Greenwich & Lewisham Weekender - October 14th 2020

Weekender October 14 2020 • www.weekender.co.uk

Greenwich & Lewisham

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Dancers on your doorstep Greenwich dance troupe take their Ragtime to Grime show to the street WIN!

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Pick of the Week

By Holly O`Mahony

Catch the love story closing BFI London Film Festival editor

Laura Burgoine

The

Greenwich & Lewisham Weekender is an independent weekly newspaper, covering the boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham.

We publish every Wednesday, covering every postcode sector of the borough, and boasting, by far, the highest weekly circulation in Greenwich. Each week, we deliver to homes in every Greenwich neighbourhood, with further copies stocked at convenient public stands.

We are also the highest distribution newspaper in Lewisham.

You can also view each edition online, as well as daily news and events, on our website: www.weekender.co.uk

The closing film of this year’s BFI London Film Festival, Ammonite tells the fictionalised account of 19th century palaeontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet), whose relationship with a young gentlewoman Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan) deepens while the two are staying in Mary’s Lyme Regis home. Directed by Francis Lee (God’s Own Country), this moving, affectionate love story would have been taboo in the era it’s set, but is finally being given the big-screen prominence it deserves.

Greenwich Picturehouse, 180 Greenwich High Road, Greenwich, London SE10 8NN. October 17, 8pm.

Admission: £16.80. www.picturehouses.com/ cinema/greenwich-picturehouse

John Simmonds, a veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar and Black Greenwich Pensioner, (c.1784-1858), Courtesy of the family of John Simmonds

A multimedia exhibition at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery is raising awareness of ‘Caribbeaness’ through visual art, sound, music and words. Let our Legacy Continue looks at stories of the past, journeys and first impressions. It questions: what do we do to survive and thrive? How do we adapt our skillset, innovate and recreate? This unique exhibition can be travelled through in person at the gallery or experienced online.

Stephen Lawrence Gallery, 10 Stockwell Street, Greenwich Peninsula, London SE10 9BD. October 2 - 28, Tuesday - Friday 11am - 5pm, Saturday 11am - 4pm.

Admission: FREE. www.greenwichunigalleries.co.uk/

©©Royal Museums Greenwich

The Greenwich & Lewisham Weekender covers all aspects of life in the boroughs, including music, theatre, comedy, film, events, and food and drink, as well as all your community events and campaigns.

Celebrating ‘Caribbeaness’ through a range of mediums

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A lecture on the Enslaved African Resistance at Sea

Discover the history of black British mariners A timely exhibition has opened in the Mezzanine Gallery at the Old Royal Naval College. Black Greenwich Pensioners explores our nation’s rich and complex past, shining a light on the black mariners who played a crucial – and often overlooked – role in our history, specifically within the Royal Navy. The exhibition, which has been co-curated with black British heritage consultant S. I. Martin, delves deeper into the histories of the black communities who have been resident in Greenwich for over 200 years, telling the stories of black seamen (both slaves and volunteers), and that of prominent figures from the community who contributed to the British abolitionist movement. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, photographs, tours and subsequent workshops.

Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, Greenwich Peninsula, London SE10 9NN. October 3 - February 21 2021, 10am - 5pm. Admission: £11/ concessions available/children go free. www.ornc.org/uncovering-the-history-ofblack-british-mariners/

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Another event for Black History Month, Mutiny at Sea is a chance to join historian Professor Hakim Adi and be guided through the histories of the enslaved African resistance at sea. Uncover the harsh realities of the Amistad rebellion and the brutality of the Zong massacre, and learn about how these events inspired political and cultural changes in society. The lecture concludes with a Q&A chaired by cultural producer Chardine Taylor-Stone.

This event takes place online. October 16, 6pm. Admission: FREE. www.rmg.co.uk/ se-do/exhibitions-events/mutiny-at-sea

Head behind the scenes with Royal Museums Greenwich While a trip to the museum allows you to explore permanent collections and short-term exhibitions, a behind-the-scenes tour is a chance to delve deeper, studying items not on show to the public. Royal Museums Greenwich is offering a series of live behind-the-scenes tours of the Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre – for free – which can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home. While the tours focus mainly on the collection’s rare maps, charts and globes, visitors will also come face-to-face with a range of objects and personal stories about their former owners.

The tours take place online via the Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre, Nelson Mandela Road, London SE3 9QS. October 15 at 1:30pm. Admission: FREE, but tickets must be booked. www.rmg.co.uk/

October 14 2020 3

SPOTLIGHT

Dancers on your doorstep While arts venues and community centres remain closed (or operating at a severely limited capacity), dance troupe Greenwich Dance is taking its latest show ‘Ragtime to Grime – Bring It Home Tour’ to doorsteps across the borough of Greenwich.

The show is being performed by a rapper and two dancers from Temujin Gill’s celebrated jazz and hip-hop group Grounded Movement. Prioritising underfunded areas with little access to the arts, Ragtime to Grime is popping up in neighbourhoods including Charlton, Woolwich Park, Middle Park, Eltham and Shooters Hill between October 10 - 24, writes Holly O’Mahony…

This isn’t the first time Greenwich Dance has had to adapt its work to comply with social distancing.

Back in April, the company was just about to launch a new borough-wide initiative, Up My Street Showtime, when lockdown happened. Instead of staging live events in Middle Park and Abbey Wood community centres, the company had to shift its entire focus to produce a similar programme in the virtual sphere.

