NEWSLETTER

Summer issue, July 2005 No.178, Quarterly, distributed free to members

Registered with the Civic Trust and the Forum of Amenity Societies, Registered Charity No.1058103

Website: www.brixtonsociety.org.uk

Our next appearance: Sunday 25 September: Lambeth Country Show Ferndale Walk 16 & 17 July weekend Meet at 2-30 pm outside Clapham North Underground Station for a Once again we will be joining in with guided walk around Ferndale Ward, this big event in Brockwell Park, with led by Alan Piper. This will be a the Society’s stall in the usual area, circular route, based loosely on Brixton forming a block with kindred groups Heritage Trail No.2 but also including covering different parts of Lambeth. new or topical material. Do take the opportunity to check out our current publications, renew your membership and chat about your own interest in Brixton.

Thursday 8 September: Revitalizing Brixton Caroline Townsend from Brixton Town Centre Office will update us on the

Council’s big “Revitalize” package How well do you know your way around Ferndale which we first reported last October. Ward? The flats on the left recently replaced a Nearly a year on, how are the Brixton former prefab office at the corner of Hetherington parts of the plan shaping up? We hope and Kepler Roads, off Acre Lane. To the right is members will take the chance to one of the “pentagon blocks” of flats built by comment and ask questions. 7-30 pm Lambeth c.1968. Photo from James Toohill. at the Vida Walsh Centre, 2b Saltoun Road (facing Windrush Square) SW2. Regular readers should receive a full programme of all the Summer Walks with this issue, and a few of these are Saturday 24 September: highlighted on the next page. Lambeth Archives Open Day Thursday 13 October: Open from 10 am to 5 pm at the Minet London Lives Library, at the corner of Burton and Recent Archaeological discoveries Knatchbull Roads, SE5. As usual there will in London, including Brixton area. be a series of short talks linked to displays An illustrated talk by Sophie Jackson and stalls run by amenity societies and history groups. of the Museum of London, 7-30 pm at If any member can spare an hour or two the Vida Walsh Centre, 2b Saltoun to help staff our stall, please speak with Road, SW2. Glyn Kyle (Chair) on (020) 7326 5070. Further details in our Autumn issue.

1 Adv\ BSN\ July 05 front Diary of Events, Late Summer 2005

Brixton Society Tower outside Clapham Sunday 4 Sept. Common Tube Station. Meet at 2 pm outside All Saints’ meeting dates Clapham Society. Church, Rosendale Road, In addition to the dates SE21. Guided walk around highlighted on the front Herne Hill’s Dulwich fringes, led page, our Executive Wednesday 20 July (Hastings) and by Robert Holden. Committee usually meets Herne Hill Society. on the second Thursday Wednesday 24 of the month to plan August (Brighton) Sunday 11 Sept. – events and activities, and This summer, Brixton agree our responses to Sheltered Street Scheme House History: local developments. is opening up its seaside Illustrated talk by Alan All meetings at 7-30 pm coach trips to all groups Piper on dating your at the Vida Walsh Centre like ourselves who meet house and ways of (BSSS) 2b Saltoun Road, at the Vida Walsh Centre. researching previous SW2 – near corner of Cost is £7.50 a head and residents. Effra Road, facing please book as early as 2 pm at the Vida Walsh Windrush Square. possible – contact Centre, 2b Saltoun Road, Contact the Secretary to Sharon Marks at the SW2 (Effra Road end). confirm arrangements. Centre on Tuesdays and Lambethans’ Society. • 14 July Fridays, (020) 7326 1780 • 8 September (messages can be left at Saturday 17 & Sunday • 10 November. other times). 18 Sept. – Open House Brixton Sheltered Street London Links with Scheme (Young at Heart A range of interesting or historic Club). buildings open their doors to the other groups public –details from (020) 7383 Check with organisers 2131 or see: www. first in case of changes openhouselondon.org since news reached us. Some events may be Thursday 6th Oct. charged for, and most Brain of Lambeth: groups would welcome This year’s general donations. knowledge quiz will be

