Hillaballoo 2009

Don't forget tomorrow - Saturday 18th - it's Hillaballoo with a full programme of fun activities in Telegraph Hill Park, SE14 from 10 am. Music includes 'The Little Devils, Jude Cowan, Paul the Poet and Steve the Pirate, compered by Tarzan (more Ape than Man)'.

Straycation: Exploring South London

Explore the unknown spaces and stories of South London in a walking festival currated by South East London Folklore Society in August.

All walks are free. Contact scott@selfs.org.uk for more information.

Saturday 1 August 7pm: Camberwell Myth & Magic
Join Scott Wood on a walk around the mythological sites of Camberwell. There'll be ghosts, folklore, saints and Aleister Crowley's father-in-law. Meet on Camberwell Green, junction of Camberwell Road & Camberwell Church Street.

Sunday 2 August 3pm: Wonderful Weeds
Roy Vickery of the South London Botanical Institute will lead a stroll around Burgess Park exploring the folklore and uses of our native plants. Meet at the Camberwell Road entrance to Burgess Park.

Wednesday 5 August 7pm: Brockwell Park is waiting in the dark!
Wild West heroes, a cure for impotence, the devil's fruit and deadly mermaids are just part of the cast in this stroll around Brixton's magnificent Brockwell Park. Brockwell Park Gates Herne Hill entrance. Junction Dulwich Road and Norwood Road.

Sunday 9 August 3pm: The Greenwich Mysteries
Jacqueline Woodward-Smith takes a walk around Greenwich Park, and maybe beyond, in search of goddesses and mysteries in the land. Meet at the King William Walk gates in Greenwich.

Thursday 13 August 7pm: The Peckham Ghost Trail
Follow the trail of the infamous Peckham Ghost with SELFS host Scott Wood, meeting other phantoms of Peckham & Nunhead on the way. Meet Honor Oak Station, walk ends Nunhead Green approx 9pm.

Sunday 16th August 3pm: A short radical ramble in SE1: subversive amblings up Blackfriars Road. A walk with Past Tense: Anarchist plotters, King Mob tumult, ranters, writers, early feminists, physical force chartists and more... Meet at the Obelisk, St George's Circus, SE1

All walks between 1-2 hours.contact scott@selfs.org.uk for more details. Keep an eye on the website and the Facebook page for more walks.We'll try and be brave but walks won't happen if it's pouring with rain please ring 0795 201 2487 on the day to ensure the walk is happening.

Isa Craig - a Victorian feminist in Brockley

Interesting article here about Isa Craig (1831-1903), 'Victorian social reformer, women's rights activist, journalist, poetess and novelist'. Born in Scotland, she moved to London and was active in the campaign for women's employment, writing to The Times that 'in securing her independence the dignity of woman is deeply concerned. The power of independent industry, which saves her from a mercenary marriage, renders her equally free to serve the needs of the world'. She was an early advocate of women's suffrage, joining the Enfranchisement Enfrancisement of Women Committee when it was formed in 1866. At this time her address was 14 Clyde Terrace, Brockley Road.


She wrote for publications including the English Woman's Journal, and published several novels and volumes of poetry. In 1858 one of her poems won the Robert Burns Centenary Competition at The Crystal Palace, which had attracted over 600 entrants. Apparently more than 14,000 people turned up for the Burns celebration at Sydenham, but Craig was not amongst them and didn't realize that she had won until later. Her novels included Esther West.

She became Mrs Craig-Knox after marrying Mr John Knox at St. John's, Lewisham in 1866, but seems to have lived in Hampstead in the 1880s. The 1891 Census though records Ida and her family living at 88 Breakspears Road, Brockley where she remained until her death in 1903.

New Cross Reggae Shops/Labels

Really only beginning to find out more about the contribution of New Cross and surrounding area to the history of reggae. I've mentioned before Eve Records in Upper Brockley Road, birthplace of Lovers Rock in the 1970s.

Another important record shop/record label was Fay Music. According to the Reggaepedia 'Fay Music was the label of Winston Edwards. It was set up from Jah Shaka's house in Alpha Road, London in 1974. In 1975 Edwards opened his Fay Music record shop in southeast London's New Cross. The greatest success for the label was the album 'King Tubby Meets The Upsetter At The Grass Roots Of Dub' which remained for three months at the top of Black Music's reggae chart. The label was closed down in 1978'. Fay Music also released singles by Augustus Pablo and U Roy.

The addresses for Fay Music I have come across are 21 Alpha Road, SE14 (presumably Shaka's house) and 324 New Cross Road, SE 14 (presumably the New X record shop referred to previously).

After the closure of Fay Music, Edwards apparently went on to manage Joe Gibbs' record shop in Lewisham Way, 'He also launched his Studio 16 label here. He worked there to the start of the 80's and the shop seem to have folded when Joe Gibbs was having various legal problems'. So legendary Jamaican artist/producer Gibbs had a record shop in Lewisham Way - was he actually living in London at the time, or was it just the London end of his Jamaican business?

Joe Gibbs Record City was at 29 Lewisham Way (where Viva Zapata is now) and regularly compiled the UK reggae chart in the early 1980s.

As for Shaka himself, he had 'had an Arts & Craft Culture shop in New Cross' in the 1980s. Would be good to know where so we know where to put a plaque...

Yet another reggae record label based locally was Sound City Records (1978-81) at 494 New Cross Road, SE14 and at the same address King & City Records (1980-82)

Finally, another local landmark in this respect would have to be the Mad Professor's 1980s Ariwa studio at 42 Gautrey Road, SE15 - technically a Peckham postcode, but only a couple of streets outside SE14 in the Nunhead area.

Anybody with any memories/information about these places, please get in touch so that we can do justice to them.

Here's some footage of Jah Shaka in 1986 in Arklow Road, Deptford:

Spooks Stops Trains in Deptford

Before you rush to construct a conspiracy theory about the security services implementing a Strategy of Tension by leaving dummy bombs around London, it should be noted that this story relates to the TV programme...

'A prop used in a television spy drama disrupted train services after sparking a security alert. A passer-by called the emergency services after spotting what was described as an oil drum with wires sticking out in a yard close to Deptford train station. But after a short investigation by officers from the Met, it was found the item was in fact a prop used in the television series Spooks. The alert caused 12 trains travelling from Charing Cross to Dartford, Dover and Hastings to be delayed by more than half an hour between 11pm and midnight on July 1. Others trains were forced to stop on the tracks for around 20 minutes and Landmann Way in New Cross was closed to all traffic while police checked out the item...

The production company Kudos Film and Television said the item was "stored securely" at its studio in Bermondsey. A spokeswoman said: “A prop used on Spooks was stored securely in the production’s private courtyard. A member of the public looked into the yard and, on seeing the prop, decided to alert the emergency services as a precaution. As soon as the Spooks production team were contacted, they confirmed the package was just a prop and not dangerous.”

Full story at This is Local London, 14 July 2009.

56a - Films and Zines

56a Infoshop, at the Elephant and Castle, has a few events coming up over the next couple of weeks.

As part of the ongoing Full Unemployment Cinema season, they are screening Rene Clair's 1931 film À nous la liberté on Sunday 19th July at 5pm. According to IMDB it is a 'A famous left-wing satirical comedy about two ex-convicts, one of whom escaped jail and then worked his way up from salesman to factory owner, where he oversees a highly mechanized operation where the workers are reduced to mere automatons. Fearful of being exposed over his past, at first by his friend and later by another gangster, the owner chooses to give his factory to the workers, then escapes with his friend to the freedom of the open road. The production company for 'A Nous la Liberte' was for more than a decade embroiled in a lawsuit claiming that Charles Chaplin had seen their film and plagiarized many ideas from it as he developed Modern Times'. Admission is Free at 56a Crampton Street, SE17.

The following weekend sees DO YOU REMEMBER ZINES? - 56a ZINE LIBRARY LAUNCH and BENEFIT WEEKEND. It starts on Saturday 25th July with a Launch Party at The Grosvenor (17 Sidney Road, Stockwell SW9- 7.30pm start) with music from Jean Genet, Husbands, Chaps and Candy Panic Attack, as well as zine stall from Cherry Bomb Comics, Ricochet Ricochet, 56a and more tbc.

The next day (Sunday 26th July at 56a Crampton Street, SE17) there will be a pancake breakfast from 12 noon, followed by an afternoon of workshops, discussions, exhibition, zine library browsing and general hanging out. Specific activities confirmed will include self published comics discussion, practical squatting and bike fixing workshops. Crashspaces available for weekenders. More details at 56a website.

A Taste of London: Greenwich Whitebait

A Taste of London in Food and Pictures by Theodore Fitzgibbon (Pan Books, 1973) is a mixture of social history and recipes, with the latter chosen because of their associations with the capital. Examples include London Buns, Chelsea Buns, Bubble & Squeak and Pease Pudding.

