The Clapham Society Newsletter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Clapham Society Newsletter Issue 405 March 2018 Our meetings are held at Omnibus, 1 Clapham Common We were very sorry to hear of the sudden death North Side, SW4 0QW. The talk will commence promptly of our Acting Secretary, Maev Sullivan, who for at 8 pm and the bar will open prior to the talk at 7 pm. many years has worked assiduously on behalf of the Our guest will normally speak for about 45 minutes, Clapham Society applying her legal expertise to a followed by around 15 minutes for questions and variety of issues. There will be a Memorial Service discussion, and the bar will remain open after the talk. at Holy Trinity Church, Clapham Common on Meetings are free and open to non-members, who are Friday 2 March at 1 pm. invited to make a donation. PLEASE ARRIVE IN GOOD TIME TO ENSURE ENTRY. Michael Green (1931 - 2018) THERE IS A LIMIT ON THE NUMBER THE THEATRE With the death of Michael Green on 28 January Clapham has lost CAN ACCOMMODATE AND YOU WILL NOT BE one of its most flamboyant residents. A tall, distinguished figure in ADMITTED WHEN THAT NUMBER IS REACHED. Loden coat and bow tie, carrying a distressed Civil Service brief- case for street cred, he relished chats with local shop keepers, and Monday 19 March the people he invariably fell into conversation with on the Clapham Lambeth’s Victorian Architecture. One of our most popular omnibus, and they with him; he was a good listener. His profound speakers in the past, Edmund Bird, returns to tell us about interest in people, young and old, came from the heart and inspired Victorian architecture in Lambeth with a focus on our area. deep affection in those who had the good fortune to know him. After four books about 20th century architecture in Lambeth, Michael’s archaeological career began at the age of 17 when Edmund takes us back to the era of intense building activity he helped with excavations in south London. Now Heritage Adviser to TfL, Edmund is on the Roman City of a former Lambeth Conservation Team Manager and local Godmanchester, near his resident with unrivalled knowledge of local historic buildings. Cambridgeshire home. The Godmanchester Monday 23 April excavations were to Let’s Talk: About Old Age And Dementia. Local journalist become a lifelong work in and author Pippa Kelly began charting her elderly parents’ progress for Michael and declining years in the national press over a decade ago, he had the satisfaction of describing her battles to secure state funding for them both and seeing his final publication her mother’s descent into dementia. Since their deaths she has on the dig through the become one of the UK’s foremost writers on older people’s press shortly before his care and dementia. Her talk will explore society’s attitudes death. Highlights of his towards its elderly, particularly those with dementia, and later architectural career highlight the uplifting yet unsung initiatives that are changing included uncovering lives. She will be signing copies of her novel, Invisible Ink. remains of the Palace of Whitehall around 10 Downing Street, and campaigning to save Covent Garden Michael’s research the site is now on the map, to the west of from redevelopment. As Inspector of Ancient Monuments and The Chase. His account of Clapham Place is included in his Buildings for English Heritage, he prided himself on the number of History of Clapham, copiously illustrated with his drawings. Westminster buildings he had saved from the bulldozer by having When ill health began to slow Michael down he established them listed. a convivial routine of taking a friend – often a fellow member When Michael and Christine moved to Clapham Common of the Clapham Society – to lunch at one of his favourite North Side in 1981, Michael, now retired, focused his professional Clapham restaurants, ever the bon viveur and generous host. curiosity on the buildings and land outside his front door. Samuel We extend our deepest commiseration to Christine and James Pepys, one of his heroes, had died nearby but the exact location at this sad time. of the house, Clapham Place, was not documented. Thanks to Deborah Singmaster Secretary: Published by The Clapham Society, a registered charity No 279595 Vacant Member Society of the London Forum claphamsociety.com Printed by PowerPrint 020 7223 8953 Summer Walks Secret Underground London Our guided walks programme, At our January meeting Nick Catford galloped through his fascinating 200 pictures of commencing in May, is now on our underground London at such breakneck speed that it was hard to absorb the wealth of website at claphamsociety.com/ information contained. His knowledge of the subject and his pictures, both the result of clapsocevents.html. We have two many years’ work, must