After Darryl was kind enough to send me a link to the full Pathe news report on Princess Margaret's visit to Woolwich, I found many more interesting things in the Pathe archive. So here are some of the highlights. There were quite a few more, lots of military stuff, so do have a search on the site if this whets your appetite.

Here's the newsreel about the Princess's 1961 visit, including rare footage of the Auto Stacker:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=42248
(I checked, and there's nothing about the Stacker's demolition a year later)
Extra footage, scenery shots mostly, taken but not used for the same reel:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=42336

Some rough footage of the foot tunnel in 1960:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=83605

When Mrs Thatcher "Milk Snatcher" earned the nickname, Woolwich Council wasn't going to let her get away with it. Here's a brilliant report on children getting their milk in Woolwich:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=72972
Were there really people that poor in 1970 they could afford any milk at all for their kids? And are any of the people in the video still living in Woolwich? Which school is that? etc.
I especially liked the "milk vs. indoor toilets" argument. When I attended Charlton Manor School in the early 1980s, there were still outside toilets and we were only allowed to use the indoor ones in extreme weather. There was also still milk every morning break, and it was the only school I ever got that at. I know why now.

36 Ton Boiler Falls off Lorry
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=20866

Prince of Wales visits Beresford Square, 1927
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=15250
Can't really see much except the crowds.

Woolwich Boy Canoe Makers, 1956
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=608
Who, what, where? I demand to know! Oh how times have changed!
"Such sights are a glowing tribute to the much maligned youth of today." Some things never change.

Here's some couples learning to cook-- together!-- in 1949.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=46782
"In future, husbands will only have themselves to blame if the pastry tastes like kippers."

This is BRILLIANT. One man's 1938 vision for replacing the Woolwich Ferry and dealing with river traffic.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=11077

Ferry Speed Up, 1966
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=44321
Sadly the previous dream didn't come true, here's what really happened to the Woolwich Ferry.

Woolwich weirdness, 1937
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=13947
This has got to be the most disturbing Woolwich related thing I've ever seen. And I've lived in the town centre for more than a decade.

Long before the flats Princess Margaret opened, in 1920, Woolwich Council was pioneering council housing.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=27875

In 1914, new army recruits were filmed walking through Woolwich:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=61536

The Woolwich Mothers and Babies' Hospital had its foundation stone laid in 1920 by Princess Christian.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=17543

more Woolwich hospital footage, this time Queen Mary in 1922:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=18463

... and finally, going down the road a bit....

Some 1969 shots of Thamesmead, including Tavy Bridge, which I mention because it's all being knocked down now:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=72982
It's good to be reminded how optimistic the designers were, and how clean and wonderful it all must have seemed at first. You know what? If that Tavy Bridge area had been loved as it deserved, I think it would still be considered wonderful.

The New York Times have their entire archive online, it seems, and much of it can be seen for free. It's brilliant. There's plenty on there about Woolwich. So, below I have gathered many of the articles by category. Very useful! You can see copies of the original articles in pdf format by following the links.

The covered market actually started it’s life as an Uncovered market.

By 1930 Beresford square market was becoming so big it was spreading out into Woolwich new road and Spray street, causing problems for traffic in the area.

The council acquired some land in Plumstead high street, close to Beresford square and in 1932 the open air market was opened with seventy purpose built stalls. Many of the traders complained that the move would ruin their business.
In 1936 it was decided to add a roof to the market, at a cost of £2,268. The work was to take three months to complete and during this time the stallholders were moved back to Spray St, once again complaining that the move would ruin their business!!

The Kentish independent of 18th september 1936 reports that the market in Plumstead road has re-opened today . The market covers an area of 11,270 square feet and is now covered by a steel framed roof that is only supported at the four sides, so there are no supporting pillars to cause obstruction.

