Greenwich Visitor March 2014 by The Greenwich Visitor

chosen by residents & VISITORS every day since 2010

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March 2014 No 41

TAKE ME HOME

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END OF OUR LINE? Special report – p4&5

CLASSIC COMEDY CLUB IN GREENWICH - SEE P7

£20 OFF TREATMENT

FREE EVENT GUIDE

MY LIFE: JAMES BENMORE – P22

SPECIAL OFFER FOR MARCH – SEE PAGE 17

Three summer music festivals

MARCH, APRIL, MAY

FREE GIANT MAP INSIDE

Jools to play OnBlackheath 2-day Jimmy Mizen Hope event at ORNC concerts set for September GET ready for a summer of live music here – at by legal action taken by The Blackheath Society. But Chairman Howard Shields told The Greenwich Visitor that, THREE big events in Greenwich and Blackheath.

OUR FITNESS GURU IS IN MARATHON SEE Page 95

A two-day Festival of Good Hope on the Heath in although The Society backed just one event – the Festival memory of murdered Lee schoolboy Jimmy Mizen has been of Good Hope – “Lewisham Council have given outline approval to both, with conditions. We will work hard with given the go-ahead for the weekend of August 2 and 3. Lewisham and organisers to ensure that, if they go Organisers The Jimmy Mizen Foundation promise ahead, risks to the Heath and inconvenience to residents “A beautiful and peaceful music and arts festival.” are minimised, with a full review afterwards.” Later that month the new Greenwich Music Time Some claim closing the Heath is illegal. Campaigner event will hold four nights of gigs at the Old Royal Rachel Mawhood says: “Blackheath is already a Naval College, including local legend Jools Holland fantastic, free-to-use multi-community amenity and (right). And OnBlackheath has permission to must be protected from – in this instance, unlawful hold a two-day rock and pop festival on the – exploitation by commercial interests.” Heath on the weekend of September 13 and 14. It was first planned in 2011 but delayed College of Music – Page 3

£15M DEBT: INC REPORT REVEALED SEE Page 7

GreenwichVisitor THE

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being spent on the Thameslink programme and the rebuilding of London Bridge station but Greenwich residents – and visitors – will get no benefit from this at all.” We disagree... rather than no benefit we think it will make life worse.

The Greenwich Visitor’s admirable social diary, brought to you by the spirit of Horatio Nelson

id Michael Jackson kill off Greenwich Inc Group? We’re told the death of the pop superstar in 2009 was a massive blow to businessman Frank Dowling, who signed

THE Greenwich Visitor is published once a month – on the first day of the month – and is distributed every day. We print on average 40,000 copies every month. Of those around 30,000 are taken by RESIDENTS and 10,000 by VISITORS. Readers CHOOSE to read The Greenwich Visitor. And all our copies are taken locally, by people within easy reach of your business. Find your copy at: Waitrose, Greenwich: Dreadnought Wharf, Victoria Parade, 1 Thames St, SE10 9FR Sainsburys Greenwich: 55 Bugsby’S Way London SE10 0QJ. Co-Op Greenwich: 200 Trafalgar Road SE10 9ER Sainsburys Eltham: 1a Philipot Path SE9 5DL Sainsburys Lee Green: 14 Burnt Ash Road SE12 8PZ Asda Charlton: Bugsby Way, Charlton, SE7 7ST And at selected hotels, bars and restaurants. If you’d like to stock the Greenwich Visitor for your customers please call 07731 645828. And from our street distributors, Clive, Debbie, Liba & Papa. Publisher and Editor: Matt Clark Matt@TheGreenwichVisitor.com For all editorial and advertising enquiries call us on:

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leases on units in the O2 expecting huge crowds for Jacko’s 50-night comeback tour, This is It. But Jacko died. And that, eventually, was that! t’s a little surprising that the owner of the now-collpased Inc Group is still running the Trafalgar

Tavern. But for how long? We hear Frank Dowling tried – and failed – to sell the lease in January for several millions to a wellknown pub chain. un To The Beat is moving to Wembley this year...to sighs of relief from those marooned by road closures,

he QE2 is being refitted and turned into a floating palace to be moored permanently in one of the world’s great cities...but sadly it won’t be in Greenwich. Campaigners hoped the famous vessel would be moored across from the O2 as a floating hotel and tourist attraction. We wish her well, wherever she ties up. reenwich Music Time calls itself as “the first event of its kind ever to be hosted at the Old Royal Naval College” ...Which will raise hackles at the Greenwich Summer Sessions which entertained us at the same venue in 2010 and 2011. Music fans, however, won’t be too bothered by any ensuing row. They’ll be looking forward to the return of former Squeeze star Jools Holland, Goldfrapp and Russell Watson. But who will open it? James Blunt, maybe? You heard it here first...if we’re right!

woken by noise...and even many of the runners who paid good money for poor facilities. But “Badly” Run To Beat (as we couldn’t resist calling it) also got people up and out on a Sunday – good news for bars and restaurants. Some you win...some you lose.

here’s what YOU ask US We came to see the Market but I London’s best TIC. And the heard it’s going. Not any more! excellent staff there won the Gold Greenwich Hospital, which owns the Award in the 2013 Information site, won permission to build a hotel Provider of the Year category of the but the recession has changed all Visit England excellence awards that. We were first to report the plan (after landing Silver last year). You had been delayed. Then the landlords don’t HAVE to be a tourist to make announced it was OFF. They have the most of their expertise either. just applied for planning permission Get advice, buy tickets for boats, for a new roof and to put a smaller tube, DLR, rail, bus and coach market in a yard next door. Historic journeys, book a tour, buy tickets b u i l d i n g s – l i k e t h e b a n a n a for other London attractions (if you warehouse – due to demolished have must!). Discover Greenwich next now been reprieved. There’s been a door is great for kids. market here since the 1300s. We watched the Olympics in There’s another market, isn’t Greenwich. It looks a lot different there? Yes, there’s a weekend now. There was a huge 20,000 market called the Clocktower Market seater stadium here in 2012 but along Greenwich High Road. It’s Park staff have been working hard more retro. to put it back in shape. It was very I saw the cable car mentioned on controversial, but most people TV. Yes, the Emirates AirLine has agree the Games were amazing. had a lot of publicity recently. It’s an There’s a new/old orchard in the amazing structure and we’re pleased Park now well worth a visit. it’s here. Unfortunately it’s proved – I spotted some street signs that as we predicted when we were the say Greenwich is now a Royal first paying customers in June 2012 Borough? We have 1,000 years of – to be a tourist attraction rather links with the monarchy. than a transport link. Henry VIII and Elizabeth Figures uncoverd by I were born here and www.snipelondon. christened at St com show only Alfege Church, FOUR regular right in the town commuters use it. WANT TO ADVERTISE? centre.The It’s near the O2 Queen bestowed HAVE A STORY? a t N o r t h Royal Status in Greenwich and February 2012. Call Matt on 07731 645828 it’s not cheap, at Hence the signs. £8.60 for a return. Matt@TheGreenwich I read that But we recommend Greenwich is a Visitor.com a flight – go at offWorld Heritage Site? peak times, when it Yes, it was awarded UN moves more slowly. Avoid World Heritage Site status in high winds! It may be suspended...so the 1990s. It means our buildings will you! and history are so amazing they’re Is the foot tunnel open yet? UN-protected. Mostly, yes. But you can never be sure. As you can see from our story Museums. Are they free? Yes – on Page 9, work should finally be except the Fan Museum, which has finished by Spring – FIVE YEARS no public funding but a worldafter an £11.5million refurbishment leading collection of fans. And the started. A Friends group has been Wernher Collection of art at established to try and protect the Ranger’s House, run by English historic walkway under the Thames. Heritage. You pay to stand on the Updates at www.greenwich.gov.uk/ Meridian Line now too. Greenwich/Travel/foot-tunnels.htm There are a few empty shops If you have a bad experience down right now? What’s that all about? there – or a good one email us – Even glorious Greenwich isn’t immune from the recession. The Matt@TheGreenwich Visitor.com What should we do today? You’ve Olympics didn’t bring the promised picked up a Greenwich Visitor – boom. Some shops closed because good start. Next visit the Tourist o f b u i l d i n g w o r k t o u p d a t e Information Centre at Pepys House, Greenwich Market. Others blame 2 Cutty Sark Gardens (just next to high rent and repair bills, and have the Cutty Sark). It’s officially decided not to renew leases.

USERS’ GVIDE

About the GV

NELSON’S COLUMN

lad we’re not the only ones worried about the impact of rail changes on the tourism economy here. Rail Users Group spokesman Mike Sparham tells us: “£6billion of public money is

GreenwichVisitor

Supermap - See Pages 10 & 15

Greenwich Soul Choir “HI Abi. It’s Mike.” I immediately recognise the voice. “Just calling to say thank you for changing my life.” I was a little taken aback. The last thing I changed was a nappy (I’m also a mum of two). But apparently I did. Although I maintain, my Greenwich Soul Choir should take the credit. I first met Mike a couple of years back. He was quite a reserved unassuming chap from the Greenwich area. He enjoyed his beer and football, but as he once conceded, there was always something missing and he wished he had more of a passion in his life. I had mentioned my role as the Director of the London Soul Choirs in Greenwich (and now in Hither Green too) and suggested he come along. He was immediately dismissive – most people are. Especially men! He was held back by his misconceptions of what a choir represents (all WI and cake sales) and more importantly his limited singing capabilities. But once I reassured him that everyone can improve their singing and musical skills in a very short time, and reeled out the list of the kind of songs we learn (Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Plan B, Bruno Mars, etc) M i k e ’s e a r w a s t u r n e d . A s I suspected, this was all music that he loved. I asked what he had to lose by coming for one session. He had no answer. Upon entering, all Mike’s stuffy misconceptions of what a choir rehearsal is like disappeared. He settled in to the welcoming crowd, and although he didn’t think he was much of a singer, he surprised himself by hitting notes that he wasn’t aware he had in him. He told me later how he found himself connecting with complete strangers within seconds – something that he hadn’t done properly in years. Music does that to people, and singing is the ultimate basic human connection. The next week Mike came back. In fact, he was first through the door. In time he became a key member of the choir, vocally and socially. His confidence grew. This inspired him to join other things and to even go along to open mic nights – and sing! His social circle expanded and he even found a new relationship. The old quiet Mike was gone and replaced by a confident assertive guy who was first to welcome new members with a smile. Mike was a changed person...I hadn’t noticed as it happened gradually but I guess the phone call showed his personal awakening of it. I didn’t change his life, he did that himself. But our Choir gave him the platform. Come and join in.

WHY WE’RE HERE

ABI GILCHRIST www.abigilchrist.co.uk

Greenwich Soul Choir: Tuesday evenings at Eltham Green Community Church SE9 . Hither Green Soul Choir: Wednesday evenings at St Swithun’s Church Hall SE13. (7.30 – 9.30pm) No audition is required and there’s a free trial session.

3-month listings – 20,21,22

GreenwichVisitor

college THE

Sarah Lund author comes to Blackheath

of music

AUTHOR David Hewson is in Blackheath this month to talk about his books of cult TV Scandicrime series The Killing, featuring detective Sarah Lund. The Yorkshire-born crime writer answered our questions before he takes yours... You were a journalist before writing novels full time. Why the switch? And did your previous career help? Much as I enjoyed journalism I always wanted to write fiction. Just took a long time to start to learn how. Journalism teaches you to type, research and edit. But at its heart journalism is absolutely about truth whereas fiction is a controlled form of lying. So it only helps up to a point. Did it help that characters in The Killing were already defined in some ways by the TV programmes? How much can you add to them in the books? I was given a completely free hand when it came to rewriting and changing the TV stories which was essential. Books aren’t the same as drama. So my Sarah Lund is more talkative, more funny and a bit warmer I think than the TV version. And in The Killing III I perform a huge cast change and bring back the slimy but wonderful Troels Hartmann from The Killing I because, to be frank, I thought he made a better main political character than the one we had on TV. Readers and audiences are very different and I had to recognise that.

March 2014 Page 3

Stars lined up for summer concerts

Killing time

There’s concern at the moment about the number of women portrayed as victims in television crime shows. Do you think that’s justified? There have been a few things on TV that seem to treat grotesque violence against women as some form of entertainment. I find that a complete turn-off. I don’t think any of The Killing series went that route. And Lund is quite a formidable female character to have as a lead. It’s important for me that violence in my fiction is seen as abhorrent, appalling and wrong. Murder’s the worst act any individual can Blackheath Halls, Lee inflict on another, and I can’t ever envisage that as Road, London SE3 9RQ some form of titillation.

