Prosecco.

Erith Morrison's seem to have made some very good decisions as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic; as mentioned last week, the precautions taken to socially isolate customers and staff seem to work well, and cause minimum disruption to the shopping process. On the other hand, the store management have made some quite curious, if not completely perplexing decisions, as can be seen in the photo above - click on it for a larger version. The well used, popular salad bar has been closed and replaced with a large display containing crates of Prosecco. When one considers the requirement for all people to eat healthily, especially to maintain one's resistance to infection, it would have been thought that access to fresh vegetables and salad items would have been a premium consideration. On the other hand I can see that despite breath shields, the salad bar could be considered a potential vector for infection. Also, the salad and custom pizza creation area are relatively labour intensive, and with the need to have additional staff on the shop floor, directing customers to maintain a two metre distance from one another must involve making some pragmatic decisions; having said that, I am not entirely convinced that replacing fresh salad with a display of Prosecco bottles is entirely sending the right message to customers. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

On another food and drink related theme, Brewer Shepherd Neame has provided a much-needed boost for local hop growers this week, by placing a bumper order for Kentish hops. Following shifts in production requirements prompted by the ongoing Covid-19 situation, the Faversham-based independent family brewer has tripled its usage of Kentish hops. It has therefore just purchased an additional 4,000kg of Kentish hops from local growers to meet demand. In an article originally published on the Produced in Kent website, Senior Brewer Stewart Tricker said: “Shepherd Neame has always been committed to supporting local hop growers, and we typically use around 85% Kentish hops in our ale portfolio, which includes great British classic ales such as Spitfire. We also use Kentish hops where possible to provide a robust bitterness in its other more contemporary beers, such as the Whitstable Bay collection and Bear Island collection, while using more aromatic continental or American hops to provide the desired hop-forward aromas. Following the Government decision to close all pubs last month, our current operational focus is to continue production at the brewery and maintain sales to supermarkets. The majority of these orders are for premium bottled ales, so we are now focusing our efforts almost exclusively on beers that use Kentish hops, such as Spitfire and Bishops Finger. This temporary change in demand has therefore resulted in an increase in our usage of Kentish hops.” The large order placed by Shepherd Neame offers much-needed support for the Kentish hop growers, many of whom have seen a collapse in demand from brewers following the closure of pubs. Chief Executive Jonathan Neame said: “Hops are an intrinsic part of Kent’s heritage, and Shepherd Neame is proud to have been based in the heart of hop country for more than 400 years. We are committed to supporting local businesses, and we hope that our order will go some way to helping Kentish hop growers in these extremely difficult times.”

I have written in the fairly recent past of the integral part The Red Barn pub in Barnehurst played in the resurgence of interest in traditional Jazz music in the UK in the decades following World War II. I have written in the past about the part played by musicians Chris Barber and George Melly, who played regularly at The Red Barn, but I have only touched on another, equally talented and influential Jazz musician. George Webb, who died on March the 10th  2010 aged 92, he was universally acknowledged to be the father of the postwar traditional jazz revival in Britain, serving as an inspiration to, and frequent band member with, the trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton. The movement George created, which grew steadily in the late 1940s, led directly to the "trad boom" of the late 1950s and early 1960s in which he also played a leading part, first as pianist and bandleader and later as agent and promoter. George Horace Webb was born in Camberwell, south London, on October 8 1917, the son of a music hall artiste. His earliest memories were of his father and uncle (the "Brothers Webb") rehearsing their act at home. The family later moved to Belvedere, and George took a job at the Vickers Armstrong armaments factory in nearby Dartford. When war broke out in 1939, he was already a skilled machine-gun fitter and thus exempt from the call-up. A keen jazz enthusiast and self-taught amateur pianist, George helped organise entertainment in the factory canteen and, in 1940, began assembling a group of like-minded young jazz lovers with the aim of forming a band. The intention was to play in the style of the early jazz masters, whose music they knew well from records. In 1941, the band acquired a name: "George Webb's Dixielanders", and a regular place to play – the downstairs bar of the Red Barn pub in nearby Barnehurst. Modelled on King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band of 1922 to 1924, their music sounded alien, even barbaric, to ears brought up on crooners and English dance bands. George was fond of recalling the band's first appearance at The Red Barn: "By the time we had finished the first number we were playing to about ten people, the other 50 having fled to the saloon bar upstairs." A sometimes pugnacious character, he once defended the band's honour from a mocking onlooker by striding off-stage mid-performance, landing a heavy blow, then returning to the keyboard. But the word gradually spread, and over the next six years jazz devotees converged upon their unlikely suburban stage to enjoy the unique experience of hearing jazz in the classic style played live. One such visitor was Humphrey Lyttelton, newly demobbed Grenadier Guards officer, first-year art student and aspiring jazz trumpeter. He sat in with the Dixielanders and was soon invited to become a permanent member. As the style took off in the postwar years, a growing network of venues, along the lines of The Red Barn, became established around Britain. There were features in the music press, occasional radio broadcasts, and even recordings. In 1948, with its members scattering in search of employment, the Dixielanders folded and George joined Lyttelton's newly-formed band as pianist. Partly as a result of George's pioneering work, Humphrey Lyttelton quickly found a new audience among the growing student population. In place of the beer-sipping aficionados of The Red Barn, his band played for crowds of youthful dancers at venues in central London, and later around the country. It also recorded prolifically, with George's effervescent piano often featured. He was a small man, with tiny hands, which Humphrey Lyttelton said reminded him of a pair of kittens, scampering up and down the keyboard. In 1951, observing the growing popularity of revivalist jazz, George thought it a good moment to branch out into promoting jazz events. The most successful of these were the Sunday night sessions at the Shakespeare Hotel, Woolwich, which played to packed houses until the early 1960s. In 1955, George joined the staff of Jazzshows Promotions, booking bands and singers for the ever-expanding club and concert circuit. Leaving Jazzshows after 10 years, he set up his own management and agency business, numbering rhythm and blues groups as well as jazz bands among his clients. George barely touched the piano during these years, but returned to playing in the early 1970s. He toured Europe as accompanist to the singer Jo Starr and, in 1973, briefly formed a new version of the Dixielanders. In 1974 he took the tenancy of a pub at Stansted, Essex, a move which enabled him combine all his various activities. He ran the bar, booked the entertainment and sat in with visiting bands whenever he felt like it. In 1985 George gave up his tenancy and moved back to Belvedere, close to the scene of his early triumphs. On July 4th of that year he was guest of honour at the unveiling of a plaque at The Red Barn, commemorating his contribution to British jazz. He continued to promote jazz through his "Goodtime Jazz Festivals" and regularly attended the local Sidcup Jazz Club. Although officially retired, he resumed playing with gusto,  appearing as guest artist with many bands, formed several temporary outfits of his own, and was always the first to volunteer to perform at a charity event. In 1998 he took a prominent role in the celebrations of Humphrey Lyttelton's half-century as a bandleader. He continued to play with his "Band of Brothers" until the end of his long and colourful life.

