Jazz Sundays.

The photos above - click on each for a larger view, were taken by me last Sunday at the very first "Jazz Sunday" event, held in The Bookstore Cafe in The Old Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith.  As you can see the cafe was packed with visitors for the two hour live jazz show. Many of the visitors also had brunch whilst listening to the music. The Bookstore Cafe is phase one of the refurbishment and re-purposing of the old library. Phase two - work to convert the ground floor, where the main library space is located, and the upper floor, which used to house Erith Museum, and the former private apartment that once was home to the chief librarian and family is now due to start in the Spring. An announcement was made earlier this week, which reads:- "London Borough of Bexley and The Exchange have successfully secured National Lottery funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore the entire Grade II listed Old Carnegie Library in Erith. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has committed £980,000 towards a £1.8m project that will transform the upper two floors of unused space into new community workshops for textiles, woodwork, print, ceramics and gardening. The main central hall will be refurbished for community-led activities, including markets, exhibitions, festivals, concerts and performances. A unique local garden will also be created by the award-winning garden designer Sarah Price, with much of the growing, done by local school children and families. Councillor Louie French, Bexley’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth said: “This latest round of funding is good news for local people as it means that the entire building can be brought fully back into use for the benefit of the community.” “It’s a year since we finished the first phase of our investment, which saw the restoration of the lower ground area, the weathervane and full replacement of the roof of the building. We’ve been working hard with our partners since then to ensure that the rest of this beautiful building can be fully restored and it’s good to see that our hard work has paid off.” In February 2019, as part of its partnership project with the Mayor of London, the ‘Greater Erith Programme’, Bexley officially handed management of the building to local company The Exchange. Since then there have been more than 25,000 visits to the  building with local people participating in a variety of community activities and events and enjoying its new bar and café ‘The Bookstore’. The Exchange, with the help of partners, have also continued to source and secure additional funding.  Sarah Batten, Co-Founder of The Exchange, said: “The success of our National Lottery application is down to the Erith and wider community who have given us so much support over the past 12 months. With every visit to the café, every event attended, every kind donation or offer of support, it becomes more and more evident that this new future for the building can be achieved. There is still more work to be done, and funds to be raised, but we are confident that the beautiful historic building’s future will be secured.” Stuart McLeod, Director London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the historic Old Carnegie Library will be brought back into use for the community of Erith. An exciting programme of events and activities will ensure the heritage of the building and the stories of the people who have passed through its doors will remain at the heart of its future.” Over the next 12 months, the ambitious renovation works will take place alongside a packed events programme including both free and paid events including:- FREE: Family Craft Weekends, last Saturday of every month from 2-4pm • FREE: Jazz Sundays, on the fourth Sunday of every month from 12-2pm in The Bookstore • FREE: Open Mic nights, on the third Thursday of every month from 7.30-10pm in The Bookstore, to hear local talent from rapping and poetry to blues and folk • FREE: Embroidery Sundays: stitch, connect and chat every Sunday from 11-1pm in our Textile workshop • FREE: History tours of The Exchange, every Saturday from 3pm • Life Drawing classes, every Thursday from 7-9pm, £8 per session • Carnegie Ensemble concert, 24th April 2020, £10 • FREE: An exhibition of new design work inspired by the works of Bexleyheath resident William Morris, from 18th March in The Bookstore • FREE: Mother’s Day Weekend Plant Fair and workshops with Peckham partners L’Appartemente" I have to declare an interest; as some readers will already be aware, I am a governing board member of The Exchange, and I am the one who runs the weekly free tours of the old library building each Saturday afternoon at 3pm. No need to book - just turn up - the tour lasts between 45 minutes and an hour, depending on the number of tour participants and how many questions they ask.

In case you were wondering what happened last Sunday, when the customary Blog update Email did not appear. Let me explain. Every week, once the latest edition of the Maggot Sandwich has been published, I Email a select number of people to let them know that the latest edition is live. I use Google Gmail as my Email client of choice. At some point last week, Google changed their Email message rules. This was done to try and reduce Spam Email. When I send an update via Email, I blind copy (BCC) all of the recipients into the message. This keeps everyone's Email details private, and for many years this has worked very well indeed. Now blind copying in numerous Email addresses has been banned by Google - an absolute pain for me. The Blog update was still published - as you may be aware, I have not missed a Blog update every Sunday for thirteen and a half years - something that I am very proud of. The Email update may be history however. If this was not enough, my venerable Apple iMac computer has bitten the dust. It died in the middle of last week - looks like a hard disk failure - this Blog post has been courtesy of my tiny Raspberry Pi model 4 B emergency backup computer. Last Sunday I spent around 90 minutes online with Google support. Normally one cannot get proper support from the company - you just get sent links to a load of FAQ's and hobbyist chat rooms, but I have a paid Google account - which means excellent, professional support. Google suggested setting up a Google Group, which would enable me to send one email which would then go to all members of the group. The downside is that there is no way to automate the process of adding all of the members of my Gmail address book - each one needs to be manually copied and pasted. This will take me an age to do. On the upside, I have noticed that not sending out an Email update last week has actually not hurt my readership statistics one bit. I use Google Analytics to get an idea of what my audience like and dislike, and their general Blog reading habits. I fully expected that my reading figures were going to drop off a cliff - but this has actually not been the case at all; I am going to carry out an experiment over the next couple of weeks. I will carry on publishing a Blog update on Sunday early afternoons as I have done for so long, but I will not send out an update message (mainly as things currently stand, I cannot anyway). If the readership statistics stay as good as last week, then I may ditch the setting up of a Google group altogether, as nowadays I don't have as much free time as I used to. Don't worry - the Maggot Sandwich will continue as normal - nothing is changing as far as it is concerned. Comments to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

News reaches me that as predicted, Bexley Council have approved plans to build flats on the parkland in West Street, despite the protests and online petition opposing the plan. Local organisations including Friends of Riverside Gardens Erith (FORGE) and The Erith Think Tank organised a protest in December of last year - photo above - click on it for a larger version. The council vote was close 5 members voted for the redevelopment plans, and four against. Local Resident and FORGE founder, Joan McCarthy read a speech at the council meeting, opposing the plans to build on the popular and well - used park. Here is her speech in full:- "Thank you Chairman and Councillors for giving me the opportunity to speak and I would ask you to bear in mind the following points which all contribute to the London Borough of Bexley being a green borough to be proud of. The description “Land at the Junction of Macarthur Close and West Street” is misleading. It suggests the land is unused and superfluous to requirements.  It should be described as “West Street Small Park” as it is correctly named in the list of 100 parks and open spaces on Bexley’s own website. This is a mature small park planted with trees and grass which was specifically provided by the Council for the use of local residents when West Street was part of a General Improvement Area c. 1984. If approval is given to this application it would be in direct defiance of a planning condition imposed by this Council on the developer in 2003 when the adjoining blocks of flats were built;  namely, that this then well established little park should remain as is and left to mature – which it has done!  If conditions imposed by the Council can be overturned a relatively short time later how can we have any trust in the Council’s Planning and Legal departments? We cannot see how, in these circumstances, approval can be given to this application which would mean the loss of one of the most beautiful small roadside parks in the borough A well loved park used by residents and visitors with safe and easy access to the Thames Pathway. This application would destroy most, if not all, of the matured trees (approx. 30) in this lovely little park at a time when the Government is proposing that millions of trees should be planted to combat climate change.  Each of these doomed trees provides as much oxygen in a season as 10 people breathe in a year.  They are essential to mitigate the effects of the heavy volume of traffic emissions containing particulate matter which is deadly, especially to the young and elderly. These trees protect us from flooding and extreme heat by reducing temperature by about 7 degrees Celsius.  Also, insect life in mature trees cannot be replaced if they are felled. The Council’s website states that there are 623 hectares of open space in Bexley Borough. Erith has just over 5 hectares and this small park is 0.3 hectares.  How can the loss of this park be justified considering Erith has the least amount of open space compared to the rest of the Borough? This park is an essential “green break” between the extended Riverside Gardens to the east and the Council maintained churchyard of St. John the Baptist (which dates back to Saxon times) at the western end of West Street". What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

