[DGM]

In the early 1980's M. Lynch used to receive steel traffic by rail at Rochester Freight Depot which they transferred by road to their steel stockholding business at Strood, the much closer goods yard at Strood having been closed for general traffic by then.  If I remember correctly M. Lynch also acted as a sub-contractor to BR and were engaged to deliver steel sections from Rochester Freight Depot to the BSC Steel Stockholding Depot at Farningham Road after the rail service from Chatham Sdgs to Farningham Road was discontinued.

[mmitch]

M. Lynch were a large steel stockholder in the 70/80s.
I think from the Canal road site?
mmitch.

[smiffy]

You can get some great views of this area via Google Earth by selecting the Historical Imagery icon. Selecting 1960 gives you the clearest view.

[Bilgerat]

I don't know about 50s and 60s, I do know that HMS Grenville was broken up there in the mid-80s. That ship was a 'U' class 1941 Emergency Pattern destroyer, pretty much identical to HMS Cavalier when built. HMS Grenville was converted to a fast frigate in the 1950s, so ended up looking significantly different.

The reason the ship didn't have a name beginning with 'U' was because she was built to be a Flotilla Leader and they were named after famous naval officers.

HMS Daffodil was broken up there soon after and she was a Great War Flower Class Sloop, sister ship to HMS Crysanthemum, also called HMS President. Together, the two ships made up HMS President, the Headquarters of the London Division, Royal Naval Reserve before the unit moved ashore at St Katherines Dock in the 1980s. They were moored at the Embankment.

[Signals99]

Ref  Lynch and sons. At some time in the late fifties/early sixties, I'm certain Lynches scrapped an ex RN destroyer I recall watching with interest as each day I passed over Rochester bridge.
May be one for Bilgerat, perhaps he can put a name to the ship?

[AlanH]

A bit off topic but at Blaw Knox we had a centre lathe turner come down there from Elliotts at the airport. Top gun turner apparently and the workshop foreman told me (I was an apprentice) to 'Watch this bloke and you may learn some good things" or words to that effect.
A week later  he said "Forget that, he's an idiot".
And he quickly and rightfully earned the nickname  of "McLynch" because of the amount of his work that was scrapped.  We reckoned he kept McLynch's going until they quickly put him up the assembly area to work the fly punch making gaskets etc. He couldn't do much harm there.
Just another bit of useless info. for you.
AlanH.

[3pinplug]

Thanks guys. I have heard rumours of another yard of theirs on the other side of the water. Great ariel shot Smiffy, gives you an idea of the size of the operation. I don`t suppose you have any similar shots of any more of Rochester riverside and the goods yard from around that time?

[mikeb]

They also had a site in Canal Road Strood.

[smiffy]

Can't help with the history, but here's an aerial view of the site from 1948.

[3pinplug]

The building in its original livery

[3pinplug]

The building in its final days, photo copyright R Goodrum

[3pinplug]

I remember right alongside the railway as you pulled out of Rochester about to cross the bridge into Strood there was a huge corrugated iron building with 'Brewsters printing' written across it (between the railway and Acorn ship yard). I have just seen a photo from the 1950s which shows the same building with M Lynch and sons written across it, and looking at a photo of the building in Brewsters times the Lynch logo is still visible as ghost writing behind the blue paint. I remember Lynches vaguely as a scrap metal dealer(?) but can find no information on the firm at all. Can anyone on here shed any light on them and their operation?