Dear Stanley,

As a newcomer to the web I was so pleased to come across your wonderful website. As a retired steeplejack, you have brought back so many happy memories for me. Unfortunately the internet came too late to record much of the London scene, but the contributions by your many wonderful contributors keeps our brilliant profession alive. Yes, it was always hard and hazardous work, but we were blessed with great companionship and as your website shows, friendships lasting throughout our lives. I loved the 'away' work and it showed me places I would never have seen. It also introduced me to so many different people and their varied ways of life. What more could a young man ask for as he found his way through life? Like most places, nearly all the chimneys have gone in London and in a way I regret my share in their demise. I considered many works of art and it was a scandal really that we were allowed to take flogging hammers to them. Ah well, that's progress. Nearly all the big industrial sites have gone as well and if you look across the Lea Valley and Brimsdown etc, you would have difficulty in finding a forty foot chimney and that would be a steel one. There are so few brick stacks here now that it wont be too long before kiddies are asking their dad's "dad what's a chimney"? I think we will have to take them out on outings up North to try and find some. My nearest one is at Whipps Cross hospital (attached) and the only other one that comes to mine is the old brewery in Brick lane E.1. I have also attached a photo that I am sure will interest you. As Stacks go it was only a baby, but it was very creepy for me. It belonged to a laundry ( 'Peerless' I think) and I had to re-band it. This chimney overlooked the back yard of the Notting Hill murderer John Christie and it was very disconcerting to look over the yard where he had buried his unfortunate victims. I couldn't get the job done quick enough! The main firms working in my area were Barlings, who had Bristol connections, Virons in Edmonton and Beaumonts in Brixton. My firm, Hillside erection services, was based in Stamford Hill, Hackney. There were a few individual steeplejacks working for themselves on a small scale and they mainly survived by 'subbing' off the larger firms. I remember erecting an 80foot steel chimney for a firm called Levy's based in Leyton and the owner Phil Levy had a notorious reputation for saving money. The flanges on his steel chimneys were so thin you wondered how the things ever stood up in the mildest breeze. Anyway I bolted all the sections up on the ground and when the crane lifted it, the base was all out. I phoned him with the bad news that the crane would have to lower it and come back when the base had been sorted. The cost of re-hiring the crane was too much for Phil so he got me to erect the stack and guy it off. When we sorted the base out, he got me to 'walk' the stack onto its base! That was one hairy job I can tell you. We had to let off the guys a little and using crowbars we inched the chimney over towards the base. We used packing to get it higher than the protruding bolts and then using toe jacks lowered it on the base. All the time I had visions of the stack crashing through the factory roof and I declined any more work from the penny-pinching Mr Levy. Well Stanley, that's it for now and perhaps you could include this on your wonderful site. It might prompt other stories from the London area. Best wishes to you and all my fellow steeplejacks. Take care if you are still working in the trade and if you are retired, take pride in what you achieved for

 

you have much to be proud of my brothers. Tom Benfield.   



Whipps Cross hospital.



Whipps Cross.



The backyard at Rillington Place and the chimney that Tom banded.


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk