HERNE HILL THE MAG A ZINE OF THE HERNE HILL SOCIET Y❧ ISSUE 132❧ AU TUMN
ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR!
▶ Lambeth Country Show Picture Special - See Pages 14-15
❧2015 ❧£2
t Ge ur yo py co day to
ALL GO AT THE FED UP WITH VELODROME THE RUBBiSH ▶ Plans for the new pavilion but funding still needed - Turn to Page 3
▶ Have you had enough of the dirty streets? - Turn to Page 5
Sry THERE’S MORE ON THE U PFLull dviaents MENU IN HERNE HILL fe o
▶ Focus on the new bars and restaurants - Turn to Pages 12-13
THE HERNE HILL SOCIETY
THE COMMITTEE President Chair Vice Chair Secretary Treasurer
Bill Kirby Colin Wight chair@hernehillsociety.org.uk Laurence Marsh vicechair@hernehillsociety.org.uk Jeff Doorn secretary@hernehillsociety.org.uk Rosalind Glover treasurer@hernehillsociety.org.uk
Committee
Cynthia Anderson John Brunton Stephen Carlill Ian McInnes Sheila Northover Elizabeth Ochagavia Jackie Plumridge Pat Roberts Val Suebsaeng
Magazine
Mike Richards
CONTENTS
COMMENTS & ENQUIRIES To advertise in the Magazine advertising@hernehillsociety.org.uk To contribute to or comment on the Magazine editor@hernehillsociety.org.uk To comment on planning or licensing issues environmental@hernehillsociety.org.uk To order a publication publications@hernehillsociety.org.uk Membership enquiries membership@hernehillsociety.org.uk Local history enquiries localhistory@hernehillsociety.org.uk Herne Hill notice boards noticeboard@hernehillsociety.org.uk Website webeditor@hernehillsociety.org.uk Community safety publicsafety@hernehillsociety.org.uk Other issues enquiries@hernehillsociety.org.uk Postal and online addresses The Herne Hill Society, PO Box 27845, LONDON SE24 9XA hernehillsociety.org.uk Twitter @hernehillsoc
facebook.com/hernehillsociety
Copy deadline for the autumn issue is 1 November, 2015. Opinions expressed in the Magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the Herne Hill Society Committee, which likewise does not approve or endorse the quality or suitability of any goods or services advertised in the Magazine.
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It’s all go at the velodrome 3 Herne Hill Music Festival 4 Yet more rubbish 5 Outfoxed! 6 See hear, oral history project 6 Making of South London 7 The Clink — Restaurant review 9 Magna Carta 11 Tale of a ticket 11 There’s more on the menu 12-13 Sun shines on the show 14-15 Transport News 16 Napoleon’s draughtsman 17 Death of a Stewardess 19 On track for a new shed 21 Planning & Licensing
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Diary of Events Herne Hill Society and other events
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Councillors & MP List of contacts
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ADVERTISING
Advertising space is available in this Magazine for local businesses. Contact Liz Ochagavia by e-mail on: advertising@hernehillsociety.org.uk
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
NEWS
IT’S ALL GO AT THE VELODROME
Pictures courtesy of Phil Ripley, ripleyphotographer.co.uk
Helen Hayes MP with HHV chair Hillary Peachey (left), and the plans for the new pavilion (right), a far cry from the boarded-up grandstand (below) Herne Hill Velodrome (HHV) Trust Chair Hillary Peachey was delighted to announce, on 25 June, that the Trust has been given the green light to build a new pavilion, to replace the Velodrome’s disused grandstand. Southwark Councillors approved the plans unanimously at their 2 June Planning Committee. The Dulwich Estate has agreed heads of terms for a 99-year lease on the site, with some restrictions. And Sport England, London Marathon Trust, Southwark Council and the Mayor of London’s Fund have promised funding totalling £1.8 million. So a big thank-you to all who have worked to make this possible. The tendering process for contractors is proceeding with the aim of starting to clear the grandstand part of the site in late 2015, building during winter/spring, and opening the new pavilion and rearranged cycle storage, in summer 2016, in time for the Velodrome’s 125th Birthday Celebrations (1891–2016). However, further fund-raising will be needed to fit out the new changing rooms, showers, etc. and coaches’ office, on the lower floor, and multiuse/training space, meeting room and kitchen upstairs.
How the new pavilion will look Meanwhile, cycling at HHV goes from strength to strength, with more than 49,000 coached cyclist attendances in the past year: two-year olds on balance bikes; children up to 16 at the HHYCC Saturday morning off-road sessions; school sessions and holiday camps; track induction, training and racing for juniors and adults; women only, seniors and road bike sessions; and Wheels for Wellbeing sessions for less able cyclists. All at modest prices, with cycles and helmets provided. At the annual Senior Team Championships on 12 July, organised by the Friends of HHV, the Trust was delighted to welcome Helen Hayes, our new MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, with her family, and introduce her to some
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
of the cyclists, coaches and Trustees. Helen has been a Southwark Councillor for College Ward for a number of years, so it was great to show her the resurfaced main track, new inner track and games area, and track lighting, all achieved since her last visit in 2010 at the start of our Save the Velodrome campaign. Herne Hill resident Fred Wright, who spoke so eloquently of the importance of HHV at the launch of that campaign in 2010, has just won the Junior National Road Race in Glasgow and become BC National Youth Omnium champion. He has been selected to represent Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Tbilisi, Georgia, following the wheels of Sir Bradley Wiggins, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell – all previous HHV juniors! So why not come to the Velodrome at 104 Burbage Road and try cycling again? The full session schedule is on www. hernehillvelodrome.com. You can support us by becoming a Friend of HHV (£10/ year) or making a donation See www.hhvt.org (charity no. 1140128) and click on FHHV or Donate. Charmian Hornsby (HHVT Trustee)
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NEWS
Harmony Sinfonia will join Bob Wood (above) and Renato D’Aiello at the festival, along with Jessops Violins (below inset)
Something for everyone AT THE MUSIC FESTIVAL The Festival aims to be bigger and better even than in 2014, and to bring a wide range of good music to audiences in Herne Hill and across South London. It offers several types of music and events this year: Jazz — On Friday 16 October Jazz star Renato D’Aiello is at the Off The Cuff club. He follows a ‘come and play’ session at the same venue hosted by Head’s Up the previous Monday and Greenhouse Jazz in the Brockwell Park Greenhouses, with singer Harriet Eaves. Classical — Saturday evenings are given over to classical music. On Saturday 10 October brass quartet Meridian
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Brass play in a fundraising concert for charity Practical Action. On Saturday 17 October there is a symphony orchestra in the Festival for the first time. Harmony Sinfonia from Lewisham will perform Dvorak’s ‘New World’ Symphony, Bruch’s Violin Concerto, and more. On Thursday 15 October the Eusebius String Quartet perform Haydn, Beethoven and Debussy. Folk, guitar music, and poetry — There are three evenings of great music at the Prince Regent pub. The Festival opens on Friday 9 October with The Singers and their Songs, on Tuesday 13 October there is Gorgeous Guitars, with music
in three contrasting styles, and on Thursday 15 October Sonnet and Skiffle.
