CAMBERWELL QUARTERLY The magazine of the Camberwell Society No 197 Summer 2018 £1.50 (free to members) www.camberwellsociety.org.uk Open Gardens Day – p10 Jenny Eclair – p5 Seavington House – p8 The Promenade – p12 Contents Gazette Report from the Chair . .3 Camberwell Station . .4 LOCAL SOCIETIES, VENUES AND EVENTS Tribute to Nick Holt . .4 We recommend checking details Local author Jenny Eclair . .5 Restaurant Reviews: Fladda . .6 www.stgilescambewell.org Nunhead Cemetery Good Neighbour . .7 Brunswick Park Neighbourhood Linden Grove, SE15. Friends of Seavington House . .8 Tenants and Residents Association Nunhead Cemetery (FONC) Wyndham Road’s White Elephant .9 Patricia Ladly 7703 7491 020 8693 6191 Open Gardens Day pictorial . .10 [email protected] w ww.fonc.org.uk The Promenade . .12 This and That . .15 Burgess Park, Friends of Peckham Society Letters . .16 www.friendsofburgesspark.org.uk Peter Frost 020 8613 6757 Book Review: Camberwell from old [email protected] Sunday 16 August, 2pm, Peckham Photos . .18 Walk. Meet at Peckham Rye Station Mary Boast Prize . .18 Butterfly Tennis Club www.peckhamsociety.org.uk Directory . .19 www.butterflytennis.com Ruskin Park, Friends of Doug Gillies 020 7703 5018 Camberwell Arts Promoting the arts in Camberwell SE5 Forum THE CAMBERWELL and Camberwell in the Arts SE5Forum.org.uk SOCIETY [email protected] [email protected] MEMBERSHIP & EVENTS www.camberwellarts.org.uk South London Gallery Membership is open to anyone who 65 Peckham Road SE5. Open: Camberwell Gardens Guild Tuesday to Sunday – 12pm-6pm, lives, works or is interested in Membership enquiries to: Camberwell. closed on Monday Pat Farrugia, 17 Kirkwood Road, www.southlondongallery.org The Executive Committee is elected SE15 3XT annually at the Society’s AGM. Southwark Friends of the Earth Meetings of the Executive Carnegie Library, Friends of Stephanie & Jim Lodge Committee are usually held on the [email protected] or 020 7701 3331. Emails: first Thursday of the month – please [email protected] (for [email protected] contact the Secretary for details. membership queries) [email protected] Members are welcome to attend as observers with prior notice to the St Giles, Friends of Secretary, Robert Wainwright (see Concerts in St Giles’ Church 16 Sears Street, SE5 7JL inside back cover for contact details). Camberwell Church Street [email protected] [email protected] www.stgilescambewell.org Sub-Committees on planning, the public realm, traffic and transport, publications and local Dulwich Picture Gallery Wells Way Triangle Residents history form an important part of College Road, SE21 7AD Association the Society’s work and all members 020 8693 5254. Andrew Osborne are welcome to involve themselves www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk [email protected] in areas which interest them. Herne Hill Society Forthcoming Events Jeffrey Doorn 020 7274 7008 Historic Walk Membership: Herne Hill Society Details to be advised PO Box 27845, SE24 9XA Christmas Party Monday, 3 December www.hernehillsociety.org.uk Lambethans’ Society Visit us on Facebook See Brixton Society website www.brixtonsociety.org.uk Maudsley Learning ORTUS learning and events centre, The views expressed in the 82-96 Grove Lane, SE5 8SN Camberwell Quarterly are not www.maudsleylearning.com necessarily those of the Society unless clearly stated as such. The Camberwell Society is a registered Minet Conservation Association Cover: A wall of roses seen on on charity (No 264751). 020 7737 8210 Open Gardens Day. More blooms on www.minet.fsnet.co.uk page 10. Photo:Elaine Clarke 2 Report from the Chair Meet Nick Mair, the Society’s new Chairman all, energetic Nick Mair strode across Camberwell Green; whipping off a red facemask Tto explain his journey from guerilla gardener to Chair of the Camberwell Society. The mask was for a press photo highlighting pollution from traffic on the Green as part of the campaign to reopen Camberwell Station. Nick is keen on Camberwell’s green agenda. It was planting the verges in Stories Mews and McNeill Road that first brought him to the attention of the Society. That was some 14 years ago when Nick, wife Camilla, their son and daughter moved to Camberwell from Fulham. Stories Mews was then a mess, a local dumping ground. Nick started by clearing rubbish. He planted seeds donated by his Somerset based parents. Then neighbours joined in. Now some 30 people have donated plants, including a mother who travels from Reading Nick Mair and his homemade solar stove to see her Camberwell son, bringing with her fig trees and plants for annually and getting to know its Place in Camberwell and green McNeil Road. nooks and crannies planting through grants from Engaging others is one of Nick’s l Promoting Camberwell history Southwark’s Greener Cleaner Safer skills – perhaps learnt from 19 years in primary schools by producing a Fund. as a teacher. As Director of Languages resource that is helpful for