General Strike 1926: a riverside clash in Charlton

It is now a hundred years since the General Strike of May 1926, when workers all over the country walked out on strike in support of miners. The strike was strongly supported in South London industries, and there were major clashes with police. One such episode took place by the Charlton riverfront, where the Medway Oil and Storage Company had a fuel depot storing petrol.  This was on North Street, now Herringham Road near to the Thames Barrier.

On the night of Sunday May 9th, a crowd of 800 people were apparently marching towards the depot, presumably with the aim of stopping it operating during the strike. The police tried to disperse the crowd in West Street (now Westmoor Street) and there was at least 20 minutes of intense fighting with the police launching baton charges and the crowd launching a 'murderous volley of missiles' at the police including stones, bottles, and pieces of iron. Or at least that was the police account. 

 Four local men were arrested - Frederick Jay, Henry Coombes, Arthur Morley and Frederick King - and in court defendants denied using violence in the words and deeds attributed to them. Mary Jane Jay, the wife of one of the accused, said that the police had broken down their front door in North Street and truncheoned her in the process. Nevertheless Fred Jay was sentenced to prison with three months hard labour. No doubt there was conflict, but it was certainly not unknown for police witnesses to exaggerate the extent of violence. It seems unlikely for instance that there was genuinely an intent to set fire to the fuel depot, which with 200,000 gallons of petrol would have set off a massive explosion and destroyed the neighbouring houses where we know some of the demonstrators lived.

 

1970s football and factories - Charlton, Millwall and Palace

Found recently at Deptford market, three football programmes from three South London teams - Crystal Palace, Millwall, and Charlton (guess they must have been from a Chartlon fan, as the Palace and Millwall programmes are from matches against the Addicks). As well as a window on 1970s football adverts in programmes recall an age of mass employment in  London factories

Chartlon v Oxford United 1975 - this was a League Cup match that ended in a 3-3 draw.

Stone Manganese Marine Ltd - 'the world's largest marine propeller builders' based in Charlton advertising for staff in the CAFC programme. The propellor factory later moved to Birkenhead (it closed there in 1998), though the related Stone Foundries is still going.

Millwall v Charlon, September 1977 - a 1-1 draw in Division Two

Millwall sponsors 1977 - mostly small business by the look of it, wonder how many of these are still going. I can see the Duke of Albany, Monson Road in there - New Cross pub now flats. Parke Record Distributors, based in Bromley, went bust in 1981.



Palace v Charlton in Octobe 1977 - 1-1 in Divison Two

'Congratulations on reaching the second division from a first division company'. Philips advertises for staff at its Croydon factory, where it made TVs.  The company moved its electronic HQ from Croydon to Guildford in 2004.

So many (free) films, so little time

The free film festival scene continues to grow, easy to take them for granted but seeing lots of great movies for free at interesting venues on your doorstep - how cool is that?

Peckham and Nunhead  is on right now until 11 September - full programme here. It will soon be followed locally by Forest Hill from 9 September (as well as Charlton and Woolwich starting on same day), then Catford free film festival from 16 September - opening event is The Great Gatsby at Broadway Theatre, with live music beforehand from Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir.

Charlton protest - Give Our Club Back

Charlton fan Simon Pirani has sent us this report of the extraordinary scenes at Charlton Athletic yesterday:

“We are not your customers”, thousands of Charlton fans sang during today’s home game against Blackburn Rovers. They called for Roland Duchatelet, the chronically out-of-touch multi-millionaire who owns the club, to sell up. After the game, a couple of thousand fans (including me and my friends) demonstrated outside the club’s main entrance.

I’ll readily admit that if the club was owned by a half-competent multi-millionaire – e.g. one who didn’t continuously sack managers (in some cases because he made poor appointments in the first place) and make incompetent interventions in the transfer market – there would probably be no protests. But the point about the system whereby clubs are financially dependent on Rupert Murdoch’s TV money and owned by multi-millionaires is that you’re always in danger of getting one who is a fool, and (worse) doesn’t listen.

Charlton fans, who like almost all genuine football fans are incredibly loyal, have had it up to here … most of all because Duchatelet and his hapless side-kick Katrien Meire, the “chief executive” who has no actual decision-making power, treat them with contempt.

The club’s pathetic, small-minded attitude to the fans was summed up by the use of stewards to remove a banner stating “we want our Charlton back” – a pretty mild slogan by football standards – from the North Stand today.

