic radio comedy, drama, poetry and all other manner of spoken word content. Of all the national radio stations broadcasting on DAB+, it is by far the cheapest to run, as the BBC owns nearly all of the content, and apart from a continuity announcer, there is no live programming whatsoever. Basically it can pretty much all be run from a single computer. What is also instructive is that if one looks at the comments on the BBC News website covering the story about the potential cancellations, almost nobody makes any kind of criticism of the closure of BBC 3, or BBC Alba. Nearly all of the adverse criticism is directed towards the potential closure of BBC Radio 4 Extra, which is extremely popular. Although the BBC say that programmes from the station will be available on the BBC Sounds app and on BBC iPlayer, many long distance drivers rely on programmes broadcast on the DAB radio service, as do many older people, some of whom do not have access to a smart TV or a computer. As specialist comedy website Chortle wrote:- "At most, the move will save £4 million a year – just .067 per cent of the BBC’s almost £6 billion-a-year budget. That same percentage of the £180 a year licence fee works out at around 12 pence. That provides a linear, broadcast station which showcases the best BBC audio output over the decades. It is home to classic comedies such as The Goon Show, Tony Hancock and Beyond Our Ken as well as more contemporary stand-up specials, sitcoms and panel shows. The channel is expected to close in March. Its content will remain available on BBC Sounds, but as many listeners pointed out, to access that you need to know what to search for, rather than being presented with curated programming". The industry insiders I have consulted all share the same opinion that the BBC is actually putting up the cancellation of BBC Radio 4 Extra as a Trojan horse; some years ago they did something very similar with the threat to close BBC Radio 6 Music, which they later withdrew after much negative publicity. In essence, I feel they will use the same playbook again. They can then sneak through large numbers of changes and closures, whilst touting the fact that they have saved BBC Radio 4 Extra after public feedback. In essence, just a PR exercise to make them look good. This may be a cynical opinion, but it is a very common one among people who are in a good position to know about such things, and the internal politics of public broadcasting.
The following article was supplied by regular reader and amateur transport historian Dana. It describes the history of the tram, and its' place in local events over the years. Dana writes:- "The first electric Tramway in the UK was launched in Blackpool in 1892. In London horse drawn trams ran from 1860 to 1870 when they were gradually replaced by steam tramcars which ran until 1901 when the first electric trams were introduced. By 1903 there were over 300 electric tramcars in London, in the 3rd year of running London County Council Tramways sold 3.3 million tickets, such was their success. By 1914 London’s Tramways were the largest in Europe and they continued to run surviving both world wars until the early 1950’s. They were gradually replaced by Trolleybuses and diesel buses.Trams went on to become the main mode of transport around towns and cities across the UK, they were cheap and reliable and ideal for workers getting to and from work. After the war many tramways began to have problems due to lack of investment. By the 1930’s many operators began to close including The Rochester & Gillingham Tramway which closed in 1930, London was to survive for 20 more years and when Trolleybuses were introduced both used the overhead power cables for a while as one replaced the other. The final tram in London was in 1952 and the final Glasgow Tram was in 1962. While in Blackpool they still run some of the original tramcars along with modern ones. Locally Routes 72 ran from Woolwich Beresford Square to the Embankment via Eltham (see photo), the 96 route ran from Woolwich to Dartford via Plumstead and Welling via Bexleyheath, Crayford. While the 98-route served Erith running from Woolwich to Abbey Wood, Erith & Bexleyheath Market Place. Up until recently the tram tracks were still visible in Woolwich Beresford Square. Luckily a group on enthusiasts saw an opportunity to try and save at least one tram from most operators and they found an old disused chalk quarry in the Peak District and began storing decommissioned trams there between the mid 1950’s to mid-1960’s. The photographs are of a London Tram saved by them that ran on the 72 route through Erith, the very quarry where they were stored is today Crich Tramway Museum where they can boast a rescued tram from many of our cities, many now restored and running for visitors. Other tram museums where you can ride them are Beamish Living Museum, Black Country Living Museum, East Anglian Transport Museum, Heaton Park Tramway, Wirral Tramway & Seaton Tramway. Today some cities in the UK have reintroduced tramways, With Croydon operating them nearest to London".