The nearest it comes to a specific South London recipe is in a section on Greenwich and Whitebait. It states:

Since medieval times it has been a summer custom to go by water to Greenwich, and a river boat still plies in the summer from Westminster Bridge and Charing Cross Pier, but alas the Souchet and the freshly caught whitebait dinners are a thing of the past, although frozen whitebait are available. Old Greenwich Fair in the Park was the scene of every variety of entertainment.

'The flair began directly you landed from the ship "Torbay Tavern" up to the Park gates, and the road was bordered on either side with stalls, games, and handwaggons containing goods or refreshments of every description ... ' G. Culver Budd, Easter and Whitsun Fairs in and about old Greenwich, 1910


'Then won't I have a precious lark
Down One Tree Hill in Greenwich Park.'
(Cruickshank, Comic Almanack. )

'Gladstone at Greenwich Ate his whitebait gaily,
Then ordered tea and shrimps, And sent for Disraeli.
Benjamin Disraeli sent back word to say:
"I'm wanted in the City, It's Lord Mayor's Day".

Whitebait are the small fry of the herring although some­times small sprats are used as well. They used to be found in large quantities in the Thames and huge shoals were caught at Greenwich and Blackwall during July and August. Until 1895 Ministers of the Crown had a whitebait dinner provided by the Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich (Lord Nelson's body was brought to Greenwich to lie in state), and the Opposition were provided with the same at the Old Ship Tavern.

At least half a pound (227 grammes) whitebait should be allowed per person. Keep the whitebait in a cold place before using, then wash and dry them very thoroughly. Have enough seasoned flour in a large plastic bag, then shake a handful at a time in the flour. Do this just before frying, for they become soggy if left. Heat up oil in a deep-fryer until a faint blue haze comes from it, then fry a handful of whitebait at a time in a frying basket for 2 to 3 minutes. When ready, drain on paper or a rack and keep in a warm place until all are done, then put all the whitebait together into the frying basket for 1-2 minutes until crisp. Serve at once with salt, brown bread and butter and wedges of lemon. Iced champagne or punch was drunk with them. When served with cayenne pepper liberally sprinkled over them they are called Devilled Whitebait.

While waiting for the whitebait to be cooked, at Green­wich a fish soup called Souchet or Souchy (from the Flemish Waterzootje) was served. Souchet is a clear fish soup flavoured with parsley, peppercorns, a little onion and slices of lemon, and served with hot brown toast'.

Swigg's Hotel for whitebait dinners, King William Walk, Greenwich, 1885

Syncopating Sandy at the New Cross Empire

'Syncopating Sandy' Strickland made his name in the 1950s as an endurance piano player, travelling the country trying to set records for playing the piano without a break. One of the venues he used was the New Cross Empire music hall, situated in Deptford Broadway opposite Addy & Stanhope school (pictured below in 1910).

According to Gramophone (August 1974) 'Sandy Strickland, was a non-stop piano player in the barbaric days of marathon dancers and other bizarre feats of endurance. Strickland would book the New Cross Empire from 9 am on a Monday through to 11 pm on the Saturday, during which time he would play the piano without stopping—no sleep, and being fed at the keyboard. The audience came and went as they pleased, and by Saturday they could be standing in the aisles'.

Linda Neesham recalls: 'the New Cross Empire... was demolished in about 1960 and I think a garage now stands in its place. In about 1959 I saw one of the last, if not the last, act to appear there. He was called Syncopating Sandy and he was trying to set a new endurance record for piano playing. He went on for days and it was free just to wander in and sit and watch him for a while. Screens were pulled round periodically for normal functions to be carried out!'

Strickland apparently died in 1975, 11 years after his last public appearance 'in Hampshire, in 1964, when he played non-stop for 132 hours'.

Ashok

With everyone talking about Florence and the Machine spare a thought for her former band Ashok - who I have seen described as Brockley and Greenwich-based but are definitely in the Transpontine area. A couple of the songs Flo sings on her new album developed from tracks she performed with Ashok. Interesting to compare versions - Ashok's Happy Slap is an earlier take on Florence and The Machine's Kiss with a Fist. Ashok are more jazz/funky, complete with MC. Their album Plans is also out now.

Here's some footage of Ashok (complete with Florence) performing at Brixton Jamm in 2006:

Alexander O'Neal for Free in Southwark Park

Tomorrow is a bumper day for free music in South East London. As well as Lewisham People's Day, it's also The Event in Southwark Park, with the headliner, due on stage at around 8:15 pm, none other than soul legend Alexander O'Neal. Which is as good a reason as any to post this clip of his great 1987 hit, Criticize:

Hot Summer Nights at the Rivoli

Cut a Shine

The launch party for Lewisham People's Day last Friday saw a packed and very hot dance floor at the Rivoli , thanks to Cut a Shine and their raucous ceilidh/barn dance set. There were people spinning in circles, dancing under arches and looking around in confusion as they struggled to keep up with the instructions from the caller as the drink took effect (or was that just me?)

All of this in the fabulous ballroom and its railway carriage-like bar.

Brockley Ukulele Group supported, and thanks to this I got to poke around backstage for the first time. Among the treasures to be found in its red painted corridor was this vintage cash register from the days when a pint cost 6d.


Florence and The Machine

A few days later (Tuesday 7th), Florence and The Machine held the launch party for her debut album at the Rivoli. Florence is from Camberwell, and the album Lungs is getting fantastic reviews. With Brixton's La Roux also riding high it looks like the predicted South London Redhead Insurgency is in full effect.

(photo by Nialler9 at Flickr)

Jive Dancing

I've also just come across this article from The Independent (2.11.2008) by Luiza Sauma on Austerity Entertainment: Hot to Trot: 'Britain may be in financial turmoil, but inside south London's Rivoli Ballroom, you'd never know it. Under the scarlet glow of the venue's giant Chinese lanterns, hundreds of people are jiving the night away, while a band in 1940s garb swing out on stage. At the centre of the dancing mass, a beautiful girl in a white 1920s-style flapper dress is kicking her heels on the wooden floor, a gleeful smile on her face. In fact, Deborah is 41 and works in HR, but the carefree way she moves makes her look 20 years younger. No one else can match her, but they try anyway: from the eight-year-old dancing with her dad, to the teenagers with indie hair and vintage frocks. There are white people, black people, Asian people; old, young and middle-aged; all dancing together, as if they don't have a care in the world'.

"We invite everybody along, as long as they behave themselves – and why not?" says the Rivoli's amiable owner, Bill Mannix, who has been running the grade II-listed venue for 30 odd years, and dutifully preserving its original flock wallpaper, chandeliers and plush velvet furnishings. In the past, this is what people have always done during troubled times – they cobbled together their glad rags, and went out dancing...' (lots more in the full article).

For details of jive dancing at the Rivoli, check out Jive Party.

A Saturday in Deptford

I was sitting in the sun outside the Deptford Deli on Saturday when I came across the article in the Guardian about Deptford and its creative juices. I certainly soaked up enough of them at the weekend, starting with picking up a few books on the market followed by a gorgeous mixed meze for brunch at the Deli - the food there is excellent.

Next it was on to Laban for the end of year children's show. On account of the heat I had to have an iced coffee in the cafe there first, also run by Feast Your Eyes (who run the Deli) - not quite such a selection of food, but hey nobody ever got rich selling food to skinny dancers.

In the show there was some good dancing of course, but to be honest it's just a pleasure to sit in the Laban theatre listening to good music on their awesome sound system. The soundtrack to the performance included Squarepusher, Transglobal Underground, Nitin Sawney and The Prodigy - oh and a completely different tip The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams.

Then we went to the Deptford Arms for a bit to take in some of the Deptford Independence Festival, featuring music all day and most of the night at the Arms, as well as at the Birds Nest and the Albany. Highlight for me was Anthony.Love, a singer songwriter accompanying himself on a semi-acoustic bass. He did a good cover version of Bloc Party's Flux as well as some of his own songs (mural below is in the garden at Deptford Arms - same artist who did the recent Brockley station mural, I believe).

Finished up in the Duke, labanistas pub of choice, recently refurbished by the people behind The Dartmouth Arms in Forest Hill and the The Dolphin in Sydenham. It feels like it's about twice the size as when I last went there a few years ago, nice and airy with very comfy sofas. All in all a good day out in SE8.

Deptford Job Centre

There's a public meeting on saving Deptford Job Centre tomorrow (Thursday 9 July, 7 pm) at the Albany, Douglas Way, SE8. It has been called by the Public and Commercial Services Union, who explain:

'On Friday 13/03/09 PCS members at Deptford Jobcentre Plus were advised that it was likely that the Deptford Job Centre would close, as the lease is due to expire in November 2009. Lewisham Council have major plans to redevelop Deptford town centre and planning permission has been granted to build a restaurant and private flats on the site currently occupied by Jobcentre Plus. JCP have told PCS that they will continue to look for suitable alternatives in the Deptford area. However they also have a contingency plan, which involves moving work from Deptford to the Lewisham and Forest Hill Job Centres.