As I have written in the past, Erith and Crayford were the historic home of Vickers Sons and Maxim Limited, who had factories in both locations which made a whole range of armaments and ammunition, principally the Vickers Machine Gun – which was an easier to produce, lighter and cheaper version of the original Maxim Gun, invented by Sir Hiram Maxim - the most famous local resident. What is less well known is that Vickers Vimy heavy bombers were also constructed on a limited basis. It is thought that the aeroplane which transported Alcock and Brown on the historic very first flight across the Atlantic was one of those produced locally. In the present the fact that both Erith and Crayford were major arms manufacturing towns is unknown to many residents; indeed the only relic of the Vickers Sons and Maxim factory in Erith is that the area of shops and houses located at the bend where Woolwich Road becomes Fraser Road is still known by older locals as “The Pom Pom” – due to the sound of guns being tested in the dedicated shooting range that was adjacent to the factory for many years. I think it sad that many people still call the area by the informal name, but very few seem to know the actual reason for it. Nowadays one could be forgiven for thinking that all of the changes that have happened over the years that arms manufacturing was no longer something that no longer happened locally. In matter of fact nothing could be further from the truth. Slade Green is home to a company, which until 2014 was known as Manroy Engineering, and is now called FN Herstal - a company that specialises in the manufacture and refurbishment of machine guns and light cannon for the military. They also make all sorts of weapon mounts, gun turrets for armoured vehicles and assorted other military hardware such as specialised sniper rifles and vehicle armour packages. They keep a very low profile for security reasons, but they are actually located on the Power Works site on Slade Green Road, opposite  St. Augustine's church. It is amazing what a little bit of searching on Google Street view can find! Anyway, the Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) calibre machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The machine gun typically required a six to eight-man team to operate: one fired, one fed the ammunition, the rest helped to carry the weapon, its ammunition and spare parts. It was in service from before the First World War until the 1960s, with air-cooled versions of it on many Allied World War I fighter aircraft. The weapon had a reputation for great solidity and reliability. Ian V. Hogg, in the book Weapons and War Machines, describes an action that took place in August 1916, during which the British 100th Company of the Machine Gun Corps fired their ten Vickers guns continuously for twelve hours. Using 100 barrels, they fired a million rounds without a failure. "It was this absolute fool proof reliability which endeared the Vickers to every British soldier who ever fired one.” The Vickers machine gun was based on the successful Maxim gun of the late 19th century. After purchasing the Maxim company outright in 1896, Vickers took the design of the Maxim gun and improved it, reducing its weight by lightening and simplifying the action and substituting components made with high strength alloys. A muzzle break was also added. The British Army formally adopted the Vickers gun as its standard machine gun on 26 November 1912, using it alongside their existing Maxims. There were still great shortages when the First World War began, and the British Expeditionary Force was still equipped with Maxims when sent to France in 1914. Vickers was, in fact, threatened with prosecution for war profiteering, due to the exorbitant price it was demanding for each gun. As a result, the price was slashed. As the war progressed, and numbers increased, it became the British Army's primary machine gun, and served on all fronts during the conflict. When the Lewis Gun was adopted as a light machine gun and issued to infantry units, the Vickers guns were redefined as heavy machine guns, withdrawn from infantry units, and grouped in the hands of the new Machine Gun Corps (when heavier 0.5 in/12.7 mm calibre machine guns appeared, the tripod-mounted, rifle-calibre machine guns like the Vickers became medium machine guns). After the First World War, the Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was disbanded and the Vickers returned to infantry units. Before the Second World War, there were plans to replace the Vickers gun. However, the Vickers remained in service with the British Army until 30 March 1968. Hundreds of thousands of these guns were manufactured in Erith and Crayford over several decades, and during both World Wars, this meant that the towns were legitimate wartime bombing targets. During both World Wars, the area economically benefited – for example in 1914, the number of trams run in Crayford and Erith was increased to transport the large number of munitions workers many of whom worked for Vickers making ammunition for use on the Western Front. With most of the young men volunteering for military service (conscription was yet to begin) many women entered paid employment for the first time, something that directly led to the start of female emancipation with the Representation of the People Act 1918. I have written at some length about inventor and businessman Hiram Maxim in the past; Maxim was American born but later naturalised British. He invented the sprung mouse trap, the first practical machine gun, the incandescent light bulb (though he famously failed to get the patent registered before Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan) and  the first heavier than air aircraft. After moving to England in 1881, Maxim began his aerial experiments at Baldwyns Park near Bexley Village, in the late 1880's, leading to the construction in 1893 of his enormous biplane Test-Rig, which weighed about three and a half tons. The machine's two steam engines each produced 180 horsepower. and turned two pusher propellers each 17-1/2 feet in diameter. Since the device was intended to be a test vehicle it was held to a track, preventing it from rising more than a couple of feet. On the Maxim Biplane Test-Rig's third test run, on July 31, 1894, with Maxim and a crew of three aboard, it lifted with such force that it broke the reinforced restraining track and careened for some two hundred yards, at times reaching an altitude of two or three feet above the damaged track. It was believed that a lifting force of some four and a half tons had been generated. After this, Maxim allowed his assistants to demonstrate the flying machine on a number of additional occasions, but he took no further part in the development – he rightly realised that the machine was a design “dead end” as it lacked practical flight controls. It was not until 1903 that the Wright Brothers worked out their system of ailerons and rudders that made flying practical and controllable. 

The weather over the last couple of weeks has been notoriously atrocious. Much has already been written about the subject, and I don't want to repeat what has already been said. One thing that it has highlighted is something I have mentioned in the past, but I feel that needs to be restated. There is understandable concern and public interest in the current coronavirus outbreak, yet there is a risk of infection from another source, and it is far more likely that you will encounter it. People who put their feet on the seats on public transport is something that winds me up no end; not only is it antisocial, but it is extremely unhygienic. Even if the culprit has not directly stood in a dog turd, the harmful bacteria from excrement is washed all over every pavement when it rains and everybody gets faecal bacteria on their footwear, whether they know it or not. It is only after a period of bright sunshine that the Ultra Violet light from the sun kills the micro organisms, but for much of the time in winter the footpaths and streets of Britain are literally awash with harmful bacteria, mainly from dog droppings. When someone puts their feet onto a bus or train seat, they transfer some of this bacteria onto the fabric of the seat, where it can live quite happily for several days. In that time, multiple bottoms will have sat on the invisible bacteria colony, transferring some of them for another ride on an unwitting hosts' clothes. The person has only to touch the invisibly infected area to pass harmful bugs onto their hands, and from there, virtually anywhere. This is one of the main reasons that when you visit a hospital or nursing care home, you are strongly encouraged to use antibacterial hand gel, which is normally supplied in a dispenser by the entrance. A good wash with soap and hot water will do pretty much the same, if like me you are sensitive to the gel. I have been told by a couple of medical professionals that about a third of infections blamed on MRSA in hospitals and nursing homes are actually caused by canine faecal bacteria transferred from visitors' clothing. Think on this next time you see someone putting their feet on a seat. 

