Northfleet History Group - October 2013 Meeting.
AN ARMCHAIR GUIDE TO CHALK
Another large audience gathered in St Botolph’s church hall for our meeting on Tuesday 1st October when local historian Chris Bull took us on a very entertaining ‘Armchair guide to Chalk parish’.
During his talk, Chris emphasised the fact that Chalk covers an area many times greater than Gravesend (as indeed, does Northfleet), and takes in Riverview Park and the Westcourt estate as well as many other outlying districts, and gamely tried his best to conceal any irritation he may have felt that due to the Post Office system of identifying ‘Post towns’ to facilitate mail deliveries, its identity has been somewhat overwhelmed by its (in his opinion!) more self-important neighbour.
He showed us a large number of excellent slides of Chalk’s past and present buildings, including the old forge which Charles Dickens used as the inspiration for the workplace of his character Joe Gargery, the blacksmith in Great Expectations, as well as several houses in the village which each laid claim to being the one in which Dickens spent his honeymoon!
This was a very interesting presentation which Chris delivered in his usual entertaining style.
After the tea interval Alex Pavitt gave a short talk on the history of the Factory Hall, later called the Blue Circle Club and currently known as Portlands, illustrated with pictures of some of the many events which have taken place in the hall over the years since it was built in 1878. He also described the life and career of Thomas Bevan the cement manufacturer at whose expense it was built.
Our next meeting is on Tuesday 5th November in St Botolph’s church hall at 2pm, when Anne Carter will talk about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot.
During his talk, Chris emphasised the fact that Chalk covers an area many times greater than Gravesend (as indeed, does Northfleet), and takes in Riverview Park and the Westcourt estate as well as many other outlying districts, and gamely tried his best to conceal any irritation he may have felt that due to the Post Office system of identifying ‘Post towns’ to facilitate mail deliveries, its identity has been somewhat overwhelmed by its (in his opinion!) more self-important neighbour.
He showed us a large number of excellent slides of Chalk’s past and present buildings, including the old forge which Charles Dickens used as the inspiration for the workplace of his character Joe Gargery, the blacksmith in Great Expectations, as well as several houses in the village which each laid claim to being the one in which Dickens spent his honeymoon!
This was a very interesting presentation which Chris delivered in his usual entertaining style.
After the tea interval Alex Pavitt gave a short talk on the history of the Factory Hall, later called the Blue Circle Club and currently known as Portlands, illustrated with pictures of some of the many events which have taken place in the hall over the years since it was built in 1878. He also described the life and career of Thomas Bevan the cement manufacturer at whose expense it was built.
Our next meeting is on Tuesday 5th November in St Botolph’s church hall at 2pm, when Anne Carter will talk about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot.