| Author |
Message |
Seeformiles
Joined 09-04-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, 15 June, 2006 - 04:14 pm: | |
Not that I remember it of course but I've just been looking at a 1932 tram timetable. Back then service 66 started "near Forest Hill station to Blackfriars Bridge via Brockley, Camberwell Green, Elephant and Castle" It took 53 minutes and cost 5d. If you didn't fancy that one there was always the number 58 from Victoria via Forest Hill and Lewisham Obelisk. Anyone know what that is? |
Djnever
Joined 09-04-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, 20 June, 2006 - 05:18 pm: | |
That sounds excellent, bring back the trams thats what I say. Cheaper, more efficient, and a hundred times less pollutive than those big red dirty smelly (I mean buses). Red Ken thinks buses are our saviour though (as he actaully been on one?) so he'll probably not think twice at a more productive notion of trams.
I read somewhere that there was talk of some tram routes returning to London. Anyone know anything about that? |
Theotherbrian
Joined 28-03-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 20 June, 2006 - 06:52 pm: | |
Yes , there are plans for trams in West London - out to Ealing and a north-south route starting in Brixton and Peckham and going through the centre to Camden. However, I wouldn't hold your breath! As this self-proclaimed "green" government killed off the schemes for Gosport, Leeds and Manchester Airport despite their advanced state of planning, I doubt we'll ever see more trams than the small network in Croydon. Sad but true! |
Seeformiles
Joined 09-04-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 20 June, 2006 - 11:26 pm: | |
..but has anyone heard of the Lewisham Obelisk? |
Loneranger
Joined 29-10-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, 21 June, 2006 - 11:20 am: | |
Yes....here is a clue from the Council's UDP document as to where it can be found...
"The Council will seek a high standard of design on the Odeon site, and the Lewisham Interchange/Obelisk site which form the gateway to Lewisham Town Centre."
In 1888 Sainsbury's had a store at 6/7 Obelisk Buildings over loiking Obelisk Junction opposite Obelisk Parade.
I believe The Obelisk was a sub plot in the Da Vinci Code. |
Blushingsnail
Joined 21-12-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, 21 June, 2006 - 12:15 pm: | |
Djnever: why do you suspect Ken would be uninterested in trams? TfL have proposed a tram route for West Ealing but there is huge local opposition to it, in fact it was a big campaign issue during the local elections. If anything stops that tram going ahead it will be the locals, not Ken or the Government. |
Blushingsnail
Joined 21-12-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, 21 June, 2006 - 12:21 pm: | |
Re the Obelisk: here's a picture of it (plus a mention of the Greenwich to Rushey Green tram). The Obelisk was actually a drinking fountain.
http://www.birchfamilytree.co.uk/Web9/slides/Distr ict%20Of%20Lewisham,%20Lewisham%20High%20Street,%2 01889.html |
Seeformiles
Joined 09-04-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, 21 June, 2006 - 01:21 pm: | |
thanks Blushing - mystery solved. Nice photo too.... |
Loneranger
Joined 29-10-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, 21 June, 2006 - 02:06 pm: | |
Bit more info on Lewisham Obelisk from John Coulter's 'Lewisham Past & Present' page 85.
The name came originally from the obelisk lamp (apparently a trade name) that stood there before being replaced by the fountain. According to the book the fountain was demolished in 1964 by the LCC and tipped into the public urinals.
The book has a 1907 photo showing horse drawn and electric trams at the obelisk. |
Djnever
Joined 09-04-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, 21 June, 2006 - 02:26 pm: | |
Why would local people object so much to a cheaper, greener, quicker form of public transport? London is crying out for solutions such as these. The roads are full to bursting (where does everyone park when they get into town? can people really afford the £15 a day daily tariffs?), the trains are like cattle transporters - if you can actually get on it (I refer to any weekday train between 8-9am from Honor Oak Park), cycling is seriously dangerous (if you've ever been on a bike on Old Kent Road, you'll understand - absolutely no provisions of cycle lanes), buses (totally inefficient for commuting purposes, dirty, pollutive). Really London is in a poor state and it needs some very positive action to turn things round.
My guess is that Red Ken will price cars from the road with his Congestion Charge (fine by me, people should not be travelling into central London by car) and so perhaps he can justify a Tram system once the roads are clear of cars!? |
Seeformiles
Joined 09-04-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, 21 June, 2006 - 07:08 pm: | |
DJ, locals believe it would cause a traffic overflow through quieter streets. I think that's the main gist of their argument. I see anti-tram posters up in quite a few windows round there.
I personally would love to see the return of the tram rather than the current obsession with those useless and uncomfortable bendy buses. |
Theotherbrian
Joined 28-03-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, 22 June, 2006 - 09:47 pm: | |
There is also an element of disgust that the good people of "The Queen of the Suburbs" Ealing might be intimately joined to the hobbledehoy of inner-city districts such as Shepherd Bush. |
