The Garden Party.

The photos were taken by me yesterday at the first summer garden party hosted by not for profit group The Exchange in the old Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. Some really good news now; after having open for six months now, The Bookstore Cafe (seen in the uppermost photo above - click on it for a larger version) in the old Carnegie Library building has just been awarded the best place to eat in Erith by the reviewers of TripAdvisor. You can read their submissions by clicking here. The garden party included a number of events - you can see a Bhangra dance lesson in the second photo above - originally this had been intended as a one - off session, but it proved so popular with visitors that a second session was quickly organised. Following this, a group of African drummers and circus performers took to the stage, as well as sensational traditional drumming, the group juggled hats, metal bowls and wine bottles, danced and clowned with the appreciative audience. The performance ended with the Bhangra drummer joining the African group in a stunning cross genre performance that had the audience up and dancing. As well as the musical performances, a barbecue was run by Old Haven BBQ, who source all of their meats from Pickett's Butchers in Bexleyheath. Later in the day soft rock group Shindig played, and there was the welcome return of the very popular BBC Symphony Orchestra string quintet. Originally it had been intended to hold some of the performances outside, in the newly created herb and vegetable garden to the rear of the library building, but the rain meant that these were moved into the main library hall area. To be honest, I felt that the amazing acoustics in the main hall added to the performances, and that the move inside would have been a good idea whatever the weather. More on performances in the Carnegie Library at the end of this week's update. 

There has been much concern regarding changes to several local bus services; At present the 428 route serves Darent Valley hospital and Bluewater after leaving Dartford town centre. TfL’s proposals would see the route terminating in Crayford with passengers asked to transfer to the 96 route to reach Dartford town centre, Darent Valley hospital and Bluewater. Slade Green Councillor Stef Borella said that:- "At present the 428 route serves Darent Valley hospital and Bluewater after leaving Dartford town centre. TfL’s proposals would see the route terminating in Crayford with passengers asked to transfer to the 96 route to reach Dartford town centre, Darent Valley hospital and Bluewater. One proposal I will be suggesting to TfL will be for the 428 route to terminate at Darent Valley hospital and travel as an express route from Crayford to the hospital. This would therefore deliver some savings to TfL while still delivering a direct bus route to the hospital from Erith, Slade Green and Crayford. I would urge local residents to respond to the consultation arguing that a direct link to the hospital be maintained.” More on changes to the 428 bus route later in this article. One of my local news correspondents, who chooses to remain anonymous, has submitted the following report and analysis on the changes to several local bus services. He writes:- "Some bad news for residents (potentially) in the North / East of the Borough. TfL are now consulting on cutting the 428 back to Crayford and cutting the 492 back to Dartford. A forerunner to this change was made in December 2017 when Route 96 began to operate via Darent Valley Hospital. At this time, it was known that changes to the 428 were afoot and that it was likely that the 428 would be made 'Double Decker' and be cut back to Dartford to improve reliability. That said, with TfL budget cuts now biting particularly hard, it would seem they will be cutting the 428 right back to Crayford to give an end-to-end journey time of some 26 minutes and therefore needing no more than 4 buses instead of the current 7/8. This represents a significant cost saving for TfL although it would appear all buses will be double-deck moving forward. The arguments behind this change are not only that there is now a repetition of the 428 east of Crayford by the more frequent 96 but also that the 'Hopper Fare' also allows people to make the same journey albeit with one change at Crayford Bridge / Sainsburys in each direction for the same cost. I personally am somewhat supportive of the change, although I hear through the grapevine that the reason for making this change now is to provide a future westbound extension of the 428 to Abbey Wood when Crossrail opens (and therefore they need to get the reliability up between Erith and Crayford). As for the 492, east of Dartford it replicates the 480 and 490 buses that Arriva run in Kent. Of course, it is probably the case that they no longer wish to be paying to supply what is, in effect, a cheaper service than the 'Provincial' service that Kent County Council etc. will be involved in. The 492's lengthy detour around Chastilian Road north of Crayford (and also Mayplace Road in Barnehurst) makes it unattractive for the residents of Crayford, Bexleyheath and such to use to Bluewater and Dartford in any event; so it should be the case that the shortening to Dartford is entirely sensible. Moreover, the key use for the 492 bus in the mornings and evenings is school children to the Dartford Grammar School, the Girls' School and the Technology College. These students will be unaffected. The 492 runs with 6 buses, so I assume it will also then be reduced to 4 or 5. Another cost saving, if nothing else. There will also be re-routing in Dartford. Most will know that buses around Dartford are now going the 'same way' they go towards Bluewater when travelling back towards Crayford. Market Street, the Library and such have now been closed off as a result of a huge increase in housing and Dartford developing a 'new public realm'. This is a good change as at least this way people get the bus at the same stops in each direction and also brings Crayford-bound buses right next to Dartford station. Personally, I don't find the changes at all that bothersome. Yes, people from Chastilian Road and Mayplace Road won't be able to get to Bluewater without a change and yes, the limited number of people on each 428 who need to get through to other places will need to change but even if this wasn't cost-cutting it would at least be sensible for cutting the number of 'overlapping' routes and the bits that a lot of people just don't use enough. There's also the issues of reliability: I think the days of extremely long routes such as Bluewater - Dartford - Crayford - Bexleyheath - Bexley- Foots Cray - Sidcup are numbered as people who are making shorter journeys should not be to the detriment of people who might make a long journey as buses get later in traffic. At least two shorter routes would be more likely to deliver people on certain journeys to their destinations more quickly. From my point, the Community Rail Partnership is currently bringing together some ideas as to how to change buses in the Borough for the benefit of end users including creating new journeys presently unavailable within the framework of current routes. Examples include Bexleyheath station to Upper Belvedere and Welling station to Erith. There is also a need to create improved services towards Abbey Wood and Erith in preparation for Crossrail". I am aware that a campaign has been set up to try and save the 428 bus route. The group write:- "Slade Green has long been forgotten by everyone now we have been told that the 428 bus route will no longer travel to Darenth Valley/Bluewater and will terminate at Crayford. We the undersigned want to petition Arriva London to continue with the current bus route. Without this bus route the people of Slade Green have no direct route to a local hospital. Elderly people and those that do not drive use this service to attend appointments and Accident and Emergency services. Without this bus route it will put extra pressure on the ambulance service and will be detrimental to local peoples health. Currently it can take an hour plus on a good day to get to Darenth Valley, travel time will be massively increased and pressure put on other services if residents have to travel on different routes. The 96 which is the only other bus that travels to Darenth Valley is already overstretched by the time the bus arrives at Crayford passengers are rejected because they are over full. We ask Arriva London to rethink their plans for the bus route and help the residents of Slade Green. We also feel that this will make more residents isolated and will affect their health as people won't be able to attend appointments. We also feel that this will have an affect on economy as people will not be able to access Dartford or Bluewater easily. We cannot get to any other hospital directly Queen Mary's -2 buses, Queen Elizabeth's 2 buses. Most appointments are give at Darenth Valley Hospital" You can see the group's petition on Change.Org by clicking here.