The last thing people in Deptford need is the closure of their Job Centre. PCS will be campaigning over the coming months to ensure that an adequate public service is maintained within the area and we firmly believe this means a permanent Job Centre, located in Deptford, providing a full range of services'.

Peckham Raises the Roof

Hot on the heels of Deptford's Creative Juices, Peckham gets the treatment in Sunday's Observer Review section (5 July 2009):

'Peckham raises the roof. Move over Hackney! London's next creative hotspot, signalled by this bold rooftop sculpture park, could be south of the river, reports Hermione Hoby:

It's a hot Tuesday night, and 1,000 twentysomethings have elected to spend it in a multi-storey municipal car park in Peckham. It's a crowd impressive enough to match the big, bold artworks they're here to see. A sculpture park on the roof of the 10-storey building in Rye Lane forms the highlight of the third Bold Tendencies exhibition from the Hannah Barry Gallery, which has joined forces with four local artists' groups for a formidable show.

Coming so soon after the success of Barry's Peckham Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, if anything can substantiate claims of an influential youthful art "scene" in Peckham, this is it... the south London suburb is more likely to be associated, at best, with fictitious wheeler-dealers Rodney and Del Boy, and worst, Harriet Harman in a stab-proof vest. Soon, though, it may become synonymous with art. Cheap rent and large empty buildings are a classic recipe for attracting young artists, and Peckham's creative boom has also been helped by a stream of graduates from nearby Camberwell and Goldsmiths art colleges'.

Full article here .

Good luck to the artists of Peckham, but personally I am a bit weary of the endless series of articles about Deptford/New Cross/Peckham being the new Shoreditch/Hoxton/Hackney. Sometimes it feels like only the antics of 'twentysomething' artists are deemed worthy of mention, the real issues facing the majority of people living round here - including poverty and housing for many - just aren't crazy sexy cool enough to mention until murders and tower block fires make them newsworthy. Rant over.

Lewisham People's Day 2009

It's Lewisham People's Day this weekend, with lots of music for free in Mountsfield Park from 12 - 7 pm. The James Taylor Quartet headline the Albany Stage at around 5.45 pm. Lots of local sounds on the Bandstand including Bloco De Louco samba band, local singer-songwriter Jenifer Jay and from the Ivory Coast via Downham, X Factor singer Zyta.

The Global Local Village Hall features acts including Katy Carr, Brockley Ukulele Group, Bollywood Ballroom Tea Dance, Cut-a-Shine, Liam O’Sullivan’s Gasta and Harare Dread, while the Rocklands stage features lots of indie-hopefuls such as The Postcards, Shortskirtz, Rawfox, Anita Maj and Officer Kicks.

Finally on the Broadway Stage, there's London Breakbeat Orchestra, Yokoko and The Dualers.

Colfe's and Catford High

Defend Education in Lewisham reports that 60+ people turned up to a meeting at Goldsmiths last week to oppose the plans for a Trust linking together Goldsmiths and New Cross schools (Deptford Green, Addy & Stanhope and Crossways).

More worrying still though, as highlighted by Green Ladywell, is the proposal to link together Catford High with the local fee paying private school Colfe's. The consultation document summarises:

' The Proposal is that a partnership is formed between Catford High School and Colfe’s School: Catford High School would be a Colfe’s Associate School. It would remain a state school and have its own governing body, constituted outside the requirements of The School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2007, to include the Head Teacher of Colfe’s, and to allow Colfe’s to appoint other governors to strengthen the governing body significantly. The reconstituted Catford Governing body would report into the main Colfe’s Board, which would have responsibility to steer it and offer advice. The Catford Governing Body would have representation on the main Colfe’s Board and would take account of its views in deciding the strategic direction of the school and in making key operational decisions. Catford High School would change its name to reflect its aspirations and the new partnership'.

In other words, an independent fee-paying school will have a major role in running a community secondary school - it is not a mutual partnership, but one weighted to giving Colfe's the leading role. The assumption behind this seems to be that Colfe's must be a good school because of its academic record and that this will magically rub off on Catford High. But the reason why Colfe's performs so well is because a) it is much better resourced and b) it selects only the most able pupils to attend. I'd like to see them them get such great results with the same intake as Catford High and the same funding and staffing ratios.

But of course this proposal won't challenge their intake - they will just siphon off a few of the more high flying students for bursaries ('The partnership will produce a regular flow of academically gifted bursary candidates into the Colfe’s Sixth Form') while retaining the basic social apartheid of one school for the well-off and one for the rest ('Colfe’s and Catford High pupils would not be taught together').

It is unclear whether Colfe's will financially benefit directly from this deal - there is no mention of money changing hands - but in the long term the financial benefits could be enormous. This is because the Charities Commission is finally getting round to querying the dubious charitable status of independent schools - charities largely for the benefit of the more affluent which enjoy all the tax perks of more genuine charities. As the consultation document states 'The partnership will enable Colfe’s to satisfy many of the criteria of the Charities Commission in respect of pubic benefit, most notably in respect of the provision of means-tested bursaries.' In other words to retain their lucrative tax status.

Consultation closes on 22 July 2009.

Bashy in Deptford Market

Check out the Deptford Market scenes on the video for Bashy's new single, Who wants to be a millionaire? (shot by Digital Sneakers):

Dragon Slayer Talk at SELFS

South East London Folklore Society meets this month on Thursday 9th July, and features a talk by Christopher Hadley on The Riddle of Shonks' Tomb:

'Christopher Hadley will ask if the fabulous stories told about a Hertfordshire tomb remember a medieval 'dragon slayer' or are simply attempts to explain its strange carvings. The search for an answer begins with events separated by eight hundred years: a death under the Norman yoke, and a strange discovery beneath a yew tree on a 19th Century farm'.

The tomb in question is in a church at Brent Pelham, Herfordshire, and purports to be that of Piers Shonks the dragon slayer sometimes referred to as the Hertfordshire St George.

SELFS regular meet at The Old King's Head, Kings Head Yard, 45-49,Borough High St, London, SE1 1NA. Talks start at 8.00pm, £2.50 / £1.50 concessions Website: Contact: scott@selfs. org.uk

Deptford: drowning in creative juices

From today's Guardian Weekend magazine, by Tom Dyckhoff :

'Let's Move to Deptford, South East London.... What's going for it? Where-oh-where have all the arty farties gone in London? Time was you could walk down Shoreditch High Street and spy half a dozen Turner prize nominees. Now it's all IT execs, and the bridge and tunnel crowd. Some say Hackney Wick. Some say Bethnal Green. I say Deptford. The Laban Dance Centre was the Trojan Horse a few years back. Now the whole place is drowning in creative juices. Latest arrival: the Deptford Project, a groovily eccentric 60s South East Trains carriage turned cafe-cum-art space, hauled on to the High Street. But, thank the Lord, the Vietnamese cafes, Afro nail bars and pie and mash shops more than curbs any latent pretension. And, among it all, St Paul's church, a masterpiece of English baroque'

More follows on grime, schools and property prices.

Last Lap at the White Hart

The White Hart in New Cross has abandoned its short-lived conversion to a lap dancing Gentlemen's club, the focus for a Stop the Strip campaign that brought 100 people to a demonstration there on May 22 (pictured). One factor may have been advice that as a listed building, the pub was not permitted to have black out windows.

Anyway it's back open as a pub, so you don't have to be a particular kind of Gentleman to go there anymore. In fact on Sunday night, there's some more agreeable kind of dancing (to my taste) with a DJ playing funky house. Let's hope the pub survives, it's a good space in a key location in New Cross.

Lewisham and Hither Green rail crashes

Newsreel footage of the Lewisham (1957) and Hither Green (1967) rail disasters:



The Lewisham rail crash occurred on 4th December 1957 just outside St Johns railway station. Ninety people were killed and 173 injured.



The Hither Green rail crash occurred on 5 November 1967 opposite Hither Green Traction Maintenance Depot, between Hither Green and Grove Park railway stations. A Sunday evening express train from Hastings to London derailed shortly before the train crossed the St Mildred's Road railway bridge. Most of the carriages overturned, two of them having their sides torn off. 49 people died.

Open Mic in Greenwich

If you're not going to the Rivoli or the Monty on Friday night, there's an open mic night in Greenwich at the Star & Garter, 60 Old Woolwich Road, SE10. Get on down and do a turn. Think it's going to be a weekly Friday night affair.

Goldsmiths to take over New Cross Schools

Lewisham Council is currently consulting on a far-reaching proposal to bring together two local secondary schools (Deptford Green and Addey & Stanhope) and Crossways Academy (sixth form college) under the leadership of Goldsmiths College. The proposal is for the three schools to create a hard federation with a single governing body and a Trust arrangement with Goldsmiths. The Trust would be an Incorporated Charity with educational purposes; Goldsmiths would play a leading role and the Trust would be called the 'Goldsmiths Education Partnership'.

This proposal is not about privatizing education as such. The Trust would be not-for-profit, and the schools would continue to be state-funded as comprehensive secondary schools. Staff would continue to work to national terms and conditions. On its own terms, the proposal has some positive features. Nobody could deny that the Goldsmiths, which is internationally-renowned for its educational research, has much to offer local schools, and it wouldn't do more staff and students at Goldsmiths any harm to have to deal more directly with the young people living and learning outside the walls of the institution.

A key concern though is about governance, and the potential squeezing out of parent and staff voices. For Community Schools, the legal regulations require that at least one third of governors must be parent governors and there must also be at least two staff governors. There is also a requirement to have a governor nominated by the Local Education Authority. While this falls far short of community control of schools, it does at least ensure that some parents and staff have a direct input into key decisions for schools.

The Goldsmiths Education Partnership (GEP) will have two levels of governance - the GEP Trust itself and the federated governing body that will replace the three current school governing bodies. The Trust will have six trustees, three nominated in perpetuity by Goldsmiths and one each initially by the governing bodies of Deptford Green, Crossways and Addey & Stanhope Schools. Each of the three nominated by the present governing bodies will be replaced on resignation by a nominee of the federated governing body of the three schools.

There is no requirement that any of these Trustees will be parent governors or staff governors. In fact the proposal does not specify how many parent or staff governors there will actually be - though by definiton a single governing body for three schools will have less parents involved than three governing bodies. It is proposed that the Goldsmiths Education Partnership will nominate the majority of the governors to the governing body - so there is a circular process in which Goldsmiths dominates the Trust which in turn determines the majority of governors, who then nominate the non-Goldsmiths members of the Trust. The proposal does say that 'each school will be legally required to set up a Parent Council which governors must consult so that more parents can be involved than would usually sit on the governing bodies'. The problem is that being consulted is not the same as actually having seats at the table where decisions are taken.

The proposal also mentions that 'The Trust may include an additional partner from the public or private sector able to make a complementary contribution' and that this partner may also nominate one or two additional Trustees. Without knowing who this partner is it is difficult to say much more, but clearly this would build in an automatic majority for Goldsmiths and the partner on the Trust, further marginalising the already limited scope for parent governor influence on it.

There are some wider questions here too about the spread of Goldsmiths' influence in the local area. They already occupy much of the old town centre of New Cross, including the former town hall and swimming pool and various houses and shops. Now they will also have a major say in the local secondary schools too. At the same time they have no accountability to local people, not even the limited accountability that the Council has. Goldsmiths might be a relatively benign dictatorship - at least it is not a ruthless commercial enterprise - but community engagement means more than taking over community facilities and having the odd public meeting.

The consultation closes on 20 July 2009 - full details here

Monty on Friday

If you're not coming to the Rivoli Ballroom on Friday (3rd July), Shopping Trolley Promotions have their monthly night of experimentation at the Montague Arms featuring the free jazz of Fuck Off Batman among other attractions. £5/£3.

Transpontine Twitter

Transpontine now has twitter: https://twitter.com/transpontine

Still testing it out, but sign up and expect to receive some content eventually.

Underground New Cross, 1967-73

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a record shop in New Cross was one of the local hubs for the cultural underground. Chris Wellard Records at 6 Lewisham Way, SE14, advertised regularly in The International Times, the main underground paper, which was available in the shop. Its exact location is given in 1973 advert: 'If you feel like having a browse around get a train (from Charing X, etc) to New Cross, turn right and walk 200 vards- we're opposite you; or get a bus(36, 177 etc) to The Marquis (New Cross); we're opposite that. Early Closing Thursday' (IT, 11 January 1973).

Another advert from 1967 (28 July) went so far as to proclaim it as 'London's most aware record shop': 'THE PSYCHEDELIC SAXOPHONE OF CHARLIE NOTHING. One of the flippers currently making the scene in San Francisco. Also BLIND JOE DEATH, JOHN FAHEY, ROBBIE BASHO, and others—Great Guitarists spawned from the incredible SAN FRANCISCO Flower Movement. Records on sale from London's most aware record shop. Call or write for list & details to CHRIS WELLARD RECORDS, 6 Lewisham Way New Cross, London, SE-14'

As this suggests, jazz was the main musical focus of the shop. Indeed the National Jazz Convention, held at Conway Hall in 1969 ( used the shop as a mailing address (IT, 23 May 1969) as did Chris Trimming of the London Blues Society (IT, 28 June 1968).

This is confirmed in an article on record shops in IT (which also displays the casual sexism of many on the 'alternative' hippy scene): 'Chris Wellard of New Cross was my final call. This shop has a small window display, but inside folk, blues and jazz music are the main interests of the staff. Books on blues and folk were on sale, as well as IT, Time Out and other journals. Tony and Chris, who I interviewed, had a lot to say about the jazz scene, andthought that CBS were the only company really interested in jazz. They thought EMI covers were pitiful and their presentation generally bad. Albums far outsold singles in recent months, they told me, and I also heard a tale of how Saturdays in the shop often end up with alcoholic frivolities. The interview ended when Tony spotted a gorgeous chick with especially large tits on the opposite pavement and we all went to have a look at her. For a provincial shop, Chris Wellard have a nice scene going, especially if you are interested in jazz, which they will discuss with you at length'. (26 September 1969). Later Chris Wellard Records seems to have moved to 4 Chequers Parade, Off Passey Place, Eltham, London SE9 (as advertised in Gramophone Magazine, July 1974).

IT also mentions a couple of times a locally produced zine: 'JUNK, a SE London mag costs 1/- from 281 New Cross Rd., SE14... Poetry, cut-out, cartoons, friendly tone. The friendliest thing I've read for a long time. 'Rupert is at your door".(IT, 13 March 1970). Later the address is given as 243a Lewisham Way, SE4 (IT, 8 October 1970), from where Chris of Junk magazine wrote a letter criticising a music festival: 'Here was an opportunity for alternatives - what did we get? a pile of garbage worthy of a bunch of daytrippers. One final thought: why do people go to a capitalist festival anyway?!?'.

Don't know if Chris is still out there or what s/he made of Glastonbury. Anybody have any memories of the record shop and/or magazine?

Angular Records Spotify Playlists

At The Quietus, Joe D and Joe M from Angular Recording Corporation show off their impeccable taste, discussing the spotify playlists they have composed of the music that has influenced them.

As the article states: 'Estate agents and homeowners in a certain London postcode have much to thank Angular Records for. It was their label, Angular Records, that a few years ago put New Cross on the map with a series of legendary gigs and a terrific run of new, early singles and compilation tracks from the likes of The Long Blondes, Bloc Party and Art Brut'.

Naturally, I am sceptical of the notion that New X needed to be put on the map (it already was), but Angular certainly created a huge buzz about the 'New Cross Scene' via those nights at the Paradise Bar and elsewhere, and their 2003 New Cross compilation.

Like Factory Records, ARC give a number to everything they are involved in. The New Cross compilation was ARC002, but the very first ARC001 was a redecorated trig point on Hilly Fields, with the label's logo inspired by the design on the top.

The two Joes, ex-Goldsmiths students, were living locally when they started Angular (I remember Joe M worked for a while in Toads Mouth Too cafe in Brockley), but have since moved on. They certainly made an impact on New Cross, and indeed without them Transpontine probably wouldn't exist. It was going out to some of their gigs that got me excited enough about what was going on locally to want to document it. Indeed the second ever post at Transpontine, in October 2004, was about an Angular night at Goldsmiths.

South Bank Subterranean Stories

This message popped up on the Folklore Society's Talking Folklore email list yesterday from Martin Goodson:

Just to report sitting on the number 36 bus yesterday from Peckham to Victoria in London. Three students got on outside the art college at Camberwell. We approached the big beige battleship known as the MI5 building at Vauxhall when one of the students piped up

"You know that in case of emergency I've heard that it (MI5 building) [actually MI6], can sink down and go under the river."

General hilarity broke out from the other students

"No, it's true, it can. I've also heard it can turn black so that it cannot be attacked at night."

Level of hilarity increases, but the student persevered in her conviction that this building is now equipped with quite SFX qualities to protect itself in case of attack.

Martin asked if anyone else has heard this rumour.