“Having already pivoted one season of Up My Street online in April, during lockdown we knew we had

4 October 14 2020

to rethink. So, we came up with the idea of dancing on doorsteps, which originally came from the concept of carol singing – just turning up and performing,” says Greenwich Dance CEO Melanie Precious. “Temujin liked the idea as it connected to the research he had been doing about travelling minstrels, which are a part of the decades of history that he has been working with as stimuli,” she explains.

The resulting show, Ragtime to Grime, is Temujin’s exploration of jazz and hip-hop through the decades. “It felt like a subject we could develop with

audiences and communities together,” explains Melanie. “Temujin talks about ‘cultural insomnia’, young people losing their connection with history and feeling that they need to reinvent it all from scratch. His show wasn’t made in response to Black Lives Matter – it had been in development far earlier – but the story felt so relevant to now,” she says. “It feels like the right time to bring a piece of dance-theatre rooted in jazz and hip hop to communities.

Tragically, Temujin lost a much-loved and respected collaborator, the hip hop artist Ty, to Covid earlier in the year and so it feels especially poignant.”

Rehearsing a show in the age of social distancing has meant there are restrictions on how the company can work together as well as several new health and safety measures in place. “We have created a ‘bubble’ of performers, restricting interactions in public places during the day – including no visits to Tesco! – and as far as possible outside of work too,” reveals Melanie. “[The dancers] are staying socially distant as they perform and our production manager will demarcate the space to ensure enough room to move,” she adds, stressing that the rehearsal process

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has involved the wearing of masks, regular hand sanitising and strict rules about who can handle equipment.

“We have restricted the team to as few people as possible on purpose,” the company leader continues. “Ideally, I’d love to tour with them, but instead I’ll drop in once or twice and be on the other side of the road!” At this stage, the biggest worry for Melanie and the team is a member of the show developing coronavirus symptoms.

Continued on page 6 www.weekender.co.uk

I wash my hands to protect my family.

SPOTLIGHT Continued from page 4 But, having Covid-proofed one production already since the pandemic began, Melanie is feeling equipped to do it again. “We’ve made some financial provision to enable us to delay and reschedule performances if we have to quarantine the team,” she says.

“We’re working amidst constant rumours of more lockdowns. Behind the scenes and so there’s been lots of planning, particularly around the way we might integrate a digital experience into the tour in some way.

Plus, we have Facebook Live events planned and blog content giving more insight into the work and characters, so there’s a rich digital output. But, this all relies on no lockdown!”

That said, Melanie is confident the company could weather another lockdown and most importantly, stay connected to the communities within which they work. “We are committed to our performers and our audience, so we’d work together to create something,” she says. “Last time we involved the ticket bookers for cancelled shows as community cast members in a series of lockdown films. So there’s creative ways to make performances happen!”

Since being forced to adapt their ways of working back in spring, Greenwich Dance has begun – and maintained – a number of innovations. They’ve kept up the free programme of online dance classes which launched within a week of lockdown and are open to

all ages and abilities. They’ve also published weekly blog posts advising dancers on how to say creative while in isolation and launched a campaign urging people to reach out to those who might be feeling lonely. The company has created a digital stage offering a weekly programme of online performances and is in the process of launching a podcast. They’ve also created and rehearsed an entire production over Zoom, performing this at the recent Greenwich and Docklands International Festival in September. “We’ve learned so much and perhaps we’re better because of it,” reflects Melanie.

What’s so special about Ragtime to Grime, though, is the fact it will give the company a chance to perform in front of a live audience again.

“Our performers can’t wait to see audiences again and to hear clapping,” Melanie says. “They haven’t heard any clapping for six months. So if you see them, give them a cheer.

And yourselves. And thank you.”

Greenwich Dance is performing its Ragtime to Grime: Bring It Home Tour in locations across the borough.

Upcoming performances are taking place on the streets of: Shooters Hill (October 16), Eltham North and Eltham West (October 17), Coldharbour and New Eltham (October 18), Eltham South and Middle Park (October 21), Kidbrooke and Hornfair (October 22), Greenwich West and Blackheath Westcombe (October 23), Charlton and Woolwich Common (October 24). For more, visit: www.greenwichdance.org.uk/events

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ADVERTORIAL

News from the Royal Borough of Greenwich

Three simple actions can make all the difference We recognise with the rules changing it can be confusing, but we can all think:

HANDS. FACE. SPACE. These three simple actions can help protect one another so please: wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds. wear a face covering (over your nose and mouth) in enclosed spaces, especially where social distancing may be difficult and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet. stay 2 metres apart where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place.

Dr Mohammed Tamim wears a face covering to keep you safe.

Wear a face covering. Keep Greenwich safe. www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

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community trust At The Heart Of The Community

news from charlton athletic community trust

“I improved my confidence and my communication skills”

Malcolm met Ernest Simons after securing a place on a 20-month Photojournalism course

Malcolm Ukeje has been named as CACT’s Participant of the Year (Over 18)

At 4pm today, live on Charlton Athletic Community Trust’s (CACT’s) YouTube channel, participants and staff will be recognised for their contributions in the community over the past year in the CACT Awards. Last year’s event was held at the House of Lords, but today’s will take place virtually.

Published this week, CACT’s new Annual Report shows it worked with 46,778 people during the 2019/20 financial year, with over £5.8 million of expenditure on charitable activities in the community.

19-year-old Malcolm Ukeje is one CACT Awards winner, following his journey on the Traineeship programme. He won Participant of the Year (Over 18).

