Ten Years of Cray 150 Publications: 2010 to 2020
Cray 150 Publications was launched in 2010 to mark the 150th anniversary of Cray Wanderers football club. We helped to stage a very successful large exhibition of the club’s history at Bromley Museum in the Priory, Orpington. [Photo]. After that, operating as a community publisher Cray 150 has been delighted to publish several attractive little books featuring the original work of more than fifty current or former residents of the local area.
From the year-by-year sample below please enjoy seeing how in its first ten years of operation Cray 150 has published a wide variety of local interest work that showcases our local community’s splendid talent for art, photography and writing.
Cray 150 Publications was launched in 2010 to mark the 150th anniversary of Cray Wanderers football club. We helped to stage a very successful large exhibition of the club’s history at Bromley Museum in the Priory, Orpington. [Photo]. After that, operating as a community publisher Cray 150 has been delighted to publish several attractive little books featuring the original work of more than fifty current or former residents of the local area.
From the year-by-year sample below please enjoy seeing how in its first ten years of operation Cray 150 has published a wide variety of local interest work that showcases our local community’s splendid talent for art, photography and writing.
Our many books of local history have included Kent and London locations:
As a City of London commuter I came to think of Holborn and Blackfriars as my Plan B for morning or evening rail travel. A train from Orpington to London Bridge or Cannon Street was a much faster and more obviously convenient line for me to reach postal district EC3 but on occasions it was expedient for me to wend my way on the Holborn and Blackfriars line instead. You may know the old Flanders & Swann song: ‘The Slow Train’? It references ‘Millers Dale, Tideswell, Kirby Muxloe, Mow Cop and Scholar Green’ … Passengers on the Holborn and Blackfriars line would re-word it: 'Sydenham Hill, West Dulwich, Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction …’
The City of London: Wandering and Wondering (published 2013).
As a City of London commuter I came to think of Holborn and Blackfriars as my Plan B for morning or evening rail travel. A train from Orpington to London Bridge or Cannon Street was a much faster and more obviously convenient line for me to reach postal district EC3 but on occasions it was expedient for me to wend my way on the Holborn and Blackfriars line instead. You may know the old Flanders & Swann song: ‘The Slow Train’? It references ‘Millers Dale, Tideswell, Kirby Muxloe, Mow Cop and Scholar Green’ … Passengers on the Holborn and Blackfriars line would re-word it: 'Sydenham Hill, West Dulwich, Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction …’
The City of London: Wandering and Wondering (published 2013).
Two memories of the Bromley poet and pacifist Donald Ward (1909 – 2003):
He persuaded the Chief Druid in England to let him read his poetry at the Stonehenge summer solstice. With his goatee beard and flowing locks, and dressed in the full regalia, Donald looked more Druid than the other Druids did.
In the early 1970s, long before London Underground put poems in tube carriages the Post Office provided a Dial - a - Poet series. Donald was thrilled to be invited to recite his poem Harvest Hill which callers could hear him recite in rather crackly tone down the phone line. The poem contained this amazing verse:
... The weeping grass steams in my bones –
The apple-loaded night begins,
Leans over me: the apples hold
Tangy silence – but the winged
Eerie bat still sucks his dream.
Dove on the Wing – a biography of Donald Ward (published 2013).
He persuaded the Chief Druid in England to let him read his poetry at the Stonehenge summer solstice. With his goatee beard and flowing locks, and dressed in the full regalia, Donald looked more Druid than the other Druids did.
In the early 1970s, long before London Underground put poems in tube carriages the Post Office provided a Dial - a - Poet series. Donald was thrilled to be invited to recite his poem Harvest Hill which callers could hear him recite in rather crackly tone down the phone line. The poem contained this amazing verse:
... The weeping grass steams in my bones –
The apple-loaded night begins,
Leans over me: the apples hold
Tangy silence – but the winged
Eerie bat still sucks his dream.
Dove on the Wing – a biography of Donald Ward (published 2013).
Doubra Fufeyin recited her poem The Lost Ones at the World War One centenary memorial service in Orpington in November 2014.
The Lost Ones
For some reason it started.
They fought and it lasted.
Then their lives were wasted.
In the dailies pictures pasted.
It does not remove the sorrow,
But we will not wallow
But stand to remember a void so hollow.
A Cray Compendium – a collection of original art and writing from St Mary Cray and Orpington. (published 2014).
The Lost Ones
For some reason it started.
They fought and it lasted.
Then their lives were wasted.
In the dailies pictures pasted.
It does not remove the sorrow,
But we will not wallow
But stand to remember a void so hollow.
A Cray Compendium – a collection of original art and writing from St Mary Cray and Orpington. (published 2014).