Last week marked the release on DVD of a very popular historic TV comedy series, which was first shown on BBC 1 back in September 1986; this year marking its 40th anniversary. Brush Strokes was set around a South London painting and decorating firm called Bainbridge's, where the lives - and more importantly, the loves - of the staff and their friends and family were at the heart of the story. Written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, who had previous successes with sitcoms including The Good Life and Ever Decreasing Circles, Brush Strokes ran for 40 episodes across 5 series from 1986 to 1991, becoming a huge hit with viewers across the country. The central character in the comedy series was called Jacko, a painter and decorator, played by actor Karl Howman. For many years Howman and his family lived in a house in The View, a turning off Woolwich Road in Upper Belvedere. At that time the show was being broadcast, I saw Howman on numerous occasions parking his red Ferrari 328 GTS outside of Mr Man's fish and chip shop in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere, when he went to purchase a fish supper for himself and his family. Howman had been a pupil at Picardy School (now called Trinity School), where apparently he only escaped being expelled on one occasion due to his excellent football skills. I understand at one time he had a trial with Charlton Athletic, but did not get a contract with the club. The premise of Brush Strokes was simple - It contrasted conventional lifestyles with that of being a more free spirit, not wholly unlike that presented in The Good Life. Jacko, Howman's central character, was the archetypal Jack-the-Lad who simply wanted to enjoy life without responsibilities, but friends, family and work colleagues just wouldn't leave him alone. At the height of its popularity, Brush Strokes was attracting around 16 million viewers each week; figures unheard of now. Whilst undeniably charming, some of the attitudes towards women, marriage and relationships certainly date the show to the late 80's, which is a shame because the writing and performances are no less excellent than 40 years ago, and the central themes of friends, family and love are timeless.
Halloween seems to be taking over as the main pre - Christmas winter festival from Guy Fawkes Night. Halloween was originally created in pretty much its’ current form by 18th century Irish people, the word is a corruption of All Hallow’s Eve. Irish immigrants to America took the tradition there, and it was exported back across the Atlantic in the early 1980’s. Although Halloween was celebrated before this time, it was a far lower key and less involved affair. I am convinced that the increase in popularity of the Americanised version of the festival can at least partly be laid at the feet of Stephen Spielberg and his 1982 movie “ET – The Extra Terrestrial”. The film carries strong Halloween themes such as dressing up and “Trick or Treating” which prior to the opening of the film had been relatively uncommon in the UK. The massive popularity of the film exposed may children of the time to take on the American aspects of the Halloween festival; many of those children now have children, and possibly grand children of their own, and the festival thus now has an amplified resonance not previously seen. Personally I am not struck with the whole thing, which basically encourages small children to demand goods with menaces, but I am probably in a minority.
The photo above shows a weapon that was produced in the Victorian era. It is the reason why older residents of the Western end of Erith around Pembroke Road and Alford Road know the area as the "Pom Pom". The rather impressive looking Victorian naval gun is a Maxim QF-1 37mm light cannon built in 1890 in Erith. It was popularly known as the "Pom Pom" gun, due to the noise it made when firing; The Maxim factory in Fraser Road, Erith (what is now the BATT Cables factory and warehouse) was where the guns were made in the 1890's, back then there was a test range to the rear of the factory where the guns were test fired before being shipped to their customers. The noise of the guns being test fired gave rise to the informal name, which is still in use today, some 130 years after the last Maxim 37mm QF-1 naval guns were test fired on the site - astonishing for a tiny piece of local social and engineering history.