8 October 14 2020

Malcolm was referred to CACT’s Traineeships programme by the Royal Borough of Greenwich in October 2019, having recently moved over from Italy.

“I improved my confidence and my communications skills. It was a great opportunity as it gave me a clearer idea about what I wanted to become in the future. I was lucky.”

Speaking little English, Malcolm found the transition difficult at first.

Malcolm secured a place on a 20-month Photojournalism programme delivered by renowned photographer Ernest Simons.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Malcolm was set to photograph at Wimbledon and Euro 2020.

“I was feeling as if this was not my place because this place is totally different from Italy and I was alone, I didn’t have friends. It was really difficult.”

“He was very nervous, he didn’t really understand English,” Niz Miah, CACT’s Education Manager, explained.

Having expressed a passion for photography, Malcolm began working with CACT’s Marketing & Communications team, and was given the chance to take photos and film at a number of CACT’s projects.

Speaking after his placement, Malcolm said:

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Malcolm has also secured a college placement based around photography, which he will be starting later this year.

To hear more stories like Malcolm’s, including about volunteers on the Greenwich Community Hub who pulled together to support and deliver food and prescriptions to vulnerable residents, tune into the CACT Awards which is being premiered from 4pm on Tuesday 13 October.

Head to cact.org.uk/cactawards to tune in from 4pm or watch it on demand. www.weekender.co.uk

Arts and entertainment

Seven tracks, 700 record sleeves and 700 artists: the final installment of the Secret 7” exhibition NOW Gallery is hosting the seventh and final installment of the Secret 7” exhibition, an anonymous charity record sleeve sale which brings together leading names in the worlds of music and art to produce 700 unique record sleeves. The opportunity to submit artwork was made open to the public and as such, the selected entries come from a mix of established and amateur artists.

The records are currently being exhibited at NOW Gallery and will remain there until November 1, after which they’ll go on sale, with all proceeds going towards this year’s chosen charity: Help Refugees, writes Holly O’Mahony…

Just 100 copies have been made of each of the seven tracks, each of which wears a different sleeve designed by an anonymous artist.

With famous artists including Ai Wei Wei, Gavin Turk and Es Devlin all having submitted designs in the past, there’s potential to walk away with a miniature masterpiece.

As for the tracks, this year’s selection is made up of hits spanning multiple genres and decades. Buyers can pick up: Aretha Franklin’s ‘One Step Ahead’, Bob Dylan’s ‘Blind Willie McTell’, Foo Fighters’ ‘This Is A Call’, Koffee’s ‘Toast’, Miles Davis’s

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‘Miles Runs the Voodoo Down’, The Internet’s ‘Come Over’, and Vampire Weekend’s ‘Harmony Hall’.

We spoke to NOW Gallery curator Kaia Charles to find out more…

Holly O’Mahony: Tell us a bit about the Secret 7” series in your own words…

Kaia Charles: Secret 7” was founded

by Kevin King and Jordan Stokes in 2012. The idea is that each year artists interpret seven popular tracks and create their own unique sleeves. This is the seventh and final www.weekender.co.uk

installment of the show. By the end of the exhibition, the Secret 7 team will have made an amazing 4,900 one-ofa-kind records for 49 different tracks since the sale first ran in 2012.

The success of the shows is dependent on a tremendous level of goodwill from a variety of partners.

These include Columbia Records, who supply the seven iconic tracks, Camden Town Brewery and Ebay [the bidding platform for sale day]. The company is supporting the event by waiving its fees as well as promoting this year’s charity: Help Refugees.

HOM: Has NOW Gallery exhibited a Secret 7” exhibition before? If so, how did this collaboration come about?

KC: We actually held a Secret 7” show on The Jetty on Greenwich Peninsula back in 2018. We really loved the combination of art and music coming together for causes we feel passionate about, so finding another home for the exhibition in the Peninsula’s creative community felt like a natural fit. We are thrilled to host the show in its final year.

HOM: What can you reveal about the artwork featuring on the

sleeves. Are there any likely designs or collaborations you’re particularly excited about?

KC: It’s all top secret. No one knows which artist has submitted which sleeve, so it’s really fun to try to spot your favourite artists’ work.

I’m looking out for a sleeve by Turner Prize winner Lubaina Himid.

Also Nicole Chui, a young artist who has exhibited before at NOW Gallery – I think I’ve spotted her work. Let’s just say you’re spoilt for choice, with submissions by Morag Myerscough, Anish Kapoor, Jeremy Deller, Michel Gondry and Shona Heath to name a few.

HOM: Those are some big names! Do you have a rough idea of the ratio between known artists and amateurs?

KC: The submissions have been pretty balanced between exciting emerging artists and cultural heavy weights. Thanks to this mixture of artists, you stand to take away a significant work of art either way! Each of the seven tracks is pressed 100 times, so you get to choose the work of 700 artists.

HOM: How were the seven

records chosen?

KC: The curators Kevin and Jordan chose the longlist and worked with Columbia to secure the tracklist for the show.

HOM: The records and their sleeves are for sale, but for now are on show as an exhibition.

How compelling are they to look at as a series of artworks?

KC: The show is compelling on many levels. It’s intriguing to see how music is interpreted so differently.

I hope visitors see artwork that really resonates with them. Also, I hope everyone takes away a feeling of joy seeing how art, creativity and music combine for such a good cause, reminding us to be generous and open, despite the challenges we’re all facing this year.