On top of this, the area has just got a completely new bus route - the 301 service, which now runs between Woolwich, Thamesmead, Abbey Wood and Bexleyheath. From Saturday the 13th July, new Route 301 operates from Woolwich, Beresford Street to Bexleyheath, Shopping Centre via Plumstead Station, Nathan Way, Thamesmead Town Centre, Bentham Road, Abbey Wood Station, New Road, Woolwich Road and Long Lane. The route is operated by Arriva London with double decker buses and operates every 12 minutes during the day on each day of the week, and every 15 minutes each evening. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Hall Place has to be one of the most historic and picturesque locations in the whole of The London Borough of Bexley. Most recently it was used as the location for one of the Alcock and Brown centenary commemorations. There is a free to visit exhibition featuring the story of the forts trans Atlantic flight located in the main building, which is open until the 27th of October. The opening times are from 10am to 5pm daily. Hall Place has been home to many organisations over the centuries. The main building dates back to 1537, when it was built for a wealthy businessman and former Lord Mayor of London, Sir John Champneys. In rather more recent times, during the Second World War, it was home to many American service personnel, some of whom worked for the OSS (Office of Strategic Services – the predecessor to the CIA) who used it as a base to train agents to be dropped into occupied Europe. Ian Fleming was based at Hall Place for a period when he was acting as an intelligence liaison officer; it is thought that some of the roots to the James Bond novels may have started whilst he was stationed there. In addition to the OSS, there was also a “Y” radio intercept station, code named “Santa Fe”. The grounds were filled by antenna towers and long wire aerials, feeding then state of the art H.F communication receivers located in the main building, staffed by members of the U.S Army 6811th Signals Intelligence unit. These powerful RCA AR-88 receivers - as seen in the lower of the two photos above - click on it for a larger view - were used to intercept German radio traffic, including both the Enigma and Lorenz ciphers. The encrypted signals were then passed by secure telephone lines up to Bletchley Park for decryption. The interception of weak and sometimes garbled signals made for very strenuous work; operators would spend eight hour shifts listening intently via headphones; any missed digits might make the message indecipherable, and possibly leading to lost lives – operators would often end their mammoth listening session with shaking hands and bloodshot eyes. The Great Hall and Tudor Kitchen housed the set room and cryptographers work rooms, some of the men’s billets were up in the Great Chamber and the Parlour was used as a mess room. The roof was strung with radio antenna wires and outbuildings were erected in the gardens. The GI’s made an impression on the neighbourhood, attending dances at the Black Prince pub, and playing softball on the Hall Place lawns. Some observers noted  said that to their knowledge none of the local’s ‘ever inquired what we were up to at Hall Place.’ It was one of the only intercept stations that was permitted a copy of the “Elephant Book” – a painstaking compiled list of German military call signs from previous, decrypted messages. This gave an indication of just how important the stately home and its contribution to the war effort was. Today the historic building and its formal gardens are open to the public, and the main building is available for hire for special occasions - if you have very deep pockets.