WHERE WHEN

Most of your books are set abroad. Why? I like writing Wednesday March 12 about what I don’t know. The houseboat with his 8pm. 202 8463 0100. challenge of discovering new dog Sam. cities, cultures, canvases for Any advice for aspiring stories makes me work harder, and writers? Just read books, try to hopefully come up with a more vivid work out what works and what doesn’t book. and why, and be patient. Writing takes Do you have any plans for books after time. You can’t force it. The Killing? Absolutely. I have a new series set in contemporary Amsterdam And what good current authors can you which launches in April with the first recommend? I’m very bad at current book, The House of Dolls. It features an authors. I tend to read very obscure odd Dutch detective called Pieter Vos books that are quite unlike the work I who’s a touch eccentric and lives on a produce. A recent favourite is one of

IN TOWN: Russell Watson & Alison Goldfrapp

GREENWICH is to host another outdoor music festival this summer…with a difference.

CRIME, GENTLEMEN PLEASE: David Hewson PIC: Dingena Mol/ Crimezone Magazine

only two books from the Faroe Islands translated into English – The Old Man and His Sons by a writer called Heðin Brú. Quite unlike anything you‘d read from an English author – a picture of the Faroes fifty years ago. Fascinating. Do you know this part of south east London? Sorry, no. I lived in north London when I was a Londoner. I wish I could stay longer but I’ll be in a car to the event and back. Very busy on a number of fronts at the moment!

Local legend Jools Holland & his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra will be the highlight of a series of concerts at the iconic Old Royal Naval College (below). Greenwich Music Time begins on Wednesday August 20 – the first big name act is to be confirmed. The next night Goldfrapp play their only London gig this year. On Friday August 22 tenor Russell Watson is accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. On Saturday August 23 Jool Holland brings down the curtain with guest stars including Marc Almond and Melanie C. Students from Greenwich-based Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance will perform the opening set in front of 4,000 people each night. Residents have priority booking until March 2. General tickets are on sale from March 3. The event – organised by Neil O’Brien Entertainment – replaces the popular Greenwich Summer Sessions, which entertained thousands of fans in the summer of 2010 and 2011. It took a break because of the Olympics in Greenwich the following year and hoped to come back this year. But venue hosts the Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College are said to have asked for a “re-think” on the event’s “infrastructure, programming and layout.” Peter Conway – who says his company was given longterm rights to stage concerts there – has now asked to hold another Summer Sessions in 2015 instead. Peter insists: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We welcome such competition.” ORNC chief executive Brendan McCarthy said: “It promises to be a fantastic four days of music.”

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Miles Hedley’s pick of this month’s best events. Full listings begin on Page 20

THE TEMPEST Shakespeare’s late play gave Danny Boyle a motto for his Olympics opening ceremony - this isle is full of noises - and dystopia a killer title: Brave New World. And, as you can see at the London Theatre, it’s an enchanting work of genius. March 4-16

ATOMOS Wayne McGregor, one of the most influential choreographers of the past 20 years, brings 10 performers from Random Dance to the Laban Theatre to explore through movement, light, music and film - the point where science and art meet. March 5&6

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY Annual Global Fusion Music and Arts’ celebration at Charlton House, this year’s international acts include Malaika Dance Unique, Milly Namukasa, Apelles Ogaga, Zarina, Nadia al Faghill, Cheng Yu, Fie Ren and Helen Vidovich. Always fascinating. March 7

BEULAH

MARCH

Taking its title from a perfect world imagined by William Blake where the sexes live without conflict, Alex Wright’s creation is at once a fairytale, a miracle play, a musical and a ghost story. Oh, and it’s been wowing audiences all over the country. March 11-15

JIMMY CARR Love him or loathe him, everyone has an opinion about the comic who’s as infamous for his tax affairs as for the darkness of his jokes. Catch him at Blackheath Halls - he’s unbelievably funny, especially talking about his own discomfiture. March 14&15

FREE TO FALL A must for anyone who loves dance, this first scratch night of the year at Borough Hall gives choreographers of any experience the chance to try out works in progress in front of an audience and then get their feedback in a post-show debate. March 14

TRINITY LABAN CHAMBER CHOIR

10 TO DO

Following last year’s triumphant performance of Hearing Your Genes Evolve, Trinity Laban return to the amazing space beneath the Cutty Sark’s coppered hull for a concert by their Chamber Choir. It will include a new work by student Caitlin Rowley. March 20

BRAND NEW ANCIENTS Kate Tempest’s spoken-word drama about two families is told at The Albany through a mesmerising mix of rap, poetry and music that seems to lift it into the realms of the gods yet leaves it rooted in Tempest’s native south-east London. Praeternatural. March 22

CORRIE DICK SEPTET Glaswegian drummer who won the prestigious Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year award for 2013 is a Monday night regular at Oliver’s. This lunchtime gig round the corner at St Alfege’s is quite a contrast - though the acoustics at both are fantastic. March 27

TINIE TEMPAH Born Patrick Okogwu and raised in Greenwich, our local hero hit No1 with his first single (Pass Out) and debut album (Disc-Overy) and has also topped the charts in collaborations like Rita Ora’s RIP. No doubt he’ll reprise many of the tunes at the 02 arena. March 30

Greenwich was the first urban train line LONDON’S first rail line was right here in Greenwich. If the Victorians’ vision was huge, the construction was epic, with 19 viaducts made including 851 arches and 27 bridges used to build the arches that carried it across the marshes. But now our historic link is threatened. Historian MARY MILLS tells the story of The Greenwich Line... campaigner MIKE SPARHAM explains the threat

THE amazing Greenwich Railway is one of the many things that we should be proud of here.

The line between London Bridge and Greenwich is one of the earliest railways in the world; the first in London; the first suburban railway ever. And it was built by a local man – little known ex-Royal Engineer Lt. Col. George Landmann, who had been born in Woolwich and spent his youth and early life in Greenwich. L a n d m a n n ’s a m a z i n g f e a t o f engineering was so good that it is still in use nearly two centuries later. Railways were the big new phenomenon in the 1820s – ideas spread out from S t o c k t o n a n d D a r l i n g t o n w h e re Stephenson’s Rocket locomotive had captured the imagination. Much railway speculation – and great new ideas – was going on in what we could call Metropolitan Kent. In November 1831 a meeting was held, promoted by a group of businessmen with varying credentials, and the London and Greenwich Railway was announced. Other means of transport between London and Greenwich were also being initiated Hancock’s Era Steam Carriage for one, and Shillibeer’s horse buses, as well as improved river and road services. The railway they proposed had to pass through a heavily populated area of Southwark and then across marshland – hence the great viaduct. Landmann’s father had been an expert on French fortification technology, so brick arches were something he knew well. The engineer built a huge viaduct made form 851 arches and 27 bridges. Around 100,000 bricks were laid every day by a team of 400 “navvies”. It is said to be the biggest brick structure in the world. All those brick arches are something we should be amazed by. Over those years they have taken at least eight packed commuter trains every hour of a weight and speed unthought of in 1835, plus goods trains. Four years ago I lectured on Landmann to a London Railway Society and railway employees there commented on the continuing stability and reliability of those arches. A boulevard for walkers was built alongside it. Look up from below at the road bridges and you will see some very fancy skewed brickwork. The first station in London was Spa Road, Bermondsey, opened in 1836. Today trains speed through the remains of the station, but there are recognisable remains at ground level. It was opened before the rest of line...surely not to upstage Euston which opened in the following year. A picture shows potential passengers visiting the station via a ladder up to line and then tottering along the edge of the viaduct. The line to London Bridge needed negotiation with all sorts of interests looking for lots of compensation – most famously St.Thomas’s Hospital.

EPIC £400k

Deptford Creek and was solved by a drawbridge, finished in 1838. Alongside it was a footbridge – reproduced by the new blue ha’pennny hatch bridge a few years ago. The first Greenwich Station opened in 1838 was temporary and it was not until 1840 that Greenwich Station, designed by Morden College’s surveyor George Smith was in place. The London and Greenwich Railway was the first, and they had to work so much out for themselves. The tickets, the signalling (luckily with advice from Royal Engineers), station and line-lighting (thanks to its own gasworks), public

Raised in shares for the new rail company in 1833

The first trains ran only between Spa Road and Deptford, which is also an interesting station with its inclined plane to bring locomotives and maybe also road carriages up to the line. On December 14 1836 the Lord Mayor, the band of the Coldstream Guards and even Beefeaters went down to Deptford... sadly no-one arranged any means of getting them back. The opening of the line to Greenwich was held up by the difficulty of crossing

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in London...but 176 years on, the historic link is threatened BY MIKE SPARHAM OF THE GREENWICH LINE USERS GROUP

RAIL! BUSTLING: Newly-built Greenwich Station, 1841

HISTORIC: Train runs across vast row of arches on historic Greenwich line in 1838.

EPIC FAIL!

THE Greenwich line was the first ever train line in London. For 150 years residents and visitors have been using it to travel between Greenwich and Charing Cross. But from January 2015 train services from Greenwich to Waterloo and NO Charing Cross or Charing Cross are being axed permanently. Waterloo trains from Jan And neither will it be possible until January 2018 to change at London NO changing at London Bridge for other Southeastern services into Waterloo and Charing Cross. Bridge till January 2018 There is also a possibility that evening rush hour services from Most rush hour services London will be drastically cut, with CANCELLED...not diverted most of the six services from Charing Cross being cancelled, instead of being diverted to start from Cannon Street Harder to travel here for as Southeastern had promised. commuters AND visitors For the increasing numbers of people visiting and living in Greenwich this is bad news. Not surprisingly the Greenwich Line and from Waterloo and Charing Cross Users’ Group, which campaigns on at no extra cost. Greenwich is a very behalf of passengers using the railway, popular part of south east London, has objected strongly. with increasing numbers of visitors In our response to a and large housing consultation by developments. 3.5million Southeastern railway, we people use Greenwich have stressed that the station each year. at: es ng cha ed current level of service nn pla See the Southeastern railway must be kept, and orkrail.co.uk etw w.n ww needs to provide good that Cannon Street train and underground Contact Greenwich Line Users Group train services for them to use. £6billion of public om stations should open at: greenwichline@outlook.c money is being spent on throughout the day, rial Thameslink every day. More: www.greenwichindust ptr oh ger a m me and the .uk We are pressing for a t.co history.blogspo rebuilding of London Bridge shuttle service from station but Greenwich Cannon Street to Waterloo residents – and visitors – will get no and Charing Cross, or, failing that, benefit from this at all. we say free travel should be allowed on relevant bus, underground and DLR Tell us what YOU think about the services. Our aim is that commuters and changes. Email Matt@TheGreenwich visitors to Greenwich can still travel to Visitor.com or tweet us

info

Pep Up Your Hair at

the Curious Comb safety, timetables and much much more. They of 1836. But here are some extracts: “On also had many ideas for innovation and arriving at the gates I found them shut and... expansion. Sadly they were unable to get upwards of 100 persons standing shivering permission to extend past Greenwich in the cold. No notice was put up Park and Observatory until the about the time the train would 1870s – by which time the start...a gentleman arrived who company had been essentially was immediately admitted and taken over by others and the who stood, picking his teeth, Greenwich Line became a and we soon observed he couple of minor platforms was the Managing Director... 0 40 bricks laid by at London Bridge. Not a single person was It can be seen that our present to tell where the navvies...that’s problems over the next carriages were.. .parties kept ks ic br 100,000 couple of years are caused by crowding in and asking if this every day this early railway since Line was the right train...presently One – which will go into Cannon we began to move...by the Street and Cannon Street only – is wheezing sound we guessed we essentially the original 1836 line. were in motion by steam.” What were early days on the line like? Maybe I’ll leave you all to think about all I haven’t space to quote the whole of a letter that for a bit. MARY MILLS

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readers choose this paper every day - not just once a month. adverts start at £33 plus VAT to be in a positive paper real people read from cover to cover. CAll matt right now on 07731 645828 or email matt@thegreenwichvisitor.com

E’RE proud of being a diverse community here in Eltham. I was recently invited to a lovely lunch by the Bangladeshi Women’s Group which meets regularly here. Not only did they treat everyone to a delicious spread of dishes brought by members of the group, they also provided their own entertainment. After the lunch, there was poetry and singing from several women and also keyboard playing. Some poetry was in English, as there were non-Asian guests there, but many of the songs were in their mother tongue and were clearly popular community songs known by everyone from the group. started to think about the talent we have in Eltham within the groups of people who originate from different parts of the world but now are part of our community. Maybe we should celebrate this more. e now have a sizeable Russian population in Eltham too. There are two Russian children’s groups and many Russian families have made Eltham their home. Svetlana Quigley (inset) came to the UK about 15 years ago. She trained as an artist in St Petersburg, worked in theatre design in Murmansk and taught for 20 years in Russia. She studied for a PGCE in the UK and now works as a trained teacher here. She runs art classes in Eltham for children and adults and has a website which gives details of her work and classes: www.lanaart. me.uk. We are delighted that Lana is talking to us about Russian Folk Art on March 12 for Eltham Entertains. ltham Entertains is on the second Wednesday of each month at Eltham Library, in the Eltham Centre, Archery Road, from 7 to 9pm. All are welcome and there is no charge. There are more details on the Eltham Arts website, at the library and in the Greenwich Visitor events listings. ’m sure there are more artists and creative groups in Eltham from different cultural backgrounds. So do please get in touch! A creative community includes everyone from every background. This column is your chance to share your passion. Contact me on 07976 355398 or email elthamarts@aol.co.uk

