THE SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Spring issue, April 2011 No.201, free to members, quarterly. Registered with the Forum of Amenity Societies, Registered Charity No.1058103, Website: www.brixtonsociety.org.uk

Our next open meeting Thursday 9th June: Annual General Meeting 7 pm at the Vida Walsh Centre, Windmill re-opening 2b Saltoun Road, SW2 A year ago, our newsletter reported that the Time again to report on what we have been Heritage Lottery Fund had agreed to support doing over the past year, collect ideas for the the restoration of the mill. Since then it’s made year ahead, and elect committee members to the front cover of Local History magazine, as carry them out. Agenda details from the above. Now the Friends of Windmill Gardens Secretary, Alan Piper on (020) 7207 0347 or present a series of events, with guided tours by e-mail to [email protected] inside the mill offered on each date.

Open Garden Squares May Day Launch Parade, 2nd May: A theatrical parade starts from Windrush Weekend - 11 & 12 June Square at 2 pm and proceeds to the mill This year we plan to host two events on for its official re-opening. Ends 4-30 pm. Windrush Square: On Saturday our theme is Growing in Brixton with stalls Open Day, Sunday 12 June: selling plants and promoting green ideas. Windmill open 2 pm to 4 pm. On Sunday we switch to Art in Brixton, showing the work of local artists and Windmill Festival, Sunday 10 July: encouraging you to have a go yourself. Provisionally 1 pm to 5 pm, with stalls, music, Details are still being settled but watch the theatre and food. website for updates. Art in the Park, Sunday 14 August: If you can spare some time to help, or want to Practical art activities for all ages, plus tours. run a stall for your own group, please call Bill Linskey on (020) 7274 3835 or by e-mail to Windmill Gardens are between Ramillies [email protected] Close and Blenheim Gardens, off the west side of Brixton Hill, SW2. See website: More dates inside... www.brixtonwindmill.org

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Diary of Events, Spring & Summer 2011

Society Meetings For events listed here, at All Saints’ Church, check directly with the Rosendale /Lovelace Roads The Executive Committee organisers if any queries SE21 8LN. For more dates usually meets on the second over times or admission. and details see website, Thursday of the month to www.- plan activities and agree our Saturday 16 April – orchestra.org.uk responses to current issues. The London Maze: Lambeth Orchestra These meetings are at 7 pm London’s biggest free at the Vida Walsh Centre, history fair runs from 10 am 2b Saltoun Road, SW2 (at Sunday 22 May – Circle to 4 pm at the Guildhall, the Effra Road end, facing the City: London EC2. The whole Windrush Square). Sponsored Walk of 6 km or Guildhall complex is opened 8.5km round the City, for  14 April, up for stalls, talks and tours, Christian Aid Week.  12 May, including the Roman Register from 1 pm at amphitheatre in the  9 June (AGM) St.Mary-le-Bow EC2 or All basement. Half-hour walks  14 July, Hallows by the Tower EC3: cover nearby City streets.  8 September, Details (020) 7523 2321 or City of London Corporation  13 October www.christianaid.org.uk/wal

 10 November ks Thursday 21 April – Christian Aid – London Editorial Notice: Notable Sportsmen in South-East Team. Space permitting, we try to Norwood Cemetery: th feature local events and An illustrated talk by Colin Sunday 5 June – publish reminiscences or Fenn, 8 pm at the Phoenix Tree Celebration enquiries in our newsletter. Centre, Westow Street, Meet at 2 pm by the clock We welcome news and SE19. Norwood Society tower in for comments from all the annual dedication of interested in the Brixton Wednesday 11 May – recently donated trees. area, so opinions expressed A Magistrate’s Tale: Friends of Brockwell Park. in these pages are not Kevin Fitzpatrick JP on his necessarily those of the experiences as a local Monday 6th June – Brixton Society. magistrate. 7-30 pm for 7-45 Bygone : start, United Presented by John Brown, All material should be sent Church Hall, corner of 8 pm at Woodlawns, before 18 June to the Redpost Hill and Herne Hill, Streatham Darby & Joan Secretary, Alan Piper, at 82 SE24. Club, 16 Leigham Court Mayall Road, SE24 0PJ, or Herne Hill Society. Road, SW16. by e-mail to The Streatham Society [email protected] Thursday 19 May – Phone/ fax enquiries to Brixton & : Wednesday 15 June – (020) 7207 0347. An illustrated talk by Alan Portraits:

Piper, 8 pm at the Phoenix Short talks by members on Links with Other Centre, Westow Street, some eminent Clapham Groups SE19. Norwood Society residents of the 19th century,

If you would like the Society 7-30 for 8 pm start, at to take part in some local Saturday 21 May – Clapham Manor Primary event you are running, it Orchestra Concert: School, entrance in Belmont helps our planning if you Mozart’s Jupiter symphony Road, SW4 0BZ. can contact us with the date (No.41) and Mahler’s Das Clapham Society as soon as possible. Liede von der Erde, 7-30 pm

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Summer Highlights

Summer Guided Walks Once again a variety of guided walks are taking place around Lambeth this summer, but we may not have the full programme in time to enclose with this newsletter, so here’s a few leads to get you started.

Sunday 8th May – to Gabriel’s Wharf: Meet at 2-30 pm at the foot of London Bridge (corner of Duke Street Hill, outside Evans Cycles) for a walk exploring , led by Alan Piper. Lambethans Society.

Saturday 14 May – Trees: Meet at 2-30 pm at the Old College Gate of Dulwich Park, College Road, SE21. Walk led by Letta Jones of the Dulwich Society. Part of the Dulwich Festival.

Sunday 12 June – Brixton Murals: Meet at 2 pm at Stockwell Tube Station, for tour of murals around SW9 and SW2 led by Ruth Miller of the London Mural Preservation Setting out our stall Society. Walks on the Wild Side: In addition to the Open Garden Squares Aly Mir is leading some guided walks along the weekend featured on the front cover, we also of the Thames – meet outside have the opportunity to run stalls at several Tube Station at 11 am. No need events this year. Fortunately a grant from the to book, just turn up and pay £5 to the guide Big Lottery Fund enables us to supplement our on the day – he’ll be wearing a green cap! display kit, but we will also need enough See also www.walksonthewildside.net members to help out: Sundays 15 May, 12 June, 19 June Myatt’s Fields Park is hosting a Summer Fair on Saturday 18 June, from 1 pm to 5 pm. Sunday 15 May – 5 Parks Walk: A self-guided route round local parks, starting Brixton Windmill Festival will be on Sunday from Brockwell Hall in Brockwell Park at 10 am 10th July (as noted on front cover). Friends of Brockwell Park (events fundraiser).

Lambeth Country Show will be over the Evening Walks: weekend 16/17 July, 11 am to 6 pm in Tuesday 14 June – Blackheath: meet at Brockwell Park. 7 pm at Blackheath Station for walk led by Richard Buchanan. Lambeth Archives Open Day has slipped & Lambeth Archaeological Society. back into October to ensure the nearby Michael Church is available for the programme The Clapham Society are contributing two of talks – we expect to have confirmation of evening walks (see next issue for final details). the new date by the end of April. That might Wednesday 20 July – Historic Clapham, even enable us to appear at the Stockwell Wednesday 17 August – Clapham Common Festival if it happens in late September again. South Side.

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Local History Focus

Plaques - Blue and Otherwise Remembering Brixton A function at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in In our last Newsletter, we reported on the February prompted Devon Thomas to record installation of a plaque to commemorate some of his early experiences at the sharp end lawyer, councillor and activist, Rudy Narayan. of “regeneration”... This is not a “Blue Plaque” installed by English Heritage under their scheme. It is perhaps not I have been involved in urban regeneration for widely understood that anyone can (subject to many years. In fact I can say I was drawn into appropriate permissions) pay to have a direct activism 44 years ago when my family commemorative plaque installed. Some received a letter from Lambeth Council telling boroughs, such as Southwark, run their own us they wanted to knock down our family home plaque schemes, as do some civic societies. and replace it by a 55-storey Council housing Unfortunately we are not sufficiently well- block. It was part of a futuristic vision that endowed to be able to do so at the moment. Lambeth and the GLC’s architects had dreamed up for us, without having asked us We have been asked by English Heritage if we about it. The same thing was happening to can let them have information about plaques, black and working class communities all round other than theirs, in our area. All Blue Plaques the country, for example in West London, are listed on their website (www.english- where the Department for Transport was heritage.org.uk/discover/blue-plaques) but emptying out multi-occupied houses in the they do not know about plaques such as the North Kensington/ Notting Hill area to demolish Rudy Narayan one unless someone tells them. them and build the new Westway.