A response came from another list member who referred everyone to this video on the Daily Telegraph site which describes, firstly, the building as 'Legoland', fitting into an earlier Transpontine thread, and also mentions, 24 seconds in, of a secret tunnel that supposedly runs from MI6 to Vauxhall tube.

Has anyone heard more?

Cut a Shine at the Rivoli

A great opportunity to enjoy the splendour of the Rivoli Ballroom (Crofton Park) coming up with the launch event for Lewisham People's Day on Friday 3rd July.

Cut a Shine will be headlining with their '21st Century Barn Dance', by all accounts a guaranteed excellent night out (here they are in action at Finsbury Town Hall). Support will be locals Brockley Ukulele Group.

Tickets are available here (£9 or £10 on the door).

Little Devils at the Monty

Blues from the South London Delta this Thursday:

'This Thursday, Little Devils are playing down at The Montague Arms, Queens Road, SE15 2PA - we will be on stage around 8.30pm. There are some special guests including Superbia - who are new faces to The Monty. Pop along if you can and hear some 21st century blues with Phil Nice, Yoka the Dutch Diva, Vivienne Soan, Alex Brewood, special guest drummer, John Gregory and Graeme Wheatley. (album on sale too!!!). Entry is £5.00 (£3.00 un-washed). Hope to see you there'.

Bailiffs at Lewisham Bridge

A message from the Lewisham Bridge Primary School occupiers:

An eviction notice has been served on the occupation at Lewisham Bridge. Bailiffs are arriving at 10.30 on Wednesday morning. Hands Off Lewisham Bridge are asking for your support in resisting the eviction. We need as many people as possible to stay overnight on Tuesday. If you can't stay overnight then please come down as early as possible on Wednesday morning to support the occupation.

We want to let Lewisham Council know that they are evicting people who have been peacefully protesting over the destruction of community education at our school. Lewisham Council still don't have planning permission for their new school. Lewisham Council still haven't told us why the decant had to take place at Easter, when children were taking SATs and banding tests. Lewisham Council still haven't told us why they are prepared to wash their hands of the responsibility of educating our children.

If Lewisham Bridge Primary School is given to Leathersellers we parents will have no say in the governance of our school. Staff will be employed by Leathersellers who will set their own terms and conditions taking those teachers out of a collective national teaching body.This is privatisation! This is bringing the market into our kids' education, where the only motivation is profit and the only measure is league tables and headcount. Competition will be the name of the game. Trusts and academies will compete for those children they believe to be desirable and leave those whom they don't on the scrapheap.

Why have Prendergast rejected the Travellers Education Service that used to be based at the school? Why have Prendergast rejected the proposal to establish a SEN unit at the new school? A consultation process has already started for a trust led by Goldsmiths University which will govern 3 schools: Addey & Stanhope, Deptford Green and Crossways. It is a process that has exactly the same goal. To take our schools out of the public sector and hand them over to the private sector. We cannot let them get away with this. We can fight this together and we can win! Come down to Lewisham Bridge Primary School and let the bailiffs know that we're not going easily.

Hands Off Lewisham Bridge 07946 541 331.

Hilly Fields Solstice Sunrise

About ten people watched the sunrise at Hilly Fields this morning, with a few more jumping on the Stone Circle. Hilly Fields Stone Circle itself doesn't give a good view of the Summer Solstice sunrise, it's better in the winter, which does confuse people. One person asked us whether the Stone Circle had been put in "the wrong place?"

Brockley harvested and brewed elderflower champagne was drunk, people did little personal rituals. Some burnt paper, some drummed, some held hands and cried. Marking the Solstice is an ritual or custom without a rulebook, everyone celebrates the sun in their own way.

London Sound Survey

London Sound Survey is exactly what it says it is - 'Recordings of background atmospheres and incidental noises from all over London'. Thrill to the sound of the traffic on the New Cross Road (recorded in St James), gasp at the slightly different traffic sound on Shooters Hill Road, wonder at the bird song and man coughing on Kilmorie Road, Forest Hill. There's fruit and veg sellers on Woolwich Market, Saxon Sound System at Notting Hill Carnival and Millwall fans (home game against Stockport, 2008). It's the quality of these stereo recordings that give it the edge - listening to it on headphones I found myself turning round looking for the sound source.

There's also a nice history section, with descriptions of lost London soundscapes, such as this from Samuel Pepys on Rotherhithe: 'so we took boat, and it being darke and the thaw having broke the ice, but not carried it quite away, the boat did pass through so much of it all along, and that with the crackling and noise that it made me fearfull indeed'.

Juno, the Lady Wrestler of Brockley

From the Penny Illustrated Paper, November 10, 1906:

'London is shortly to be provided with a new sensation - the lady-wrestler. At the present moment, there is living, not a hundred miles from London - to be more exact, at Brockley, in Kent - a lady named Miss Juno May, who will shortly make her first public appearance with an open challenge to any other woman-wrestler for £1000.

Miss May, who is only twenty-two years of a age, and who is a British girl born and bread - she was born in Kent - is well named Juno, for she is of exceedingly attractive appearance, and indeed, anything more unlike the average strong woman could not well be imagined. Standing over six feet in height, Miss May is perfectly proportioned, and is the possessor of beautifully-shaped hands and feet. In colouring she is dark, with blue eyes, a clear skin and very regular features'.

Full story here. Did anyone ever rise to her £1000 Challenge? I haven't been able to find out any more about her, but the article mentions that her trainer was Mr Antonio Pierri. There are several mentions of him online - among other things he seems to have both fought and later managed the famous wrestler of the time Youssuf Ishmaelo, the Terrible Turk

Southside that's where it's coming from...

2005 Grime classic from Southside Allstars name checking all the Transpontine zones and more: 'Forest Hill, Sydenham, Honor Oak Park, Brockley, Bromley, Caford, Downham, Lewisham, New Cross...'

(thank to Clive for the link)

All’s Fair at Horn Fair

Rediscovered Urban Rituals, who helped organised a fantastic May Day Jack in the Green procession in Deptford in 2006, are recreating the famous Charlton Horn Fair procession in a couple of weeks.

The procession of 'Hornified Fumblers', traditionally met at Cuckolds point in Rotherhithe, after crossing the Thames, from the city. They would process through Deptford, Greenwich and onto the Charlton Horn Fair. The Horn Fair was granted a charter by the Abbot of Bermondsey in 1268 for an annual fair to be held at Charlton, but was eventually banned by the Victorians in 1872 for ‘licentious conduct’. The celebrants would dress up in drag and adorn horns & masks to attend this carnival of cuckoldry, cross-dressing and the wearing of horns possibly evoking ancient ritual & fertility symbolism. Historically, references to the date of the Horn fair range from Spring through Midsummer being moved in the 17th Century to October 18th – St Luke’s day whose symbol is the bull.

You are welcome to come along and join in the procession on June 28th 2009 this year, starting From Cuckolds Point, Rotherhithe (on the river near to the Rotherhithe Hilton), through Deptford and Greenwich to Charlton House. It will start at 10.30am sharp .

Get to the Albany...

A great summer's night entertainment coming up at the Albany next week. Maybe I just haven't been getting out enough but it did feel as if New X/Detpford was at risk of losing its edge a bit as incubator of great new music. But judging by this the next wave is coming through - so get down there and then you will be able to say, like those of us lucky enough to be in the Paradise Bar four or five years ago, that you saw x, y, z when they were still playing in small venues in the area.

On Thursday June 18th 2009 at the Albany in Deptford (Douglas Way SE8), OOXXOO and the Albany present...

The Invisible : Fresh from a crazy six months supporting Hot Chip, the Doves and Foals, the Invisible are some of the most talented musicians to come out of South East London in the past few years. They are also some ofthe most well liked and most respected, it is a real pleasure to havethem headline and showcase their work.

Alexis Taylor [Hot Chip] DJ Set: Alexis is taking a well-earned break from finishing the recording of the new Hot Chip album to come down to Deptford and play his selection of the best dance music around.

Laetitia Stereolab / Marie Lisbonne DJ Set: spinning some records as well as showcasing their joint project Monade.

Exlovers, - recently finished recording an EP with Stephen Street [The Smiths, Blur] and have been band of the week on Steve Lamacq twice.Dimbleby & Capper - Laura Bettinson [aka Dimbleby and Capper] pours her sweet and sultry vocal styles over beautifully constructed songs.

David Jay - 'The Vocal Pugilist' - spoken word artist, check this out.

Plus No Pain in Pop DJs and in the Cafe area A Little Bazaar Market with record stalls, traditional jumble, badge making, Vintage clothes and more... and Zineswap (just what is says).

Advance tickets £6 from Albany Box Office (0208 692 4446) or £6/5 NUS on the door. Doors open 7.30pm.