I came across the advert above in an old map of Erith that I have had for absolutely ages. It was old when I was given it. Hedley Mitchell was the largest and by far the most important shop in the old Victorian Erith town centre. It was the towns' department store, and as large and grand as Hides in Bexleyheath. Many older local residents recall Hedley Mitchell with great affection. The store had a very high reputation for formal service. It was the first building to be demolished when work began to create the new (and subsequently much hated) brutalist concrete shopping centre in 1966. In fact the first act of demolition was carried out by the then Deputy Mayor, Councillor Mrs M Barron, ceremoniously smashed the window of Hedley Mitchell's store to mark the commencement of the demolition of Erith Town Centre to make way for redevelopment. As a consequence, all the existing Victorian buildings were lost. With hindsight, this was a terrible mistake - the existing town centre should have been sympathetically restored. I gather that this was considered, but would have cost too much money; instead they built a relatively cheap but undeniably ugly replacement out of bare concrete. I don't know anyone who had a good word to say about it. Consequently a lot of businesses upped sticks and moved to Bexleyheath or Northumberland Heath, and it is only now, over fifty years later that much of the social and economic damage is being put right. The current Erith Riverside Shopping Centre is actually a very clever redesign of the much hated sixties structure, rather than a ground up new build, but it has been done with taste and sensitivity - something entirely missing in the original, which was a smelly and soulless concrete monstrosity, detested by all.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. The photo above shows Neighbourhood Watch coordinators who attended the Yorkshire Building Society at Broadway, Bexleyheath, to assist at a fraud awareness event, at which they were informing people all about scams. They have been invited back for regular events and look forward to seeing people there in the future. Barnehurst ward - no report this week. Belvedere ward:- "From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Flaxman Court -Flaxman Court is a block of flats for elderly people (independent living). On 21st February someone allowed access to, two door to door salesmen which is not allowed. The men were very forceful and I can only describe them as ‘bullying' in an attempt to get the residents to buy items. However, I immediately informed the scheme manager who spoke to the men and asked them to leave the building which they did after being very verbal. From Police SNT Team - PCSO Robert Holmes:- On Friday 21/02/2020 we had a burglary in Ashburnham Road. A male had gained access via the front door but was seen and disturbed. Nothing taken and no damage caused. Over a two week period there was also a burglary in Eardley Road. The house was unfortunately ransacked. The suspect(s) had gained access via the rear door, causing damage. Unknown what was taken at this stage. We have had several thefts from motor vehicles recently on the ward. Please do take all valuables out of your vehicles and do not leave anything on display which might tempt a thief!" Bexleyheath ward:-"Monday 17/02/20 2000 Robbery Personal near Premier Inn Albion Road Head Phones and watch. Monday 17/02/20 1715 Robbery Personal Pushbike Stolen Council Offices Watling Street. Tuesday 18/02/20 1130 Purse Stolen from bag inside Library in Townley Road. Tuesday 18/02/20 0100 Criminal Damage nail in tyre Long Lane. Tuesday 18/02/20 1500 Attempted Theft Person Phone attempted to be taken from victims hand whilst using it Broadway - nothing taken.Wednesday 19/02/20 0330 – 0410 Burglary Business unknown items taken. Tuesday 18/02/20 1817 Theft from Meters Albion Road Car Park cash stolen. Thursday 20/02/20 1400 – 1430 Theft Person Phone taken from pocket Hospice Shop Broadway. Thursday 20/02/20 2000 – 2100 Theft of Motor Vehicle Swanbridge Road van taken keys still in victims possession. Saturday 22/02/20 0100 – 0615 Business Burglary Broadway cash and computer stolen. Saturday 22/02/20 2110 – 2115 Att Robbery on bus near Arnsberg Way - nothing taken. Friday 21/02/20 0900 – 1000 Burglary Bike Shed Clocktower Court 2 x pushbikes taken. Saturday 22/02/20 0700 Theft From Motor Vehicle Number Plates Stolen Hyde Road. Thursday 20/02/20 1200 – 1630 Theft of Motor Vehicle Albion Road. Tuesday 25/02/20 1510 – 1620 Theft from Motor Vehicle Catalytic Converter Sainsbury's car park. Tuesday 25/02/20 0945 – 1030 Theft of wallet on bus near Albion Road". Crayford ward - no report this week. Erith ward:- "Theft from and of motor vehicles is up. Please see the crime advice: Car security at home. Where possible ensure that your vehicle is parked on your driveway or in your garage if you have one. Alternatively, ensure your vehicle is parked in a well-lit area. Have an alarm and immobiliser fitted if your vehicle doesn't already have one. This is an effective way of deterring criminals. A Thatcham-compliant immobiliser or steering lock can help secure older vehicles. Locking wheel nuts are cheap and easy to fit to prevent your alloy wheels being stolen. Catalytic converters can be marked using a specialist metal security marking chemical and secure labels to warn potential thieves that the catalytic converter carries an identification mark. Securing your motorbike or scooter. If your motorbike or scooter doesn't already have one, consider having a Thatcham or Sold Secure approved electronic immobiliser professionally fitted. Ask your insurance company which devices they would recommend that will not invalidate your policy. If you have a security device fitted, always use it. A wide variety of locks can be used, such as chains or padlocks, disc locks and D locks. The most important thing to remember is to secure your motorbike to a solid object that can't be moved. Always put your steering lock on. When you are not using your motorbike or scooter, put it in your garage or a secure outbuilding with a fixed or ground anchor to secure it to inside the building. Don't leave your garage open and make sure your vehicle is covered up, even when you are at home. Crimes of note for the week Theft from Motor Vehicle Thursday 20/02/2020 Carrack House, Saltford Road. Theft from Motor Vehicle Friday 21/02/2020, Riverdale Road. Theft of Motor Vehicle  Sunday 23/02/2020, Chandlers Drive. Theft of Motor Vehicle Sunday 23/02/2020, Callender Road. Theft of Motor Vehicle Monday 24/02/2020 South Road. Theft from Motor Vehicle Monday 24/02/2020 Holly Hill Road". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Good news this week we have had no Burglaries reported within the last two weeks but unfortunately we have had several reports of theft from and theft of motor vehicles. Theft of pedal cycle from Belmont Road. Theft of motor vehicle - Vauxhall Grandland Estate from Bexley Road . Vehicle was then recovered a few days later. Theft of motor vehicle – Fiesta Ghia from Brook Street, Erith. Attempted theft of a motor vehicle on Northumberland Park. Victim found a strange key in the ignition and the the wires had been ripped out from underneath the dashboard. Theft of number plates from Penda Road, Erith". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Only one crime of note this last week, a vehicle was stolen from Betsham Road between 1700 and 1900 hours on Friday 21st Feb. The owner was alerted after the van was seen by a friend in Springhead Road but not being driven by him. No further information at this stage". Thamesmead East ward:-"Burglary Residential - Walsham Close Monday 17/02/2020 13:00 - Monday 17/02/2020 13:02:00 Keys to the property were hung up behind the door which was insecure. Suspect/s have opened the door removed car keys stolen victim's vehicle. Motor Vehicle Crime - Kale Road, Trefoil House Sunday 16/02/2020 14:00 – Monday 17/02/2020 08:30 suspect/s have gained access to vehicle by unknown method, causing damage to rear seats as they attempted to gain access into the boot. Handbag containing keys stolen from inside vehicle. Lensbury Way Monday 17/02/2020 13:00 – Friday 21/02/2020 11:00 Catalytic converter stolen from Honda Accord by suspect/s unknown. Glimpsing Green Tuesday 18/2/20 06:40 – 08:20 victim parked car at location on returning to the vehicle it was found the rear windscreen had been smashed by suspect/s. Sydney Road Thursday 20/2/20 22:00 – Friday 21/2/2020 19:00 Motor vehicle stolen. Leatherbottle Green 21/2/20 15:00 – 17:00 victim reports suspect/s have stolen his motorbike. A neighbour stated they saw 2 men loading the bike onto a trailer. Wolvercote Road Friday 21/2/20 18:00 – 15:00 Saturday 22/2/20 unknown suspect/s have removed Catalytic converter from Honda Civic. Baylis Avenue Sunday 23/2/20 09:30 – 11:15 Victims reports upon return to vehicle the passenger front window has been smashed beyond repair by suspect/s unknown. Hinksey Path Monday 24/2/20 08:35 – 08:58 victim reports Toyota Corolla broken into via smashed driver's side window nothing taken". West Heath ward:- "One burglary reported to us in Amberley Road this week between the hours of 1200 – 22.28 hours on Friday February 21st. It is not known at this stage of the enquiry how entry was gained or if anything was taken. Theft of a front number plate in Axminster Crescent Wednesday February 19th 170 – Thursday February 20th 11.30. The team have been busy as usual conducting High Visibility patrols in uniform and plain clothes across the ward. One arrest was made this week for domestic criminal damage, and a youth found in possession of cannabis was interviewed at the station. Further drop in surgeries at the Library in Bostall heath will be advertised shortly".

The end video this week is a bit of a promotion for the local area. Let me know what you think; you can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Compulsory purchase?

The building in the above photos (click on either for a larger view) is one of the landmarks of Erith. It is the first thing many visitors see when they enter the town for the first time, but it is also one of the least memorable. The large and nowadays rather run down and scruffy brick building is called Electricity House – though many locals are unaware of this. It was built back in 1938 and opened in November 1939 as a showroom and offices for the local electricity company, which at the time was run by the council. Pre – war services such as gas, water and electricity supply were quite commonly managed and supplied by local councils; the idea of private companies being involved was something that did not happen until after the war had ended. Electricity House was also a place where new electrical customers could view domestic appliances which they could buy via hire purchase (it sounds like an early version of BrightHouse, but without the crippling interest rates). As well as the showroom, Electricity House was home to what contemporary accounts say was a very upmarket dance hall with a fully sprung Canadian Maple floor; there was also a small Pathe cinema. The local electricity business was astonishingly successful – probably much helped by the fact that it offered the cheapest metered electricity in the entire UK at the time – one penny per unit. Ten thousand local people signed up for electrification in the first month alone, attracted by the offer of free connection to the local power grid – unusual at the time – many suppliers would even charge for the copper cable to connect new customers. In 1939 the Erith electricity board made a (for then) massive profit of £13,000. The idea was that the money would be used to improve local services and amenities for all, but the advent of war meant that early in 1940 Electricity House was handed over for war work, and once peace was restored, the money intended to benefit local people was absorbed by the LEB during nationalisation, and nothing was ever seen of it. Much of Erith was still lit by gas until relatively recently. I believe that some houses in West Street did not get electricity until 1947 when the London Electricity Board was formed, and the local council control of power was nationalised. For the last six years I have been writing about how Bexley Council had plans to compulsorily purchase the building, and redevelop the large site as a new gateway development for Erith. I have had some inside information from a number of confidential sources on the project, but was asked to keep quiet on certain subjects - until now, when Bexley Council have made the following public announcement:- "At its meeting next week (25th February) the Council’s Cabinet will consider options to improve the top end of Pier Road near the Queens Road Roundabout to create a new welcoming gateway for Erith town centre. The Council has been buying properties on Pier Road since July 2017 as part of the Erith Regeneration Programme and wants to create a high quality, mixed use commercial and residential area that provides a more welcoming entrance to the town centre. Cllr Louie French, Bexley’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth said: “We want Erith to become a vibrant riverside town again and upgrading the gateway to the town centre at Pier Road is an important part of this. We have been working hard over the past few years to secure the site and are now at a stage where we need to make a decision about how best to move things forward.” One option that will be considered at the meeting is whether or not to use the Council’s compulsory purchase powers to buy properties and identify a development partner to help redevelop it. If it chooses this option, the Council will work closely with those affected and keep them informed at all stages of the process". I wonder what the reaction was of the owners of the newly refurbished kebab shop in the block - what used to be Town Kebab, which closed nearly two months ago after it was sold, and the new owners extensively (and expensively) gutted the old shop and refitted it with an impressive new interior and kitchen. It has been renamed Best Kebab and Chicken. I hope that Bexley Council will properly recompense them when the compulsory purchase goes through.