While accepting that the housing conditions in HELP NEEDED Now, here comes the all these areas needed improving, the admission - we do not have a comprehensive thoughtless and cack-handed way that this list of plaques in our area; but I hope to was dealt with left a legacy of resentment and compile one with your help. If you know where anger, that returned in the “uprisings” or riots there is a commemorative plaque in or around some years later. Families like mine who had Brixton, will you please let me know the worked hard to establish themselves in this address of the property it is on and the name country since the war, and who had scrimped of the person it commemorates? Either email and saved and overcome racist practices to me ([email protected]) or telephone 020 acquire a family property, were now given 7274 3835 and leave a message if necessary. paltry sums for their hard-won homes and Many thanks. pushed back to the foot of the housing ladder. Bill Linskey This understandably ignited a lot of resistance, organised by people such as John Newbiggin, a neighbour of mine on Rattray Road at the BLUE PLAQUES IN OUR AREA time and a youth worker at Lansdowne Youth BAYLIS, Lilian (1874-1937) Club. After about 5 years, new people were 27 Stockwell Park Road voted in and a recession took hold, leaving no ELLIS, Henry Havelock (1859-1939) money for grandiose regeneration schemes, 14 Dover Mansions, Canterbury Crescent so the planners moved on in a huff, feeling that

JAMES, C.L.R. (1901-1989) we hadn’t sufficiently appreciated what they 165 Railton Road were trying to do for us!

LENO, Dan (1860-1904) Brixton was left to continue quietly rotting 56 Akerman Road down, and the local economy to slide slowly SZABO, Violette, G.C. (1921-1945) down the drain. It really hit home when I came 18 Burnley Road back from studying at college and joined the largest community development agency then operating in the Brixton area, the Central

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Local History Focus

Lambeth Project. The young people that I was maintain the houses or fix up new ones unless increasingly working with were homeless, we had a regular income stream. The old jobless and directionless. Prospects of jobs, houses were in continual need of repair, so we training or a future seemed remote. My tested our collective knowledge of “do it response as a long-time activist was a yourself” to the limit. practical one – help to provide the basics. The Friday rent round could be horrendous. We would meet up at my house in Rattray Road, reasonably central to the houses that we controlled, and before leaving we would fortify ourselves with a strong beverage. We had houses in Mayall and Railton Roads, Arlingford and Brailsford Roads, and back to Stockwell including Hubert Grove and Landor Road. We also had a block of houses that comprised the Rasta community in St. Agnes Place, by Park. These were our most serious problem as one would have to enter into an extended reasoning session with the residents about why it was necessary for them to pay rent, because “Rasta no deal with Babylon”. In principle they would not pay, so the problem was insurmountable! Their houses were rapidly falling into disrepair, and we could not use other residents’ rents to fix their properties. Worse, one of the brethren, who lived in a room at the top of one house, The former Black Horse pub in Brixton Road – decided to light a fire made from wood closed c.1966 and the upper part later used as chopped from the trees in the nearby park, in offices by the Central Lambeth Project. the middle of his room. Of course the house

By this time, large areas around Brixton were nearly burnt down with him and several others populated with empty properties awaiting an in it, so we decided to call a halt. uncertain future. With the help of an African The Rasta would have to take over named Ade Yonyin who’d learned the art of responsibility for the houses themselves and squatting in the East End of London, we negotiate with “Babylon” or at least Lambeth quickly accumulated a property portfolio of 50 Council. We set up meetings and some houses. We did basic repairs to them and let dialogue took place but the Housing them to homeless people. We negotiated an Department was so intimidated by the agreement with Lambeth Council to give us dreadlocked brethren – there were no black the legal right to occupy the houses, and set staff in those days – that the Rastas were left up a basic management system with rent to tend their gardens for the next 30 years, books and all the other accoutrements of an only belatedly being evicted by Lambeth a efficient administration. couple of years ago. If they had only been

able to deal with Babylon, they could have It didn’t always run smoothly. Myself and two claimed ownership of the houses due to the other colleagues – Dave Davis, a motor bike length of time they had occupied them! loving practical Englishman from Shropshire, and Rasta Brother Neville Warsop, a Brixtonite The only other major incident that occurred, since arriving with his parents in the 1950s – before the organisation merged with Ujima and toured our empire every Friday night, to collect became a registered social landlord, was rents from all the houses. This was an when we became aware that some of the absolute necessity because we could not tenants in a house in Arlingford Road had

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Local History Focus invited Sir Coxsone to play at the house one business in Devon? Certainly neither is Saturday. We spoke to the people concerned moonlighting as Director-General of Western on the Friday and pointed out their Australia’s Department of Justice. At least two responsibilities under their tenancy with us, of us are academics, in ecclesiastical history at and that the house was not in good enough Durham and at Staffordshire’s University in condition to withstand such treatment. They business studies. Other careers that I could decided not to heed our warnings, and after have had include electrical engineer, returning home in the early hours after hypnotherapist, trade union official, pensions finishing the rent round, I received a phone call consultant, RAF air traffic controller and film from a neighbour summoning me to the site cameraman. I am listed as a company director urgently. I threw my clothes back on and in Berkhamstead (Hants.) and Southwold rushed round to find that the frail old house (Suffolk). What other selves do in Stevenage, had not been able to withstand the Sir Coxone Watford and Newcastle-upon-Tyne is unclear. bass culture and a hundred pounding feet – the first floor had fallen into the basement! Perhaps I could borrow highlights from some Fortunately there were no serious injuries, but of these “parallel lives” to enhance my own there could have been fatalities. CV, since I appear to have distinguished myself variously in professional cycling, Times are now very different and work with korfball, clay pigeon shooting, bowls and young people today happens at places like the bridge, which could be why I am also listed as Stephen Lawrence Centre, certainly not any president of a community sports centre in kind of short-life property. It’s a first class Bristol. Schools or colleges in Eltham (SE9), facility, trying to equip youngsters for a career Sheffield, Edinburgh and North Wales all claim in creative industries, just as earlier we tried to me as a former student. However, I deny any equip young people with skills in the building knowledge of the Brackley & District brass trades. band, and I cannot recall the time spent in Wincanton, restoring the bodywork on a 1927 Parallel Lives Sunbeam Tourer. The pitfalls of family history Allan Piper features as a photo journalist in a research on the worldwide web recent crime novel, which could embarrass the real journalist who spells his name that way On a rare quiet afternoon between Christmas too. That coincidence suggests the scope for and New Year, I fed my own name into Google creating an alibi for myself by borrowing a to see what came up, and discovered a whole namesake’s identity. Thus I can prove I was at series of doppelgangers scattered around the a meeting of the SE Counties superannuation th country. It’s always a risk with a “trade” officers’ group on 15 March 2009 – after all, surname that unrelated people with the same my name is recorded in their minutes! or similar names will show up when family Even without relying on modern websites, it’s historians search through any record system. all too easy to pick up the wrong trail and It’s not obvious how many Alan Pipers there muddle two biographies. Several years ago we are with a web presence, or which is which. were sent a carefully-researched monograph After all, entries embrace not only the day job on Henry Budd, who is commemorated on that but also leisure interests, publishing, politics, big stone memorial between the Town Hall and re-union links from school, college or and Windrush Square. Sadly the author had military service. So several interwoven picked the wrong Budd, so to speak, which is biographies are building up on the web as why we did not publish it, but it’s a lesson to more references are added, but it can be bear in mind for your own researches. difficult to unpick the different strands. Alan Piper. Surely the proprietor of the Sun Hotel in Coniston is not also running a sand and gravel