A controversial film with decidedly mixed critical reviews is currently showing in UK cinemas. It is called The Uprising and it is a very loose dramatic account of the 1381 Peasants Revolt. The historical revolt started and mainly took place in and around the local area, principally Dartford, Greenhithe, Abbey Wood and Crayford, before moving into London. Some years ago I wrote at length about this important historical event, which I reprint below with updates and additions. The events portrayed in the current film The Uprising have been regarded as controversial, as the film conflates the real historical events with the advent of the literary and mythical character of Robin Hood, when in reality there was no such connection. My research indicates that this was due to the influence of the films US distributor without the permission of the British film company, or the director. The film has a mostly British cast, but principal photography took place in Germany. The film portrays both historically accurate characters, and a number who were completely fictional. As a result of this, the film has had some very negative reviews, and a few positive ones. Unfortunately, while some parts of it have some historical veracity, much of the film is no more than a historically set action movie with little in common with what actually happened back in 1381. I will now recount what historians understand actually happened during the real Peasants Revolt, and not what an action film would have you believe. The photos above show the exterior of one of the oldest buildings still standing in Dartford town centre. The pub is called the Wat Tyler, but its actual connection to the Peasants Uprising is somewhat tenuous, to say the least, despite what popular myth might have you believe. The pub is one of the oldest buildings still in daily use in Dartford. The statement on the sign on the outside wall of the pub stating that Wat Tyler and members of his band drank at the pub before going to London to air their grievances to King Richard II is actually fanciful, tourist serving rubbish. The pub was actually known as the Crown and Anchor until 1966. The pub in any case, whilst very old, was not built until around 100 years after the Peasants Revolt. What is also interesting is that Wat Tyler gets all of the credit and fame for the Peasants Revolt, but in reality he was not even the leader of the group when it started. Here is some background to the Peasants Revolt, and what sparked it. By 1380, medieval Europe was in a shambles. There was plague and famine: The Black Death in 1348 had killed as much as one-half of the entire continent. The Hundred Years War between England and France, meanwhile, was dragging on and on. Religious law held sway, and people lived in ignorance and superstition. There was a rigidly hierarchical social structure that had existed for centuries, which fixed forever one’s place in society—one inherited the job of one’s father, whether it was a farm labourer or pig-keeper, an artisan like a blacksmith or carpenter, or a nobleman. It was a horrible time to be alive. In an odd irony, the devastation wrought by war and plague actually made things better in some ways for the peasantry. With so many people gone, there was now both a large amount of unoccupied land and a severe shortage of peasant labour to work it. The balance of economic power had unexpectedly swung to the favour of the peasantry, and they tried to take full advantage: demands were made for higher pay, better living conditions, and more land. The nobility fought back using pure repression: royal decrees were sent which limited the amount of pay and land a peasant could get and which restricted his movements, forcing him to stay on the manor estate on which he was born and preventing him from leaving to find work elsewhere. As social tensions became ever greater, an explosion was inevitable. In 1381, the English King was Richard II, only 14 years old. The real power lay with the advisors who ruled in his stead—especially with the King’s uncle, John of Gaunt. It was John who decided that the royal treasury needed more money to pay for the interminable war with France, so he created a new “poll tax”. This had nothing to do with an electoral poll: it was a simple head tax, to be paid by every adult male and married female in the country—and the same amount was to be paid by everyone regardless of how wealthy or poor they were. Today, we would consider this to be blatantly unfair—and so did the medieval peasantry. But while modern citizens can protest unfair taxes by voting and petitions, medieval people had no political or social rights at all—they were little better than slaves. Some of England’s peasantry found a way to avoid paying the new poll tax. England’s government depended upon local church records of marriages, births and deaths to keep track of each area’s census, and this record was often incomplete. Sometimes by bribery or favour, but mostly just by oversight and error, many people—as much as one-third of the population in some areas—did not actually appear on the tax rolls and therefore never paid the tax. When the King’s treasurers added up the money, they found that they were short. And so, they made the near-fatal