Future entries to Alan run on a team basis, so Piper (Secretary) at 82 Wednesday 17 why not join in? You can Mayall Road, SE24 0PJ, August – Park Hill be confident that at least tel/fax (020) 7207 0347 & Clapham Park one of you will have an [email protected] An evening guided walk answer to those awkward

around Park Hill, led by sport or TV questions, Monday 18 July: Peter Jefferson-Smith while you deal with the Brixton Area Forum and John How. Meet at history stuff - or vice - Tulse Hill group 6-30 pm by the Clock versa! 7-30 pm at 10 am at High Trees Tower outside Clapham Lambeth Town Hall, CDT, St.Martin’s Library, Common Tube Station. Brixton Hill, SW2. corner of Tulse Hill and Clapham Society. Lambethans’ Society. Upper Tulse Hill, SW2 th For other meetings of the Sunday 21 August: Friday 7 October: Forum and its working Old Celebrating Age groups, contact the Town Meet at 2-30 pm below 10-30 am to 4 pm in the Centre office on (020) Deptford DLR Station, on Assembly Hall, Lambeth 7926 1077. the south side of Town Hall. Exhibits and Deptford Bridge, for walk entertainment, part of a Wednesday 20 July led by Alan Piper. month’s programme of – Clapham (Buses 47, 53, 177, 225) events for over 60s – An evening guided walk Lambethans’ Society. details from (020) 7733 around Old Clapham, led 0528. by Mary Coales. Meet at All Saints’ to Age Concern Lambeth 6-30 pm at the Clock St. Faith’s:

Adv\ BS\ News\ July 05 Diary.doc 2 Planning & Regeneration

It’s Simple raising hopes and then reinforcing cynicism and apathy when people are unable to Away with opaque consultation, influence the decisions that affect their lives. Myriad meetings, confabulation. Over the past 30 years we have often seen Make level the playing field, Lambeth Council persisting with flawed proposals long after reality should have Open up the tent dawned. Old habits die hard and current Let us all enter examples spring to mind all too easily. All one intent. Close to Brixton Windmill, allotment users are threatened by proposals to add their Bring on the councillors, cherished plots to a proposed school site. Their experts, their kit Now this narrow triangle can hardly provide useful games pitches - which really need a And make of our talk big rectangular space like the covered Not improvements a bit reservoir of the adjoining waterworks, which will soon be redundant anyway. Only last But a great whopping change year a narrow strip alongside the railway in For the better - not shit. Somerleyton Road was being suggested for a secondary school. Why is the planning of We all come together in a big open schools in this borough done in such an place amateur way? Where all’s for discussion, not set in For years Lambeth has lacked any kind of concrete. Advisory Panel for its many Conservation Areas. Once a Conservation Area has been “There’s an idea! My goodness, how created, there is no mechanism for involving sweet!” residents or shopkeepers in enhancement Comes it from a tenant? a landlord? schemes or design guides, or for keeping Who cares? the Planning Department in touch with the local residents’ groups which somehow The point is it fits and I’ll show you manage to survive on a shoestring and where. goodwill. One of the groups in Norwood has made a ABC Brixton [email protected] fresh proposal for a system of Advisory It’s simple so let’s keep it that way. Panels, based on experience from neighbouring boroughs. Other amenity Editorial societies are now responding positively to Yes, there’s a distinct feeling of consultation the idea. But the Planning Department has fatigue in the air at the moment. Enormous set its collective face against the concept, effort and cost has been going into frightened that it might mean extra work in publicising and consulting on several major telling residents about local planning initiatives such as Brixton Central Square, applications – a legal obligation on the the Lambeth Community Strategy and the Council anyway! “Revitalise” initiative, but there is a If you have a particular concern over a widespread feeling that comments fed into development or regeneration plan, tell us the system will make little difference to the and we will try to help. We will air issues outcome. here if our quarterly publishing and page- In recent years, projects like the Town space permit. Our Committee members are Centre Forums and the Lambeth First involved in a range of meetings and boards Assembly have clearly encouraged a fresh for this and that, so we want to keep in touch input of people to get involved in community with local problems, even if we cannot issues, but if it all turns out to be a waste of always do as much about them as we would their time, the credibility of the whole like. But at least we know what works and democratic process is undermined. what might be changed. Consultation in itself is never enough – it Alan Piper, Secretary. can even be counter-productive by first

3 Adv\ BS\ News\ July 05 Planning.doc Tate Library Gardens Re-opening

A Multicoloured Fantasy Brixton Society hold strong with Alan and Co As ever at the core. Donations from B&Q and Brockwell park ( friends of) was involved some how tooo!)

