Service for the navies who worked on the Crystal Palace.

mcleanmuir · Post by **mcleanmuir** » 13 Mar 2009 20:57

This service was held in Beckenham on St George's Rectory Field, it was attended by about 200 people.

I do not know the date and I was wondering why such a service was held?

Can anyone throw any light on the subject?

tulse hill terry · Post by **tulse hill terry** » 13 Mar 2009 21:59

Might this publication answer your question?

http://www.crystalpalacefoundation.org. ... .asp?id=26

I seem to remember that there was recently (within the last decade) a service at the restoration of the memorial.

mcleanmuir · Post by **mcleanmuir** » 14 Mar 2009 09:03

Many thanks for the information.

Steve Grindlay · Post by **Steve Grindlay** » 14 Mar 2009 11:52

In 2000 I wrote a brief account of the accident for the Sydenham Society newsletter. I've uploaded here.

tulse hill terry · Post by **tulse hill terry** » 14 Mar 2009 15:41

Image by Delamotte.

mcleanmuir · Post by **mcleanmuir** » 14 Mar 2009 20:57

Steve, Terry,

thanks for this information. It is nice to see that these workers were remembered and continue to be remembered.

The glass lantern slide image I have of the service is taken from an etching by what looks like B Jestor and there is some more writing (probably to do with the slide itself) Palmer & Wimber. I will clean it up and put it online.

I did wonder why a service was held in Beckenham but the number of lives lost would have made it a disaster at that time. The residents of Beckenham would have watched as the Crystal Palace was being built and decades later Beckenham would have witnessed it burning down.

The other thing I need to ask is who or what was Delamote as I think I have a glass slide of the building of the Palace by Delamote? Again once cleaned up I will upload it.

Thanks again.

tulse hill terry · Post by **tulse hill terry** » 15 Mar 2009 12:11

Philip Henry Delamotte ( b Sandhurst, Kent, 1820; d Bromley, Kent, 24 Feb 1889).

I have mentioned him amongst the sources in the "Walk Through The Nave" thread.

A pioneer of photography, as well as a skilled draughtsman, he made drawings as well as photographs of the dismantling of the Great Exhibition building in Hyde Park.

He then went on to publish two volumes of "The Progress of the Crystal Palace" for the directors of the Crystal Palace Company.

There is a reprint of these by Chip Friemert, "Die Glaserne Arche" published by Prestel 1984, though they are all very brown. You can get copies on ABEbooks.

He also exhibited large prints of some of these views, as well as publishing another set of prints and two sets of stereoviews in 1859 for the Crystal Palace Art Union. It has been suggested that he was assisted by Thomas Richard Williams in these tasks, and as that photographer is more collected in the U.S. many of the stereoviews are attributed to him, though they could have easily been by Delamotte.

These later prints and their creation are discussed in Ian Leith's "Delamotte's Crystal Palace" published October 2005.

Have you read "English Hearts and English Hands" published anonymously but by the evangelist Catherine Marsh, who talks about visiting labourers staying in the Beckenham area.

My copy is very tightly bound so this image is a little fuzzy at the left hand side.

mcleanmuir · Post by **mcleanmuir** » 15 Mar 2009 16:30

Here is the link for the Service in Beckenham.

http://www.beckenhamhistory.co.uk/Service.jpg

tulse hill terry · Post by **tulse hill terry** » 15 Mar 2009 18:58

That image is the frontispiece from 'English Hearts and English Hands" by Catherine Marsh, 1858. This illustrates a farewell meeting before the men left to work in the Crimea during the war. It took place at Beckenham Rectory.

On the next Sunday morning, John R____, a navvy of considerable education and natural talent, who had great influence with his companions, called to say that a large number of the men, who were within walking dstance, had agreed to come from their various quarters to attend Beckenham Church in the afternoon, and then to assemble on the Rectory lawn, if permitted, for a farewell address and prayer for themselves, believing it would be their last Sunday before leaving England.

Every aisle and every corner of the church were crowded with these men, who listened with profound attention, and especially when my father earnestly addressed them at the close of his sermon.

For some little time after the service was over, they walked about the Rectory grounds in companies, taking scrupulous care of the borders of beds in the flower garden. About a hundred were there. Each man recieved a Testament, with his name written in it, and a Cottage Hymn-book. Then they formed a half circle before the hall door, and united in singing Cowper's hymn, beginning,

'There is a fountain filled with blood.'