The screen capture above shows data from an internet enabled weather station in Northumberland Heath; the capture was taken at just before 2pm on Thursday afternoon - as you can see, the local temperature at that time was a staggering thirty seven degrees Celsius - for readers in the USA, that is ninety eight point six Fahrenheit. I got stuck on a broken down B12 bus in Parsonage Manorway, on my way home from Bexleyheath. I waited twenty odd minutes in the blazing sun for another B12 to turn up so that I could complete my journey. As many may well be aware, I suffer greatly in the heat, and this incident was an extremely challenging one for me. I have been reading some fascinating research this week into the whole thorny subject of climate change – and before you mentally switch off, it is not quite what you might be thinking. My own personal view on the contentious subject is that there are a lot of vested interests and hidden agendas on both sides of the climate change camp. Much of what we now may attribute to warming due to increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere may turn out to be periodic fluctuations in the output of the Sun – however, I believe that we cannot afford to take the chance based on any particular entrenched dogma; and secondly whatever the actual situation, one unescapable fact is that we have finite natural mineral resources, and it may be several hundred years before mining the moon or the asteroid belt becomes financially or technically viable. In the meantime we have to try and reconcile the current situation: The global warming advocates are mainly financed by large grants or bursaries from the research universities – it is in their vested interests for climate change to be real; conversely the climate change deniers are financed by various big businesses and mega corporations, and they too have their own biased axe to grind. It would seem to me that the opponents are pretty much as bad as each other when it comes to trying to get an unbiased, accurate view of the situation. That may have now changed, a report published a while ago throws a great deal of uncertainty into the very building blocks of climate change research – the temperature and weather data used. It turns out that much of the weather data has been gleaned from a network of mostly privately owned weather stations around the United States of America. Some of these stations have been operational since the early 19th century, though some are much more recent. One thing that has come to light, is that for many years a phenomenon known as UHI (Urban Heat Island) affects the readings from weather stations; in essence, urban areas with large amounts of concrete, asphalt, warm buildings and vehicles make the temperature readings appear warmer than they really should be. This effect is more marked after dark as these surfaces retain the heat of the sun, and release it slowly, just like a giant storage heater. The results recorded by weather stations in areas such as these are understandably skewed. The problem has been that over the last hundred years or so, urban sprawl has happened; weather stations formerly in countryside areas are now in fully developed, urbanised regions. The previous system for measuring temperature change did not take into account the location of the weather stations, so the results were biased in favour of a large degree of temperature increase. Researchers have been revisiting the historical data to try and reconcile the results against modern Urban Heat Island information. It would seem that once this is taken into account, the actual increase in global temperature is now somewhat unclear, and certainly something that the climate change experts need to carefully ponder – it would seem that both pro and anti camps have been working from incorrect data for years. It will be interesting to see where this all leads. I suspect the popular press will pick up on this soon. The fact remains, however, the temperatures in recent summers in the UK have been extreme, as was very much evident this Thursday, and we are predicted to have even more extreme weather in the weeks to come.

