Charlton

Remembrance events in and around Charlton and the Greenwich Roll of Honour

Neil Clasper
Charlton War Memorial
The war memorial in Charlton Village

As Remembrance Sunday approaches we thought it might be useful to compile a list of local events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Here’s what we’ve found so far:

Saturday 10th November

Wreath laying ceremonies at:

10.45am: Maze Hill War Memorial, Greenwich Park, Charlton Way, Junction with Maze Hill SE3
11.20am: St John’s Church, Stratheden Road, SE3
11.40am: St Luke’s Church, The Village, SE7
12 noon: Charlton Cemetery, Cemetery Lane, SE7

Find more wreath laying ceremonies around the borough on Greenwich Council’s website.

Sunday 11th November

Remembrance services at St Luke’s and St Thomas’ churches, both at 10am on 11th November, with observance of the 2 minute silence. Everyone is welcome

The United Reformed Church on Bramshot Avenue has a remembrance service starting at 10.50am. All welcome.

 

Do you know of any other remembrance events in or around Charlton? Drop us a line and we’ll add them to this page.

The Greenwich Roll of Honour
greenwich roll of honourRob Powell, friend of the Charlton Champion and occasional contributor  has  a new book available:

The names of Charlton’s war dead feature in a new publication released to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice. The Greenwich Roll of Honour: 1914-1918 reproduces the names of the fallen compiled by the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich at the end of the First World War. The old borough included Greenwich, Charlton, Kidbrooke, and parts of Deptford and Blackheath.

The 48 page booklet lists over 1800 names, accompanied by new photography of local memorials and a foreword by the Revd Canon Chris Moody from St Alfege Church in Greenwich. It’s available to buy now locally for £5 at the Old Cottage Coffee Shop in Charlton Park or online.

MP and top councillor join Sherington teachers to oppose academy plan

The Charlton Champion3 Comments
Sherington Primary School
The future of Sherington School is being discussed

Greenwich & Woolwich MP Matt Pennycook and Greenwich Council’s deputy leader David Gardner have joined teachers in opposing plans for Sherington Primary School to become an academy.

Letters from Pennycook and Gardner were given to parents outside the school gate today, urging them to think carefully about the school’s plans for the future – and pointing out that once a school becomes an academy, it can’t switch back to council control if anything goes wrong.

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(Read the letters from Matt Pennycook and David Gardner.)

Pennycook said “I know of no pressing challenges that require the school to change its existing structure” while Gardner wrote: “Academisation is a trip into the unknown, it is a one-way street with no turning back. If the academy chain fails, it just gets eaten up by another unaccountable chain. If the local council falls short in its support, we can be held to account.”

It was revealed in September that the school was talking to the Leigh and Compass academy trusts about joining them, and Rochester-based Leigh is now seen as the likely choice.

Teachers have already written to its governing body outlining their concerns at plans for the school to explore joining Leigh, which runs Crown Woods Academy in Eltham, Halley Academy in Kidbrooke (the old Corelli College/Kidbrooke School) and the new Leigh Academy Blackheath.

The signatories – understood to be the full teaching staff except for the school’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and some teaching assistants – say that they have not yet been included in “an open discussion with the SLT” and that they are “nervous” about the proposed. The Charlton Champion understands that the teachers have not yet had a response to the letter.

Sherington did not respond to a request for comment, but the school recently published a set of FAQs about the proposals. This website understands that a decision on the school’s future is due to be made by the end of this term.

A petition asking for the school to kept under Greenwich Council control has over 900 signatures.

Parents raised the issue at the last full meeting of Greenwich Council. (Watch here.) Asked if he thought joining Leigh Academies Trust would be a “wise” idea, Gardner said: “I do not think it would be a wise choice to join a multi-academy trust.

“I’m not sure that Leigh Academies Trust is the best example of an academy trust in terms of its top-slice [the money the academy charges the school for its services] and its performance but that is a matter for the governors. I hope before they go down that road, they consult with parents and staff and fully take on board their views and have a ballot as well.”