New Cross New Orleans Waltz

Music and late night this Saturday (June 13th) at Café Crema, with a free New Orleans New Cross Anniversary Waltz from 8.00 'til late. There's a jamming session round the piano with free drinks for good musicians - bring guitars/saxophones/fiddles and harmonies. Tragic Roundabout will play a set at around 8.30 to start the show - they were a lot of fun last time they played here.

Cafe Crema 306 New Cross Road London SE14 6AF. 2mins from New x Gate tube and mainline. Easy on the buses. mob 07905 961 876/ 07905 552 571. www.cafecremaevents.co.uk

Place Names

At his new site Humphrey with His Flail, folklorist Paul Cowdell mentions that Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park by the Imperial War Museum was, up until at least the 1970s, known to many locals as Bedlam Park, on account of it being the site of the Bethlehem Mental Hospital from 1815 to 1930. This is a good example of an unofficial place name preserving the memory of old names and places.

Can you think of any other examples of South East London places where the names people use (or have used) for them differ from the official names given on maps and street signs?

The best example I can think of is The Blue in Bermondsey, a name still commonly used to describe the market and a specific stretch of Southwark Park Road near to the Blue Anchor pub. There has been a pub with this name there since at least the 17th century and the road by it was actually only renamed from Blue Anchor Lane to Southwark Park Road in 1878. It was originally a raised causeway aross the marshy ground.

Another minor example is East Street, home to the well-known market in Walworth. I have heard people refer to it as East Lane, its previous moniker.

Trees, Weeds and Folklore

At South East London Folklore Society next week (Thursday 11th June), Roy Vickery of the South London Botanical Institute will be talking on 'Trees, Weeds and Folklore', discussing current beliefs and practices about some common plants.

SELFS meets at The Old King's Head, Kings Head Yard, 45-49, Borough High St, London, SE1 1NA (see map). Talks start at 8.00pm, £2.50 / £1.50 concessions.

Greenwich Witch Bottle

Yesterday's New Scientist reports the finding of a 17th century 'witch bottle' in Greenwich (location not mentioned), containing urine, 'bent nails and pins, a nail-pierced leather "heart", fingernail clippings, navel fluff and hair. The presence of iron sulphide in the mixture also suggests that sulphur or brimstone had been added'. The bottle had apparently been deliberately buried with this mixture to ward off spells. Full story here; more pictures here.

Lewisham River Attacks Tory

But it spits him out again.

The river clean-up that nearly cleaned the Mayoral office up is organised by Quaggy Waterways Action Group.

David Gedge in Brixton

Treat for fans of 80s/90s indie-stars The Wedding Present tomorrow night (Friday june 5th), handsome singer David Gedge is DJing at the fab How Does it Feel? club in Brixton alongside its regular fare of 'indie pop, northern soul, tamla motown, girl groups, and sixties heartbreak'. It's at the Canterbury Arms, Brixton, 9pm-2am, £4 members, £6 non members (but membership is free).

Occult Lewisham Films for free

Brockley Max is presents a taster of the cryptozoological-Brockley film Bigfoot of Suburbia and a preview of an occult Deptford film King of Deptford Creek tonight, for free, at the Ladywell Tavern at 7pm.

May well see you there.

Details are:

Bigfoot of Suburbia (2006). Written and Directed by Fred Rowson. Starring Richard Proctor
King of Deptford Creek (2009). Written and Directed by Fred Rowson. Starring: Simon Pearsall, Director of Photography: Jaime Feliu Torres

Tank Gallery presents two films by local Filmmaker Fred Rowson. We will first introduce a taster of Bigfoot of Suburbia whose main character, Peter Kingsley, is a jobless loner, lost in the heat of a South London summer. However, when a brief local news story catches his attention, his life is given a purpose: even if it costs him his reputation and his home, he knows that he must track down the mysterious beast that is hiding in his local park, Hilly Fields…

We will then screen a full preview of King of Deptford Creek, due to make the round on the festival circuit this summer. This is the story of a South London-based Private Investigator, Eliot, whose journey to find the missing Philip obsesses him to the point that he drops out of society. He becomes so caught up in the search that he too disappears - thanks in equal parts to a failing marriage and a missing diary. The story is set around a Thames tributary, The Ravensbourne, and its tidal reach, known as Deptford Creek, an eerie environment that slowly swallows Eliot’s identity.

The audience are then invited to join us in an informal discussion with a small panel including Fred Rowson and Richard Proctor. The audience will get the chance to see a full screening of Bigfoot of Suburbia either after the discussion or on a later date.

Entrance Fee: Free
Venue: Tank Gallery at the Ladywell Tavern
80 Ladywell Road London SE13 7HS

Crumpage at the Montague

The penultimate monthly Coronary Crumpage at the Montague Arms (289 Queens, SE15) takes place this Thursday. They say:

'All the way from California we have the wonderful Joni Davis (if she can make it to New Cross, so can you!). We are also proud to present the completely unique, beautiful and slightly maniacal ginger pop of Alice and the Cool Dudes. And the icing (or perhaps sponge) of the cake comes courtesy of the consistently brilliant Simon Bookish, who will be performing music from his current album 'Everything/Everything' (buy this album now- it will enrich your life!).

As ever, compilation cds featuring music by the performers will be available at the heart-stoppingly reasonable price of 3 of your earth £'s!!!! Let nothing stand in your way. Come and be part of the experience. We long to share the delights of Crumpage with you'. £6/£4 with flyer (see attached), doors 8pm.

Welcome to Engate Street.....

.... where reality comes to an end.

Welcome to Engate Street
Originally uploaded by skitster

I noticed the wonky roadsign in Lewisham a while back. Since posting it on flickr I'm found a few other folks following this sign, including providing updates.
Thanks to QuiteKate for the update.

Tidemill School History Project

(1943 school concert programme - click to enlarge)

Pupils from Tidemill Primary School in Deptford have been involved in an oral history project, exploring the history of their school. Some of this is currently displayed in Deptford Library (Wavelengths). The most evocative image for me is the programme from a 1943 school concert, a time when the Frankham Street School (as Tidemill was then called) was evacuated to Robeston Wathen in Pembrokeshire.

As a parent who has sat through many school concerts, including countless versions of modern uplifting ballads like 'Something inside so strong', it was interesting to see what a performance from the Second World War period might include. This concert included country dancing, poems and songs included 'Whistle while you work', 'The Lass with the Delicate Air', 'Glad that I live am I' and a closing 'National Anthem'.

Camber Well Found

I do, of course, love London's wells and their folklore. Thanks to Ross MacFarlane for passing this one. More of Ross's forthcoming Greenwich walk soon.

Ancient well that gave name to Camberwell unearthed

Link to Telegraph story

An ancient well that gave its name to the London district of Camberwell has been unearthed in a woman's back garden.

The original Camber Well, which is believed to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old, was covered up more than a century ago after falling into disuse.

But local historian John Chaple used 19th Century Ordinance Survey maps to pinpoint its location – behind the home of 64-year-old Noreen Morrin.

Archaeologists have confirmed his discovery, and Southwark Council has now offered to erect a commemorative plaque near her south London home.

Mr Chaple said: "I live in Camberwell and have been fascinated for a long time by the Camber Well, which people trekked to from all over Peckham and Dulwich for their drinking water.

"I managed to persuade Noreen to let me dig up her lawn and filled several huge bags with soil. Luckily, she was interested in local history too.

He added: "I was only about two feet out, which shows the incredible accuracy of the maps. Four or five feet under the lawn there was a big void, which was exciting to find.

"It is possible the well has gone dry but I would be surprised if there wasn't water down there. It will be expensive to excavate but I would love to find out."

Mrs Morrin, a former midwife, said: "It is amazing to have such a piece of ancient history in my garden."

Some history books have claimed that "camber"' meant crooked and that water from the Camber Well could cure "crippled or crooked people".

Another theory is that the well was named after Prince Camber, son of Brutus of Troy who according to legend was the founder of London.

Brockley Max Opening Night

There was sun-kissed dancing on the streets of Brockley on Friday night at the opening of the Brockley Max Festival. We didn't manage to take in all the bands playing by the Bob Marley/Maya Angelou mural opposite the Brockley Barge, but as well as the Brockley Ukulele Group set - pictured at Brockley Central - did take in J'Adore L'Amour (pleased to see they also wielded a ukulele in their version of Five Years Time)...

...and The Grey Cats, who played a good set of covers including Pressure Drop, Rudy Can't Fail and Police on My Back. They are playing at the Montague Arms on Friday 19 June and Tuesday 30 June.