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reviews

Home where the hurt is A HAIL of stones were thrown in this Glass House as Kate Tempest’s extraordinary look at family life returned to the award-winning writer’s home turf at The Albany. There have been any number of bleak studies of families in crisis over the years. But what raises this above the level of even the most skilled kitchen sink drama is Tempest’s poetry, some truly fabulous jokes and the brilliant Rashomon-style device of telling the same story from three points of view. The story in question is how a middle-aged single mum (Johanna Allitt), her lover Paul (Andre Skeete) and her 18-year-old daughter Jess (Michelle Cobb) have the mother of all rows in their kitchen one evening. Each version describing the size of the flame that lit the fuse of the argument is slightly different but the consequences are exponentially huge – a family torn apart, a life on the streets for the teenager and unrelenting misery for all three protagonists. Production company Cardboard Citizens’ cast – which also featured Kathryn Bond playing half a dozen roles including a loudmouthed estate agent – performed with an honesty that revealed most of them had known what it’s like to be homeless in real life. They occasionally missed the nuances of Tempest’s poetry. But their sheer grittiness combined with the strength of the writing more than compensated and made for a magnificent evening of hard-hitting theatre. MILES HEDLEY

Show with a lot of bottle FEW topics in a world that’s been overexposed to the phenomenon of the Aya Napa ladette can be so awash in cliches and stereotypes as the drunken girl having a night on the lash. And certainly the opening sequence of The Paper Birds creation Thirsty at Greenwich Theatre seemed merely to underline our worst fears – two foul-mouthed, shrieking, aggressive, sozzled women burst out of adjoining toilet cubicles and hurled themselves into the audience, sitting on men’s laps, taking selfies and flashing their bums. But in fact it was the beginning of a sly process of subversion in which, using interviews with real people talking about why and how they drank, Jemma McDonnell and Kylie Walsh brilliantly moved between the hilarious and the horrible to demonstrate Britain’s love-hate relationship with booze – a social joy for most but a pitiless menace and even killer for too many. And it was great to see the theatre packed with youngsters because Thirsty – devised by McDonnell, Walsh and director Kirsty Housley with the help of composer Shane Durrant – was perfectly judged for anyone less than middle-age. With a running time of just about an hour, the piece may have been short but it was very sweet – and also deliciously sour. MILES HEDLEY

YOUR LETTERS

We love to know what you think – about this amazing part of south east London. And we love feedback about our paper. email

matt@TheGreenwichVisitor.com or tweet us

@GreenwichVisitr OUR picture of the last sighting of Nelson’s statue (below) – spotted in the back of a van by photographer Townly Cooke – and coverage of the collapse of bars group Inc created interest too... I HAVE been greatly looking forward to the return of Nelson’s bronze statue and was horrified by your revelations in February’s issue. I very much hope you continue to investigate, as there are still unanswered questions. Above all we need to know if the statue still exists. If it does, then I’m sure locals and visitors would contribute to the repair and reinstallation. It is very dear to my heart. Rebecca Lord, Greenwich AS an ex-member of staff at his Trafalgar Tavern, I was pleased the Frank Dowling is being investigated by HMRC. Not being paid on time never put Inc Group in a good light. I used to work upstairs with a team of 15+ weddings and event staff members in the Nelson Room. We were expected to do a 12hr shift and not allowed to go on a break. The only chance we had was during speeches. The only staff food they provided were left-overs. We once went three months without being paid. Many people struggled to pay rent and bills. When I tried to get a petition going for wages to be paid on time my hours were cut and I was forced to leave. Eren Lakeman There was more reaction to our story that No Cylcing signs are being painted on paths at Greenwich Park... I REFER to the discussion about cycling in Greenwich Park (Letters, January). Cycling in London is being encouraged and will grow. That means there will probably be more cyclists in the Park and therefore more incidents. Knowing this, the Royal Parks are missing the chance to encourage “responsible” cycling and co-operation between visitors. Threatening hefty fines will only have a limited effect on controlling cycling behaviour in the Park and will stir up conflict between pedestrians and cyclists. I believe the Royal Parks might do better to engage with cyclists with information/education and offer more routes alongside penalising offenders. Daphne Graham In January we reported that Greenwich Theatre may be sold and the theatre forced to move into a new shared ‘creative hub’ at the Borough Halls... AS a past board member I have seen Greenwich Theatre come through difficult times but never one so alarming as now (New ‘Hub’ threat to Theatre –December); I hope the Theatre’s future will be assured. It would be a sad day for the happy audience of the recent pantomime contemplating their return visit next November. A monument to the vision of Ewan Hooper, who campaigned for the present theatre and became its first Artistic Director. There must be many like me who would be saddened by its loss. David Drummond, Vanbrugh Hill,

GreenwichVisitor THE

Going out for a Bit!

WHO needs cash for a pint? Now you just need Bitcoins for a night out. The Bird’s Nest in Deptford is the first pub here to accept the new e-currency. Users can buy food and drink by flashing their Bitcoin wallet app. “The Bitcoin is the new currency revolution and we are proud to be part of this “ says the Bird’s Nest’s Dave Baker. “It’s quicker and easier for the customer and the pub itself.” There’s a Bitcoin launch night planned on Saturday April 12, from 7.30pm with music and comedy cabaret as well as the Muthafunk DJs. There’s even London’s first Bitcoin BOGOF – use the bit coin to buy one drink from the shooter menu and get one free. Info: www.thebirdsnestpub.com

Learn To Be actors LET your children enjoy S h a k e s p e a r e t h i s E a s t e r. Theatresaurus is holding a course for children at John Ball School in Blackheath. Children learn techniques like stage fighting, vocal skills and improvisation for a performance of each group’s particular play on the final day. Theatresaurus Director Ros Johnson – ex Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre – says: “The best way to discover Shakespeare’s richness and variety of is to DO the plays.” The five-day course from Monday-Friday April 7-11 costs £120. Bursaries are available. Info: www.theatresaurus.co.uk

Celebrity Squares WOOLWICH Squares has been named Best Town Centre Project in the London Planning Awards. The regeneration brought in a large supermarket, new civic offices, 960 homes, a revamp for General Gordon Square and reworking of Woolwich Market. It was praised for its “subtle yet transformative changes to the way the town centre works.”

March 2014 Page 7

DETAIL OF £15M BUSINESS COLLAPSE REVEALED

inc report

BOSS: Frank Dowling

PLANS for a huge new hotel in the heart of historic Greenwich have been withdrawn after the collapse of controversial tycoon Frank Dowling’s Greenwich Inc business empire.

The American entrepreneur – being investigated over missing VAT payments and £15million debts – wanted to build the 96-bed Trident Hall Hotel behind his Trafalgar Tavern. It would have overshadowed the iconic riverside pub, opponents say, and intrude on the views of Greenwich’s World Heritage Site. Mr Dowling was the sole OVERSHADOWED: How shareholder in Trident Hotel Ltd. hotel behind Trafalgar And the Royal Borough of would have looked Greenwich has confirmed: “The application has been formally withdrawn by the applicants.” The news came as a report by administrators Griffins into the collapse of Inc Group revealed that: It traded for a year despite being advised What Greenwich Inc said it was insolvent. It stripped all it owed taxman company Greenwich cash from its tills Inc Trading Ltd was and art from its insolvent and should walls AFTER What group is said to b e p l a c e d i n t o administrators were voluntary liquidation. called in. owe taxman But the report says that The company owes he continued to trade for £15,109,577 – including another year – then set up new £6million in VAT and PAYE. Inc’s assets of £17,137,339 were individual companies registered in Glasgow for each bar and restaurant. said to be “overvalued”. A meeting of creditors was held on Mr Dowling is still running his flagship Trafalgar Tavern which was October 14 – The Greenwich Visitor part of a separate company he owned. believes that Greenwich Council was The report into the collapse of the the creditor who raised the alarm – tycoon’s empire – founded when he but Mr Dowling did not turn up. Three days later the council bought the town centre Bar Du Musee in 2003 before expanding presented a winding-up petition and administrators moved in. rapidly – makes shocking reading. The report says staff from Griffins It says that in June 2012 Mr Dowling was advised that his a d m i n i s t r a t o r s w e n t t o I n c ’s

• •

£147K

£6MILLION

• • •

Hotel plan is withdrawn £3.9m VAT not paid Tycoon still owns Trafalgar ‘Art located’ restaurants and its offices at 27 Park of accountants working on the Row – also Mr Dowling’s home – accounts for several months and and took away records and accounts. invoicing around £60,000 and Using those records, it calculated receiving £27,000.” that Inc owed HMRC Greenwich Inc was placed £3,920,502 in VAT and into administration on another £2,108,696 in November 28. PAYE. The company But the report tells had previously Adminstrators appointed how its staff went to insisted it owed NO I n c ’s b a r s a n d to run Greenwich Inc... VA T a n d j u s t restaurants and £147,999.52 PAYE. “found every venue The report says: had been cleared of “The books and ‘Tills emptied, art taken any cash as well as a records meticulously in the early hours’ number of items that r e c o r d e d a l l PAY E had been on display. d e d i c a t i o n s a n d VAT “CCTV supports the matters, but it appears no account given by staff that (a attempt was made to provide this representative) of the Inc Group information to HMRC despite a firm Turn To Page 16

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March 2014 Page 8

ParkLife

By Greenwich Park manager Graham Dear

mber weather warning...it’s going to get windy, again! I usually associate February 14 with snow and feeling cold (but don’t tell my wife). It’s just that this is when it seems snow chooses to fall on Greenwich Park. Winter 2014 has been different as we all know. The wettest winter since records began and high winds to boot. n the evening of Valentine’s Day this year a multi-stemmed Deodar Cedar in the Flower Garden became the Park’s latest casualty (above). High winds ripped out one stem at the base. Unfortunately it took half the trunk with it, leaving the remaining two stems in a precarious state, forcing the closure of the Flower Garden until they could be felled. he largest stem measured 18m in height. It’s nothing, however, to the Deodar in their native Himalaya where they can reach an unbelievable 80m tall. That’s three times bigger than the largest tree in Greenwich Park. The growth rings on the trunk showed that our tree was planted in 1972, making it 42 years old. That’s younger than I reckoned, but the Deodar grows quickly in the right conditions. f we need to fell tall trees in the Park, it is invariably because they are diseased and the timber rotten, but this Deodar has a good straight trunk. It seems a shame to log it up so we will convert it into timber and use it for informal benches in the Park. The grain is very white and the heart-wood a good dark colour. Some may go for wood turning or furniture making if there is demand. ’m not the only one lamenting the loss of this fine Cedar. A Mistle Thrush (inset) used this tree as a song post. The largest of our native thrushes, the Mistle Thrush is the earliest to nest and often starts singing in December. It chooses the top of a tall tree for its song-post and is also known as the Stormcock from its habit of singing at the height of a storm. Unfortunately on this occasion the perch gave way. here are two pairs of Mistle Thrush singing in the Park at the moment. The other has chosen a tree in the old quarry half-way down The Avenue as its song-post. These thrushes are not virtuoso singers like Blackbirds but are a welcome reminder in winter that it spring is on its way. The crocuses are out already and the daffodils will soon follow. Eventually the high winds and wet weather which have marked this winter will be gone. In March the first of the spring migrant birds will have arrived and with them Spring. I can’t wait.