On the 23rd April 2005, a modest event took place, In front of the library steps, Between 12-5pm, A few stalls,

Some information and A man who liked to walk and talk, 500 multi coloured inflated balloons, and would take you out and about, music and more… historically.. and with reference There was a story teller, from the library And lovely Laura tooo A mud monster with clay, ( who had a lot to say...) drummer from the tube – we paid him to stay... and the caretaker was a joke, … A Funny fellow very tall, with bad hair Children planted sunflowers seeds in And carried Hodge his Hedge Pig……! recycled pots, Friendly adults encouraged chalk drawing, And hop scotch - the old fashioned way! Chalk on concrete... Oops mind ya feet!

Weaving drunks wandered and Wino’s gently slumbered, The band LIQUIDIFICADOR The junkies stayed away! played Generally a good day! ( and those two guys with sunglasses The ritzy did us proud with teas and and wigs coffees and cake, that always do the Elvis Hips – And the crafty few stalls did ... did a turn) escape, and generally “there was dancing in with room for more. the street” ya!

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Then Cleanaway - did just what it People living and playing in says on the tin, harmony….. it was all cleared away... (thanks It Was a Good Day JOHN!) It was a jolly good show and just so ya know There IS more on the way!!! Cheers, Sarah Slater

All photos by Alan J Robertson, except Brixton Society stall photo by Bill Linskey.

Events in Central Square Provisional programme as at 20 June...

Bastille Day – 14 July - Ed from The Ritzy

Bank Holiday Weekend – Sunday 28 August, 12 noon to 8 pm Family/ children’s entertainment, Salsa band and dancers, Circus skills, Football competition, Arts & crafts workshops,

……………Oh the balloons…………………. Hairdressing competition. the balloons, those 500 Multi coloured inflated balloons. Peace Week – 11 to 18 September, ……… later that day…… An opening event in the Peace Gardens on th A Tea time treat - The balloon Sunday 11 , released at 4pm After-school workshops in the Library Oh the rainbow of delight during the week, th as the multicoloured orbs took flight Peace Parade on Sunday 18 , the visual feast, up up and away… Processing around St. Matthew’s Church. puff puff…… the physical feat th 3 people, 3 hours to inflate Tate Gardens 100 Birthday, th …………and seconds to fly free…. Tuesday 11 October, Free as a bird in the sky … as I’d Fireworks and a huge cake! like to be, A moment away from grim Brixton On the Shortest Day – 22 December, Reality! Peace and Light celebration, Children and The oohs and aaahhhh went a long Families event 3-30 to 6-30 pm latest, way for me Multi-faith singing and lanterns.

As I’m really hoping that you too can Friends of Tate Library & Gardens nd see, Continue to meet on 2 Thursday of the A vision, an idea month, 6 pm to 7-30 pm at the Vida Walsh A Bloody impossibility of Centre, 2b Saltoun Road, SW2.

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Tracing your Lambeth Postcard Champion It is with sadness that we report the death of Pat House History Loobey, who died after a short illness on 4th June at During September Lambeth Archives is co- St.George’s Hospital, Tooting. operating with Open House London and He was a prominent and much-respected member local amenity societies to run a series of of the South London local history “network”, best talks and workshops designed to get you known for his mammoth collection of over 30,000 started on tracing the history of your photographic views of the area. house. He was a long-standing member of the Wandsworth Historical Society, of which he was The first element will be a series of six Chairman from 1991-94 and 1998-2001. introductory talks in libraries around the He collaborated with John Brown on several books borough, focusing on the history of each for the Streatham Society, and these will locality. Each talk will be given by a local perpetuate his memory and reputation as a major expert, followed with an introduction to contributor to the history of South London. house history sources at Lambeth Archives, presented by a member of the Archives’ staff. All sessions run from 7 pm to 8-30 pm.

