CAMBERWELL QUARTERLY The magazine of the Camberwell Society No 192 Spring 2017 £1.50 (free to members) www.camberwellsociety.org.uk From public house to artist’s studio – p6 The mustard seed effect – p9 Tracing the history of St Giles Churchyard since 1717 – p12 Contents Gazette Report from the Chair ............3 LOCAL SOCIETIES, VENUES AND EVENTS The new Theatre Peckham ....4 We recommend checking details Profile: Mat Collishaw ..........6 Table tennis for Alzheimer’s ..8 Brunswick Park Neighbourhood Nunhead Cemetery Tenants and Residents Association Linden Grove, SE15. Friends of The mustard seed effect ........9 Patricia Ladly 7703 7491 Nunhead Cemetery (FONC) [email protected] 020 8693 6191 St Giles churchyard history ..12 www.fonc.org.uk Burgess Park, Friends of Obit: Stephen Humphrey......15 www.friendsofburgesspark.org.uk Peckham Society Letters ..................................16 [email protected] Peter Frost 020 8613 6757 Sunday 23 April, 3pm, AGM; 3.30pm Community Council Report....17 Butterfly Tennis Club Sydenham Hill Woods. Meet at www.butterflytennis.com Goose Green Centre Planning Comments ............18 Camberwell Arts www.peckhamsociety.org.uk Directory ..............................19 Promoting the arts in Camberwell Ruskin Park, Friends of ,and Camberwell in the Arts Doug Gillies 020 7703 5018 [email protected] www.camberwellarts.org.uk SE5 Forum THE CAMBERWELL SE5Forum.org.uk SOCIETY Camberwell Gardens Guild [email protected] MEMBERSHIP & EVENTS Membership enquiries to: Pat Farrugia, 17 Kirkwood Road South London Gallery Membership is open to anyone who SE15 3XT 65 Peckham Road SE5. Open: Tuesday to Sunday – 12pm-6pm, lives, works or is interested in Carnegie Library, Friends of Camberwell. closed on Monday [email protected] or www.southlondongallery.org The Executive Committee is elected [email protected] (for annually at the Society’s AGM. memberhip queries) Southwark Friends of the Earth Meetings of the Executive Stephanie & Jim Lodge Committee are usually held on the Concerts in St Giles’Church 020 7701 3331. Emails: first Thursday of the month – please Camberwell Church Street [email protected] contact the Secretary for details. [email protected] [email protected] Members are welcome to attend as observers with prior notice to the Cuming Museum St Giles, Friends of Secretary, Robert Wainwright (see Old Walworth Town Hall, 16 Sears Street, SE5 7JL inside back cover for contact details). 151 Walworth Road, SE17 1RY [email protected] 020 7525 2332 Sub-Committees on planning, the www.southwark.gov.uk/Discover- Wells Way Triangle Residents public realm, traffic and Southwark/Museums transport, publications and local Association history form an important part of Dulwich Picture Gallery Andrew Osborne the Society’s work and all members College Road, SE21 7AD [email protected] are welcome to involve themselves 020 8693 5254 in areas which interest them. www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Forthcoming Events Herne Hill Society AGM Jeffrey Doorn 020 7274 7008 Date and venue to be advised Membership: Herne Hill Society Open Gardens Day PO Box 27845, SE24 9XA Sunday, 4 June www.hernehillsociety.org.uk Visit us on Facebook Lambethans’ Society See Brixton Society website www.brixtonsociety.org.uk The views expressed in the Maudsley Learning Camberwell Quarterly are not ORTUS learning and events centre, necessarily those of the Society unless 82-96 Grove Lane, SE5 8SN clearly stated as such. The www.maudsleylearning.com Camberwell Society is a registered charity (No 264751). Minet Conservation Association 020 7737 8210 Cover: Insecticides by Mat Collishaw. www.minet.fsnet.co.uk How is it achieved? (See page 6.) 192.2 Report from the Chair We try to make Camberwell a better place to live and work am often asked the question, please let me know. “What does the Camberwell We will be holding our Annual ISociety actually do?” General Meeting in May. The precise Well, the Society works closely date and venue will be advised nearer with other stakeholders with an the time. If you have an interest in interest in making Camberwell a the Society and would be interested better place to live and work. For in joining the Executive Committee, example, in the last few months we then do get in touch. We are always have joined forces with on the look-out for people wanting to representatives of the Herne Hill and help, be it with matters such as Dulwich Societies to engage with Nick Holt planning, or the organisation of Govia Thameslink Railways about events such as the Christmas party or conditions at Denmark Hill station, that their wish to see traffic on major Open Gardens Day. and the urgent need for a second through routes flowing freely often Open Gardens Day this year will entrance and exit. Although things directly goes against