please empty your brain below

What's happened to Greenwich?
Sorry, I managed to delete them by mistake.

Greenwich appears to be one of the seven curmudgeon boroughs, along with Bromley, Ealing, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lewisham and Waltham Forest, who let the anniversary pass entirely unmarked.

(unless you know better)
I do agree with the historical comment on Sutton's site that Sutton is just too common a name in the world. I know it's the largest settlement in the borough, but it really should have been called Beddington or Carshalton just for the sake of being unique. The Wandle-based suggestions are nice, but we already have a Wandsworth.
Am I the first to notice the 2 typos in the item about the Mitcham Carnival / Merton Bake Off?

I'm sure DG wouldn't have made such errors, so I presume they show the poor standard of education in that Borough!

["there" instead of "their" & "e.g" instead of "e.g."]
I loved your comment earlier in the week that the combination of Greenwich and Woolwich was nearly called the London Borough of Charlton. When I worked in Woolwich in the 1970s the borough seemed to want to ignore traditional Greenwich entirely. Tourist information, if any, focused on the delights of, er, ... Plumstead Common and Abbey Wood, maybe? It was a very insular community.
These days -- I live in the borough of Greenwich, and have done for most of the past 40 years -- they do at least acknowledge all parts of the combined borough. But there's a new régime at Woolwich town hall, and the old team came in for a lot of criticism for celebrating being made a Royal Borough in 2012, and for spending loads of dosh on mayor-making ceremonies in the Old Royal Naval College, while cutting our borough's contribution to the November fireworks display on Blackheath, leaving our neighbours in Lewisham to pick up the whole tab.
I suspect, though it astonishes me to say so, that the new leadership is treading carefully for a bit. Especially with an election coming up and a former councillor standing for election to Westminster as Labour candidate for Greenwich & Woolwich.
Clearly some boroughs either have more to celebrate than others, or have more 'celebration minded' leaders. And some are just being 'careful'.
What's happening in Kensington & Chelsea?

dg writes: Sorry, nothing.
Kingston considers fifty years to be a mere passing fancy........

http://www.whereenglandbegan.co.uk/our-past/where-england-began/the-saxon-kings
Can't stand around here commenting all day, I have a cake to bake!
SO glad I left Barking and Dagenham. The major problem (not the only one) is that the council (and the Labour Party, which has always run it) impedes and intrudes upon almost every aspect of social life (which is entirely foreseeable, maybe even understandable, given the history of the place, largely as a planned community of the 1920s comprising largely public-sector housing) ; and it is not characterised by restraint as to what is appropriate or good sense.

So, I won't have a cake.
As well as a content-lite website, those of us in Newham have also received a rather well produced calendar ("Celebrating 50 years of Newham 1965-2015") which is currently taking pride of place in my hallway. I rather like it.
noting your careful use of the word 'largely' (twice), Dominic, you do seem to ignore the 1,254 years of of Barking's history that went before the Becontree estate - and I'm only going back to the founding of Barking Abbey ! The politics of Barking has changed though - it used to be a model of *restrained* socialism.
@ Dominic H

I think one will find that it not just Barking & Dagenham/the Labour Party that *tries* to impede and intrude upon almost every aspect of social life...other councils & parties do too.
Paul, fair comment re the Abbey. (I suppose one should also note that much of what was historically Barking is now Ilford and so not in the borough anyway...) Also the history of the port, and Creekmouth, etc. And not forgetting Dagenham Village (which the council have genuinely improved the appearance of in the last 15 years, having done their utmost to denigrate it for the previous 30).

Restrained socialism? Hmm, up to a point. Back in the day (1960s) the new London Borough of Barking council (as was) demolished much of what remained of the historic part of the town centre and built low-quality but eye-catching high-rise housing that rapidly became slums...

Now again the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (as is) has overseen the demolition of those slums, and the installation of a new generation of low-quality but eye-catching high-rise housing that will....well, we'll see

I still won't have a cake, thanks.
WCH

Of course they do. The problem specific to B&D (and maybe other places that are similar in history to B&D) is the limited counterbalances to them in civil society there. Possibly this may change as a result of rapid demographic changes/greater integration into London/embourgeoisement, but it hasn't really happened yet..
I'm not surprised Bromley didn't mark the occasion. It's doesn't go in for what I suspect it would see as 'frivolous' celebrations. Even its council tax brochure is a double sided piece of A3 with businesses taking classified advertising. Compare that to some of the thick booklets produced by some other councils. Furthermore it is trying to siphon off most staff to the private sector and of course there is a the nagging feeling that many on the council would rather be part of Kent than London. That said I am surprised the Bromley Archives department didn't tweet a picture or something. It's usually very active. Perhaps there was instruction from the top. Or perhaps ther forgot.
I would have thought that the natural name for Sutton was Wallington, which was the old Hundred name for that area.
And I for one think "Merton" should be called "Merton & Wimbledon" ...maybe one day?
I don't know, I don't really want my cash strapped council wasting money on this. It seems to me that they could have maybe done one website, not 32?

Fair enough for local magazines which get shoved through the door anyway and local museums which need something to show, but flags and videos? All seems rather a lot to me.
I think the Ealing Mayor is having a lunch with anybody who cares to join at Boof (one of Ealing's 100 Persian restaurants) on Uxbridge Road as a 50 years of London councils event. I can't find any evidence online but there are a few posters locally. Low key.
The Boof that is directly opposite the council offices therefore requiring the minimum walking time?










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