The Coffee Tavern shown in the two historic photos above used to be a prominent building located in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere (NOT Nuxley Village - no such place exists - it is a fictional construct dreamed up by out of town estate agents and has no historical relevance). The Coffee Tavern was one of the oldest buildings in the area. For the last couple of decades it as been the home of (the currently shut due to the lock down) The Spice Master Indian Restaurant. The building that the restaurant is located in has a lot of history. It was originally constructed as a Victorian temperance cafe called the Belvedere Coffee Tavern and Refreshment Bar – see the period photographs above - click on either for a larger version. I can dimly recall it as a “greasy spoon” type cafe when I was a child, growing up in Upper Belvedere. I never went in it, but would go past regularly. In the mid to late eighties the cafe building was extensively extended and remodelled, to the extent that the owners got into some rather hot water with Bexley Council planning department, as the original structure was a grade II listed building, and they altered it so much that it lost its’ listing. At the same time it was extended, it changed from being a rather scruffy looking cafe into a rather upmarket Italian restaurant called La Dolce Vita, which seemed to be mainly  frequented by elderly Jaguar driving wide boys and their brassy wives. It was very popular at lunch times for people holding business meetings, and at weekends it was packed – especially for Sunday lunch when one would need to book in advance to stand a chance of getting a table. During the middle of this period, it was exposed by the News Shopper has having the worst kitchen hygiene recorded in Bexley to that date; the place was so bad that it was featured on at least one television consumer protection programme. This had the effect of killing trade off almost overnight. They cleaned the place up, and re-launched it the next year with a new name –“The Garden”, but people had long memories, and the trade did not return. One diner of the time told me ”It was nearly always empty and almost overly friendly with the service. We knew of its health and safety problems (but that was like a year before we'd started going there so it had cleaned up its act) and we had some lovely meals. We tended to use it as a "sod-it-we-can't-be-arsed-to-cook" night as it was local, quite reasonable and they had a tolerable/well priced wine list. It was nice enough but I'm not a fan of Italian Restaurants seeing as at home we eat a lot of Italian style dishes (pasta, lasagne, meatballs, Mediterranean salad etc) so I like to have stuff a bit different when I go out.  It was the height of mid-80's home decoration inside, if I remember rightly. Artex about 3ft thick and everything covered in fake Roman columns, plastic ivy and plaster statues with B and Q's finest wall-hangings and light fittings. Probably quite swish in the day but when we were there in the mid-90's it was a little tired and dated and not my type of thing at all”. Not long after this, it closed for good and lay empty and boarded up for quite a time.It was about at this time that I moved to Erith, and was less aware of the goings on in Nuxley Road than I used to be. The old restaurant building was again gutted and refurbished, this time as an Indian restaurant The Spice Master; the first competition for the venerable and long established Belvedere Tandoori, which was one of my introductions to high street curry eating back in the day. I did not try the new restaurant, now called The Spice Master for many years; I was working in the East End, and used to visit the legendary, and sadly now closed Sweet and Spicy a couple of times a week; I would also make regular lunch time trips to the Halal Restaurant in Mark Street E1 – which has been serving up genuine Bangladeshi food since shortly before WWII, and is one of the oldest continually in service curry houses in the UK. In many ways at this time I was spoiled for choice, and “ate what the locals ate”. Consequently I did become quite sniffy about ordinary high street curry houses and the food that they cooked. I felt that it was not “authentic” and was too engineered to suit a Western palate. In essence I had become a bit of a curry snob.  During this time, The Spice Master just curried on (oh the wit!) and our paths did not cross. Once I had moved on from the job based in the East End, the curry consumption drastically reduced, but I still had a degree of disdain for ordinary high street restaurants. Over the last few years I have come to realise that your high street curry is a thing on its own. It may not bear much resemblance to food you would eat in Bangalore or Karachi, but it has now been around for long enough to have created its own unique identity – it is what it is, and it is rightfully unapologetic. Most high street curry, whilst being called “Indian” is actually far closer to Bangladeshi cuisine, as most of the original restaurant owners came from Bangladesh, rather than India, but were quick to realise that in 1950’s / 1960’s Britain, most English people had not heard of Bangladesh, so a bit of inspired re - branding labelled the new food outlets as “Indian” restaurants.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Good news for Barnehurst Ward, there have been no burglaries over the past week. There has also been no reports of vehicle crime. The team have been out and about, due to Covid-19 we have been asking people to return to their homes, we would sooner police by consent than issue fines, we have patrolled open spaces, car parks and supermarket areas". Belvedere ward:- "The team have been carrying out several patrols of open spaces and parks throughout the ward in the last week to ensure that current government guidelines in relation to COVID-19 are being adhered to. We are pleased to say that for the most part, there do not appear to be any issues around this as most people are keeping distance from others and most people observed are walking dogs and not loitering in any particular areas. However, we have been advised that there are several younger people that have been using the basketball court area of Franks Park on some afternoons (which has been closed by Bexley Council). Whilst we have not been witness to this as yet, we would advise that if there are people using the equipment in any of our parks/ open spaces, that you should call 101 and let Police know. Our patrols will continue and anyone seen using equipment will be spoken to and dealt with as required. With regard to crime on the ward, we can report that there have been no reports of burglary since our previous update. There have been two reported thefts from motor vehicles around the Picardy Road and Fremantle Road areas – number plates removed from vehicles that have been parked in the street. Please continue to follow the government advice and remain at home unless absolutely necessary – for food, medical/ health reasons or to travel to work (if you are unable to work from home). If you do go out, try to stay at least 2 metres from other people at all times. Should you decide to go out for exercise, this can be done alone or with members of your household – do not meet up with friends or other family members". Bexleyheath ward:- "Sunday 05/04/20 Theft of number plates from a motor vehicle Rydal drive Bexleyheath. The team have been out and about, due to Covid-19 we have been asking people to return to their homes, we would sooner police by consent than issue fines, we have patrolled open spaces, car parks and supermarket areas. Please observe the lockdown and only leave your property for the following reasons: Stay at home, unless: * shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine * taking exercise – alone or with members of your household * for any medical need, or provide care to a vulnerable person * travelling for work purposes, but only where they cannot work from home. BBQ's and picnics in public places DO NOT constitute taking exercise." Crayford ward:- "Just two crimes to mention this week. The driver's window of a black Peugeot 208 was smashed on Tuesday 31st March at 22.21 whilst parked in Station Road close to the shops, nothing was stolen. On Sunday 5th April at approx. 16.55 a female was robbed. The incident began in Thames Road by the Ford garage, a male approached the victim and tried to snatch her phone. She continued to walk down to Howbury Lane and the male continued to follow her and snatched the phone, an iPhone 11 in a blue case. He is described as an IC3 male, aged 25-35 years with a pencil thin goatee, dark clothing and wearing a green helmet, he was riding a blue pushbike and headed away up Lincoln Road. The team have been out and about, due to Covid-19 we have been asking people to return to their homes, we would sooner police by consent than issue fines, we have patrolled open spaces, car parks and supermarket areas. We were made aware of a white transit van parked in Ridge Way that appeared to be abandoned, it was on cloned plates and the vehicle had been stolen from Sussex, it was recovered to Charlton pound". Erith ward:- "We have been out on the ward on foot, bike and van questioning anyone we see as to reasons for being out in this lockdown. Crimes on Erith are low at the moment, we haven't had a burglary all this week but that does not mean we are not still focusing on the normal jobs we do. We have been concentrating on areas that are still getting high motor vehicle crime. Stay safe if you need information from us send an email to erith.snt@met.police.uk." Northumberland Heath ward:- "Unfortunately there has been a report of an attempted garage burglary in Silver Spring Close on 02/04/2020 at approximately 23:30hrs.The suspects were seen by a witness and made off from the scene. Males were seen getting into a black Volkswagen Scirocco. There has also been reports of a white transit van with the registration plates covered up . SNT have also assisted OXLEAS this week in completing a mental health assessment on an elderly gentleman. The team have Officers patrolling the ward next week and will be focusing on the ASB hotspots. There hasn't been any reports of Drug activity or ASB within Northumberland Recreation Ground since the camera has been put up. Also the wall has been removed by the council with a new mental fence which has prevent local youths from congregating. Please see our tweets on @MPSNorthHeath where your see good stories, advice & information on COVID-19 also scam warning advice. I must remind everyone you should only leave home for essentials such as food or medicine, or to exercise".

 Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Late night on Friday 03 April someone tried to force entry into the rear of McColls – again! Fortunately entry wasn't made. The shop's head office will be asked to improve the CCTV set up at the back of the premises. We are aware that the weather is nice at this time but we urge you all to not keep going out for unnecessary reasons. Far too many reports are coming to our team, and indeed across Bexley, of groups congregating in parks and open spaces. This needs to stop. Anyone seen outside in a group will be dispersed and fines issued accordingly if necessary. Our officers will be patrolling parks and open spaces whenever possible. Please, stay safe". Thamesmead East ward:-"No residential Burglaries to report this week. Vehicle Crime - Drake Crescent SE28 on Tues 31/4/20 10 pm – 7 am Victim reports front number plate removed by suspect/s unknown. Mangold Way DA18 on Thurs 2/4/20 between 11:30 am – Fri 3/4/20 5 am Victim returned to vehicle to find number plates had been removed by suspect/s unknown. Southmere Drive SE2 on Thurs 2/4/20 10 pm Victim reports vehicle not been used for two weeks due to COVID-19 restrictions when victim went to turn the vehicle over it was noticed the back seat had been pulled down by suspect/s unknown who have gained entry into the boot and removed a parcel. Redpoll Way DA18 Tues 7/4/20 2:30 pm – 11 am victim reports both front and rear number plates removed by suspect/s unknown". West Heath ward:-"Another week with no reported burglaries. One theft of a black Mercedes from a driveway in Longleigh Lane on Friday 03/04/20 between the hours of 1300 – 18.20. One report of criminal damage to a classic VW Beetle in Bedonwell Road on Friday 03/04/20 16.30 – 22.30. The team have been busy patrolling parks, open spaces and conducting reassurance visits to local shops during this this difficult and testing time. We have received reports of groups gathering in Clovelly Road and playing football. We all have a responsibility to each other and our communities to stay at home despite the recent good weather we are currently experiencing. We wish you a happy and peaceful Easter, stay safe and keep washing your hands!"

The end video this week is quite topical. It features classic comedy drama show M*A*S*H and how scenes from the show can teach people today many vital lessons in avoiding infections such as Covid-19. Do give it a watch and let me know what you think by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Carnegie Ensemble.

The two photos above (click on either for a larger view) were taken by me yesterday afternoon. The Exchange hosted a concert by the newly formed Carnegie Ensemble, which consists of six members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. They performed Brahms' string Sextet Op.18 and Dvorak’s Double-bass quintet Op.77 in the Carnegie Hall at The Exchange in Erith. As an encore they played a short piece by local Erith composer Percy Hilder Miles (1878-1922). The members of the ensemble are:- Anna Smith and Lucy Curnow (violins), Philip Hall and Peter Mallinson (violas), Michael Atkinson and Colin Alexander (cellos), and Beverley Jones (double bass). All proceeds from the concert are going towards the repair and renewal of Erith’s old library. As you can see from the photos above, classical concerts in the old library main hall are incredibly popular, and very well attended. The acoustics in the large space are very well suited to a string sextet, there certainly were no problems with hearing every nuance of the performance from any part of the auditorium space. 

Lidl have not given up on their project to build one of their discount supermarkets in Fraser Road, Erith. They were refused planning permission for the new store a while back by Bexley Council. In the last few days, a public campaign has been launched to try and persuade the council to change their mind. Lidl propose the demolition of the Atlas Trade Park in Fraser Road, and construction of a standalone Lidl food store with associated car parking. Provision of a brand new discount food store (1,375m2 sales area, 806m2 of ancillary space) with 91 free car parking bays of which 2 would be for electric vehicles, 6 would be disabled spaces and 8 parent and child spaces. Residents in Erith, Lower Belvedere and Northumberland Heath have received a personalised leaflet through their doors over the last few days. The leaflet urges locals to contact their local councillor to demand that planning permission be granted for the new store. Personally I cannot understand why Bexley Council declined the 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. On top of this, the Erith Quarry housing development - next door to the proposed Lidl site will shortly be opening, with over four hundred new houses and apartments. This equates to roughly a thousand new people coming to live in the area. over the next year. 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 Atlas trading estate site. That is a majority of 93.6 percent. If the store does go ahead, it will employ 40 local people; I am led to understand that priority will be given to people who are employed by the outlets currently on the site. You can read more about the proposed new store by clicking here.  What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