When poor strategy decisions earlier this season provoked protests, Meire was daft enough to dismiss them as the work of “2%” of the fans. Subsequent displays in the stadium showed that the figure was more like 50%. The black-and-white scarves adopted as a symbol of protest were much more visible than the usual red-and-white ones at today’s game. 

It was also Meire who made the elementary, and fatal, mistake of calling the fans “customers”. (Most cynical, business-minded football bosses think of fans that way but are smart enough not to say so out loud.) Anyway, that was good, because it’s a reminder of what it’s all about. 

I do think the campaign against Duchatelet is a bit reactive, rather than pro-active. And of course Charlton’s horrendous record on the pitch doesn’t help. (Today’s 1-1 draw left us second from bottom, so it just wasn’t good enough, but it was better than the two previous results, losses by 5-0 and 6-0.) What’s more, I would like to see more of a long-term strategy, at Charlton and all clubs, focused on raising the level of fan-based ownership systems that are common in Spain and Germany.

But let’s start somewhere. This is all about a part of working class culture being enclosed, bought and sold by profiteers. Let’s resist. We are not customers'.

picture from Jimmy Stone on twitter

Hot Chip in Charlton House

The new video for Hot Chip's Night and Day was filmed in and around Charlton House, the Jacobean mansion built in the early 17th century and now owned by Greenwich Councl

The film was directed by Peter Serafinowicz (who among other things voiced Darth Maul in the later "Star Wars" films), and stars Terence Stamp,  model Lara Stone and comic/musician Reggie Watts.




Seemingly some kind of dance ritual in is going on in Charlton House, summoning space visitors. Unfortunately it all goes wrong and the spaceship crashes into a block of flats on Charlton Road.

Nick Drake in SE London?

I love Nick Drake, so was very excited when I stumbled across a series of photographs purporting to be of him in New Cross. They were taken in 1970 by Keith Morris (1938-2005 - obituary here) as part of the shoot for the Bryter Later album. The caption says: 'Taken high above New Cross and overlooking the industrialised Thames estuary'. Only trouble is you can't see the river from New Cross, and there aren't any hills by the river in Deptford either. So where were these pictures taken? Presumably somewhere in SE London, maybe more Charlton/Woolwich way or even further East?

Any idea where were they taken?

 ©  Estate of Keith Morris

 ©  Estate of Keith Morris 

 ©  Estate of Keith Morris (this image was used in Mojo, March 2012)

 ©  Estate of Keith Morris

 ©  Estate of Keith Morris


Update Sunday 12th May: debate in comments and on twitter has swung between the location being Maryon Park in Charlton and  the churchyard of St Mary Magdelene in Woolwich. I think the former now looks more likely, specifically the area of the park known as Cox's Mount/Gilbert's Pit above the railway tunnel. Clincher for me is this 2010 picture taken from there by  Stephen Craven showing what is now the Industrial Estate in Charlton down below. Also somebody who used to live in the houses in Woolwich Road next to the park reckons they are the houses shown.

Compare also this 1905 picture from Ideal Homes - 'New Charlton and Charlton Vale from Cox's Mount, Maryon Park.  The typical "School Board for London" school on the right is Maryon Park School, opened in 1896 and now part of Greenwich Community College.  The road running towards the river is Hardens Manor Way with the "Lads of the Village" public house about half way down on the left. This pub is now called the "Thames Barrier Arms", named after the Thames flood barrier (opened 1983) which crosses the river at the left of the picture. The large factory on the riverside is Siemens Brothers Telegraph Works.Behind the factory can be seen the masts of the "Warspite", a training ship for boys run by the Marine Society':

So why did the photographer choose this location? I wonder whether there's a connection with Blow-Up?  Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film famously used the park for key locations. The central character in the film is a photographer loosely based on David Bailey. And in the mid 1960s Nick Drake photographer Keith Morris served an apprenticeship with Bailey - he would certainly have been aware of the film, wonder whether his involvement went any further?

Music Monday: The Who in South London

The Who were really a West London band, but one of the most influential English bands of the 1960s and 1970s established themselves on the South London gig circuit and at their 70s peak played two iconic gigs at Charlton football ground.