The design of the roof is called "Lamella Patent construction" and was the first of its type to be built in the London county council area. Several local people have told me that the roof is a listed construction but I have contacted English Heritage today ( Jan 23rd '09 ) and they tell me that although they are aware of the building, it is not listed in any way..
"Lamella" roofing was invented in Germany and was assembled with a series of interlocking triangles.. They were popular for large span roofs, such as aircraft hangers.
The market inspector tells me that the covered market is on the councils "for disposal" list.
I looked around the market in January 2008 and the whole place is extremely shabby and run down with only a handful of units trading.
On 26/1/09 I gained access into the area below the market and took a few pictures of the passageways that served as air raid shelters during WW2. Nothing much to see apart from the remnants of a few wartime posters

Just a few lines about the health of Woolwich in the mid 19th Century


In the early 19th century most of London was an open sewer, Woolwich was no exception.
In 1849 there were no sewers and only poor quality running water.
The mains water supply of the Kent water company had been extended to Woolwich a few years earlier, but the supply was very expensive and not of good quality, so not many people made use of the it.
The parish commissioners could see that Woolwich was not a ‘healthy’ town and ordered a survey of public health in the parish.

The only type of drainage in 1849 were numerous cess pools. Where cess pools existed they were often emptied directly into the street.
Dysentery, Cholera, Malaria and diarrhoea were rife.

Dr Peter Bossey reported that in Hare Street the Butchers and Fishmongers both threw their slops into the street every morning and the blood and offal from a local slaughterhouse was allowed to run freely in the street.
The composition of the roads and pavement did not allow easy cleaning, it was mostly loose gravel and when gutters were blocked the workmen simply shovelled the mess back into the road .
The outcome of the survey was an utter condemnation of conditions in Woolwich and it was recommended that the town adopt the Public Health Act of 1848 without delay.

A local board of health was formed of 18 locally elected members and three government representatives.. Swift action followed and the first job was to start work on the main drainage of the town. At first the drains were discharged into the Thames at Hog lane. They would be held in containers till the high tide started to Ebb. In fact Woolwich had an extremely efficient system of drainage some years before the rest of London.
In 1861 Bazalgettes great drainage project passed through Woolwich on its way to Crossness and the Woolwich sewer joins his system at a junction somewhere under Powis street. At this point the tunnel is 11ft high.

Previously to 1863 there were almost no paving in the town, but in that year the Local board of health took out a loan of £7000 and paved the town throughout with 4ft wide York stone paving..

Many improvements in the town were impeded by the fact that much of the land was privately owned .. For most of the 19th century the bulk of Woolwich was owned by the Ogilby family. Mr James Ogilby actually lived in Ireland and did not enjoy good health, which is probably why he took little interest in his UK property. After his death in 1885 the ownership passed to Captain Robert Ogilby who encouraged his tenants in Woolwich to improve their properties by offering reversionary leaseholds..
( A lease that reverts to full ownership )

Tom Cribb
British bare knuckle boxing champion 1809 - 1822
Spent his retirement years and died here in Woolwich

Tom Cribb was born the son of Thomas and Hannah Cribb on July 2nd 1781. He lived his early life with his brothers George, Abraham and Daniel and his sisters Ann, Ester and Elizabeth, in the township of Hanham, Gloucester, near Bristol. He was Christened on the 8th July in Lawrence hill church.

He left his home for the city of London when he was only thirteen years old, and for a time worked as a Bell hanger, under the guidance of a relative. This work did not suit Tom who was a strong outdoor type of lad and before too long he got a job as a porter at the wharves, unloading barges. During this time he suffered two accidents which could well have ended his life, let alone any future ideas of boxing.

On one occasion whilst stepping from one coal barge to another, he fell between the two and was trapped . On another occasion he was carrying an enormously heavy package of oranges when he slipped and fell with the whole weight of his load crushing his chest. This caused him to spit blood for several days afterwards. Luckily Tom had an iron constitution and was soon fit again.

Tom Cribb also served a term in the kings navy which probably helped to further toughen his already hardy constitution. He returned from the navy in 1804

Tom Cribb won his first public fight which was against George Maddox at Wood Green near Highgate on 7th January 1805. The following month he beat Tom Blake to win a purse of forty guineas, quite a small fortune in those days. In July of the same year, Cribb suffered one of his rare defeats at the hands of George nichols

In the following years Cribb had fights with such names as "Ikey Pig" , "Jem Belcher" and several others. Full, round by round, commentaries on Cribbs most important fights can be found in a book published at the time , called "BOXIANA", by Pierce Egan, published in 1812. You may be able to find a copy in a good reference library, or you can buy a reprinted edition from nicol island publishing in Canada. You will find a link to then further down the page. much of the information in this article has come from the said book.