be absolutely unrivalled. walks on Clapham Common led by He started with pictures of disused tube stations of which there are an astonishing the enthusiastic Common expert, number. Many of us recognise the glazed terracotta facades of the Brompton, Down Iain Boulton, four walks by our local Street or Aldwych stations, but relatively few of the many disused stations and lines can historians, including one as part of be detected above ground. And have we ever thought how so many stations came to be London History Day on 31 May, and abandoned? Originally the underground lines were all independent companies, and as an exciting new walk about Clapham they gradually merged and were finally coordinated into one company, many stations Ghostsigns devised and led by Sam turned out to be too close to each other and so were closed. Roberts who spoke at one of our meetings Nick showed us pictures of underground air raid shelters, including our Clapham last year. Full details will be in the deep shelters, government and military tunnels, the Post Office Underground railway newsletter each month throughout the (now open to the public, see postalmuseum.org) cemetery catacombs and lots, lots more. summer. A fascinating aspect of his talk was how he secured access to some secret locations – but not all, of course government tunnels remain inaccessible. It was interesting to hear which underground locations are regularly used for filming, and which are open for visits, including several underground stations (see ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/hidden- Disquiet over the Quietway london) To see many of the pictures and read more you will need to buy Nick Catford’s There is a lot to like about the principle of comprehensive book on the subject Secret Underground London. creating Quietways – a citywide initiative to promote cycling across London that The proposed route for Q5, coming These matters raise questions about has been promoted by Sustrans and the south from Bromell’s Road, will cross the way Lambeth and TfL engage with Mayors of London (past and present) with The Pavement at the Copenhagen crossing local residents, many of whom seem to the support of the London boroughs. The at the end of Bromell’s Road just south of be unaware of the plan, and that they stated objective is to create continuous the existing pedestrian crossing; pass the have neglected to give sufficient weight and convenient quiet cycle routes on less- fountain to Rookery Road; pass the Long to the recreational needs of users of the busy backstreets across London. Most of Pond and the playground, to Windmill Common in drawing up these proposals. the first seven Quietways (11 are being Drive; and then down to Clapham South Council officers at a recent meeting worked on currently) have sections that where it will cross Nightingale Lane arranged by local councillors indicated are already in place. It is proposed that before cutting across to Cavendish there was very limited prospect of the further sections and the next phase of Road and onwards south to Tooting Bec routeing of Q5 and other details being Quietways will be launched during 2018. Common. changed. A councillor has stated these Quietway routes are marked with We consider a separate cycle crossing details were effectively agreed, in spite purple signs to help cyclists find their way at Bromell’s Road will give rise to of vocal opposition at the time, some two along roads they may not have cycled conflicts with pedestrians using the busy years ago. before, and these routes are intended to Copenhagen crossing and will pose an Despite the advanced state of this appeal to people who want to cycle on additional hazard for traffic emerging plan, we consider it is seriously flawed. streets with low traffic levels, especially if from Bromell’s Road on to The Pavement Specifically, we do not see why a new they are new to cycling in London. Where at this point. This junction has already route is required when there is already opportunities arise they are being routed proved hazardous, and carries large a cycle path from Bromell’s Road to through green spaces. pedestrian flows. The area round the Clapham South. This could be easily Two Quietway routes are being fountain is a popular meeting point and upgraded. We are concerned that speed introduced that pass through Clapham. has high footfall. It seems inappropriate will be an issue with many cyclists using Quietway 4 provides a route from to create a cycle thoroughfare through Q5. And we are especially concerned Clapham Common to Wimbledon. this area. We also have concerns about about this route being shoehorned into the Quietway 5 (Q5) will eventually link routeing cyclists past the entrance to the area of the Common by the fountain, as it Waterloo to Norbury via Balham.