Letters

Robert Pocock

In 1883 George Matthews Arnold, a founder member of the K.A.S. and local Secretary for Gravesend for over 50 years, published a book on 'Robert Pocock, Gravesend Historian, Naturalist, Antiquarian, Botanist and Printer', which was based in part on extracts from Pocock's journals or diaries for 1811, 1812, 1822 and 1823 together with various other manuscripts and collections of his. Although most of the manuscripts and collections apparently belonged to G. M. Arnold and are now part of the Arnold Collection at Gravesend Library, the original journals or diaries are missing and were never part of the collection acquired by the Library. The late Mr. E. N. Moore, who was Librarian at Gravesend, made some enquiries as to their whereabouts but without success. Mr. R. F. Jessup once told me that many years ago he saw these diaries in the library of Augustus Arnold at Cobham Bury. Augustus Arnold was one of G. M. Arnold's brothers. When he died, his collections went to Rochester Museum but enquiry there some years ago was without result.

I am wondering if any of your readers know the whereabouts of these original diaries or if they are still in existence? Robert Hiscock.

I am an historian currently in the process of gathering material for a book concerning the evacuation of children from Britain to North America during World War II. I am attempting to locate anyone who has any personal reminiscences about evacuees and/or evacuation. I would appreciate hearing from former evacuees (evacuated either privately or by government agencies), parents, hosts, teachers or friends of evacuees, evacuee agency officials, possessors of letters or manuscript material regarding the subject or anyone else who has recollections of the evacuees and/or the evacuation.

Patricia Y. Lin.

Crossness Beam Engines and House

After working with Thames Water for nearly five years, putting in over 8,000 man hours of work and spending over £100,000, the Crossness Engines Trust has been barred from the site by the newly privatised Thames Water pie.

Progress of the restoration work over the past year has been considerable with the painting of one of the screens of the octagon in as near as possible to the original Victorian colours being completed, and work started on the second screen. The roof undercroft had been repaired and painted and the high level iron work (the roof trusses and original lifting beams) had been shot blasted and painted. Scaffolding had been erected in preparation for cleaning the interior of the walls. On the engines themselves, work had continued on 'Victoria' with the Watt parallel motion linkages being dismantled and stored, the heads of the cylinders opened to reveal bores in remarkably good condition (but now exposed to the atmosphere of the engine house). Water had been pumped out from the two 9ft. diameter pumps which had been cleaned and the cowls removed. Attempts to move the engine had been proved unsuccessful and the belief was that sand and fly-ash that filled the pump basement was the cause so ways of getting below the pump plunger were being investigated. The area of the adjacent pumps of 'Prince Consort' was being cleared of muck and rubble and the water pumped out.

'Victoria's' barring engine had been stripped, painted, re-assembled and was nearly at the stage where it could be steamed.

Then, in October 1989, the Trust were locked out of the building by Thames Water.

Since then, members of the Trust have not been allowed back into the building to take preventative measures to arrest deterioration nor to carry out any further restoration. Thames Water have put forward a series of reasons for their actions but have not met the Trust nor explained the rationale behind what they have done.

A special committee has been set up by the Trust to try to resolve this impasse and it is asking all who feel strongly about this matter to write to: Mr. Roy Watts, asking him to reconsider the decision so that preservation work can continue.

John Ridley, Crossness Engines Trust.

Dr. A. P. Detsicas has sent the following note:

A Dutch correspondent has enquired about what he calls 'bird-pots' i.e. pots used as nesting holes for starlings and sparrows, and, if any K.A.S. member has any information on such pots occurring in 15th - 16th century paintings, drawings, engravings or any other medium, he would be grateful to know; his address is Mr. J. T. H. C. Schepman.