Our local churches are rich in historical curiosities:
There was a church group outing to Essex on the 19th June 1894. 'The train left St Mary Cray railway station at 7.45am. The party disembarked at Southend at 10.10am. There followed a day of riding, boating and other activity before at 5pm a capital tea was served at The Grotto. The return train departed at 8.15pm, arriving in St Mary Cray at 9.55pm.'
It is possible that the St Mary’s congregation were one of the first visitors to the famous Kursaal amusement park at Southend-on-Sea. It opened in 1894 as a marine park and gardens – albeit the name Kursaal (the German word for rest hall or spa) was not adopted till 1901.
Also that summer at the Vicarage Garden the church funds of 1894 were swelled by purchases of 'Egyptian pottery most kindly donated by Mrs Sidky Bey. Her stall included vases made from authentic Nile mud.'
Meandering Through the Millstream – remembering the parish magazine of St Mary Cray Church (published 2015).
There was a church group outing to Essex on the 19th June 1894. 'The train left St Mary Cray railway station at 7.45am. The party disembarked at Southend at 10.10am. There followed a day of riding, boating and other activity before at 5pm a capital tea was served at The Grotto. The return train departed at 8.15pm, arriving in St Mary Cray at 9.55pm.'
It is possible that the St Mary’s congregation were one of the first visitors to the famous Kursaal amusement park at Southend-on-Sea. It opened in 1894 as a marine park and gardens – albeit the name Kursaal (the German word for rest hall or spa) was not adopted till 1901.
Also that summer at the Vicarage Garden the church funds of 1894 were swelled by purchases of 'Egyptian pottery most kindly donated by Mrs Sidky Bey. Her stall included vases made from authentic Nile mud.'
Meandering Through the Millstream – remembering the parish magazine of St Mary Cray Church (published 2015).
Designing a mouthwatering menu! ...
As a child, I had sampled the delights of my Scottish aunties’ home-baking (with melt-in-the-mouth shortbread, meringues and cakes ‘to die for’) and since then I have been a sucker for home-made cakes, always seeking out the WI or Church tea stalls where I knew good home-bakers thrived. I borrowed Auntie Mag's handwritten recipe book and gathered other cake recipes from members of my extended family. For the menu, I based a lot of choices on what my mum would like if she were a customer! - very soft bread, thick egg mayo, lots of cress, warm scones and homemade soups!
The Croft Tea Room Story as told by Carole Wells (published 2016).
As a child, I had sampled the delights of my Scottish aunties’ home-baking (with melt-in-the-mouth shortbread, meringues and cakes ‘to die for’) and since then I have been a sucker for home-made cakes, always seeking out the WI or Church tea stalls where I knew good home-bakers thrived. I borrowed Auntie Mag's handwritten recipe book and gathered other cake recipes from members of my extended family. For the menu, I based a lot of choices on what my mum would like if she were a customer! - very soft bread, thick egg mayo, lots of cress, warm scones and homemade soups!
The Croft Tea Room Story as told by Carole Wells (published 2016).
Staying on the Subject of Food ...
Fish! A memory from Mr J.M. Frank, the President of North Ferriby FC whose ground stands in the shadow of the giant Humber Bridge, near Hull.
Whitstable. What fond memories the name of the town brings back to me. My first ever job was with a firm called The Trawler Fish Company who supplied fresh fish from the Hull fish market to hotels and catering establishments throughout England, Scotland and Wales. I began as a barrow lad trundling ten stone kits of fish for loading on to lorries at what was then the biggest fish market in the world. This was very heavy work with a 6am start so I was pleased when I was promoted into the office as a telephone salesman. A team of us used to spend all the morning telephoning for orders which were then processed and loaded in iced boxes on to trains. British Rail guaranteed that they would be delivered to anywhere on the UK mainland before 12 noon the next day. It really was a fantastic service.
If oysters were required it was my job to gather up these orders and every half hour phone them through to our firm George Tabor & Co in Whitstable who would then arrange for their dispatch. 100 x No. 1 natives to the Grand Hotel, Scarborough … 50 x No. 2 natives to the Royal Duchy Hotel, Falmouth … and so on. We sold the Whitstable native oysters in sizes 1, 2, 3 & 4 and there was a cheaper one that wasn’t from the Kent coast … They were beautifully packed in sacking and ice in strong little barrels, and like the fish from Hull they were delivered the following morning.
The Best of Cray Chatter Volume Two (published 2017)
Fish! A memory from Mr J.M. Frank, the President of North Ferriby FC whose ground stands in the shadow of the giant Humber Bridge, near Hull.
Whitstable. What fond memories the name of the town brings back to me. My first ever job was with a firm called The Trawler Fish Company who supplied fresh fish from the Hull fish market to hotels and catering establishments throughout England, Scotland and Wales. I began as a barrow lad trundling ten stone kits of fish for loading on to lorries at what was then the biggest fish market in the world. This was very heavy work with a 6am start so I was pleased when I was promoted into the office as a telephone salesman. A team of us used to spend all the morning telephoning for orders which were then processed and loaded in iced boxes on to trains. British Rail guaranteed that they would be delivered to anywhere on the UK mainland before 12 noon the next day. It really was a fantastic service.
