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…
Tag: history
The 1944 Education Act & Bromley Technical High School for Girls
The 1944 Education Act & Bromley Technical High School for Girls Written by Pam Preedy. The 1944 Education Act was groundbreaking. It replaced the previous education system with three separate stages that we would recognise today: primary, secondary and further education. It also introduced a three-tiered system to secondary education: grammar, technical and secondary modern schools. The dreaded 11+ test was introduced to decide which type of secondary school a child should enter. The Act also provided for the raising of the school leaving age from 14 to 15; this…
The Tale of three pillar boxes
The Tale of three pillar boxes Written by Pam Preedy. Sometimes big changes to our lives come from solving simple problems. Letters were at the heart of a revolution in communications. In 1840, Sir Rowland Hill proposed an adhesive stamp indicating the pre-payment of postage – the Penny Black. He thought this would double the number of letters sent – which it did. At first correspondents had to take their stamped letters to the Post Office or collection point. The next change was to introduce post boxes or pillar boxes.…
Handling the Volume of Mail – 1914-1918
Handling the Volume of Mail – 1914-1918 Written by Pam Preedy. In the first half of the 20th century the Royal Mail and the Post Office counter service, which provided essential services such as dealing with stamps, and paying the old age pensions, were all incorporated and came under the title of the General Post Office. Even before the First World War, the Post Office employed over 250,000 people, handling 5.9 billion items of post. At that time there were up to four deliveries a day. A letter posted in…
Dunkirk: The RAF support the evacuation
Dunkirk: The RAF support the evacuation Written by Pam Preedy. By 26th May, 1940 Britain faced “a colossal military disaster . . . the whole root and core and brain of the British Army” (Churchill) had been stranded at Dunkirk and seemed about to perish or be captured. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) went to help defend France. For eight months while economic sanctions were imposed on Germany, little actual warfare occurred (the Phoney War). Then, on 10th May, 1940 Germany invaded Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Three panzer corps…
Bromley High Street
Bromley High Street Written by Pam Preedy. Bromley High Street has been constantly changing through time. Shops come; shops go, reflecting changing tastes, fashions and time. The market started life in 1205, granted by King John at the manor of Bromley and became a feature of Bromley life. I remember it; a busy market at Station Road car park by Bromley North Station. In 2012 it was relocated to the High Street. The Glades changed the landscape behind the High Street and opened on 22nd October, 1991. When it was…
Romans in Orpington: Crofton Roman Villa
Romans in Orpington: Crofton Roman Villa Written by Pam Preedy. Just next to Orpington Railway Station is a hidden gem, Crofton Roman Villa. We know that Britain was conquered by the Romans. Julius Caesar came twice; in 55BC when he stayed for three weeks and again a year later when he stayed for 12 weeks. The Romans did not return for nearly 100 years, but Britain was a prize beckoning them; they anticipated rich rewards. According to Julius Caesar, “The Britons have a huge number of cattle, they use gold…
From Mammoths Teeth to the Tudor: A History of Orpington
From Mammoth’s Teeth to the Tudor: A Romp Through the History of Orpington Written by Pam Preedy. On 15th December, 1922, the Bromley and District Times announced that a Mammoth’s tooth, about five feet long, had been discovered in a gravel pit at Green-Street-Green. It seems quite amazing that mammoths were roaming over our local landscape until the end of the Ice Age over 12,000 years ago. Perhaps early people living in Orpington would go out to hunt one of these huge mammals, or an early species of rhinoceros and…
A Romp through the History of Bromley
A romp through the history of Bromley Written by Pam Preedy. On 15th December, 1922, the Bromley and District Times announced that a Mammoth’s tooth, about five feet long, had been discovered in a gravel pit at Green-Street-Green. It seems quite amazing that mammoths were roaming over our local landscape until the end of the Ice Age over 12,000 years ago. Perhaps early people living in Bromley would go out to hunt one of these huge mammals, or an early species of rhinoceros and hippopotamus. Throughout human history people must…
History made on ruins of Bromley Parish Church – 1941
Bromley Parish Church has played a significant role in the life of Bromley for over 800 years. The church was destroyed by a bomb on the night of 16 April 1941. Doubly unique Institution and Induction Ceremony on ruins of Parish Church. Impressive procession of Clergy and Laity. Task ahead: Rebuilding the Church. For the first time in the history of the Church of England a Vicar has been instituted in a Methodist building and inducted on the ruins of his Parish Church. Source: Bromley & District Times, 14th November…