Lots more music coming up in the rest of Brockley Max this week, including big event on Hilly Fields next Saturday. Here's some film from Friday Night of J'Adore L'Amour:

Cinetopia at the Arthouse

'Cinetopia and Lewisham Art House are reuniting to bring you a second evening of glorious cinematic splendour. So, please bring your friends and join us for a few drinks, a fun film quiz (points mean prizes) and a great mystery film (you won't know what it is 'til it's started). Past Cinetopia evenings have been themed around a wide range of genres from classic comedies to hard-boiled thrillers, including Nine Queens (Argentinian heist thriller), The Shining (epic horror), Adaptation (writers and Hollywood) and Together, (love, sex, childhood and the music of Abba in a Swedish commune). The theme for this event is corruption, cabaret and corporate sleaze.When: Friday 12 June.Where: Lewisham Art House. 140 Lewisham Way, (corner Rokeby Rd) London SE14 6PD. Tickets: £5. Tickets available on the door. Time: Doors open 6.30. Quiz 7.15. Film 8.00'.

Three rivers clean-up

Starting today is a week's voluntary effort to clear up the three South East London rivers of the Ravensbourne system - the Ravensbourne itself, along with the Pool and Quaggy. The Three Rivers Clean-Up is being organised by the charity Thames 21 in conjunction with local groups. The focus is on clearing the Himalayan Balsam, a plant that has taken over the banks of the river to the exclusion of many other species needed for a balanced habitat.

Today and next Saturday they are in Ladywell fields from 11 am to 4 pm, and tomorrow (Sunday 31st) Quaggy Waterways Action Group will be working on a stretch of the Quaggy between Clarendon Rise and Manor Park, in SE13. Other activities are taking place in stretches of these rivers in Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham boroughs. Volunteers are welcome, check the list for detals.

It's great to see these 'lost rivers of London' getting some love and attention, next we need to dig up the River Peck and the River Effra!

Posties and Cleaners

A couple of South London-linked tales of workplace activity... good to see that the threat of recession hasn't cowed everybody:

- Hundreds of postal workers based in Brixton, Stockwell and South Lambeth refused to deliver the BNP's European election leaflets. The Royal Mail drafted in agency staff to get them delivered instead (South London Press29.5.09).

- There is a tube cleaners demonstration next Monday, the call follows: ' JUSTICE FOR TUBECLEANERS - DEMONSTRATE AT CITY HALL MON 1 JUNE 4PM. On Thursday, the London Mayor increased the London Living Wage to £7.60 an hour. Tubecleaners know they won't see this increase without a fight. Despite the Mayor's commitments to a living wage for cleaners on the underground last summer, it took months for the increase to kick in, and some contractors are still refusing to pay even this.Join the RMT picket of City Hall to call for this living wage for all tube cleaners, as well as for free travel to work / sick pay / decent pensions / 28 days' annual leave / an end to third party sackings. Monday 1 June 4pm outside City Hall (on the south of the river between Tower Bridge and London Bridge). Bring banners, placards and noisemakers!'

Kraftwerk in Brixton Market

In this week's South London Press (22.5.09) there's a short interview with Brixton-based Stereo MCs vocalist Rob Birch. I was intrigued by his 'favourite uniquely South London memory': 'Seeing a member of Kraftwerk shopping in Brixton market'. That's got to be up there with Destiny's Child rehearsing at the Elephant and Castle as an unlikely sighting - but as Beyonce's in Greenwich this week, maybe anything's possible.

Grow your own drugs

Local natural remedy enthusiasts may want to head down to Baldwins next week to meet James Wong, author/presenter of BBC2 TV series 'Grow your own drugs'. He will be at the shop at 171 Walworth Road at 3 pm on 3rd June 2009.

Buddhist Centre in Walworth

The Kagyu Samye Dzong London Tibetan Buddhist Centre is hidden in an unassuming brick building in Manor Place, SE17 (off the Walworth Road). If you are in the area of an afternoon and want some peace and tranquility, they welcome visitors. The picture is of the shrine room.

The Manor Place building once housed the municipal baths for the area. The Buddhist Centre itself may be moving to a building elsewhere in South East London which they are in the process of buying.

Brockley Max Opening Night

Lots of music and other stuff happening at this year's Brockley Max festival, from 29th May to 7th June. The opening night is this Friday with a gig from 4 pm to 8 pm, in front of the Bob Marley mural on Foxberry Road by The Brockley Barge. Line up (subject to confirmation):

4.00pm - 4.15pm J’adore L’amour
4.20pm - 4.45pm Anita Maj
4.50pm - 5.15pm Bad Habits
5.20pm - 5.40pm Room Philip
5.45pm - 6.10pm The Fruitful Earth
6.15pm - 6.40pm The Grey Cats
6.45pm - 7.05pm Brockley Ukelele Group
7.10pm - 7.35pm Samuel Luke
7.40pm - 8.00pm Rock Choir
8.10pm - 8.40pm The Fishermen
8.45pm - 9.15pm Revived Band
9.20pm - 9.50pm This Is Us

Brockley Ukulele Group also have another uke box Sunday session coming up at the Amersham Arms, SE14 on Sunday 14th June:

All are human

A reminder from Creekside, Deptford:

Occupations and borders

Wednesday night (27th May) sees South East London radicals spoilt for choice. At Goldsmiths College, Lewisham Way SE14 (Room RHB308, Main building, 2nd floor, follow signs), Autonomy and Solidarity are hosting a discussion on occupations. They say:

'2009 - the year of the recession - is also the year of the OCCUPATION. From workers in a Ford factory in Enfield demanding their redundancy pay, to parents in a primary school in Glasgow demanding it stays open, to university students just about everywhere (even Goldsmiths) demanding greater access to education, everywhere it is being demonstrated as a viable tactic.
Whats the potential of OCCUPATION as a tactic for getting what we want? Come find out - open to all students and non students. Speakers from the OCCUPATIONS at: LEWISHAM BRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL (SE13), CHARLOTTE TURNER PRIMARY SCHOOL (SE8), LONDON METROPOLITAN UNI (E1), FORD VISTEON CAR FACTORY (EN3). 6:30 pm start.

On the same night at Pullens Centre, 184 Crampton Street, Elephant & Castle, SE17 3AE, London No Borders presents a talk from an activist from No More Deaths (nomoredeaths.org), which gives humanitarian aid to migrants on the US/Mexican border. Plus showing of the 2006 film "Crossing Arizona". 7 pm start.

Mydiddee

The usual high quality historical posting over at Caroline's Miscellany, with the latest an account of the death of Mydiddee in Deptford in 1793 - a Tahitian who travelled to Britain with Captain Bligh, dying soon after arriving here.

Traditional Interest in Bermondsey

I've been reading the diaries of Kenneth Williams, which he kept consistently from the 1940s until his death in 1988. I must admit I found the younger Williams a more likeable character - there is a lot of self-loathing later on as he struggled with being gay (though apparently celibate for large periods), and he became a Tory.


In his earlier years he was something of a socialist, and does a great put down of a racist acquaintance: 'Lunch. J. was there. Never was she more futile and boring. 'I just don't want to mix or be friends with coloured people...' O dear! She's certainly not depriving them of anything!' (8 March 1960). Unsurprizingly he also expressed strong views about homosexuality being illegal, as it was until 1967: 'Obviously the sex life of consenting adults of same or opposite sex has nothing to do with the State' (14 january 1956 - referring to the Montagu case, and the 1954 jailing of Peter Wildeblood for 'homosexual offences'). There's the odd bit of Polari, the London theatrical/gay slang that he used to famous effect in the radio programme Round the Horne.


There a few memorable put downs of South London places in the diaries, with Croydon being summarily dismissed: 'Went to Croydon with John but didn't like Croydon, so returned straightaway (11 October 1952). In 1953 he was playing in Peter Pan at Streatham Hill Theatre: 'It looks like a great cinema of a place. Oh! Horror. I choose bus - though one can by train from town - because I hate the smells on the Southern Railway, and the grimly smug suburban feeling on those dreary green stations. And all those circumspect men with milk and sandwiches stuffed into important-looking briefcases' (29 January 1953).


However there is one South London location which he was very favourable to . His diary entry of 7 July 1958 states: 'Went to Bermondsey for traditional interest and it was quite fabulous'. The reference is to Bermondsey municipal baths on Grange Road, where the Turkish Baths were a well known gay meeting place.


Source: The Kenneth Williams Diaries (1993).

How evil is the M25?

From Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's novel Good Omens (1990):

'Many phenomena - wars, plagues, sudden audits - have been advanced as evidence for the hidden hand of Satan in the affairs of Man, but whenever students of demonology get together the M25 orbital motorway is generally agreed to be among the top contendors for Exhibit A.Where they go wrong, of course, is assuming that the wretched road is evil simpy because of the incredible carnage and frustration it engenders every day. In fact, very few people on the face of the planet know that the very shape of the M25 forms the sigil odegra in the language of the Black Priesthood of Ancient Mu, and means 'Hail the Great Beast, Devourer of Worlds'. The thousands of motorists who daily fume their way around its serpentine lengths have the same effect as water on a prayer wheel, grinding out an endless fog of low-grade evil to pollute the metaphysical atmosphere for scores of miles around'.