Tom became British champion in 1809 after the retirement of the previous champion "John Gully"

Also in 1809 on the 12th of December, Tom Cribb married Elizabeth Warr, at St Pancras old church. The couple eventually went on to have seven children.

Cribb will best be remembered for his two fights with the Black American champion Tom Molineux, In 1810 he fought Molineux for 32 rounds and in the end his opponent had to retire from sheer exhaustion. The following year they met again and this time Cribb was able to dispatch Molineux in the 19th round, after breaking the Americans jaw. Before embarking on this second battle with Molineux, Cribb was taken away to Scotland with a Captain Barclay to improve his stamina and lose some weight.

The Champion arrived at URY on the 7th of July 1811, weighing sixteen stone. The good life in London had made him fat and breathless. He spent the first two weeks with nothing more energetic than long walks and a little shooting. On the third week his walks were lengthened and sessions of running and exercise were introduced. Cribb spent about nine weeks in training and by the time of his second match with molineux at Thistleton gap, he was in the peak of condition and almost three stone lighter. Molineux later confessed that when he saw the condition of Cribb he completely despaired of winning the fight.

During his time in Scotland, Tom Cribb was occasionally employed in a little sparring at Stonehaven, he also gave lessons in the "Pugilistic arts" . It should also be mentioned that at all times Cribb showed a most charitable, gentle and amiable disposition, he was not one to brag of his achievements . On one occasion whilst walking in Aberdeen, he was accosted by a women in great distress, Tom was so moved by her sad tale that he gave her all the silver in his pockets. She remarked "Ye are surely not an ordinary man".

After the molineux fights, Tom Cribbs place in Boxing history was assured. During the following years there were more fights and many exhibition matches before the rich and famous.

On July 19th 1821 George IV was crowned King at Westminster Abbey and 18 of the leading boxers of the day, including Cribb were chosen by the King to be ushers and pages

Tom Cribb had a less famous brother, also a boxer, his name was George Cribb. He is known to have had about five fights, but lost them all .

Did you know, that bare knuckle boxing was illegal in england, even though it was patronized by the rich and royal ....

In Vincent's records of Woolwich & district, another Woolwich fighter is briefly mentioned. His name was Joe Burke, a butcher from Woolwich. apparently he lost a fight with the Champion Jem Belcher in November 1801.

After retiring he led a quiet life returning to his old trade as a coal merchant and then as Landlord of the Kings arms, which was on the corner of King street and Duke street, London. There is also documentation of Cribb running another pub called the "Union Arms" on Panton street Piccadilly, I am not sure if he ran both or if one of the records is incorrect, apparently he ran into financial difficulties and had to hand over the pub to his creditors sometime in 1839 .. I will revise my notes when I know more.

Tom Cribb Spent the last years of his retirement living with his son and daughter in law above their Bakers Shop at 111, woolwich high street......This building still stands to this day and the upper floors have changed little since Cribbs time. The ground floor is now a working mans cafe.

On his death bed, Tom was visited by a fellow pugilist, Tom Spring. It is said that with his dying breath Tom suddenly sat up in bed and punched the air, uttering his last words "The actions still there but the steams all gone". His death certificate gives cause of death as diseased Pylorus and Marasmus.

Tom Cribb died on the 11th May 1848 and was Laid to rest in St Mary's Churchyard, Woolwich. A large stone lion monument was erected in his honour which can still be seen today, (photo below)

Much of the information on this page has come from a book called "BOXIANA" which was written by Pierce Egan and published in several parts almost 200 years ago. Another invaluable source of information is Alan Bartlett, one of Cribbs descendants who is currently researching his family tree.

THE WOOLWICH FREE FERRY

A brief history By

D.J.Payne, C.ENG. F.I.E.E. F.C.I.B.S. M.B.I.M.

