Grand Surrey Canal

Surrey Docks, Canals and Wharfs
kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: Grand Surrey Canal

Postby kiwi » Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:33 am

Grand Surrey Canal, Plough Bridge, Plough Way looking from a dredger c1954.  X..png
Grand Surrey Canal, Plough Bridge, Plough Way looking from a dredger c1954.

kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: Grand Surrey Canal

Postby kiwi » Thu Jun 08, 2023 4:24 am

Plough Way, Surrey Canal left,1949. Calders Ltd Timber, (3 white sheds) off Plough Way.  X..png
Plough Way, Surrey Canal left,1949. Calders Ltd Timber,
(3 white sheds) off Plough Way.
Plough Way, Calders Ltd is the large timber sheds left of the Surrey Canal, c1949. Same side left of the bridge is The Plough Pub.  X..png
Plough Way, Calders Ltd is the large timber sheds left of
the Surrey Canal, c1949. Same side left of the bridge is The Plough Pub.

kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: Grand Surrey Canal

Postby kiwi » Tue Aug 22, 2023 4:43 am

Grand Surrey Canal, looking across from A.G Scott & Co Ltd, Crown Wharf, Deptford, to Rigby F. W & Co. Ltd., and D. Dixon.  X..jpg
Grand Surrey Canal, looking across from A.G Scott & Co Ltd, Crown Wharf, Deptford, to Rigby F. W & Co. Ltd., and D. Dixon.

kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: Grand Surrey Canal

Postby kiwi » Fri Aug 25, 2023 2:15 am

I think this was between Ilderton Road and Trundleys Road.?
Grand Surrey Canal, ‘Lift Bridge over the Canal, near Ilderton Road. 1  X..png
Grand Surrey Canal, ‘Lift Bridge over the Canal.

kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: Grand Surrey Canal

Postby kiwi » Fri Sep 01, 2023 1:05 am

Grand Surrey Canal.  X..jpg
Grand Surrey Canal.

briancreasey44
Posts: 49
Joined: Thu May 25, 2017 3:31 pm

Re: Grand Surrey Canal

Postby briancreasey44 » Fri Sep 15, 2023 10:17 am

Hi All,

I've always had an interest in the area around the Surrey Canal, especially where it intersected with Ilderton Road.
In the early 70's, it was our playground!
By then, it hadn't been used for its intended purpose for many years and had become a semi drained dump!
I think I've mentioned it before, but pretty much every hazardous material that you could think of was dumped there... countless drums leaking foul smelling liquids, tons of building site waste including piles of asbestos, etc!

The main area that we used to play in, is what is now the Orion Business Centre.
By the early 70's, this triangular plot of land was surrounded on its three sides by the canal, railway tracks and a footpath.
It was a short hop from Senegal Fields (now the site for Millwall FC) and was used by kids as a rather dangerous playground.

Apart from the piles of rubble, the area had been mostly cleared of any signs of it's industrial past... apart from a few strange concrete structures.
These consisted of various old building floors, three donut shaped structures, about 8ft across and a row of four, waist height walls, about 30ft long.

I'd often wondered what the site had been used for in it's industrial past and did wonder about access, because apart from the canal, it seemed access was pretty limited?

Then, a few weeks ago, I read that many old aerial photos were now available to view on the Historic England Website (http://www.historicengland.org.uk) and decided to have a look...
It's well worth having a browse!
There are some very interesting aerial photos, right back from the early 1930's... Bermondsey is very well covered!

The first image I've attached shows the area taken around 1930... it looks very busy, with the strange concrete structures I mentioned earlier seemingly being used as bases for large cylinders or tanks!
What I never knew, was that there was access to the site via a tunnel through the railway embankment... That has long since disappeared!

The second image shows the area after the war, from around 1947.
By then, the area had been pretty much cleared, apart from a few buildings.
So, presumably, it must have been cleared before or during the war?
I was once told that anti aircraft guns were placed in that area during the war, but I've never found any evidence of that.

The third image show the site as it is now... with the Orion Business Centre in situ... and of course, no canal!

