Northfleet History Group - 6th December 2016 Meeting Report.
Our members enjoyed a pleasant social afternoon on Tuesday 6th December with reminiscing and taking part in quizzes, etc., in a party atmosphere, in what has become our traditional Christmas get-together with refreshments being provided by the members themselves. The raffle resulted in a total of £100 being raised for the ellenor Lions hospice.
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Northfleet History Group - 1st November 2016 Meeting Report.
LONDON - THE DARK CITY
Stuart Robinson presented his display entitled ‘London - the dark city’, in which he described the some of the more unsavoury aspects of the city in former times, ranging from the poor sanitation causing frequent outbreaks of cholera, to crime and punishment, much of which was extremely harsh, and ranged from public humiliation in the stocks to imprisonment and public execution at Tyburn (where the Marble Arch now stands), or transportation to America or Australia. He mentioned many infamous criminals including Dick Turpin, the highwayman, who was also a burglar, murderer, smuggler and horse thief, and was hanged at York after riding there on his famous horse, Black Bess. He spoke of the corrupt justice system, where magistrates were open to bribery and described the prisons such as Newgate, on which site the Old Bailey now stands, and the Marshalsea where, among others, Charles Dickens’ father was held for debt. Stuart went on to describe how many reforms came about and how a regular police force was established by Robert Peel. A most interesting and thought-provoking talk.
After the tea interval, Michael Thompson entertained us with a selection of pictures from old Northfleet, specifically along the riverside, which was very well received.
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After the tea interval, Michael Thompson entertained us with a selection of pictures from old Northfleet, specifically along the riverside, which was very well received.
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Northfleet History Group - 4th October 2016 Meeting Report.
WHAT THE VICTORIANS DID FOR US
Ian Bevan, a very popular speaker, returned to St Botolph’s church hall, to give us a presentation entitled ‘What the Victorians did for us’. Ian described how Victorian enterprise and ingenuity led to the formation of the British Empire and how the harnessing of steam power gave rise to the age of industry, transforming a mainly agricultural country into the richest and most powerful nation on earth, and laying the foundations of many of the social and political institutions we take for granted today. He ended his talk by playing some vintage recordings of Victorian music hall artists, which had the audience spontaneously joining in the singing, bringing a very entertaining afternoon to a most enjoyable conclusion!
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Northfleet History Group - 6th September 2016 Meeting Report.
"A ROYAL INTERLUDE"
The new season after our summer break began on Tuesday, 6th September, when Peter Hartley gave us a very interesting talk entitled ‘A Royal Interlude’, describing his work in the Lord Chamberlain’s Office at Buckingham Palace. He followed a typical day in the Queen’s calendar, which always begins with the sound of the bagpipes outside the French windows announcing the arrival of the royal breakfast (which, even though he worked there for many years, never ceased to startle him!). He also described the preparations for various royal occasions, giving a fascinating insight into royal life away from the public view.
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Northfleet History Group - 19th July 2016 Group Visit.
GROUP VISIT TO MICHELHAM PRIORY
On the 19th July, the Group visited Michelham Priory in the peaceful Sussex countryside, where there was much to see, including a demonstration of flour milling in the working watermill. On the way there we stopped for a break on the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells where we enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee ‘al fresco’ in the shade of the trees, on what was the hottest day of the year to date.
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Northfleet History Group - 7th June 2016 Meeting Report.
BRUGES: IT’S NOT JUST CHOCOLATE!
At our meeting at St Botolph’s church hall on Tuesday 7th June, (the last indoor meeting before our summer break), Melanie Gibson-Barton entertained us with a presentation on the Belgian city of Bruges, a place she clearly loves. Melanie and her husband have a small house there in which they spend many weekend breaks, just across the Channel from their home in Dymchurch. We learned much about the history of the city, famous for its canals which have earned it the title ‘Venice of the North’ and for its medieval buildings, including the extremely tall bell tower which sways alarmingly in high winds, as well as the many traditional festivals enjoyed in its parks and streets, which she claims are entirely litter-free! Bizarrely, among the many museums is one dedicated to potato chips! Melanie ended her talk by showing some mouth-watering pictures of delicious Belgian chocolates (but sadly, anyone expecting some samples to taste was disappointed!).