As regular Maggot Sandwich readers will know, I am vey keen o supporting local policing and efforts to support law and order. As I have written in the past, things that start off in the USA almost inevitably end up later occurring here in some kind of osmosis. A story broke this week which could potentially be a cause for concern should the same thing take place in the UK. Amazon's home security company Ring has enlisted local police departments around the USA to advertise its surveillance cameras in exchange for free Ring products and a “portal” that allows police to request footage from these cameras. The agreement also requires police to “keep the terms of this program confidential.” Dozens of police departments around the USA have partnered with Ring, but until now, the exact terms of these partnerships have remained unknown. A signed memorandum of understanding between Ring and the police department of Lakeland, Florida, and emails obtained via a public records request, show that Ring is using local police as a de facto advertising firm. Police are contractually required to "Engage the Lakeland community with outreach efforts on the platform to encourage adoption of the platform/app.”Ring donated 15 free doorbell surveillance cameras to the Lakeland Police Department, and created a program to encourage people to download its “neighbourhood watch” app, Neighbours. For every Lakeland resident that downloads Neighbours as a result of the partnership, the documents show, the Lakeland Police Department gets credit toward more free Ring cameras for residents: “Each qualifying download will count as $10 towards these free Ring cameras.” A Ring doorbell camera currently costs $130 on Amazon US. Police already have access to publicly-funded street cameras and investigative tools that help them track down almost any criminal suspect. But Ring cameras are proliferating in the private sphere, with close to zero oversight. Andrew Ferguson, a professor at the University of the District of Columbia School of Law, said in a recent press interview that products like Ring can remove typical judicial due process. Typically, police have to get a warrant from a judge before collecting digital evidence. Ring’s Law Enforcement Neighbourhood Portal, given to police for free as a part of the agreement, lets police request footage directly from Ring owners. “What people fundamentally misunderstand is that self-surveillance is potentially a form of government surveillance,” Ferguson said. “Because the information that you are collecting—you think to augment and improve your life—is one step away from being obtained by law enforcement to completely upend your life. Amazon is convincing people to self-surveil through aggressive, fear-based marketing, aided by de facto police endorsements and free Ring camera giveaways. Consumers are opting into surveillance. And police are more than eager to capitalise on this wealth of surveillance data. The result of Ring-police partnerships is a self-perpetuating surveillance network: More people download Neighbours, more people get Ring, surveillance footage proliferates, and police can request whatever they want. People often buy and use Ring doorbell cameras under the premise that they’re making their individual homes safer. But these people aren’t just making choices for themselves. They’re consenting to surveilling everyone in their neighbourhood and anyone who comes in the vicinity of their home, including friends and family, delivery workers, and anyone else. Professor Ferguson said that it is important to remember the societal impacts of these decisions. “Amazon has products to sell, and an incentive to get consumers to be fearful and buy their self-surveillance technologies; police have a related interest to obtain surveillance from areas that they don't have the resources to obtain surveillance from,” Ferguson said. “You can see why it’s in their economic sense. But it raises some problems and troubles and issues that society should have about whether this is the type of self-surveillance world we’re comfortable with.” As I wrote earlier, what happens in the USA has a way of filtering over to the UK, often more quickly than anticipated. CCTV coverage of one's home is fine; the problem comes when video files are uploaded into the cloud with no proof of how secure that is, and also the default standard is that the local Police have full access to all footage - it strikes me that in the UK and mainland Europe this may well be subject to the GDPR laws. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association; firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Good news, yet another week goes by and no burglaries have been reported on Barnehurst Ward. In Downbank Avenue on 21st July 2019, overnight a Ford Transit van with work tools inside was stolen. This van was later found in Cricketers Lane, Erith however tools from inside the vehicle were missing. Our next coffee with cops is at Barnehurst Golf Club, Mayplace Road East at 11.00am on Wednesday 31st July". Belvedere ward:- "We are pleased to report that Belvedere now has all its Neighbourhood Watch signs put up. If you are a new Coordinator you should note they are now up, if you reported damaged or lost signs you should now see them fixed or replaced. Please let us know if this has not been done". Bexleyheath ward:- "There have been no reports of burglaries or attempted burglaries on the ward over the last week. We have had three reports of catalytic converters being stolen from three vehicles over the last week: Monday 22/07/2019 – Albion Road car park between 0835hrs and 1635hrs; Monday 22/07/2019 – near Marriot Hotel Broadway at about 1345hrs; Monday 22/07/2019 – Albion Road at about 1345hrs. There was also a report of a theft of motor vehicle along Rydal Drive Bexleyheath. This could of happened anytime overnight from Sat 20/07/2019 at about 8pm and Sun 21//07/2019 at 10am. There was a report of a theft of motor vehicle on Tuesday 23/07/2019 along Royal Oak Road Bexleyheath between the hours of 4.15pm and 4.35pm. There have been two reports of theft of purses reported on the ward: Both happened on Monday 22/07/2019 between 1215 and 1245. A purse was stolen whilst in M and S or Dorothy Perkins. Also the other was between 1015am and 1030am whilst victim was shopping. There was a report of money taken from victims handbag whilst in the Savers store between 2.15pm and 2.25pm".