decision to send in “commissioners” to find all the ones who had avoided the tax and make them pay up. The heavy-handed methods used by these commissioners provoked widespread resentment; many people were forced to pay another tax even though they had already paid the first time. On the 2nd June 1381, Lesnes Abbey in what is now known as Abbey Wood, was attacked by a mob of peasants armed with farm tools, led by a man named Abel Kerr, who was from Erith, and thought to have been a fisherman by trade. The Abbey quickly surrendered, and the tax records kept inside were burned. At the same time, other rebel leaders had gathered in the village of Bocking, in Essex, to draw up a manifesto. This was no disorganised mob of bandits and malcontents: it was an extraordinarily well-disciplined group of social rebels who knew exactly what they wanted to achieve, and now formed a comprehensive plan for how to get it. At Bocking they declared that while they had no quarrel with the young King Richard, they sought the removal of many of his advisors, including John of Gaunt. But they also put out a radical new demand: “to have no laws of England, only which they themselves had moved to be ordained”. It was the first time in European history that anyone had demanded that common people have the right to make their own laws. In a series of coded messages, word of the rebellion and its aims was sent to most of southern England. Within a week, the rebels had gathered an army of peasantry led by Abel Kerr - untrained and not well-armed, but large enough to pose a serious threat. Some of its officers were English Army troops who had been ordered to France but had deserted instead. The first target was the castle at Rochester, where a local serf was being held on charges of running away from his manor lord. The rebels took the castle without a fight—the serfs inside had opened the gates and let them in. Other strongholds soon followed. At around this time - records are somewhat imprecise (very few of the people involved in the Peasants Revolt were literate, and history tends to be written by the victors), a new leader of the revolt emerged; a man called Walter "Wat" whose profession was a house roof tiler - and thus got the name Wat Tyler. At this point, the Peasants Revolt took its most amazing turn of all - Wat Tyler and his men, numbering at least 60,000, decided to march on London, capture the Archbishop, and present their demands for reform to King Richard II himself. At the same time, other peasant armies from Cambridge and Essex converged on London (stopping along the way long enough to behead the chief royal tax collector in Essex and burn all the tax rolls). They began to arrive on the evening of June the 12th . As more and more groups of peasants approached, the young King and his councillors fled to the safety of the royal fortress at The Tower of London, the most secure place in the city and impossible for any but the most powerful and well-equipped army to take by force. But once in the Tower, the royal government was itself effectively trapped: the entire population of London at the time was only 40,000 people, and with most of the English Army away fighting in France there was only a small garrison of a few hundred in the city, enough to protect the King inside the fortress, but not enough to go out and drive away the much large peasant army in combat. There then occurred one of the most extraordinary events in English history: the young King Richard II and some of his advisors boarded a river barge and sailed to the place where the peasant army was encamped. Remaining on the boat, safe from possible capture, the King of England began talks with the rebellious peasantry. Unsure of how large the rebellion was, or even what the rebels wanted, Richard II at first simply demanded that the insurgent army should disperse and go home. Instead, the rebels submitted a list of names—high-ranking advisors to the King, many of whom were right there on the boat with him—which they wanted handed over to them for “justice”. Richard refused, and the barge returned to the Tower. The rebels decided to follow him. The demands the peasants wanted were divided into two groups; the first group were:- "End to serfdom (bonded labour). Free market (i.e. serfs could sell produce wherever they liked). Land rent to be reduced to 4d per acre. Free pardon for anyone involved in the uprising". The second group of demands were:- "Abolition of the aristocracy (except for the King). Abolition of the senior clergy (except for John Ball, as the next Archbishop of Canterbury). Local courts. Local police forces". These demands made, Pouring towards London, the peasants were joined by city residents who sympathised with them. On June 13th, the mass of people made their way to the only place where they could cross the River Thames - London Bridge. After entering the city, they killed a number of lawyers at the Courts of Justice and burned the estate house of the King’s uncle John of Gaunt (Gaunt himself was away in Scotland). Gathering up the stores of silver, gold and jewellery there, the rebels neither stole it nor redistributed it: instead, they dumped it all into the Thames. This was not an act of mere theft or looting: it was