Secret 7” is on show at NOW Gallery, The Gateway Pavilions, Peninsula Square, Greenwich Peninsula, London SE10 0SQ. October 14 - November 1. Monday - Friday, 10am - 7pm. Saturday 10am 5pm. Sunday 11am - 4pm.

Admission: FREE. www.nowgallery.co.uk/ exhibitions/secret-7

October 14 2020 9

THEATRE ©©Love_SE4

A Symphony of Horrors at Greenwich Theatre

It’s nearly Halloween and while at cinemas, you might find reruns of notorious spooky titles, at Greenwich Theatre, something a little more immersive is on offer. Musician and composer Chris Green has written a new score to the silent movie Nosferatu (1922), which is believed to be the first cinematic interpretation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. A screening of the movie is showing at Greenwich Theatre this Sunday, with Chris playing his haunting score live to accompany it. Holly O’Mahony speaks to Chris Green to find out more…

Holly O’Mahony: How did you get into composing and specifically, creating scores to accompany silent movies?

Chris Green: This is in fact the first silent film I’ve scored. I normally tour as GreenMatthews with my partner Sophie Matthews. We tour musical shows that I’ve written such as A Brief History of Music and A Christmas Carol: In Concert. However, a couple of years ago I released an album called Switched-On Playford which fused 17th-century music with electronica.

The score for Nosferatu is in the same vein: acoustic, folky melodies blended with dark and forbidding electronic textures. Basically it allows me to indulge my love of weird old instruments like the baroque guitar and mandocello as well as my rather geeky yen for analogue synths.

HOM: What attracted you to Nosferatu and made you want to compose a new score for the film?

CG: We live in an age where our lives have become increasingly visual

10 October 14 2020

rather than verbal – think Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, for example. Silent cinema feels like the granddaddy of all of this. Nosferatu in particular is almost like a fever dream; it’s outlandish, exaggerated and illogical in places but also sneaks its way into your subconscious without you really noticing, leaving you with vivid images that you can’t easily exorcise. I liked the idea of working on something where the music wasn’t the central focus, where it was the servant of a work that already existed.

HOM: How long has this project been in the pipeline for? Was it a lockdown idea or have you been working on it for longer?

CG: I’d been talking to English Heritage about the idea of their commissioning a new score for Nosferatu since last October and they finally got around to giving me the green light in late February this year. Whitby Abbey is one of their properties and overlooks the port where Dracula arrives in England in the original novel. The idea was to

do an October outdoor screening in the ruins of the abbey with the port as a backdrop. It would have been amazing but unfortunately it’s now not going ahead due to the pandemic. However, English Heritage didn’t officially cancel until July, by which time I’d finished most of the score. On that basis, I took the bull by the horns and decided to put together a short UK tour for it instead.

HOM: With only yourself on stage, Nosferatu makes an ideal commission for the age of social distancing within auditoriums…

CG: In retrospect, it does look remarkably prescient! I think it strikes a good balance for theatres between the need to put something on and the worry that social distancing will make for a less valid live experience. But cinema is a different beast to theatre; no one ever came out of a cinema saying: “I enjoyed the film but there were only 20 people in the auditorium, which meant it felt a bit flat.” Having me accompanying the film adds a live element to something that can exist

quite happily without a live audience.

It feels like a good halfway-house between pre-recorded content and the thrill of having real performers in a real space with real people.

HOM: How will it work on the night?

Will you perform the whole score live?

CG: The music itself will be a mixture of pre-recorded and live. I recorded the entire score in my studio and played all of the parts myself. So for the live show I’ll play live but alongside my pre-recorded tracks. I’ve deliberately left space for improvisation though, so every night will be slightly different.

HOM: Do you have any new projects or commissions in the pipeline after Nosferatu?

CG: I’m definitely up for scoring a second silent film. The two current frontrunners are Dreyer’s 1928 Joan of Arc or Lon Chaney’s 1925 Phantom of the Opera. I’m inching towards Joan of Arc at the moment as Sophie is a superb early-woodwind player and it

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would be wonderful to bring in some actual medieval sounds as well as my electronic textures. Either way, I’m going to start work on that in January and hope to have something ready to go by Easter – watch this space!

HOM: Lastly, what do you hope the live audience will take away from seeing Nosferatu accompanied by your score?

CG: To go with the obvious answer first, I hope they enjoy it and feel that my music has added to and enhanced a classic of silent cinema.

However, I hope more than anything else that the experience convinces them to come back to venues like Greenwich Theatre that are still open and putting on shows in this appalling time for the arts.

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors is showing at Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London SE10 8ES. October 18, 7:30pm. Admission: £16. www.greenwichtheatre. org.uk/events/nosferatu/ www.weekender.co.uk

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Greenwich & Lewisham Weekender

History

Sticky, black and dangerous - the 19th Century craze for coal tar

covering with jute and tar

Mary Mills

I am very tempted as we continue to walk down the Greenwich Riverside to stop at Bay Wharf and look at more big sailing ships – but, no, perhaps later... First we need to get involved in all the sticky nastiness to come and perhaps explain it a bit.

As we continue down towards what is now the site of the Dome we are going to find lino, steel, gun dealers, opium dealers and much more – but every other site will be about tar.

Coal tar. That’s right, sticky and black and now seen as dangerous.

In the 19th century industry in some senses it stuck everything together.