Early Who

The band started out as The Detours, and one of their first regular gigs was at the Paradise Club in Peckham (3 Consort Road). They played at least five gigs on Friday nights there in the summer of 1962, with bassist John Entwistle recalling 'The first time we turned up to play, there was hardly anybody there, just some girls. Around 10 o'clock, their boyfriends all turned up with bloody noses and black eyes. It turns out they'd been at another club and started a brawl. What we didn't know is that the other club would come by the following week and it would be our turn to get our gear trashed'

On Friday 13 September 1963 they played for the first time at the Glenlyn Ballrom in Forest Hill (15 Perry Vale).  On 3 January 1964, the Detours supported the Rolling Stones at the Glenlyn, and a few weeks later (24th January) they supported The Hollies at the same venue. Then on 14 February they supported Carter Lewis and the Southerners there.

At this point they changed their name to The Who, and on Monday 16 March they started playing a regular Monday night residency at the Glenlyn. Over the next few months they played at least 15 more gigs at the Glenyln, including most Monday nights and some Fridays too. As they became more famous they returned to the Glenlyn - playing there for instance  in January 1966. So they must have played in Forest Hill at least twenty times.

(source for most of the above: 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the Who 1958-1978' by Andrew Neill and Matthew Kent).

1970s

By the early 1970s, The Who were one of the biggest bands in the world. In 1972, drummer Keith Moon compered a gig at Crystal Palace Bowl featuring The Beach Boys among others.

Keith Moon at Crystal Palace 1972

Then the band headlined two huge gigs at The Valley, home of course of Charlton Athletic FC. The first took place on 18 May 1974, with The Who headlining an event that also featured Lou Reed, Humble Pie, Bad Company, Lindisfarne, Maggie Bell and Montrose. Around 50,000 people attended.

The crowd at the Valley in 1974 - photo by Chris Keegan from UK Rock Festivals

Two years later, on 31 May 1976, they returned - this time with support acts including the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Little Feat, Streetwalkers and The Outlaws. This was part of their Who Put the Boot In tour, which also featured gigs at Celtic and Swansea football grounds.

There's loads more about the Charlton gigs at the excellent UK Rock Festivals site, including photos, set lists and memories - see here for 1974 and here for 1976.

History Corner: Nights Out in South East London 1939

Last week on Deptford Market I found a crumpled copy of the South London Advertiser dated April 21st 1939. War was in the air, and indeed the paper reported that 'When Ellen Hamilton Williams (72), a widow, of Lawrie Park Road, Sydenham, heard over the wireless that the Italian troops has occupied Albania she was upset. Later she took an overdose of medinal and died'.

But still, people needed to enjoy themselves and the paper's adverts give a fascinating snapshot of South East London social life in that period.

The Cinema

Going to the cinema seems to have been the popular option. One of the biggest in the area was the New Cross Kinema (now the Venue nightclub) which had a cafe restaurant and a Palais de Danse as well as showing films. Like most cinemas it has a Saturday morning 'Kiddies Club'.

The East Dulwich Odeon was next to where Goose Green Primary School now stands on Grove Vale.

The Gaumont Palace in Lewisham was on Loampit Vale had live performances as well as films - with Billy Cotton and his Band playing at this time - they were one of the biggest dance bands of the period.

Peckham cinemas included the Odeon (on the High Street near to the current Job Centre) and the Tower cinema on Rye Lane (part of the latter building is still there).

Camberwell Odeon was on Denmark Hill near the Coldharbour Lane junction. It later became Dickie Dirts jean store in the 1980s and then was squatted for a while before demolition in 1993.

Forest Hill cinemas included the Astoria on Wastdale Road and the Capitol - the latter now the Weatherspoons pub on London Road.

The paper reported that a new organist was starting at the Capitol - Rudy Lewis, apparently far famed after stints at Lewisham Gaumont, Luton, Dagenham and Grimsby (where he said he was mobbed by autograph hunting girls). He wrote his own songs: 'The number - the words are his own -which he has been playing much to the delight of the Capitol audiences this week is "Doing the Gas Mask Walk"'. Born Rubin Lipshitz, he seems to have ended up in Washington DC where he died in 1990. I suspect he was also responsible for Rudy Lewis and The Sputniks who released a single in 1960 (not to be confused with a different Rudy Lewis who was in The Drifters).

The Rink cinema in Sydenham was on Silverdale. It was originally opened as a roller skating rink, then converted to a cinema. It closed at the start of the war and never re-opened, though the building survived until the 1990s.

Going to the dogs

There was greyhound racing in New Cross three nights a week. The stadium was near to the present Millwall football ground, off Ilderton Road (see photo here). 

There was also greyhound racing at Crayford and Charlton.

Theatre

The New Cross Empire was a theatre and music hall. In April 1939 The Court Players were performing Lot's Wife, 'A saucy comedy about charming people'. The paper reported 'Now that the Players have settled down at New Cross they are growing increasingly popular with the patrons and many people go week by week mainly to see their favourite performers'. It interviewed 'Leslie Handford, who is making a great success in light comedy parts at the New Cross Empire' following stints in the army and with the circus as a clown. He went on to have minor parts in 1950s TV and cinema. 

Eating Out

The Amersham Hotel (now the Amersham Arms) was advertising 'four course luncheon' in its restaurant and a 'first class snack bar... for those in a hurry... something tasty always ready'

In Forest Hill, The Swiss Cottage was advertising 'The Luxury and Comfort of the West End in the Suburbs'.

Politics

Politics everywhere was dominated by the question of war and peace. A meeting was held at Lewisham Town Hall called by the 'Congress of Peace and Friendship with the USSR'. The speakers included Hewlett Johnson, the famous 'Red Dean' of Canterbury Cathedral and Arthur Skeffington, later a Labour MP for Lewisham. Johnson has been accused of apologetics for Stalinism as he loyally followed the twists and turns of Soviet foreign policy in this period, though ultimately his call for Britain to ally with Russia against Germany was to become government policy in the Second World War.

Anyone know more about R.W. Usher, the organising secretary who lived at 257 Sydenham Rd?

[source for all the above: South London Advertiser, 21 April 1939]

Woolwich anti-cuts demo (& Charlton win)

A guest post from Simon Pirani reports on today's anti-cuts demonstration in Woolwich and from the same end of town, on Charlton's home win:

About 150 people – mainly council workers, anti-cuts campaigners and political activists – marched through Woolwich today chanting “stop the cuts”, to the sound of drums and whistles. Leaflets were handed out to shoppers.

It was the first labour movement demonstration in Woolwich for years – 17 years after the last really big one, a march from Plumstead Common demanding the closure of the BNP headquarters at Welling.

The march was an attempt by union activists on the council to broaden their campaign against £65 million worth of cuts by Greenwich council, which for decades has been run by the Labour Party like a one-party state. The first £27 million of cuts have been identified, including:

- 240 job losses in areas including Older Peoples Services, Childrens Services and Services for the disabled. The standard of service will be wrecked, with waiting times increasing dramatically for services such as Occupational Therapy.

- There will be cuts to posts in day centres and care staff working with the elderly. The Play and Youth Service will disappear; mother-and-toddler groups will go. Charges will rise for council services such as Homecare, Day Centres and Allotments.

- There’s a threat to close the wonderful animal park at Maryon Wilson Park in Charlton, a key part of the education of generations of schoolchildren in the borough. And it will become expensive for local families to use the Boating Centre at Southmere.

- There are proposals to transfer libraries to a trust, or to have them run by volunteers.

The leadership of the union representing council workers, Unison, “prepared” (ha!) for the cuts onslaught by victimising the secretary of the local union branch, Onay “Kaz” Kasab, and then putting the branch under “regional supervision”, i.e. effectively winding it up.

“Kaz” is a member of the Socialist Party. Together with three other members who held official positions in Unison, Glenn Kelly (Bromley), Suzanne Muna (Housing Association) and Brian Debus (Hackney), he has been banned from holding office in the union. The four were witch-hunted on bizarre, trumped-up charges of racism. Their real crime was politically disagreeing with the bureaucrats now running Unison. Details of their lengthy legal case against Unison, which recently resulted in an Employment Tribunal finding in their favour, are here: http://www.stopthewitchhunt.org.uk/.

In Greenwich, the Unison bureaucrats’ desperate actions – against an activist who has a reputation for encouraging workplace organisation and capably representing individual council employees in disputes with the employer – have led to council employees (dozens at least, maybe a couple of hundred) moving over to join the Unite union.

The march was largely council workers and labour movement activists. But it was a start, in a borough where community organisation has been patchy over the years.

Charlton 3 Peterborough 2

For football supporters in the borough (including your correspondent), the day got even better in the afternoon, when Charlton Athletic beat Peterborough 3-2 in a thrilling game at the Valley. Peterborough were 1-0 up at half time, but two Charlton goals in the 57th and 59th minute turned the tables. There was another goal apiece in the last 15 minutes. This keeps up Charlton’s hopes of promotion from “league one” (the third division to you and me) to “the championship” (the second division).

