Take part in our #LewishamHeroes challenge!

On Saturday 8 July 2017 Lewisham will celebrate its thirty third annual People's Day festival at Mountsfield Park in Catford. There will be a Lewisham Libraries tent with activities going on all day, and this year we have chosen 'heroes' as our theme. 

The Challenge

The London Borough of Lewisham has been home to many heroic figures, from Antarctic explorers to sporting legends and pioneering social reformers. A select few have been honoured by one of Lewisham council’s maroon plaques, which can be found decorating places associated with local heroes across the Borough.

Maroon plaque dedicated to statesman Herbert Morrison in Downham.

To be in with a chance of winning a fantastic bundle of free books plus £20 in National Book tokens, all you have to do is find and take photos of yourself (or a friend) next to as many of these maroon plaques as you can and send them to us through any of the following:

• Email: local.studies@lewisham.gov.uk
• Facebook: Lewisham Local History and Archives
• Twitter: @LewishamHistory using the hashtag #LewishamHeroes

All plaques can be viewed from the street, but many are on private houses so please be careful not to disturb local residents.

We will contact whoever finds the most and let you know how to collect your prize on People’s Day!

 

The Map

To help you in your quest, we've put together the interactive map below using Historypin which shows where you can find some of the maroon plaques:

https://www.historypin.org/en/lewisham-heroes

This map can be viewed in any mobile browser so you can take it with you on your travels. We’ve also included a selection of historic photographs of the plaques from our archives so you can see how the area has changed over time.

Unveiling the plaque to aircraft designer Sir Barnes Wallis in 1984.

After People's Day you will have the opportunity to have your photos uploaded to our Historypin map so they can be enjoyed by all for years to come.

Good luck, and happy People's Day!

Catford Bus Garage Centenary open day

On Saturday 10 May 2014, the Catford Bus Garage will open its doors to members of the public in the first of a series of bus garage open days across the capital in celebration of the Year of the Bus.

Catford Bus Garage was opened on 11 May 1914 and closed under a year later when it was commandeered by the War Department for use as a repair depot for buses during the First World War. It re-opened in October 1920 and in the early 1930s had its roof raised to accommodate double decker buses and again in 1948 to make space for the RT-type bus. It has been modernised a number of times over the years but its attractive exterior remains the same as it was 100 years ago.

Visitors to the Catford Bus Garage, which is operated by Stagecoach London and celebrates its centenary this year, will get the chance to:

• Take a free ride on vintage and other interesting buses - 54v (Catford Bus Garage to Elmers End Station) and 47v (Shoreditch to Farnborough via Catford Bus Garage)
• View the Year of the Bus mobile exhibition which tells the story of the London Bus and looks to its future
• Ride on a bus as it goes through the bus wash
• See behind the scenes in the maintenance area
• Take part in family activities about how to use the transport system safely and responsibly with the Transport for London (TfL) Safety and Citizenship team and pick up your free bus-themed family activity pack
• Get up close and personal with objects from the London Transport Museum collection and find out more about the stories behind them with the Tickets Please! handling collection
• Browse the London Transport Museum pop-up shop selling exclusive Year of the Bus gifts, and stalls selling centenary merchandise and bus-related memorabilia.

The bus garage open days are part of TfL’s celebrations to mark the Year of the Bus, in partnership with London Transport Museum and the capital’s bus operators.

Events and activities are being held throughout 2014 to celebrate the role that London buses, bus drivers and the staff who support them play in keeping the capital moving, and mark a number of important anniversaries. These include 60 years since the creation of the original and iconic Routemaster, 75 years since the launch of its predecessor the RT-type bus, and 100 years since hundreds of London buses were sent to the Western Front to play a crucial role during the First World War.

Other London bus garages opening their doors on Saturdays this summer are Alperton Bus Garage (7 June), Stockwell Bus Garage (21 June), Fulwell Bus Garage (28 June), Potters Bar Bus Garage (5 July) and Walworth Bus Garage (19 July). There will also be an open day at Dartford Bus Garage on Sunday 7 September.