If oysters were required it was my job to gather up these orders and every half hour phone them through to our firm George Tabor & Co in Whitstable who would then arrange for their dispatch. 100 x No. 1 natives to the Grand Hotel, Scarborough … 50 x No. 2 natives to the Royal Duchy Hotel, Falmouth … and so on. We sold the Whitstable native oysters in sizes 1, 2, 3 & 4 and there was a cheaper one that wasn’t from the Kent coast … They were beautifully packed in sacking and ice in strong little barrels, and like the fish from Hull they were delivered the following morning.
The Best of Cray Chatter Volume Two (published 2017)
Derek Pullman recalls his footballing exploits during the harsh winter of 1962/63:
Photo: Gary Hillman (chairman of Cray Wanderers FC) with Derek Pullman, right, in 2013.
On Sunday 23 December 1962 we travelled to play a cup-tie against Woolwich Queens on the old Royal Artillery sports ground at Ha-Ha Road. The whole of South London and North Kent had been enveloped in freezing fog for some days. We played our match on a frostbound pitch. As we set off back to Cray it began to snow.... and it didn’t stop for a week. The whole country was pretty much brought to a standstill. For the next seven weeks playing football was the least of anyone’s concerns as we all struggled through the snow and ice to get to work and just survive in non-stop Arctic conditions. It was all pretty grim and when the freeze at last relented, all football teams faced a huge fixture back-log. For me, play resumed on 2 March for Ramsden FC. Of course, the new hazard now was thick mud. After a cold snap, once the ground began to thaw, pitches quickly turned into mud-heaps.
Following on from Forever Amber in 2011 we have published several attractive little books of local history featuring Cray Wanderers FC &/or the social history of St Mary Cray and the Crays. The most recent of these is The Tribute Programmes (published 2021).
Photo: Gary Hillman (chairman of Cray Wanderers FC) with Derek Pullman, right, in 2013.
On Sunday 23 December 1962 we travelled to play a cup-tie against Woolwich Queens on the old Royal Artillery sports ground at Ha-Ha Road. The whole of South London and North Kent had been enveloped in freezing fog for some days. We played our match on a frostbound pitch. As we set off back to Cray it began to snow.... and it didn’t stop for a week. The whole country was pretty much brought to a standstill. For the next seven weeks playing football was the least of anyone’s concerns as we all struggled through the snow and ice to get to work and just survive in non-stop Arctic conditions. It was all pretty grim and when the freeze at last relented, all football teams faced a huge fixture back-log. For me, play resumed on 2 March for Ramsden FC. Of course, the new hazard now was thick mud. After a cold snap, once the ground began to thaw, pitches quickly turned into mud-heaps.
Following on from Forever Amber in 2011 we have published several attractive little books of local history featuring Cray Wanderers FC &/or the social history of St Mary Cray and the Crays. The most recent of these is The Tribute Programmes (published 2021).
Poems penned by local poets:
Brightly hued flowers amid the greens of the bushes ...
The sun going down behind the trees
Gives a touch of gold to its bright green leaves ...
Play of sunlight on the rippling surface ...
We have published four anthologies of art and poetry by members and friends of the Croft Poetry Club. The most recent of these is Beautiful Colours (published 2018). Photo of Emmetts Garden, Ide Hill by Brenda Smith.
Brightly hued flowers amid the greens of the bushes ...
The sun going down behind the trees
Gives a touch of gold to its bright green leaves ...
Play of sunlight on the rippling surface ...
We have published four anthologies of art and poetry by members and friends of the Croft Poetry Club. The most recent of these is Beautiful Colours (published 2018). Photo of Emmetts Garden, Ide Hill by Brenda Smith.
Chess
Given the popularity of the recent drama series The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix in 2020 may we mention that Cray 150 has published two light-hearted little books about chess? They are Win in Eleven Moves and Problem Solved (published in 2016 and 2020).
In 1919, the world chess champion came to Bromley. The local press treated it as big news. The Chronicle and the Bromley Mercury carried long reports that Jose Raoul Capablanca, born in Cuba, had come to town. ‘Capa’ was the first chess player of the twentieth century to attract mass adulation. He was the son of a Spanish cavalry officer. Handsome and debonair, he was called the Rudolph Valentino of Chess. It was said that ladies came to watch him play, even though they knew nothing about the game. In 1911 his employers the Cuban Diplomatic Service had given him indefinite leave to travel the world, to play in international chess tournaments and in exhibition matches.