If you own a mobile smartphone, it will almost certainly use either Apple's iOS operating system, or Google's Android operating system. What many people are unaware of, is that these two competing operating systems are both based on the same foundations. You may think that your phone is state of the art, and a very high tech piece of kit, but the base software that runs it is actually fifty years old this week. Both iOS and Android are based on the venerable Unix operating system, which was released fifty years ago this week. The Unix project was initially an unapproved spin - off of an unsuccessful operating system called Multics. Unix and Multics were products of Bell Labs - part of AT and T, the gigantic American phone company. The burgeoning development team happened to be in precisely the right environment for Unix to flourish. Bell Labs, which was funded by a portion of the monthly revenue from nearly every phone line in the United States, was not like other workplaces. Keeping a handful of programmers squirrelled away on the top floor of the research and development complex was not going to bankrupt the company. Leaders of the Unix project were two programmers - Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson. During the summer of 1969, Thompson, Ritchie, and their ostensible supervisor Rudd Canaday hashed out the basics of a file manager that would run on a PDP-7 mini computer that they had "borrowed" from Bell Labs acoustics department. This was no simple task. Batch computing—running programs one after the other—rarely required that a computer be able to permanently store information, and many mainframes did not have any permanent storage device (whether a tape or a hard disk) attached to them. But the time-sharing, multi user environment that these programmers had fallen in love with required attached storage. And with multiple users connected to the same computer at the same time, the file manager had to be written well enough to keep one user’s files from being written over another user’s. When a file was read, the output from that file had to be sent to the user that was opening it. Eventually when they had the file management system more or less fleshed out conceptually, it came time to actually write the code. The trio—all of whom had terrible handwriting—decided to use the Labs’ dictating service. One of them called up a lab extension and dictated the entire code base into a tape recorder. And thus, some unidentified clerical worker or workers soon had the unenviable task of trying to convert that into a typewritten document. Of course, it was done imperfectly. Among various errors, “inode” came back as “eye node,” but the output was still viewed as a decided improvement over their assorted scribbles. The PDP-7 didn’t have a tape drive or a hard drive at the time—the system was “booted” by feeding a punched paper tape into it. Without an attached drive, the file system they had worked so hard on had to wait. At least they had a functioning multi-user time-sharing environment to play around with. Still, the team felt this was an accomplishment and christened their operating system “UNICS,” short for UNIplexed Information and Computing System. Eventually, word leaked out about this operating system, and businesses and institutions began contacting Bell Labs about their new operating system. The Labs made it available for free—requesting only the cost of postage and media from anyone who wanted a copy. By this time the operating system name had been changed to Unix. The rest has quite literally made tech history. By the late 1970s, a copy of the operating system found its way out to the University of California at Berkeley, and in the early 1980s, programmers there adapted it to run on PCs. Their version of Unix, the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD), was picked up by developers at NeXT, the company Steve Jobs founded after leaving Apple in 1985. When Apple purchased NeXT in 1996, BSD became the starting point for Apple OS X and iOS. The free distribution of Unix stopped in 1984, when the government broke up AT and T and an earlier settlement agreement that prohibited the company from profiting off many Bell Labs inventions expired. The Unix community had become accustomed to free software, however, so upon learning that AT and T would soon be charging for all copies of Unix and would prohibit alterations to the source code, programmer Richard Stallman and others set about re-creating Unix using software that would be distributed to anyone free of charge—with no restrictions on modification. They called their project “GNU,” short for “GNU’s Not Unix.” In 1991, Linus Torvalds, a university student in Helsinki, Finland, used several of the GNU tools to write an operating system kernel that would run on PCs. And his software, eventually called Linux, became the basis of the Android operating system in 2004. So if you have an Android or iPhone, you are actually using something based on Unix - the best operating system that many people have not heard about.

Barnehurst has played an important part in British musical history; the pub The Red Barn (photo above - click on it to see  a larger version), next to Barnehurst station was the home to the resurgence of Traditional Jazz music in the 1950's and early 1960's. Trombonist Chris Barber, now 86, is the last big-name trad jazz survivor and on the 9th of September the current incarnation of his group will play a celebratory concert in London to mark his 67th year as a bandleader. Barber regularly played at The Red Barn. The pub was built back in 1936 and was home to local jazz band the 'George Webb Dixielanders'. George Webb, a worker at nearby Vickers, formed the band with his friends in 1944 and performed regularly at The Red Barn on Monday evenings. The pub is celebrated as the home of the revival of traditional jazz in Britain and jazz legend George Melly unveiled a plaque on 4th July 1985 to commemorate this. The pub still has the plaque and photographs of this event on display. His source material, like the Yerba Buena's were the early recordings of Oliver, Morton and Armstrong. The Dixielanders made some recordings for Decca as well as sessions for the small Jazz label. Trumpeter, Humphrey Lyttelton joined the band and assumed leadership. In 1949, the band made some historical recordings with Sidney Bechet. The Lyttelton band went on to record many sessions for the Parlophone label, eventually landing a top twenty hit with Bad Penny Blues. Incidentally, back in the 90's, I used on occasion to see George Melly at Charing Cross station, where he was probably waiting for a train to his home in Blackheath. I used to think his outrageous, lurid suits were part of his stage attire; this was not the case – he really wore them in public! You really could not miss him, even in a crowd of people. The Big Chris Barber Band is performing at the Cadogan Hall, London, on the 9th of September. More on this later.