I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently. I’m deep - type type all day - in working on a book which is all about the stuff which was produced by the early gas industry and how, I’m

12 October 14 2020

afraid, it became a staple product which drove much of the industry on the Greenwich Riverside. I might as well admit it was my specialist subject at the Poly and then the OU and I hope to do a Zoom talk on it for Greenwich Industrial History Society in November.

But, while we are still at Bay Wharf we ought to look at one more company here and one which was on a site at the edge of Morden Wharf, and where a Colonel Francis owned what is described as a chemical

works on Marsh Wall. This was the Wylam Patent Fuel Co where they made ‘briquettes’ - a way of turning otherwise difficult bits and pieces into a usable fuel. It was recommended for use by industry – but more particularly for the ‘steam navy’ and it was claimed that 600 tons a week were being made.

It might be thought that the name ‘Wylam’ comes from the coal mining and coal transport village near Newcastle – birthplace of George Stevenson – but, no, in this case it is named for a person, William Wylam, who held the patent. He came from Newcastle or Gateshead and may have been a merchant.

Wylam Patent Fuel was announced in March 1844. It was said to be ‘resembling a large brick’ which was made of peat and coal tar. These were boiled together and then ground into a powder which was mixed with coal dust. Usefully it could incorporate ‘large quantities

of small coal... accumulated around every colliery’. This mixture was then pressed into the brick shape. It could then be used as a handy fuel.

It was said to be ‘free from smell’ and ‘leaves but little ashes’ but has ‘25 % per cent more heating power than coal’ took up less space and ‘is impervious to wet’. Hmmmm Independent tests were undertaken to evaluate it for use by ‘the steam navy’.

They found that the bricks ‘appear to be composed of small pieces of coal forcibly compressed and cemented together by some bituminous substance’ and were far from being ‘free from smell’ as they “gave off a strong odour of mineral pitch” also “much smoke always appeared” and ‘the proportions of cinders ashes and clinkers were considerable’ and ‘soot also was in large quantities.’

None of which sounds good.

Now I know the research I did for my PhD meant I looked at endless gas

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company records – that the Wylam Company were buying their tar from various local gas works - not of course from the big gas works on the Peninsula, because that wasn’t there, it hadn’t been built in the 1840s. But there were lots of others in Greenwich and Woolwich and across the river. So it isn’t really a surprise that in 1848 the Chartered Gas Company (with works in Westminster, Shoreditch and Islington) refused to sell Wylam any more tar because they hadn’t paid for the last lot. They survived this set back, moving a few years later to a larger site and then left.

Wylam were not the only manufacturers of briquettes in the area. When I wrote about the Deptford Riverside here some months ago I mentioned a Patent Fuel Company who used ’Warlich’s Method’ and also tried to sell to the Navy.

When I wrote here a few months ago about Cement on Morden Wharf I mentioned William Buckwell – and www.weekender.co.uk

History

Peninsula’s rich history laid bare A BRAND new book has been published by local historian Dr Mary Mills telling the story of Greenwich Peninsula. also the Chair of Greenwich Industrial History Society.

Readers will discover more about the Peninsula’s history in the industries of gunpowder, ship-building, cable-making, telecommunications and more.

he also had patents for ‘compressed or solidified fuel’ and owned a ‘composition’ factory. His activities all came out at his trial after he had been repatriated to Britain, having skipped bail and eventually been removed from a hay loft by the Italian police – but that’s another story.

Enderbys who I also wrote about a few months ago made something called ‘composition’ which they discussed with the City of London Gas Company – now why should they do that if they weren’t thinking of making something out of all that cheap tar? In 1838 Mechanics Magazine reported on a new sort of ‘Paving Composition’ which turned out to be ‘pebbles in pitch’ and an 1826 recipe for ‘Compo’ turns out to be oil of turpentine with coal tar, resin, size and ochre. One

patent for ‘cement’ gives alternatives for ingredients like ‘clay, loam, mud, shale, road dirt, soil ochre, metallic oxides, sandstone and earth.

Elsewhere recipes are given in patent specifications for fuel briquettes using wood chips, sawdust, sand and so on along with the tar.

Fundamentally any old rubbish would do – tar would stick it together and probably disguise its origins as well.

Colonel Francis is said to have owned the Wylam Company works on the Greenwich, and I don’t know who he was. I assume ‘Francis’ is his surname but it is often used as a first name. He was a ‘fiery Sicilian’ born in Manchester. Now, there was a Colonel Francis Maceroni who said that coal

tar, mixed with pebbles would ‘answer every purpose of building’. He also claimed to have laid down the first tar pavement ever in the garden of ‘Mr Bell of Greenwich’. I don’t know who he was – but if you live in a house built before 1830 have a look at your garden path as it might be the first tarred path ever laid down...

Basically, useful as briquettes may or (more probably) may not have been, they were a way of using up all that tar which the gas works were producing and didn’t know what to do with – and we will see more and more different ways of handling this as we carry on downriver.

We also will have a look at some artificial stone too. You know, if you can’t make it, fake it.

The new 232-page book, available exclusively through Amazon, is the latest release from Mills, who has written extensively about the area through a number of books and articles, including for this paper.

“Greenwich Peninsula - Greenwich Marsh: History of an Industrial Heartland” is available now through Amazon at a price of £10. ISBN: 979-8669957155

Dr Mills commented: “Explaining to people the scale of change in this remarkable area and the impact it has had on the world has been my passion in recent decades. Hopefully this new book will make the history of the Peninsula accessible to anyone who is interested in, or has a connection to, this unique location.”