Crayford ward:- "There have been three robberies in Crayford this week. The first occurred on Sunday between 8.05 and 8.22 near McDonalds, a black iPhone and bus pass was stolen. The second robbery occurred between 8.20 and 8.30 in Crayford Way by The Rise and Airpods were stolen. The suspect for these robberies was described as IC3, early twenties. The third robbery occurred at the bottom of Station Road between 11.50-11.58, the victim was robbed by IC1 males for his Apple iPhone 8 and earphones, all the victims were teenagers. It has been reported that an empty property in Crayford Way had a door forced and entry made between 12.00 on Tuesday 16 July and 15.00 on Wednesday 17th July. It appears that someone had been sleeping there but nothing appeared stolen. The property is now fully secured. Vandals destroyed two large round picnic tables with seats attached and damaged hard wooden benches as well as damaging plants at Hall Place, the cost to replace and repair is significant. A catalytic convertor was stolen from a green Honda Jazz between 12.00-19.30 on 17th July from Stadium Way, on that same day and location another catalytic convertor was stolen, vehicle details not updated on report at present. A white Mercedes van, registration PN65 EJG was stolen without keys from Shearwood Crescent on Friday 19th July between 5.05 and 5.10. It was later involved in an RTC and recovered by police. A motorcycle was stolen from Lower Station Road on 18th July between 13.00 - 17.00, no further details given at this time. A shed was broken in to at the allotments at Bourne Road between 20.00 on Saturday 20th July and 06.00 on Sunday 21st July and two knives were stolen. Youths were reported jumping on vehicles at the Mazda garage on Friday 19th July at approx. 00.15, damage was caused to several vehicle bonnets. On Monday 22nd July between 7.30-16.00 a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso registration number GF07 YHB was stolen from outside a property in Ridge Way. Our next community contact session will be held on Wednesday 31st July at Vintage Lindy Lou's at Waterside Gardens, please come along if you would like to have a chat about anything that may concern you. Please see the attached link https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/96-428-492/. Cuts are proposed to route 428 and 492 from January 2020. Please read this and consider how it may affect you or your loved ones, at the very least route 96 will be even busier. Already evident is that it will affect people trying to go to Darent Valley Hospital or to Haberdashers Academy, please take the time to have your say". Erith ward:- "PCs Dan and Markus from Erith have been on cycle patrols across the ward. Stopping and searching people, we have been sharing the cycle patrols on our twitter profile so be sure to check them out, plenty of searches carried out and a few good results. Adam attended an Orbit residential scheme pop up event. And finally the full team attended the community fun day on west street, which seemed to go well, NHW was also there in full force hopefully signing up a few new members. Crimes of the week – Erith bowls club was broken in to on Monday night and items were stolen. Theft from motor vehicles is on the decline so we are going in the correct direction. Finally, be sure to drink plenty of water in this weather and check on your neighbours if they are venerable just to make sure they are ok and having plenty of fluids". Northumberland Heath ward:- "The team have been patrolling Northumberland Heath recreation ground. Today we issued a community resolution for 1 male adult with regards to cannabis. Our new PC Lucy has had an arrest this week with regards to a domestic related incident. The team assisted with a mental health assessment. After receiving some intelligence from members of the public, the team recovered a stolen motorbike in York Terrace. Very pleased to say, there have been no burglaries again this week. Our next community contact session is on Wednesday 7th August at 2pm 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:- "Four more number plate thefts in the last week. Two occurred during the daytime on Thursday 18/07 close to Slade Green train station. Both victims were commuters. The other two happened around 11pm on Monday 22/07 in Hazel Road, both vehicles were close to each other in the road. Patrols of these areas will be taking place, especially the train station area. A male has signed an ABC (Acceptable Behaviour Contract) with ourselves and Bexley Council as he was identified as being involved in recent ASB in and around Rainbow Road. This is a result of some excellent work by PC's Mark and James as well as good information given by residents on the estate. Two Orbit tenants in our ward who have been causing issues for neighbours, came to our office this week and both tenants signed an Orbit Tenancy Management agreement meaning their behaviour must stop or Orbit will look to seek possession of their property. Our next Community Contact Session is on Sunday (28th July) at our Pier Road SNT base from 6pm. At this week's panel meeting the promises chosen for us to concentrate a bit more effort on for the next three months were ASB Open Spaces, Vehicle ASB and Drug issues (Dealing/taking)".

Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglary: On Friday 19/07/19, between the hours of 07:15am and 07:20 am, a burglary occurred in Overton Road, the back door was open. The victim heard a noise behind her and turned around to see a suspect standing in her living room. He said 'Sorry I'm looking for my cat' and then made off out the kitchen over the back fence which leads onto a service road which is gated at both ends but can be accessed by climbing the fence. A bank card was taken and used locally. CCTV has captured the suspect using the card. Investigations ongoing to identify the suspect. Attempted Burglary: Wednesday 24/07/19 an attempted burglary in Portmeadow Walk, the victim stated that they went to take the rubbish out of the front door ,when it was noticed the Yale lock was warped and the whole lock unit spins. the victim believes that someone tried to break in .There was a second lock and that kept the door secure ,so no one managed to enter. 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. Motor Vehicle Crimes: On Thursday 18/07/19 between the hours of 00:01 and 06:00am an unknown person cut off the catalytic converter from the vehicle, which was parked near Dexter House, Kale Road. Another Theft from Motor Vehicle occurred in Maran Way between the hours of 12:00 am and 12:30 am. The exhaust pipe ripped apart and part of the pipe taken away, believed to be the catalytic converter. Wolvercote Road, Vehicle Interference on Friday between the hours of 07:00am and 11:00am an unknown suspect smashed the drivers window ,no apparent property taken .Saturday 20/07/19 a vehicle parked locked and secure in Kale Road had the drivers window smashed and a mobile phone taken . the incident happened between 11:00am and 12:00am.Between Tuesday 16/07/19 at 11:00am and Sunday 21/07/19 at 10;30am a vehicle locked and secure in Lensbury Way, had the rear doors damaged ,tools and other equipment taken ,unknown value . Between the dates and times of 21/07/19 at 04:30 pm and 23/07/19 at 06:45pm a vehicle parked in Whernside Close had the vehicle damaged by an unknown suspect using an implement scratching the vehicle .A vehicle parked in the garaged area in Dalberg Way was scratched by an unknown suspect ,down the whole passenger side of the vehicle .This incident happened between Saturday 20/07/19 at 06;00pm and Monday 22/07/19 at 06:15am. 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. Recent thefts of Catalytic Converters on the ward. Vehicles made after 1974 all have Catalytic Converters. There are 3 precious metals in your Catalytic Converter and thieves know this. Protect your vehicle before you become a victim of theft. Mark your catalytic converter by etching your vehicle registration onto the metal shell, or by using a Secured By Design (SBD) approved forensic marking solution which is heat-resistant. This makes it easier for police to trace the converter back to your vehicle should it ever be stolen, and links offenders to a crime. Consider fitting additional security on your vehicle(s) by installing an SBD approved converter security product, such as a catalytic converter clamp".West Heath ward:- "No residential burglaries to report this week, however there were two business burglaries at the same premises in Brampton Road on Monday July 27th. Several males were seen acting suspiciously just before midnight in a vehicle and on pushbikes. It is not clear at this stage if anything was stolen".

The end video this week was shot in the main hall of the Erith Old Carnegie Library mentioned earlier in this update - it features the Tom Fleming trio, a band headed not unsurprisingly by a chap called Tom Fleming, who is a guitarist, record producer, arranger and mixer. You can see his website by clicking here. Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The sincerest form of flattery.

Erith Yacht Club had an open day today; normally the place is strictly members only, and secured behind large steel gates. This Sunday it was open as part of the UK wide "Open House" project, where buildings and structures normally closed to the public are open for people to have a nose around. Erith Yacht Club has a long and distinguished history, and for many years had its' HQ on an old Norwegian roll - on - roll - off car ferry called the Folgefonn. After a substantial lottery grant, and Olympic assistance, the new yacht club building (see above - click for a larger view) was constructed. There are facilities for teaching sailing to children, and the structure is fully wheelchair friendly (the glass box to the left of the photo is a dedicated wheelchair lift). 

Here you can see the yacht club control room, with computers linked to the Port of London Authority, the Thames Pilot, the River Police and others; there is a Marine VHF radio mounted in the console just to the left of the desktop PC. Did I mention that as well as having an advanced class Amateur Radio licence, I also hold a marine VHF ticket? You never know when it might come in handy.

The photo above shows the excellent view from the balcony outside of the members' bar. I was talking to a couple of the club officials, and they were really disheartened that the weather was so grey and humid; apparently you get to see amazing sunsets from the location.  My only disappointment with the yacht club is that they don't accept non yacht owning "dry" members. I would live to join and take part in the social activities, and help with the annual cleaning and maintenance duties. The club rules unfortunately don't permit this, which I feel is a real shame - they are missing a trick. You can see my Flickr photo album of other Erith Yacht Club photos here.

Because of the unusual weather patterns experienced this year, the forecast is for a bumper harvest of soft fruit and vegetables – something of a speciality in the South East, and especially Kent. The hop harvest is set to be exceptional too – something that would not surprise me. I was waiting for a train to Dartford at Belvedere station last Saturday afternoon, when I noticed that amongst the shrubs and weeds growing by the platform fence were a number of wild hop plants, enthusiastically climbing up the station name sign, and a couple of lamp posts. The aroma from the plants was nowhere near as strong as from commercial breeds, but it was distinctive and pleasant. I don’t think any amateur brewer  would be heading to the station to pick the crop, however. It just goes to show that given the right conditions, life will spring up pretty much anywhere.

I have on several occasions written in some depth about the burgeoning number of African churches that have been opened in South East London over the last few years; generally speaking, they tend to occupy abandoned industrial and office buildings, where the ground rent and overheads tend to be low, and the square footage of space is high. The Redeemed Christian Church of God is an excellent example of this; it is housed in a former car tyre warehouse adjacent to the hideous Fish roundabout that has now become a symbol of Erith. It would seem that as well as these African churches, certain parts of the country are experiencing a new phenomenon – The Sunday Assembly. This is a regular Sunday morning meeting of like – minded people who get together to hear talks on subjects of philosophical and moral importance, to raise money via donations for local charities and other good causes, and to sing the occasional communal uplifting song. It sounds like the normal activities of any church, mosque or temple; and in many ways it is almost identical – the only real difference is that there is no mention of any kind of higher being. The Sunday Assembly is basically a church without a god. The idea was created by a couple of humanists called Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, who started off by creating a FaceBook page, which soon turned into a regular monthly meeting in a disused and deconsecrated church in North London. It grew in size very quickly, and has now relocated to the much larger Conway Hall in central London. Other congregations for The Sunday Assembly are starting up all over the United Kingdom – the main mission of The Sunday Assembly is to help others, sponsor and take part in local community projects; echoing the sense of awe that Richard Dawkins has at the wonders of the natural world, the Assemblies’ motto is “Live better, help often and wonder more”. In October the Assembly plans to have a team in east London helping in a litter clean – up project. Plans are also afoot to start a pensioners tea dance club amongst a number of other community based projects. Ironically at present, the food donation brought in by The Sunday Assembly members are currently handed over to a couple of church based food banks for distribution to the needy. I think this is a laudable and worthwhile enterprise; it will be interesting to see how long it takes for a similar Sunday Assembly group to start up in the local area; it really goes to show that you don’t need to believe in a higher being in order to have morals and do good works. I think this concept could go a very long way. Do let me know what you think.

