October 2015 No.219, Quarterly, Free to Members
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THE BRIXTON SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Autumn, October 2015 No.219, quarterly, free to members. Registered with the London Forum of Amenity Societies, Registered Charity No.1058103, Website: www.brixtonsociety.org.uk Welcome from the Editor It’s catch-up time again for those who have not been able to get to every meeting or event that we have highlighted. Following on from September’s Lambeth Heritage Festival, we have given more space to local history topics in this issue. However, there are still some big Regeneration issues continuing to trouble us. Pop Brixton hosted the launch of the Brixton Due to this being compiled and distributed in Design Trail last month, marking Brixton’s various members’ spare time, unavoidable involvement in the London Design Festival, absences mean this will reach most of you a which we hope will develop. (BDT-15-01.jpg) week later than usual. By then Lambeth’s Cabinet should have agreed a way forward on There’s still time to discover its Culture 2020 package. At the time of writing, only the Library proposals had been Lambeth’s Hidden River! unveiled, with the future of parks, recreation Lambeth Heritage Festival month has now centres and arts still unclear. Of course you passed, but there’s just time to catch the can get more frequent updates from our exhibition at the Morley Gallery in website and – if you supply me with an e-mail Westminster Bridge Road SE1, until Friday 23 address – occasional internet bulletins. October (11 am to 6 pm, closed Sundays). Space permitting, we try to feature local events It features Lambeth’s Thames riverside over and publish reminiscences or enquiries in our time, and also illustrates the full length of the newsletter. We welcome news and comments River Effra which rises in Norwood and feeds from all interested in the Brixton area, so into the Thames by Vauxhall Bridge. The opinions expressed in these pages are not exhibition has already generated extra interest, necessarily those of the Brixton Society. to the extent that we had to arrange a hasty reprint of our little booklet on the River Effra, in All material should be sent to the Secretary, order to keep up with demand. Alan Piper, at 82 Mayall Road, SE24 0PJ, or ideally by e-mail to [email protected] Also note our Market Walks will continue into Phone enquiries to (020) 7207 0347. December - details on the diary page overleaf. 1 Diary of Events, late Summer 2015 Society Meetings Thursday 29th October Saturday 14 November The Executive Committee - Brixton – Mushroom Walk usually meets on the second Neighbourhood Forum Advice on identifying types Thursday of the month to Agenda to be confirmed, but of fungi - departs at 2 pm plan activities and agree our will include funding from from the clock tower in the responses to current issues. Lambeth Forum Network, centre of the Park, but Meetings are at 7 pm at the Forum boundaries, a report reserve a place by e-mailing Vida Walsh Centre, 2b on community-owned assets [email protected] Saltoun Road, SW2 (at the in the African-Carribean Brockwell Park Community Effra Road end, facing community and Big local Partners Windrush Square). North Brixton fund 7-9pm at Vida Walsh Monday 16 November – 12 November Centre, 2b Saltoun Road, Battersea Dogs and 10 December (tbc) SW2 (Entrance faces Cats Home 11 February Windrush Square) Shaun Opperman, Veterinary Director, Market Walks Monday 2 November – describes the work of this Our guided walks round the A Tooting War Memorial long-standing institution. market area continue on the Talk by Geoff Simmons on 8 pm (doors open from 7 second Saturday of every saving the Summerstown pm) at Omnibus, 1 Clapham month, to coincide with the Memorial, 8 pm at Common North Side, SW4. Makers’ Market in Brixton Woodlawns Centre Clapham Society Station Road. 2-30 pm start (Streatham Darby & Joan but prior booking advised. Club) 16 Leigham Court Saturday 21 November 14 November Road, SW16 – Gideon Mantell 12 December Streatham Society The work of the pioneering Please book places through fossil collector and theorist, marketwalks@brixtonsociet Tuesday 10 November – one of the eminent y.org.uk The Complications of Victorians interred in History Norwood Cemetery, will be Links with Other Talk by Stephen Humphrey, recounted by Prof. Joe Cain. 2-30 pm at Chatsworth Groups historian of Southwark, at 7-30 pm (doors open 7pm) Baptist Church (use family Please check directly with at the Co-op Housing Hall, centre entrance on Idmiston the organisers if any queries 106 The Cut, SE1 (almost Road) SE27. over times or admission. opposite the Old Vic). £1 for Friends of West Norwood non-members. Cemetery Southwark & Lambeth Tuesday 27 October – Archaeological Society Sunday 