The right to run a ferry belongs, like the right of fair or market, to the class of rights called "English law franchises". Its origins must be by statute, royal grant or prescription. The owner of the ferry need not be the owner of the land on either side of the water, but he is bound to maintain safe boats and employ fit persons as ferrymen. In return, he can charge tolls and has a right of action against those who disturb his franchise or diminish his custom by setting up a new ferry.

From very early on, when Woolwich was just a little fishing village, the people of Woolwich had the right to run a ferry. This was perhaps the more necessary since part of the parish of Woolwich lies on the northern side of the river, an outpost of Kent in what would logically have been Essex, and an anomaly which is probably a survival from early ecclesiastical parish groupings. The Abbey of Lessness or Westwood, in the parish of Erith, founded in 1178. Was granted several parishes and manors in Essex, by Henry II and Edward I . In later centuries, the parish Abbots caused scandals by appropriating even more land by rather questionable means.

The ferry at Woolwich ran between north Woolwich and Warren lane on the south shore. There is an early written reference to it in the state papers of 1308, when the waterman conducting the ferry, William de Wicton, sold his business and a house, to William Atte, a mason, for £10. It may be that this ferry was a descendant of the one from which the abbey was receiving dues in the previous century. In 1320, the ferry changed hands again, and twenty years later, several acres of land, the ferry and rent in Woolwich were conveyed by William and Mary Filliol to Thomas Harold and his heirs for 100 silver marks.

In 1320, the people of Woolwich petitioned Parliament to suppress the ferries at Greenwich and Erith, because Woolwich ferry was a "Royal Ferry" favoured of the king. This probably means that it was an appurtenance of the Royal manor of Eltham, the equivalent of today's Sandringham.

getting bored??
There is no further mention of the ferry during the years in which Woolwich rose to prominence as a Royal dockyard under the reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I .

Pepys tells of journeying, with his friends, using other ferries up and down the Thames, but he does not mention the Woolwich ferry. He does however speak disapprovingly of the sinking of ships across the Thames at that point as a blockade against the Dutch. Pepys thought it would have been more sensible to fit out these same ships as Men-o-war.

An ordnance depot established at Woolwich during Henry VIII reign became in time, the Royal Arsenal, and as London grew bigger and busier, the movement of troops and supplies became a problem. So in 1810, the army established its own ferry which went from the T pier in front of the Arsenal, to Duvall's point (the old barge house landing site) on the northern bank.

In 1811 the act of parliament was passed for the purposes of establishing a ferry across the Thames at Woolwich, from the old ballast or sand wharf, which was opposite chapel St ( now chapel hill) where the dockyard then terminated. This was to be a common ferry consisting of one or more boats or such other vessels as shall be sufficient and proper for the passage or conveyance of persons, cattle, carriages, goods, wares and merchandise over the said river Thames. The shareholders of this company, which called itself the Woolwich ferry company, included among others, the lady of the manor, Dame Jane Wilson. Her son, Sir Thomas Maryon Wilson, John Long and John Stride.

The waiting rooms on either bank eventually became public houses. The Marquise of Wellington on the south bank, and the prince regent on the north. Both public houses have long since been swallowed up in the dockyard, though the prince regent probably stood somewhere in the area of the present prince regents wharf..

Plans of the Bowater estate dated 1820 show an old road from Eltham leading to the marquise of wellington, marked "to the horse ferry".

The minute book of the Waterman's company, show that the watermen of Woolwich were very dissatisfied with the monopoly given to the western ferry by the 1811 act. The position of the western ferry was stated to be half a mile from the town, and its promoters asserted that it did not prejudice the inhabitants of Woolwich or the watermen, but since there was a penalty of 40 shillings. ( increased to £5 in the 1815 amendment) imposed on anyone carrying any person, carriage, beast or chattel over the water within half a mile of it, the watermen petitioned for , and obtained a repeal of the act in 1816.

However, the western ferry continued to run until 1844, when the company was dissolved after a history of inept management and general confusion. The thousands of pounds raised by shares and mortgages seem to have been swallowed up in unprofitable expenditure. There is no mention in the accounts, of revenue derived from the working of the ferry, which was after all the company's chief business.