We are now rapidly approaching TRP (Tweed Retirement Point), the time of year when my tweed sports jackets get put away in the wardrobe, to be replaced with somewhat warmer garb. For me, along with the first switching on of the central heating, this marks the first steps towards winter. It dies seem that after the bitterly cold spring, followed by the uncomfortably hot summer, we seem to be heading back to distinct seasons, after a few years of cool summers and mild winters. Not sure if this is a good thing from a personal viewpoint (I really don't do heat well - anything over around 22 degrees Celsius is too much for me), but it should at least temporarily shut up that group who every year trot out the same mantra "we don't get seasons like we used to" and blame it on global warming. As I featured some time ago, all of the data used to model potential climate change is inaccurate, and the predictions made by both the pro and the anti global warming theorists are now worthless. The reason for this is that nearly all weather stations that are used to collect temperature, precipitation, sunlight and wind data are located in towns and cities - wherever in the world you care to check. Some of these weather stations have been in continuous use for many years; quite often for more than a century. When the weather stations were first set up, they were often on farms and smallholdings in what were then the suburbs. Urban sprawl has now happened, and what were the suburbs are now in many cases a part of the city. Cities suffer from a condition known as Urban Heat Island - the concrete and metal that make up city tower blocks, and the tarmac that covers the ground acts like a giant storage heater, keeping the overnight air temperature artificially higher than it would otherwise actually be. When climate analysts compare the heat data, say from 1913 with 2013 they then see a marked hike in the overall temperature, which immediately gets blamed on increased Carbon Dioxide levels, due to pollution. Indeed this may also be happening, but the vast majority of the temperature increase is actually due to the heat leakage from air conditioning units and the buildings which house them. The overnight temperatures stay higher than expected, as the fabric of the buildings slowly leak the heat that they had built up during the day. What this means is that the historical meteorological records bear no relation to contemporary ones - it is a classic case of comparing apples and oranges. Both camps in the climate change discussion really need to go away and re - evaluate their computer models, as they are all based on fundamentally faulty data.  

The bitter last winter, and the blazingly hot summer this year have not been kind to Eriths' roads. Fraser Road is full of potholes and cracks, and Manor Road is again falling apart under the weight of the double deck 99 buses that pass along it. Bearing in mind that these are two of the busiest roads in the town, and both are vital both for local businesses and for local residents. Bexley Council highways department are fully aware that a number of roads in the area are rapidly falling apart; the question is if they have any budget to fix them? I have documented the problem before, and in at least one occasion the failure was due to the incorrect laying of both the road surface, and the foundation by the contractor when the road was last resurfaced. The problem was that the relevant people in the council took so long to complain about the sub standard workmanship that the surfaces' warranty had expired, and there was no comeback. 

There is a saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; if this is indeed the case, then I should be very flattered indeed. As I mentioned a little while ago, a chap in Bostall Heath has set up a local blog called "The Bostall News". He's been running it for a few months now. When I initially covered it, I was diplomatic about the terrible spelling and grammar, and the way in which he blatantly copied my stories and content. I felt that he deserved encouragement, and that over time he would no doubt develop his own style. Instead I find that he regurgitates stories I have covered the week after I publish them - even when I wrote about my (very brief) encounter with Sir Tim Berners - Lee at the Royal Society in June, The Bostall News manages to cover the story a week later. If you scroll through The Bostall News, and compare my content with it, you will see an uncanny duplication of stories, around a week after I have published them. I appreciate that any news or blogging service that covers local events will inevitably have a degree of cross - over, but even the wordings he uses are so obviously copied from the Maggot Sandwich. I don't want to discourage his online publishing, but he really needs to discover is own voice - and whilst nobody has perfect spelling, he's obviously ignoring the Blogger automated spell checker - his spelling is jaw droppingly appalling. Bostall News - if you would like some help and encouragement in developing your online writing skills, I am more than happy to help you - just get in contact - hugh.neal@gmail.com. As it is, you are doing nobody, including yourself any favours.

I have been more than a little surprised over the last week or so. Apple have managed to secure a staggering amount of free publicity over the launch of their new iPhones. No other mobile telephone brand gets anything like the amount of press attention as Apple - it seems that TV, print and online media go into a frenzy as soon as a new Apple phone is rumoured to be on the way. I think the reason is that a lot of media types have Apple products and are predisposed to write favourably about them. I ought to declare an interest here; the Maggot Sandwich is wrangled on a customised Apple iMac 27" computer. I don't have an iPhone (or any kind of mobile phone, for that matter) though. Samsung, HTC, Sony, or any of the other mobile telephone manufacturers would love to get the amount of press coverage that Apple do. It does seem that the press do show a kind of unconscious bias towards anything produced by the Cupertino crew. Incidentally, the group of people who queued for days outside of Apple stores to be the first to get the Apple 5S (not the 5C, which initial reports say cannot be given away, at least in wealthy Western countries - and it is way too expensive for the developing world, who I understand it is primarily aimed for) are exactly the same type of people who queued outside of Game stores to be the first to purchase Grand Theft Auto 5. In any case, what did they do about going to the loo as they waited?