Last week I wrote a long piece on wartime SOE agent Violette Szabo. I got an Email from a somewhat unexpected source as a consequence. Caroline Field of Orbit Housing Association wrote the following, very surprising article:- "I was fascinated to read your piece on Violette Szabo. I have a very loose family relationship to her – through my in-laws by marriage.  This is how we discovered it….  Long ago my 12 yr old son was extremely disgruntled to be asked to ‘find a love poem and write about it’ as homework.  I’d recently read Leo Marks’ book and gave him the ‘The life that I have’ poem.  This went down very well, spies, ciphers  and sabotage helping to make the love poem theme  a lot more palatable. Ten years or so on my father-in-law had just died.  He was a lay minister and all through his terminal illness he carried on conducting funerals, taking great care to personalise each ceremony with the bereaved.  He died the day he conducted his last funeral, having left no indication of his preference for his own.  The order of service for his last one was on the table so we turned to it for inspiration.  It included the Violette poem and my mother-in-law suggested that she would like it. I told her the story behind the poem, which she hadn’t known. ‘Violette Szabo was related to us’ she said. Not surprisingly we then decided to use the poem for the funeral and memorial service. It transpired that Aunt Brenda (mother-in-law’s sister)  had long ago travelled to Australia by sea.  Someone discovered that distant relatives would be on the voyage and put them in touch with Brenda, who would be otherwise be travelling alone. These relatives were Violette’s parents and her daughter, Tania.  Tania and Brenda have stayed in touch ever since."

It is 76 years this month since the world's first stored program digital computer was first switched on. On the 5th of February 1944, the MK1 Colossus attacked its first cipher challenge. Contrary to some erroneous accounts, Colossus was not used to break the German Enigma code – that work was done on a separate set of electromechanical analogue computers called Bombes. What Colossus did was crack the daily key settings of an even more fiendishly complicated cipher system called Lorenz, which was exclusively used by the Nazi High Command to communicate with each other. Colossus was designed and built by a team headed by an amazing electronic engineer called Tommy Flowers, who was born and raised the son of a bricklayer in Poplar, East London. Flowers was ferociously intelligent, and whilst an  apprentice electrician at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, he undertook  evening classes at the University of London, where he was awarded a BSc in Electrical Engineering. He later became the head of the Post Office Research Station in Dollis Hill, where prior to the war he was instrumental in the design of the first automatic telephone exchange. I have a personal connection with this piece of history; my late Great Uncle Horace worked in the Dollis Hill Research Station during the war. We know very little of his wartime experiences, but we do know that as well as being exempted from military service, he was also exempted from Home Guard or fire watching duties, which was extremely unusual at the time. He never said anything about what he had been doing, but it remains very likely indeed he was part of Tommy Flowers’ Colossus design and construction team, which was the most secret allied project of the war, classified even higher than the Manhattan Project to create the first nuclear weapons. Uncle Horace’s full name was Horace Payne. After the war he became the chief telephone exchange engineer for the City of London, and was based at the old international telephone exchange in Upper Thames Street (or it may have been King William Street - my memory is hazy - I was very young, and it was a long time ago), which handled all phone lines to America. He was one of only two people who had the key to the international hotline that linked London, Moscow and Washington DC, which was in a room made to look like a store cupboard.  When I was seven or eight years old, during a school holiday I got to spend the day with him at work. He showed me the hotline room, and actually it was not very impressive - no flashing lights as you would see in a cold war thriller. Instead it was very plain, and painted with what appeared to be war surplus battleship grey. There were a few panels with unlit lights, and a patch panel with some cords attached to it. There was also a small table and a matching chair, and that was about that. Reality did not match the fictional “James Bond” image, which was very disappointing for a small boy. In his office Uncle Horace had a big Victorian roll - top desk, and propped against it was a very tatty and battered looking cricket bat. I recall I was sat with a carton of Kia Ora drink whilst he made some phone calls whilst smoking a horrid roll - up cigarette. For some unknown reason he smoked roll – ups at work, but at home he smoked conventional boxed cigarettes; he had a large collection of vintage cigarette cards, some in albums, and others in large piles which he kept on top the fireplace in his back room. I would imagine that nowadays they would be worth a small fortune. A junior engineer came in and said that there was a problem with a relay rack (the City exchange was the last one in London to be converted to digital, and at this time was still electro mechanical). Horace slowly got up, stubbed out his fag, then picked up the cricket bat, before winking at me as he said “come with me lad”. We went into the open relay floors, where tens of thousands of electro mechanical relays were clattering as they made automatic phone connections. The junior engineer pointed to a rack where the relays were not moving - they appeared to be frozen or jammed. Uncle Horace said “Stand Back!” to me over the din. He then took a great swing with the cricket bat at the relay frame. There was a loud bang, and the  frozen relays all jumped back into life!. He then fished around in the pocket of his waistcoat for a piece of chalk, and marked a cross on the side of the relay frame, before saying to his assistant “we’ll take this one out tonight - get it booked”. Now - this really impressed me! That was the only time I ever got to see what he did at work; he was extremely diffident about his past, and always managed to steer the conversation elsewhere if the subject came up. Ironically I am now sitting here typing this whilst wearing Horace’s Omega dress watch, which I inherited from him when he died. He was a real enigma, and a lovely man. Colossus was an amazing feat of engineering - It occupied the size of a living room (7 ft high by 17 ft wide and 11 ft deep), weighed five tonnes, and used 8kW of power. It incorporated 2,500 valves, 501 of which are thyraton switches, about 100 logic gates and 10,000 resistors connected by 7 km of wiring. Reading 5000 characters per second (faster than anything ever produced commercially), Colossus found the start wheel positions of Lorenz-encrypted messages to enable the decryption of 63 million characters. Typically, it took Colossus up to four hours to establish the start wheel positions of messages. It is often surmised that the Allies might have been reading some of the decrypted messages even before they reached Nazi High Command. By the end of the war, 63 million characters of high-grade German messages had been decrypted by the 550 people working on the ten functioning Colossi at Bletchley Park. After the war, some of the Colossi were destroyed, and the remaining ones moved to GCHQ, where it is said they were in operation until the mid 1970’s. By the early 1980’s the story of Bletchley Park and the Colossus computer was finally coming out, after over thirty years of total secrecy. Great Uncle Horace never said a word, and it is to my great regret that we only discovered after his death what almost certainly was his involvement with the astonishing feat which has gone on to change the world. Comment and feedback to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Uncle Horace's best friend was the highly acclaimed amateur astronomer, comic actor and film star Will Hay - a name largely forgotten today, but a comic actor whose best work influenced the likes of The Goon Show, and Monty Python, and his most famous film "Oh, Mister Porter!" was a direct influence on "Dad's Army" - in fact,  Jimmy Perry, in his autobiography, wrote that the trio of Captain Mainwaring, Corporal Jones and Private Pike in Dad's Army was inspired by watching Oh, Mr Porter!  Born in Stockton in 1888, Hay’s family moved him south to Suffolk before his first birthday. As his father became a jobbing engineer so the family’s mobility quickly increased – moving next to Hemel Hempstead then to London and finally to Manchester where Hay Senior established his own firm. Wanting independence, Will refused to join the family company and started instead as an apprentice engineer for Westinghouse. Yet Hay was no typical engineer and his humour hid by the fact that, by the age of 19, he had learnt German, French and Italian to such a high level that he was able to leave engineering and became an interpreter. His nineteenth year also saw him married to fellow teenager Gladys Perkins and when his daughter Gladys Elspeth was born some eighteen months later Hay decided he could make a better living for his new family in the pre-Great War music halls. Stealing some of his sister Eppie’s staff room reminiscences – she was a full time teacher – Hay began to develop his pompous, bumbling schoolmaster act. After working for over three years with the Fred Karno troupe, where Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin had developed their craft, Hay swiftly found himself the talk of the town: selling out Britain’s biggest music halls, playing sets for the Prince of Wales and successfully touring America, South Africa and Canada. Then came Boys Will Be Boys (1935) his first starring film role with a screenplay written by Hay himself. The story wasn't overly deep – a prison teacher cons his way into a boarding school job and helps stop a diamond theft – but it did have its moments. And it was the perfect frame for Hay’s idiot teacher routines…Then, in 1937,  Graham Moffatt joined Moore Marriott as Hay’s two sidekicks in the finest comic film any of them would ever be involved with, Oh, Mr Porter! wherein Hay discovers the (Northern) Irish railway station he’s been sent to run, Buggleskelly, is actually a run-down mess. Gun-runners, ghosts, secret windmills and missing trains – Hay and his two stooges come out on top in a film that is, even now, genuinely funny, at times hilarious. Oh, Mister Porter! (1937) was a deserved box office smash in its day, taking some £500,000 in British cinemas alone – the equivalent now would be over £15 million. In the immediate pre - war years, Will Hay was the second highest paid entertainer in Britain, earning a reputed £800 per week - narrowly pipped in the earnings stakes by George Formby. Outside of show business, Will Hay was a dedicated and respected amateur astronomer. He constructed a personal observatory in his garden in Mill Hill and built a glider in 1909. He became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1932 and is noted for having discovered a Great White Spot on the planet Saturn in 1933. The spot lasted for a few months and then faded away. He also measured the positions of comets with a micrometer he built himself, and designed and built a blink comparator. He wrote the book Through My Telescope in 1935, which had a foreword by Sir Richard Gregory, formerly Emeritus Professor of Astronomy at Queen's College, London. When Hay died, a few items of his equipment were bequeathed to the British Astronomical Association. Some years ago I came across a long out of print book on the life of Will Hay, and it had some photos taken of his garden and his private observatory; in one of the early shots, the construction of his observatory is shown; several people are helping with the digging of the observatory foundations. One chap is seen stripped to his string vest and leaning on a shovel - it was my late Great Uncle Horace on what must have been a very hot day for manual labour. I wish I had a copy of the book. In 1947, Hay suffered a stroke which left him physically disabled. He died at his flat in Chelsea, London after a further stroke in 1949, and is buried in Streatham Park Cemetery, London SW16.

Pac-Man, the biggest arcade game of all time, turned 40 years old last week. Released by the Japanese company Namco in February 1980, Pac-Man was like nothing else at the time. At a time when Space Invaders and Asteroids and other games with abstracted, monochrome graphics ruled the arcade, Pac-Man offered a striking, cartoonish design with an appealing central character. It revolved around eating, not shooting; and it was designed to appeal to young women and couples, not spotty nerks in anoraks (although they all played it too). The colourful design and unique collect-the-dots maze gameplay—plus the wonderful tension of running away from those ghosts, then scrambling to eat them once you got a power pellet—made Pac-Man almost instantly addictive, eating ten pence pieces as rapaciously as its protagonist swallowed pixels. By one count, Namco sold 400,000 Pac-Man machines, head and shoulders above anything that had come before, or since. And it is still highly playable and popular in a way its contemporaries are not—few people are paying for Asteroids or Space Invaders updates today, but Namco Bandai still makes and sells variations on Pac-Man on every platform imaginable. Pac-Man’s ubiquity was our first indication that games were about to become the dominant entertainment medium of the information age. (It also arguably marked the beginning of Japan’s impending pop-cultural invasion of the rest of the world, even if players at the time didn't know where it came from).

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:-

"This knife was recovered by an alert resident of Northumberland Way whilst out walking his dog in Castleton Avenue on the evening of 18th February. He saw a vehicle pull up next to a BT green box, saw a woman get out and then heard something metal drop behind the box. When the vehicle drove off he looked and found a 12' knife. The knife is now in possession of the police. Good news again for Barnehurst as we did not have many crimes. The Barnehurst team have been visiting residents this week and have been offering crime prevention advice. We are more than happy to come to your home and offer you crime prevention advice, so please give us a call on 02087212577. We have noticed that there has been 3 Theft from Motor Vehicles around the Colyers Lane area as we are urging residents to make sure that their vehicles are locked. We have had one burglary on Castleton Avenue, whereby entry was gained via the ground floor front door. The team also arrested a male for GBH and are continuing to provide proactive patrols across the ward. Please join us for our community contact day on TUESDAY 3rd MARCH at 11:00 hours at Barnehurst Golf Course. We will discuss any ward issues that you have and we will also provide residents with crime prevention advice". Belvedere ward:- "Overnight on the Saturday 15/02/2020 to Sunday 16/02/2020 at Jutland House, little Brights Road several of the mailboxes were broken into and contents thrown on the floor. Unknown who did this at present but enquiries are ongoing with the estate management regarding CCTV enquiries. On Sunday 16/02/2020 a burglary occurred on Orchard Road in the early hours. Someone had gained entry via the kitchen window. Documents were taken. On the Friday 14/02/2020 there was a commotion on Picardy Street whereby a male started arguing with another and a fight took place. The dental surgery also suffered damage in this affair. Investigation ongoing. Officers conducted a weapon sweep around Picardy Street on Sunday 16/02/2020 after the incident the day before and a chisel was found dumped in the bushes opposite the shops. Blade was rusty but could still cause damage if used for a nefarious purpose". Bexleyheath ward:-"Tuesday 11/02/20 1720 Robbery Air Pods Broadway. Wednesday 12/2/20 2100 – 13/2/20 0600 Theft From Motor Vehicle Martens Avenue - change stolen. Between Wednesday 12/2/20 2200 and Thursday 13/2/20 0630 Theft From Motor Vehicle Sterling Road car broken into nothing stolen. Between Friday 7/02/20 and Wednesday 12/02/20 Theft From Parking Meters Cineworld Car Park coins taken. Between Saturday 8/02/20 1500 and Sunday 9/02/20 1400 Criminal Damage Henfield Close rear gate damaged, no entry gained to property. Thursday 13/02/20 1900 Burglary Broomfield Road suspects have forced door, resident has been alerted to noise and shouted at suspects who have left scene. Friday 14/02/20 1545 Purse dropped on BROADWAY went back and found it however money and travel card were missing. Friday 14/02/20 1755 Robbery Air Pod case stolen by youths near Subway on Broadway. Saturday 15/02/20 0030 – 0600 Theft of Motor Vehicle Land Rover Latham Road. Saturday 15/02/20 1225 Robbery Russell Park. 3 suspects arrested Sunday". Crayford ward:- "We are happy to report that Crayford hasn't suffered any burglaries this week. We have managed to locate two stolen vehicles this week one was a motorcycle that was dumped by the thieves in a quiet cul de sac and car that was too badly damaged to be returned to its owner . The team have made a couple of arrest over the last few days, one for ABH after a male had assaulted an ex-partner at their home address and another male was arrested for a breach of a court order. ASB around the ward has improved lately, although we are still getting reports of youths causing issues in and around the Town Hall Square area. During evening patrols around the Dale Road area of Crayford, officers witnessed what they believed to be a drug deal in a dimly lit alley way, as they approached the two males they ran off towards Dale Close where unfortunately they were lost. However, officers retraced their steps after seeing objects fall out of the pockets of one of the males which was discovered to be a quantity of cash (notes) We have also conducted six stop and searches with some positive results". Erith ward:- "One burglary from the last week, Rear door forced open, and items of jewellery taken. We have a few sets of Smart Water left so if you would require one please email us and we will do our best to get one to you. 3 theft of motor vehicles and 2 thefts from motor vehicles. Vehicle crime is by far the largest crime across Erith. If you park your car on a drive way or outside your house it might be a good idea to invest in a camera, CCTV cameras are getting cheaper all the time, just a suggestion worth thinking about. Crimes of note from the last week: Theft of Motor vehicle Wednesday 12/02/2020 Queen Street, Residential burglary Wednesday 12/02/2020 Bramble Croft - Entry through locked rear window. Untidy search. Watch and jewellery taken". Northumberland Heath ward:- "No burglaries in the last week. 2 vehicles broken in to overnight on Thursday 13/02/2020. A log book and other paperwork were stolen from a vehicle in Camrose Avenue. A mobile phone was stolen from a vehicle in Belmont Road. Please do not leave any valuables in your vehicles at any time or any important papers etc. Due to staffing levels there will be no Community Contact Session until early in March. PCSO Lorraine is continuing ASB patrols in the park, Sussex Road and Becton Place whenever possible". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "A burglary took place between 10am and 3pm in Sun Court on Friday 14/02/2020. Items taken included a tv, car keys and jewellery. Entry was made via the kitchen window (situated at the rear of the property. Please ensure all doors and windows are locked each time you go out. We have had 3 vehicles damaged in 3 separate roads in the past week, all on different nights. A windscreen was smashed in Bridge Road, all windows smashed in Duriun Way and a wing mirror ripped off along with scratches on the car door in Hazel Road. It is unclear if these are all linked but if you happen to see anyone loitering around during night time hours, please call 101. Due to the weather we had to cancel our Smart Water event in Egerton Place last Saturday. A new date will be sent out in due course. Our next Community Contact Session is from 2.30pm on Thursday 27/02/2020 at Slade Green library". Thamesmead East ward:- "No burglaries this week Motor Vehicle Crime Kale Road Wednesday 12/2/20 between 1:00am -5:am an unknown person ,managed to gain entry to a vehicle without causing any damage, steal trainers, an iPad and a wallet containing £20.00. Hartslock Drive Saturday 15/2/20 between 12:55pm and 1:05pm the catalytic converter was stolen from a parked vehicle. Criminal Damage Glimpsing Green Between Tuesday 11/2/20 6:00pm and 7:30am on Wednesday 12/2/20 a resident reported that her post box had been damaged. Walsham Green Wednesday 12/2/20 between the hours of 3:50pm and 11:20pm ,eggs, flour and tomato ketchup had been thrown at the front of the residents property, hitting the door and windows. Good News PC's John and Nana, over the weekend, the group of youths who had been involved in shoplifting attended the Thamesmead East police office were given strong words of advice as to their future conduct and had to write letters of apology. The youths attended with their parents or an appropriate adult". West Heath ward:- "Excellent news this week no burglaries and no vehicle crimes have been reported on West Heath Ward. The Ward officers have been working collaboratively with East Wickham and Crook Log officers on proactive burglaries and motor vehicle crime patrols. On Monday 17th February 5 males were stopped and searched for drugs at various locations on the wards, one stop resulting in an investigation for possession of cannabis with the intent to supply. On Tuesday 18th West Heath officers took part in a Knife Arch Operation at Slade Green BR where three arrests were made for various offences including a suspect carrying a knife".

