FLOODING AT CHARLTON HOUSE
We’re writing with urgent news from Charlton House.
In the early hours of Thursday morning a major pipe burst caused extensive flooding throughout the ground floor of the House. Water poured through multiple rooms – including the public toilets, offices and corridors – causing significant damage to floors, ceilings, plasterwork and woodwork. Unfortunately, this has forced us to temporarily close the House while emergency works begin.
Charlton House is not just a building. It’s a living part of our community – home to concerts, school visits, heritage tours, weddings, and so much more. This emergency has arrived at a critical time in our calendar, and the impact on our programming and income will be considerable.
Therefore, we are launching an Emergency Appeal to help raise vital funds to:Repair and replace damaged toilets and plumbingDehumidify, clean, and restore affected areasUndertake conservation and redecoration of damaged public spacesFully inspect and make safe electrical systemsProvide temporary facilities (e.g., portaloos) to help re-open the House as quickly as possible
We’re asking for your help. Every donation, no matter how small, will help us get back on our feet. If you can give, we would be incredibly grateful.
www.greenwichheritage.org/support-us/#donate
Questions or offers of help? Email: office@rght.org.uk
Charlton House is currently closed to the public, though we are working urgently to reopen limited areas by tomorrow, including with temporary porta-loos. Other sections will remain out of use until essential repairs are complete.
We’ll keep you updated as the situation evolves. Thank you for being part of the Charlton House community, we truly appreciate your continued support.
With gratitude,
The Team at Charlton House & Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust
SAVE MARYON WILSON ANIMAL PARK – 23 January 2025
Message from Carol Kenna, Chair of The Charlton Society – I am forwarding a message from The Friends of Maryon and Maryon Wilson Park and have just signed their petition “Save Maryon Wilson Animal Park” and wanted to ask if you could add your name too. Subsequently, the Council withdrew the savings proposal thankfully and are working with the Friends group to help secure the sustainable future of our beloved animal park.
This campaign means a lot to me and the more support we can get behind it, the better chance we have of succeeding. You can read more and sign the petition below.
“Dear Friends, We have been made aware of the Council’s proposal to close the Animal Park in Maryon Wilson Park. We managed to avoid this ten years ago but need your support to do so again.
Please sign the attached petition and ask as many friends as possible to do so.
There will be a meeting at St. Thomas Church, Woodland Terrace, Charlton, SE7 on SUNDAY 25 JANUARY 2025 at 2.30 p.m. and you are invited to attend.
Thank you.”
The Friends of Maryon and Maryon Wilson Park
The petition can be signed using this link:
Remembering Roden Richardson
Following on from the very sad news of the death of Roden Richardson, all are invited to a ceremony, Remembering Roden Richardson, to celebrate his life and pay respects to the huge imprint he has left on our community in Charlton. It will held at St Luke’s on Monday 11th March at 2.30pm. There will be a reception afterwards at Charlton House in the Old Library. For further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Roden Richardson, The Charlton Society Vice Chair. RIP
It is with great sadness we share the news that Charlton Society founding member and Vice Chair Roden Richardson has died at the age of 83.
Roden was a steadfast member of The Charlton Society from its inception and his dogged determination to challenge or champion planning issues was unparalleled. Also a driving force for Charlton Together, Roden was tireless to the end, always a regular at the town hall for planning hearings where his forensic attention to detail kept a succession of planning chairs on their toes. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy will live on in what he both challenged and championed in the changing landscape of Charlton.
Roden (pictured above, centre) received an outstanding lifetime achievement award from the Royal Borough of Greenwich in 2019 in recognition of his tireless campaigning for Charlton.
Our thoughts are with Hazel and his family. If anyone would like to pass on their condolences personally and do not have contact details, please email and details will be passed on privately.
Greenwich Heritage Centre & Archive
Regeneration, Transport & Culture Scrutiny Panel – Thursday 29th February 2024
As previously discussed the future of the home of the borough’s archive has long been a cause for concern, having been moved to a storage facility at Anchorage Point in 2018 on a temporary basis where it remains with very limited access by the public.
This has recently come back in to focus, led by the Greenwich Planning Alliance (GPA), of which The Charlton Society is a part, with a formal open letter lodged with RBG and Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust (RGHT). On 22nd November 2023 a meeting was hosted by the Greenwich Historical Society (GHS) to outline next steps. A petition, initiated by the The Greenwich Industrial History Society, asking for a fully functioning archive and museum to be re-instated in the borough has subsequently been presented to the Council. Also on 7th December 2023 the issue was due to be discussed at the Regeneration, Transport & Culture Scrutiny Panel, however the meeting over-ran and it did not get debated; it is on the agenda for the next Scrutiny meeting on 29th February 2024 at the Town Hall, Wellington Street. All members of the public are welcome to attend.
It is particularly pertinent an active Heritage Centre is once again available as RBG is in the process of applying for the London Borough of Culture 2025 award.
The Charlton Society is also delighted to say we have been offered match funding by The Rothschild Archive for the many papers and files it holds, which are currently stored in a number of places. We are looking forward to housing all the material securely in one place.
The Charlton Society 