professional opera singers. It is funded by Dulwich Community Council.
Bob Wood School Ensembles — Talent from local schools perform on Saturday 10 October, with music from Rosendale and Jessop Schools and Southwark Children’s Brass Band. On Saturday 17 October the choir of Herne Hill School will perform in their new hall backed by an orchestra.
Other events include — Music in the Park: On Sunday 11 October in Brockwell Park: Classical guitar, Bandstand music, and Jazz. Library Music: On Saturday 10 October the Clarinet Consort perform at the Carnegie Library. Harvest Evensong: This year at St Faith’s Church on Sunday 11 October, with Guy’s Chapel Choir. Family Concert: On Saturday 17 October, Suzuki Strings and Impact Dance present an afternoon for the whole family to enjoy and join in. Full programme and tickets: www.hernehillfestival.org Alan Taylor
Community Opera — The newly-written Peasants’ Opera about the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt will be performed on Wednesday 14 October by a choir and orchestra from Charter School and four
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
NEWS
THERE IS YET MORE RUBBISH!
We have lived in Herne Hill for 38 years. Although we often like to refer to Herne Hill as a village, not all changes have been for the better. Brockwell Park is having to work extra hard to make up for a shortfall in Council finances; hence we are having more and more events, which seem to leave a deluge of rubbish behind for local residents to blink at. Dog-walkers find it difficult to navigate their way through the park without their pets getting cut with broken glass and swallowing meat bones left behind after the weekend’s events. Herne Hill has become ever more popular with young professionals, visitors and families with children. As a result more restaurants and takeaways have sprung up, with the problems of additional rubbish, and a lot more strain has been put on the local infrastructure. The Lambeth refuse collection team (Streetcare) wants easy access to bins, hence the proliferation of commercialsized bins on our streets. By the end of each week, further “public rubbish” has been added. When the planning application for 128 Herne Hill (Academic House/Tesco) went through there was a fair amount of hostility to the opening of another supermarket. At the time, local residents were assured that there would be proper facilities inside the development for the refuse from the student flats and that there would be proper laundry facilities, bike-parking etc. Hence we were surprised and
Examples of the rubbish overflowing into the pavement outside Academic House and Tesco on Herne Hill
disappointed to see that, after the final building works had been completed, two commercial bins were put outside the building next to the pedestrian passage to the station. At the beginning of the week these bins are not so much of a problem, but by the time the weekend arrives they are overflowing. For six months we have been nagging Lambeth about these.
Lambeth Planning say they do not have permission and have directed the problem to Streetcare. Streetcare gave instructions for these bins to be removed on 1 June, but the enforcement team do not seem interested. We have now asked our MP to help to complete this saga once and for all. Watch this space... Julia Waller
Is this getting beyond a joke? Tell us what you think at facebook.com/hernehillsociety or @hernehillsoc. l Brockwell Park has retained its Green Flag award. The results for 2015–16 were announced in July and the Park, along with 10 other Lambeth-
based sites, was confirmed as having passed the standard. Brockwell Park has also won the “Bees’ Needs” Special Award for the work done there to help bees and other
pollinators. This includes the superb wildflower slope alongside the Lido, the new hedge planting and all the work in the Walled Garden and Community Garden.
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
First launched in 1996, the Green Flag Award scheme is the national standard for UK parks and open spaces, designed to encourage high environmental standards.
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NEWS
OUTFOXED!
l Readers of our Spring 2014 issue may recall how Simon King, a BBC Springwatch presenter, captured a burglar – on
the “fox camera” installed in a garden of a house in Hollingbourne Road. Widespread publicity, not least the live streaming
of the incident on King’s wildlife website, led to the identification of Nigel Batton, of Lewisham. In June, Batton was convicted
of one count of burglary and one of attempted burglary and was sentenced to four-and-a-half years’ imprisonment.
