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many being of the old-fashioned "shop on the corner" type selling
a wide range of goods. However, this situation is changing, possibly
contrary to the interests of many sections of the public. Town
planning is demanding the concentration of traders into "shopping
centres" which tend to become dominated by big combines and
which often lead to burdensome and sometimes costly journeys for
the elderly and women with large families. Of the existing shops,
a large percentage are food establishments to which supplies of meat
and poultry come mainly from Smithfield Market and sometimes
directly from Kent and Surrey. Fruit and vegetables, for the most
part, arrive from Kent or from the Covent Garden, Borough, Greenwich,
or Spitalfields Markets. The rights of a flourishing daily
open-air market in Beresford Square mainly for the sale of meat,
fish and poultry, are vested in the Council and date from the reign
of James I. A "new market", under cover, in Plumstead Road, is
also a popular centre for the daily and week-end shoppers of southeast
London.
Full time supervision is afforded by the Borough's Food Inspectors
to the private slaughterhouse at Woodlands Farm, Garland Road,
one of the most up-to-date and busiest abattoirs in the Metropolitan
area.
Both the previous local councils, now united in the London
Borough of Greenwich, had always been in the forefront of progressive
health authorities and, within the new area, this forward
looking attitude persists and all aspects of health and welfare, both
personal and environmental, continue to be amply covered. These
range from the normal maternity, child welfare and school health
services, to the usual general practitioner and hospital services, and
from the useful municipally-run chiropody clinics to the special
maternity, paediatric, geriatric, thoracic and neuro-surgical units
based at local hospitals of which there are twelve.
Comprehensive Borough Community Care services include 4
modern, purpose-built "Old People's Homes" and future plans
provide for further "small home" accommodation. To overcome
urgent and unexpected crises, a Reception Centre gives shelter to
homeless families and a Main Unit caters for the more intractable
cases.
At 2 Centres and several voluntarily supported clubs, social
rehabilitation of persons with differing physical handicaps is promoted
by tuition, training and the introduction of pastime activities.
Blind people are offered a service of Braille and "talking" books
obtained from the National Library for the Blind and allied
organisations, and sheltered employment is provided at the Greenwich
Workshops for the Blind where mattresses, baskets and