Darwin, his theory and Down House Written by Pam Preedy. In the little village of Downe^ lived one of the greatest scientists, Charles Darwin, who wrote ‘On the Origin of Species’ published in 1859. He was the grandson of Erasmus Darwin and he proposed different aspects of what later would become evolutionary theory or ‘survival of the fittest’. Born in 1809, Darwin lived in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. from a young age he was fascinated by nature, reading books on the subject and exploring the fields and woodlands around his home and…
Category: Local History
A short history of Knitting
A History on Knitting Written by Pam Preedy. Oh, how I Longed for a machine-knitted jumper when I was young! Most of my knitted garments were produced by my mother, or more likely my grandmother. They always had some knitting on the go. It is not surprising that I learned to knit when I was young. Knitting saved money in that post-wat era. The Origins of Knitting So, when and where did knitting originate? Since knitted work is fragile and can readily decompose, it is not easily pinpointed in time…
The Strike at Biggin Hill
The Strike at Biggin Hill Written by Pam Preedy. The RAF opened their station at Biggin Hill in 917. It remained open after the war. In 1919 there were 500 men of the Wireless Experimental station stationed at South Camp. The living conditions at that time were appalling; most sleeping in tents in a sea of mud. The dining hall, too, was a leaky canvas hangar equally muddy and the food, prepared in an open, rusty shed, was almost inedible. In spite of many complaints to the authorities, nothing changed. …
The Coronation
The Coronation Written by PAM PREEDY, historian & author. There have been 39 coronation ceremonies for monarchs held in England. The first can be traced to the ceremony devised by Saint Dunstan for King Edgar’s crowning at Bath Abbey in 973AD (CE). The earliest form of an oath was an oral contract between a monarch and their people. The crown may have been an ornate helmet. At this time there was no immediate (or automatic) right of succession, and so a coronation was an essential rite of passage. Nowadays, a…
Pigeons in war
Pigeons in war Written by PAM PREEDY, historian & author. The messenger birds. Pigeons have been used to send messages since around 1200 BC. By the 1800s AD the French had an official pigeon postal service, and in Britain pigeon fancying and racing has long been a popular hobby. What many people don’t know is that pigeons were a tremendous asset during the World Wars. In World War I carrier pigeons transported messages back to their home soops behind the lines. Got the British this would be in a stationary…
South Hill Woods, Bromley
South Hill Woods (Bromley) Written by PAM PREEDY, historian & author. A wealth of flora and fauna At the end of Westmoreland Road is a wooded park frequented by bowlers, tennis players, dog walkers and those just out for fresh air, South Hill Woods. Today it has regenerated into a wild woodland habitat, with a wealth of flora and fauna, including woodpeckers, nuthatches, two species of bat, and a variety of insects, bees, centipedes, and battles inhabiting the rich variety of trees, such as oak, ash, hazel and beech. The…
The Birth of Women’s Football
The birth of women’s football Written by Pam Preedy. Girls Versus Boys Football had always been a male preserve, but in December 1915, a match was played between Bromley Boys (National Team) and Vickers Girls: The Bromley & Kentish Times reported on the match (7th July 1914). “A game that finished up in a comical football match was played on the Queen’s Mead ground last Saturday … The game ended with a large amount of scoring, the Old Boys scoring 17 goals to the Ladies’ 1 … At the start…
An Airman’s Life in India, WW2
An Airman’s Life in India Written by Pam Preedy. A Land of Jackals, Snakes and Mosquitoes Some of the “Life” which our boys are seeing on active service is described in a letter which A/C1 Gilbert Attwood has written from a wireless unit in India to his mother in Lincoln Road, Sidcup. He says:- “I am very well and have just returned from a five day trip to a location right out in the jungle, where I carried out practice out practice duties under surroundings which will in future be,…
The Creation of the Calendar
The Creation of the Calendar Written by Pam Preedy. How old is timekeeping? Historians believe that timekeeping (and the calendar) goes as far back as the Neolithic period. Recent research suggested that Stonehenge (2,500BC) was originally built to track a solar year of 365.25 days. The Sumerians divided the year into 12 lunar months, each comprising 29 or 30 days, giving a total of 354 days. According to legend, Romulus, the founder of Rome, instituted the calendar in about 738 BC, though it is more likely to have evolved from…
Christmas in the Workhouse
Christmas in the Workhouse Written by Pam Preedy. ‘Please Sir, I want some more.’ Who amongst us doesn’t recognise these words when Oliver Twist, an orphan, drew the short straw to ask for more food? Although this story by Charles Dickens was not set at Christmas, it illustrates one of the horrors of the workhouse – hunger. Poverty had always been a problem. It was generally believed that poverty was the fault of the poor because they were lazy and feckless. With the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII,…