Bexley Council have released details of the survey of local residents that was undertaken recently by consultancy company Groundwork, who the Council commissioned to run the community design process. The results of the survey, and the idea forum have been published:- "Four themes dominated the feedback – The River Thames; Play; Attractions and identity of the park; History and heritage. People said that the river is an untapped resource for the gardens and that stronger connections need to be made between the gardens and the river. Their ideas were mostly around improving views of the river, designing a better viewing platform and creating better access to the gardens from the riverside walk. There were lots of imaginative suggestions from children and adults on how to incorporate play into the gardens. Local people said they wanted to visit Riverside Gardens, but don’t feel inspired to use the space. They suggested considering events and activities in the design, as well as ways to make the space more attractive and inspiring. The Riverside Gardens and Erith have a rich history and heritage. There were lots of ideas on how this could be incorporated into the gardens, through creative sculptures and artwork, new signage and historically themed planting. The next stages in the rejuvenation of Riverside Gardens will be to employ a landscape architect with a brief based on feedback from the local community. There will be more engagement activities in September to get feedback from local people on the design of the park. There are also plans for a summer activity programme to trial some of the new ideas. To stay informed about the next stages keep an eye on www.greatererith.com/riversidegardens or follow Greater Erith on Facebook and Twitter.  Work has also started on detailed designs for Pier Square following public feedback. The aim is to transform this area at the entrance to Erith Pier. Work is expected to begin later in the year. These improvements build on previous regeneration work funded by the London Borough of Bexley and follow the Council’s successful bid for a further £1.6m from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund through the ‘Greater Erith Programme’".

The photo above (click on it for a larger view) was taken on Thursday evening at The Erith Think Tank meeting, held in the Conversation Room in the old Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. Subjects discussed included the group's plans for the Erith Pier Festival on the 21st September - and there are a couple of surprises planned! Other subjects included the forthcoming presentation and consultation meeting with a couple of Bexley Councillors, which is to take place on October the 10th. Another subject was discussed, and it became apparent that Think Tank members had divided opinions on the matter; there is some controversy regarding the proposed West Street housing development:- that is, the Chichester Wharf development on the old public park space in West Street. it is the last piece of green land in West Street. The council proposal is to build 31 flats with only 17 parking spaces on the piece of parkland. There are already severe parking restrictions in West Street. All flats are to be commercially sold only - no social rent - the plot is regarded as too small to include any flats for affordable rent or part rent / part buy. Provision of a GP surgery has been urged. Several members of The Erith Think Tank objected to the development in principle, that the park should be left as green space. Developer (Bexley Co.) is requested to state how the money they make on the development will be reinvested in the local area. The lack of green spaces affect local residents physical and mental health challenges. What do you think about the proposed development? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Bearing in mind Erith is very much a maritime town, the River Thames does not really get the exposure or use one would expect. Historically Erith was an important port outside of London. Many ships which were too large to make it into the Port of London were unloaded at Erith, with their cargoes being taken further up river by Thames sailing barges. This was before the river was fully dredged and managed as it is nowadays. Today one can watch huge container and bulk carrier ships passing Erith river front on a daily basis; the best time to see ship movements is at or around the changing of the tide.  Some of the small and medium sized vessels can often be seen moored on Erith Pier as well. Until 2013, there used to be an annual Thames Sailing Barge race on the River Thames. The race ended on its 150th anniversary. The race was the brainchild of a man who was nick named “The Golden Dustman”. His real name was Henry Dodd. He was born in 1801 into a very poor family; his first job was as a plough boy in arable fields that were within view of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which he did until he was in his early thirties, when he found employment as a “scavenger” – a sort of prototype recycling consultant. He soon discovered that the big money was in transporting waste, rather than actually sorting it. London was rapidly growing in size, and the population was booming. As the number of people in the capital increased, the amount of rubbish they generated went up. Dodd saw this as a very lucrative business opportunity, so instead of using slow and somewhat unreliable horses and carts to haul rubbish, he first hired, then purchased a fleet of sailing barges, which could transport far greater cargoes at a higher speed than any contemporary road solution. Most of the waste material Dodd was transporting was burned outside the capital, and the resulting ash was a vital ingredient in making bricks, which in turn were used to build the expansion of London. Never one to overlook a business opening, Dodd invested in several brickworks, including a very large site on what is now Manor Road in Erith. Nowadays, this kind of end to end ownership of all stages in a manufacturing process is known as “vertical integration” and Henry Dodd was a pioneer of it. All this made Dodd incredibly wealthy; he was one of the richest commoners in England, right at the start of the then new middle class. Dodd’s money bought him a degree of respectability in Victorian society (though I am sure there were whispers behind his back – though after having been brought up in the environment he had, I somewhat doubt if this bothered him). Dodd became a very enthusiastic patron of the theatre, and through this mutual interest he became very good friends with Charles Dickens. Dickens scholars believe that Dodd was the inspiration for the character of Mr. Boffin, the millionaire dustman who appears in the novel “Our Mutual Friend”. Dodd invested a large amount of money in sailing barges, and soon discovered that there was an intense rivalry between barge skippers. Never one to miss a main chance, he decided that in 1863 he would stage a sailing barge race – for entertainment, but also as a means to improve the business. The first race was only for his own sailing barges, and was run from Erith to Canvey Island and back, with the first barge and skipper to make the round trip being awarded a generous cash purse, which was awarded under the auspices of the Prince of Wales Yacht Club. Many in society assumed that the event had Royal patronage (something that Dodd did little to discourage), but in fact it was named after an Erith pub! In 1864 the race was opened to all comers, and after a while it became such a big event the running of it was passed over to a committee of barge owners. Within ten years, specially built racing barges were being constructed purely to try and win the race. Passenger steamers would be chartered to follow the racing barges on their course, and records show that over 10,000 people watched the race from on board these steamers. Henry Dodd, the “Golden Dustman” died in 1881; he left a fund to sustain the match – an eye watering sum of £100,000, which today is equivalent to tens of millions of pounds. In the latter years of the 19th century, the event was covered by Charles’ Dickens son (who confusingly was also called Charles) in his annual gazetteer. For the Centenary Match raced in 1963, the two principle rivals in Britain’s coasting trade, F T Everard and The London and The Rochester Trading Co. lavished money on their fastest barges in an attempt to ensure success for craft which were, by that time, an anachronism in transportation terms. The 48 mile course was from Mucking to the Mouse Lightship, and then back up to Gravesend. F T Everard’s Veronica was the winner, leaving the rest far behind in her wake. The 150th Anniversary Match on Saturday 13th July 2013, had the contest finishing at Erith for the first time since 1894. Not only was this spectacle thought to be the second oldest sailing contest in the world after the America’s Cup, unlike the America’s Cup of 1851, it was still sailed in craft virtually unchanged since those times, and as such was in itself an especially important part of this nation’s maritime heritage.

