Northfleet History Group - June 2012 Meeting.
"SCENES FROM THE PAST"
Ken McGoverin
Despite driving wind and rain and the likelihood that the car park would be closed for re-surfacing, there was an almost full house at our June meeting when Ken McGoverin presented a selection of old local photographs which he had discovered in the archives of Gravesend Public Library. With the permission of the Library, Ken had copied many hitherto unseen photographs, including some from the family album of the Rosher family. Many of the originals were not much bigger than a postage stamp, but Ken had managed to enlarge them without any apparent loss of quality. Although some were simply personal family portraits they gave an interesting insight into life at about the time of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, and there were several pictures of the celebrations which took place in Gravesend at that time. Other photographs illustrated the wide-ranging changes to Gravesend during the period from the 1950s to the 1970s taken by the well-known local photographer Bertrand Marshall who ran a photographic business from his shop in Windmill Street for many years. This was a fascinating and informative presentation which was warmly appreciated by the audience.
After a break for tea, Michael R. Thompson showed an interesting selection of photographs illustrating the history of Henley’s Cable Works, which, apart from the protected 1930s office building, has now been completely demolished.
We were delighted to welcome our former Hon. Secretary Mavis Windibank and her husband John to the meeting. They had travelled down from their new home in Norfolk to join us for the afternoon. We look forward to them returning in November when Mavis will present a miscellany of stories of old Northfleet.
After a break for tea, Michael R. Thompson showed an interesting selection of photographs illustrating the history of Henley’s Cable Works, which, apart from the protected 1930s office building, has now been completely demolished.
We were delighted to welcome our former Hon. Secretary Mavis Windibank and her husband John to the meeting. They had travelled down from their new home in Norfolk to join us for the afternoon. We look forward to them returning in November when Mavis will present a miscellany of stories of old Northfleet.