The Charlton Society usually holds talks on matters of local interest, normally on the third Saturday of every month, in Charlton House, or, on occasion, The Assembly Rooms, from 2.30pm. The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday 16th December at Charlton House, the Talk will be presented by Mary Mills on The history of Atlas & Derrick Gardens.

Dr Mary Mills is a historian, convenor of the Greenwich Industrial History Society and ex Greenwich Councillor, the talk will look at the role of local housing provided by local industries.

Over the past couple of centuries many industrial companies have provided housing for their workforces. This has varied from single dwellings, probably for a manager or somebody who needed to be on site at all hours, to substantial towns like Port Sunlight and Bournville. Greenwich has had its share and throughout the borough there are several schemes, most since taken into Council ownership and now indistinguishable from other council properties. Charlton had its share of these and Mary will look at schemes from two different industries in the area. One is the appropriately named Atlas and Derrick Gardens built by the Cory river transport group as part of its coal trans-shipment services. The other was housing built for the massive metalwork factory of Harvey’s, who provided housing from existing private stock for many workers but also built Harvey Gardens and later Prentice Court.

Where possible we also upload the presentations on to the website.

For the full proposed schedule for 2023 please click here. The Society is currently preparing the Talks programme for 2024 which will be presented at the December 2023 meeting.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Previous 2023 presentations:

– 18th November 2023: The Conception, Birth, Life and Untimely Demise of the British Hospital for Mothers and Babies at Woolwich

– 21st October: the Work of Anita Strasser, Photographs, Stories, Exhibitions. For presentation, please click here

– 17th June 2023: A Walk along the Thames – photos since 1974, presented by Carol Kenna. For presentation, please click here

– 20th May 2023: Charlton’s Green Chain Walk, presented by Jane Lawson. For presentation, please click here

-15th April: The Eastcombe Estate, presented by Barbara Holland

–18th March 2023: Rev Abraham Colfe, presented by Julian Watson. For presentation, please click here

-18th February 2023: JMW Turner, Sandycombe Lodge, presented by David Meaden. For presentation, please click here

– 21st January 2023: Margaret Taylor, Eltham Street names. For presentation please click here

Previous 2022 presentations:

– 17th December 2022: Tim Anderson, Charlton Music

– 19th November 2022: Charlton and the Tram, presented by Mark James, TfL

– 15th October 2022: 1951 Festival of Britain Pleasure Gardens – Battersea Park, presented by Helen Brown, landscape architect

– 17th September 2022: The Stained Glass of St Luke’s, presented by Churchwarden Joseph Spooner

 – 16th July 2022: Creating a museum and archive space at Charlton House, presented by Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust Chief Executive, Tracy Stringfellow

– 18th June 2022: Commonwealth & Gurkha Garden at St George’s Garrison Church, presented by Woolwich Garrison Church Trust Chairman, Tim Barnes

– 21st May 2022: Save Our Village Action Plan (SOVAP) presented by The Charlton Society Committee (at Charlton House). For presentation, please click here

23rd April 2022: Charlton Open-Air School, presented by George Burton. For presentation, please click here

To accompany George Burton’s presentation, please click here for further details regarding the Charlton open-air school, written in 1957 by Frank Jefferson who was head teacher at the school and oversaw the move from Shrewsbury Park to Charlton Park.

– 19th March 2022: Charlton House Gardens, presented by Kathy Aitken, Charlton & Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society (CABAHS).

– 19th February 2022: Charlton Histories of Home presented by Naomi Oppenheim

– 15th January 2022: Charlton: Greenwich Riverside: Upper Watergate to Angerstein presented by Dr Mary Mills (virtual presentation)

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Suggestions for future speakers and subject matter are always welcomed, let us know: click here