WEDNESDAY 27 SEPTEMBER

 Doors open 7pm, talk commences 7.30.

THE TRAFALGAR TAVERN, PARK ROW, GREENWICH, SE10 9NW

The Greenwich Historical Society’s autumn lecture programme commences on Wednesday 27 September with a celebration of the glorious memory of Ann Broadbent, the Queen of Crooms Hill, whose death in February was a hugely significant moment in the history of our town. Ann’s departure marks the end of an era: the passing of old Bohemian Greenwich. Ann arrived at 14 Crooms Hill in 1956 and for the next seven decades her generosity of spirit and creativity were the vital spark in the cultural and social landscape of Greenwich, embracing an unerring eye for colour and pattern, skilful artistry for baroque juxtaposition, celebrated garden parties and memorable tours of her magnificently decorated house. 

I am delighted that our guest speaker will be Dr Olivia Horsfall Turner, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at the Victoria and Albert Museum, whose article on Ann’s house for The World of Interiors can be viewed here to whet your appetite:

https://www.worldofinteriors.com/story/crooms-hill-ann-broadbent

TO CELEBRATE ANN’S LOVE OF PARTIES, VISITORS ARE INVITED TO DRESS COLOURFULLY!

Members of the Greenwich Historical Society admitted free.

We warmly welcome visitors from whom we invite a donation of £3.

Bus routes 129, 177, 188, 286, 386 run along Trafalgar Road.
Free car parking after 6.30 in the Park Row car park.

22 MARCH 2023. Following our (traditionally brief) AGM this evening, ANTHONY CROSS will give as this year’s President’s Address, ‘THE HORRIBLE AFFAIR: The Bomb in Greenwich Park, February 1894’.

The bomb that exploded in Greenwich Park in February 1894, killing the perpetrator, lies at the heart of Joseph Conrad’s novel ‘The Secret Agent’ (1907). Drawing on various contemporary sources, Anthony seeks to reveal the facts that Conrad later wove into fiction. In fact, the real bomber died without uttering a word of explanation as to his motive. Anthony will also explore some of the theories that might throw light on this mysterious incident.

The meeting is held at James Wolfe School, Royal Hill Campus, Greenwich SE10 8RZ. Doors open at 7.15. Our AGM will commence at 7.30; the talk starts at approximately 8.00, and concludes at 9.00pm. We welcome non-members, from whom we invite a donation of £3 for each meeting.

The venue is well served by public transport. Bus routes 177, 180, 199 and 386 run along Greenwich High Road (at the bottom of Royal Hill). Bus routes 129, 188 and 286 serve nearby Greenwich town centre, and Greenwich Mainline Railway Station and Greenwich DLR are a short walk away.

There is free car parking after 6.30pm in the Burney Street car park (behind Greenwich Picturehouse).

The excellent exhibition exploring the life and work of Sir William Beatty continues at the Old Royal Naval College until 25 March 2023. If you haven’t already visited, don’t miss the opportunity to see it and learn more about the remarkable man who attended to Lord Nelson in his final moments.

Explore the fascinating – and sometimes grisly – life and work of renowned 19^th-century naval surgeon and physician, Sir William Beatty. Marking 200 years since Beatty took up his post as Physician to the Royal Hospital for Seamen in Greenwich, now the Old Royal Naval College, the exhibition features a range of objects including a replica of Nelson’s life mask, Beatty’s own medical chest and 18^th and 19^th century surgical instruments.

Step on-board a replica of the cockpit of the HMS Victory complete with the sights, smells and sounds of a make-shift medical bay. Learn about the surgical practice of Nelson’s Navy and how improved medical knowledge helped to save more lives at sea.

Parental discretion advised. This exhibition is not recommended for children aged 10 or younger.

Blood & Battle: Dissecting the Life of William Beatty

This is a reminder that on Wednesday 23 November we welcome Katie Oakley to GHS to share with us her book, ‘Yours, La’ – Wartime letters from a mother to her only son written between 1943 and 1945’.

As Katie says in her introduction:“Imagine saying goodbye to your 21-year-old son as he goes away to war. Little do you know that he’ll be fighting on the frontline for years. Meanwhile you are left behind, queuing for rations, becoming homeless, after a flying bomb attack and doing your utmost to keep everyone’s spirits up.

This selection of letters, written by La and sent from the family home in Beaconsfield Road, Blackheath, to her son John, vividly describes living through World War Two in London from 1943 to 1945, her reactions to events and her views on the war. John carefully kept all the letters, despite living in extreme conditions while fighting in the North African, Italian, and Greek campaigns.Many letters from soldiers to their families back home have survived, but few the other way round.”

Venue: James Wolfe Primary School, Royal Hill, Greenwich, SE10 8RZ.

Time: Doors are open at 7.00pm, the meeting will begin at 7.30pm

The Assembly Rooms, Charlton House,16th July 2022: from 2.30pm.

On Saturday 16th July at 2.30 p.m. in the Grand Salon, Charlton House TRACY STRINGFELLOW, Chief Executive of Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust, will speak about the proposals to create a museum and archive space at Charlton House.

Before moving to Greenwich in 2013 Tracy was Heritage Manager with Medway Council responsible for management of Rochester Castle, Upnor Castle, and Temple Manor. Tracy was also Project Manager at Eastgate House developing a successful £1.2 million Heritage Lottery Fund application towards work to repair and transform Eastgate House into a Heritage, Arts and Cultural attraction. Tracy has been Chief Executive Officer of Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust (RGHT) since its charity registration in May 2014.

RGHT are now working in partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich to develop a National Lottery Heritage Fund application for Charlton House and an exciting new project to re-discover the museum and archive collections in RGHT’s care in SE7.

The session will be available via Zoom (see details below). It is also planned to have a separate back-up recording plus the slide presentation available on The Charlton Society website at a later date. The talk will be followed by refreshments. We will be charging our usual entrance fee which helps towards room hire – this is £2 for members and £3 for visitors – cash (correct money appreciated), cheque or contactless payments accepted.

Zoom details: Ruth Dodson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Charlton Society meetingTime: Jul 16, 2022 2:30 p.m. for 2.45 p.m. London. Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81724893139…

Meeting ID: 817 2489 3139Passcode: 174369

June Burkitt was Greenwich Council’s first Local History Librarian. She was appointed in 1961 and I had the privilege of working as her assistant. She encouraged me to become qualified and I was able to succeed her as Local History Librarian in 1969 when she left the council’s service. She remained a member of our society, serving as hon. secretary for ten years from 1963. She was a member of the society’s council and president for two years. ‘Greenwich at the End of the Seventeenth Century’ was one of her two fine presidential addresses. It is a thoroughly researched and well written account of Greenwich during a time of serious economic decline following the departure of the Stuarts from Greenwich Palace.

This fascinating article investigates parts of the ancient town centre of Greenwich which which were demolished or altered to provide an appropriate setting for the newly founded and splendid Royal Hospital for Seamen, now the Old Royal Naval College. Alec Holden, former president of our society, was Surveyor to Greenwich Hospital Estates, working in an office in Turnpin Lane. The estate archives were in his office and contained bundles of ancient deeds relating to the estate’s properties in Greenwich. Using the deeds and plans he was able to reconstruct the lost areas of Greenwich’s town centre and riverside to the east of Greenwich Church Street. The estate records are now in The National Archives at Kew. The excellent plan accompanying the article was drawn by another former president, Charles Alister. This is a key document for anyone interested in the old riverside town of Greenwich.