O T I I

review

Blackheath’s ring of Steel MARK Steel is well-known for his left-wing politics but he’s far too good a comic to rely on lazy digs at Dave and Boris and the monarchy when there’s a host of red-hot targets within spitting distance of where he’s performing. So before playing Blackheath Halls Steel had taken a stroll with a camera and snapped landmarks, including the tea-hut and village shops. And with these projected on to a screen as starting points, he launched into a three-hour rant that reduced much of the packed audience to tears. Yes, there were routines that would have worked anywhere in Britain – the madness of property prices, the ridiculousness of bourgeois aspirations, the ludicrous hysteria about the Royal baby. But a huge part of his act was brilliantly Blackheath-specific, with a running gag about the Blackheath Society (which sparked cheers every time he used it), a diatribe against the move to axe the tea-hut and jokes about the village’s middle-class inhabitants. For example: “Mummy, why can’t I play at that end of the Common?” “Because that’s Deptford, darling, and they’ll kill you.” The crowd went wild. And: In an area where “95 per cent of the shops are delis” the Blackheath branch of Greggs must be the loneliest in the country. Steel grew up down the road in the sprawl of Swanley, so you might have expected Blackheath to be the target of vicious class-war barbs. In fact, his attacks were gentle – and accepted with joy by his willing victims. MILES HEDLEY

Relatively excellent

AWARD-winning production company The Faction were responsible for the highest body count I’ve ever seen with their exceptional staging of three of nightmarish family tragedies. S h a k e s p e a r e ’s H a m l e t a n d Schiller’s The Robbers are 2,000 years newer than the works of Sophocles and Aeschylus, whose explorations of the story of Oedipus inspired the third piece, Thebes. All three present familial dysfunction – from simple sibling jealousy to the generation-blighting scourge of incest – as a symbol for the woes of the world. And all three offered a shared vision of irredeemable hopelessness for Mankind who is nothing more than the plaything of the gods. The quality of the 12-strong cast was breathtaking. I saw all the plays in two days at Greenwich Theatre and the actors did not miss a beat as they moved between multiple roles. Simon Russell Beale made a chilling guest appearance on film as the Ghost in Hamlet but standout performances for me were Jonny McPherson as the Danish prince, Andrew Chevalier and Tom Radford as feuding brothers in The Robbers, Lachlan McCall as Oedipus and Horatio and Derval Mellett as Antigone/Ophelia. It was a challenging programme by directors Mark Leipacher and Rachel Valentine Smith. Their cast rose to it magnificently. MILES HEDLEY

our fascinating greenwich visitor series ANCIENT: Burial mounds in Greenwich Park

What remains BURIED bodies sound ghoulish, but actually they chart human endeavour, for as much as 4000 years – better than any grand buildings. Knowing where the bodies are buried is not easy, so this month I’m going to tell you how.

Let’s take a tour, starting in the town centre, where there used to be an extensive cemetery for sailors from the Naval Hospital. It’s now a green lawn in front of the Maritime Museum, especially to its west. There are still a few graves tucked in beside the Museum (next to some beehives), but most of their bones and their gravestones were moved a mile east in to a small park – East Greenwich Pleasaunce. This shift happened so that the railway line could be extended from Greenwich to Woolwich – most people do not realise that trains run just below the museum’s wide green lawns. A couple of grand memorials (inset) to senior naval officers were then erected in front of what is now the De Vere Hotel and conference centre. They are blocked off from the street by iron railings, so go via a side entrance in King William Walk. Tucked away in the crypt of G r e e n w i c h ’s S t A l f e g e Church is the tomb of James Wo l f e , t h e g e n e r a l w h o c a p t u r e d Q u e b e c C i t y. Humbler citizens of Greenwich were buried in its churchyard, where centuries of British weather have made many of the gravestones unreadable. When the main part of the churchyard was turned into a small park in Vi c t o r i a n t i m e s t h e gravestones were shifted to lie around the walls, but not before some enthusiasts recorded all their inscriptions, which you can look up at the Heritage Centre in Woolwich. Now head into the Park and up the hill to the Observatory. Pause to look at Wolfe’s statue, note how it is pitted with shrapnel marks from a wartime bomb. Then head west towards the exit gate from the Park at the top of Crooms Hill. Half way across you will encounter a cluster of small grassy burial mounds, usually described as Saxon. Originally there were perhaps 50, but nowadays you would struggle to count 28, and even then they are easier to see in an aerial photo in a mapping site on the Internet than actually on the ground (top picture). Tumuli – or barrows – like these were how ancient people put their mark of ownership on land, with ancestors’ graves up on the skyline, close to the gods. It is sad to see how flattened these mounds have become after many centuries of rain, but what makes them extra sad is that little of historical interest has been found in them. Partly this is because bodies do not survive very long in local soils, but mainly they were dug over by early unskilled antiquarians. Near the Park’s main gate onto

GREENWICH UNDERGROUND By Anthony Durha

Blackheath is a memorial to the Cornish rebellion of 1497, which led to the biggest recorded land battle in the London area. The professional army of Henry VII marched out, defeated the defenders of Deptford Bridge, and chased them up Blackheath Hill. Hundreds of men died and must lie buried somewhere nearby. People often claim that victims of the Black Death or the Great Plague lie buried under Blackheath, but that is a myth, probably inspired by the word “black.” In fact it is more likely that the heath was named for being bleak than for having dark soil or vegetation. To find a real burial place of many plague victims you need to go to St Mary’s church, Woolwich, near the ferry. Another possibility is at St Nicholas’ Church, Deptford, noteworthy for the skulls on top of its gateposts, said to have inspired the skull and crossbones of the pirates’ flag. To see them you need to head half a mile west of Deptford Creek bridge. Blackheath does have one definite mound that probably marks a prehistoric burial and used to be much bigger than the modern, unimpressive hillock topped with a straggle of gorse bushes. It is called Whitfield’s Mount, after early Methodist George Whitefield (with an extra E), who preached from it. Although his sermons helped inspire the American Revolution, Whitefield was no egalitarian and actually wrote in favour of slavery. Two miles east, on the brow of a hill with a fine view of the Thames, there used to be another cluster of six tumuli. Just one was allowed to survive housing development and can still be seen where Brinklow Crescent meets Plum Lane, where an official sign declares it to be from the Bronze Age. Further east still, a solitary mound sits on flattish ground in the middle of Winn’s Common at Plumstead. Officially it is described as Roman, but that is debatable. Someone once joked that it is possible to travel from one end of Britain to the other by jumping between burial mounds on high ground. An exaggeration, of course, but Greenwich has its share of ancestors commemorated on the skyline. What we really need is a little joke specific to this area able to compete with Highgate Cemetery, which has Karl Marx buried near to Herbert Spencer, the Victorian philosopher. Suggestions, please!

GreenwichVisitor THE

Grow along to help out VOLUNTEERS in Charlton have turned an abandoned plant nursery into a thriving edible garden...and this month you can dig in to help. The Maryon Park Community Food Growing Project is inviting you along for London’s Big Dig Day on March 22. The day – organised by food growing network Capital Growth – is a way to help new and experienced growers find their local community growing site and get their hands dirty. “We launched the Garden on Big Dig Day 2012,” said Friends of Maryon Park’s Tim Anderson. Sixteen people joined us as plot holders that day and others have been with us as volunteers. We have not looked b a c k . ” Info: www.friends ofmaryonparks.org/

Town’s new £10m hotel A SECOND Travelodge Hotel will open in Greenwich before the end of the year. The hotel chain is investing £100million on new properties – including £10million on one by Greenwich railway station, on the corner of Greenwich High Road and Waller Way. A Travelodge spokesman said the 104-room hotel will create 27 new jobs.

March 2014 Page 9

Our Annette in Marathon...after saying never again I NEVER thought I’d be saying this again...but 10 years after running the London Marathon I’m doing it again!

999 REASONS I’M RUNNING

If you’ve read my Fitness column in The Greenwich Visitor, you might be surprised that a personal trainer has taken so long to enter the greatest race on the planet – especially as it passes the end of my road. In 2004 I was spurred on by the death of a close friend at just 34. The training was difficult – mainly because I had to fit it in around my two and half-year-old twins. And the race was exhausting – and I really ached – yet I didn’t find it physically too difficult. But two years later I started training for a second London Marathon I just couldn’t do it. London Marathon starts I guess my at Greenwich Park heart wasn’t in it. And I found HERE TRIO GO: (L to R) Louisa, the training Val & Annette (inset with paper) l 13. Apri ay Sund really gruelling. Various starts from But now I’m homeless, needy and a warm welcome of 9.20am ready to face it and vulnerable. company, a hot drink again. I ache like mad I w a s t a k e n and food. Apart from after training but I’m around the 999 o f f e r i n g c o m p a n y a n d loving it. And I’m really Club in Deptford shelter, other services are provided. pleased not to be running for and find it difficult to An on-site nurse, advice and sad reasons! explain just how With two friends – Louisa Snow wonderful this charity is. My visit counselling is available. As well as and Val Kirkman – I have chosen to was sobering but heartening. a hot shower, a nursery for the run for a wonderful Deptford People can walk in off the streets most under-privileged children charity called The 999 Club, which with a No Questions Asked policy and, in winter months, a temporary hostel where people can sleep provides invaluable support for the

WHERE WHEN

overnight. This is not just a centre for homeless drug addicts and alcoholics who desperately need support. It is also a drop in centre for the elderly who need some company. The nursery is a happy and safe environment for children who need it the most. I’ve known Val for years and only recently met her friend Louisa. They both live in Greenwich and volunteer at The 999 Club. The three of us had been tasked with raising £3,000. But we’re really keen to smash that target for such a great cause. You can sponsor us at www.uk. virginmoney giving. com/team/999club. Any donation you could make would be so welcome and appreciated. The 999 Club needs £500,000 a year to run. But it saves us all money by avoiding expensive ambulance callouts, A&E visits and even evictions. I am proud to be running for The 999 Club. Please help us – and help a wonderful charity right here. ANNETTE PERRY

March 2014 Pages 11 & 14

Advertise in another paper you know people read....email Matt@TheGreenwichVisitor.com or call 07731 645828 THE

GreenwichVisitor

LAST month we reproduced pages from the Blackheath Gazette in February 1894. 120 years on, the stories, ads and notices gave us an amazing insight into life in Victorian Britain, and, especially, right here in south east London. There was a match report from an England v Ireland rugby international at Recory Field – still home of Blackheath Rugby Club today. And a court report after a mugging at Blackheath railway station after the

match! Plots of land were on offer for – what seems today – a pittance. The now defunct paper showed how newspapers can make history...then bring it back to life generations later. This month, we’ve decided to bring you more. There is humour and tragedy. Evidence of the harshness of life in the Workhouse is printed alongside ads for banjo lessons and moneylenders. Who says pay-day loans are new? We hope you enjoy.

THE

GreenwichVisitor

March 2014 Pages 12 & 13

Advertise in another paper you know people read....email Matt@TheGreenwichVisitor.com or call 07731 645828

GreenwichVisitor THE

March 2014 Page 10

THE YACHT

EIZUN WELLBEING

HOY KITCHEN

SAN MIGUEL GODDARDS PIES

UP THE CREEK

TRINITY LABAN CONCERTS

GREENWICH GALLERY

FAN MUSEUM

Advertisers not on map

THE SOCIAL MATRIX PETER KENT ARTIST

DENISE GRIXTI TRAINING

SALLY SINCLAIR ZUMBA

URBANIST ARCHITECTURE

R A

GreenwichVisitor THE

ZAIBATSU

March 2014 Page 15

GREENWICH YACHT CLUB

VANBRUGH TAVERN

MURPHY’S WASTE

THE CURIOUS COMB

G&BCH MINI MARATHON

CLARENDON HOTEL

HEATH FOR HEALTH

FRIENDS OF AGE EXCHANGE

BLACKHEATH HALLS

Conservatoire

GreenwichVisitor THE

March 2014 Page 16

INC REPORT From Page 7 attended the premises in the early hours of November 29 and instructed staff to remove cash and items.” They are believed to include the valuable Spread Eagle Art Collection of Greenwich paintings, including a Gainsborough, whose disappearance we featured on our front page in January. The report criticises Inc Group for leaving the venues with no money to operate. It says an administrator lent his own funds to keep venues open. It also emerged that staff had not been paid for work in November – “a situation they were not unaccustomed to”. Griffins says all staff are now paid regularly but that, by the end of January, Inc had still not paid them what they owed. It also says that new properties leased by Inc were gradually emerging, including unused restaurants at Anchor Iron Wharf, Greenwich – used for storage – and another store, in Deptford. “There is some dispute as to the exact owner of the items stored there,” the report says. “Enquiries are continuing.” Administrators will not confirm whether this is the Spread Eagle Art Collection, but say they believe they know its whereabouts. And it also revealed that Mr Dowling still owns The Trafalgar Tavern and Admiral Hardy pubs. The historic Tavern – where Charles Dickens once dined and which inspired some of his books – was never part of Greenwich Inc. Instead it was owned by Trident Hall Ltd – which Mr Dowling “sold” to another of his companies Trident Tavern Lease Ltd for £4.25m in June 2013, before waiving the debt. Administrators are challenging the validity of the deal. The Greenwich Visitor has been told Mr Dowling tried to sell the lease of the pub in December. The Admiral Hardy – including the Inc Bar – was sold by Greenwich Inc to another of his companies Hardy Inc Lease Ltd for £895,000. The report highlights “successful” trading results for those venues now run by the administrators. In January and February they generated sales of almost £1million. Tips for staff were £54,439 with £400,000 paid in wages and PAYE contributions and £173,000 VAT, producing a net profit of £187,000. The future of Inc Group’s bars is also laid out in the report. The Spread Eagle closed immediately because large rent arrears and trading losses made it uneconomical. The Inc Club – a nightclub at the O2 – will stay closed because of its high running costs. The American Sports Bar and Grill and Union Square may shut next month when the leases expire – with staff being made redundant – unless a new operator can be found. Mr Dowling did not comment on the report this week. His lawyers have previously denied any wrongdoing and insist he is “co-operating fully” with HMRC. They told the Evening S tan d ar d n ew s p ap er : “The investigation, as we understand it, primarily relates to a VAT issue which is complex as it involves different entities within the business structure. The structure is entirely legitimate.”

Pupils’ battlefield trip to honour teens

George Notton

Youngsters joined up in Blackheath TRENCH TOUR: Charlotte & Kiran saw battlefields and memorials

boys who never came back 100 YEARS ago this year the First World War began. Millions would die, many of them youngsters. With veterans of that conflict all but gone, school children here have been keeping their story alive.

Charlotte Reed and Kiran Matharu – Year 9 pupils at John Roan School in Blackheath – were among the first children in the country to go on a Government-funded Battlefield Visit. The girls saw trenches and war memorials and, back in the classroom, have been studying all aspects of the conflict – from 3D modelling to war poetry. Over the next four years, thousands of school pupils will share in the same experience. Helen Grant, the Minister leading the centenary, met Charlotte and Kiran during a trip to John Roan School last month. “With all our First World War veterans gone, it has never been more important to tell their story,” the Minister said. “Through Charlotte, Kiran and others like them the bravery and sacrifice of that generation will live on. We can learn from it and we will remember them.” Around 1,700 Greenwich and Blackheath men died during the First World War, according to local war

memorials. Three hundred from Blackheath were lost in the first year alone. And 30 John Roan old boys were among the fallen, including Cecil Ayling who joined up at just 16 years old and was dead a year later. Ayling was one of an estimated 250,000 boy soldiers. He had not long left the school when he enlisted in the Army the day after war was declared in 1914. The first boy soldiers landed in Europe in May 1915, immediately engaging in battle. One of the first they faced was at Loos. Around 50,000 British soldiers men killed or wounded there – including 3,600 teenagers. The heavy losses continued. On the first day of the Somme in 1916, 500 boy soldiers were killed and 2,000 wounded. By the time that battle had ended 18,000 boys had been killed or wounded. The poignancy of following in the footsteps of past pupils so close in age to them was not lost on Charlotte and Kiran as they shared their inspirational trip and photos with the Minister. The girls are now researching the stories of the thirty old boys and seven local Victoria Cross winners for a time capsule to be buried in the school grounds. Pictures courtesy of National Library Scotland. Kevin Loughnane and Lewisham Local History and Archives.

THEY were just boys when they joined up at recruiting offices in Blackheath and Greenwich. And they were still young men when they died in France. Here are some of the local lads who never came home... Private Charles Stirling Chapman, 20th (County of London) Battalion (Blackheath & Woolwich), London Regiment was killed on September 15 1916, aged 18. HIs batallion was involved in an attack at High Wood on the Somme. Following his death his officer wrote: “He died swiftly and without any pain or lingering...He was a cheerful and willing worker and died bravely doing his duty.” He had joined up at just 16 and had been at the front for 14 months. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France. Gunner William Henry Russell, 39th Trench Mortar Battery, Royal Field Artillery, died on September 29 1916, aged 18. He joined the army soon after the war broke out, at 16. He was given his discharge but re-enlisted on the 9th February 1916. In a letter, his lieutenant wrote: “His death was a great loss to his battery, as he was a good soldier, always performing his duty cheerfully and well, even under trying circum stances”. He is buried in Hamel Military Cemetery, Beaumont Hamel, France. Driver George William Notton, A Battery, 48th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery died on October 27 1918, aged 20. George joined up in September 1914 at the age of 16. But his father wrote to the army and informed them that George was underage for front line service and he was sent back to England returning again to France in April 1917. He was granted a period of 14 days leave to the UK in August 1918. He returned to the front in September and on October 26 he suffered gunshot wounds to both legs and to the right arm and died the next day. He is buried and remembered in Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun, France. The Catford boy’s older brother Frederick Walter Notton had died in action aged 19 1916.

William Russell

GreenwichVisitor THE

NORTHERN LIKES!

Society’s new base

THE Blackheath Society has moved home from one historic building to another. The Society has moved into new offices on the first floor of the Old Bakehouse, behind Age Exchange in the village. It had been based at Chapman House – built in 1849 and named after the first Blackheath stationmaster Edward Duncan Chapman – since 1988. The Society helped rescue the building which was facing demolition in the 1970s. New address: The Blackheath Society, Studio 2, T h e O l d B a k e h o u s e , 11 Blackheath Village, London SE3 9LA. Phone 0208 297 1937. Email office@ blackheath.org.

‘an oasis of calm in Greenwich’

nurturing the beauty within... special offer £20 off our unique Back and Facial Rejuvenation massages when you book two Express Treatments together.

Taylor pics on display

SEND US YOUR PICS OF A PERFECT DAY email your photo to: matt@TheGreenwichVisitor.com

In association with

HERE’S The Greenwich Visitor on its way to amazing Iceland...maybe the furthest north we’ve been. Blackheath High School pupil Shauna Clark Fitzpatrick packed her paper and took us on a school Geography trip there. Lucky Shauna and her friends had a fabulous time...and even got to see the Northern Lights. As well as spectaculare geysers and waterfalls. Thanks for sending us your pictures, Shauna! Now it’s over to YOU! We love to show Greenwich to the world. So send us a picture of you and our paper somewhere exotic or exciting. We’ve been everywhere from Australia to Ghana; Moscow to Blackpool...and even up Mount Everest. Where will you take us?

madvertising gets noticed Banned car ‘ad’ makes news OUR story about the car accused of being a mobile advert certainly got noticed...just like the motor itself! We told how the Smartcar parked in College Approach – covered in stickers and belonging to a staff member at Flyjack shoe store – had been posted with a removal notice by Greenwich Council. Shop owner Raj Singh told us a reader came in to sympathise as soon as the paper hit the streets. And Blackheath resident and LBC talk show presenter Nick Ferrari got in touch to feature it on his show. Our Twitter followers pitched in too... Blogger @darryl1974 said: Funny they turn a blind eye to the ad vans that park above the A102 at Old Dover Road... And @neilclasper added: I wonder if anyone has ever booked a carp fishing holiday in France from that van on Old Dover Rd... A spokesman for Greenwich Council told us: “The car had been left in the same position for some time, with tyres deflated, and it was

TAYLOR Swift fan? The American drew huge fans at the O2 last month. And you can still catch an exhibition of tour photos and stage outfits. British photographer Christie Goodwin’s pictures form Taylor Swift: A Photo Experience at the British Music Experience till March 23 (11-7.30) The BME – inside the iconic dome building – is the UK’s dedicated music museum. Info: www.britishmusic experience.com

March 2014 Page 17

Eizun Wellbeing, 89 Corbidge Court, Glaisher St, Greenwich, London SE8 3ET. Free parking available

www.eizun.com

07738 581683

Introducing

The Clarendon Hotel Afternoon Tea Afternoon tea was once a fashionable pastime in Blackheath, from the start of the 20th century when the ladies from Blackheath’s smart set met for teas and sandwiches, to chat with friends. Over the last decade tea houses such as Jobbins, Aldertons & Christy’s served tea in the village, also one very small tea room in Tranquil Passage was notorious for the rudeness of its manageress. It got to the point where the customers complained if she wasn’t rude to them.

MAD NEWS: Our story last month

considered that was likely to be contravening advertising regulations. “A notice was therefore placed on the car, which was removed within 48 hours, and the matter is now closed.‚“ But Flyjack owner Raj Singh insisted he’ll be writing to complain because many businesses advertise on the side of their vehicles. Tell us what YOU think? Have you fallen foul of local laws? Email Matt@TheGreenwichVisitor.com

You can be sure of two things these days: the Clarendon has revived a very smart and pleasant Blackheath tradition, and none of its managers will ever be rude to you. The Clarendon is serving its Goffers Afternoon Tea at just £12.90 or a sparkling tea served with a glass of Prosecco or Pink Ginger for £16.50.

For booking call the hotel 020 8318 4321 or book online www.clarendonhotel.com The Clarendon Afternoon Tea is Served from 1 - 5pm. Bookings advised Afternoon Tea Gift Vouchers Available

GreenwichVisitor THE

March 2014 Page 18

A GREAT RIVERSIDE

PUB

I A

ST PATRICK’S DAY

Celebrate with us on Monday March 17

REAL T S HONEW REVIE S

BRITISH PUB FOOD Special Lunch Club offer Monday to Friday 12-5pm £5.49

EVERY SATURDAY

members 10% off ales for CAMRA nctions We cater for private fu THE

RIVERSIDE VIEWS YACHT

5 Crane Street, Greenwich, SE10 9NP. Supermap Ref K9 Telephone 020 8858 0175 Follow us on Facebook

@TheYachtTW

PACKED OUT: Crowds at Market

id you read our review of the Pavilion Tea Rooms in Greenwich Park? It wasn;t good... the food, not the review, of course! We’d gone along after reader Sandra Bishop alerted us to the awful fare. Fortunately, it was about to be closed for a refurbishment before reopening under new operators Creative Taste. That was back in November. Sadly – or is that happily? – the Pavilion is STILL closed. The Royal Parks did not reply to our enquiries before this edition went to press.

come dine with

THE YACHT

adly still no sign of life at classic cafe Gambardella’s at Blackheath Standard. A traditional cafe was mooted there last Autumn but came to naught. New cafe The Scullery hoped to open there last month. We’ll keep you posted. uge congratulations to the organisers of Greenwich Food Fest. It was quite a First! Many people have talked about a food festival...they achieved it. We’re very pleased they had the foresight toadvertise in The Greenwich Visitor. Hope we helped. Well done to all of them. f you want even more flippin’ fun, Greenwich Market’s Pancake race is on Shrove Tuesday March 4. Heats from 1pm. Fun for kids from 4pm. nyone remember the rather brilliant Face Italia on Humber r food We payrefoview Road? We still miss it. we Maybe we’ve finally found a family Italian that matches it. Luciano’s in Burnt Ash Lane, Lee, has the feel of a place where serving up proper, great pasta is more important than glitz and glamour. We dropped by on a Saturday afternoon and found it nicely busy and very welcoming. Our Strozzapretti with chicken and mushrooms was lovely and chunky, fresh and appetising. And the aubergine parmigana was perfect for a cold winter’s afernoon. We’ll be back for the whisky prawns in tagliatelle...and to read more of those fabulous framed Corriere dello Sport on the walls.

simply ON SONG: Singer Lawrence Autie. Pictures: Jim Templeton-Cross

More to come as students’ THE Market sizzles on a Monday...thanks to the first Greenwich Food Fest.

The Market – usually closed on the first day of the week – hosted the event, run by students at Greenwich University. And they earned full marks.

Hundreds of people tasted produce from craft producers and street food vendors, as well as hearing music from artists and even the University choir! Organiser Leonie Macauley said: “We were incredibly happy with how the day went. Seeing a packed Greenwich Market on a

GreenwichVisitor THE

DAN’S CURRY CORNER in association with

TOP TEAM: Organisers (L to R) Kyria Lynch, Lorraine Tragett, Emma Andersson, Leonie Macaulay, Kirsty-Leigh Dreyer and Sonya Arthur

The Mitre Hotel

The Mitre, 291 Greenwich High Road. Food served seven days a week

the fest

he Greenwich Curry Club always like to check out new curry venues so we were delighted to be the very first customer at Balti Base, the name chosen by the new owners of the takeaway at 106 Blackheath Road. Previously Curry to Go, and before that Medina, they have some tough competition with Le Popadom, Indelicious, Green Chillies and Chutney all close. But the young owners have a spark that makes me believe they could thrive. A smiley, friendly service (I was number one customer after all!) goes a long way, but you’re going to love the prices even more. Old-school curries like Bhuna, Rogan and so on come in at £3.75 for chicken and 50p more for lamb, while you can sample specials like Chicken Honey Khany (nuts and sultana in a sweet yoghurt sauce) for £5.25 or the King Prawn Special with mushrooms for £6.25. eanwhile it’s all happening down Trafalgar Road. Mountain View has got the spicy Twitter World all excited with its quality since taking over the Mehak venue. To sample their fare at quality prices I’d recommend the Sunday afternoon buffet at just £8.95 between noon and 4pm or the Wednesday banquet night where you can go for a starter, main, side, rice and bread for £12.05 (it’s advertised at £10.95 but with a 10 per cent service charge). bit further along the same road at 119 there is another new curry venture – Kerala Village. Offering South Indian, Sri Lankan and North Indian dishes all the usual dishes are there if you want them. But there are many unusual dishes, including four egg curries and an extensive range of seafood offerings such as Mussels Fry, Squid Fry, and the intriguing Fish Molly. And vegetable fans have a range that is second to none with dishes incorporating beetroot, cabbage, aubergine as well as the more usual paneer, chick peas and dal. nd while it’s not a new venture, Spice World at 101, the on-theface-of-it chicken shop, has rebranded itself as Lahore so people realise it makes decent curry (it really does). There is the full range of curries from the classic favourites to a good selection of specials (including Green Curry and Chicken Rajeshwani) but the lunch specials catch the eye. A readymade selection of three curries (Lamb, Chicken or Meatball when I visited) comes with rice for just £4.50. There is also dal and a vegetable curry available. Fried chicken, pizzas and kebabs are still on the menu but this is now firmly in the curry camp.