Introducing History Hear — an oral history project about Herne Hill, WHERE YOU CAN HELP
H
erne Hill is fortunate in that there are already several excellent publications by the Herne Hill Society describing the history of the area. But we know of no formal collection of audio recordings on the subject. Our project aims to fill that gap, and to make new recordings available to a wide audience, including younger people. Our aim is to collect and share short recordings about aspects of life in Herne Hill long gone – as well as memorable recent events such as celebrations and floods. We would like to interview people who have lived or worked here over a long period and are able to tell us about the pubs, shops, schools, churches, velodrome, lido and people associated
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with them, as well as past events that would be of interest to others. The project is being taken forward by the Herne Hill Forum with support from the Herne Hill Society. Interviews will be conducted by volunteers, some of whom have already received training through the British Library. Recordings will be edited so that the content and themes can be shared through websites, and other media such as CDs or DVDs. A small start-up budget is available but if the need for wider work emerges then additional funds may be sought. Our aim is that the material will ultimately be deposited with Lambeth and Southwark Archives. History Hear is led by a small team of volunteers and is still at an early stage –
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
many aspects will be developed as work progresses. We are keen to make contact with individuals and organisations who are interested in participating and who wish to learn more about what is involved and how they can help. As well as people who might be interviewed, we would also like to hear from anyone locally with relevant interviewing experience or audio and video editing skills. We are also keen to have copies of photos of Herne Hill taken after 1930 that we can use to prompt memories. For more information, contact Beth Taylor by email at beth.taylor@live.co.uk or on 020 7733 5031 or Colin Wight at colin@hernehillsociety.org.uk or on 020 7733 2573
NEWS
THE MAKING OF SOUTH LONDON
How it was born from marshes and aspiration
T
COME TO SIDCUP! Publicity to lure people to live in the new suburbs
he Herne Hill Society joined with the Brockwell Park Community Partners to host the first Thomas Lynn Bristowe Memorial Lecture on 6 June at Brockwell Hall. Len Reilly of Lambeth Archives delivered an illustrated talk on the development of the suburbs of South London. How the area has grown since medieval times was outlined as a complex process, dependent on many factors: the ownership and sale of land; the creation and retention of public space; demand fostered by changes in the labour market and family structure; geography of the area; and the creation of infrastructure to support new housing. We learned that south of the River Thames there were marshes which needed to be drained before they could be built upon. In what is now the Borough of Lambeth, landowners were slow to proceed with this drainage; whereas owners in what is now the Borough of Southwark moved more quickly.
Below is the original memorial to MP Thomas Lynn Bristowe
C
onsequently there was development around St George’s Fields from the late 18th century, and a few buildings from this time, such as the Imperial War Museum, are still with us. In Herne Hill a significant factor was that much of the land on the Southwark side was owned by the Dulwich Estate. Although most individual landowners wanted to make money from the sale of land, the Dulwich Estate stood out against suburban development and the railways for as long as they could. Demand for housing grew owing to the
increase in population and the development of the labour market. The word “aspiration”, currently very popular with our politicians, was a strong motivator of working people. During the 17th and 18th centuries people’s workplace and home was usually one and the same. From the end of the 18th century onwards people aspired to move away from their place of work: to live in a home of their own where they could
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
relax in peace and quiet. Herne Hill was fortunate to have as its MP Thomas Lynn Bristowe, elected in 1885 — a critical time in the development of the suburbs. He was strongly committed to the principle of establishing a large public space for the people of the area, to the point that he personally guaranteed the purchase price of the land for Brockwell Park. Tragically, he died at the very event arranged to celebrate the opening of the Park. Val Suebsaeng
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Planning & Licensing
the house to the detriment of the street environment. Lambeth refused permission. A Certificate of Lawful Development has been issued for a more acceptable version.
Pavement outside 294 Croxted Road Southwark have now accepted that the telecoms box recently installed does not have planning permission as it is considerably larger than the one approved. There is a long history of refusals, and appeals etc. in this location and it remains to be seen what action Southwark will actually take.
Herne Hill Neighbourhood Plan A group set up by the Herne Hill Forum is making progress with the early stages of a neighbourhood plan.
77 Herne Hill Another success for persistence with Southwark enforcement in that there has recently been a retrospective application for development at these premises. Southwark had previously maintained that works were simply refurbishment to the roof. Telecoms mast at the junction of Half Moon Lane and Village Way The Society and many others objected to this and it has been turned down by Southwark. Cressingham Gardens The Society has worked with other local groups to draw to Lambeth cabinet members the potential impact of the likely redevelopment of this estate on the Brockwell Park conservation area. 143 Herne Hill Road The Society has objected to an application for a hip to roof to gable roof extension which adversely affects the appearance of
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Changes in development rules The London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies, to which the Herne Hill Society is affiliated, has expressed great concern, as have a number of professional bodies, about proposed changes to permitted development rules. The previous government brought in a number of changes designed to help increase the number of residential units and to help the construction industry by giving more flexibility on residential extensions and measures to allow conversion of offices and business premises to residential. New measures now proposed include further extending rules to allow conversion of offices to flats by removing any time constraint, allowing demolition of offices and reuse of the sites for residential without the need for planning permission and to restrict the amount of affordable housing on such sites (to zero in some cases). The London Forum’s view is that the supply of small offices could rapidly dry up, as residential is clearly more profitable than business use. This could affect employment opportunities and fail to produce the type of housing that much of London needs. Most professional bodies believe that such measures will do little to increase the supply of housing where it is needed and, added to the manifesto commitment to force housing associations to sell off their properties, will seriously affect the supply of affordable housing and contribute to inner London turning into a location for wealthy overseas absentee owners, while denying lower-earning people the opportunity to live close to their work. Dee Dee’s, 77 Herne Hill David Taylor Licensing At a hearing held in Southwark Town Hall, the Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee carried out a review of Dee Dee’s Premise Licence. This followed an application made under Section 51 of the Licensing Act 2003. Having considered written and verbal representations from a number of parties, including from this Society, the Sub-Committee decided to make a number of changes to the premises’ licence conditions. They included: a four-week suspension of the licence; exclusion of live music; installation of a sound-limiting device; a number of measures, including sound insulation, to avoid noise escaping from the premises or being transmitted through the fabric of the building. The licence-holder was given 21 days to appeal from the date (23 July) he was notified of this decision. We understand that he has now lodged an appeal. John Brunton