There was a big crowd and mass excitement at a crowded Central Hall in Bromley on 20th December 1919. Capablanca was staging an exhibition match in which he would simultaneously take on 42 invited local opponents in 42 separate games. ‘Capa’ cruised to win 39 of the games. It took him just under three hours. He lost one game to Mr Germann, a former Kent champion, and he conceded drawn games to Mr Holliday of the Bromley chess club and Mr Whicker of the Sydenham & Forest Hill chess club.
Given the popularity of the recent drama series The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix in 2020 may we mention that Cray 150 has published two light-hearted little books about chess? They are Win in Eleven Moves and Problem Solved (published in 2016 and 2020).
In 1919, the world chess champion came to Bromley. The local press treated it as big news. The Chronicle and the Bromley Mercury carried long reports that Jose Raoul Capablanca, born in Cuba, had come to town. ‘Capa’ was the first chess player of the twentieth century to attract mass adulation. He was the son of a Spanish cavalry officer. Handsome and debonair, he was called the Rudolph Valentino of Chess. It was said that ladies came to watch him play, even though they knew nothing about the game. In 1911 his employers the Cuban Diplomatic Service had given him indefinite leave to travel the world, to play in international chess tournaments and in exhibition matches.
There was a big crowd and mass excitement at a crowded Central Hall in Bromley on 20th December 1919. Capablanca was staging an exhibition match in which he would simultaneously take on 42 invited local opponents in 42 separate games. ‘Capa’ cruised to win 39 of the games. It took him just under three hours. He lost one game to Mr Germann, a former Kent champion, and he conceded drawn games to Mr Holliday of the Bromley chess club and Mr Whicker of the Sydenham & Forest Hill chess club.
Cray 150 has published books and has given illustrated talks about the social history of Orpington and the Crays.
The Crays have unique factors in their history that stand them out for attention and admiration. In Victorian times the Crays were one of the pioneers of the industrial revolution. The paper mills (Joynson’s and Wm. Nash) brought mass employment and a unique flavour of Lancashire and the north of England to a then-rural area of Kent where market gardening (including hop growing and sheep farming) was hitherto the main economy. In the two world wars of the twentieth century the Crays strategically took a big brunt of the devastation and strife: displaced populations and industries; ‘bomb alley’; low priority for rebuilding. And then after the 1970s the effect of Thatcherite and subsequent Conservative-style governments’ socio-economic policy was deleterious upon the Crays. It brought the area to its knees, demanding an utmost extreme of resilience for its working-class population to survive let alone thrive.
Fortunately today we can demonstrate revival in the Crays by citing the new industrial parks on the sites of the former Allied Bakeries, Klingers and Sunrod sites; the return of Cray Wanderers football club who are building a new sporting and housing complex at Flamingo Park; and the thriving retail face of the Crays centered at the Nugent Shopping Park. (Did you know that in the London Borough of Bromley the Crays are the biggest industrial hub and the second biggest retail hub? [The biggest is The Glades in Bromley High Street].)
The Crays have unique factors in their history that stand them out for attention and admiration. In Victorian times the Crays were one of the pioneers of the industrial revolution. The paper mills (Joynson’s and Wm. Nash) brought mass employment and a unique flavour of Lancashire and the north of England to a then-rural area of Kent where market gardening (including hop growing and sheep farming) was hitherto the main economy. In the two world wars of the twentieth century the Crays strategically took a big brunt of the devastation and strife: displaced populations and industries; ‘bomb alley’; low priority for rebuilding. And then after the 1970s the effect of Thatcherite and subsequent Conservative-style governments’ socio-economic policy was deleterious upon the Crays. It brought the area to its knees, demanding an utmost extreme of resilience for its working-class population to survive let alone thrive.
Fortunately today we can demonstrate revival in the Crays by citing the new industrial parks on the sites of the former Allied Bakeries, Klingers and Sunrod sites; the return of Cray Wanderers football club who are building a new sporting and housing complex at Flamingo Park; and the thriving retail face of the Crays centered at the Nugent Shopping Park. (Did you know that in the London Borough of Bromley the Crays are the biggest industrial hub and the second biggest retail hub? [The biggest is The Glades in Bromley High Street].)
Cray 150 Publications on television? During the first ten years of our existence this has happened more often than we might have imagined when we started out in 2010. For example the Cray Wanderers 150th anniversary exhibition in 2010 was showcased in BBC and ITV London news features. Visiting film crews from different parts of the world have made documenraries about the club's history, often showing landmarks of St Mary Cray in the process. Sky Futbol Mondial was one visitor and there also have been film crews from Thailand and Italy. Meanwhile in the annals of the Croft Poetry Club founded in 2014 it was a proud moment to be chosen by ITV News London for a filmed feature on National Poetry Day in October 2018. A recital at Foxbury House in Green Street Green was filmed live and was shown on the early evening news. [Photo: L to R Steve, Paula, Monica & Jerry].
