Ashburnham Triangle Association

A reminder that our next history group meeting is on Thursday 29 August, 7.30pm in the back room of The Ashburnham Arms.

Notes from the June meeting of our History group can be read here . Information on writing contributions to Layers of London  can be found here .

Anyone interested in the Lenox Project will be interested to learn that they will be at the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery open day this Saturday (May 18th). Representatives from the project will be there with their cannon and exhibition trailer, so feel free to come along to the free event to find out more about their plans for the project's new base in Deptford.

Please come and find out more about an exciting online London history project at the next ATA history group meeting on Thursday 11 April from 7.00pm - 8.30pm in the back room at The Ashburnham Arms. We will have two members of the project team from the Institute of Historical Research to tell us about the project and show us how we can add our own ATA history and our own stories. The project, called Layers of London, has received a substantial grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Find out more on www.layersoflondon.org where you can peel back layers of London’s history to discover people and places and share your own stories, photos, documents, videos etc. The aim is to create a crowd-sourced history of London across all 32 boroughs. Please click here to see the latest Triangle house history compiled by Margaret Luce for David Liddell, 44 Devonshire Drive and here for the related Census records.

On Monday 25th March 2019 at 7pm the Greenwich Society is unveiling the authorised facsimile of the important historical document Magna Carta, together with  a translation, in its new home in the heart of West Greenwich, the location of the estate of Geoffrey de Say, one of the rebel barons who confronted King John. Attendance is free at West Greenwich Library (146 Greenwich High Road, West Greenwich, London SE10 8NN). Also, in June 2015 the Greenwich Society celebrated the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta at Runnymede with an event at the University of Greenwich. Join the Officers, Executive Committee and other members - as well as representatives of the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust and Greenwich Leisure Limited - for conversation and a drink to mark this occasion, where Magna Carta can now be viewed by all.

Here’s news about an exciting event to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the iconic Cutty Sark. In her anniversary year there is to be a special Cutty Sark 150 Challenge, on 2 April. Hosted by comedian and impressionist Jon Culshaw this quiz style event will launch the fundraising campaign to secure her future for generations to come. Tickets are £65 each or £585 for table of 10, ticket sales support the future fund and include a free beer or soft drink on arrival and a two-course meal as well as the chance to win prizes and have a great night of entertainment, you don’t have to know a lot about the ship to be in with a chance to win! Further details of which you will be able to find here: https://donate.rmg.co.uk/Event/cs150challenge

Interested in local history? Layers of London www.layersoflondon.org is a unique, free, historical and geographical resource for Londoners. It brings together a significant collection of digitised historic maps, photos and other information provided by key partners across London. It’s funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and based at the University of London’s Institute of Historical Research. The project explores London’s development, history and heritage with reference to local areas, streets and neighbourhoods. It’s open to all to contribute to the history of London’s places. If you are interested in finding out more there’s a free workshop offering training and resources on 28 February 10.00 - 1.00. If you can’t make it Barbara and Mick will report back on the workshop at the ATA history group meeting, also on 28 February at 7.30 in the back room at The Ashburnham Arms.

An evening that may interest Triangle residents.

If you were unable to attend the last meeting of the ATA's History team last week but would like to read Margaret Luce’s research on 21 Ashburnham Grove's history, please click here for the fascinating and informative investigation she's done on her house .

The next ATA History Group meeting will be on Thursday 17 January at 7.30 in the back room at The Ashburnham Arms (25 Ashburnham Grove). Do come, have a glass of something and share your thoughts or stories. The meeting will focus on local history research and how we can make it available on the ATA website. It will include a look at Margaret Luce’s 21 Ashburnham Grove history, a fascinating and informative investigation she's done on her house. Posted by Barbara Reid

Interested in Triangle local history?  Want to contribute?  The ATA Local History Group is meeting THIS THURSDAY, 4th OCTOBER,  in the Ashburnham Arms, at 8pm. We want YOU to write your own page(s) as part of the three projects we are proposing: A.  Who has lived in my house since it was built?  And what have they got up to? B. Who should get an ATA plaque (David Bowie or Edward Butler?? -  for instance.) C.  What are the Triangle's MOST HORRIBLE HISTORIES??? We need new stories - so bring what you have already discovered. We all need new skills - and will be discussing how to acquire them (including arranging a visit to the local archives). We need to choose which of the three projects to concentrate on. And we very definitely need new members. So do come - and if you are interested, but can't make it this Thursday, please email Mick Delap ( mick@delap.plus.com ), saying which of the three projects you would choose. Mick will also be giving a br...

The Ashburnham Triangle History Group (so far that's mainly Tom Webb and Mick Delap) have made the work of Triangle historians Diana Rimel and Richard Cheffins available on the Triangle web site. Now they want to recruit other interested Triangle residents to develop this core material into a series of Triangle stories - more web friendly, AND with new input from Triangle residents. They have chosen three possible projects. Now they want to meet with budding - or active - Triangle historians - on T hursday, 4th October, at 7.30 in the Ashburnham Arms  - to discuss which of these projects to focus on. The three Triangle projects are: A. Who has lived in my house (or neighbourhood) since it was built?  With specialist help from experienced local historians about sources etc). Including an ATA visit to the local archives this October or November. B. Who are the Triangle's most famous and most interesting former inhabitants?  And which of them deserves an ATA plaque on t...