DeATH OF A STEWARDESS ▶ A forgotten story from 100 years ago — Turn to Page 19
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
NEWS The dining area at HMP Brixton’s new restaurant, The Clink, a ‘unique experience’ where you need security clearance to book
So, Clink your glasses for this unlikely local Foodie experience
H
ere’s the concept restaurant you’ve been waiting for. You must provide your personal details 72 hours in advance and bring ID with you. On arrival you will be issued with a pass and may be searched or even fingerprinted. You can’t take a phone, camera, make-up or anything sharp in with you. Or chewing gum for that matter. It’s open for breakfast and lunch but not dinner. You’ll be using plastic cutlery, and no alcoholic drinks will be served. You can only pay by cheque. And the restaurant is surrounded by high walls and razor wire. The Clink, as its website promises, really does offer a “unique dining experience”. But now for the good news. The Clink at Brixton is tastefully decorated and furnished, and you are greeted and served by staff who are polite and genuinely grateful for your custom. There’s nothing austere or depressing about it, once you get the security procedures out of the way. The cutlery is in
RESTAURANT REVIEW The Clink at HMP Brixton fact rather stylish. And the food is well up to the mark. We had velouté of white onions, followed by supreme of chicken with mashed potato and green beans. Dessert was a “deconstructed” lemon meringue with basil sorbet. All delicious. That was the set lunch of the day, but you can also go à la carte, spending about £25 for three courses. Not the cheapest in town, but very good value, considering the fresh ingredients (most of the fruit and vegetables are grown in Clink prisons). All in all, a pleasant and memorable experience. Alberto Crisci, who invented the Clink concept at HMP High Down, must have attended more than his share of planning meetings. Opening a public high-end restaurant in a Category B prison was a difficult project to pull off. The Clink at
High Down eventually opened in 2009, to be followed by three others, including Brixton. More are planned. The reason? Prisoner re-offending rates across the UK are depressingly high, especially for those who leave with no job to go on to. The Clink Charity trains prisoners to cook and serve food of a high quality, so that they can obtain an NVQ and paid employment when they are released. Currently there are around 50 “graduates” a year. As our waiter said, it’s one of the best jobs in the prison, not least because the prisoners get to meet and talk to lots of different people every week. He hopes to open his own restaurant one day. Prepared to give it a go? Get down to SW2’s premier prison and see what you think. You will leave in the knowledge that you are supporting an excellent cause. The Clink also has private dining rooms which are available for meetings, conferences and presentations. Colin Wight
Find out more and book at theclinkcharity.org/the-clink-restaurants/brixton-london/ Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
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www.bokishair.com 020 8678 6646
HAIR HAIR BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
020 8678 6646 61 NORWOOD ROAD HERNE HILL SE24 9AA www.bokishair.com
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Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
OPENING HOURS MON-FRI 8AM-9PM SAT 8AM-6.30PM SUN CLOSED
The very knowledgeable medieval historian and Curator at the British Library, Julian Harrison, gave an illustrated talk to the May meeting of the Herne Hill Society on Magna Carta. The major exhibition at the British Library, Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy, celebrated 800 years since King John and the Barons reached agreement in 1215. Julian’s presentation was lively and far-ranging, covering the history of the period, the content of the document, and the impact that it has had, not only in England, but across the world. Many of those who have cited the document over the centuries have misunderstood and misinterpreted it. But it remains the first foundation statute of English law. Perhaps the most famous
Magna Carta — A great cause for celebration? Seal matrix of Robert fitz Walter (left) (Trustees of the British Museum) Great Seal of King John (Eton College) clause is one which was hidden in the middle of the document, and arguably the basis of the 16th-century jury system and judicial processes: “No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of
his equals or by the law of the land” (Clause 39). The Charter has been quoted by people in their own defence, such as Thomas More, Charles I and Nelson Mandela. It has been used in the establishment of principles, such as Sir Edward Coke in his challenge to the absolute monarchy of Charles, Thomas Jefferson in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, and in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights after the Second World War in 1948. Its significance continues to this day. Recent examples of those who have cited Magna Carta are Aung San Suu Kyi, Bill Clinton and Shami Chakrabarti. One of the exhibits in the Library was film footage of a pageant staged at Runnymede in 1931, featuring the dastardly King John, the Barons and numerous peasants. Julian recounted that a number of visitors to the exhibition had approached him expressing their surprise and admiration that we had managed to retain film footage of the actual event! Magna Carta was the most successful exhibition at the British Library. In the first six weeks alone, 40,000 people visited. Val Suebsaeng
THE TALE OF A TICKET My school had a tradition of every year putting on a production of a Gilbert & Sullivan opera. The one in which I took part was The Mikado and, more than 50 years later, every word and every note is still familiar. What I did not appreciate was the topical satire. My school production, in contrast to today, did not update the humour. The Mikado, when he sang of wanting to “let the punishment fit the crime”, referred to The idiot who, in railway carriages Scribbles on window-panes We only suffer To ride on a buffer In Parliamentary trains. But what was a Parliamentary train? I recently came across a Third-Class Parliamentary ticket issued on 14 September 1881 for travel between Tulse Hill and Herne Hill and thought it was time to find out. William Gladstone, the President of the Board of Trade and at that time a Conservative in Robert Peel’s government, introduced the Railway Regulation Act of 1844. One of its aims was to oblige railway companies to run trains at a price that
would encourage mobility in the country’s working population. As the trains owed their existence to an act of Parliament they became known as Parliamentary trains. They had to run at least once a day and passengers would pay a penny per mile. Previously third-class passengers would be seated on rough benches in open trucks. Now there was a requirement for carriages to have seating protected from the weather. Passengers were also entitled to take with them free of charge up to half a hundredweight of luggage. The railway companies were generally regarded as only interested in making profits for their shareholders, and in the early years it does seem that there was grudging compliance with the law, trains
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
