Welcome to !

We are a small group affiliated to the National MG Owners Club. Our group is more social than car orientated as you will see from the events list. However, most members still drive an MG and we are happy to discuss anything to do with the marque with newcomers.

We are based at The Crown, School Road, Chislehurst. Our regular meeting is on the last Wednesday of the month. We also meet on the second Wednesday but the venue can change. The pub is used as a meeting place for pub runs and outings.

Current membership stands at a dozen or so. Subscriptions are £5.00 a year. A members list of contact names and numbers is available to all paid up members. Subscription money is spent on club administration and events and we traditionally spend any surplus by subsidising the drinks at the Christmas dinner.

Our main car event is The Bromley Pageant of Motoring. This is the largest classic car event in Europe and attracts a wide variety of cars and stalls. We have a stand to display up to 3 cars, and spend a pleasant day with the barbecue. Other car events receive sporadic support.

We are always on the lookout for new events /ideas - for example The Crown has several boules courts which we can use on certain nights. New members are always welcome. It is always nice to have fresh faces and new ideas!

See you soon,

Dave F.

Who’s Who?

Area Secretary	Dave Fordham
Chairman	Dave Williams
Treasurer	Jeff Saunders
Media & Web	Mike Colquhoun	Members hard at play!

What we are getting up to…

Things on in ’00 …..

…. And the first for 2001!

Where & When ..

We meet on the 2nd and last Wednesday of the month.

The last Wednesday is our 'New Members Night' held at The Crown pub when we try to make a special effort to welcome any first time visitors.

The second Wednesday is either a meeting in the Crown, or, especially during the summer an event night when we go bowling, folk club, games night or any thing that takes our fancy! Ring just in case.

The Crown pub is on Chislehurst Common off Royal Parade. Meetings start at 9PM.

So far this year ..

Little Venice Walk - 11^th March 2000

A great day weather wise, probably one of the best in the Spring. Excellent turnout for what proved to be a popular choice for our club and a quite a few tourists! The one who did the arranging managed to turn up late, but caught up with the party ... eventually.

The walk takes you up and around the Little Venice portion of the Regents Canal where you can ogle at the brightly painted narrow boats and the homes of the startlingly wealthy. The walk was led by an actor who broke into jolly song from time to time, sounds tacky which it was and wasn’t at the same time. He had the keys to the little church on Paddington Green and so afforded us a chance to sit down and take in the beautifully restored interior.

In true club form we hit the nearest pub, complete with enclosed snugs, for a much needed libation. Then it was off to Covent garden for a mooch and fodder locating. We managed to find a decent restaurant, Porters, who could accommodate us and we ate well. After this the crew split, some going home and the balance heading to Pontis where more wine was consumed. There ended a smashing day.

Blacksmith’s Arms – 7^th May 2000

The first Sunday of the month is traditionally a classic car meeting at The Blacksmiths Arms, and this month we honoured them with our presence.

This was a very rare outing for the club Midget, which joined 2 B's and a C and parked up in the rear garden to enjoy the sunshine, some beer and scoff. The pub is under new management and they have installed a temporary bar in a garden shed which would be a great improvement if some glasses could have been provided. About 20 cars in total arrived, the most popular being an E type Jaguar. Best we start saving now.

A nice way to spend a Sunday lunchtime. Who knows, we might be back again this year.

Curry Night - 13^th May 2000

The club comes into its own on Curry Nights. This one was held at the Royal in Chislehurst with a full show of members! We met in the Bull's Head on what was a very pleasent warm evening. As always the wine (Cobras and Kinfishers too) flowed augmented by a good curry. Okay, so the waiters could do with happy pills, but we made up for it in true club fashion.

Bromley Pageant - 25^th June 2000

This venue has moved from Norman Park and it now is held at Danson Park in Bexley. Great day, nice weather and terrific company, but the pageant itself was disappointing. One of our number, Iain, tooled off to the Goodwood Festival of Speed and he had a rip roaring time! Next year it is Goowood.