Mr. Chalmers then addressed them, and afterwards Captain Vandeleur.

Those that had walked from a distance were invited to remain and have some tea; but it grieved us that any should go away without it. So the next day we consoled ourselves by writing an invitation to all who had come for any of these gatherings for religious purposes to meet at the Rectory that afternoon for tea, coffee, and cake. A deputation of four arrived to refuse it! 'They had rather not.'

I felt pained; and probably they saw this, for a noble fellow, named Job Hesketh, said, 'Don't ye think we shouldn't like it; but it goes against us, after that sight of the beautiful books you have given us, to take anything more out of ladies' pockets. Why, we've cost you a fortune already.'

We explained that the pleasure was beyond the expense of tea, coffe, and cake, and that we could not bear to be disappointed; but that, as it was growing late, the tea-party should be changed into a breakfast-party for the following morning.

Half-past ten was the hour appointed the next morning for the breakfast-party. The gates were thrown open; and we felt rather suprised when the hour came and none entered. But on walking to the chief entrance, my sister found the three roads which met there literally lined with men, 'waiting for one of the family to bid them welcome before they could take the liberty of coming in.' They walked to the lawn four abreast, and sat down under the shade of the old trees. It was a most picturesque scene. Those magnificent men, who might have coverted for the Queen's company in the Grenadier Guards, dressed in their easy and becoming costume of white 'slops,' here and there diversified by a blouse, with rose-red neck-ties. They were very quiet, but very cheerful --- ready for any little joke from those who waited upon them. Captain Vandeleur was in peculiar favour in this point of view, and also for the sake of his fresh information from the Crimea, whence he had just arrived. As we were to leave home that day, and the men expected to set sail for the Crimea within two days later, I shook hands with them all after breakfast, and bade them farewell. Then Mr Chalmer prayed, and all their voices joined with his audibly, as they knelt on the turf; and then the rose to sing 'The Parting Hymn' in the Cottage Hymn-book.

An hour afterwards we left Beckenham to go into Essex. They were all 'lining the roads' again by the Rectory gates, waiting for another farewell. Some of the younger men had proposed to cheer us as we passed, but the elder ones had said 'it was too solemn for that.' So there they stood, with hats held high above their heads, voice after voice murmuring 'God bless ye!'

mcleanmuir · Post by **mcleanmuir** » 16 Mar 2009 12:34

Terry,

what a fantastic bit of information you have provided.

Many thanks.

tulse hill terry · Post by **tulse hill terry** » 16 Mar 2009 14:17

You're welcome.

A real digression, but you can read "The life of Arthur Vandeleur 1829-1860 , Major, Royal Artillery" also by Catherine Marsh here

http://openlibrary.org/b/OL7221846M/lif ... -Artillery

Bit strange, as you can turn the pages as you read it!

mcleanmuir · Post by **mcleanmuir** » 18 Mar 2009 10:35

Thanks again Terry, what a great bit of software that turns the pages.

tulse hill terry · Post by **tulse hill terry** » 18 Mar 2009 11:25

Indeed!

I've just bothered to google '"English Hearts and English Hands" to find that you can download a scanned copy from the University of California as a PDF.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZsFFAAAAIAAJ&dq=

I've just had a quick look and the above image is opposite page 162 instead of as the frontispiece, and in place of the one above that on this thread, so it must be a different edition to mine. Dunno where that one is!

tulse hill terry · Post by **tulse hill terry** » 18 Mar 2009 11:46

Learning all the time!

The flicking pages thingy is on http://www.archive.org

and I've found "English Hearts and English Hands" on that again.

http://www.archive.org/stream/englishhe ... 00marsrich

And also found that this image was swapped with the frontispiece.

mcleanmuir · Post by **mcleanmuir** » 20 Mar 2009 00:05

Catherine Marsh and the navies are mentioned in Borrowmans Beckenham, I have seen an image of her in Simon Finch's book Beckenham and West Wickham.

tulse hill terry · Post by **tulse hill terry** » 10 Mar 2011 21:57

I have only seen one photograph of Catherine Marsh before, and here's another one, just listed on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CDV-British-AUTHO ... 5643040548

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Service for the navies who worked on the Crystal Palace.

Service for the navies who worked on the Crystal Palace.

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