Pressed on whether the council would hold a ballot itself, Gardner said it would be “supportive of extensive consultation… and would urge the governors to hold a ballot”.


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Leigh Academy gets go-ahead to build new school on Blackheath Bluecoat site

Tom Bull, Local Democracy Reporter1 Comment
Leigh Academy Blackheath
Leigh Academy Blackheath will open on the old Blackheath Bluecoat site

A new academy has been given the green light to move to a permanent home on the old Blackheath Bluecoat School site despite safety concerns.

Councillors pushed back deciding on the proposed Leigh Academy Blackheath in Old Dover Road at a meeting in October.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency plans to demolish buildings, formerly used by Blackheath Bluecoat before its closure in 2014, and build a new school with a capacity of 1,150 pupils.

Officers said the school needed to be built so there was enough future school places, and that rejecting plans would place the council in a tough position.

Playing field worries

Concerns were raised, however, over the academy’s plan to use the Hervey Road playing field, a five-minute walk away from the site – meaning groups of schoolchildren would be forced to cross Shooters Hill Road to get to PE classes.

Charlton ward Labour councillor Gary Dillon said: “I want to know if there are any road crossings that can be put in on the junction of Old Dover Road and Shooters Hill Road. It’s quite a busy road if the kids are going to be crossing over.”

Officers said a crossing already existed across Shooters Hill Road, meaning it wasn’t necessary to have another “in close proximity”.

“Surely it would be quicker and better for child safety to have another crossing,” Cllr Dillon said. “If my kids were there I would want it.”

Councillors were told it was common for schools to use nearby open spaces for exercise, and that pupils would be supervised along the route.

Neighbours also protested, saying the school would be bigger than Blackheath Bluecoat, and that roads and buses would not cope with extra traffic and more students.

Victoria House
The school is currently based in old army quarters at the foot of Shooters Hill

Several neighbours complained a bigger school would bring pressure on the single-decker 386 which, according to them, is already packed with pupils from the John Roan.

According to officers, the school will not be bigger than Blackheath Bluecoat – the latter was just unpopular.

‘Safety is our priority’

Emma Smith, the school’s principal, said it is policy to have staff at school gates and bus stops to ensure students behaved well.

She said: “The feedback we’ve had is that whatever we are doing is very positive. We are very active at the gates and the safety of our children is priority.

“That’s how we plan to manage our children going forward. We will need more staff as we grow – but we will uphold our standards.”

The Leigh Academy opened in September 2018, starting at Victoria House, a former army building at the foot of Shooters Hill, while plans for the Old Dover Road site were finalised.

The site is currently home to St Mary Magdalene School, which is now moving to a permanent home on Greenwich Peninsula.

The new school will be split across two adjoining buildings, a main teaching block and a sports and drama studio.

Councillors approved the proposals, aside from Cllr Norman Adams (Labour, Kidbrooke with Hornfair) who voted to reject the plan.

LDRS logoTom Bull is the Local Democracy Reporter for Greenwich. The Local Democracy Reporter Scheme is a BBC-funded initiative to ensure councils are covered properly in local media.
The Charlton Champion uses LDRS content to supplement its own coverage. Find out more about why we are part of the scheme.

SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

The Charlton Champion provides news and information about issues and events in London SE7.
– Help us by telling us your stories
– Become a monthly patron at patreon.com/charltonchampion
– Donate directly to the site at paypal.me/charltonchampion

What’s happening at Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust? An update from Cllr Gary Parker

Neil Clasper
Charlton House SE7
Charlton House is managed by Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust. Photo by Neil Clasper.

An update on activities at Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust from board member and Charlton councillor Gary Parker:

I would like to update you on the work of the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust (RGHT) which has been busy managing and developing their significant portfolio of Royal Borough of Greenwich heritage assets.