Pub Run - 12^th July 2000

Dave did it again. He came up with a pub run out to Seal to the Crown Point Inn. It was a lovely evening and the tops were down where appropriate. It was nice to see a good turnout especially being a work night. The pub had a great atmosphere even though it had become a Chef & Brewer house, although that chain seems to keep their pubs as pubs without overly theming them.

London Walk (Holland Park) - 29^th July 2000

Another great walk to an undiscovered bit of London. Although many of us had passed the entrance to Holland Park none of us had ventured in. It was quite an eye opener as was the area around Holland Park itself.

The tour guide was a school teacher which helped keep our members in check. We met outside the tube, BTW there is a great pub with a good menu south of the tube entrance, and the guide told us that Richard Branson and Bill Gates both had houses there. The houses in the first development extended to something like 22 rooms with stabling in the mews behind. An obvious low rent district. The point being that the Holland family, an adopted name, would have been better called Hardup in later years and they were forced to sell off land around their estate for development. Eventually, as a result of a war time bomb which demolished most of their mansion they sold the balance of the estate to the Greater London Council to become what now is Holland Park.

Holland Park is set out around the remains of what would have been a very graceful Jacobean style mansion, one wing of which has been restored and is now a youth hostel! The grounds have many splendid, if somewhat large, sculptures as part of a sculpture year which most members greeted with a "what that then", no class you see.

We oo'd and ah'd at Michael Winner's purported £25M mansion and the gothic pile which is the home of the Led Zepplin's Jimmy Paige. From there we went to the unpreposessing Leighton House, the homes of the turn of the century painter and head honcho of the RA, one Fredrick Leighton. Plain on the outside, but quite something inside.

After that, the tour ended, we left for a much needed watering at a pub just off Kensington Church Street. Then we plodded south of Hyde Park and continued this route march, typical of Mike, onward until we reached a place to munch. So, we ended the day at Down Mexico Way with the most tasteless Mexican food that could be had, but this was offset by the ambiance and of course good conversation!

Mike & Wendy's Curry Night - 12^th August 2000

Great turnout for a great evening. Mike doing his number as The Clothed Chef whilst Wendy tended to the important things like chatting and making sure everyone had their drinks topped up!

South Downs Run - 2^nd September 2000

This was attended by Iain & Claire who enjoyed it throughly. One of the nicer days in the year weatherwise which made all the difference!

Dave & Liz's James Bond BBQ - 9^th September 2000

And just when you thought the game was up, another BBQ. Great do with a quiz which was huge fun, but unlikely to compete with Who Want To Be A Millionaire!

Keith & Gina's Halloween Night - 28^th October 2000

Ghouls and goblins abounded on the even of All Hallows! ... and that was just the chilli!!

Our Constitution

1. The club and its members meets every last Wednesday of the month at The Crown P.H. Chislehurst at approx 9.00 pm, and on the second Wednesday at an alternative venue.

2. There shall be a committee of no less than 3 officers: Secretary, Chairman and Treasurer. Other positions may be created as necessary.

3. An account entitled 'S.E. London M.G. Club' shall be held at the National Westminster Bank, Sidcup. The account book will be held by the Treasurer. Two signatures will be required to withdraw monies from this account, one of which must be the Treasurer.

4. All account books will be freely available on request.

• The Annual General Meeting shall be held in April each year and ALL current members will be invited to attend. Elections will be held for Club Officers. All nominations must be seconded.

6. Subscriptions are payable in April. The present sum is £5.00 per person or couple. New members to pay a pro rata sum based on the years quarters.

7. All monies collected by the Treasurer will go towards Club activities and administration.

A Potted History

South East London M G Owners Club was formed in September 1983 by Brian Bourne.

We were first registered as an Area Club in November the same year.

Meetings were originally held at the Cutty Sark P.H. in Greenwich. We have been on the move several times, meeting at The Gatehouse, Woolwich, The Porcupine, Mottingham, and at our current venue, The Crown, Chislehurst since 1995.

Our long serving secretary Terry Fianza stepped down from the down from the job in 1996 after 12 years service when she went to Oz!

Talk to us ..