THE SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Aerial view of Kajima proposal for Town Hall – more designs are shown on page 3 inside... Autumn, October 2013 to Phoenix House at Vauxhall only a couple of No.211, quarterly, free to members. years ago, the new priority is to gather Council Registered with the London Forum of Amenity staff in more efficient offices in and around the Societies, Registered Charity No.1058103, Town Hall. In order to offset the building cost, Website: www.brixtonsociety.org.uk the winning developer will be allowed to use the peripheral sites for substantial blocks of flats. Originally labelled the “SW2 Enterprise Your new Town Hall? Centre” with a view to offering space to local On three occasions this year we displayed firms and charities, it is now being promoted information about the design of Lambeth’s as a “Town Hall for All”. Following a limited Town Hall, which dates from 1906-08. This consultation event in July, when we were all building was the result of a competition which sworn to secrecy, the competing proposals attracted 243 entries, and the best half-dozen have now been published prior to a final were published in a brochure, still held by choice in November and a likely start in July Lambeth Archives. While the final choice was 2015, for completion in phases between late being made, the site was put to temporary use 2016 and mid-2019. for 8 weeks for a prefab assembly hall for church services conducted by a couple of The developers have been working to a American evangelists. This was dismantled common brief but there are clear differences in and the new building proceeded rapidly, ready emphasis. for opening by the then Prince of Wales on 29 Kajima have the most acceptable proposals April 1908. for council offices between Porden Road and The Electric, but their flats to replace Fast forward to 2013 and it’s interesting to see Hambrook House are only shown as a vague how processes and priorities have changed. grey block, with nothing said about Olive This time the competition is between just 3 Morris House further up Brixton Hill. developers, each with a team of architects and United House limited their drawings to a few other advisers in tow, though we don’t know if distant aerial views and some rough sketches, any others have fallen by the wayside. The but enough to convey a forbidding and bulky requirements are more complex, involving office block replacing 1-7 Town Hall Parade. several sites in addition to remodelling the Their proposals for the Hambrook House site Town Hall itself. These include nearby offices are not quite as bad as the other two but all – 1-7 Town Hall Parade, Hambrook House, suffer from cramming too much on this site. Iver House (the old Co-op store in Acre Lane) Muse, part of the Morgan Sindall Group, at and Olive Morris House on Brixton Hill. Further least showed proposals for all the key sites. afield, International House (behind the However, apart from distant Wanless Road, Recreation Centre) and the small Wanless they are all built-up too high, even adding an Road depot near Loughborough Junction, are extra attic floor to Iver House in Acre Lane. being offered to the winning developer for All proposals include changes inside the Town residential use. After moving key departments Hall, but little difference to the exterior.

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Diary of Events, Late Autumn 2013

