Our Local Road names reflect the imperial history that was popular with our planners at the time they were adopted by the Council: as the middle classes, who were in their first generation of running Bromley, were very enthusiastic about Empire, and committed Christians, the roads were christened accordingly. They had a fascination with their heritage from the Puritan movement, and they promoted causes such as Temperance Movement. This was the era with the rise of the Baptist and Methodist movements, and when the Salvation Army first began its extensive work. Church-going was a passion at this time; just look at the number and capacity of the local churches built at this period, and compare them with the amount of housing from that time. They’re only equalled by the number of pubs!
Local Road names examined:
| Road Laid (approx) | Road Name | Approx age and person commemorated |
| 1897 | Havelock | 1870s – General Henry Havelock, Military Strategist, Self-Disciplined Baptist, died in service after raising the siege of Lucknow. |
| ? | Napier | Another famous victorian general on a plinth in Trafalgar Square |
| 1903 | Fashoda | 1909 – The Fashoda incident, ending the scramble for Africa and heralding the Entente Cordiale. |
| 1903 | Jaffray | 1909 – John Jaffray, chartist and socialist. |
| 1850s? or earlier | Waldo | C12 – Peter Waldo, medieval precursor of the protestant movement. |
| 1870s | Gundulph | Early bishop of Rochester (1077) and father of the Engineering Corps. |
| 1870s | Woldham | C11 – Early bishop of Rochester |
| ? | Pope | Alexander Pope |
| 1903 | Hayward | |
| 1903 | Elliott | |
| 1903 | Holmesdale/Old Holmesdale (formally Brick Kiln Lane) | Viscount, local MP |
| 1903 | Godwin | … |
1897 Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Raglan
Note, in the mid-Victorian era the turnpike road (now the A21) was along Shooter’s Common was lined with suburban villas, “occupied by tea dealers, cotton traders and members of the stock exchange” according to Matthew Greenhalgh’s thesis.
Havelock Road
Henry Havelock was a famous Victorian Baptist general in India and Burmah, and pioneer of modern army chaplaincy, and was very popular at the time; not just are many roads and streets named after him, but there’s a town in America and his statue on a plinth in Trafalgar Square.
His biographies were best sellers in the decades after his death, one by his brother in law sold 46,000 copies, considered remarkable at the time. A typical title was: General Sir Henry Havelock, The Soldier and The Saint: or Two Heroes in One. General Havelock’s life was seen as a lesson in Christianity, Honour and Duty; there were popular musical compositions commemorating him from the India Mutiny: for example the Havelock March and Havelock Polka Militiare.
Henry Havelock came originally from Sunderland, his family then moved to Ingress Park, Greenhithe (Kent), and he attended Dartford Grammar School[1] (as a parlour boarder), then Charterhouse School until he was 17. He entered the Middle Temple in 1813,to study law, but losing his funds, he obtained on 30 July 1815, at the age of 20, a post as second lieutenant in the 95th Regiment of Foot, Rifle Brigade.
At this stage he started to diligently study military history and the art of war. Then he went to see active service in India, with the 13th Regiment (Light Infantry) and therefore studied the Persian and Hindustani languages. It was on this journey to India that Henry Havelock rediscovered his faith.
In the First Afghan War in 1839, Havelock was aide-de-camp to Willoughby Cotton at the capture of Ghazni, on 23 May 1839, and was then involved in a string of successes: the occupation of Kabul, the passage of the defiles of the Ghilzais in 1840, lifting the siege at Akbar Khan, promoted to Deputy Lieutenant-General and releasing British prisoners and then Jagdalak, Tezeen, Istalif, and then the Gwalior Campaign as Persian interpreter to Sir Hugh Gough, and distinguishing himself at Maharajpur in 1843, and the Sikh Wars at Mudki, Ferozeshah and Sobraon in 1845.
At this time he would have made his name known to the British public, as he used his spare time to produce analytical reports about the skirmishes and battles in which he was involved. These writings were returned to Britain and were reported on in the press of the day, and wer followed by a series of promotions.
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After returning to England and two years “church work” with the Baptists (involving himself in the Stepney Baptist Academy), he returned to India in 1852 with further promotions to become Adjutant-General to the British Army in India in 1857. Then he won successes in the Anglo-Persian War (action at Muhamra against Nasser al-Din Shah), then in the Indian Rebellion in Allahabad, then victories in Lucknow and Cawnpore. Despite being in his 60’s and outnumbered, he defeated all rebel forces in his path, as the years of campaign experience and his studies of the theories of war won him the reputation as a great military leader. He lifted the siege of Lucknow, but died a few days later on 24 November 1857 of dysentery, brought on by the anxieties and fatigue connected with his victorious march and with the subsequent blockade of the British troops. He lived long enough to receive news that he was to be created a Baronet for the first three battles of the campaign; but he never knew of the major-generalship which was conferred shortly afterwards.