March 2014 Page 19

SALLY SINCLAIR Friendly community-based Zumba Fitness & Zumba Gold Classes, that let you move to the beat of the music at your own speed and levels! Fun & Easy Fitness-based Moves For All (dancing experience is not necessary). Great Music including Pop, Merengue, Salsa, Cumbia and Lots More!

Zumba Gold Fitness Classes. 50+ Ladies. Returning To Exercise. Mums Returning To Exercise. Beginners Low or Higher Impact Moves Mondays *10–11am & 11.15am-12.15pm. *(Extra Class By Popular Demand) Wednesdays 2pm-3pm Eltham Park Methodist Church Hall, Westmount Road, Eltham SE9 Zumba Fitness Evening Classes – All Welcome. Wednesday & Thursday Evenings 7-8pm. St Lukes Church Hall, Westmount Road, Eltham SE9

Call Sally on 07510 094170 or visit sallysinclair@zumba.com

ALL SMILES: Stallholder at work

NICE TRY: Youngster samples some food

first food festival is a massive hit Monday, when it is normally an empty space, made us feel great. “Some traders were actually so busy that they actually ran out of food within a few hours.Others have also been offered a permanent pitch at Greenwich Market off the back of the event, which is fantastic news. We have received great feedback from many of our

traders, volunteers and visitors, and am now considering a second event, maybe in the summer. We are in talks about this, but the Market landlords seem positive about Greenwich Food Fest 2.” Final profits for their chosen charity Greenwich Food Bank is yet to be calculated. Santander Bank has agreed to double the proceeds.

Daniel Ford

greenwichcurryclub@hotmail.com @greenwichcurry

Paella Mondays

zaibatsu

3 Free tapas with any paella ordered (minimum 2 people. Approx 30 mins cooking time.)

Noodles - Sushi - Tempura - Sashimi Soups - Salads - Rice dishes 96 Trafalgar Road, Greenwich, SE10 9UW Tues-Sun 12pm-11pm 020 8858 9317

Flamenco show

Mothers Day Sunday March 30 6.30 & 7.30

18 Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ 0208 305 1720 www.sanmiguelgreenwich.co.uk

@sanmigueltapas

Sanmiguelgreenwichrestaurant

AN AD THIS SIZE COSTS FROM £33 PLUS VAT To advertise email Matt@TheGreenwichVisitor.com or call 07731 645828

A Fabulous night of 70s & 80s soul, funk & disco - for people who remember the tunes fIRst time round & still want to party

SAT MAY 17 2014

ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH HALL, SE13 6QE 7.30PM-11PM £10 (Hither Green BR)

SAT JULY 5 2014

TRAFALGAR TAVERN, SE10 9NW 7.30PM-MIDNIGHT £15 (Cutty Sark DLR)

‘We’re off for a boogie!’

as featured on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live

• DJS - LORD ANT & DA-LYNNE • GLAM UP! PRIZES FOR THE BEST OUTFITS • DISCO DANCE LINEUPS • CASH BAR • FREE SWEETS & ICE POPS Advance booking essential. Tickets available online and at local outlets including You Don’t Bring Me Flowers cafe SE13. Call 0796 716 3247 for more info.

10% PROFITS TO

www.haventstoppeddancingyet.co.uk Follow us on Facebook: Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet! and Twitter @H_S_D_Y

GreenwichVisitor THE

Saturday March 1

KIDS Stormy Seas Cutty Sark 11, 12, 1.30, 2.30 DANCE Meeting Mr Boom! Borough Hall 11am, 2 KIDS Whatever The Weather Cutty Sark 11.30, 2 KIDS Meet Nicholas Hawksmoor ORNC 12, 1, 2, 3 MUSIC The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain Backheath Halls 2, 8 RUGBY Blackheath RFC v Cinderford. Rectory Field 3 PLAY Thebes Greenwich Theatre 3 FILM/OPERA Prince Igor Link-up to New York Met Picturehouse 5 MUSIC Beyoncé O2 DRAMA Icicles In The Trees: A Family Saga For Dylan Thomas centenary. Fan Museum 7.30 PLAY The Robbers Greenwich Theatre 7.30 DANCE Candoco Company Triple Bill Laban 7.30 COMEDY Andrew Bird, Joey Page, Angela Barnes Up The Creek DRAMA Where There’s A Will London Theatre 8 MUSIC The Mish Mash Pelton JAZZ Hazel Oliver’s CLUBBING Cuff Building Six

WHAT’S ON

Organising an event you want thousands of residents AND visitors to know about in the biggest and best local listings guide there is? Please email all the essential details and a contact phone number to matt@ TheGreenwich Visitor.com

March 2014 Page 20

Sunday 2

KIDS Ahoy Captain! Cutty Sark 11, 12, 1.30, 2.30 MUSIC Wu Quartet Blackheath Halls 11am KIDS Whatever The Weather Cutty Sark 11.30, 2 FAMILY Tomten Greenwich Theatre 2 MUSIC Beyoncé O2 MUSIC Opera Gala Night Backheath Halls 6.30 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7 MUSIC Steve Morrison Oliver’s

Monday 3

MUSIC Aubert Trio Backheath Halls 1.10 JAZZ Beats In The Bar Blackheath Halls 7.30 CHARITY Target Ovarian Cancer Music gig. Admiral Hardy 7 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Tuesday 4

MUSIC Nafis Umerkulova, Lucie Czajkowska Piano recital. ORNC chapel 1.05 CHARITY Target Ovarian Cancer Gig night at Admiral Hardy JAZZ Beats In The Bar Backheath Halls 7.30 MUSIC Beyoncé O2 KIDS Macbeth: Blood Will Have Blood Albany 7.30 MUSIC R5 IndigO2 DRAMA The Tempest London Theatre 8 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood

Wednesday 5

TEA DANCE Backheath Halls 2 DRAMA The Tempest London Theatre 2 & 8 TALK Angela Byrne Northern Nature & Exploratory Science. G’wich Heritage Centre 6.30 MUSIC Beyoncé O2 DANCE Atomos Laban 7.30 WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton JAZZ Jam session Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

Thursday 6

MUSIC Trinity Laban Strings Professors St Alfege 1.05 TALK Extracelestial: Astronomer’s Guide To Turner’s Universe NMM 6.15 MUSIC Turner Piano Concert NMM 6.30 TOUR Dark Tales ORNC 7 MUSIC Beyoncé O2 DANCE Atomos Laban 7.30 MUSIC Trinity Laban String Ensemble Blackheath Halls 7.30 DRAMA The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn Monroe Greenwich Theatre 7.30 MUSIC Icarus Club Pelton DRAMA The Tempest London Theatre 8 JAZZ Louise Balkwill Quintet Oliver’s

Friday 7

ART PSYCHO.GEOGRAPHY Group show. Art Hub Gallery, Creekside 12-5 (Till March 16) MUSIC Bedriska Trio ORNC 1.05 CELEBRATION International Women’s Day Global Fusion event. Charlton House 5-10 SCIENCE Evening With The Stars Royal Observatory. From 5.25 MUSIC Lady Pank IndigO2 MUSIC Sylvain Blassal Harpist Peacock Room, King Charles

March

Eric Lampaert Up The Creek JAZZ Stephan Melovski Band Oliver’s

Sunday 16

COURSE Wet-on-Wet 10-5 NMM MUSIC London Soloists Ens Blackheath Halls 11am FAMILY Frog Day Ecology Park, Greenwich Peninsula 11-3. Free DRAMA The Tempest London Theatre 5 MUSIC King Size Slim Pelton 6 MUSIC Mendelssohn’s Elijah Blackheath Halls 6.30 MUSIC C2C Festival O2 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7

Monday 17

Boy George is back! The Eltham-born 80s superstar is at the IndigO2 on Thursday March 3. Court, ORNC 7 DRAMA The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn Monroe Greenwich Theatre 7.30 COMEDY Milo McCabe, Evelyn Mok, Gavin Webster Up The Creek DANCE Leila McMillan Borough Hall 7.30 DRAMA Tempest Lon Theatre 8 MUSIC Professor No Hair & The Wiglifters Pelton JAZZ Maciek Psyck Oliver’s

Saturday 8

FUND-RAISER Book sale For Age Exchange & Blackheath Village Library. Old Bakehouse 10-4 friends-of-age-exchange.org.uk COURSE The Sea, The Sea 11.305.30 NMM KIDS Meet Samuel Pepys ORNC 12, 1, 2, 3 SALE Going For A Song Amersham Arms, from noon KIDS Macbeth: Blood Will Have Blood Albany 1 MUSIC Esther Cavett Piano recital. St Alfege 1.05 FOOTBALL Charlton Athletic v Watford. The Valley 3 SCIENCE Evening With The Stars Royal Observatory. From 5.25 COMBAT Gustafsson v Manuwa O2 DRAMA The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn Monroe Greenwich Theatre 7.30 COMEDY Milo McCabe, Michael Fabbri, Gavin Webster Up The Creek MUSIC The Estimators Pelton DRAMA The Tempest London Theatre 8 JAZZ Nicolas Miers Oliver’s

Sunday 9

DRAMA The Tempest London Theatre 5 MUSIC Ellie Goulding O2 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7 JAZZ Early jazz Oliver’s 6

Monday 10

MUSIC Guildhall School Cantata Project Backheath Halls 1.10 DRAMA Westcombe Shakespeare Readers All the plays. Mycenae House. Details: 07950 707272 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Tuesday 11

MUSIC Trinity Laban Chamber Choir ORNC chapel 1.05 MUSIC Australian Pink Floyd O2 DANCE Falling Song Laban 7.30 TALK Edward Sargeant G’wich Industrial History Society hear about Frederic Eliot Duckham and the Millwall Docks. Old Bakehouse 7.30 JAZZ Beats In The Bar Blackheath Halls 7.30 FOOTBALL Charlton Athletic v Huddersfield. The Valley 7.45 PLAY Beulah Greenwich Theatre 8 DRAMA The Tempest London Theatre 8 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood

Wednesday 12

DRAMA The Tempest London Theatre 2 & 8 TALK Russian Folk Art Svetlana Quigley at the Eltham Centre 7 COMEDY Miranda Hart O2 LITERATURE David Hewson: The Killing III Blackheath Halls 8 PLAY Beulah Greenwich Theatre 8 WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton JAZZ Jam session with Jon Shenoy Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

Thursday 13

PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 COMEDY Jack Whitehall O2 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Tuesday 18

MUSIC Trinity Laban Baroque Strings ORNC chapel 1.05 MUSIC Trinity Laban Jazz Choir Queen Mary Undercroft, ORNC 7.30 PLAY Dracula Greenwich Theatre 7.30 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood DRAMA Angel/Now We Are Pope London Theatre 8 JAZZ Beats In The Bar Oliver’s

Wednesday 19

PLAY Dracula Greenwich Theatre 1, 7.30 ART Portraying The Wrens Queen’s House 1.30 WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton MUSIC Gabrielle IndigO2 FILM/BALLET Sleeping Beauty Link-up to Covent Garden Picturehouse 7.15 MUSIC Trinity Laban Sondheim Concerts Blackheath Halls 7.30 DRAMA Angel/Now We Are Pope London Theatre 8 JAZZ Jam session with Sam Leake Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