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Green Issues Roundup

Open Gardens Myatt’s Fields Recycling To the east of Brixton, the Dulwich Society has run an Park update Lambeth has made several Open Gardens scheme for The recent renovation of the changes to domestic refuse several years, now with an park included setting up the collection arrangements, to excellent guide book to Little Cat Cafe in a little boost the percentage of what’s open and when. The building near the bandstand. waste that goes for recycling scheme has begun to So far opening times have rather than land-fill. At last spread beyond Dulwich depended on the availability we can recycle a wider itself, so we ought to of volunteers, but recently range of plastic containers, mention those in easy reach the Walcott Foundation and but strangely not aluminium the Big Lottery Fund have foil (once a by-word for Just beyond Brockwell Park agreed to support staffing salvage drives) nor cooking at 323 Norwood Road, the the cafe and developing oil – though people are South London Botanical local sources of food. The starting to run vehicles on it! Institute has openings on: cafe will now be open 1 pm to 5 pm Thursday to Sunday However it’s better Saturday 7th May (plant each week. described as one step sale) 11 am to 1 pm; forward and two steps back. Thursday 26 May (open Brixton Green Lambeth has threatened to evening) 6 pm to 8 pm. take a tougher line over keeping it local what goes into which bin, Sunday 12 June. 2 – 5 pm; but in the negative Council We have been trying to get way that gives recycling a to grips with several of the Sunday 26 June, 2 – 5 pm bad name. It’s now declining ideas in the Localism Bill (an NGS opening at £2). to haul wheely-bins out of which has begun its journey front gardens, so we can through Parliament. Much 93 Palace Road, SW2 will look forward to even more of stress is placed on planning open its garden from 12 them obstructing the rd for and by Neighbourhoods noon to 5 pm on Sunday 3 pavements. And why are but without defining what July (NGS opening at £3). most of them 240 litres size they are. It looks as if just when most of our waste can The smallest entry must be two or three people could go for recycling instead? Linda Jackson’s balcony claim to act in the name of a Surely the best incentive to herb garden at 199 neighbourhood without recycle would be a return to Dumbarton Court, Brixton asking their neighbours! In the traditional size dustbin of Hill SW2, open Saturday 23 Brixton we no longer have 90 litres? Then you would & Sunday 24 July, 2 pm to even a local forum like those have to be selective about 5 pm, admission £1. Enter in Streatham or Herne Hill what went into it. Or even from Felsberg Road SW2. as a basis for consensus. give us separate bins for Linda has recently written a Brixton Green has bold recycling, as other councils Herbal Teas Recipe Book ideas for the south side of already do? published at £5 (+ p & p) by Somerleyton Road, SW9. Surely a second step back authorhouse.com and also They are trying to broaden is charging for garden waste available via Amazon (and local support by offering £1 collection. A real incentive perhaps soon via Lambeth shares to up to 5000 local to return to the traditional Libraries, ISBN 978 1 4389 residents. Shares available garden bonfire instead – 3867 7). from Opus Cafe at 89 Acre never mind the extra carbon Contact her on 07 951 252 Lane, SW2, or see dioxide and fumes arising! 089 or www.brixtongreen.org [email protected]

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Notes and News

A LATE REMINDER London on Film The Film Club at Minet Library has a summer During Friday, Saturday and Sunday, series of monthly screenings of films with a 15-17 April at Brockwell Hall in London background, all free at 6-30 pm on the Brockwell Park, selected pictures from first Tuesday of the month: Lambeth Archives collection will be on rd display. The original drawings, paintings Blow Up – Tuesday 3 May: and prints were shown at the last Archives Antonioni’s film of 1960s London, with many Open Day, but otherwise are rarely seen. South London settings – look out for a brief appearance of Stockwell Road when most of it Open 10-30 to 4-30 pm daily, on the was painted bright red! ground floor adjacent to the cafe. Young Soul Rebels – 7th June: A few more short art exhibitions will be taking Another film featuring a murder in a South place in the Hall later in the year – see the London Park, but the context and music have programme at www.madforbrockwellpark.com moved on to 1991. Friends of Brockwell Park. 10 Rillington Place – 5th July: Sombre times in post-war Inner London, with Libraries Review Richard Attenborough as the landlord and Although Lambeth Council had highlighted murderer. some branch libraries for closure, for the time being it’s business as usual while a review of the whole Library service is carried out. Decisions are now due in July, but by then a quarter of the financial year (and funds) will have gone, so the cuts could be even more drastic unless the Council switches resources from elsewhere. Lambeth was planning to cut £75,000 a year from its libraries budget. Only 5% of the budget is spent on stock – not just books but also CDs etc., which explains why the choice of titles is so thin these days. Upkeep of library buildings has also been London Mayor Boris Johnson joined in a under-resourced for years, about 20%. The ceremony on Sunday 10 April to dedicate the biggest element is staff, so library opening site for the Black Cultural Archives fronting hours are likely to be at risk even if outright onto Windrush Square. Building work starts closures can be avoided. shortly with a view to opening in 2012. For updates see www.bcaheritage.org.uk Friends of Tate Library Brixton Friends are meeting on Wednesday 20 Vida Walsh Centre Open Day April at 6 pm. Although the Library will be closed at that time, we have permission to Meanwhile, on the opposite side of Saltoun Road... Age UK Lambeth (as they are now meet then. We will share the latest news called) have been managing the Centre since on the Council’s plans for its libraries, and July 2009. They are holding an Open Day at try to form a proper committee. Vanessa the Centre on Saturday 30 April, from 1 pm – has had to give up the role of Secretary 4 pm. There will be an Arts and Crafts Fair on due to work commitments, so we need to the lawn in front of the block, and refreshments share the tasks of organising the group. served in the Centre itself.

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