Nick is not blind to the problems at a local school he sets novel oral hard-pressed teachers of Camberwell. He knows the local tests – a helicopter carrying an l The Peckham to Camberwell people who help the police sweep for injured patient has only three minutes Creative Corridor. Southwark has knives hidden by gang members, sees of fuel left, you are in the Control been awarded £50k by the Greater the shuttered shops in Camberwell Room, what do you say to the London Authority to investigate Church Street and takeaway helicopter pilot – in French? His establishing London’s first Creative wrappings littering the Green but enthusiasm for instruction was Enterprise Zone along the Peckham says “there is no point just moaning”. apparent at last year’s Open Gardens Road which would stimulate growth The answer, in his view, is to bring Day when he demonstrated a in creative industries through skills, together competent people with a homemade solar stove. An training, education, and work spaces. deep knowledge or commitment to enthusiastic cyclist, he pedals down l A visual reality corridor to guide Camberwell, who know the issues Greendale to work every day and patients from Denmark Hill station and have the right skill sets to make volunteers for the local Bike Project to King’s, perhaps a phone app change, as the Society has been which fixes up bikes for refugees. showing the famous people who doing since 1970. Nick, who took over as Chair of have lived here Stories Mews is a good example the Society from Nick Holt in May, l A new entrance to Denmark Hill of the Mair philosophy: “When people enthuses about the need to safeguard Station to relieve the overcrowding get involved with things locally the Camberwell’s architecture, creativity and consequent stress area tends to get better. ” The weekly and mix of “hugely interesting l Affordable space for businesses tidy up of a bin bag full of of rubbish people”. He says: “It’s essential that and artists has dwindled to less than a carrier Camberwell has a clear identity and l Camberwell Society Blue Plaques bag and the former dumpsite is now does not get subsumed into East in shop windows showing previous blooming – tulips and spurges in the Dulwich, Peckham and Brixton,” uses of the premises based on the spring followed by Bears Breeches and he reels off multiple projects and successful scheme in West Norwood and chrysanthemums in summer –a ideas from the Society and its run by the Norwood Society to truly green result. members which would help encourage people to engage with demonstrate the areas uniqueness: local history l Beating the bounds of Camberwell l More pocket spaces like Datchelor Marie Staunton 3 Camberwell Station Reopen Camberwell Station, say campaigners The Camberwell Station group, pictured on Camberwell Green, is supported by many local families Photo: Paul Odulate upporters of reopening convince Minster for Transport Jo would provide a time-saving of 15 Camberwell Station donned Johnson that using the train rather minutes for those travelling from anti-pollution masks at than cars and buses will improve Camberwell to Elephant and Castle. SCamberwell Green in May to local air quality. They are briefing Users already on the train would highlight air pollution levels that are local MPs Harriet Harman and Helen experience an average delay of only twice the legal EU limit in the centre Hayes, who will hand the Minister a 42 seconds (and only on those trains of Camberwell. Traffic is a major 2,000-signature petition to reopen the that stopped at Camberwell). The source of air pollution in the area and Camberwell station. study says that this change reopening the Camberwell railway Campaigner Sophy Tayler, who “arguably… would not be noticed station, which closed in 1919, could obtained the background planning by existing users”. provide a cleaner transport alternative, documents and comments, says: According to Tayler: “More rail they say. “We are worried TfL is shunting this users come from outside London The SE5 Forum won access (via important project into the sidings. than get on at Camberwell, so we a Feedom of Information request) to The studies fail to take seriously don’t get a high enough BCR studies showing clean air is not a traffic pollution, slow bus services, (Benefit Cost Ratio) to boost the priority in TfL’s analysis of the growing population and difficult business case for reopening. But this benefit of reopening the station. access to hospitals in Camberwell.” could mean inner-city Camberwell Campaigners, backed by the According to the SE5 Forum, the never gets a meaningful chance to Camberwell Society, will now aim to studies suggest the train service improve transport options and air quality.” Locals are now asking for a say in the economic and social assessment Nick Holt: an outstanding Chairman of the local benefits that they believe ost following up on decisions, his keen TfL’s business case should provide.