ARCHIVES Pirates And Piracy Nat Maritime Museum. Noon MUSIC Zoe Freedman Soprano recital. St Alfege 1.05 COMEDY Miranda Hart O2 FILM Mutiny On The Bounty NMM 7 MUSIC Trinity Laban Sinfonia Blackheath Halls 7.30 JAZZ Beats In The Bar Thursday 20 ADVERTS Oliver’s HERE COST FROM JUST MUSIC Trinity Laban PLAY Beulah harps Greenwich St Alfege 1.05 Theatre 8 TOUR Dark Tales MUSIC Icarus ORNC 7 Club Pelton FILM Master And DRAMA The Commander Tempest NMM 7 London MUSIC Trinity Laban AND ARE READ BY OVER Theatre 8 1,000 PEOPLE EVERY SINGLE Sondheim Concerts Friday 14 DAY FOR A WHOLE MONTH Blackheath Halls MUSIC Trinity 7.30 Laban 07731 645828 PLAY Dracula Symphonic Brass Greenwich Theatre 7.30 ORNC chapel 1.05 MUSIC Trinity Laban Chamber DANCE Free To Fall Choir Cutty Sark 8 Borough Hall 7.30 DRAMA Angel/Now We Are Pope COMEDY George Egg, Colin Cole London Theatre 8 Up The Creek MUSIC Icarus Club Pelton DRAMA The Tempest PLAY Maya/Natalie’s Marvellous London Theatre 8 Mishmash Of Musicals ShrewsPLAY Beulah Greenwich Theatre 8 bury House SE18 3EG. 8-9 COMEDY Jimmy Carr Info: artistic.director@front-roomBackheath Halls 8 theatre.co.uk JAZZ Vitor Pereira Oliver’s JAZZ David Dyson Quartet Saturday 15 Oliver’s COURSE Wet-on-Wet 10-5 Friday 21 NMM MUSIC Puzzle Piece Opera KIDS Meet Grace O’Malley Charlton House 1 Old Royal Naval Coll 12, 1, 2, 3 MUSIC Laura Monaghan, Jillian KIDS Mouth Open Story Jump Bain Christie Soprano recital Old Out Albany 1, 3 Royal Naval Coll chapel 1.05 TEA DANCE Borough Hall 2 FAMILY X Factor Live O2 KIDS Little Bo Peep MUSIC The Overtones IndigO2 Backheath Halls 3 DANCE Tour d’Horizon FILM/OPERA Werther Laban 7.30 Link-up to New York Met. MUSIC St Paul’s Sinfonia Picturehouse 4.55 St Alfege 7.30 MUSIC C2C Festival O2 PLAY Dracula DRAMA The Tempest Greenwich Theatre 7.30 London Theatre 8 TALK Advances In Dentistry DANCE St Patrick’s Day Ceilidh Blackheath Scientific Society Borough Hall 8 hears from Dr Dharaka Nathan. PLAY Beulah Greenwich Theatre 8 Mycenae House 7.45 COMEDY Jimmy Carr COMEDY Ross Noble Backheath Halls 8 Michael Edwards Theatre at MUSIC Not The Rolling Stones Cutty Sark 7.45 Pelton DRAMA Angel/Now We Are Pope COMEDY George Egg, Colin Cole, London Theatre 8 COMEDY Jon Newton, Ben Norris Up The Creek PLAY Maya/Natalie’s Marvellous Mishmash Of Musicals Shrewsbury House SE18 3EG. 8-9 Info: artistic.director@front-roomtheatre.co.uk MUSIC Deptford Rivieras Pelton JAZZ John Martin Quartet Oliver’s

£33

Sale of Secondhand Books Bargain Price for Top Quality! All ProceedS To chAriTy

Saturday March 8 10am-4pm. Bakehouse Bookshop (rear of Age Exchange, SE3 9LA)

www.friends-of-age-exchange.org.uk

Saturday 22

COURSE Print-making 10-5 NMM KIDS Meet Joe Brown ORNC 12, 1, 2, 3 MUSIC Cristina Buga Piano recital. St Alfege 1.05 PLAY Dracula Greenwich Theatre 2.30, 7.30 FOOTBALL Charlton Athletic v Burnley. The Valley 3 RUGBY Blackheath RFC

v Henley Hawks. Rectory Field 3 FAMILY X Factor Live O2 MUSIC The Overtones IndigO2 DRAMA Angel/Now We Are Pope London Theatre 8 COMEDY Ruby Wax Blackheath Halls 8 THEATRE Brand New Ancients Albany 8 MUSIC The 77s Pelton COMEDY Jon Newton, Ben Norris, Dane Baptiste Up The Creek JAZZ Basil Hodge Trio Oliver’s CLUBBING Cocoon Building Six

Sunday 23

COURSE Print-making 10-5 NMM KIDS Hugless Douglas Greenwich Theatre 11am DRAMA Angel/Now We Are Pope London Theatre 5 MUSIC Dave Sutherland Duo Pelton 5 MUSIC Extravaganza IndigO2 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7 MUSIC Dennis Greaves Blues Jam Pelton

Monday 24

MUSIC Drake O2 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Tuesday 25

MUSIC Tom Gamble Guitar recital. ORNC chapel 1.05 MUSIC Drake O2 THEATRE Equsi Soup Albany 7.30 MUSIC Trinity Laban Wind Orch Blackheath Halls 7.30 DRAMA Lolita Lon Theatre 8 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood JAZZ Beats In The Bar Oliver’s

Wednesday 26

MUSIC Trinity Laban recital Donations to Age Exchange & Blackheath Village Library. Old Bakehouse 1-2 friends-of-age-exchange.org.uk THEATRE Equsi Soup Albany 7.30 MUSIC Drake O2 WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton OPERETTA Iolanthe Greenwich Theatre 7.30 DANCE The Point At Which It Last Made Sense Laban 7.30 MUSIC Blackheath Does Broadway Blackheath Halls 7.30 DRAMA Lolita London Th’tre 8 JAZZ Jam session with Ruben Fox Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

Thursday 27

MUSIC Corrie Dick Septet St Alfege 1.05 TALK WW2 Prints & Drawings NMM 6.15 HISTORY Candlelit Tour Queen’s House 7 THEATRE Equsi Soup Albany 7.30 MUSIC Angell Trio Backheath Halls 7.30 MUSIC Icarus Club Pelton OPERETTA Iolanthe Greenwich Theatre 7.30 MUSIC The Wanted O2 DRAMA Lolita London Th’tre 8 JAZZ Ellie Ligwall Trio Oliver’s

Friday 28

VOLUNTEER Nature Trail Dig-In Greenwich Pk Wildlife Centre 9.30 MUSIC Bach To Baby St Alfege 10.30am MUSIC Trinity Laban guitars ORNC chapel 1.05 MUSIC Eason Chan O2 MUSIC Live At The Halls Backheath Halls 7 THEATRE Equsi Soup Albany 7.30 OPERETTA Iolanthe Greenwich Theatre 7.30 COMEDY Ross Noble Michael Edwards Theatre Cutty Sark 7.45 DRAMA Lolita London Th’tre 8 MUSIC Ronnie Ripple & The Ripchords Pelton COMEDY Sally Anne Hayward, Roger Monkhouse Up The Creek JAZZ Meskala Oliver’s

Saturday 29

KIDS Meet James Thornhill ORNC 12, 1, 2, 3 VOLUNTEER Drop-In Greenwich Pk Wildlife Centre 1-3 OPERETTA Iolanthe Greenwich Theatre 2, 6 MUSIC College Of Young Musicians St Alfege 7 COMEDY Russell Howard O2 MUSIC Junior Trinity Spring Concert Blackheath Halls 7 DRAMA Lolita London Th’tre 8 COMEDY Sally Anne Hayward, Roger Monkhouse, Danny Ward Up The Creek MUSIC Jezebel Sextet Pelton JAZZ Marco Marconi Trio Oliver’s

Sunday 30

MUSIC Naufal Mukumi Piano

GreenwichVisitor THE

April

WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton DRAMA Pronoun Greenwich Theatre 6 JAZZ Jam session Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

TRINITY LABAN JAZZ CHOIR

Thursday 17

MUSIC Trinity Laban recital St Alfege 1.05 PLAY Cell Greenwich Theatre 8 MUSIC Icarus Club Pelton

Friday 18

PLAY Cell Greenwich Theatre 6.30, 9 COMEDY Ross Noble Michael Edwards Theatre Cutty Sark 7.45 MUSIC Toot N Skamen Pelton

Saturday 19

FOOTBALL Charlton Athletic v Bolton. The Valley 3 MUSIC Wahala IndigO2 PLAY Cell Greenwich Theatre 8

TUE 18 MAR 19.30h John Wingham on World War 1 Poets at the Eltham Centre, featuring actors from the Bob Hope Theatre, Weds April 9. r ecital. Blackheath Halls 11am WALK Impact of WW2 All Saints Blackheath to St Alfege’s Greenwich 11am-1.30. £9pp info@blitzwalkers.co.uk FILM/BALLET The Golden Age Link-up to the Bolshoi Picturehouse 4 DRAMA Lolita London Th’tre 5 MUSIC Dennis Greaves Blues Jam Pelton 5 MUSIC Alleyn’s Chamber Music Backheath Halls 6 MUSIC Tinie Tempah O2 PLAY The City And Iris Greenwich Theatre 7.30 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7

Monday 31

MUSIC Carolina Foulkes, Mark Farrall Soprano/clarinet recital Backheath Halls 1.10 MUSIC Blackheath Does Broadway Blackheath Halls 7.30 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Tuesday 8

PLAY Kidnapped Greenwich Theatre 11am, 3 MUSIC Johnny Matthis O2 FOOTBALL Charlton Athletic v Yeovil. The Valley 7.45 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood DRAMA Package Deals (Gunshots Included) London Theatre 8

Wednesday 9

Sunday 20

Led by the UK’s leading jazz choral director, Pete Churchill, a thirty-five strong jazz choir will be joined by a talented band from Trinity Laban’s renowned jazz course for an evening of jazz, gospel, soul, folk and more at the Old Royal Naval College.

FAMILY Birdwatching Walk The Woodlands Farm Trust 9.15 MUSIC Mississippi McDonald & The Cotton Mouth Kings Pelton TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7

Monday 21

PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Queen Mary Undercroft, ORNC Tickets: ornc.org/events 020 8269 4799

Tuesday 22

MUSIC Blackheath Does Broadway Blackheath Halls 7.30 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood

Wednesday 23

PLAY Kidnapped Greenwich Theatre 11am, 3 TALK First World War Poets John Wingham. Eltham Centre 7 WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton DRAMA Package Deals (Gunshots Included) London Theatre 8 JAZZ Jam session Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

DANCE Reading With Bach Laban Theatre 7 WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 7.30 JAZZ Jam session Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

Thursday 24

MUSIC Trinity Laban recital St Alfege 1.05 MUSIC McBusted O2 DANCE Reading With Bach Laban Theatre 7 MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 7.30 COMEDY Welcome To Burkeshire London Theatre 8 MUSIC Icarus Club Pelton

Thursday 10

MUSIC Trinity Laban recital St Alfege 1.05 MUSIC Icarus Club Pelton DRAMA Package Deals (Gunshots Included) London Theatre 8

Friday 11

MUSIC Justin Timberlake O2 DANCE BA2 Show Laban 7.30 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood DRAMA Romeo And Juliet London Theatre 8

Wednesday 2

MASTERCLASS Geoff Hunt Marine art 10-5 NMM DRAMA Romeo And Juliet London Theatre 2, 8 MUSIC Justin Timberlake O2 DANCE BA2 Show Laban 7.30 TALK Admiral Parker Of 12 Crooms Hill Daphne & Andrew Joynes. Fan Museum 7.30 MUSIC Blackheath Does Broadway Blackheath Halls 7.30 WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton JAZZ Jam session Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

Thursday 3

MUSIC Trinity Laban recital St Alfege 1.05 MUSIC Vanbrugh Ensemble All Saints, Blackheath £8 7.30 MUSIC Boy George IndigO2 MUSIC 4 Tops/Temptations O2 DRAMA Romeo And Juliet London Theatre 8 MUSIC Icarus Club Pelton

Friday 4

MUSIC Backstreet Boys O2 COMEDY Ross Noble Michael Edwards Theatre Cutty Sark 7.45 DRAMA Romeo And Juliet London Theatre 8 MUSIC Bruise Pelton

Saturday 5

DRAMA Romeo And Juliet London Theatre 2, 8 FOOTBALL Charlton Athletic v Reading. The Valley 3 RUGBY Blackheath RFC v Old Albanians. Rectory Field 3 DANCE Children’s Classes Mixed Bill Laban 3, 4.30 FILM/OPERA La Bohème Link-up to New York Met Picturehouse 5.55 MUSIC Gary Barlow O2 MUSIC The Ionian Singers St Alfege 7.30 MUSIC Secret Police Pelton

Sunday 6

FAMILY Lambing Day The Woodlands Farm Trust 11-4.30 DRAMA Romeo And Juliet London Theatre 5 MUSIC Gary Barlow O2 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7

Monday 7

PLAY Kidnapped Greenwich Theatre 7 MUSIC Blackheath Does Broadway Blackheath Halls 7.30 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30

COMEDY Miranda Hart O2 MUSIC Boyce Avenue IndigO2 TALK Firefighting In Tall Buildings Adam Carter. Blackheath Scientific Society. Mycenae House 7.45 COMEDY Ross Noble Michael Edwards Theatre Cutty Sark 7.45 DRAMA Package Deals (Gunshots Included) London Theatre 8

Friday 25

Saturday 12

FUND-RAISER Book sale For Age Exchange & Blackheath Village Library. Old Bakehouse 10-4 friends-of-age-exchange.org.uk KIDS Dinosaur Zoo Greenwich Theatre 11am, 2, 4.30 SALE Going For A Song Amersham Arms, from noon MUSIC Kristiana Smilovska Piano recital. St Alfege 1.05 MUSIC The Little Sweep Children’s Opera Blackheath Halls 2, 6 BITCOIN Launch Party Bird’s Nest, 32 Deptford Church St from 7.30 COMEDY Miranda Hart O2 DRAMA Package Deals (Gunshots Included) London Theatre 8