To celebrate the ascension to the throne of King George V, Bexley Urban District Council commissioned Walter Maxted Epps to design a clock tower for Bexleyheath town centre. Early professional cinematographer Harry Pease shot this film of the inauguration of the clock tower in July 1912. It is part of the archive film collection at Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre. Look out for the firemen standing on their horse-drawn engine. Please feel free to Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Spamalot.

After all of the controversy surrounding last year's licence application by the owners of The White Hart African Restaurant and Wine Bar at 44 Erith High Street, and their rejected request to open until 5am every day of the week, I was hoping that the restaurant would settle down and become an active part of the local community. Proper sit down restaurants are not as common as many would like in Erith, and anything that would encourage more local night life should be welcomed. Unfortunately The White Hart seems not to be living up to that ideal. It was recently examined by health inspectors from Bexley Council, and ended up with a deplorable one star out of a possible five on the "Scores on the Doors" food hygiene rating website. Bearing in mind the kitchen installation is only eight months old, and was apparently brand new when installed, it beggars belief into what must have happened in less than a year to qualify it for a one star health rating. I have had reports from  a couple of trusted local sources that on top of the poor standard of hygiene, the food produced by the restaurant is of dubious quality - one local critic wrote "it looked like it came out of a tin". Another customer wrote that:- "We were seated at 7.30pm. I received my food 9.42pm. The last person received their food after 10pm. There was no kind gesture, or proper apology. No discount off the bill for poor service. They admitted that the mistake was on their part but didn’t see how they could ensure that customers left feeling satisfied. Restaurants stay afloat because customers come in and choose to spend their money there. If they have to wait 2.5 hours for food that was pre ordered days in advance, this is considered poor service. The manager refused to be a part of this conversation. They left a server to deal with a matter that was beyond her. I am deeply disappointed with this service and the lack of compassion and lack of professionalism!" It would also seem from the photographs posted online on various social media channels, that the former pub beer cellar, which has been converted into a VIP lounge would appear to be in regular use, despite the licence condition that the cellar could not be used as it did not have a fire exit, which contravenes health and safety legislation, and also, if true, would be in breach of the building's fire certificate. I attended the council licencing meeting for The White Hart, and was present when a senior Bexley fire officer underlined this fact. This is all very disappointing. I was hoping that The White Hart would become a destination venue for the town, and a lead venue in regenerating night time socialisation in Erith; at present many people - if they go out at all - journey to Bexleyheath, Dartford or Bluewater, rather than eat and drink locally. This also is disappointing when one considers that the food health standards in Bexley have been improving markedly over the last few years. Bexley continues to be one of the highest rated places to eat out in London. Figures released by The Food Standards Agency (FSA) for 2018/19 show that 93.4 percent of food businesses in Bexley are rated at 3, 4, or 5. This is higher than the 90.5 percent rating for the whole of London. The food hygiene ratings scheme scores food businesses from 5 to 0. The ratings are: 5 - very good; 4 - good; 3 - generally satisfactory; 2 - some improvement is necessary; 1 - major improvement is necessary; 0 - urgent improvement is required. Food safety officers from the Council inspect businesses to check that it follows food hygiene law so that the food is safe to eat. Food hygiene ratings are given to restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways, food vans and stalls, canteens, hotels, supermarkets and other food shops, schools, hospitals and care homes. The allocated score is supposed to be displayed both at the premises and online, although low scoring premises often use fake ratings stickers, or re - use previously issued stickers with higher ratings. Currently it is not compulsory for food outlets to display their "Scores on the Doors" ratings - however much this might be desirable. What do you think? Have you eaten at The White Hart? What was your opinion of the food and the service? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com with your thoughts.

Yesterday the London Evening Standard published a story which damned the local area with faint praise, and made a factually inaccurate statement - the article read:- "With an average asking price of £305,700, the riverfront area of Erith in south-east London is the cheapest place to buy in the capital. It’s not currently the most prepossessing spot – it's surrounded by sewage works and industrial estates – but you can buy a detached house for under £500,000 and there is change on the horizon. There are new-build three-bedroom houses for less than £400,000 at The Quarry, which describes itself as an eco-development with 600 new homes, a primary school, park and play areas. Help to Buy is available on the scheme. In the as yet undetermined medium to long term the area will also benefit from Crossrail stops at Abbey Wood and Woolwich once the new line is finally up and running.  Erith’s western neighbour, Thamesmead, is the second cheapest place to buy in London with an average price of £309,400". You can read the whole of the original article by clicking here. 

Did you know that Gmail in the UK is fifteen years old in the this week? Google announced the (then) revolutionary browser based Email client in the USA on April 1st 2004, and released it in the UK later in June. Many industry pundits at the time thought the whole thing was an elaborate April Fool’s Day hoax – who would ever offer each and every user an online message storage capacity of 1 Gigabyte – five hundred times the capacity of the then market leader, Microsoft’s Hotmail? As history shows, it was anything but a trick – it was the single most important release Google had made to date since it launched its search engine in 1998. Gmail was revolutionary for a number of important reasons: It has vast storage, a very zippy and responsive user interface that was well thought out, user friendly and intuitive. It also had a very powerful message search function, which other browser based Email solutions were not able to replicate. On top of this, it was the first major cloud based application that was feature complete and capable of replacing conventional PC software, rather than complimenting it. Gmail was started by a chap called Paul Buchheit – a (then) young software engineer, who was Google’s 23rd employee. He wanted a tool that would search through his archived Email messages, and realising nothing suitable was available, decided to write a search function himself. Initially the Email search engine was running on an old PC on his desk; then other Google engineers asked if they could use Paul Buchheit’s search engine to search their own emails. At the time, the likes of Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail had little or no inbuilt search functionality – but then, it was not really a priority when users were limited to twenty megabytes of storage, and were having to continually delete messages in order to keep under their storage limit. Messages were hard to lose when the limits were so small.  Gmail gave users a Gigabyte of storage – all for free. Initially the web based Gmail was a product only used within Google itself. The company managed much of its business via Email, and having an in – house solution made a lot of sense to them. A decision was made to offer the web application (a first – previous web based Email clients from other vendors had been clunky and dog – slow efforts written in HTML – every time something changed on screen, the whole page needed to be reloaded, which was slow and flickery and gave a very poor user experience – something Google were keen to avoid). Instead Google wanted Gmail to feel like an installed application that one merely happened to be accessing via a web browser – something revolutionary at the time, and not that common nowadays. With Gmail, Paul Buchheit worked around HTML’s limitations by using highly interactive JavaScript code. That made it feel more like software than a sequence of web pages. Before long, the approach would get the moniker AJAX, which stood for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML; today, it is how all web applications like FaceBook and Google Docs are built. But when Gmail was pioneering the technique, it wasn’t clear that it was going to work. The fundamental issue was that back in 2002/3, when Gmail was being developed, web browsers were far less sophisticated than nowadays. The problem with using large chunks of JavaScript programming code to make a slick, quick web experience was that Internet Explorer 6 (by far the most widely used web browser at the time) was pretty poor at handling JavaScript, (actually IE6 was pretty poor at everything, but that is another story). Google were worried that by making a sophisticated, cutting edge product, they would end up crashing Internet Explorer 6 every so often, which would annoy and alienate their key user base. Eventually the quirks and shortcomings of Internet Explorer 6 were tamed, and Gmail was ready for release. Initially it was going to be offered to a limited number of public Beta testers (I was one of these people – I have one of the first 1,500 Gmail user accounts ever created). Google were so unsure of how Gmail would be received that they initially hosted the entire service on three hundred old Pentium III computers that nobody else at Google wanted, and were otherwise going into the recycling skip. The initial limited run of accounts was soon boosted, as a Gmail address became the new, fashionable thing to have – the scarcity made it cool. Not everything was going Google’s way though. The Gmail business model, which was (and still is) based on scanning the message text, and serving up discreet, context sensitive adverts was not universally well received. A U.S politician, California State Senator Liz Figueroa  sent Google a letter of her own, calling Gmail a “disaster of enormous proportions, for yourself, and for all of your customers.” She went on to draft a bill requiring, among other things, that any company that wanted to scan an email message for advertising purposes get the consent of the person who sent it. (By the time the California Senate passed the law, cooler heads prevailed and that obligation had been eliminated.) Nevertheless, if ultimate privacy is a concern of yours, Gmail is not for you. Despite this, the last time Google released usage figures was back in 2012; at that time Gmail had 425 million active and frequently used accounts - it is now thought that figure comfortably exceeds 1.4 billion, which suggests to me that discomfort with Google’s approach to online advertising is a minority concern (either that, or many people know no better, which is a possibility). Compared with Hotmail (now Outlook.com) the look and feel of Gmail has changed little – any updates and changes are incremental and subtly performed; Google realise that a substantial portion of their customers value the familiarity of the application, and don’t want change for change’s sake. Whatever your views, Gmail has come a hell of a long way in the last fifteen years, and it is a cornerstone of many people’s lives. Happy Birthday Gmail.