The only real question now is, what was the site used for before the war?
My guess is, given its fairly remote location, is something pretty unpleasant!
I know there was a leather tannery close by, but I think that was further down the canal, towards Ilderton Road?
Answers on a post card! :)
Attachments
GSC 1930.jpg
GSC 1947.jpg
SCR.jpg
Looking Through The Knothole In Granny’s Wooden Leg!

GSLondon
Posts: 29
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2021 12:34 pm

Re: Grand Surrey Canal

Postby GSLondon » Fri Sep 15, 2023 11:54 am

I can’t help with any answers but really enjoyed your post above

kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: Grand Surrey Canal

Postby kiwi » Sun Sep 17, 2023 1:36 am

Hi Brian, interesting pictures, and subject. I’m almost certain this area was railway property only this was where the Bricklayers Arms Junction was, left by the tunnel. The Tunnel led to the Lift Bridge in my post just above and the Deptford Wharf Branch Line, the barges left on the Canal look like coal barges? The other side of the Canal, right was Coldblow Pepper Mill.
Now the answer to your question. The only real question now is, what was the site used for before the war? also I was once told that anti-aircraft guns were placed in that area during the war, WW2.
I could be wrong on this, but I do know that military establishments and former UK Government-owned explosives sites were in the Deptford area, could this have been one? These locations were often subject to the Official Secrets Act and other government restrictions, so many of them are less well documented.
This is what I have found and in a small way it ties in with the anti-aircraft guns and many small lightweight huts over a large area.

“Filling factories in the United Kingdom § UK World War I National Filling Factories
These factories were created during WW1 to unite the explosives, detonator, etc and the shell casings to make live munitions. This activity had the highest explosion risk, so precautions were very strict. They all followed a similar pattern in having standard gauge rail sidings separate from the filling area. These were used for delivery of the raw materials and for shipping out the products. The interior 'clean area' for filling comprised many small lightweight huts over a large area linked by raised walkways upon which lightweight 2 ft (610 mm) gauge rail was laid. Trolleys with bronze wheels were normally moved by hand between these buildings, though ponies or horses were sometimes used.
Production ceased at the factories at the end of the war, though some of them were used for dismantling ammunition into the early 1920s.”

Hope this postcard will do Brian. ;)
AABB. 1 jpg.jpg

briancreasey44
Posts: 49
Joined: Thu May 25, 2017 3:31 pm

Re: Grand Surrey Canal

Postby briancreasey44 » Mon Sep 18, 2023 11:23 am

Hi Ray,

Hope you're keeping fine and dandy!
Re your reply to my post, I'm wondering if the pepper mill was a little before my time?
I remember the glass works on the other side of the canal... it covered quite a large area, at the Mercury Way end.
I think it closed down in the early 70's. It was demolished around the mid 70's, around the time Surrey Canal Road was built.
If you're familiar with a series called Dempsey & Makepeace, part of the opening sequence was filmed on the demolished site... where the police Rover SD1 flies off a raised concrete platform!
Large nuggets of coloured glass were dumped in piles on the land in question, which must have come from there!
There were also heaps of white label vinyl records and 78's... which possibly came from British Homophone? They made superb Frisbees! :D
Looking Through The Knothole In Granny’s Wooden Leg!

kiwi
Posts: 4833
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: Grand Surrey Canal

Postby kiwi » Tue Sep 19, 2023 3:36 am

briancreasey44 wrote:Hi Ray,

Hope you're keeping fine and dandy!
Re your reply to my post, I'm wondering if the pepper mill was a little before my time?
I remember the glass works on the other side of the canal... it covered quite a large area, at the Mercury Way end.
I think it closed down in the early 70's. It was demolished around the mid 70's, around the time Surrey Canal Road was built.
If you're familiar with a series called Dempsey & Makepeace, part of the opening sequence was filmed on the demolished site... where the police Rover SD1 flies off a raised concrete platform!
Large nuggets of coloured glass were dumped in piles on the land in question, which must have come from there!
There were also heaps of white label vinyl records and 78's... which possibly came from British Homophone? They made superb Frisbees! :D


Hi Brian.
Hope you and the family are all well, all good this side of the world, just getting older.
Your right in what you say the Pepper Mill was before your time, and the Key Glass Works was on the site of the old Pepper Mill. Taken over by United Glass in 1962, I should have explained that better. :roll:


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