Society Meetings www.organisedyouth.tumblr. on the history of the com museum and its collections: The Executive Committee Part of Lambeth’s Black 7-30 pm for 7-45 start, usually meets on the second History Month Herne Hill United Church Thursday of the month to Hall, c/o Redpost Hill and plan activities and agree our Herne Hill, SE24. responses to current issues. Saturday 19 October Herne Hill Society These meetings are at 7 pm Big Draw in the Park at the Vida Walsh Centre, Chalk drawing for all ages 2b Saltoun Road, SW2 (at round the bandstand in Saturday 16 November the Effra Road end, facing Myatt’s Fields Park, 1 pm to Camberwell House Windrush Square). 4 pm (plus music from Asylum, 1846-1955 Jammin’, courtesy of HLF) Dr Fiona Subotsky  14 November www.myattsfieldspark.info describes her research into  9 January Myatt’s Fields Park Project the former asylum in Peckham Road: 2-30 pm at Market Walks Saturday 19 October Chatsworth Baptist Church Our guided walks around Home Movie Day (entrance in Idmiston Road, the market area continue on Bring in your dad’s old films SE27). the second Saturday of for expert advice on storage, Friends of each month, at £3 including preservation or transfer to Cemetery the illustrated booklet of the digital formats. 11 am - 5 pm route. Tickets available via at the Cinema Museum, 2 Wednesday 20 Nov. – our website or after 12 noon Dugard Way, off Renfrew The Survey of London on the day from our stall in Road, Kennington SE11 Colin Thom introduces the Brixton Station Road The Cinema Museum latest additions to the (shared with Makerhood). Survey, 2 volumes on the Walks set out from there at Sunday 20 October – history of . 2-30 pm and take about an Autumn Walk 7-30 for 8 pm start, at hour and a half. Meet at 2 pm at the clock Clapham Manor Primary  12 October tower in the centre of School, entrance in Belmont  9 November Brockwell Park. Road, SW4 0BZ.  14 December Station (Northern Line). Clapham Society Friends of Brockwell Park Links with Other Saturday 7 December – Tuesday 12 November – Tulse Hill Market Groups 60 years Archaeology in From 11 am to 4 pm on Please check directly with Rush Common between the organisers if any queries A talk by Pamela Upper Tulse Hill and over times or admission. Greenwood of the Somers Road/ Tudor Close Wandsworth Historical – stall bookings to: Weds 16 to Saturday 26 Society; refreshments from [email protected] October – British Black 7 pm for 7-30 start, Housing g.uk or tel. (020) 3582 3582 Panthers Exhibition Co-op Hall, 106 The Cut, Tulse Hill Forum 10 am to 5-30 pm at the (opposite the Old Vic) SE1. Photofusion Gallery, 17a Southwark & Lambeth Sunday 8 December – Electric Lane, SW9 – Archaeological Society Winter Fair current portraits and archive 11 am to 3 pm in Brockwell photos of black activists of Wednesday 13 Nov. – Hall, Brockwell Park the late 1960s/ early 1970s, The Horniman Museum Friends of Brockwell Park the result of a project by An illustrated talk by Finbar local young people – see Whooley, Assistant Director,

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Proposals for Your New Town Hall

Kajima proposals for new Council offices replacing 1-7 Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill

Muse proposals for replacing Hambrook House and Muse replacement for Olive Morris House Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill (above) Below: views of United House proposals

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Focus on

War Memorial Bus garage

Such an excellent job has been done of “Our Hut” is a charity which aims to educate renovating the Stockwell War Memorial and young people and local communities about Gardens that we thought the story should be architecture and the built environment. For told in full. Therefore, you will find with this more information, visit their website: Newsletter a colour supplement about it. www.ourhut.org.uk. Remembrance Sunday this year is on the They have organised a number of visits to the 10th November. As usual, a wreath will be laid Stockwell Bus Garage, the most recent of at the Stockwell War Memorial on behalf of the which, on Saturday, 5 October, was hosted by Brixton Society by one of our members. the garage’s General Manager, Colin Opher. St. Andrew’s Church The garage was built in 1952 with the startling feature of having no internal pillars to support Stockwell Green the roof. At the time it contained the largest area under an unsupported roof in Europe. It is now a Grade II* listed building.

St. Andrew’s is the oldest functioning church in Lambeth with parts of the building dating back

to 1767. The only church building which is Superb though this architecture is, it has to be older is St. Mary, Lambeth, hard by Lambeth admitted that interest in it was somewhat Palace. That became disused in 1972 and overshadowed by the interest being taken in now houses the Museum of Garden History. the “Boris buses” in the garage. These are now being introduced onto route 11. The route should have been fully converted by now, but the buses have suffered from some “teething problems”.

St. Andrew’s has many splendid features, not least, the large circular window over the altar. It also contains its own memorial to the dead of the First World War.

This lists some 63 individuals who died in the Great War or afterwards of their wounds. Of these, 40 are also listed on the Stockwell War However inside the garage they were showing Memorial. off their latest Boris bus arrival.