The mood at the Valley has improved in recent weeks. New owners have taken over the club; Phil Parkinson (nice but not effective) was replaced as manager by Chris Powell (incredibly popular as a player at Charlton, and, taking up his first job as a manager, becomes one of the few black managers in league football). They are selling tickets for the game next Saturday (19 February), against Exeter, for a fiver, in a drive to get fans back in bigger numbers to live games.

Glenn Tilbrook - free gigs in Charlton

Glenn Tilbrook, songwriter with South London legends Squeeze, is playing a series of free gigs on the next four Tuesday nights at the Anchor and Hope in Charlton (on the riverside at Anchor and Hope Lane, SE7)

Support on the first night tomorrow (February 1st) is Ceri James with Andy D.

Marty Wilde: Charlton's finest?

Welcome to another South East London hyper-local blog - The Charlton Champion kicks off with a list of 10 great things about SE7. Well if they ever get round to a top 10 of Charlton singers, a space must surely be reserved for Marty Wilde. Born in Blackheath as Reginald Leonard Smith in 1939, he lived in Greenwich and went to Halstow Road Primary School and then Charlton Central Secondary Modern School. He started his own band, Reg Smith and the Hound dogs, before he was signed up - and renamed - by Larry Parnes as one of the wave of late 1950s English rock'n'roll singers.

Marty is also, of course, the father of Kim Wilde - and co-wrote the great Kids in America. Less well-known is his less successful attempt to reinvent himself in the early 1970s as glam-rocker Zappo. Yes, that's him, pictured below.

Free Greenwich Films

Greenwich Film Festival next weekend has a number of free showings of films connected with the area, including Mike Leigh's All or Nothing (filmed on the Old Haddo Estate on the Greenwich side of Deptford Creek), The Golden Compass (partially shot at the Royal Naval College), G:MT (South London late 1990s music movie, includes a scene shot in The Venue, New Cross) and The Railway Children (being shown at Well Hall Pleasaunce, where Edith Nesbit wrote the story). Best of all, Antonioni's Blow Up (with David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave) is being shown next Saturday in Maryon Park, Charlton, a key location in the film.

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 .

BNP in South East London Update

Last night's post about the BNP membership list underestimated the number of members across South East London - the original version of the list was in lots of different sections and I missed some. Various other versions are out there now which are easier to search.

It now seems that there are 102 BNP members in the SE postcodes areas, a worrying number but my earlier point about their lack of significant presence in London remains. Yes Deptford is a BNP free zone, and there is only 1 each in New Cross and Walworth. Further out there are larger clusters though - particularly in Eltham. Complete breakdown is as folows:

SE1 (Bermondsey) - 5
SE2 (Abbey Wood) – 1
SE3 (Blackheath) - 6
SE4 (Brockley) -4
SE5 (Camberwell) – 6
SE6 (Catford) - 3
SE7 (Charlton) -2
SE8 (Deptford) – 0
SE9 (Eltham) – 17
SE10 (Greenwich) - 2
SE11 (Kennington) – 0
SE12 (Lee) – 1
SE13 (Lewisham) – 2
SE14 (New Cross) -1
SE15 (Peckham) – 5
SE16 (Rotherhithe) - 5
SE17 (Walworth) -1
SE18 (Woolwich/Plumstead) - 7
SE19 (Upper Norwood/Crystal Palace) - 4
SE20 (Anerley/Penge) - 6
SE21 (Dulwich) – 1
SE22 (East Dulwich) -2
SE23 (Forest Hill) – 6

SE24 (Herne Hill) – 3

SE25 (South Norwood) -5

SE26 (Sydenham) – 3

SE27 (West Norwood) -1

SE28 (Thamesmead) - 4

Not a lot of interesting detail in the list of local members, other than the fact that one SE18 member is Sean Pearson, who stood for the Conservatives in a 2006 local election in Greenwich Glyndon Ward and was until last year chair of the Swinton Circle - a group on the far right of the Tory Party (Malcolm Redfellow has more on this as well as some hilarious extracts from the list).

