Past Events - (click on the titles for photos)
Our Christmas celebrations kicked off to a splendid start with a visit to Davy & Co in Greenwich where a cheerfully festive party of members and guests gathered to enjoy an evening of scintillating fun. Some rather good wine accompanied the appetising feast that materialised before us and an enjoyable time was had by one and all.
Several days later our Christmas Breakfast took place at Devonport House. where we were greeted by specially prepared crispy bacon and eggs followed by a very amusing session of party games and appropriately seasonal recitations by a number of members. Party hats and crackers were the order of the day!
Pictures courtesy of Tim Keeler Photography
Breakfast Club regular Helen McIntosh is also a prominent member of the Blackheath Lights Committee and this year she kindly persuaded well known LBC presenter, Nick Ferrari, to do the honours when it came to the Official Lights Switch On which took place on the 6th December.
On the 16th September we were honoured to have Councillor Chris Roberts as our guest speaker. Chris came to breakfast and afterwards talked about the Olympic Legacy and what that might mean for Regeneration in the Borough of Greenwich. Speaking at the Greenwich Theatre before an audience of members and guests, Chris briefly outlined the background to the choice of London for the 2012 Olympics.
Greenwich would be hosting a good proportion of the events but it was important to see beyond the Games and look at the ongoing legacy for the Borough. Whilst there would be no lasting physical edifice after the Games, there were tremendous opportunities and benefits for tourism, investment, culture and education.
The name "Greenwich" had become a world wide brand and inward investment in the Greenwich Peninsular was a good example of the potential that existed.
After the talk, members and guests were invited to coffee by James Haddrell of the Greenwich Theatre.
Special thanks to James for his kind cooperation in hosting the event and to Councillor Chris Roberts for giving up his time.
(Photographs courtesy of Tim Keeler Photography)
The weather may not have been entirely on our side but those of us who attended this year's truly memorable Independence Summer Party had a magical evening at the incomparably stylish 18th century Hamilton House at Point Hill, Greenwich.
Hosted by Brian and Janie and with a tasting of superb wines in the hands of wine expert Ellie Brown, the night seemed to pass all to quickly.
Thanks to the culinary skills of Helen and Marilyn we were presented with a marvellous array of delights at the buffet table and were soon seated in the elegant dining room where sparkling conversation ebbed and flowed throughout the evening.
Special thanks go to all who helped create this splendid event - it was most appreciated by members and guests alike.
(All pictures courtesy of Tim Keeler Photography)
Our 15th July presentation was given by Dr Eric Kentley who gave a fascinating account of the restoration of the Cutty Sark ship since the 2003 Lottery bid and also a brief description of a visit to China to study the tea trade.
Having briefed us on the ship's historical background he brought us up to date with details of the fire damage suffered last year and amongst other facts, explained in detail how in recent years the iron framework of the ship had become so badly corroded that there had been a real danger of the stern collapsing and the ship falling apart.
He went on to tell us about how the ship's hull is to be raised three metres and a viewing gallery built underneath as a central part of the proposed visitor centre to be opened in the Spring of 2010.
Eric explained the philosophy behind the desire to restore the ship rather than let it rot away. It represented a piece of Britain's maritime heritage, a way of life which we should preserve.
His account of a recent visit to Shanghai to research the tea trade was most informative and his photographs and explanation of the workings of a remote rural tea processing plant and the making of black lapsang tea was particulary charming.
Eric Kentley has had a long career in the study of ships and wooden craft of all kinds and additionally, a lengthy association with the National Maritime Museum. He is curatorial consultant to the Cutty Sark Trust and acts in a similar capacity to the Mary Rose Trust and the Greenwich Foundation.
A former Assistant Director of the Design Museum, Eric has authored a number of books, including several on the Titanic (having travelled 2½ miles below the ocean’s surface to view the wreck and its surroundings).
This particular Breakfast Club event took place at the Greenwich Theatre thanks to the kind cooperation and hospitality of Executive Director, James Haddrell
At the beginning of June 2008, Breakfast Club member, Bryn McNeill was back on board the sailing cruiser “Wild Rover” for another leg of his sailing journey around part of Britain’s coast. Now returned safely to the Breakfast Club Bryn gave a fascinating account of his adventures. For several weeks he and his stalwart crew navigated the tideways and byways of Northern Scotland. The idea behind this continuing journey has been to explore coastal destinations around Britain rather than just sail the coastline.
As Bryn says, “To this end we sailed up a few rivers to explore inland towns and spend days at various locations on a mission of exploration, beer and food tasting.”
You can follow Bryn’s journey and read his occasional log notes on
http://trackerdemo.cymc.com/index.php?p=archive&journey=5
Bryn and the crew hope to continue their voyaging in September 2008.