Last night I attended the final performance of Spamalot, performed by members of Erith Playhouse. It was a sell - out show of the classic Monty Python comedy musical. Incidentally the production made history - it was the first time that Spamalot had been performed by an amateur theatre company - all other shows until now had been professionally presented. It was a wonderful - if extremely hot evening, and a very entertaining play. You can read a review of the Erith Playhouse production of Spamalot by clicking here. Click on either of the photographs above to see a larger version. You can visit the Erith Playhouse website by clicking here. 

Once again Belvedere has come out with the dubious distinction of being the hardest place in the UK to pass your driving test, with a pass rate of just 31 per cent over the last decade. December is the least fruitful of months, with success rates declining as low as 29 per cent, the recently reported statistics suggest. The national average of passes is just over 50 per cent. If you sit your driving test in Scotland, you have a far higher chance of passing - go to Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute where it is 73 per cent, rising to an incredible 90 per cent in May. Quite why it is so difficult to pass your driving test in Belvedere is not clear; if any reader can cast light on this situation, please feel free to contact me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

It would seem that after several years of on / off negotiations, the theme park that has been so long planned for North Kent is not only back on, but the original partner - Paramount - who backed out of the huge project, are now suddenly back on board. The theme park was originally due to open this year, but has now been delayed until some point yet to be determined. It is to be located on the Swanscombe Peninsula, which will feature Europe’s largest indoor water park, theatres, live music venues, attractions, cinemas, restaurants, event space and hotels. Allied to the project will be a training academy for the entertainment and hospitality sectors, a new country park, a large science and education visitor complex and the biggest performing arts centre in Europe.  The plans for the park received considerable backing from the British government when Paramount London became the first commercial venture to be awarded Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project status allowing the developers to bypass local planning requirements. It will involve at least 25,000 permanent full and part time jobs in an area which has exceptionally high regional unemployment. An area estimated to stretch between Dover and Greenwich will benefit from the jobs and money that the theme park will generate. The theme park have hired a new Chief Executive in the form of PY Gerbeau, who famously took on the failed Millennium Dome project, prior to its conversion into the successful O2 Arena that it is today. London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH) said in  a recent press interview:- “The new partnership with Paramount is fantastic news for everyone. Now the best of Hollywood will be joining the best of British from BBC Studios and ITV Studios, to create amazing and unique experiences for the whole family. I am delighted to join The London Resort and to play my part in helping to create a world-class destination to rival all others. Central to that strategy is to partner with the best brands from across TV, film, music and entertainment. Having Paramount on board is a major step towards realising that ambition". I suppose that the pessimist in me says that Paramount have dropped out once before; I can see no guarantee that they won't do it again. Having said that, with intellectual property from the BBC and ITV, along with Paramount, if the theme park does indeed go ahead, it will be a huge benefit to the entire region in terms of jobs and prosperity that will follow. Three times larger than other UK parks, it will have 200 acres dedicated to rides and experiences and a bespoke entertainment district devoted to a full-suite of hospitality experiences including the provision of thousands of hotel rooms. This is inevitably going to push up the local house prices, and the areas such as the North of the London Borough of Bexley are almost certain to be disproportionately affected. If you are contemplating purchasing a property in Erith, Slade Green or the surrounding towns, I would strongly advise you to do it as soon as possible, as prices are set to go through the roof.