4 Focus on Stockwell Other News

This is decked in the livery of the 88 route Lambeth Heritage Festival (“The Clapham Omnibus”) which is the next to be changed over to Boris buses. It had been The first Lambeth Heritage Festival was held driven over from Northern Ireland where the during the month of September and from buses are built. They cost £345,500 each. beginning to last, the Brixton Society played a full part. On Sunday 8th, Alan Piper led a walk around East Brixton and Myatt’s Fields. On Thursday 12th, we held an open meeting with talks on the theme, “Playing Detective – some investigations in local history”. On Saturday 14th, our monthly walk through Brixton Market was overwhelmed with demand because of the extra publicity. On Saturday 28th, the festival closed with the Archives Open Day where we had a table as usual. It proved to be one of our most Our treasurer, Norma Williamson successful attendances at the Open Day. The buses were designed to replace the old We have heard equally good reports from Routemasters and have an entrance at the across the borough with our sister societies, rear, as well as the front and centre. This can such as the Society, reporting very be used in “open deck” mode allowing people successful events. Walks and talks are a to get on or off whenever the bus halts – not regular part of what we all do but the extra just at a bus stop. However, there are sliding focus and publicity given by the Heritage doors to close off the rear platform when Festival has proved a great success which we required. hope can be repeated. The future use of this feature must now be in The original idea came from Lambeth Archives doubt after the sad accident on 4th October in and was co-promoted by the Lambeth Local which a woman fell from the open platform of a History Forum (www.llhf.org.uk). No.24 bus and suffered serious head injuries. King’s Hospital There was also a small display - a part of the material generated by Our Hut’s community art Fundraising auction project celebrating sixty years of the garage last year. There is much to see on the project King’s Hospital, Camberwell, may be outside website: www.allaboardforstockwell.org.uk the Brixton Society’s recruitment area but it including heritage photographs of the garage certainly serves many people in Brixton and being built and copies of the original plans. deserves our full support. Not just an architecturally important building, Brixton Society member and artist, Janet Tod, the Stockwell Garage is a working building has told us that to celebrate their centenary a employing some 700 people. Buses are not fundraising auction of 100 works of art will be th just housed there: they are fuelled, cleaned held on 12 December. This is being and serviced. Running such a building is not organised by the support charity, “together we without its difficulties we were told. Pigeons can…” and Rosebery’s Auctioneers of West are a constant problem and, being a listed Norwood. building, needing to change the lighting For more information, visit the website: arrangements caused significant issues. www.togetherwecan.org.uk/kings-college- Local rumours of its possible closure were hospital/news/kings-100-artworks-auction flatly denied by the General Manager.

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Amenities News

Friends of Tate Library approach would be needed in most cases, to attract more support from the local community while providing the continuity of Council Jewellery Workshop on involvement. th Saturday 9 November Drive to restore the clock A 2-hour workshop on techniques for making daisy bracelets and cuffs, run by tower in Brockwell Park Jo Spilman. 2 pm to 4 pm in the Library, An example of how a Friends group can find cost £5 max. for materials, min age 8 extra resources is the current fund-raising (under 12s come with an adult please) drive to restore the old clock tower in the centre of the park. By the end of September, Some of Jo’s jewellery will be on display and £15,000 had been pledged towards the target for sale in the library throughout November. of £20,000. For donations or enquiries, e-mail Jo’s watercolour workshop in September [email protected] attracted 14 people and some donations towards future workshops. Enquiries to Fireworks return to Brockwell Park [email protected] or more generally to Lambeth Council announced at the end of [email protected] September that its public fireworks display would return to Brockwell Park for Tuesday 5th Film tribute to football coach November, rather than Clapham Common as originally planned. Tuesday 22 October, 6-45 pm in the Social Room on Level 5 of the Rec. The Type Archive BRUG, the Users’ Group at the Brixton During the Lambeth Country Show I spoke Recreation Centre, has organised a free with Sue Shaw, trustee of the Type Archive at screening of Uncle Steadman. This is a film 100 Hackford Road SW9, and arranged to visit about the life and contribution of Steadman at the end of July. Established in a former Scott, AFEWEE’s football coach at the Rec, horse hospital in 1992 as the Type Museum, A.J.Carter his nephew and professional boxer, the name change reflects its current with support from members of AFEWEE and development programme. It holds 3 substantial professional footballers. Preceded by Niche in collections of typefounding materials, archives the Market, a short by Rod Main. Followed by and associated machinery: the Stephenson a Q & A chaired by Cllr. Rachel Haywood, with Blake collection (including material from Steadman, A.J. Carter, BRUG and Stuart William Caslon), the Wood letter patterns of Everett the film-maker. Robert DeLittle and the Monotype Corporation. Steering the future of Orders from around the world for replacing Monotype matrices provide an income stream, Lambeth’s Parks and the current emphasis is on providing a The Council has recently held several public resource for design students and specialist meetings to consult on its Co-operative Parks apprenticeships or placements, rather than Programme. Final deadline for comments is 19 providing general public access. October so tell us NOW if you want us to include any key points in the Brixton Society’s One of the challenges is to pass on the old feedback. Although 3 “model” forms of craft skills, including compiling operating management were offered for each park – manuals for the old machinery. Longer-term directly run by the Council, or in consultation development will provide safer public access with a Friends group or MAC, or devolved to a and facilities for events and courses. Any local Trust – the reality is more likely to be 65 enquiries in the meantime to different versions according to local [email protected] circumstances. Some sort of collaborative Alan Piper.