running at very inconvenient times and travel remaining extremely uncomfortable. But, despite these initial drawbacks, the huge success of cheaper fares led in time to real improvements in the standard of thirdclass travel, indeed leading to the complete demise of second class. Third class survived until 1956, when the social stigma attached to the term saw it renamed as second class. The re-introduced second class lasted until 1987, when standard class took its place. Parliamentary trains are, curiously, still with us – though not quite as they were in Victorian England. Also referred to as “ghost trains”, they are trains that run on a very occasional basis, perhaps once a week and often at improbable times. They are not provided for passenger convenience, but in order to keep underused lines or connections open, since if not used at all railway companies are obliged to close them; and this complex procedure is far more expensive than running the occasional “Parliamentary”. Laurence Marsh
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THERE’S More o The constant arrival of new businesses in Herne Hill is an unmissable gesture of confidence in the vibrancy, energy and potential of our community. Even more so when the start-ups are fuelled by the passion and life savings of deeply committed individuals and families. They are choosing Herne Hill for its perfect position between gritty Brixton and (dare we say this?) prim and proper Dulwich Village, for its excellent transport networks, and for the increasingly youthful mix of people who live hereabouts, commute from here, or are drawn to our pubs, bars, restaurants and coffee shops to meet their friends. So we hoped it would be helpful if PAT ROBERTS jotted down some notes of what’s been happening on our food and drink scene in recent months. And at the same time to welcome our new neighbours and wish them every success.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: (Clockwise from above) Christopher Garner and Stefan Bala, Milkwood Kitchen and Bar, Caroline Paice at The Parlour, Kevin Carter and Jonathan Ivor, and Pizzeria Pellone
Christopher’s
145 Half Moon Lane Tel: 020 3643 6540 Twitter: @Chrisbakery www.christophersbakery.co.uk Open 7am-7pm (closed Mondays, with plans to open Mondays in the autumn) Long-term residents will remember this business as Harryman’s, restoring period furniture. Extensive refurbishment over the last few months has delivered a very different, modem feel: a high-class artisan bakery with an attractive café and delicatessen. After a very different business career, Herne Hill native Christopher Garner is now fulfilling his long-term ambition to make fantastic bread. Every day (Mondays apart) he starts work at 6.30am to bake a variety of interesting and delicious loaves and rolls, ranging from impressive rye breads to authentic baguettes. As the business settles down, Christopher’s ambition is to further expand the range. The café and delicatessen side is managed by Stefan Bala, who has long experience of running delis. Here, too, the range of delicatessen stock will be expanded as the year proceeds. By the
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autumn, for instance, customers will see top-class Iberico hams ready to be sliced to order. Perfectly situated along the busy route between the Dulwich schools, North Dulwich Station, and the centre of Herne Hill.
Fish & Wine
222 Railton Road Tel: 020 7274 0555 Twitter: @fish_and_wine www.fishandwinerestaurant.co.uk Open for dinner every evening, and for lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday Repeat business is the success driver of any eaterie, so Fish & Wine owner Kevin Carter has good reason to be quietly satisfied at the many returning
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customers he is able to welcome to his small, smart restaurant and wine bar which has been up and running since the beginning of the year. Lambeth resident Kevin has seen the area develop and improve over recent years; like others, he saw that the pedestrianisation of Station Square would attract more people to eat, drink and socialise in the centre of Herne Hill. When the lease on the former Tantaliser Caribbean restaurant came up, he seized the opportunity to put his long-term dream into practice to open a restaurant that would serve good value fine fresh food for a discriminating clientele. Fish & Wine’s menu, managed by chef Jonathan Ivor, offers seasonal fish, meat
and vegetarian dishes w twist, served in an eleg setting, enhanced by an wine list.
Milkwood Kitchen & Ba
216 Railton Road Tel: 020 7733 9950 Twitter: @milkwoodhh www.milkwoodhernehil The bar is open until 12 Thursdays, Fridays & Sa This modern and infor type eating and drinkin across from Herne Hil in May. There’s a quieter dini back close to the open-
on the Menu already feels at home in Herne Hill, and loves the area for its friendliness and strong sense of community, encouraged by the Herne Hill Society and the Herne Hill Forum.
Pizzeria Pellone
shes with a modern n elegant and friendly by an interesting
Bar
50 odhh rnehill.co.uk til 12:30am on s & Saturdays informal brasserierinking space, just e Hill station, opened
r dining area at the open-plan kitchen,
a well-stocked bar in the middle, and tables inside and on the pavement — all welcoming coffee-drinkers during the day, a relaxed cross-section of people for lunch and dinner, and a lively crowd for eating and drinking up to midnight.
The Parlour
19 Norwood Road Tel: 07809 719 900 Twitter: @coffeeparlour www.theparlourhernehill.co.uk 8:00am to 7:00pm weekdays, 9:00am to 7:00pm weekends Facing Brockwell Park, this airy new place opened in June, offering fine coffees and teas, smoothies, snacks and sandwiches. And the name? Owner Caroline Paice explains that “we wanted
to signify a friendly space to relax, just have a coffee and a healthy bite to eat, or catch up with emails. As dog owners, we also wanted to welcome dogs who are taking their owners for a walk!” Children are just as welcome. Caroline’s young team can also whizz up healthy Spirulina, Baobab and Guarana shots. Naturally, cakes (some gluten-free) and pastries are there to tempt customers, but the croissants are, by design, modest in size, so that we don’t feel immoderately guilty if we yield to temptation. Like many people setting up small businesses, Caroline is on her second career: until recently she was Head of English at Sydenham High School. A long-time South London resident, she
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
153a Dulwich Road Tel: 020 8001 7652 11:30am – 11:00pm Monday – Saturday; 11:30am – 10:00pm Sunday Few would deny that Naples is the pizza’s authentic home — which is where the Pellone family founded their first pizza restaurant and perfected their recipes and techniques. Now the family have chosen Herne Hill to be the first UK location for their authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizza restaurant, run by Antonio Pellone, grandson of the founder. His father Raffaele is here to help and advise, too. Slow rising dough is one of the hallmarks of classic Neapolitan pizza. It must also be fired in very hot wood-burning ovens which gives the familiar leopard spot markings on the fast cooking base and the appetising smoky tinge to the crisp rim. Antonio and his family are delighted to have found premises in Herne Hill, close to transport links and to Brockwell Park and its many events and regular visitors. With its traditional wood-fired oven, informal atmosphere and rapid service, the pizzeria has quickly started to attract regular visitors, and promises to become another popular fixture in the Herne Hill restaurant scene.
Café Provencal
On a sadder note ... Café Provencal, the long-established and popular restaurant by the railway bridge has very recently announced that the effects of the 2013 flood and problems with securing adequate compensation from Thames Water will force the business to close unless a rapid reversal of their fortunes can be achieved – something they hope to do through crowdfunding. See more at http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ save-cafe-provencal.