Mary Mills has lived in Greenwich for 50 years and for 14 years was the local Labour councillor for the Peninsula and East Greenwich. She is

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Call Lorraine on 020 7232 1639 to advertise on this page October 14 2020 13

public notices Royal Borough of Greenwich Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (AS AMENDED) Town & Country Planning (Development Management Procedure)(England) Order 2015 Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (AS AMENDED) Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Regulations 1990 (AS AMENDED) Notice is hereby given that application(s) have been made to The Royal Borough of Greenwich in respect of the under mentioned premises/sites. You can see the submissions and any plans at http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/planning.

If development proposals affect Conservation Areas and/or Statutorily Listed Buildings under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Area) Act 1990 (As Amended) this will be shown within the item below.

Anyone who wishes to comment on these applications should be made in writing to Development Planning within 21 days of the date of this notice.

Please quote the appropriate reference number.

Date: 14/10/2020

Victoria Geoghegan Assistant Director - Planning and Building Control List of Press Advertisements - 14/10/2020 Publicity for Planning Applications.

Applicant: Site Address:

Mr Sharon 20/2243/F WHITE HORSE, 704 WOOLWICH ROAD, GREENWICH, LONDON, SE7 8LQ Development: Change of use of the first and second floors from a hotel (Class C1) to a 13 bedroom house in multiple occupation (Sui Generis) and provision of a 1-bedroom studio flat at ground floor level together with the construction of a roof extension, replacement of the shopfront and alterations to the fenestration on the front, side and rear elevations, creation of inset balconies at roof level and provision of associated refuse and recycling storage and cycle parking.

[RE-CONSULTAITON: AMENDED DESCRIPTION].

Conservation Area: THAMES BARRIER & BOWATER ROAD Applicant: Greenwich Builds 20/2330/F Site Address: Land to the West of Kidbrooke Park Road, Kidbrooke, SE3 9PX Development: The construction of four buildings between 4-10 storeys to provide 117 residential units (100% social rent) (Use Class C3) together with the provision of a nursery (417 sqm), community space (47 sqm) (Use Class D1), associated public realm, play space, accessible parking spaces and the re-provision of a substation

(This is a departure from the development plan and would be partially constructed on Metropolitan Open Land)

Applicant: Site Address:

Mr Sharif Sherwood Regal Estates Ltd 20/2665/F 111 BLACKHEATH ROAD, GREENWICH, LONDON, SE10 8PD Development: Creation of an additional floor and a habitable mansard roof extension, two storey rear extension at first and second floor level, conversion of upper floor flat into 2 new flats, provision of cycle parking and refuse in rear garden, replacement of ground floor front entrance door, replacement windows front and rear elevations and other minor alterations. (development may affect the setting of the Ashburn Triangle conservation area) Conservation Area: ASHBURNHAM TRIANGLE Applicant: Site Address: Development:

Mr Mills 20/2852/HD 38 ARSENAL ROAD, ELTHAM, LONDON, SE9 1JU Replacement of front and side door at ground floor level Conservation Area: PROGRESS ESTATE Applicant: Site Address: Development:

Jazz Trading (London) Ltd 20/2924/F UNIT 4, COMMONWEALTH BUILDINGS, WOOLWICH CHURCH STREET, WOOLWICH, LONDON, SE18 5NS Replacement of roof together with parapet wall.

ROYAL BOROUGH OF GREENWICH Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 Experimental Prohibition of Motor Vehicles Outside Schools Glenesk Road, Dairsie Road, Milverton Way, Beanshaw and Shortway The Greenwich (Prohibition of Motor Vehicles) (School Streets No. 2 2020) Experimental Traffic Order 2020 1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council of the Royal Borough of Greenwich (hereinafter referred to as “the Council”) has made the abovementioned Order under sections 9 and 10 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as amended and will come into operation on 21st October 2020.

2. The general effect of the Order would be, on an experimental basis, to prohibit any motorised vehicle entering certain streets or lengths of streets near the schools listed below during Monday - Friday 8 – 9.30am and 3 - 4pm, during term time: (a) Montbelle School: i) Milverton Way, from its junction with Adderley Gardens to its junction with Lambarde Avenue; ii) Beanshaw, from its junction with Green Lane to its junction with Crouch Croft; (b) St Thomas More School: i) Shortway, from its junction with Appleton Road to its junction with Whinyates Road; (c) Deansfield School: i) Glenesk Road, for its entire length; ii) Dairsie Road, for its entire length; The measures on Dairsie Road and Glenesk Road, from its junction with Dairsie Road to its junction with Crookston Road, will only be implemented if necessary.

[The measures on all the streets and lengths of streets listed above will be enforced by the installation of removable barriers as well as traffic signs. Access will be permitted for accredited vehicles, blue badge holders and emergency vehicles.]

3. To view a copy of the Order and/or a statement of the Council’s reasons for making this experimental Order, please email Parking-Design@ royalgreenwich.gov.uk, requesting electronic copies.

4. The Order provides that in pursuance of section 10(2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the Assistant Director of Strategic Transportation at Greenwich Council, or some person authorised by him, may, if it appears to him or that person essential in the interests of the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic or for preserving or improving the amenities of the area through which any road affected by the Order extends, modify or suspend the Order or any provision thereof.