As you may recall if you read last weeks’ update, prior to the current Erith Riverside Shopping Centre being created, the previous incarnation was hideous – a brutalist concrete monstrosity full of dark corners, broken class and stale urine. Many local people hated the old shopping centre from the moment it was opened, and felt that the previous Victorian development was superior. The only part of the original Victorian Erith town centre that now survives is the stretch from Erith Rowing Club to Potion Bar in Erith High Street. The stretch of road is a designated conservation area, and all of the buildings (with the exception of Erith Playhouse) are listed. Not that this stopped the owners of Potion from ruining the former White Hart pub, and I have banged on about ad infinitum in the past. The Riverside Gardens, which are to the west of the conservation area, date back to 1937, when they were created to replace a former Cannon and Gaze flour mill, which was built on the site in 1903. Another firm that was established on the river front at Erith was Herbert W. Clarke and Sons, which was set up in 1890. They started out as barge owners and lightermen, but by 1911 they took over Anchor Bay Wharf, which until then had been owned by Eastern and Anderson. As soon as Herbert W. Clarke and Sons took possession of the wharf, they formed a new import and export business, which mainly exported coal to Holland and Belgium.  Nearby was a company called Mayer Newman and Co. who were engaged in the scrap metal business – the scrap yard still exists today. It is now called European Metal Recycling, but is still in the same location in Manor Road. Further East along Manor Road was a truly massive factory and works owned by Turner’s Asbestos Cement Co. Ltd. The site covered a little over forty three acres; by 1912 the company pioneered the development of asbestos roofing material, and also produced a wide range of guttering, piping and fireproof insulation material, as well as a lot of other components for the building industry. We are still living with the legacy of this today; many old buildings need to have specialist demolition contractors to remove Turner’s asbestos building products, as the dust asbestos produces when cut or abraded is severely poisonous. I think if the company was still around today, they would have been sued into bankruptcy – but of course, around a century ago, nobody was any the wiser. Another world renowned company that had a base in Erith were Royal Doulton, who had an extensive factory located just off Church Manorway. They made salt glazed piping and tiling (I wonder if the lovely green salt glazed tiles that used to adorn the exterior of the former White Hart, before they were illegally removed when Potion bought the place came from the Royal Doulton works? We will never know). Royal Doulton also made their fine china in Erith, when experimental designs were produced that depicted local scenes as their decoration. These pieces are now rare and extremely collectible. I recall seeing one piece featured on “Antiques Roadshow” some years ago.  Erith has been the historical home to many other manufacturers over the years, some of which are still in existence. One such company is ADM Oils (whom I featured in detail last     , which has a huge processing facility in Church Manorway, which employs nearly 1,200 local people. It originally started up in 1908, when it was known as Erith Oil Works – the business then was similar to now; they crush and process all kinds of seeds, to extract their natural oils, which are used in foodstuffs, cooking oils and animal feeds. The seeds, then as now are brought upriver in large bulk freighter ships. The distinctive huge concrete silos that are still present on the ADM site were constructed in 1916, where they were some of the earliest surviving examples of reinforced concrete construction in the UK. They were constructed by Danish structural engineering company Christiani and Neilsen, who invented reinforced concrete construction techniques. The earliest recorded industrial company established in Erith was a timber importing business called W.R Crow and Son, which was set up way back in 1795! I will feature more on the history of Erith and the surrounding area in the future. The best reference work on the local history of the town was the four part “A History of Erith”, written by John A. Pritchard, which is now out of print. It was originally written in 1965, and substantially updated and revised in 1989, when it was reprinted. I have not seen a work since which is a patch on this venerable publication.

Changing tack completely, I have come across a fascinating not for profit project that has some pretty lofty aims. The Newstarship.com team are running an ambitious project to restore and upgrade the bridge set of the USS Enterprise D, as featured in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. The set, which was disassembled for scrap, was stored in an open back  lot at the Paramount Studios, and was in pretty poor repair. The project aims to fully restore the bridge set, and to upgrade all of the control panels and displays from the original static geometric plastic covered with glass into full touch screen operational computers, which will run custom written software, making the whole bridge feel “real” and working. The idea behind this is that once complete, the bridge set could be used to teach children about space, astronomy, navigation, conservation, ethics, physics and creative writing, amongst a host of other potential subjects. The main view screen will be replaced by a giant plasma display which will be able to generate star fields as if you were actually in space; alternatively it will be able to act as a planetarium, showing visitors views of the Solar System and beyond. All of the control panels will be fully interactive, with educational content. A secondary role for the restored Enterprise D bridge will be to act as a location for weddings and civil partnerships. A substantial number of Trekkers (not Trekkies – that is a derogatory term) are keen to get hitched on the bridge. Another use will be for groups making not for profit Star Trek fan films. CBS (who now own the Star Trek rights) are happy to allow all of this, with the proviso that nobody makes any money out of the venture, which I think is fair enough. Incidentally the bridge set is not the original one used for filming – that was destroyed during the filming of the movie “Star Trek – Generations”. Ironically it is probably just as well, as the original was mostly made of wood and plaster, and if it had not already been destroyed, it would not have survived, stored in the open. The version being restored is a later version made of tubular steel and fibreglass, which are far more robust construction materials, and which also lend themselves far better for repair. It was originally built in 1996 to be a centre part of the Star Trek Experience – an interactive attraction that exhibited in the UK and Germany in 1997.  The restoration project is well under way now, and has the support and endorsement of a large number of former and current Star Trek production staff. Watch the video below and see what you think.