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Despite that we have had an attempted burglary in Pennine Way where the suspect was seen scaling the side wall of the garden and was confronted by the householder. The suspect pushed past the victim and fled via the rear gate before leaving in a silver blue Peugeot. There was also two theft from motor vehicles overnight of Friday 30th August, one in Downbank Avenue and one in Barnehurst Road. In both cases there was no damage to the vehicles and there was an untidy search of glove boxes etc with cash and cards taken. The next community contact session will be held at Barnehurst Golf Course at 11 am on Tuesday September 10th". Belvedere ward:- "The team have been informed of suspected drug use taking place in Wadeville Close. Thus far we have not witnessed anyone partaking in such activity at the location – our patrols will continue. We have also had reports of several people gathering at the bench area opposite of Sainsburys in Nuxley Road to drink alcohol. Whilst this is not an alcohol controlled zone, those gathering are becoming rowdy and appear intimidating to members of the public. Once again, we have not witnessed this behaviour however we will continue to patrol this area; Issues on Essenden Road involving a white transit van and two mopeds have been reported to us. It is suspected that drugs are being dealt by either the van occupants or the mopeds. No particular times or days this happens. If anything suspicious is seen please report to us; Overnight from the Friday 23rd to Saturday 24th of August there was an attempted burglary at 67 Gertrude Road in which entry was not gained to the property. The resident of the address discovered that a pane of glass in his conservatory had been shattered during the night. This occurred between 7.30pm and 10 am; At 02.30 am on Wednesday 28th August there was a black Land Rover stolen from the front driveway of 95 Woolwich Road. It appears that someone was using a device of some kind to unlock the vehicle as it was opened without keys; There was a residential burglary at 22 Stapley Road on Sunday 25th August between 5pm and 5.15pm. Residents of the address were asleep in the living room when access was gained by someone climbing a wall into the rear garden and entering via the rear patio door. A wallet was stolen before the suspect was disturbed and left the venue".

