IT WAS a trip down memory lane for many of the members when Frances Ward gave an enthralling account of the history and growth of Plumstead.
Using illustrations of old maps and photographs, members followed the story of a tiny fruit-farming hamlet between the Thames marshes and Shooters Hill.
The plum orchards gave the settlement its name but its peaceful nature was changed forever by the growth of the Royal Arsenal, at Woolwich.
The prison hulks on the Thames provided the first workers for the armament industry.
Later there was enormous industrial expansion after the Crimean War as workers poured into the area.
The Victorian suburb of Woolwich and Arsenal Football Club emerged.
And things have not changed greatly over the intervening years.
It was a most enjoyable and nostalgic afternoon for many of the members and concluded with many shared memories of childhood days.
For further information, call the secretary on 020 8859 8025.
October 26, 2001 10:57
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