Much has taken place at the Trust over the last few month, and residents will be aware that Greenwich Heritage Centre i Woolwich closed its doors on 21 July to make way for Phase I of the Creative District development.

A new facility is in development with the Royal Borough of Greenwich with public access to a new Research Room. The Greenwich Archive Users Forum has been established and RGHT are working with the Forum to ensure access to the borough’s archive collections continues and can be enjoyed by many more residents in our community in the future. The Museum & Archive team are now based at Charlton House.

Pauline Watson, the archivist, has continued to deal with enquiries from the public by email and telephone since the closure of the Heritage Centre, and is looking forward to working with researchers in person again as soon as the new facility is up and running. At the moment she is carrying out some incredibly useful research into past repairs and maintenance of Charlton House since the 1920s, the Trust will be sharing some of its findings on its blog in the coming weeks. 

Layers of London

RGHT is providing the ‘Hub’ at Charlton House for a new project, Layers of London. Launched at an event last week, the project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund in partnership with London Metropolitan Archive and University of London, aims to work with the community to record layers of ‘London’s rich past’. The first meeting at Charlton House saw a wide attendance, not only from the Charlton and wider Greenwich communities but from interested people across the south east. Some very interesting projects were shared at the meeting and anyone can take part by adding their story to the site. RGHT looks forward to seeing the content grow over the next two years as the project develops. 

Making Woolwich

The ‘Making Woolwich’ exhibition, from the Heritage Centre is the focus of the teams work now as they manage the redesign and relocation of the display to Woolwich Town Hall. This exhibition opened in December 2016 to celebrate the 300-year history of the Royal Artillery. Elements of this story will transfer to the Town Hall in November where new audiences can find out about the important story of the Royal Artillery in Woolwich and the men and women who have served in the Borough over the last 300 years. The rest of the Museum & Archive collections will not be mothballed during this period of closure. The Trust team will take this opportunity to develop a programme of exhibitions and events that will see the collections travel out into the community. 

WWI Centenary

Charlton Village War Memorial
The war memorial in Charlton. The borough’s war memorials are maintained by Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust. Photo by Neil Clasper.

As the centenary of the end of the First World War approaches RGHT has 4 Tommies’ from the There but not There project. If community groups are interested in loaning a Tommy for an event they can contact Edward@rght.org.uk for details. You can find out more about the First World War Victoria Cross recipients of the borough on the RGHT blog where each week the story of one of the four local heroes will be revisited. 

The new RGHT What’s On leaflet is now available. You can pick up a copy at Charlton House. You can also collect a copy of the Woolwich History Walk leaflet, designed and printed with a generous grant from the Ministry of Defence Community Covenant Fund. If you can’t drop into Charlton House, you can download the leaflet here www.greenwichheritage.org/visit/woolwich-history-walks. Alternatively, if you would like to take part in the walk or would like copies of either the adult or family version for your group please contact office@rght.org.uk and copies can be sent to you for display. 

I will publish a further report early in 2019.

Best Wishes, Cllr Gary Parker

The Charlton Champion is keen to know: do you use or visit Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust facilities? What do you think of their current plans? What could they be doing, and what are they are getting right (or wrong)? Let us know in the comments below (but keep it constructive, please!)

Support The Charlton Champion

The Charlton Champion provides news and information about issues and events in London SE7.
– Help us by telling us your stories
– Become a monthly patron at patreon.com/charltonchampion
– Buy Neil a coffee at ko-fi.com
– Donate directly to the site at paypal.me/charltonchampion

Woolwich Road roundabout ‘not fit for humans’, council deputy leader says

Tom Bull, Local Democracy Reporter

Woolwich Road roundabout
Edgaras Cepura died at the roundabout in May this year

East Greenwich’s infamous Woolwich Road roundabout, where a cyclist was killed earlier this year, is “not fit for humans”, according to a top councillor.