Bexleyheath ward:- "There has been no reports of any Burglaries or attempted Burglaries on the ward. There was a report of theft from motor vehicle along Oakland's Close Bexleyheath. This was reported on Sunday 01/09/2019 and the incident had happened overnight. Also on the same day there was another report of a theft from motor vehicle reported by Christchurch Broadway; On Sunday 01/09/2019 – There was a report of a theft of motor vehicle at one of the car parks on the Broadway; A purse was reported stolen in W H Smiths along the Broadway. The incident happened on Monday 02/09/2019, the victim had been distracted; On Saturday 31/08/2019 a mobile phone was reported stolen whilst victim was in the M and S Store in Bexleyheath. Last Monday a resident was assaulted along Iris Avenue by two youths and the team are currently investigation the incident". Crayford ward:- "Crime in Crayford this week has once again been mainly motor vehicle related. On Wednesday 21st August between 11:00 and 11:15 the window and driver's window was smashed on a Vauxhall Vectra whilst parked in Old Road. There were three reports of criminal damage to motor vehicles in Crayford Way on Wednesday 28th August at approx. 23.20, wing mirrors were damaged and kicked off. The suspects were seen to be two white males, no further details known.  A Honda Jazz had the catalytic convertor stolen whilst parked at Hall Place car park on 29th August between 13:25 and 16:00. It does seem that Japanese vehicles are being targeted locally. On 29th August between 13:00 and 13:15 two blood pressures monitors were stolen from the pharmacy in Station Road. Two males described as white and aged 17-18 years entered the shop, one stole the monitors whilst the other kept the assistant busy. There will be no community contact session next week; the next will be held at Vintage Lindy Lou's on Wednesday 18th September between 16.00 and 17.00, please come along if there is anything you would like to discuss with me in person". Erith ward:- "Over the last week we haven't had any burglaries on Erith which is good news. However we have been hit with yet again a lot of theft from motor vehicles, these range from the following: Stolen Satellite navigator from a delivery driver, Tools taken from the back of a van and Items taken from the glove box. Please do not leave items in your vehicles overnight is the best advice we can give. Crimes from the week - Theft from MV Wednesday 28/08/2019, Erith High Street; Theft from Motor Vehicle Thursday 29/08/2019 10:30:00 Saltford Close; Theft from Motor Vehicle Wednesday 28/08/2019 17:00:00 West Street; Theft from MV Sunday 01/09/2019 15:00:00 Tower Road; Theft from Motor Vehicle Monday 02/09/2019 19:00:00 West Street. Community Contact Session: in Erith; Wednesday 11/09/19 Costa Coffee 1pm; Friday 13/09/19 Erith Library 11am". Northumberland Heath ward - no report this week.

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Two burglaries to report in the last week. On Wednesday 28/08/2019 between 9am and 4pm, a bag of birthday presents and £1000 in Euros were taken from an address in Northend Road. Then at around 5am on Friday 31/08/2019 keys were taken from a house in Lincoln Road and the car stolen. In both incidents the suspect(s) gained entry through an open downstairs window. Please please check your windows are shut before going out and if you are home, do not leave any windows open in a room you aren't using. A stolen van was found by PC James and PCSO Mark in Frobisher Road last Friday. This was recovered and sent for forensics (image above). Rainbow Road has a new Neighbourhood Watch scheme being run by four new coordinators spread out across the estate. I am meeting three of them this coming Thursday evening just as an introduction between them and our local team. If you would like to have a catch up with the team, please let us know and we can arrange a date and time that suits everyone". Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglary - Tuesday 3/9/19 5am-8am Lensbury Way - The reverend at Church of the Cross Church states that the building was hired out on Monday 02/09/2019 after the event the church was locked and the keys placed in a the external metal post box. Suspect/s have broken into the post box and taken the church keys from inside and unlocked the front main doors of the church. On entering the church suspect/s have entered the two side rooms and broken into several cupboards, however nothing appears to have been taken. Tuesday 3/9/19 9pm - 8am Eastgate Close Victim reports suspect has broken padlock from rear garden gate and entered the vacant property via ground floor window. There is evidence of suspect sleeping over night as a sleeping bag and pillow was left behind in the property. Nothing taken. Vehicle crime - Sunday 25/8/19 8pm-945am Seacourt Road Victim reports driver's side window smashed. Victims neighbour saw the suspect. A male wearing black clothing on a scooter; Wednesday 28/8/19 Wolvercote Road between 12–1:37pm Victims car window smashed nothing taken; Thursday 29/08/19 Holstein Way 11am-11:30am Victims Catalytic converter removed from Toyota Auris by suspect/s unknown. Friday 30/8/19 – Monday 1/9/19 Thamesbank Place - Victims front and rear number plates removed by suspect/s unknown; Saturday 31/8/19 Eastgate Close between 12-11:30pm - Victim had parked vehicle in a private car park which is situated under the building. When victim returned home both front and rear number plates had been removed; Saturday 31/08/19 Wolvercote Road between 1pm–11:30pm - Victim reports vehicle had been broken into and spare tyre removed by suspect/s unknown; Sunday 1/9/19 Kale Road between 8pm-5am - Victims passenger front window smashed by suspect/s unknown nothing taken. Criminal Damage - Thursday 27/08/29 8:30pm Redpoll Way, victim was in her living room when victim heard a smash. One large window pane had been smashed. Victim did not see any suspects and is unaware of what caused it". West Heath ward:- "Another quiet week on the ward, no reported burglaries. Two motor vehicle crimes of note. Theft of a Land Rover in Knowle Avenue Between Tuesday August 27th 11:30 pm and 8 am on Wednesday 28th. The vehicle was stolen opposite the victim's address. A vehicle was broken in to in Exmouth Road between Monday September 2nd between 23:30 pm and 05:30 am on Tuesday September 3rd. It is not clear at this stage. For motor vehicle crime prevention advice please visit the Met Police website.  The next drop in police surgery will be held in the Bostall Library in King Harolds Way on Thursday September 12th between 4 pm and 5 pm".

The end video this week links in with one of my earlier stories concerning The Red Barn pub in Barnehurst, that was the venue most closely associated with the resurgence in the interest in Trad Jazz in the 1950's and early 1960's. One of the bands that used to play in the pub was the Chris Barber Big Band, who are still going to this day, and are performing at the Cadogan Hall tomorrow evening. The video below shows them performing live last year. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.