The Lenox Project is opening the Master Shipwright's House in Deptford for London Open House on the weekend of 22nd and 23rd of September. Last year they welcomed more than a thousand people to the Master Shipwright's House during the Open House weekend. Visitors were able to enjoy this hidden gem, formerly part of the Deptford Royal Dockyard, and savour the views of the river. They will be open again next month so come along to meet people from the Lenox Project, enjoy the house and grounds, and support them by buying refreshments or merchandise. Saturday 22 September, 10am-5pm Sunday 23 September, 10am-1pm Master Shipwrights House, Watergate Street, Deptford SE8 3JF If you would like to know more or volunteer to help, please visit The Lenox Project website .

Chris Ward, Chair of the ATA, says: Well actually it’s our 2018 AGM. Now these are far from formal and stuffy. We aim to reflect the vibrancy and pace of our community. The Ashburnham Triangle community (as defined by the Council) is estimated to be around 3,000. That’s 3,000 lives living, working, playing in the area and the pace of change is rampant. New developments, new businesses, new attractions, new safety concerns, new opportunities. It’s our job to make sure you have your say in what goes on and voice any comments or concerns you have, as well as bringing us together as a community. Our AGM is the one point in the year when all the parts of the ATA get together and talk about plans for the future. So please, don’t write it off, come and join in, have your say. We have events to talk about, we have new initiatives to discuss, we have positions we’d like volunteers for, and we’d really like to hear from you. So come along, there is cake and wine - yes...

Emeritus  ATA chairman  Mick Delap is our  ATA rep at Thames Tideway Tunnel (TTT) meetings. He brings us up to date here with progress on the Greenwich section of the super sewer, the pipe designed to  stop Bazelgette's famous 19th century system grunging to a 21st century halt. Dates to watch:   Tuesday 20th February, Mick's talk in Blackheath (see below)                               Tuesday 24th April, public meeting with Tideway (see below) The big red machine has started digging TTT’s been preparing to tunnel the sewer in Norman Road for over a year. Now at last the big red hydrofraise is actually  digging – but  only  downwards ! It'll take another year to drill and line the access shaft, which will be over 60 metres deep, and wide enough for the tunnel boring machine called Annie to be built in it. Then next year Annie will start the tunnelling the act...

Victorian engineer John Penn Junior, or one of the many hundreds of men he employed at his Greenwich marine engine works in the 19th century, could probably have rebuilt it in a matter of days, if not hours. The brick and stone wall fronting the John Penn & Widow  Smith Almshouses on Greenwich South Street  But the once splendid brick and stone wall fronting the John Penn & Widow Smith Almshouses on Greenwich South Street still lies partly in ruins more than seven months after a large section was knocked flat in a motor vehicle accident. The damaged section of the wall The charming almshouses and their front wall were built in 1884 for Ellen Penn in memory of her husband John Jnr, who died in 1878. The almshouses were expanded from 8 properties to 10 after the separate Widow Smith charity was merged with John Penn following the destruction of its almshouses on Trafalgar Road in the Second World War. Listed Grade II by English Heritage in 1973, the G...

Illustrated talks on the Lenox and Sayes Court Garden projects were enjoyed on Wednesday night at the Ashburnham Arms by about 45 people. Here below are some links for anyone who'd like to know more about The Lenox.  Richard Endsor's impression of the proposed ship, The Lenox, in relation to Greenwich, without the waterfront flats planned to surround it. Project director, Julian Kingston writes: Individuals can join our mailing list here http://www.buildthelenox.org/ contact/join-our-mailing-list/ For information about donating to the project or buying our merchandise please visit this page http://www.buildthelenox.org/ contact/ For information about buying the book please visit http://www.buildthelenox.org/ read-all-about-the-lenox-at-a- special-price/ We have a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ BuildTheLenox/ And we are on Twitter https://twitter.com/ TheLenoxProject  

The Ash are serving pizzas on Wednesday 13th July as well as Thursday 14th this coming week, starting at the usual time of 6pm. So if you're going to the talks on Wednesday in the back garden of the Ash (or if you're not), you needn't go hungry. The original Lenox was built at Deptford Julian Kingston will talk about the historic ship planned for Deptford at 8pm for about 20 minutes, followed by Q & A. After that Roo Angell will talk about the historic garden planned for Deptford, also for about 20 minutes, followed by Q & A. Q: How much smaller than the Cutty Sark is the Lenox? A: Cutty Sark is 65 metres, Lenox will be 53 metres. Sayes Court Garden envisaged in the new development Q: How many trees will it take to build the Lenox? A: Far fewer than will be cut down for HS2. Q: How much of John Evelyn's original garden will be recreated? A: Don't know. It may still be in dispute. Ask Roo.

Neil Sinclair, 22 October 2015 Annabel Cowell was last night (Thursday 22nd October) elected as the new treasurer of the Ashburnham Triangle Association (ATA) in succession to Zach and Tara Veitch. Re-elected as chairman and secretary respectively were Chris Ward and Imogene Russell. The annual general meeting (agm) of the ATA also formally welcomed Simon Barrs as new head of the planning hub in succession to Andrew Steeds. Maureen Romeril will be assisting Simon as planning associate. David Scales, senior representative of the security hub, introduced to the meeting Tina Pugh who has become the other security hub representative in succession to Carolyn Carter. Tina will focus,  among other things, on communication of security hub issues across the Ashburnham Triangle. Robin Stott, deputy chairman, formally chaired the AGM in the absence of Chris Ward.