Skeme

A couple of great tracks coming up featuring Deptford rapper Skeme. But first, a bit about him from his myspace site:

'Hailing from Deptford, South East London, Skeme had a hunger for the mic from an early age. With sound systems like Saxon and Spectra holding jams at the bottom of his road every Sunday getting on the mic was soon became second nature to the ghetto star. Whilst still at primary school the big players allowed him to ride the riddim, which was highly unusual for someone of his young years and MCing became a natural progression, which eventually lead into rap. Skeme hooked up with three fellow local rappers and became part of an outfit aptly named The Money Programme. The crew approached lifelong Saxon member D.Rowe for musical support and guidance and began using Saxons studio to record their hard-hitting material. As always Skeme shone out with his distinctive vocal style and made the wise decision to go solo...

Skeme is currently working with popular garage outfit K2 family, Lethal and Destruction, Passing Trade and award-winning Estelle. Estelle and Skemes track Just Because received major airplay on BBCs 1xtra. Other tunes playlisted on the airwaves of Radio 1, Kiss 100 and Choice are 'Bling Bling', 'Herbman Hustling', 'Turning' and 'UK Bubblers'...

Skeme runs a workshop in partnership with NDC providing the opportunities for the young people in his area to hone their skills as an MC and to improve their lyrical content in the form of a weekly Lyric Writing and MCing session. The workshop is for 14-25 year olds from a deprived area of South London. He also works in close proximity with and is a regular speaker for Love Music Hate Racism (organized by the Anti-Nazi League) using the positive energy of the music scene to fight back against the racism being pushed by Nazi organisations such as the British National Party, National Front and Combat 18'.



This Is London - MAS P ft Skeme & BIG P - 'I'm a bad boy talker from the Deptford blocks'. Coldharbour Lane is also name-checked



Fusion - The Greatest Show featuring verbal gymnastics from Shabba D, Det, MC D, and Skeme. From 2005, 'Give me the ragga, give me the hip hop, give me the jungle techno... and the Twins dem Ragga up on Kool FM'. Got me thinking about the debates still raging about Simon Reynolds' notion of the Hardcore Continuum- the musical line from hardcore through jungle to speed garage, 2 step and grime. This track is in some ways a celebration of that continuum, but it also made me think about how many people tend to ignore UK hip hop when they talk about this, and perhaps underplay the influence of reggae sound system culture (pertinent in the case of Skema with his youthful links with Saxon). Though to be fair to Reynolds himself he sees the birth of the 'Nuum itself as resulting from 'The four-way collision of house/reggae/techno/hip hop'.

Don't let it pass you by

As we've mentioned here before, there are a number of songs that refer to the 1981 New Cross Fire in which 13 young black people died at 439 New Cross Road. Another one to add to the list is UB40's Don't Let it Pass You By (1981). The lyrics include the lines 'You gonna wake up and wonder why, Gone in the blues, Go check on the news, Go listen to political views... New Cross was no gate-crash bomb...Rightful justice must be done!'

Montague Arms Next Tuesday

A night of local music at The Montague Arms (corner of Queens Road and Kender Street) next Tuesday 26th May with 'Girls in Bikinis' presenting The Sense of Amelia, Danny Whitfield, Warpigs, Adam Ashton, The Bertolis, Mr Bowditch plus open mic. £4/£3 concessions.

Cemetery Life

Brockley & Ladywell cemetery isn't the big star like it's Nunhead neighbour but it is a fine, peaceful place full of wildlife, interesting graves, including anarchist Fernando Tarrida del Marmol (apparently) and one famous absinthe poet.

Like Nunhead, it has it's own friends group, the Friends of Brockley & Ladywell Cemetery. They're holding a guided walk on Tuesday 26th May, meet at the Ladywell Road gate at 6.50pm.

Details are:

Nick Bertrand will talk about the flora, fauna and ecological management of the Cemeteries.
A donation from participants is requested, to go to the Creekside Trust, of a minimum of £3 for members, and £5 for non-members of FoBLC.

The walk is expected to last for 2 hours. As this is an “after hours” activity, the cemetery gate will be locked at 7pm, so latecomers can not be admitted.

Natalie Okri

Yes, we all know Britain's Got Talent is a cynical corporate cheesefest, but still 10 year old Deptford girl Natalie Okri done good:

Laila Morse

The trial of the alleged killers of French students Gabriel Ferez and Laurent Bonomo in New Cross last year has thrown up some harrowing details. Apologies for the triviality of noting that one of the accused is said to have climbed up to the window of a flat near to the Sterling Gardens murder scene occupied by the actress Maureen Bass. Bass, stage name Laila Morse, is best known for playing “Big” Mo Harris in Eastenders.

Maureen Bass is the sister of actor Gary Oldman, so presumably like him grew up in Monson Road, SE14. She also starred in Oldman's film Nil by Mouth. If I recall correctly, early in the film she utters the immortal line about smelling 'like a rat's crawled up my arse and died'. She is one of several members of the Eastenders cast to be spotted out and about locally.

Save old Hither Green Cinema

Schools, swimming pools, social clubs, ballrooms, glue factories and now...

From This is Local London. Full story there.

RESIDENTS are fighting to save a former cinema from demolition and want it turned into a community centre.

The former Park Cinema, in Hither Green Lane, Hither Green, was built in 1913 and was used as the Kids Korner nursery until two years ago.

Now the property is lying derelict and its owner is seeking planning permission to demolish the building and transform it into a four storey high block of flats with commercial space on the ground floor.

But residents are angry the building, which was used as a cinema until 1957, might be lost forever and are urging Lewisham Council to save the building.

So far more than 100 signatures have been collected for a petition and campaigners would like to see the cinema used as an arts and community centre.

Campaigner Max Calo, of Mount Pleasant, Hither Green, says there is a lack of social facilities in the area.

The 40-year-old said: “It’s a crucial site in Hither Green and a corner stone of the community. If we take that away we burn any hope of regenerating the area.

“It’s a purpose built performance place in a crucial area so why not try to rescue it?”

An application to convert the cinema into flats, preserving the building’s shell, was granted by the council in 2007 but the development was eventually abandoned.

However, acting on behalf of the building’s current owner Abdul Hamid, from Ilford, architect Jerome Lejeune, of Agenda 21 Architects, says he doesn’t think preserving the building’s architecture is appropriate in this case.

The news story give a link to the Hither Green Hall blog, which appears to be just starting out.

May Queens

The crowning of the May Queen in the London area is an ancient custom that goes back at least as far as.... er... the Victorians. Actually, there were May Kings and Queens before that but the practice seems to have died out until John Ruskin and others revived it as part of an attempt to recreate a romantic vision of Merrie England as a counter-point to the urban reality of slums and industrialism. In the process the figure of the May King was largely squeezed out and the age of the May Queen was lowered, typically being a young girl rather than a young woman.

I'm not aware of any 2009 May Queens in inner South East London (correct me if I'm wrong), you have to go further out to the suburbs to find them. In Wallington this year, 'outgoing May Queen Zoe Bird helped crown the new Queen Rhianna Deonarain and her prince Lisa Bird. Meanwhile in Sutton Katie Staniford was crowned May Queen and was star of a procession lead by a piper, which began at the Salvation Army offices, went up Throwley Way and back down the High Street'.

There was also a May Fair and May Queen procession in Petts Wood - where this year's May Queen was crowned in April. Elsewhere at Hayes in the Borough of Bromley 'A trio of May queens were handed their crowns during a ceremony signalling the start of spring. Bethany Porter, 10, became queen of Hayes Village, 12-year-old Rosie Bridger was crowned queen of Hayes and Chloe Martin, 11, became queen of Hayes Common at a ceremony on April 11. The queens will now take part in the London May Queen parade on Hayes Common and the Hayes Village Fair later this year'.

Over west, Richmond has been having a May Fair since 1970, complete with 'live music, maypole and morris dancers, a tight rope artist, comedian and... the yearly crowning of the May Queen'.

Spooky Underground

At South East London Folklore Society this Thursday (14th May), Alan Brooke & David Brandon are talking on 'The Haunted London Underground: What Lies Beneath?: The London Underground late at night has a haunting atmosphere with its labyrinth of subterranean tunnels, passages, disturbed burial grounds and whatever might lurk down there. Workers on the Underground have often reported strange incidents such as unexplained noises and sightings of people' that had reputedly died years earlier. This talk draws on material from The Haunted London Underground (published by The History Press, 2008) and explores the various stories and accounts of supernatural activity'.

SELFS meets at The Old King's Head, Kings Head Yard, 45-49, Borough High St, London, SE1 1NA. Talk starts at 8:00 pm, entrance is £2.50.