Tuesday 13 September: North Brixton & Herne Hill: Alan Piper & Jon Newman at Lambeth Archives, Minet Library, SE5. Norwood: Don Bianco & Len Reilly at Upper Norwood Library, Westow Hill.

Wednesday 14 September: Streatham: Brian Bloice & Graham Gower Pat Loobey was an early champion of collecting at Streatham Tate Library. and publishing Edwardian postcard views of South Vauxhall: Jim Nicolson & Jon Newman at London, like Brixton’s Electric Avenue seen here South Lambeth Tate Library, SW8. c.1910.

Thursday 15 September: Rune Readings Brixton: Alan Piper & Graham Gower at Little oddities can sometimes be spotted while Brixton Tate Library, Brixton Oval. walking through Brixton Streets. For example, a Clapham: Peter Jefferson-Smith & Len hand-drawn sign recently spotted in a house Reilly at Clapham Library, Clapham window in Mervan Road said “Rune Readings”. I Common Northside, SW4. shall bear this in mind if I find any runes that I need deciphered, but I cannot help thinking there must The second element is a series of be little passing trade! workshops at Lambeth Archives in Knatchbull Road, SE5. These will cover Runes were the primitive alphabet of pagan how to plan your research, use of relevant Northern Europe, just beyond the sphere of sources and drawing your conclusions: influence of the Roman Empire. In this country, northern parts with lots of boulders and building Tuesday 27 September, 7 pm – 8-30, stone are more likely to have surviving runes than Wednesday 28 September 2-30– 4 pm here in the south-east where any runes on timber, Thursday 29 September, 7 pm – 8-30. clay or vellum are less likely to survive. Numbers are limited, so please book early. To book a place at a talk or workshop, They were first introduced to Britain by the Anglo- please ring Rosanna Osbourne on (020) Saxons in the early 400s. As Christianity gradually 7926 0750 or by returned, with its texts written in Latin with Roman characters, runic characters largely went out of use. e-mail to: [email protected] However a few characters persisted for uses where

there was not a direct equivalent in the Roman We welcome news and comment from all alphabet. interested in the Brixton area, so opinions expressed in these pages are not necessarily These were used for inscriptions or texts in the those of the Brixton Society. spoken language of the time. Nowadays we

Adv\ BS\News\ July 05 History.doc 6 Local History Focus

use combinations of letters like th or gh - but stone at the top of Brixton Hill to mark the not very consistently, after 15 centuries of meeting place of the Hundred Court covering the spelling mistakes and mis-hearings. north-eastern corner of the old County of . Sadly, Brixi’s stone has long been lost, but if it The last trace of the old system is seen in came to light again, we could at least see if runes mock archaic terms like “Ye Olde Tea were still being used officially alongside Latin or Shoppe”. Medieval clerks used to represent Saxon inscriptions, or were confined to Danish “th” as in “them” by a Y with a dot over the top, graffiti defacing it. based on the original rune shape. Later scholars failed to notice the dot, perhaps Alan Piper. assuming it to be a blot or blemish, and assumed that “Ye” was an old version of “the”. The revived fashion for Medieval designs in the 19th century saw “Ye” and other old spellings widely taken up to give an authentic look to anything with historic pretensions.

Where you find runes is also a reflection of who used them. Before Roman influence, the Celtic people of these islands relied on oral traditions, so runes only begin to appear in Ireland or Northern Scotland with later Viking invaders, typically short inscriptions of the “Kilroy was here” kind. Earlier Anglo-Saxon runes could turn up anywhere else down the eastern seaboard of the country, including most of the Scottish Lowlands which were absorbed into the “Anglish” kingdom of Northumbria, centred on Hadrian’s Wall. Romanised Celts continued to carve their Part of Stanford’s !876 map: The SW sheet of 1862 inscriptions in Latin – one memorable example extends west from Tulse Hill and Brixton Road,so in Cornwall is a memorial to Drustans, son of omits Herne Hill and Loughborough. King Marcus Cunomorus of Cornwall and the original of the Tristan legend. This Season’s Offers Runes were reintroduced with the Viking Reprints of old maps are always popular, and invasions from the 790s onwards, which we have obtained a batch of the 1862 account for most surviving examples. Again Stanfords map of SW London as recently they diminished as Vikings accepted published by the Wandsworth Historical Christianity and respectability. One of the last Society. This reproduces the hand-colouring big runic inscriptions known, at Yelling in of the library version, so water areas and Denmark, celebrates King Harald Bluetooth adopting Christianity on behalf of his people in public open spaces are easier to identify. around 990. Copies are £4 each.