Some interesting as well as dubious comments to earlier post and also over at Brockley Central. One suggestion is that after the initial turmoil, the BNP might benefit from the fuss if they can present themselves as victims - there was a member on the news complaining about living in a 'fascist state' (oh my aching sides - read some history) - never mind the fact that it seems likely that the list was originally published by one of their own in a faction fight between wannabe fuhrers. The BNP are also getting lots of publicity, and will try and use the stories about teachers, police officers etc. to show that they are full of upright members of the community (actually there are only a handful of members named for any particular job).

There is some risk of this, and we certainly can't rely on the BNP continually shooting themselves in the foot. Still at least their opponents now know where to look out for them.

Last tram in London: New Cross 1952

Some lovely footage of the last tram journey in London coming to an end at New Cross depot on Saturday 5th July 1952. But wait was it really the last tram? Apparently the one featured in the film was a "ceremonial tram" bringing Lord Latham, Chairman of London Transport and other VIPs from Charlton to New Cross depot. Thousands turned out on the streets to cheer.

But, according to the Kentish Mercury, the last tram from New Cross to Abbey Wood (the 72 route) actually left later at 11:33, driven by 'William Crosk (28 years service) of 140 Dursley Road, Blackheath' with 'His conductor... Mr John Whitehead (33 years service) of 131 Alabama Street, Plumstead'.

The last tram was burnt on a "funeral pyre" at Penhall Hall Depot at Charlton on Wednesday 15th July (sources: from Kentish Mercury, 4th July 1952; 18th July 1952).

This is how the US Time Magazine reported in July 1952:

'One day last week, as a fierce hot wind swept the city, London's last regularly scheduled tram made its way along the Old Kent Road to New Cross Depot. Old passengers, some in nostalgic fancy dress, lined the route to bid the old red double-decker farewell with chalked signs, "We Want Trams." Pennies were placed in the tracks to be flattened as souvenirs. Others crowded aboard for a last ride. "They are all mad," screamed the conductress at Motorman William Fitzpatrick. "They have taken the light bulbs; they are ripping up the seats. Why don't you stop when I ring the bell?" But the bell had been stolen as a keepsake. On ran the tram, heady and glorious. It was clanking along at 40 m.p.h. when a motorcycle cop threatened a summons. "We were driving 50 easy," boasted the driver.

When at last the tram reached New Cross, every one of its windows was shattered, every loose object was gone. It didn't matter. The whole thing was soon to be burned, its metal sold for scrap. A transport inspector pocketed the driver's rear-view mirror. Motorman Fitzpatrick sighed. "I'll have to be getting home," he said. "Tomorrow at 9 I'm driving a bus."'.

Daniel Day-Lewis: South East London boy done good

Daniel Day Lewis won a BAFTA award for Leading Actor in There Will be Blood earlier this week. In his speech he talked about his SE London childhood: 'Invicta Infants School, Sherrington Primary School in Charlton, Greenwich Park, Blackheath, the streets of Deptford, Lewisham and New Cross, the bomb sites on the Isle of Dogs, the wharves and shadowy laneways of the South East London docks, the terraces of Millwall football ground, those were the playgrounds of my early life'. (thanks to John Eden for tipping me off about this)

Disappearing Deptford? (2): OneSE8

Following my recent post on the Distillery site in Deptford, Inspector Sands (who among other things runs the Charlton blog, All Quiet in the East Stand) commented that 'OneSE8 set the pace for this, I'm afraid - handy for the Canary Wharf so you can block out your neighbours'. So let's turn our attention to the OneSE8, St James Homes' new development alongside the railway line on the other side of the main road from Deptford Bridge station.

Once again there's a certain reticence in the official publicity about the location of this site. First of all the name is misleading - its actual postcode is SE13 not SE8. Presumably SE13 (Lewisham) has even less appeal than SE8 (Deptford). We'll let this pass, as it is clearly located in Deptford - or maybe not if the developers are to be believed. The home page of the official site doesn't mention the location, and the location page starts off as as follows: 'Commuting is a doddle. Greenwich is on your doorstep and just a stones throw from OneSE8, Deptford Bridge DLR provides a direct link to the Docklands, the City and the West End. Canary Wharf with its interchange to the Jubilee Line and rest of the tube network is just 12 minutes away'. So no mention of Deptford as such, other than the reference to Deptford Bridge station.