Further information about bus garage open days and other Year of the Bus events can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk/yearofthebus and www.ltmuseum.co.uk

Thanks to Transport for London Press office for this information

The Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission - Call for Evidence

The Prime Minister’s Commission on the Holocaust is a national, cross-party commission that has been established to investigate whether further measures should be taken to ensure Britain has a permanent and fitting memorial and meaningful educational resources for generations to come.

“Many organisations and individuals have worked tirelessly to ensure the memory of the Holocaust remains alive and its lessons continue to resonate today. Survivors have played a crucial role by sharing their testimony. But we will not always have survivors with us and as there is a danger that, as the events of the Holocaust become ever more distant, they will feel increasingly remote to current and future generations.

The Commission is asking for written evidence. From this evidence, two expert groups focussing on education and commemoration will review current provision and identify gaps and opportunities for the future.

The Commission will report its findings to the Prime Minister by the end of 2014.”

You can contribute to the Commission at https://engage.number10.gov.uk/contact-the-holocaust-commission/

The Deptford Whale

On 23rd October 1842 a whale was sighted off Deptford Pier and caught and landed. It was identified as a 'Fin Back' whale, 14ft 6ins long and weighing 2 tons.

"On Sunday afternoon, between four and five o'clock, several watermen on duty at Bell-water-gate, near the Deptford Pier, observed a huge dark substance projecting above the surface of the river. The animal was moving down the river between the pier and the Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital-ship. Five of them put off in their boat, and one of them, armed with a large bearded spear, commenced the attack upon the monster ..."

The whale was eventually loaded onto the pier where  "In a short time afterwards such immense numbers of persons congregated to gratify their curiosity that Mr John Taylor, the high constable of Deptford, was compelled to call for the aid of the R division of the police to keep order."

The whole event was recorded and published in the Illustrated London News. You can read the original on the web using our online subscription to the Illustrated London News 1842-2003. You can access this in any Lewisham library or from home with your library card number.

Open House London - what you can see in Lewisham

Open House London takes place on 21st and 22nd September, and this year there are 24 buildings and venues open for you to visit in Lewisham. These range from modern, contemporary buildings such as 22 Weardale Road and the Glassmill leisure centre to historic listed buildings such as Boone's Chapel and St Margaret's Church.

This year Convoys Wharf will also be open on Saturday from 11am to 4pm, with open access to the site of the proposed masterplan, an exhibition of the plan with architects and project consultants on site and a pop-up cafe.

Pick up a brochure from one of our libraries - available from next week - or check online at http://www.openhouselondon.org.uk/

Lewisham Races in August 1836

Did you know that Lewisham once had its own races?  The Lee, Lewisham, Greenwich and Eltham Races were held on a course on meadows next to the main road on the lower side of Blackheath. In August 1836 The West Kent Stakes (worth 15 sovereigns), The Railway Stakes (worth 50 sovereigns) and the Greenwich Borough Cup (worth 50 sovereigns) were held there.

This comes from the sporting intelligence section of  The Morning Chronicle of 19th August 1836. One of the many newspapers that you can access on the 19th Century British Newspapers . This is one of the online resources available to all Lewisham Library Service members to use in a library or from home.

You can find out more on our website

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE . 
The Morning Chronicle (London, England), Friday, August 19, 1836; Issue 20844

"Here then is Deptford ...." - Poem in Thankfull Sturdee's Reminiscences of Old Deptford

In 1895 Thankfull Sturdee published his Reminiscences of Old Deptford, a collection of 67 illustrations of the Deptford area reproduced from original art works and photographs. In the front he included a poem, but without any attribution. We'd like to find out who wrote it but haven't had any luck with our searches so far. If any one can help throw some light on this - please add your information below or email us at local.studies@lewisham.gov.uk