the wishes of take place on Sunday 4 June. This is seem to move at a glacial pace, we local residents when faced with always an enjoyable afternoon and a are confident that our efforts, with increasing traffic on residential roads. chance for members to visit what are those of others, will have a result. I suspect that this is a battle that has a usually hidden gardens in and around We also engage with local long way to run. Camberwell. If you are interested in politicians – Southwark’s councillors Our planning committee is also opening your garden for a few hours are always willing to listen to our reviewing and commenting on the that Sunday afternoon then please let views, and to help and assist where draft of the new Southwark Plan. me know. possible. Recently we also met with This is an important document that Florence Eshalomi, the member of will effectively set the tone for the Nick Holt the London Assembly for Lambeth future development and [email protected] and Southwark. Florence has redevelopment of the Camberwell responsibility for transport matters town centre. We hope to cover this in (among other things) and so Denmark more detail in a future issue of the STAINED GLASS Hill station and the reopening of Quarterly. Camberwell Station are high on her To other matters. The Camberwell WINDOWS agenda. We were also able to raise Society now has a Facebook page. with her issues such as the levels of Do look at it if you are a user of noise in the roads surrounding the Facebook; we will make more use of many bus garages that are located in it in the future as a means of Camberwell. communicating with members and TfL does seem to exercise a potential members. We will also be considerable amount of power when looking at ways of revitalising our it comes to traffic matters in and website – if any member would like around Camberwell, with the result to get involved with this can they Traditional and VACANCY: CHAIR OF TRUSTEES Modern Designs of a small Camberwell charity working with adults with learning Repairs and Restoration disabilities. Based at Trinity College Centre, SE15 6EF. You will be responsible for the oversight and governance of the charity – For a Free Consultation Call managing two part time staff and chairing nine meetings per annum. 07791 620011 Voluntary basis, expenses covered. Starting by June 2017. For an information pack or to apply please contact Tom by emailing [email protected] [email protected] www.angidriver.co.uk 192.3 Theatre Peckham From Peckham to Hollywood It is a hard life. But for some young people there is no choice. Performing is their vocation”. Sitting in the light drenched dance studio of the new Theatre Peckham, Artistic Director Teresa Early reflects on the talent and resilience that makes pupils succeed, as did Star “Wars lead actor John Boyega who was a pupil here. The company’s new £2.47m building in Havil Street opened in October 2016. Its multi-purpose foyer and café, 200-seat theatre, two studios and office space are a vast improvement on Theatre Peckham’s home since 1991 – the old Havil Street Civic Hall. That brick building with its pitched roof and dormer windows was full of character, but too small. It was often crammed with eager students whose parents would jam the corridor queuing for the end-of-term performance. But the Civic Hall was a step up from St Luke’s Church Hall on the Teresa Early, founder and Artistic Director of Theatre Peckham in the new North Peckham Estate, where Teresa Dance classroom founded what was then called New Peckham Varieties in 1985. Why a recognise now”) and a Guildhall Cassandra, who became a singer. performing arts school? “As a mum graduate. Living in Peckham, she Now over 400 attend sessions. with three children, I could see there knew the needs of the local The new building just behind the was no place for dance, drama, voice community. She taught English and Old Town Hall on Peckham Road in the area.” Teresa is a former drama at Crofton and John Donne easily accommodates this number of dancer (“ballet in Richard Tauber-type schools and at local nurseries. The pupils. It was built and paid for by musicals – nothing you would school started with one pupil, Alumno Developments as part of a 192.4 Theatre Peckham Section106 planning gain agreement Teresa says “We teach speech – for into recent murders and anti-social which granted Alumno permission to pupils with strong south London behaviour on the Green. In the foyer, turn the Town Hall into student accents, who do not recognise the the local Citizens Advice Bureau, accommodation, artists’ studios and phonetic sounds used when they are cycle campaigners, planners and a café. taught to read, this is very helpful.” local befriending services all manned The Theatre Peckham building is This builds self-confidence.