Also, no dividends were distributed to the company's unfortunate shareholders.

As its rivals fortunes grew worse, the Barge house ferry, at the old warren lane crossing, took heart and prospered. In 1838 we read:

The lessees of Woolwich ferry have within the last few weeks stationed here a new ferry boat of larger dimensions than any on the river, with a view to meeting the increase of traffic that has lately taken place between the two counties. Mr hose, the proprietor of the "Old barge house" is constructing an esplanade extending along the banks of the river, 300 yards, the depths upwards of 130 foot.

Later the greater part of this esplanade was incorporated in the royal Victoria gardens, which still exist to this day. This ferry had at one time floated a public company which proved that it had from time immemorial, conveyed men, cattle and goods across to north Woolwich from warren lane. About 1810, it was owned by one "John Bull", and after him it was worked by "John Punter". The ferry later passed into the hands of John Fulford, a lighterman, who also became proprietor of the barge house hotel.

In 1846, the great eastern railway company built its Thames wharf branch. It was planned as a freight line, but at an early stage, some of its promoters realised how easy their line could be extended along the riverbank to the old ferry house which crossed the river at Woolwich. Two steam ferries were built at Barking in 1847 and ran in connection with the London trains. Later, a third boat was added and they were named, the "Essex, Middlesex and Kent".

From 1850 onwards there were proposals for superseding the ancient horse raft of Woolwich ferry by a steam vessel, the prevailing idea being a flat bottomed boat grounding on the beach. There was no movement on this proposal until thirty years later, when the existing means of crossing the river were rapidly becoming inadequate. In October 1880 a public meeting was held in Woolwich to see whether the parish could afford to set up its own steam ferry and a deputation of 60 townsfolk waited on the local board.

However the cost of building the boats and landings proved too great and representations were then made to the metropolitan board of works, forerunner of the GLC. The people of Woolwich pointed out that, there rates had helped to pay for the toll bridges in west London, which the board had recently bought and opened to free public use, and suggested that they should be able to cross the Thames free of charge.

WOOLWICH FREE FERRY

In 1884, after making a general survey of existing communications across the Thames, the metropolitan board of works agreed to provide the Ferry, and in the "Metropolitan board of works ( various powers act ) of 1815," obtained statutory authority to ferry across the Thames at Woolwich, Passengers, animals, vehicles and goods, free of all tolls, rates or charges.

After a delay of two years, while sites were being acquired, In September 1887, Messrs Mowlem & Co, were given the contract to make the approaches and pontoons.

On March 23rd 1889, The Woolwich free ferry was opened by Lord Roseberry, Chairman of the London County Council.. The Metropolitan board of works, had ceased to exist just three days previously..

The opening ceremony took place amidst quite extraordinary rejoicing. Woolwich was arrayed in flags and bunting. The streets were lined with volunteers of the 2nd Kent (Plumstead) Artillery, the 3rd Kent ( Royal arsenal) artillery and the 3rd Kent (Royal arsenal) Rifles.

In procession through the streets of Woolwich, preceded by mounted police, came the various trade and friendly associations, with their emblems and bands. Behind came the official party, driving in open carriages. This comprised Lord Rosebery and other members of the London County Council, the local member of parliament for Woolwich and representatives of the local board of health, and the Plumstead district board.

On reaching the river, the party boarded the "Gordon", which took them across to North Woolwich, where they were met by another procession, which included in its ranks the steam fire engine from Beckton gas works, manned and decorated. Half an hour later, the party re-crossed the Thames, and Lord Rosebery, standing in his carriage before a crowd of 600 people, declared the ferry open, free for ever.

To round off the day's proceedings, there was a banquet for 200 at the Freemason's hall.

The total cost of the scheme was £191,444. The three boats cost £45,077 .

The construction of pontoons cost £75,907 and the acquisition of land £67,081. This last figure includes compensation for loss of income to the Watermen & Lightermen of Woolwich and to the Old barge house steam ferry company, which went into liquidation. Lastly a payment of £27,500 to the great Eastern Railway Company which continued to operate until 1908.