On the 30th June 2008 Breakfast Club members and invited guests made an evening visit to St Alfege's Church in Greenwich to hear the Reverend Chris Moody describe some of the historic features of the church and afterwards visit the Crypt. The event was further enhanced by a viewing of the Mausoleum of the old Greenwich Naval Hospital where Dr Pieter Van der Merwe was on hand to give a most informative talk about the monument and some of the famous naval personalities buried within. After the visits refreshments were laid on for members and guests at nearby Devonport House. Special thanks to Andrew Blundy, Chris Moody and Pieter Van Der Merwe for their contributions to the evening's enjoyment.
Our 17th June speaker was Charles Batchelor, Chairman of the Lee Manor Society who gave a fascinating account of the restoration of the Ice House in Manor House Gardens, Lee.
Touching on it's history, particularly under the Baring family, Charles described how the Ice House, situated in the gounds of the Manor, was constructed and how it functioned, keeping fruit and vegetables, meat and other perishables fresh, long before the days of electric refrigeration.
In more recent times, before it was restored and turned in to a public amenity, the Ice House was used by some local residents to store gardening tools etc. Now this historic building is open to the public on the first and third weekends of each month between April and September, admission being free.
See http://www.leemanorsociety.org/ for further details.
We were delighted and privileged to have Sophie Hanmore drop in for breakfast on the 3rd June and hear her talk about her recent trip to China. Sophie’s sponsored China Wall walk has so far raised over £6300 for the Cutty Sark restoration. Not content with her original target of £5000, she’s now increased it to £10000!
Sophie not only gave a fascinating account of her experience of walking (and stepping) on the China Wall but also a lively description of her encounter with Chinese culture in both traditional rural and modern urban settings. Sophie’s vivid photographs brought her adventure to life – particularly appealing was the way she captured the quiet dignity of Chinese country folk. Her visit to see the terracotta warriors was also beautifully captured on camera.
Sophie is continuing to raise money for the Cutty Sark so if you haven’t yet donated to this worthy cause and would like to then follow this link to her website http://www.justgiving.com/sophiehanmore.
More of Sophie's China photographs can be seen on the following website :-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12549907@N05/show/
Quangos - meaning Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisations - were the subject of Steve Nelson's presentation to members on the 13th May. So often shrouded in mystery to outsiders, it was a good opportunity to find out what these seemingly impenetrable and inaccessible bodies actually do. Starting with the Government Office for London, Steve took us on a brief but informative tour of many of the quangos that can have some bearing on our day to day business activity in South East London and beyond. He touched on the activities of the GLA, LDA, and explained about LAA's and LSP's. Moving on to the SLB, GtL, ELBA & ELBP we were soon learning about local quangos including the SEE, GLLAB, Resources Plus, GEB and TIC.
Confused? We were a little but as a result of the presentation, members were able to get a much better understanding of how these bodies work and what their various responsibilities are. Many thanks Steve!
On Tuesday 15th April our guest speaker, Steve Maynard of HSBC, talked to members about developments in the world of banking. It was evident that HSBC, now the world's largest company, is cash rich and not apparently beset by the kind of problems seen elsewhere in the banking industry. A discussion followed touching on the current mortgage market and the availabilty of funds generally. Liquidity in some banks and institutions is a problem and in order to attract more funding, interest rates for investors are often seen as being very attractive indeed. However caution is advised - there could be a higher risk in investments of this nature. Within HSBC customer satisfaction was a high priority and account holders would be well advised to check the range and pricing of the many products available to them, thus ensuring that they were getting a good deal from the Bank.
Steve made the point that International business was also something that HSBC could assist with. We thank him for a most informative and thought-provoking presentation.
18th March 2008 - Tom Wates' Max chair was the subject of our March Guest presentation.Taking us through the various stages from the original concept to a marketable product, Tom described the fascinating process by which his chair that prevents students toppling backwards had become a reality. Many school chairs are based on a 30 year old design that lends little to the comfort, posture and safety of the sitter. Nothing could be more boring to look at or sit on. The Max chair has changed all that - it meets new European design standards, it comes in exciting colours and it wont easily topple.
22nd January 2008. At the breakfast meeting Bryn McNeill and his colleague Jamie Campbell gave members a fascinating account of the development of the Eltham Town Centre web portal. Other aspects of web activity were also discussed and members had the opportunity to take advantage of Bryn and Jamie's wide knowledge of the subject in the question and answer session that followed. Many thanks to Bryn for arranging this presentation.
A record number of members attended the Christmas Dinner on the 6th December at Locale Blackheath. A good time was had by one and all as can be seen from the photographs taken by Tim Keeler.
In early August a group of members and friends visited the Mausoleum adjacent to Devonport House in Greenwich. We were privileged to have a tour guided by Dr Pieter Van Der Merwe of the National Maritime Museum. Dr Van Der Merwe not only gave us a detailed account of the Mausoleum but also described the history of the nearby graveyard and also of Greenwich Hospital and its surroundings. After the tour members adjourned to Devonport House for light refreshments.