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grammar and comprehensive schools. Abundant opportunities are
also provided for further education whether vocational or cultural
or merely for enabling persons to indulge in a particular hobby.
Of the nursery schools, that of Rachel McMillan is internationally
famous, for the McMillan sisters were the pioneers of
nursery schools in the British Isles; and in the Roan Schools,
founded in 1643 by John Roan the son of a member of the Royal
household when it was at the Palace of Placentia, Greenwich has
one of the oldest teaching foundations in London.
Most educational services are now under the control of the
L.C.C. but there are still some private sohools in the area which
are conducted independently of the County Council and which
cater for fee-paying pupils.
There are four excellent public libraries, each incorporating
reading rooms for free access to daily newspapers, weekly and
monthly periodicals, which offer a service of Braille and "talking
books" for the blind and, recently, opportunities for the borrowing
of gramophone records have been made available to residents over
the age of 18 years. In particular, the Central Library is admirably
adapted to enable private study to be undertaken in proximity to
a comprehensive reference section.
Social centres providing for all shades of cultural and educational
tastes have been established at Charlton House, Kidbrooke
House, the Town Hall and West Greenwich House under the
auspices of the Greenwich Community Council in conjunction
with the L.C.C. and, in this connection, it can be stated that there
are upwards of 65 clubs and societies affiliated to this Community
Council.
Besides Associations for rowing and barge sailing, the local
sports clubs include the famous Blackheath Football Club (the
oldest of all rugby football clubs) and the newer professional
Charlton Athletic Football Club.
Fourteen "Old People's Clubs", each of which receives an
annual grant from the Council, cater for the elderly residents of
the Borough and in five instances accommodation for these clubs
is made available by the Council free of charge. In addition to
the five luncheon clubs and an effective "Meals-on-Wheels" service
established especially for the "homebound", another three luncheon
and three day clubs have been introduced to ameliorate still
further the lot of the retired. More recently, realizing the substantial
benefits accruing to the aged from a satisfying holiday, the
Council purchased a first class hotel at Westgate-on-Sea for the
exclusive use of its elderly residents and holidays have now been
made available to them throughout the year at nominal cost.