5. The Council will consider in due course whether the provisions of the Order should be continued in force indefinitely by means of a permanent Order made under sections 6 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Any person may object to the making of the permanent Order for the purpose of such indefinite continuation, within a period of six months beginning with the date on which the experimental Order comes into force or, if the Order is varied by another Order or modified pursuant to section 10(2) of the 1984 Act, beginning with the date on which the variation or modification or the latest variation or modification comes into force. Any such objection must be made in writing and must state the grounds on which it is made and be sent by email to Parking-Design@royalgreenwich.gov.uk (quoting reference 10-20 School Streets No.2).

6. If any person wishes to question the validity of the Order or of any of the provisions contained therein on the grounds that they are not within the powers conferred by the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, or that any requirement of that Act or of any instrument made under that Act has not been complied with, that person may, within six weeks from the date on which the Order was made, apply for that purpose to the High Court.

7. Persons objecting to the Order should be aware that in view of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, this Council would be legally obliged to make any comments received in response to this Notice, open to public inspection.

Assistant Director, Strategic Transportation, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, SE18 6HQ Dated 14th October 2020

14 October 14 2020

Conservation Area: THAMES BARRIER & BOWATER ROAD

Publicity for Listed Building Consent

Applicant: Site Address: Development:

Applicant: Site Address: Development:

Mr & Mrs McKenzie Hendersen 20/2941/HD 54 BRAND STREET, GREENWICH, LONDON, SE10 8SR Refurbishment of front lightwell comprising a new double-glazed roof.

Conservation Area: WEST GREENWICH Applicant: Site Address:

DVS Investments Co. Ltd

Applicant: Site Address:

Mr K. A Chun Hau 20/2979/HD 23 HARDINGE CRESCENT, WOOLWICH, LONDON, SE18 6TB Demolition and construction of a single storey rear extension, a loft conversion with two roof lights to the front roof slope and two to the rear roof slope.

20/2954/F

152A PLUMSTEAD COMMON ROAD, PLUMSTEAD, LONDON, SE18 2UL Development: Retrospective planning permission for the change of use of the first floor from office to self-contained residential unit (Class C3) and associated installation of cycle and refuse storage within rear yard (Resubmission).

Conservation Area: PLUMSTEAD COMMON

Development:

Convert attic into habitable room with rear and front facing roof windows. Demolish existing rear extension with rear elevation alterations Conservation Area: adjacent to Royal Arsenal

Ms Clare Cornwell 20/2689/L 39 BLACKHEATH PARK, BLACKHEATH, LONDON, SE3 9RW Construction of a cavity drain membrane system and replacement of entrance door frame to a basement vault.

Conservation Area: BLACKHEATH PARK Listed Building: Grade 2 Applicant: Site Address: Development:

Durkan Estates Ltd 20/2768/L 19 LANGHORNE STREET, WOOLWICH, LONDON, SE18 4BJ Proposed installation of anti-roosting bird spikes to the top leading edge of the roof, the top stringer courses and the top 2 level window seals on three sides. Proposed installation of mesh and bird spikes to drainage hoppers. All to prevent pigeons landing and nesting on these areas.

Conservation Area: WOOLWICH COMMON Listed Building: Grade 2 Applicant: Site Address:

Jazz Trading (London) Ltd 20/2925/L UNIT 4, COMMONWEALTH BUILDINGS, WOOLWICH CHURCH STREET, WOOLWICH, LONDON, SE18 5NS Development: Replacement of roof with parapet wall, installation of mezzanine floor and loft floor.

Conservation Area: THAMES BARRIER & BOWATER ROAD Listed Building: Grade 2

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Have your Will made or updated for free this October Our Hospice has once again teamed up with local solicitors who have agreed to write or update your Will for free. An up to date Will written by a solicitor ensures your wishes are respected and that your family and friends are cared for.

To take part in the Free Will writing service, contact any one of the participating Solicitors below.

Raphael Newton, Gordon And Thompson Solicitors, 158 Plumstead Road, London SE18 7DY | Tel: 020 7183 6547

Amy Warren, MW Solicitors, 2 Mayplace Road West, Bexleyheath, Kent DA7 4JB Tel: 0203 551 8208

Kalpa Prajapati, Grant Saw, Grant Saw House, 8 Tranquil Passage, Blackheath, London SE3 0BJ Tel: 020 8858 6971

Lucy Clare, Mclure Solicitors, 78 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5ES (Home visits available) Tel: 0800 852 1999

Salma Butt, Freeman Harris Solicitors, 27B Tarves Way, Greenwich, London SE10 9JU | Tel: 0207 790 7311

Adele Davies, Manak Solicitors, 42 Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1BA (Home visits available) Tel: 01474 324 529

Manyi Tataw Ebot Ntui, DivineďŹ eld Solicitors, 209 Bexley Road, Erith, Kent DA8 3EU | Tel: 01322 617 617

Appointments may be subject to availability so please book in advance.

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ADVERTORIAL

News from the Royal Borough of Greenwich

Still to come in Royal Greenwich for Black History Month There are lots of virtual events and socially distanced live activities happening around the borough to celebrate Black History Month, including our own Royal Greenwich Black History 365 season. All events listed are free unless stated otherwise.

For up-to-date listings and details on how to book, visit: roya l g ree n w i c h . gov. u k / bl a c k h i s to r y m o n t h All events will follow the government’s COVID-19 guidelines and are subject to change or cancellation at short notice. Check the relevant event website for up to date information on events before you travel.

Watch the Royal Greenwich Black History Month launch video Featuring dance, music, poetry and a taster of some of the activities to come throughout the month. Available on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/royalgreenwich

Adult African Fusion dance

Monday 26 October

Online event hosted on Zoom, 5.30pm-6.30pm, up to £4

Global Fusion Music & Arts singing and body percussion workshop

This series of weekly online classes from Greenwich Dance provides an opportunity to slow down, fill our lungs with precious air, energise our bodies and stay connected in these times of self-isolation. Booking required.

Online event hosted on Zoom, 4pm-5pm

Trinity Laban concert

Children’s singing and body percussion workshop with South African trumpeter and percussionist and Claude Deppa. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Mutiny at Sea: Enslaved African Resistance on Board

Live events at St Alfege Church, SE10 9BJ, 1.05pm

In conversation with Stella Dadzie on Women, Slavery and Resistance

Online event from Royal Museums Greenwich, 6pm-7pm

Trinity Laban presents a lunchtime concerts with pre-concert talks and performances celebrating the music of black composers and performers.

Concerts will be led by Trinity Laban students.

Online event from Royal Museums Greenwich, 7pm

Friday 16 October

Join historian Professor Hakim Adi, who will guide you through the histories of enslaved African resistance at sea and the political and cultural changes such events brought to society.

Free but ticketed. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

The Kandi Girls Night Out In Online workshop from Healthwatch Greenwich, 8pm-9pm A fun interactive painting workshop celebrating the life and bodies of BAME women in our borough. Free but registration is required. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Sunday 18 October Black histories and futures family workshop Live event at the National Maritime Museum, 11am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm Explore Black histories and futures through the National Maritime Museum’s collection and take part in creative activities with artist Ese Akpojotor. Time slots are 45 minutes each. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Wednesday 21 October Online drawing workshop with Christy Symington Online event hosted on Zoom from National Maritime Museum, 7pm-8pm London-based sculptor, Christy Symington, will discuss her sculpture of writer and anti-slavery campaigner Olaudah Equiano. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Thursday 22 October Crochet Like Your Mother Used To Make Online workshop, 11am-12.30pm

Live concerts are open to all and social distance measures will be in place. All concerts will be filmed and made available to a wider audience on the Trinity Laban YouTube channel. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Tuesday 27 October Global Fusion Music &Arts children’s workshop

Friday 23 October Live event (also available online), 7.30pm-9.30pm Live African music from Mosi Conde (Kora Player from Guinea) and the three-piece traditional highlife and palm wine band The Palm Wine High Priests.

Kids Festival Culture Fiesta Online Online event, 11am-2pm An online entertaining arts and culture event that will educate, inform and inspire children about cultures from around the world. For children aged 8-15 years. Free but registration is required.

Sunday 25 October Black histories and futures family workshop Live event at the National Maritime Museum, 11am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm Explore Black histories and futures through the National Maritime Museum’s collection and take part in creative activities with artist Natalie Cooper. Time slots are 45 minutes each. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Learn how to make an African necklace from cardboard/paper plate with Ayo Faleye. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Wednesday 28 October

The live event will have a limited number of tickets available. The event can also be watched on the Global Fusion Music & Arts Facebook page and on Zoom. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Saturday 24 October

Online event hosted on Zoom, 7pm Children’s arts and crafts workshop – create a Caribbean carnival headdress with Ayo Faleye.

Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Black Women Making Waves Online event, 7pm-8pm A talk from Tony Warner of Black History Walks celebrating the contributions of the black women who have done amazing things on the water, from ancient voyages to female captains and feats of endurance, plus a chance to see a screening of the short film Surf Girls of Jamaica.

Global Fusion Music &Arts World Music Night Online event hosted on Zoom, 8pm An evening of live music from around the world streamed online. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Friday 30 October

Online event hosted on Zoom, 11am

Global Fusion Music & Arts Africa Night

Global Fusion Music & Arts storytelling evening Online event hosted on Zoom, 4pm-5pm Stories from Africa and the Caribbean with Michelle Shortland. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Thursday 29 October Trinity Laban music concert Live events at St Alfege Church, SE10 9BJ, 1.05pm

Global Fusion Music &Arts African Dance Workshops Online event hosted on Zoom, 6pm Join Dennese Lawes for some African dancing.

Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Revolving journeys: A different narrative of the Caribbean diaspora Online event, 7pm-8.30pm Celebrating the Caribbean diaspora, this thought-provoking webinar brings together a panel of speakers to start a conversation on the relationship between the past and present.

Developed collaboratively by Caribbean Social Forum, National Maritime Museum and University of Greenwich.

Saturday 31 October

Trinity Laban presents a lunchtime concerts with pre-concert talks and performances celebrating the music of black composers and performers.

Concerts will be led by Trinity Laban students.

Global Fusion Music & Arts children’s workshop

Live concerts are open to all and social distance measures will be in place. All concerts will be filmed and made available to a wider audience on the Trinity Laban YouTube channel. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Children’s arts and crafts workshop – make an African Mask with Pearl Mendes. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Online event hosted on Zoom, 10.30am

Health Symposium by Healthwatch Greenwich Online event, 5pm-6.30pm An engaging and lively panel discussion around the risks of health inequality to the overall wellbeing of BAME women in Greenwich. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

Knitting and crochet are global skills of great importance to women of the world, and especially of Caribbean and African Diaspora.

Pick up your needles and hooks and join in the fun. Part of Royal Greenwich Black History 365.

www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

Described as one of the “grandmothers” of Black Feminism in the UK, Stella Dadzie will be discussing her latest book A Kick in the Belly: Women, Slavery and Resistance.

Global Fusion Music and Arts children’s workshop

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