Elsewhere on the site Deptford does get a grudging look in... under the subheading 'Greenwich... in no time'. We are told that the site is 'Perfectly placed between Deptford, Greenwich and Blackheath' [not on the Deptford/Lewisham border].... Brimming with enthusiasm and bursting with potential, Deptford has a new lust for life – you can see it in the architecture, the gallery openings, new bars, restaurants and clubs'. Hmm, actually Deptford has always been lively and remains so in ways which prospective wealthy property investors might not find so amenable.

The most revealing insight into the thinking behind OneSE8 comes in the hilarious promotional video for 'The ultimate in urban chic lifestyle'. No Deptford reference here, instead the proximity to Canary Wharf is stressed and of course 'Greenwich is only a couple of minutes away'. Not that there's any need to go out all , with a gym, personal trainers, swimming pool and in-house bar and restaurant all on site, the latter able to 'deliver food and drink to your door' in case walking downstairs is too much.

Most bizarre is the cult-like conformity suggested: 'At one se8 it’s all about living life in a young and dynamic community' and true to form everybody in the video is white, affluent looking, skinny and aged 20-35. But wait, what's this - a black face? Funnily enough he is the concierge and he knows his place - ‘they’re there to make your life easier'. You couldn't make this up could you?

Autum walk from the wood to the River

On Sunday 17th September there will be a chance to explore the sites of ancient rites, apparitions, folklore and natural wonders with Pagan Federation South East London and South East London Folklore Society. Join them for a Sunday afternoon picnic and stroll along part of the Green Chain Walk, from Oxleas Woods to the Thames Barrier.

The walk starts at Oxleas Wood (meet by the café at 1pm) and finishes by the Thames, and will wander through the ancient woodland of Oxleas and the hideaways of highwaymen before taking in the site of Charlton's notorious Horn Fair (where apparently men `quite frequently wore women's clothes and amused themselves by striking women encountered on the fairground with sprigs of furze') and stopping to picnic near Charlton House, haunted Jacobean mansion. Then onwards for deer and peacock-spotting and over a Roman hill fort before passing a modern stone circle on the way to the Thames.

It's also international Chalk4Peace weekend, so people are encouraged to bring chalks if they feel so inclined.

For further information contact clare@selfs.org.uk or scott@selfs.org.uk.

Blow-Up

At the Photographers Gallery there's an exhibition of stills from Michelangelo Antonioni's classic swinging London movie Blow-Up, including some set in south east London locations. There's a shot of David Hemmings emerging from a building with a sign saying National Assistance Board Camberwell Reception Centre - this is the old Spike homeless hostel in Consort Road, SE15 which features at the beginning of the film. Part of this is still standing and has been squatted for several years, with the Council recently granting a licence.

There are also a number of photos of Maryon Park in Charlton, a crucial location where Hemmings' photographer character inadvertently takes pictures of the crime which is central to the film's plot.

Also on at the Photographers Gallery is an exhibition of photos from the London Fire Brigade archive. Thrill to the sight of a 1951 bus crash in the Walworth Road, chortle at a 1947 image of a 'boy being rescued from a milk churn' in Lambeth. My favourite was of a fire in Lyndhurst Grove SE15 in 1963 seemingly contributed to by the haphazard piles of books stacked all over the house including up the staircase. There but for the grace of God go I...

Both run until September 17th and are free. The Gallery is at 5 & 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7HY (Nearest tube Leicester Square).

Addicts vs. The Witches

An interesting story of witchcraft and football appeared on the BBC website in January. Two teams, Yeovil Town and south-east London's own Charlton Athletic met at the end of January on the level playing field of a football match (something I neither like nor understand). However Yeovil had a supernatural advantage.

A witch (or wiccan says the story, though witches and wiccans are two different things), and Yeovil supporter, Raquel Bailey, and friends, had cast a bad luck spell, called the "cross-legged spell" on Charlton Athletic and their manager Alan Curbishley. This took place at a stone circle at Ham Hill, Somerset.

This sinster working had the intention of, Bailey hoped that, in her own words, "something funny" happen to the team's legs when they approach the goalmouth. "The spell is not evil, it's merely to help Yeovil in Saturday's FA cup game against Charlton," she said, thinking that doing something to footballer's legs as they start a footmatch match isn't, in some way, malicious.

And the result? Proof again that south-east London is magical as Charlton beat Yeovil 3-2, with one commentator saying of the match: "Charlton have struggled against lesser teams in cup matches but they finally broke their jinx to deny Yeovil a possible giantkilling but not before they were given a few frights on the way. "

Beware South-east London medicine. It is strong.