After the tea interval, Stan Martin traced the history of the iconic red telephone boxes, from the K1 model of the 1920's to BT’s mass-produced model of the present day. The box which stands opposite Northfleet’s Catholic Church on The Hill is an example of the K6 model of 1935, which was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who was also the architect of the church.
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Northfleet History Group - 3rd May 2016 Meeting Report.
WOMEN AT WAR
At our meeting at St Botolph’s church hall on Tuesday 3rd May, Steve Hooking, formerly one of the curators at the Royal Arsenal Museum at Woolwich, entertained a near capacity audience with a presentation in which he examined the role of women in conflicts from the Crimean War to the present day. The contribution to the war effort by women, particularly from 1916, when they were called upon to take over all manner of jobs traditionally done by men who had been called up into the armed forces, was invaluable. He gave some graphic descriptions of some of those jobs, especially the vital, but dangerous and physically demanding ones, such as making munitions in the Arsenal - hazardous tasks, carried out without the Health & Safety considerations of today. This was an interesting talk, given with the aid of many historic photographs.
After the tea interval, our chairman, Ken McGoverin gave an account of the English Civil War ‘Battle of Stonebridge Hill’, which took place on 1st June, 1648, in which a 600-strong Royalist force under Major Childs was defeated by 400 Parliamentarian troops led by Major Husband.
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After the tea interval, our chairman, Ken McGoverin gave an account of the English Civil War ‘Battle of Stonebridge Hill’, which took place on 1st June, 1648, in which a 600-strong Royalist force under Major Childs was defeated by 400 Parliamentarian troops led by Major Husband.
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Northfleet History Group - 5th April 2016 Meeting Report.
AROUND AND ABOUT GRAVESHAM AND
STORIES OF THE RIVER THAMES
STORIES OF THE RIVER THAMES
On Tuesday 5th April, well-known local historian Christoph Bull joined us at our meeting at St Botolph’s church hall, to give a presentation entitled ‘Gravesham - Around and About’ and, as usual, there was hardly a spare seat left in the hall! Chris explored the various parishes comprising Gravesham which amount to a surprisingly large number, with interesting facts and anecdotes delivered in his usual entertaining manner. I won’t spoil it for Chris by revealing the exact number!
After the tea interval, our vice-chairman, David Jewiss, gave a short presentation in which he regaled us with a series of anecdotes on our local stretch of the River Thames, accompanied by a backdrop of pictures of the river.
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After the tea interval, our vice-chairman, David Jewiss, gave a short presentation in which he regaled us with a series of anecdotes on our local stretch of the River Thames, accompanied by a backdrop of pictures of the river.
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Northfleet History Group - 1st March 2016 Meeting Report.
THE THAMES & MEDWAY CANAL
On Tuesday, 1st March, we welcomed David Rouse to our meeting in St Botolph’s church hall, to tell us about the Thames & Medway Canal, which was opened in 1824 to take barges between the River Thames at Gravesend and the River Medway at Strood. At Higham it was necessary to construct a tunnel nearly 4000 yards long. Work commenced on the tunnel in 1820 and was completed in May 1824. It was the second longest canal tunnel in Britain and had the largest internal width of 35ft, including a 5ft towpath, as it had to be capable of taking 60-ton Thames barges which were 94ft long and 22ft wide. The barges carried agricultural products, beer and cement, but the main cargo was horse manure from London’s stables which was used to fertilise the local fields, resulting in Higham Wharf being nicknamed Dung Wharf. Farm produce and hops were shipped back to London. In February 1844 the Gravesend and Rochester Railway built a single rail track on the south bank of the canal and then through the tunnel, one rail being on the towpath and the other on supports placed in the canal bed. The tunnel was shared by both boats and trains for 18 months until November 1845, but trade for the barges declined and in 1846 the canal between Lower Higham and Strood was filled in and a year later a double track railway was laid through the tunnel. The canal was officially abandoned in 1934.
The Thames & Medway Canal Association was formed in 1976 and has been working since then to restore the canal with regular Tuesday morning working parties clearing scrub and generally tidying up the canal. They have installed several seats at various places along the towpath where walkers can relax and enjoy the view. This was a very interesting talk accompanied by some very good pictures showing the work being carried out.
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The Thames & Medway Canal Association was formed in 1976 and has been working since then to restore the canal with regular Tuesday morning working parties clearing scrub and generally tidying up the canal. They have installed several seats at various places along the towpath where walkers can relax and enjoy the view. This was a very interesting talk accompanied by some very good pictures showing the work being carried out.
