My name is Penny Duggan. My mother’s family came to Blackfen from Deptford in the 1930s and my father’s from Wandsworth in the 1960s. Both sought an improvement in their lives: modern houses with gardens, fresh air and space. They joined other families who had been coming to Blackfen in increasingly large numbers since the 1920s.

With a ‘day job’ as a reference book editor at a major publishing company in London, my interest in history has developed over many years and encompasses local history, academic study and family history. I believe that an understanding of how things have come to be can enhance our appreciation of the present.

I am also Community Engagement Officer at Blackfen Community Library and a Committee Member of Lamorbey and Sidcup Local History Society. Previous roles include Secretary of Bexley Historical Society (2010-20), Secretary of Bexley Civic Society (2016-19), volunteer at Erith Museum (2006-09), and Member of Blendon Archaeological and Historical Research Group.

Curious about why my family ended up in Blackfen, many years ago I started investigating the history of Blackfen, its development and the people who have lived here, and also what ‘Blackfen’ means to residents today. My book, Woodmen and Fenmen: Blackfen’s story, was published in 2014.

Follow me on Twitter @tuppenceforthem

Me giving a talk at the Croft Tea Room, St Mary Cray in August 2015