The junction of the A206 and A102, just west of Charlton, has been the centre of campaigns for cycle safety this year and the leader of Greenwich Council was quizzed on it last night.

Three cyclists died in the space of three weeks in south-east London earlier this year, with the third being Edgaras Cepura at the roundabout on 18 May.

Campaigners and councillors have criticised the junction for being notoriously dangerous for cyclists.

Council leader Danny Thorpe told a Q&A meeting at Woolwich Town Hall: “In relation to the tragic deaths of a number of cyclists over the last year particularly at the roundabout we held a visit with TfL and officers because its a very hard thing to resolve on your own.

“We don’t control all the infrastructure around there but we have to make sure there are changes because it is one of the most horrendous places to be if you’re on foot or bike.”

The council has carried out some safety improvements such as road markings but the road is under the control of Transport for London.

‘Awful roundabout’

It comes as London mayor Sadiq Khan revealed designs for the roundabout are being brought forward.

He told City Hall last month that TfL was working with the council on designs and funding to improve the roundabout “as soon as possible” ahead of a larger scheme of the cycle superhighway.

Cllr Thorpe added: “We have been lobbying hard to make sure a cycle superhighway is extended from Greenwich down to Woolwich too. In this area there is such enormous potential and demand we need to tap into.”

It comes as a wider plan for safety schemes was passed at a cabinet meeting last week.

Deputy leader Cllr David Gardner said: “That is an awful roundabout, it is not built on a human scale. It’s not built for human beings, it needs drastic surgery to make it safe.”

LDRS logoTom Bull is the Local Democracy Reporter for Greenwich. The Local Democracy Reporter Scheme is a BBC-funded initiative to ensure councils are covered properly in local media.
The Charlton Champion uses LDRS content to supplement its own coverage. Find out more about why we are part of the scheme.

A celebration of Black British and African Classical Composers at Charlton House

Neil Clasper

News in from Charlton House about a concert on Friday 16th November, where the Decus Ensemble will be performing a celebration of Black British and African Classical Composers at Charlton House:

plainsightSOUND is a research project by oboist Uchenna Ngwe, exploring, uncovering and promoting the work of Black British and African musicians working in European and West African art or classical music. Although modern composers are included, the main focus is on musicians who were active before the 1970s. The Decus Ensemble will be performing the first concerts in this series, which includes music for instrumental ensemble by Segun Akinola, Errollyn Wallen and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Concert dates:
– Saturday 27th October – 2pm, Southwark Cathedral
– Sunday 4th November – 3pm, Sutton House, Hackney
– Friday 16th November – 7.30 pm, Charlton House, Greenwich

Tickets are free but should be booked in advance here.

Support The Charlton Champion

The Charlton Champion provides news and information about issues and events in London SE7.
– Help us by telling us your stories
– Become a monthly patron at patreon.com/charltonchampion
– Buy Neil a coffee at ko-fi.com
– Donate directly to the site at paypal.me/charltonchampion

Can you donate food for Charlton Toy Library’s Christmas hampers?

Neil Clasper

Can you help Charlton Toy Library with a donation to its Christmas Food Hampers scheme?

It’s that time of year again! We are proud to announce we will be providing our annual Christmas Food Hampers and presents to some of our Outreach families, but we NEED YOUR HELP! We rely on your donations. Please help us make a family’s Christmas this year. People can bring the donations either to the Charlton Toy Library (Tuesday/Thursday/Friday between 9:30-12:30) or to the Office at Charlton House (Monday to Friday between 10 am to 4 pm).

Charlton Toy Library is a Registered Charity set up in 1982, and can be found at Charlton House, Charlton Rd, London SE7 8RE. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

Support The Charlton Champion

The Charlton Champion provides news and information about issues and events in London SE7.
– Help us by telling us your stories
– Become a monthly patron at patreon.com/charltonchampion
– Buy Neil a coffee at ko-fi.com
– Donate directly to the site at paypal.me/charltonchampion