Peckham Peace Centre 1939

The Peace Pledge Union was the main organisation of pacifists in Britain from its foundation in 1934, based on a pledge to 'renounce war and never support or sanction another'. It had an active Peckham branch, and in 1939 opened a local HQ at 158 Queens Road, Peckham, named after its founder Dick Sheppard.

Peace News, 2 June 1939

The Peckham group of the PPU began meeting at the Dick Sheppard Centre in June 1939. Six members were living on the premises and 'pacifists needing contact or COs [conscientious objectors] advice' were invite to call there any evening. 

Peace News, 23 June 1939

Once the war started PPU members may have refused to fight but they helped support local people caught up in the Blitz. In October 1940 it was reported that the 'Dick Sheppard Centre (158, Queens Road) is always open to the public during air raids and members have been standing by to do emergency rescue work. At times there has been no 'standing' about it, for they have been far too busy finding homes for the homeless, putting out fires, and collecting clothes and furniture to meet the more pressing needs. When an urgent phone call asked them to take in four homeless people, the group meeting room was turned into a bedroom and the Centre generally rearranged' (Peace News, 4 October 1940).

158 Queens Road today

Not sure how long the Centre continued for.

In this period there was also a PPU associated Blackheath Peace Shop.

Creating Commons in New Cross

As reported here before, The Field opened last year in Queens Road, New Cross, as an 'experiment in collective local research, education and action' based around doing up a semi-derelict building.

Now the plans for its large garden are taking shape, and people are being invited to contribute to a 'a project to collectively design, fund, build and maintain a new common resource – a public garden in New Cross with facilities to support local self-organised activities, events and projects. This isn't just a community garden! This is an experiment in the act of collectively creating new common space, in negotiating its use, how its run and maintained so it can to meet the diverse needs and interests of everyone who uses it.

After a year of research: consultations, surveys, design workshops and public meetings, we have developed a picture of how the garden of 385 Queens Road can be best put to use. We found, from those conversations, that people in the area want:

- A place for different people in the neighbourhood to come together and meet each other.
- A public place we feel a sense of ownership over.
- A productive garden, where skills relating to food growing, health, environment, resilience and self-sufficiency can be learned and shared.
- A place with the resources to facilitate diverse public events, activities and projects.
- A relaxing outdoor space away from the main road running through New Cross'

Plans include buiding a workshop, glasshouse, outdoor kitchen and covered social area, as well as growing spaces.

For further information and/or to pledge a contribution see: http://www.spacehive.com/creatingcommonsinnewcross

The Field Opens Tomorrow in New Cross

If you've been down Queens Road SE14 recently you might have noticed a lot of activity going on at the single storey building next to the Doctors surgery. The building at 385 Queens Road has been semi-derelict for a while, but a group of people have been renovating it having struck a deal with the landlord to use it rent free for a while in return for doing it up. The project is called The Field,  'an experiment in collective local research, education and action. We have taken over a previously derelict building in New Cross for five years, which we hope can become a shared resource for the neighbourhood'.

The collective, which includes people who have been involved with New Cross Commoners,  have put in new windows, ceiling and floor and knocked through the two rooms into one space.

Although the building itself is small it has a large yard/garden which they have cleared. Previously it was waste deep in every kind of rubbish.

Tomorrow - Saturday 1st November - sees the launch of the space from 4 pm. They say: 'Join us to celebrate the opening of The Field! There will be some displays and publications to peruse from 4pm. At 7pm there will be brief presentations to give you all a bit of an insight into what's been happening here, how it's happened, and what might happen in the future. Following this we will move onto food, drink, music, fun and frolicking together to celebrate all the hard work that has gone into the project so far, and to mark the start of a new phase in the life of 385 Queen's Road. We'd love to see as many of you wonderful people as possible, especially those who have helped in some way or another. So please do come down--it'll be fun! We promise!'.

Some old punk graffiti in the building before the redecoration -
lines from the Crass song  'So What?'