I was pretty much self taught in computing; when I was at school, computer studies was a very new field, and generally maths teachers were given the job of teaching pupils about computers. Some were excellent, many had little training and less aptitude for the job. At my school, a fair number of pupils knew way more than the computer studies teacher. I recall the time when my friend Roy and I rewrote the CP/M operating system disk on the school’s solitary Research Machines 380Z so that instead of saying on boot up “Research Machines 380Z Basic (C) RM 1979” it said “Washing Machines 380Z Basic (C) Hugh and Roy”. The teacher went ballistic – saying “you’ve broken the computer” and banning us from the computer room for a month. He could not grasp the fact that we had copied the operating system onto a fresh floppy disc, and only made changes to the copy. This kind of innocent (and sometimes not so innocent) tinkering was a key way we learned how to program and also modify computer hardware. It also helped that this all happened at the beginning of the home computer revolution in 1981/82. The BBC Micro, the Sinclair ZX81, and a little later the ZX Spectrum, and a host of other pioneering machines were making their way into the bedrooms of children all over the UK. Compared with kids in the USA, who had Apple II‘s and IBM PC’s, which at the time had a substantially greater amount of processing clout, us Brits were struggling with computers with very limited resources indeed. Back then almost all kids could program their computers with a varying degree of skill. My own programming abilities were okay – my BASIC programming code was horribly inelegant and messy, but it usually worked – in the end. Since these golden days of the dawn of the home computer age, things have changes in many ways, some for the better, but many for the worse. School children have not been taught programming for years; instead computer studies lessons are mainly in how to use Microsoft Office or other proprietary applications. This was until as recently as 2012, when a charitable organisation called the Raspberry Pi Foundation was established. They are a not for profit group aiming to promote children learning programming by using a Raspberry Pi computer - a cheap and easy to use personal computer, which has just been updated to its fourth incarnation. Raspberry Pi computers are a partial return to simple, easy to use and learn computers; in spirit very similar to the original Sinclair ZX Spectrum, although in reality many magnitudes more powerful. It has been commented that the new model 4 Raspberry Pi is actually more powerful that the Cray 1 Supercomputer, which, in 1976 was the most powerful computer on the planet. The photo above shows my own Raspberry Pi 3 model B+ - it is inside the small black box a little smaller than a kitchen matchbox next to the monitor. I use it as my backup computer; it runs a version of Linux designed for the Raspberry Pi. I will be upgrading it to the new model 4 in due course. Click on the photo above for a larger view.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association, firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Yet another week goes by and no burglaries on Barnehurst Ward so good news there. We have just had one incident of vehicle crime, this took place in Twigg Close on Tuesday 25th June 2019 at 2.00pm. A Grey Yamaha Vity Motorbike Registration number LY62 GJO was stolen from outside the victim's property. The victim heard the alarm sound and on looking out he saw the motorbike being driven away, the lock to the bike had also been broken. The suspect riding the bike was wearing a brown Nike fleece type jacket and was not wearing a helmet. Three other suspects on motorbikes were seen driving off too. If you have any Information regarding this Incident please contact us. Our next community contact session is on Tuesday 2nd July 2019 at 11.00am, Barnehurst Golf Club". Belvedere ward:- "The team have visited the Smerdon Centre in Lumley Close in relation to damage to the roof that was caused recently and have also been patrolling around Nuxley Road and the Albert Road park area as we have been informed that there are incidents of criminal damage (in the park) and youths gaining access to the rooftops of certain shops. These patrols will continue for the foreseeable future as these incidents appear to be continuing. We were able to return a found wallet to the owner recently – many thanks to those helpful members of the public that were kind enough to approach the team to hand the found item to us. Happy to report that the wallet was not stolen, just lost. The team witnessed an off road bike being driven in Halt Robin Road and Lower Road last weekend, the rider of which refused to stop and speak to us. The team believe we have identified the rider and will be visiting his home address in the coming days. We have had a report of a strong cannabis smell lingering around Battle Road / Stanmore Road / Glendale Road. We have been unable to place where it is coming from yet. If anyone has any ideas or know where it is emanating please get in touch". Bexleyheath ward:- "There has been no reports of burglaries or attempted burglaries on the ward Along Martin Dene Bexleyheath there was a report of a theft from motor vehicle that seemed to have happened overnight between Tuesday 18/06/2019 & Wednesday 19/06/2019; A theft of purse was reported along the Broadway Bexleyheath on Wednesday 19/06/2019. No exact time or location was given. There has been three report of phones being taken. One was taken from the victims pocket in TKMAX, reported on Saturday 22/06/2019. Another one reported stolen from Costa Coffee shop in the Broadway on the same day – Saturday 22/06/2019. The others had their phone stolen along Belvedere Road Bexleyheath on Thursday 20/06/2019. Phone was taken from victims hand whilst suspect was riding a bike. There was also a report of cash taken from the victims pocket on Sunday 23/06/2019 in the Lidl Store in Bexleyheath; Thursday 20/06/2019 - Four males stopped by the bowling alley Bexleyheath and one was found to be in possession of cannabis. Also a PND was also issued for possession of cannabis which was also by the Bowling alley. On Tuesday evening the ward panel meeting took place and new ward priorities have now been set, these are now as follows: - Tackle Drug Dealing along Methuen Road, Hawthorn Road, Oaklands Road, & Sherbrooke Close; - ASB with bikes/youths along Braeside Close and Bursted Woods including the surrounding roads; - An increase use of social media regarding information around theft of purses along the Broadway. The team regularly conduct patrols along drug hot spot areas and ASB areas on the ward and conduct regular stops and searches where necessary". Crayford ward:- "Tools were stolen from a blue Peugeot 307 whilst parked at Tower Retail Park on Monday 17th June at 11.55. A white Mercedes Sprinter (number plate YF18FXW) was stolen from Crayford Way in the early hours of Friday 21st June, no keys were used. Between 22.00 on Friday 21st June and Sunday 22nd June at 07.00 a wing mirror which had been turned in on a Citroen whilst parked at Perry Street was forcefully kicked off. Criminal damage was caused to five vehicles whilst parked at Bookers Cash and Carry on Monday 24th June, it is believed that the suspects of this were going to rob other vehicles. On Wednesday 26th June between 19.00-19.05 there was an attempted robbery in Watling Street, the male was walking towards London Road when he was approached by two Males on a moped who attempted to rob him. Number plates RF66ONB were stolen from Swale Motor Group at Thames Road on between 17.30 on Thursday 20th June and 08.30 on Friday 21st June. These plates are registered to a grey three door Fiesta. Criminal damage was caused to vehicles parked at Crayford Industrial Estate by males in a black Volkswagen on Monday 24th June at 12.30. In the early hours of Monday 24th June a suspect attempted to turn and push away a motorcycle parked in Woodside Road, luckily it was well secured. The Crayford Ward Panel meeting was held at Vintage Lindy Lou's on Tuesday 25th June, our thanks to Fay for refreshments. The new ward promises are Anti-social behaviour and preventing burglary. There will be no community contact sessions for the next two weeks". Erith ward:- "We spoke about scams and took questions from members of the public in Erith Library. This small event went well and we will be looking at doing this again soon. Weapon sweeps have been carried out across Erith. Nothing of note has been found which is a good thing. The next Community Contact Session is at Erith Costa Coffee on Saturday 29th June 2019 at 5pm. Crimes of note - Theft from motor vehicle Tuesday 18/06/2019 Bexley Road; Theft from motor vehicle Thursday 20/06/2019 James Watt Way; Criminal Damage motor vehicle Thursday 20/06/2019 Maximfeldt Road; Theft from motor vehicle Monday 24/06/2019 Vickers Road; Theft from motor vehicle Sunday; 23/06/2019 Fraser House, Fraser Road; Theft of motor vehicle Monday 24/06/2019; C/Dam Vehicle Sunday 23/06/2019 Erith Road; Theft of motor vehicle Tuesday 25/06/2019 Compton Place; Theft of MV Wednesday 26/06/2019 Arran Close". Northumberland Heath ward:- "PCSO Lorraine has been conducting patrols on Bexley Road in relation to an increase of ASB, She has also visited the affected venues and gathered CCTV footage and liaised with local schools and managed to identify 3 of the main youths causing this ASB. Joint home visits will be arranged in conjunction with a member of the Bexley council ASB team. There have been no burglaries on the ward this week. This is good news, however Please do remember to keep doors and windows locked and secured when you leave your premises. In the warmer weather it is more likely your windows are open, so just be mindful to remember to check your property from top to bottom and make sure all windows are secure. There have been a number of Motor vehicle crimes of note as follows: Friday 21st June there was criminal damage to a motor vehicle parked on Swanton Road; Sunday 23rd June there was criminal damage to three motor vehicle parked on Belmont Road. (same suspect caused all 3); Monday 24th June a Grey Ford Transit Van was stolen from Swanton Road; Monday 24th June a Blue Honda Motorbike was stolen from Brooke street. Our next community contact session is on Thursday 4th July at 11am in the Mill Road Library, please do come along and meet a member of the team and discuss any issues or concerns you have, or just pop in and say hello".

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "There was an attempted break in at St Pauls Primary school overnight on Weds 19th June. Entry wasn't gained but damage was caused to one of the doors. CCTV enquiries have been negative. 2 criminal damage to vehicles have been reported. Overnight on June 19th a van in Craydene Road had its locks damaged in a possible attempted break in. And overnight on Friday June 21st a vehicle had deliberate scratch marks made to the bodywork in Fern Close. No suspects at this time. PCs Mark and James saw 2 motorbikes being ridden with no licence plates on Sunday evening in Bridge Road. After a short chase one of the males was caught and arrested and the bikes recovered. The other male has been identified and will be arrested in the coming days. A great bit of team work from both PCs again. PCSO Mark attended the St Augustines Summer fete last Saturday with many people enjoying the various stalls, bouncy castle and BBQ".  Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglaries: Good news, no burglaries this week. Crime Prevention - Close and lock all your doors and windows, even if you're going out for a few minutes. Photograph and keep a detailed inventory of each item of jewellery and keep it in a separate place. Remain vigilant at all times. Motor Vehicle Crimes: Theft of Motor Vehicle, between the hours of 06:30 am of Saturday 15/06/19 and 06:30am of Friday 21/06/19. A vehicle parked in Holstein Way was stolen; On Sunday 23/06/19 between the hours of 07:30 and 08:00 a vehicle parked in Wolvercote Road had the passenger window smashed and £7.00 taken; Theft of Motor Vehicle between the hours of 06:00pm on Saturday 22/06/19 and 02:30 pm Tuesday 25/06/19 - a vehicle parked in Maran Way was stolen; Theft from Motor Vehicle overnight between the hours of 05:30pm Tuesday 25/06/19 and 07:30am Wednesday 26/06/19 . A vehicle parked locked and secure in Glimpsing Green - a small amount of money was stolen. Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention - Did you know that your vehicle is like a shop window? If you can see ANY property left on view then so can a thief . Take it with you. Goof news - Following good work by PC Pruden, a female who failed to appear at court for various theft offences was arrested, appeared at court and was sentenced to 18 weeks". West Heath ward:- "Good news to start with this week, no burglaries have been reported. On Saturday June 22nd PCs Mo and Gill arrested a male wanted on recall to prison. A second arrest of a male was made in relation to harassment on Monday June 23rd. Once again we have been hit with several Motor Vehicle crimes. A ford Fiesta was stolen from the Pantiles between 2am and 7am on Thursday June 20th. Theft from a motor vehicle in Gypsy Road on Saturday June 22nd. The victim discovered the car had been rifled through and cash to the value of £5 was taken. A similar incident took place in Harvel Crescent on Saturday June 22nd when the victim discovered their car had been entered by an unknown suspect but nothing had been taken. On Monday this week PCSOs from West Heath, Crook Log and East Wickham wards attended 'Raising the Flag for Armed Forces Day 2019' which took place outside the Civic Centre in Bexleyheath. The Mayor was in attendance along with other dignitaries to give our thanks and support to past and present members of the Armed Forces".

The end video this week is from popular YouTube channel Hub Nut, by motoring journalist Ian Seabrook, which specialises in videos of old and unloved cars such as the Austin Allegro, Vauxhall Chevette, and even the three wheeled Invacar. The video features the 2019 Bromley Pageant of Motoring. Comments to hugh.neal@gmail.com.