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Notes & News

Saturday 14th December Safeguarding Children Market Stall and Guided Walk Community groups and voluntary We have been doing this on the 2nd Saturday organisations need to be able to keep up with of each month to tie in with the Maker’s Market current legislation if they work with children or in Brixton Station Road, but for this Christmas vulnerable adults. The system for criminal shopping date we will be open for longer AND records checks is now run by the Disclosure have our full stock of publications on sale. If and Barring Service, who are providing a free you can spare an hour or two to help on the half-day briefing on Thursday 31 October, 9 stall, please contact Bill or Diana Linskey on am to 1-30 pm at a Central Brixton venue. This (020) 7274 3835 or [email protected] is organised by Lambeth’s Safeguarding Children Board – to book, e-mail to: From the Editor [email protected] or tel. 020 7926 7068 Space permitting, we try to feature local events More Planning changes and publish reminiscences or enquiries in our The Government has a number of changes in newsletter. the pipeline, the broad thrust of which is to Since we welcome news and comments from relax controls and allow developments which all interested in the Brixton area, opinions are not sustainable in the longer term. We will expressed in these pages are not necessarily try to provide a round-up in our next issue. those of the Brixton Society.

Locally, Lambeth Council has agreed to make All material should be sent to the Secretary, life easier for developers by restricting public Alan Piper, at 82 Mayall Road, SE24 0PJ, or comments at its Planning Committee to 2 by e-mail to [email protected] and by 7th minutes instead of 3, and requiring written December if to appear in the next edition. notice of what was to be said. Phone/ fax to (020) 7207 0347. The Brixton Society has recently submitted Also get in touch if you are trying to trace a comments on the Council’s draft Licensing past article or find an earlier newsletter. Policy and on its latest draft scheme for the

Community Infrastructure Levy. We now Street Design Workshop have until 30 October to respond on linked Lambeth’s Neighbourhood Enhancement changes to the Planning Obligations (S.106) Programme has been steadily working its way supplementary planning document. south through the borough, putting into place improvements to streetscape and road safety. Books to review Completed work around Hackford Road was We were delighted to receive two new titles on featured in our last 2 editions. Work around individuals with local connections, but fuller Stockwell Park and the north-east of the Town reviews will have to await our next edition: Centre is just getting underway, and proposals for the northern half of Coldharbour Ward were The Story of Sir Henry Bessemer, by unveiled on 1st October, again for completion Patricia Jenkyns, first appeared in 1984 but by next April. John Brunton has prepared a revised edition, now available from the Herne Hill Society for The next phase looks at the public realm within £5 (plus £1.50 if sent by post). the Brixton Supplementary Planning Document area, including the rest of the Town Centre, Painting in Earnest by Steven Harris is a the north end of Railton Road and Moorland biography of the painter Ernest Carlos, who Estate. There will be a consultation workshop was active in North Brixton and Camberwell on Tuesday 15 October from 6-30 to 8-30 pm before his death in the First World War: £12 at Brixton Community Base (St. Vincent’s) at (plus £3 p&p) from Lewarne Publishing, PO the corner of Talma and Probert Roads, SW2. Box 26946, London SE21 8XG

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