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Sun shines on the show MORE than 150,000 people are estimated to have turned up on 18 and 19 July at the Lambeth Country Fair at Brockwell Park. Here are a few of my photos of the weekend. If you’ve taken a better one (and who hasn’t?) and have a story to go with it, why not post it on our Facebook page? 1 The brilliant South London Samba drummers are in full flow. Boo! 2 A rescued Barn Owl eyes up a visitor. The ferret (see No9)?
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3 Not a bad idea to seek out a tree for shade on such a hot day. 4 All shall have prizes – if they spend enough.
5 The Knights of the Damned (including a Dame of the Damned this year) do their usual stuff.
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6 The Village Green seems to have been sponsored by Chucklehead Cider. 7 Is that a cow or a heifer? Learning about livestock. 8 Pat and Bob do good business on our stand. Welcome to new members. 9 A little girl makes friends with someone’s pet ferret. On a lead... 10 The ever-popular and thought-provoking vegetable sculptures! Colin Wight
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The closure to motorised traffice of Loughborough Road has caused controversy
TRANSPORT NEWS Loughborough Road closure The decision to close Loughborough Road to through-motorised traffic (mentioned in the Summer Magazine) was confirmed in late June. Given the strong views on both sides, the decision was “called-in” by the local Lambeth Councillor Matt Parr, reviewed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at a heated meeting on 21 July – and reconfirmed. The closure will be “experimental” with a review after three and six months. Objections voiced at the Scrutiny session were mainly concerned with flaws in the consultation process – little account was taken of the serious and unanswered technical objections raised by various groups, including the civic societies. The closure was programmed to be implemented in August – so may already have happened by the time you read this. New Thameslink trains arrive! (but not yet in Herne Hill) The first of the much needed new trains for the Thameslink services has been delivered by the manufacturers Siemens to the new Three Bridges maintenance facility. Called the Class 700 Desiro City train, they will be tested through 2015, drivers trained, and will start to enter service in 2016... on the Brighton service. Further deliveries of new trains will continue through 2017 and 2018, which should allow some of the current Brighton trains to be re-deployed on the Wimbledon Loop services through Herne Hill, reducing the occurrences of four-car services and breakdown cancellations. Continue to hold your breath on the overcrowded commute. The overall statistical measure of Thameslink timekeeping performance has remained steady through the spring and early summer – still well below their target put forward when they were awarded the franchise, but a lot better than January’s dreadful record low. Davies Airport Commission Report At the end of 2013, having decided that air passenger traffic will continue to rise, the Davies Commission shortlisted three options for building another runway for London: the existing
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plans to add a second runway at Gatwick; the Heathrow Airport owner’s plan to build a new runway to the north-west of the existing airport; and an independent idea to extend the Heathrow runway westwards across the M25. The final report came out in July, concluding that all options were “viable” and recommending the new north-west runway proposal for Heathrow. This, despite it being twice as expensive as the Gatwick option for the owner to build, requiring seven times the public investment in surface access infrastructure, taking 40 times the green-belt land, and requiring over four times the number of homes to be demolished. Shifting some of the air traffic at Heathrow to the north-west would allow it to marginally reduce the number of homes affected by noise, but it would still be significantly affecting 25 times more people than an expanded Gatwick. To make the Heathrow north-west option acceptable, the Davies Commission has been taking lessons from the young White Queen, and have managed to believe six impossible things before breakfast regarding the Heathrow operation: l a ban on all scheduled night flights; l a legally binding limit on noise levels; l the implementation of a predictable schedule of flight path rotation to provide noise respite to communities; l expanded operations will only start after air quality around the airport is improved; l the Commercial developer must fund £1 billion of community compensation; and l the Government must fund major surface access infrastructure investment, to the motorways and railways. The Davies Commission has based its recommendation on optimistic assumptions regarding the commercial attractiveness of an expanded Heathrow – assuming it will be able to increase its existing elevated charges to airlines by 50 per cent in a buoyant market. BA, the main airline using Heathrow, has already said it will not be able to afford this. In comparison, an expanded Gatwick is estimated to need to charge airlines less than the current Heathrow level to fund its expansion. So, this poorly justified recommendation is now in the political arena, with several major doubts, and strongly entrenched opposing views. Herne Hill can expect a continuation of the current pattern of overflying and early morning flights for some time to come. Bil Harrison
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
Paris, Prince of Troy
Jeffrey Doorn on a rare chance to see a superb, but sadly neglected artist
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mong the anniversaries being marked this year is the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. Some museums and art galleries are highlighting grand portraits of Napoleon and Wellington, battle scenes, Empire-style furniture and the like. Visitors to Dulwich Picture Gallery have a rare chance to acquaint themselves with one of the finest, if less flashy, artists of the Napoleonic era, Pierre-Paul Prud’hon. In a room off the main gallery, 12 works on loan from the Bernadot-Musée Baron Martin, plus one from the British Museum, reveal Prud’hon as subtle and engaging, especially brilliant in depicting the human form. Born Pierre Prudon in 1758, the stonecutter’s son won the Dijon Prix de Rome at 25. In Rome he studied classical sculpture, his copious sketches informing his later development. Unlike fellow artists influenced by the monumental paintings of David, with their grand, somewhat stiff poses, Prud’hon preferred drawing, with a more natural, romantic approach. After a time in Paris, he and his young family fled the Terror to the small town of Gray, where he produced some of his most beautiful illustrations, portraits and life drawings.
