1 No 192 Mar 2013
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No 192 Mar 2013 1 www.sihg.org.uk SS Canberra: in need of a valve? SIHG Members Evening 11 December 2012 A Pilgrim Valve in 1961 by Roy Johnson Half a century ago the author was briefly in- missioning sea trials! volved with the evaluation of a Pilgrim Valve manufactured by a company located in Roches- During the visit it was noted that the centralised ter, Kent. pneumatic systems control consul had been sav- agely isolated and locked away behind a steel In order to lighten the subject for the benefit of mesh barrier under the contention that this was the audience at this “Members Evening” in the one step too far in the ship’s over-sophisticated run up to Christmas, the talk was interspersed design. with a few personal anecdotes and embarrassing moments experienced by a young engineer’s The vessel in question, with so many radical fea- foray into the enlarged world of marine compo- tures, was in fact the SS Canberra which had in nents. addition to the aforementioned relatively insignifi- cant Pilgrim vales,steam turbine driven alternators Pilgrim Valves were pneumatically activated producing 6,000 volt electrics to power the two and an experimental, heavier than water, lubri- synchronous BTH (British Thomson-Houston) cant contained within the mechanism’s piston motors developing 85,000 SHP (shaft horsepow- crown was being evaluated. er) for the twin propellers. Unfamiliar with the scale of marine equipment The chronological history of SS Canberra was the speaker had, on a visit to Rochester, intended briefly covered from the political event of her to collect a valve in the boot of a Ford Anglia maiden voyage when the passenger list of just much to the amusement of the manufacturers. over two thousand included a thousand new emi- Further enlightenment occurred on visiting Har- grants for Australia and New Zealand, to the more memorable occasion in 1982 of her major role in the Falklands conflict. The “Great White Whale”, as SS Canberra (image on page 1) became affectionately known, finally went for scrap to Pakistan in 1997. The scrapping contract however was covered by strict conditions ensuring that “she must never be able to sail again”, which included the cutting up of the propellers but strangely omitted any mention of Pilgrim valves! ¤ land and Wolfe of Belfast. The request for an “oil sample” from Pilgrim valves in service was not treated kindly by the ships engineer who was on a three day countdown to the vessels com- Newsletter 192 March 2013 2 Contents 1 A Pilgrim Valve in 1961 by Roy Johnson 2 Notices Venues, Times & Contacts 3 Diary: 20 March 2013 - 31 May 2013 4 The Burbach Pillars at Redhill Station by Gerry Moss 5 Shepperton Voted “Best-Kept Lock” in River Thames Awards 6 Industrial Archaeology Review Vol 34 Nr 1 May 2012 report by Gordon Knowles 7 Growth of Railways in Mid-Surrey by Peter Tarplee report by Allan Wheeler 8 The History of the Surrey Industrial History Group Lecture Series in Guildford by Alan Crocker 9 Mills Open National Mills Weekend Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 May 2013 Reports & Notices Details of meetings are reported in good faith, but information may become out of date. Please check details before attending. SIHG Visits, Details & Updates at www.sihg.org.uk SIHG Membership Renewal for 2013-14 is now due Please make the cheque payable to ‘Surrey Archaeological Society’ & send it to Castle Arch, Guildford GU1 3SX Membership Form enclosed. You may also pay by Standing Order. Publication Sales After many years of efficient work in the job, Christopher Mann has now handed over the task of selling SIHG publications to Anne Lea, our Treasurer. Details of publication in print are on the web site, www.sihg.org.uk. Saturday 27 April 2013 SERIAC 2013 South Eastern Region Industrial Archaeology Conference Hosted by Kent Archaeological Society (www.kentarchaeology.org.uk) At Dartford Grammar School Gunpowder Industry of Kent - Prof Alan Crocker Ship Building in Kent - Richard Holdsworth Historic Aircraft Restoration - Malcolm Moulton Early Years of J & E Hall of Dartford - Terry Young Cement Industry in Kent - Jim Preston Kentish Motor Cycle Manufacturers - Nick Kelly An application form with full details is available on our website. SIHG Newsletter #192 March 2013 Web Edition This edition of the Surrey Industrial Group Newsletter has been reformatted so that it is more easily read online or printed out as a PDF. Diary entries have been curtailed to cover SIHG, or SIHG related, events only. Other editorial matter is practically as originally published, but some pictures have been replaced by coloured versions. Readers are advised that the views of contributors are not necessarily the views of SIHG ©Copyright SIHG and individual contributors 2013. Newsletter 192 March 2013 3 SIHG Newsletter No 192 March 2013 DIARY 38th series of SIHG Industrial Archaeology Lectures at Guildford starts in October * Full programme with May Newsletter * Alternate Tuesdays, 19:30-21:30, Education Centre, The Cathedral, Guildford Single lectures at £5, payable on the night, are open to all. The first five lectures: 1 Oct Guildford Railway Station by Roger Nicholas 15 Oct Monorails of the 19th Century by Adrian Garner 29 Oct The post-medieval Iron Industry in the Weald by Jeremy Hodgkinson 5 Nov Meccano - “Engineering in miniature” by Frank Paine 26 Nov The Ingenious Roman Wooden Water Pump by Dr Richard Stein The Education Centre is the first building on the left near the top of the road up to the cathedral; enter by the first door you come to. There is easy parking and almost step-free access. Maps at www.sihg.org.uk. Thursday Morning Lectures at Leatherhead - The Autumn 2013 Series starts in October. Enrolment is for the whole course only. Enquires to Programme Co-ordinator Bob Bryson: [email protected]. Venues, Times & Contacts Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre: by Amberley Railway Station on the B2139; www.amberleymuseum.co.uk, 01798 831370; 1000-1730, £9.80. Basingstoke Canal, Surrey & Hants Canal Society: Meetings at the Pavilion, Recreation Ground, Station Road, Chobham; 20:00. Brooklands: Brooklands Road, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0QN. Brunel Museum: walks from Bermondsey Tube; just turn up, £8, www.brunel-museum.org.uk. Chatham Historic Dockyard: Chatham, Kent ME4 4TZ; 10:00-18:00, £15; www.thedockyard.co.uk; 01634 823800. Crofton Beam Engines : Crofton Pumping Station, Crofton, Marlborough, Wilts SN8 3DW; 10:30-17:00; £8; www.croftonbeamengines.org, 01672 870300. Didcot Railway Centre: Didcot Parkway railway station, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 7NJ. Docklands History Group: Museum in Docklands, No 1 Warehouse, West India Quay, Hertsmere Rd, London E14 4AL; 17:30, £2; 01689 851982; www.docklandshistorygroup.org.uk, Honeywood Museum: Honeywood Walk, Carshalton SM6 3NX; 020 8770 4297. £3.50. Kew Bridge Steam Museum: Green Dragon Lane, Brentford, Middlsex TW8 0EN, 11:00-16:00, £9.50; 0208568 4757, www.kbsm.org. London Bus Museum: at Brooklands, Brooklands Road, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0QN. London Canal Museum: 12/13 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RT. Talk: 19:30, £3. 0207 713 0836, www.canalmuseum.org.uk. London Transport Museum Depot: 2 Museum Way, 118-120 Gunnersbury Lane, London W3 9BQ; tours at 1100 and 1400; must be pre-booked, £12; 020 7565 7298, www.ltmuseum.co.uk. London Underground Railway Society: Upper Room, All Souls Clubhouse, 141 Cleveland Street, London W1T 6QG; 19:15; www.lurs.org.uk . Lowfield Heath Windmill: Russ Hill, Charlwood, RH6 0EL (TQ 234 407). 1400-1700. Free; donations welcome. Markfield Beam Engine and Museum : Markfield Road, SouthTottenham, London N15 4RB; [email protected]. 01707 873628. Railway and Canal Historical Society: The Rugby Tavern, Rugby Street, WC1N 3ES; 18:30; www.rchs.org.uk. Rural Life Centre: Old Kiln Museum, Reeds Road, Tilford, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 2DL; 01252 795571. SIAS, Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society: Meetings at West Blatchington Mill Barn, Holmes Avenue, Hove; 19:30. STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway: Kemble Drive, Swindon SN2 2TA; 1000-1700, £6.40; 01793 466 646; www.steam-museum.org.uk. Streatham Society: ‘Woodlawns’, 16 Leigham Court Road, Streatham SW16 2PJ; 20:00; [email protected]; www.streathamsociety.org.uk. Twyford Waterworks: Hazeley Road, Twyford, Hampshire SO21 1QA; 11:00-16:00; 01962 714716, www.twyfordwaterworks.co.uk. Watercress Line, Mid Hants Railway: Station Rd, Alresford SO24 9JG or Station Rd, Alton GU34 2PZ. Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton: Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0EU; 10:30-18:00; £9.50. 01243 811348. Diary March 2013 30 Sat Rural Life Centre: Steam Toy Rally + demo your working model. Diary April 2013 27 Sat SERIAC: Dartford Grammar School, details see page 2. Diary May 4 Sat Rural Life Centre: Old Kiln Light Railway Model Railway Exhibition . 6 Mon Rural Life Centre; Bus & Coach Rally. 11 Sat - 12 Sun National Mills Weekend, see list on page 8. 11 Sat - 12 Sun Rural Life Centre: A Village at War as D-Day approaches. 19 Sun - July 21 Rural Life Centre: Farm Animals of Yesteryear. Venues, Times & Contacts are on page 4. Newsletter 192 March 2013 4 The Burbach Pillars at Redhill Station by Gerry Moss photos by Gerry Moss At the South end of platform 3 at Redhill Station the canopy is supported by a row of 13 unusual pillars (see above). These are labelled Burbach and Tunbridge, which branched off at Redhill, opened so were presumably made by the Burbach Iron and its station in 1842. Their station was at the bottom Steelworks. It seems to me likely the Redhill of Redstone Hill about half a mile from the other pillars are the remains of the original station on station.