a conscious and deliberate political protest. By nightfall, the peasants controlled almost all of London. Richard II was now a virtual prisoner inside The Tower of London. Nearly half of the entire country was in revolt. The English peasantry—viewed by the nobility as savages who were barely above an animal level of ability—had organised a nationwide uprising, formed a powerful military force, planned and carried out a targeted campaign of political violence, and now had the royal government itself on its knees. At this point, though, the rebels were still rather naively convinced that the King was not their enemy—was perhaps even a supporter—but was being misled by bad advisors, and could be won to respect the rights of common Englishmen if only they could talk to him. Through a messenger, King Richard, having really no choice, sent word to the rebel leaders: he would ride out and meet them the following day. Then the rebels casually mentioned that they also wanted the heads of several of the King’s advisors. Richard left, promising only that the councillors would “receive justice”. The crowd followed, all the way to the Tower. In 300 years, The Tower of London had never fallen in battle, but when the peasants arrived, they found the gates open, probably by sympathisers. Swarming inside, they quickly found the Archbishop of Canterbury—who they held responsible for the poll tax—and beheaded him in the Tower’s chapel. The treasury minister soon followed. By the end of the day, convinced they had won all their demands, most of the peasant army left London and began the long walk home to the countryside. One small group of rebels remained behind. Led by Wat Tyler, they wanted more, and confronted King Richard the next day. It is not clear how much of what happened on June 15, 1381, was planned and how much was accidental. With the rebel force now reduced to about 300 men and the hardcore leadership of the revolt in front of him, Richard II, though just a boy of 14, may have seen an opportunity to save his kingdom with his own force of about 200 men, and may have set up the meeting as a trap for the rebel leader, willing to risk everything in a final fight. Wat Tyler and King Richard met on horseback in the centre of the field, with their retinues behind them. As Tyler began to list his demands, a scuffle broke out involving one of the King’s squires. Tyler was attacked by the Mayor of London and stabbed, falling wounded off his horse. And then, just as it seemed that open combat would break out, the young Richard II boldly rode up to the peasant forces and shouted, “You shall have no other King but me—follow me!” He led them off to another nearby field. The wounded Tyler was taken inside a nearby chapel. And then, whether pre-planned or not, the final blow fell. As the peasant force gathered behind the King, every available royal force in London was quickly moved to surround them. Tyler, meanwhile, was dragged out into the street by royal troops and beheaded. The severed head was delivered to the King just as the royal troops surrounded them. The rebels all dropped their weapons and surrendered. With their leader dead, the bulk of their army disbanded, and the belief that the King was on their side shattered, the Peasant Revolt died almost as quickly as it had arisen. King Richard’s retribution was swift. Determined that such a revolt could never happen again, he hunted down and killed every rebel leader he could find — hundreds were executed by “hanging, drawing and quartering”, others were beheaded or hung. Thousands more were unofficially executed by local authorities, without even a trial. Of the rebel leaders, all but one were killed by the authorities. The only survivor was Abel Kerr, who mysteriously disappeared and was never heard from again. Whether he assumed a new identity, or was smuggled out of the country, we may never know. Whilst the story of the Peasants Revolt and the failed coup by Wat Tyler is well known, the leading role of Erith resident Abel Kerr is almost unknown. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
As many locals will be acutely aware, there have been extensive roadworks for many months in Fraser Road in Erith. There have been various traffic restrictions during the period, including having the road completely inaccessible to any traffic, and later a one way restriction, as can be seen in the photo above - click on it to see a larger view. This has meant that the very popular and well used 99 bus which travels between Woolwich and Bexleyheath via Plumstead, Bostall Heath, Belvedere, Erith, Slade Green and Barnehurst before returning in the opposite direction, has been on diversion for many months. I was informed that as of Friday the 16th Ocober that the roadworks had at long last been completed, and Fraser Road was returned to full access. Big businesses such as the Wickes DIY and construction trade store have enough financial clout to absorb the loss of trade that the long term access restrictions have caused, but I and others are concerned about the long term effects on smaller, independent business in Fraser Road, such as the highly rated and normally very busy T-Bones Cafe, which relies heavily on passing trade. I suppose that time will tell.