The first ferries, called the "Gordon", "Duncan" and "Hutton", were 490 tons tons gross and had extreme width over the sponsons of 60 feet. They were 164 feet in length, with a draught of 4 feet. Soon after their construction, they were fitted with electric light throughout, a fact which was reported with great pride at the time.

The ferries were driven by 2 pairs of diagonal surface condensing engines, each pair being connected to one paddle . They were capable of eight knots and licensed to carry 1000 passengers, with room for 15 to 20 vehicles.

After about thirty years of service, the original boats were replaced by four similar paddle steamers. These were the "Squires" built in 1922 and the "Gordon" built in 1923, at a total cost of £69,920.. The "John Benn" and the "Will Crooks" were built in 1930 at a cost of £74,000. They were built by J.Samuel White Ltd: of Cowes and had a gross tonnage of 625 tons, 166 foot in length and 44foot wide.. Because of the limited depth of water at the pontoons, at low tide, the loaded draught of the boats had to be kept to about 5 feet. The engines were coke-fired by hand stoking to avoid excess smoke, and worked at a pressure of only 60 pounds per square inch.

Each ferry used about eight tons of coke a day.

Sadly, after many years of useful service, in the mid 60s they were sold for scrap to Messrs Jacques Bakker and zonen, Belgium.

The passing of the old paddle steamers called forth expressions of regret from all kinds of people, not least from their crews. By the time the old ferries had finished their lives on the Thames, they had covered some 4 million miles and carried about 180 million passengers. They sailed back and forth in all kinds of weather only being stopped by the thickest of fog.

Contrary to popular belief, the ferries did not go to dunkirk, although they did have their hour of glory. On the night of the big docks air raid, 7th September 1940, they plied to and thro all night evacuating the people of silvertown from the blazing essex shore, with oil burning on the river.

All through the war, the ferry ran a 24 hour service whenever it was needed, and for a while during the blackout, was not allowed to use any navigation lights, steering was made difficult because the wheelhouse was closed in with slabs of concrete as a protection against shrapnel. On one occasion a bomb exploded just beneath the stern of one of the boats, but did not do enough damage to put the boat out of service. Another time, a V1 rocket just missed the bridge of a ferry and buried itself in the opposite riverbank.

A collision in 1926 could have been a tragic accident had it not been for the quick thinking of the "mate". At 5.42pm one June afternoon, the Squires had just arrived alongside the south pontoon, with 400 passengers on board. The rope had just been made fast, when the Mate (who was in charge of the ship) noticed a large steamer, steering an erratic course downriver towards the ferry boat. He gave orders to let go the ropes and went astern at full speed. The five and a half thousand ton US ship "Coahama County" struck the Squires a crushing blow on the port bow and caused the ferry to rebound onto the pontoon doing considerable damage. In the event, no one was injured, but had the Squires been moored, she would almost certainly have sunk with great loss of lives. Damage to the pontoon caused the service to be closed for about six weeks.

Even after the opening of the ferry, crossing the river still had its difficulties. The ferry could not operate in Fog and this meant that people needing to cross the river to work were badly delayed.

In 1908, when the ferries were getting very crowded, and when the railway ferry service closed down, the council decided to seek powers to build a foot tunnel. Four years later, the foot tunnel was opened.

The original paddle steamer ferries were built to cope with horse drawn vehicles and the lighter volume of pre war traffic. As time went on, larger, heavier and articulated vehicles came more and more to monopolise the ferries. Things became steadily more difficult for the side loading boats, and delays at the pontoons became considerable.

It was finally decided to replace the old ferries with modern "end-loading" vessels and to build new causeways to make loading and off-loading easier.

Three diesel engined ferry boats were constructed in 1963 by the Caleden shipbuilding and engineering company, Dundee. At a total price of £804,000 Each was licensed to carry 500 passengers and 200 tons of vehicles. These vessels are 185.6 foot long and 61 foot wide, with a maximum draught of six feet. Each weighs 738.5 tons.