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is later career as a court artist brought renown with a portrait of Empress Josephine. She sat for him 15 times; and the studies we see at Dulwich show her without crown or formal robes, but relaxed and rather contemplative. At the same time, his personal life was troubled. His wife went mad and his student, Constance Mayer, became his collaborator and lover. Prud’hon would supply drawings from which she made paintings exhibited under her own name. She also gave him the impetus to complete his own paintings. However, after
NAPOLEON’S DRAUGHTSMAN AT DULWICH many years together, the depressive Mayer committed suicide, perhaps spurred by Prud’hon’s vow never to remarry. In deep sadness, his subsequent works were darker, and he died two years later, in 1823. The graceful designs and drawings on display in Dulwich, made with chalk on blue paper, seem to glow is if in moonlight, but also with an inner light, bringing them to life. Whether depicting male or female nudes, mythical figures, allegorical design or a very human royal, the images have a delicacy
that draws you in. The show continues to 15 November as part of the Gallery’s “Rediscovering Old Masters” series. Don’t miss this opportunity to become acquainted with this sadly neglected but superb artist. l Open Tuesday – Friday 10am–5pm; weekends and Bank Holiday Mondays 11am–5pm. Entry including permanent collection £6 including voluntary Gift Aiddonation (£5 without),seniors £5 (£4 without donation), Friends,students, unemployed, disabled and National Arts Cardholders free.
DIARY OF SOCIETY EVENTS Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
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DIARY OF EVENTS AUTUMN/WINTER Wednesday 14 October “The South London Pottery Industry, including Doultons, Greens and Stiffs” by Brian Bloice The Chair of the Streatham Society gives an illustrated view of this important part of our industrial heritage.
Wednesday 11 November “King’s College Hospital in World War One” by Joanna Nurse The Head of Internal Communications at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust discusses the impact the war on the hospital and the important role it played.
OUR COUNCILLORS
Herne Hill Ward Lambeth Michelle Agdomar (Lab.) MAgdomar@lambeth.gov.uk @MichelleAgdomar Jim Dickson (Lab.) JDickson@lambeth.gov.uk @JimDicksLambeth 020 3149 6657 Jack Holborn (Lab.) JHolborn@lambeth.gov.uk @jack_holborn Thurlow Park Ward Lambeth Anna Birley (Lab.) ABirley@lambeth.gov.uk @annamayb Fred Cowell (Lab.) FCowell@lambeth.gov.uk @fredacowell Max Deckers Dowber (Lab.) MDeckersDowber@lambeth.gov.uk Village Ward Southwark Anne Kirby (Lab.) Jane Lyons (Con.) Michael Mitchell (Con.)
anne.kirby@southwark.gov.uk jane.lyons@southwark.gov.uk michael.mitchell@southwark.gov.uk 07535 932 326
Your MP Helen Hayes MP (Lab.) helen.hayes.mp@parliament.uk House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.
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FOR MORE iNFORMATION, SEE WWW.hernehillsociety.org.uk Wednesday 9 December “Crime & Punishment in Herne Hill, 1750–1900” by Laurence Marsh The Vice Chair of Herne Hill Society and retired barrister and editor presents an unusual history of Herne Hill over 150 years seen through crime, its victims and its perpetrators. SELECTION OF OTHER SOCIETIES’ EVENTS September: Lambeth Heritage Festival organised by Lambeth Archives & Lambeth Local History Forum. “Water in Lambeth” is the main theme. Fifty years of London boroughs also celebrated. Events in many venues include exhibitions, talks, walks and films. Brochure is available in local libraries. Saturday, 19 & Sunday, 20 September: Open House London. Hundreds of buildings and sites invite visitors behind the scenes. Pick up brochure in local libraries and plan your exploration. Wednesday, 23 September, 7:00 – 8:30pm: Lambeth Libraries and Archives: “Herne Hill Memories”. Join Carnegie Library staff for a cup of tea and a chat about the local area over the last 70 years. Perhaps you have memories, photos, music or special items to share? To reserve your place email Caroline Mackie on CarnegieLibrary@lambeth.gov.uk or call 020 7926 6050. l Unless otherwise stated, Herne Hill Society meetings will be at Herne Hill United Church Hall, at 7:30 (doors open) for 7:45pm. Please try to arrive before the speaker is introduced.
Your GLA Member Valerie Shawcross AM (Lab.)
valerie.shawcross@london.gov.uk GLA, City Hall, Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA 020 7983 4407
Environmental Contacts Lambeth Streetscene: Cleansing, rubbish removal, pot holes, abandoned vehicles, graffiti removal etc: Southwark Streetscene (as above):
020 7926 9000 020 7525 2000
Advertising Advertising space is available in this Magazine for local businesses at the following rates: Full page £70 Half page £35 Quarter page £18 Four issues for the price of three. There is a premium for a full-page advertisement on the back cover. Please provide your own artwork.
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
The torpedo strikes the Falaba in a photograph taken from the conning tower of U-28
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he fate of the RMS Lusitania, sunk by a torpedo from a German U-boat on 7 May 1915 with the loss of almost 1,200 lives, is one still remembered today. It produced shockwaves across the country (and across the United States) and is probably the cause of a similar event six weeks earlier being now largely forgotten. In the sinking of the RMS Falaba on 28 March, one of the casualties was a resident of Herne Hill. Her name was Louisa Tearle and she is one of the very few women whose name appears on the national Merchant Navy memorial. Louisa was born in Lambeth in 1878 or 1879, probably at 22 St Alban’s Street, a street that is no more, now entirely covered by the LCC China Walk estate (near the Imperial War Museum). Her father, Arthur Lees, was a stonemason and by the time of the 1901 Census he was widowed. At this time Louisa was working as a waitress and living with her father at 70 Union Road, Clapham, along with a younger brother and sister. (It was her sister who identified Louisa’s remains from the rings found on her body when it was washed ashore near Newquay, Cornwall.) Louisa married, in 1902, one Henry James Tearle. They seem to have had rooms in Dalyell Road, Stockwell, before moving to Hampton Hill near Kingston. Her husband worked for Elder Dempster, a company that operated ships for the trade with West Africa, and it seems that Louisa had joined her husband, working for the same steamship company before his untimely death when in Nigeria in 1914.
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y this time Louisa had five young children, so it seems probable that her changed circumstances required her to move back to Lambeth, where she would have had friends and family. Only one of the several newspapers reporting the inquest into her death gives the exact address – 88 Railton Road. This would have been above what was then a confectioner’s shop between Chaucer Road and Spenser Road. Louisa was engaged as a stewardess on the RMS Falaba, a 4,800-ton merchant ship built on the Clyde in 1906. It sailed from Liverpool on 27 March 1915, bound for Sierra Leone with 95 crew and 147 passengers. The ship was unarmed.