The plinth’s dedication reads: To Major General Sir Henry Havelock KCB and his brave companions in arms during the campaign in India 1857. “Soldiers! Your labours, your privations, your sufferings and your valour, will not be forgotten by a grateful country” H. Havelock. In 2003, there was major controversy when the then mayor of London, Ken Livingstone suggested that the Trafalgar Square statue, together with that of General Charles James Napier, be replaced with “more relevant” figures.[4]
Fashoda Road
Fashoda Road is named after the Fashoda incident in 1898, a decisive confrontation between British and French colonial expeditionary forces in Sudan, at Fashoda on the White Nile, the ‘Scramble for Africa’ where European powers established their colonies in Africa. The British were expanding their ‘spheres of influence’ in the hopes of joining their colonies of Egypt on the Mediterranean coast with South Africa. The French, meanwhile, where establishing an East-West axis, in aspiration of a rail line. Whoever held the point where the two axis’s crossed, Fashoda (now Koduk in South Sudan) would have their axis and deny the other.
Cartoon of Cecil Rhodes and the colonial dream of a Telegraph line from South Africa and Egypt.
After an ‘epic’ 14-month trek across the Congo basin, the french irailleurs soldiers, lead by Major Jean-Baptiste Marchand claimed Fashoda. The British, under General Kitchener, had just won a victory further north just defeated the forces of the Mahdi at the Battle of Omdurman. After this, Kitchener opened orders instructing him to investigate the french expedition. Being a fluent french speaker, he arrived at Fashoda in the uniform of an Egyptian army officer, and both sides exercised ‘admirable restraint’ and decided to await orders from ‘home’.
It is thought that the Fashoda Incident led to the ‘Entente cordiale‘ in 1904′ which paved the way for the French and British to ally themselves against the Germans in WW1.
Napier:
Also on a plinth in Trafalgar Square.
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| Lord Napier as Governor of Sindh | Contemporary print of Sindh |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_James_Napier
General Sir Charles James Napier, GCB (10 August 1782 – 29 August 1853), was a general of the British Empire and the British Army‘s Commander-in-Chief in India, notable for conquering Sindh in what is now Pakistan as well as for success in the Peninsular War.
Views on subduing insurgencies:
General Napier put down several insurgencies in India during his reign as Commander-in-Chief in India, and once said of his philosophy about how to do so effectively:
The best way to quiet a country is a good thrashing, followed by great kindness afterwards. Even the wildest chaps are thus tamed.[6]
which may help explain why he felt rebellions should be suppressed with such brutality.
He also once said that:
the human mind is never better disposed to gratitude and attachment than when softened by fear.[6]
A story for which Napier is often noted involved Hindu priests complaining to him about the prohibition of Sati by British authorities. This was the custom of burning a widow alive on the funeral pyre of her husband. As first recounted by his brother William, he replied:
“Be it so. This burning of widows is your custom; prepare the funeral pile. But my nation has also a custom. When men burn women alive we hang them, and confiscate all their property. My carpenters shall therefore erect gibbets on which to hang all concerned when the widow is consumed. Let us all act according to national customs.” [5]
Napier had distinguished himself in the Peninsular War against Napoleon; he had been left for dead in one battle and had two horses shot dead beneath him. At the age of 60 he was sent out to India where he became Commander-in-Chief.
Jaffray
Jaffray Road is named after John Jaffray, a famous Chartist, who collected documents and first-hand accounts of the early trade union movement and book binding trade (he was a finisher).
This collection had been donated on his death his to the British Library, shortly before the road was made.
He was notable for being a committee member of the London Working Mens Association and had been involved in the precursor to the Peoples Charter of 1838. This had six proposals that moved to allow working men to be elected as MPs by removing the property qualification and introducing pay for MPs.
Waldo:
Named after Peter Waldo, founded a sect of Christianity and got him condemned for Heresy :
At about this time, Waldo began to preach and teach publicly, based on his ideas of simplicity and poverty, notably that “No man can serve two masters, God and Mammon” accompanied by strong condemnations of Papal excesses and Catholic dogmas, including purgatory and transubstantiation, while accusing them of being the harlot from the book of Revelation.[4] By 1170 he had gathered a large number of followers who were referred to as the Poor of Lyons, the Poor of Lombardy, or the Poor of God who would spread their teaching abroad while disguised as peddlers.[5] Often referred to as the Waldensians (or Waldenses), they were distinct from the Albigensians or Cathari.
His followers relocated to the high valleys of Piedmont to continue their faith until the 14th century.
