Biography of Grace Kimmins with Ros Black

Author and amateur historian Ros Black has written 4 books about female social reformers of the late Victorian period. She will be talking to us about the subject of her latest book - Grace Kimmins who, as a Sister of the People, worked out of the West London Mission and Bermondsey Settlement before setting up a craft school for disabled children at Chailey in East Sussex. In Bermondsey, Grace expanded her work with her Guild of Play (for girls from the slums) and The Guild of the Brave Poor Things (for disabled adults and children), often holding big pageants and attracting considerable interest from the great and the good. Even as her eneterprise at Chailey expanded, Grace never forgot her Bermondsey work. Today, Chailey Heritage still provides a range of health and educational services for children and young adults with complex needs and Grace's family are still involved. 

Clippers: The Final Days of Rotherhithe Shipbuilding with Andie Byrnes

Rotherhithe had a long history of shipbuilding dating back to at least the 17th Century, but by the mid-19th Century contracts for the Royal Navy had dried up, there were no more contracts for the East India Company, and the days of shipbuilding along the Thames were nearly over.  However, between  1853 and 1870 two shipbuilding companies moved into Rotherhithe and began to build fast clippers for the China tea trade and American emigrant and wool trade.  Based at Nelson Dock and Lavender Dock respectively, Bilbe and Perry and John and William Walker built a small number of beautiful and successful clippers.  Of all of them, the Walker brothers’ Lothair, built a year after the Suez Canal opened, was the most remarkable for her beauty and speed and was one of the most celebrated of the China tea clippers.  She was also the last large ship to be built in Rotherhithe, and indeed on the Thames.  This talk looks at some of the clippers built in Rotherhithe, and what they contributed to both the China and Australian trades in an age where steam was quickly overtaking sail on all the world’s trade routes.

After completing a Masters degree in Archaeology Andie worked as an archaeologist for several years before switching into the pioneering days of mobile communications. She later worked in ecommerce and the development of applications for internet, interactive television and mobile before becoming a freelance consultant.  She returned to archaeology in 2004, specializing in the prehistory of arid environments. She has always had an interest in ships, having grown up listening to stories about her father’s family, most of whom were in the merchant navy sailing out of Liverpool.  When she first moved into Rotherhithe and realized that the area had an important shipbuilding past, she started to research and write about those ships and their builders on her Rotherhithe blog.  She is currently working on a website dedicated to clippers and their development, using the Rotherhithe clippers as a case study.

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PLEASE NOTE: This event will be held at T&T2 inside Surrey Quays Shopping Centre (opposite TESCO) and will be part of the exhibition World by the Water. 

As part of the exhibition, we will be offering FREE membership on the night (renewal 1st April 2018) 

PROGRAMME CHANGE: Stave Hill Ecological Park with Rebeka Clark

Due to a change in the programme we are delighted to welcome Rebeka Clark from Stave Hill Ecological Park based within Russia Dock Woodlands 

World War One and Schooling in Southwark with Claire Rose & AGM

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Mudlarking Rotherhithe and Bermondsey Liquid History with Alan Murphy

 Alan Murphy is a full member of The Society of Thames mudlarks. He has been recording finds from the Rotherhithe and Bermondsey foreshore with the museum of London for many years bringing alive our liquid history. 

Tour of the Norwegian Church (Members Only)

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Visit to the Peek Frean's Museum (Members Only)

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BREAK

Thank you for visiting our programmes page.  We are currently on our break but we look forward to seeing you next month.

The Gruesome History of Bodysnatching with Robert Stephenson

The proliferation of anatomy schools in the late 18th century created a huge demand for dead bodies on which to practice dissection. Most corpses used were supplied by unscrupulous individuals prepared to violate fresh graves for the considerable profits involved. This illustrated talk will describe the activities of the ‘resurrection men’ and the sudden demise of this of unholy activity after the Anatomy Act was passed in 1832.

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Robert Stephenson is a qualified City of London guide and has taught on London for twenty years. He is the chairman of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends and is a tour leader at Kensal Green and Brompton cemeteries.

What About The Workers? Some Aspects of the Staff of Southwark Park 1869-2018 with Pat Kingwell

Pat Kingwell is an author of local histories, including Our Park (2012); The Bygone Friends of Southwark Park: Volume One 1856-1914 (2016); Once Upon A Street In Bermondsey (2016); and Once Upon A Street In Rotherhithe (2017).

A Talk on Albert McKenzie with Paul Keefe

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Biscuits, Chocolate & Jam with Jennie Howells

Jennie Howells will be talking about the history of the food industry in the local area

Jennie has been studying and researching the history of Bermondsey ever since she moved to the area over twenty years ago. An experienced speaker, she has given many illustrated talks and also led neighbourhood walks. She has worked on local area trail guides and a short film about the Leathermarket community. She is a member of the Rotherhithe and Bermondsey Local History Society.