These vessels were designed so that they could be used as side loaders at the old terminals, but were readily convertible to end loading, when the new adjacent terminals were complete. End loading permits the vehicles to load at one end and unload at the other, without any awkward manoeuvres .. The ferries are double ended and able to proceed equally well in either direction, readily manoeuvrable and able to leave the terminals in a downstream direction, whatever the state of the tide.

The boats were constructed under Lloyds special survey and conform to ministry of transport requirements. They are propelled by two pressure charged Mirlees National 500hp diesel engines , type R4/AU7M, which in turn drive two Voith Schneider Cycloidal propellers , type 20E ( one at each end of the boat).

This arrangement provides the high degree of manoeuvrability, essential in the tidal waters at Woolwich. The propellers are controlled from any of three consoles spread across the ships bridge, which is positioned amidships.

The present boats are named after three politicians connected in some way with Woolwich or the Thames. John Burns (1858 - 1943) was an enthusiastic student of Londons history and its River. He was the person who referred to the Thames as Liquid history

Ernest Bevin was even more famous. The son of an agricultural labourer, he worked as a farm hand and truck driver before his keeness in trade union mattersled to his becoming a union official in Bristol in 1911. By 1920 he had become established as the "Dockers K.C. " by succesfully pleading their case before a wages tribunal. Fittingly, many of the passengers of the Ernest Bevin were dockers travelling to work in the London docks. In 1921 Ernest Bevin formed the Transport and general workers union, out of 32 separate unions.

In 1945 he became foreign secretary and represented Woolwich, the home of the ferry, in 1950 until ill health forced him to retire in 1951.

James Newman was a distinguished citizen of Woolwich and an important worker in the field of local government. A school teacher by profession, he was mayor of Woolwich from 1923-25. And a member of the Woolwich borough council for many years. He was decorated with the OBE in 1948, in recognition of his service to local government

I am going to start a little section of Little known facts about Woolwich.
Please look upon this as a work in Progress which will expand over the the coming weeks and Months...
Please comment if you think I have got anything wrong.

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Did you know that Woolwich ( and North Woolwich ) was once a part of the county of Kent. ?

It is not clearly known how 400 acres of Essex came to be a part of Kent, but W.T Vincent the local historian suggests that when William the conqueror divided land among his followers, he allowed the sherrif of Kent to include properties he owned on the north side of the river to be included in his jurisdiction.
The boundaries were redefined in 1889 with the formation of the London County Council.

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Did you know that there was once a fatal train crash at Woolwich ?
On the 18th November 1948 the 12.28 from Charing Cross to Dartford ran into the rear end of the 12.17 from Canon St to Gravesend which was standing in Woolwich Arsenal station. The driver of the Dartford train and one passenger were killed. Fourteen passengers and two members of staff were treated for minor injuries.
The ministry of transport enquiry concluded that the late driver of the Dartford train was to blame for the accident as he had left Woolwich dockyard station against a danger signal .

Here's a few street name origins. I picked up most of the information from Vincents 'Records of Woolwich'
I have a copy of this rare book which was originally owned by another famous Woolwich historian, Francis Elliston-Erwood.

POWIS St
This main shopping thoroughfare now known as Powis street was originally laid out as a part of the Bowater estate. At this time there were no shops at all. At the end of the 18th century the land was leased by a family of Brewers from Greenwich by the name of Powis.

THOMAS St
was named after a member of the Powis family.

WELLINGTON St
was laid out between 1815 and 1820 and was named in honour of the hero of waterloo.

BERESFORD St and Square The Marquis of Beresford was master general of the ordnance factory when the Arsenal Main gates as we know them today were built in 1828-1830

BELL WATERGATE
This short stretch of road off Woolwich high street still exists but is now just the first part of the leisure centre car park entrance. It was originally named after the Bell Tavern which stood on the site.

MORTGRAMIT SQUARE
I doubt many people, even locals will have heard of Mortgramit square, it is a small area adjacent to the Prince Albert Pub in Hare street. The name is a concoction of the surnames of three people who once owned the land. Mr Mortis, Mr Graham and Mr Mitchell.

HARE St and other animals !!