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Northfleet History Group - 2nd February 2016 Meeting Report.
MEMORIES OF OLD GRAVESEND
Another ‘packed house’ welcomed the Hon. Secretary of Gravesend Historical Society, Sandra Soder to our meeting in St Botolph’s church hall on Tuesday, 2nd February, when she showed us another selection of photographs of old Gravesend and the surrounding area, bringing back memories for many of our members.
After the tea interval, our Chairman Ken McGoverin gave a presentation on the cottage industry of making gunflints, an activity for which Northfleet became famous. These were used in flintlock firearms and were in great demand by the army, the East India Company and by the Admiralty as it was found that ships’ cannons fired by a flintlock mechanism were more accurate than the old method of touching the gunpowder with a lighted taper. As flints were a by-product of chalk quarrying they were readily available locally and mostly of very high quality. The splitting and knapping of the flints was usually carried out by a team of three workers at very high speed, thousands of wedge-shaped flints of the right size being turned out daily. However, the process involved chipping at the flints which caused a great deal of abrasive dust to be breathed in by the workers giving rise to serious lung complaints. There was, of course, no Health & Safety legislation in those days and, sadly, most of them were lucky to reach the age of 40.
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After the tea interval, our Chairman Ken McGoverin gave a presentation on the cottage industry of making gunflints, an activity for which Northfleet became famous. These were used in flintlock firearms and were in great demand by the army, the East India Company and by the Admiralty as it was found that ships’ cannons fired by a flintlock mechanism were more accurate than the old method of touching the gunpowder with a lighted taper. As flints were a by-product of chalk quarrying they were readily available locally and mostly of very high quality. The splitting and knapping of the flints was usually carried out by a team of three workers at very high speed, thousands of wedge-shaped flints of the right size being turned out daily. However, the process involved chipping at the flints which caused a great deal of abrasive dust to be breathed in by the workers giving rise to serious lung complaints. There was, of course, no Health & Safety legislation in those days and, sadly, most of them were lucky to reach the age of 40.
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Northfleet History Group - 5th January 2016 Meeting Report.
RICHARD III: A BLOODY TYRANT?
RICHARD III: A BLOODY TYRANT?
Almost 100 members came to our first meeting of 2016 in St Botolph’s church hall on Tuesday 5th January to hear Dr Phil Stone, who is Chairman of the Richard III Society, give a presentation on the King who has gone down in history as a villain who schemed and plotted his way to the throne, even to the extent of being responsible for the murder of the two little princes in the Tower.
Phil Stone gave a very interesting talk, putting forward an entirely different perspective on Richard III, who, despite his short reign of only two years, did make some notable improvements in the administration of the country. Among other things, he abolished ‘benevolences’ - a system of compulsory gifts from individuals to the monarch, and set up a bail system for defendants in court. He also recovered the border town of Berwick-on-Tweed from the Scots and it has remained an English town ever since. Phil claimed there is no real evidence to connect him with the murder of the princes - Edward V and his brother Richard. Henry VII could also be a suspect, but Phil felt they may not have been murdered at all, but could well have been spirited away to France. This is a mystery which is unlikely ever to be solved. So were the Tudors who came after him, greatly aided by Shakespeare’s play, right to portray him as an evil, bloody tyrant? Dr Stone left us feeling that perhaps an injustice had been done to the King who was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and whose bones were recently discovered under a car park in Leicester.
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Phil Stone gave a very interesting talk, putting forward an entirely different perspective on Richard III, who, despite his short reign of only two years, did make some notable improvements in the administration of the country. Among other things, he abolished ‘benevolences’ - a system of compulsory gifts from individuals to the monarch, and set up a bail system for defendants in court. He also recovered the border town of Berwick-on-Tweed from the Scots and it has remained an English town ever since. Phil claimed there is no real evidence to connect him with the murder of the princes - Edward V and his brother Richard. Henry VII could also be a suspect, but Phil felt they may not have been murdered at all, but could well have been spirited away to France. This is a mystery which is unlikely ever to be solved. So were the Tudors who came after him, greatly aided by Shakespeare’s play, right to portray him as an evil, bloody tyrant? Dr Stone left us feeling that perhaps an injustice had been done to the King who was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and whose bones were recently discovered under a car park in Leicester.
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