Here in the Greater London region, in 886 the Last year the National Portrait Gallery were River Lee was established as the boundary able to obtain a portrait of Mary Seacole, the between King Alfred’s West Saxons and the Jamaican widow whose exploits in the Danelaw to the east. South of the Thames Crimean War were recently featured on was nominally under Saxon control, but after television. Her picture has recently been over a century of struggle, the Danes finally published as a colour postcard, which we can triumphed in 1016 when Bluetooth’s grandson supply at 35p, the same price as our Cnut (or Canute) became King of England. His two sons followed him in succession, Edwardian Brixton postcard series. and we finally begin to find local historical references. Harthacnut, last of these Danish Due to heavy commitments at this time of Kings, actually died at Lambeth in 1042. year, it has not been possible to prepare extra pages, so the Annual Report and

other articles have been held over to the By 1062, Brictsi, owner of the Manor of next issue. Hatcham (at , SE14) had erected a

Adv\ BS\News\ July 05 History.doc 7 Local History Focus

area became more populated in the 17th and Remembering Ska 18th centuries. Even after mains water was My name is Ewan Taylor. I’m a film available, wells continued to be important maker living in London and I’m about to sources of supply for the two breweries make a documentary about Ska music, operating in Stockwell. its Jamaican history and its popularity in Britain from the 1950s onwards. I am Stockwell Manor as a whole lay west of Brixton Road and extended almost to the top of Brixton hoping to use the film to pitch the idea Hill, as far as the corner of New Park Road and to the BBC for a full series on the Lyham Road, whilst Stockwell Wood continued subject of the influence of Jamaican west of Lyham Road to beyond Clarence music in Britain. Avenue. Wells certainly existed in more distant parts of I am looking to interview people of the Manor. For example, an earlier Secretary of Jamaican descent in the Brixton area, the Brixton Society, James Wilkes, found one in who might like to talk about their love his garden at 212 Acre Lane some 30 years of this music and how it was received ago. The house dates from c.1815, nearly 20 in Britain upon their arrival. years before the water works was established on Brixton Hill. This old well was eventually The name of the company is Brown filled in for safety reasons. Eyed Boy, and I can be contacted on (020) 7291 8024 or by e-mail at: Alan Piper. [email protected] Two Civic Awards Ewan Taylor. Congratulations to two of our committee members on receiving Civic Awards from the Mayor of Lambeth on 17th May. In both cases the award recognizes their work with a range of local organizations including this Society.

Glyn Kyle, Chair, has also been chair of the Streatham Darby & Joan Club for several years, and serves on the boards of LVAC, Age Concern Lambeth, Brixton On-Line and the Streatham Society’s committee.

Margaret Westcott became an active member of Streatham Ratepayers & Residents The well in Stockwell Association some 25 years ago, and has since Colin Davies e-mailed from Stockwell been involved with Streatham Darby & Joan Green to ask about the location of the Club, the Friendly Almshouses, and for the past well or wells referred to in the place- year, the Friends of Tate Library & Gardens. name.

The geology of South London means that Contact Us wells are fairly easy to dig or bore as a For general enquiries and to include material in source of water, hence place names future Newsletters, contact Alan Piper on (020) including “well” are quite common. The 7207 0347 (tel or fax), [email protected] first written record of Stockwell dates from or write to 82 Mayall Road, SE24 0PJ. just before 1200, and the most likely For individual planning applications and location for a communal well would be appeals, contact David Warner initially on around Stockwell Green itself, which was (020) 7924 0618, [email protected] the old village centre. The Manor House was nearby on or write to 290 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8SE the north-east side of the Green, where the For publication orders, website updates and Waltham Estate and (of course) Moat Place membership/ address changes, contact Bill are today. Linskey on (020) 7274 3835, Nothing remains today which is older [email protected] than 1767, and by then many more wells would have been dug for private use as the or send to 32 Stockwell Green, SW9 9HZ.

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