It would appear that things have moved on rapidly since I wrote the article in last week's blog update about the Morrison's supermarket chain, and how they had been in unsuccessful negotiations to merge with Sainsbury's, and how they are currently in talks with Asda about merging with them. As I wrote at the time, I think it somewhat unlikely because Asda are also owned by a private equity company, and like Morrisons are saddled with a huge amount of debt. It now transpires that Morrison's may be put up for sale by its current owner, the private equity company Clayton, Dubilier and Rice. The supermarket chain has struggled to regain ground against Tesco, Sainsbury's and the German discount stores Aldi and Lidl, although its recent figures show somewhat of an improvement, albeit over previously terrible financial returns. Many private equity firms purchased UK businesses prior to the global pandemic, when borrowing was cheap and valuations were financially reasonable. Now the private equity firms find themselves having to deal with increasing inflation, higher interest rates and a prolonged squeeze on consumer spending, this has caused them to experience pressure from their investors to return money. This will prove extremely difficult, as retail businesses are facing falling sales, heavy debts, or substantial turnaround costs. The increase in interest rates makes borrowing considerably more expensive than it was when the private equity firms bought the various retailers, Morrisons included. Much of the recent upsurge in financial income that Morrisons has experienced in the past few months is just used to pay monthly instalments on the crippling interest rates of the £7 billion that Clayton, Dubilier and Rice paid for the supermarket, and then transferred the debt from their own books onto those of Morrisons. I am not an economist or an accountant, but I am led to believe that whilst it sounds extremely dodgy, this kind of financial transfer is actually legal under English law.
Many thanks to regular reader and professional journalist Russell for bringing the following story to my attention. As I have previously written, I do rely on readers to inform me of stories that they have come across that relate to the local area and which may be of interest to others. I was quite shocked to discover that starting on Monday the 2nd of November 2026 and running right through until June 2028, many of the roads in and around Shooters Hill will be closed and unavailable to traffic. This is because Thames Water will be running a major programme to replace around 7.3 km of water mains in order to rectify ongoing problems with water main bursts. I am led to understand that since 2017 there have been 737 property hours of interrupted water supplies to residents of Shooters Hill. Unfortunately, a major engineering project of this nature will take at least 20 months to be fully undertaken. This will entail road closures, bus diversions and problems for motorists. It will not just affect Shooters Hill, but would also cause problems for road users in Bexleyheath, Welling, Eltham, Kidbrooke, Woolwich, Charlton and users of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, as ambulances will have to also be diverted. As a result of this planned work, there will be a public meeting for all of those affected and members of the public who may have concerns over this issue which will take place Wednesday the 21st of October, from 4 pm to 7 pm, at Shrewsbury House Community Centre, Bushmoor Crescent, Shooters Hill, SE18 3EG. Residents can speak to Thames Water staff about the programme and its potential impact on their neighbourhood. Thames Water says similar mains replacement projects elsewhere in London, including Camden, have significantly reduced leaks and bursts. The Shooters Hill project is expected to continue until June 2028, with the council hoping the improvements will provide a more reliable water supply and reduce the need for disruptive emergency repairs. You can read more about the forthcoming Shooters Hill road closures by clicking here.
There has been a commercial bakery located in Northumberland Heath for 140 years; the image above shows an advertisement for Grooms bakery from back in 1986, when the bakery celebrated its centenary. The giant bakery located in Belmont Road is still there, although nowadays it is owned and operated by Hovis.
Earlier in this week's Blog update, I wrote about the major roadworks that are shortly to be affecting the area in and around Shooters Hill. The end video this week is the full Time Team episode where they investigate the archaeological World War II history of the area, and how it would have been the site of a massive defensive battle, had there had been a Nazi invasion of Britain in 1940. The video is the full 48 minute long original Time Team episode, which I know many people missed when it was originally transmitted. I have a family connection with this piece of both local and national history. My late Grandfather on my Mother's side was in the Home Guard during World War II, as he was in a reserved occupation. My grandparents lived in Blackfen. In the event of a Nazi invasion, he would have almost certainly been one of the soldiers assigned to man the defences at Shooters Hill. Comments to me as usual at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