6 December – Should Brixton Rec be Winter Fair listed? Wednesday 11 11 am to 3 pm in Brockwell Talk on the cultural and November – King’s Hall, Brockwell Park SE24. architectural significance of College Hospital in To reserve a stall for your the Recreation Centre by World War I group, contact Philip Boyle of DoCoMoMo, [email protected] Open 7-30 for 7-45 start, at 6 pm in the conference suite Friends of Brockwell Park Herne Hill United Church on level 5 – please RSVP to Hall, corner of Redpost Hill [email protected] and Herne Hill, SE24. m Herne Hill Society Brixton Rec User Group AdvN\BSN\ Oct 15 Diary.doc 2 Amenities News Unpicking Lambeth’s Brockwell Park, the Council will embark on the first stage of a Heritage Lottery Bid for more latest Culture package active use of the Hall, stable block and the yard between. By the time you read this, Lambeth’s Cabinet should have agreed the overall strategy for its Elsewhere, the plan seems to be to retain wide range of Amenities services, not only Brixton Rec and the smaller Ferndale and Libraries and Parks, but also indoor recreation Flaxman Sports Centres. The Brixton Domino centres and support for arts and community Club at 297-299 Coldharbour Lane will be activities generally. However, that is far from renovated to include a base for the Brixton the end of the story because several critical Soup Kitchen. Capital funds are finally being issues have to be sorted out by next April in committed to provide community facilities and order for the strategy to start reducing the business start-up space on the Angell Town running costs of all these services. Estate, where they lapsed some years ago. Lambeth Council has proclaimed the revised For more recent fall-out from the Cabinet proposals as “saving” more libraries, but the meeting, check local papers, and the websites future of several is still in doubt. The Cabinet www.brixtonbuzz.com and have little grasp of what libraries are for, and www.brixtonblog.com as well as our own. have latched onto a proposal from GLL (who manage Brixton Rec) to run Carnegie, Minet Myatt’s Fields Park Project AGM and Tate South Lambeth libraries as “healthy Myatt’s Fields Park is one where the local living centres”. Apart from the library functions community project has put in a bid to manage being squeezed into smaller space to make the park on behalf of the Council. Interesting room for exercise classes, the sting in the tail times ahead make their Annual General is that all 3 would be closed for refurbishment Meeting more important than usual – 7 pm on from next April before eventually reopening in Wednesday 18 November at Longfield Hall, the new format. At least Brixton Tate Library Knatchbull Road SE5 (opposite Minet Library). will continue as a “town centre library” for the Enquiries to [email protected] present, without some of the wilder ideas for sharing its space. Friends of Tate Library Brixton Friends of Tate Library Brixton are extremely It’s been recognised that Lambeth Archives concerned by the Council’s response to the need further thought, and they will remain at Culture 2020 consultation. Brixton will survive the Minet Library at least until April while other as Town Centre Library but staffing and book sites are belatedly investigated. purchasing powers will decline, so involvement The Council takes a narrow view of parks as of Friends is essential, to ensure that libraries places for active sports or entertainments, but of the future are inclusive, affordable, local and quiet recreation and connecting with nature most of all, still function as a library. The seem to be disregarded. While no parks are repercussions of the Cabinet decisions will slated for closure, yet reliance on off-setting affect all our communities. running costs from hire charges for extra We are planning an exhibition from mid- commercial events will inevitably reduce how November to December on the Past Present much free access residents will have to their and Future of the library, drawing on material parks. The cabinet report remained vague from archives and the Brixton Museum project about Friends groups or others taking over the by Anchor and Magnet. running of individual parks. We are also co-operating with the Friends of Levies on new private housing development Windrush Square and library staff to add some may make it easier to find money for capital planters on both the street frontages of the improvements, some of which may then library. generate more income by other means. So in Marilyn Rogers, [email protected] AdvN\ BSN\ Oct 15 Amenities.doc 3 Heritage Focus Black Georgians A Bovril connection? The latest exhibition at the Black Cultural We have often been asked if the Bovril sign Archives focuses on black people in Britain in above Windrush Square has any local the 18th and early 19th centuries.