Woldham
Woldham road is named after Thomas de Woldham, Prior of Rochester, was consecrated at Chatham the 6th of January 1291.
Gundulph
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gundulf_of_Rochester
Gundulf was a monk of Bec Abbey in Normandy and a friend, pupil and also chamberlain of Lanfranc. King William I agreed to the appointment of Gundulf as Bishop of Rochester and Gundulf was consecrated on 19 March 1077.
Bishop Gundulf’s talent for architecture had been spotted by King William I and was put to good use in Rochester where he was sent as bishop. Almost immediately the king appointed him to supervise the construction of the White Tower, now part of the Tower of London in 1078. Under William Rufus he also undertook building work on Rochester Castle. Having served three Kings of England and earning “the favour of then all”. Gundulf is accepted as the first King’s Engineer. Gundulf died in 1108 and his statue adorns the west door of Rochester Cathedral.
Because of his ‘military’ engineering talent, Bishop Gundulf is regarded as the “father of the Corps of Royal Engineers“, military engineers of the British Army.
Elliott Road
Probably named after Major Edmund Halbert Elliot R.A. 1897 who was second in command to Kitchener and distinguished himself in the Zulu wars. Need to check for a local dignitary that it could be.
The surname Eliott is believed to derive from the village of Eliot in Angus although the Old English form of Elwold also appears in Scotland. Little is known of the early history of Clan Eliott because few records survive. This could be because Stobs Castle where clan records were kept was burned down in 1712.
Legend has it that the extra “t” in Eliott arose when a branch of the Eliotts adopted Christianity. The “t” was in reality meant to be a cross. The differences in spelling can be distinguished in this rhyme:
The double L and single T / Descent from Minto and Wolflee, / The double T and single L / Mark the old race in Stobs that dwell. / The single L and single T / The Eliots of St Germans be, / But double T and double L, / Who they are nobody can tell.
Homesdale Road
The original Lord Holmesdale was Wolfe’s commander at Quebec and a native of Sevenoaks; but the pub – and road – was probably named after Viscount Holmesdale, the local MP from 1859 to 1868. The road has always been spelt without the ‘L’.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Bloomfield,_1st_Baron_Bloomfield
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Addison
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_William_Addison
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Greenstreet_Addison
William Haywood (engineer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Haywood_%28engineer%29
With Joseph Bazalgette he was responsible for the enormous undertaking of improving London’s sewerage system which enable the growth of the city (Abbey Mills pumping station). He worked with James Bunning on the Holborn Viaduct.[1]
His main work however, for which he should be remembered, is the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium. The facility was built near Little Ilford (now Manor Park) as a way of relieving the appalling overcrowding of London’s church burial grounds (described e.g. in Dickens’s ‘Bleak House’). As the City was redeveloped the remains from many of its churchyards were reinterred there. Haywood was a pioneer of cemetery reform.
There is a small Gothic mausoleum near the gates of The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium which contain his ashes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744) was an 18th-century English poet. He is best known for his satirical verse, as well as for his translation of Homer. Famous for his use of the heroic couplet, he is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson.[1]
The money made from his translation of Homer allowed Pope to move to a villa at Twickenham in 1719, where he created his now famous grotto and gardens.
Date: Tuesday, 17 February, 2015, 9:39
Dear Friends of Havelock Rec,
My wife and I only recently heard about this plan to move the ‘La Fontaine’ school to Havelock Rec this past weekend… I whole heartedly support your efforts in stopping the proposal to build on this land….
I would also like to add that the individuals planning this proposal have failed to consider the appropriateness of having a French named school located around Victorian built street names that are named after famous and revered British Generals, namely : Lord Wellington (Battle of Waterloo 1815 defeated the French) Wellington Road, The Duke of Marlborough (Battle of Blenheim 1704 defeated the French) Marlborough Road, Lord Raglan ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade (Crimean War 1853-1856) Raglan Road and last but not least Major General Sir Henry Havelock who was mostly associated with India and the recapture of Cawnpore during the Indian Mutiny 1857 Havelock Road.Therefore my point is that it is highly insensitive to British military history and the respected and former British generals that a French named school should descend upon our neighbourhood in the 200th year of the defeat of the French by Lord Wellington Arthur Wessley in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo. I am not anti-French and I appreciate other peoples’ cultures and nations and the need to move forward with the times but please can we respect British history too.Perhaps we should consider lobbying the Ministry of Defence for additional support on this topic namely to stop the building and relocation of this school to Havelock Rec in this bi-centenary year of the Battle of Waterloo (1815–2015)?
Please keep up the excellent work.
Regards
[name with-held]
Marlborough Road Resident
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