The following text is copied from Vincents 'Records of Woolwich'
Hog lane, Cock yard and Dog yard are said to have been appurtenances of the great house that stood in the grove between the high street and the river and to mark the sites of the piggery, poultry farm and kennels.There were also at one time.. Sow alley, Pigs court and Cow yard.
Hare street is another of the zoological collection.. It used to be a short and narrow cul de sac until it met and united with Richard street in about 1820.

JOHN WILSON STREET
John Wilson St was formed from the joining of Charles street and Brewer street . John Wilson was a Baptist minister who was very active and popular in the early part of the 20th Century...
In the 1960s The layout of the road was altered to incorporate Parsons Hill and make an approach to the new ferry terminals.

VINCENT ROAD
Mr W.T.Vincent is responsible for much of the information on this website. Vincent worked for 53 years on "The Kentish Independent" The Local newspaper based in Wellington street. ( now gone )
Vincent died in 1920. he devoted many years to the Woolwich and district antiquarian society, of which he was the founder.
His Book "The records of the Woolwich District" was published in 1890 and is an invaluable resource for any serious students of Woolwich history..
His 'Records' ended in 1889 .. The history since that date till the 1960s is recorded in Jeffersons book "The Woolwich Story"
Did You Know.....
That in the 1881 census, It was noted that in Woolwich there were 32 Idiots and 4 Lunatics..!! I wonder what the numbers would be now ?

A brief account of the sinking of the Paddle steamer
Princess Alice which sank at Woolwich
On Tuesday 3rd September 1878
With the loss of over 600 lives
The worst ever Thames disaster

The Paddle steamer "Princess Alice" was one of many pleasure steamers working the Thames in the late nineteenth century. Named after PRINCESS ALICE, Grand Duchess of Hesse-Darmstadt and the third daughter of Queen Victoria.

Tuesday September 3rd, 1878, was a warm sunny day and about 700 day trippers were enjoying a round trip from London bridge to Sheerness, with several stops along the journey.

As the Princess Alice made its way back up river in the evening, passengers prepared for disembarking and the band packed up their instruments, it was the end of an idyllic day.

It was about 7.45pm, dusk was falling, and the lights of Woolwich came into sight as the Princess Alice rounded Tripcock point and into Galleons reach..

Shortly before this, a coal ship, the "Bywell Castle" had left Millwall dock, bound for Newcastle after having been re painted.

Both Captains were very experienced, and the Bywell Castle also had a Thames Pilot aboard.

As the Princess Alice came into Galleons reach, the two captains saw each others vessels. The pilot of the Bywell Castle was moving at half speed down the middle of the river and observed that the Princess Alice appeared to move towards the north shore and steered his own ship slightly to the south shore. Meanwhile, aboard the Princess Alice, captain Grinstead could see the Bywell castle and assumed it would give way.

As the two ships bore down on each other, the pilot of the Bywell Castle could see that a collision was inevitable and gave the order to reverse engines full speed, but it was too late. The giant steel collier quietly sliced the Alice almost in two and within five minutes the paddle steamer slipped beneath the waves taking hundreds of souls to a watery grave.

Now a ghastly fight for survival was beginning, made worse by the awful state of the river. Sewage and industrial waste was at that time dumped untreated into the Thames. A few managed to swim to safety, others clung to floating debris and waited to be picked up by rescue boats. In all, only 69 were saved. The exact number of dead is not known, but the most accurate estimates put the figure at around 640.

Thames Watermen were paid five shillings for each body they recovered from the river.

The inquest that followed lasted for 10 weeks and ended with a verdict of death by misadventure. A board of trade enquiry concluded that The Princess Alice was to blame for the accident for various reasons.

On Monday september 9th, thousands of people turned out for the funeral services, at Woolwich Cemetery. A large Celtic cross still stands to this day on the site of the graves, paid for by donations of Sixpence received from over 23,000 people.

Five years later, the Bywell Castle sank without trace in the Mediterranean .

The full story of this incident can be found in an excellent book called \"The great Thames disaster\" by Gavin Thurston, published in 1965. This book is probably long out of print now, so local libraries may be the best source.