DEATH OF A STEWARDESS
A forgotten WWI story from 100 years ago The following morning the Falaba realised it was being shadowed by a U-boat. It tried to outrun the submarine (U-28, captained by Georg Freiherr von Forstner), but could not make enough speed. The war at this stage was being conducted under maritime rules of warfare which required submarines to give unarmed merchant ships notice of their intention. This entailed ordering the ship to stop and giving those on board an opportunity to abandon ship before the ship was sunk. According to the official inquiry chaired by the Wreck Commissioner Lord Mersey, the U-boat, on the surface, fired a detonating signal to draw attention and sent a message, using flags, telling the Falaba to abandon ship or it would fire. Shortly afterwards, at noon, it signalled “Abandon ship immediately” and, now only some 150 yards away from the Falaba, hailed through a megaphone that it would sink the ship in five minutes. The Falaba came to a stop at about 12.05 and started to lower its lifeboats. At 12.10 the U-boat fired a torpedo. The Falaba took a direct hit and sank within eight minutes. 104 lives were lost – those of 57 passengers and 47 crew including the captain. In the report of the official inquiry it was said that the U-boat “was bound to afford the men and women on board a reasonable opportunity of getting to the boats and
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
saving their lives. This, those in charge of the submarine did not do. And so grossly inefficient was the opportunity in fact afforded, that I am driven to the conclusion that the Captain of the submarine desired and designed not merely to sink the ship but, in doing so, also to sacrifice the lives of the passengers and crew.”
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his was the language of a formal legal judgment. By contrast, at the inquest the Coroner said the sinking of the Falaba “was another example of German Kultur [a term that came to be used derisively in WWI] and frightfulness” and the inquest jury recorded their “abhorrence and indignation” at the conduct of the commander and crew of the submarine. The jury members donated their attendance fees to Louisa’s orphaned children. Louisa’s grave is one for which the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible and can be seen in Newquay New Cemetery. Her name (misrecorded as “S. Gearle”) also appears with those of other crew members of the Falaba on the impressive memorial at Tower Hill designed by Edwin Lutyens. Bronze plaques bear 12,000 names of those from the Merchant Navy and the fishing fleets who died in World War I. Laurence Marsh
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Opportunity Knocks With the continued lack of properties on the market and the Government ‘s ‘Help To Buy’ scheme, our local market has seen unprecedented price rises, often well in excess of the asking price! The lettings market also continues to be buoyant, a great opportunity for investors with interest rates at a historic low! Diana Burn, Founder
Thinking of selling? At Oliver Burn we pride ourselves on our ability to complete the sale. It is not just about getting an offer, this can often be the easy bit. The hard work is to ensure the whole process thereafter moves as swiftly and efficiently as possible towards a successful completion.
e d my home and that sh an e m t ou ab d re ca e sh ess Diana I knew that the team made the proc d an n ‘From the moment I met re ar W le. sa e th r portant to me fo stressful. I would have no ly ib ed understood what was im cr in en be ve ha d important enges that coul feel that I was the most d di very easy in spite of chall y all re I as , rn Bu r mending Olive hesitation at all in recom ess.’ factor in the whole proc Steven Coates Norwood Road, SE24
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Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
ON TRACK FOR A NEW SHED John Roberts got a clout round the ear when he was caught dismantling his dad’s model aircraft. Down to the last nut and bolt he wanted to know how it worked. And it’s that level of curiosity that helped build his knowledge of locomotives. The miniature railway opened in Brockwell Park in 2003. Roland Baker started it and sold it to John Roberts. John’s day job is working for CT Plus, organising Social Service transport for people with special needs, but otherwise he is preoccupied with his InterCity 125 petrol hydraulic main haulage train and four locomotives. Twelve years on, his plan is to have on-site storage. Three sides will look like a station, with a timber-lagged trellis at the back and climbing plants. John’s the boss with a relaxed
The miniature train inside Brockwell Park style. Then there’s David Flynn, George Roberts, Martin Goff, the pipe-smoking Fat Controller. John’s son, Anthony, looks after the accounts and his wife Faye does the paperwork. Then there are juniors: Ben Turpin, William, Keith (Ben’s dad), Ian Brett, railway driver. Oliver owns a loco. They could do with more hands – it would suit budding engineers.
There is a lot of track maintenance, which means bending over or being on hands and knees “as I know to my cost” says Martin, “but it’s rewarding”. There’s also merchandise to buy: “Travel BPMR.com” keyrings, mugs, pens; and they are distributors of Bigjigs wooden toy trains. The total length of the railway is currently 220 metres. John
Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
would love to extend it to Norwood Lodge or down to Brixton Water Lane where it would wind its way between the trees. It’s not inconceivable, if someone could step forward and raise the cost by crowdfunding or “sponsor a sleeper”, as some heritage lines have done. Each track panel costs £250 and is 13ft long. They’ve never had an injury. At the Lambeth Country Show the funfair gets in the way of the miniature railway. But otherwise the train runs every Sunday, with a Bank Holiday service, always “weather permitting”. Children under two must be accompanied by an adult. Children with special needs travel free; only the carer pays. John reads my thoughts, and adds: “But we do accept unaccompanied adults.” Becca Thackray
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Herne Hill-Autumn 2015
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MSC “Olley’s Fish Experience in Herne Hill has become the
first in the UK to add a total of eight MSC certified species of fish to their menu. The fish and chip shop now offers its customers the widest choice of MSC certified fish in the country.”
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www.olleys.info Olleys Fish Experience
olleys@olleys.info olleysfishexp
65 - 69 Norwood Road, Herne Hill, London, SE24 9AA 0208 671 8259 (Takeaway)
0208 671 5665 (Restaurant)
Why not have fish & chips at your next event weddings, birthdays & anniversaries We can cater at your event “Mobile Fish & Chips”
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Herne Hill-Autumn 2015