Sunday 13

KIDS Dinosaur Zoo Greenwich Theatre 10.30am FAMILY Lambing Day Woodlands Farm Tust 11-4.4.30 MUSIC The Little Sweep Children’s Opera Blackheath Halls 2, 6 KIDS Pirate Gran Greenwich Theatre 4 DRAMA Package Deals (Gunshots Included) London Theatre 5 MUSIC Steve Morrison Pelton 6 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7

TRINITY LABAN CHAMBER CHOIR AT THE CUTTY SARK THU 20 MAR 20.00h (doors 19.30h) In an exciting collaboration with Royal Museums Greenwich, one of London’s leading chamber choirs will perform under the bow of the Cutty Sark. Director: Stephen Jackson with the Trinity Laban Brass Ensemble and Marcus Andrews (piano). Judith Bingham Salt in the Blood (Proms commission) Caitlin Rowley Drowning Songs (première) Richard Rodney Bennett Full Fathom Five Songs and Sea Shanties by Percy Grainger Cutty Sark, Royal Museums Greenwich Tickets: trinitylaban.ac.uk/cuttysark 020 8305 9300 Offer: Quote ‘Visitor’ to receive 20% off tickets (online/phone/person)

Wednesday 16 MUSIC Elbow O2

VOLUNTEER Drop-In Greenwich Pk Wildlife Centre 1-3 TEA DANCE Borough Hall 2 MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 2.30, 7.30 KIDS Alice & The White Rabbit Blackheath Halls 3 FOOTBALL Charlton Athletic v Blackburn. The Valley 3 RUGBY Blackheath RFC v Doncaster. Rectory Field 3 FILM/OPERA Così Fan Tutte Link-up to New York Met Picturehouse 5.55 MUSIC McBusted O2 CHARITY Friends Of Age Exchange Quiz 7.30 at Kingswood Halls, Kingswood Pl. BARN DANCE Borough Hall 8 MUSIC Wott The Hoople Pelton

Monday 28

Tuesday 15

TEA DANCE Blackheath Halls 2 DRAMA The Wardrobe Greenwich Theatre 6 TALK Julian Kingson: Build The Lennox Greenwich Industrial History Society lecture. Old Bakehouse 7.30 DRAMA Pronoun Greenwich Theatre 8 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood

Saturday 26

FUN RUNS Heath For Health Charity and school fund-raiser for all ages. John Ball/All Saints Schools. From 10.30am. Info: healthforhealth@live.com MUSIC Gonzalo Acosta Violin recital. Backheath Halls 11am TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7 FILM/BALLET The Winter’s Tale Linkup to Covent Garden Picturehouse 6.45 MUSIC Dennis Greaves Blues Jam Pelton

Monday 14

MUSIC Matthew Schellhorn Piano. Backheath Halls 1.10 DRAMA Pronoun Greenwich Theatre 6 DRAMA Westcombe Shakespeare Readers All the plays. Mycenae House. Details: 07950 707272 MUSIC Blackheath Does Broadway Blackheath Halls 7.30 DRAMA A Shop Selling Speech Greenwich Theatre 8 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

VOLUNTEER Nature Trail Dig-In Greenwich Pk Wildlife Centre 9.30 MUSIC Bach To Baby St Alfege 10.30am MUSIC McBusted O2 MUSIC BITES: Remix Albany 7.30 DANCE Hakeem Onibudo Borough Hall 7.30 MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 7.30 MUSIC St Paul’s Sinfonia St Alfege 7.30 MUSIC Heidi Talbot Blackheath Halls 7.30 COMEDY Ross Noble Michael Edwards Theatre Cutty Sark 7.45 MUSIC Christopher Holland Pelton

Sunday 27

TRiniTy LAbAn ConseRvAToiRe of MUsiC & DAnCe

Tuesday April 1

March 2014 Page 21

MUSIC Blackheath Does Broadway Blackheath Halls 7.30 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Tuesday 29

MUSIC Blackheath Does Broadway Blackheath Halls 7.30 DRAMA The Chairs Albany 7.30

Continued on Page 22

GreenwichVisitor THE

March 2014 Page 22

Venues

Blackheath Halls: 23 Lee Road, SE3 9RQ 020 8463 0100. blackheathhalls.com Greenwich Theatre: Crooms Hill, SE10 8ES 020 8858 7755. greenwichtheatre.org.uk Greenwich Playhouse: Currently closed. www.galleontheatre.co.uk Laban: Creekside SE8 3DZ. 020 8463 0100 www.trinitylaban.ac.uk Clarendon Hotel: Montpelier Row SE3 0RW. 020 8318 4321. clarendonhotel.com National Maritime Museum: Romney Rd, SE10 9BJ 020 8858 0045 www.nmm.ac.uk Up The Creek: 302 Creek Rd SE10 9SW. 020 8858 4581 upthecreekmanagement.co.uk The Albany: Douglas Way, Deptford SE8 4AG. 020 8692 4446 thealbany.org.uk 02, Indig02 & Building Six: 0844 8560202 www.theo2.co.uk Old Royal Naval College: SE10 9LW. 020 8269 4799 www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org Oliver’s: 9 Nevada St SE10 9JL. 020 8853 5970 www.oliversjazzbar.co.uk Pelton Arms: 23-5 Pelton St, SE10 9PQ 020 8858 0572. peltonarmspub.com Peter de Wit’s Cafe: 21 Greenwich Church St, SE10 9BJ. 020 8305 0045 St Alfege: Greenwich Church St. 020 8853 0687. st-alfege.org Trinity College of Music: King Charles Ct SE10 9JF. 020 8305 4444. tcm.ac.uk Greenwich Dance: Borough Hall SE10 8RE. 020 8293 9741 greenwichdance.org.uk Blackheath Conservatoire: 19-21 Lee Rd SE3 9RQ. 020 8852 0234 conservatoire.org.uk Morden Arms: 1 Brand St, SE10 8SP. 020 8858 2189 The Railway: Blackheath Village SE3 9LE. 020 8852 2390 therailwayblackheath.co.uk The Royal Oak: 54 Charlton Lane, SE7 8LA. 020 8858 4771 The British Music Experience: The 02. 020 8463 2000. britishmusicexperience.com The Lord Hood: 300 Creek Rd, SE10 9SW. 020 8858 1836 Mycenae House: 90 Mycenae Rd SE3 7SE 020 8858 1749 mycenaehouse.co.uk The Woodlands Farm Trust: 331 Shooters Hill Rd, Welling DA16 3RP 020 8319 8900 thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org.uk The Eltham Centre: 2 Archery Road SE9 1HA. 020 8921 4344 Amersham Arms: 388 New Cross Rd SE14 6TY. 020 8469 1499 Charlton House: Charlton Rd SE7 8RP. 020 8856 3951 O’Neill’s: 52 Tranquil Vale, Blackheath SE3 0BH. 020 8463 9230 The Old Bakehouse: Bennett Park, Blackheath SE3 9LA London Theatre: 443 New Cross Rd SE14 6TA. 020 8694 1888. thelondontheatre.com Eltham Palace: Court Yard SE9 5QE. 020 8294 2548. english-heritage.org.uk Firepower: Royal Arsenal SE18 6ST. firepower.org.uk 020 8855 7755 Greenwich Heritage Centre: Artillery Square, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich SE18 4DX The Forum: Hall hire, parties, business meetings. Trafalgar Road, Greenwich SE10 9EQ. 0208 853 5212. office@forumatgreenwich.org Greenwich Communications Centre: Hire for business meetings. 164 Trafalgar Rd SE10 9TZ. 020 8269 2103

Long-term events

MARKETS Greenwich Market: 10-5.30. Sat and Sun: Arts & crafts, food, fresh produce. Tues, Wed: Food, fresh produce, homewares. Thurs: food, antiques & collectables, crafts. Fri: Food, arts & crafts, antiques & collectibles Clocktower Market: 166 Greenwich High Rd. Sat, Sun 10-4. 50 quirky stalls specialising in vintage, retro and antiques. 07940 914204 Blackheath Farmers’ Market: Blackheath Station, 10-2 every Sun. lfm.org EXHIBITIONS/CRAFTS/COMMUNITY British Music Experience: O2 bubble 11-7.30 daily. 020 8463 2000 Royal Observatory: Free. Meridian Line £10 (£7.50 cons/Greewich Card) The Fan Museum: Hatch, Match, Despatch. Fans showing birth, marriage, death. Till June 1. 12 Crooms Hill. 020 8305 1441 fan-museum.org.uk Age Exchange: Carers’ group Mon, knitters Thurs, preschool rhyme-time Fri. Old Bakehouse, Bennett Pk SE3 9LA. age-exchange.org.uk. St Alfege’s: Drawings of etched glass screen celebrating life of St Alfege by Sonia McNally. On display daily till April 20 National Maritime Museum: Turner And The Sea. Sammy Ofer wing. Daily 10-5. Till Apr 21. Queen’s House: 10-5. Free Greenwich Gallery: Linear House, Peyton Place SE10 8RS. 9-5 Mon-Fri Paul McPherson Gallery: Peter Denmark Mar 3-28, Aleksandar Basic Mar 31Apr 12, Beka Smith Apr 28-May 5, Marcus Davies May 12-24. 77 Lassell St SE10 9PJ. paulmcphersongallery.com Ben Oakley Gallery: 9 Turnpin La SE10 9JA. The Forum: Disabled drop-ins, mums’ groups, kids’ classes, advice. Trafalgar Rd SE10 9EQ. 020 8853 5212 Jazz Open Mic Nights: Mondays (exc Bank Hols) Mycenae House SE3, 8.30 Greenwich Heritage Centre: Artillery Square SE18 4DX. 020 8854 2452 WALKS Greenwich Guided Walks: Local experts. Walks daily at 12.15 and 2.15 from the Greenwich Tourist Information Centre. £8, £7 cons. Greenwich Tour Guides Association 07575772298 guides@greenwichtours.co.uk Rich Sylvester: Guide, historian, storyteller. 07833 538143. richs@onetel.com FAMILY ACTIVITIES National Maritime Museum: Explore Saturdays. Free. Performance and storytelling for over-5s from noon. Discover Sundays. Free. Activities for families from 11.30am. Play Tuesdays. Free. For under-5s from 10.30

May MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 7.30 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood

Wednesday 30

MUSIC Trinity Laban recital Donations to Age Exchange & Blackheath Village Library. Old Bakehouse 1-2 MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 2.30, 7.30 TALK Sandra Dunster Sights And Sounds Of The Medway Towns c1790-1830. Greenwich Heritage Centre 6.30 MUSIC Blackheath Does Broadway Blackheath Halls 7.30 DRAMA The Chairs Albany 7.30 JAZZ Jam session Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

Want the inside guide to what’s best in Greenwich and Blackheath? NIKKI SPENCER asks a local...

MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

Thursday 15

DRAMA The Last Five Years Greenwich Theatre 8 MUSIC Icarus Club Pelton

Friday 16

DRAMA The Last Five Years Greenwich Theatre 8 MUSIC Kate Rusby Blackheath Halls 8

Saturday 17

KIDS Little Red Robin Hood Blackheath Halls 3 DANCE Family Cabaret Borough Hall 3 MUSIC Belinda Carlisle IndigO2 DRAMA The Last Five Years Greenwich Theatre 8 MUSIC Cara Dillon Blackheath Halls 8

Sunday 18 Thursday May 1

FILM/PLAY King Lear Link to Nat Theatre. Picturehouse 7 DRAMA The Chairs Albany 7.30 MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 7.30

Friday 2

MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 7.30 DRAMA The Chairs Albany 7.30 MUSIC Big Orange Head Pelton

Saturday 3

MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 2.30, 7.30

Sunday 4

MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 6 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7

Monday 5

KIDS Pirate Party Cutty Sark 11 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Tuesday 6

MUSIC Miley Cyrus O2 MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 7.30 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood

Wednesday 7

MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 2.30, 7.30 WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton JAZZ Jam session Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

Thursday 8

MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 7.30 MUSIC Icarus Club Pelton

Friday 9

MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 7.30 MUSIC Ida Stenmark London Theatre 8

Saturday 10

FUND-RAISER Book sale For Age Exchange & Blackheath Village Library. Old Bakehouse 10-4 friends-of-age-exchange.org.uk SALE Going For A Song Amersham Arms, from noon MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 2.30, 7.30 FILM/OPERA Cinderella Link to New York Met. Pic’house 5.55

Sunday 11

MUSIC Piers Adams, David Wright Blackheath Halls 11am TEA DANCE Blackheath Halls 2 MUSICAL Avenue Q Greenwich Theatre 6 MUSIC Deepak Chopra IndigO2 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7

Monday 12

DRAMA Heritage Greenwich Theatre 6 DRAMA A Letter To Lacey Greenwich Theatre 8 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Tuesday 13

DRAMA The Wardrobe Greenwich Theatre 6 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood DRAMA Horizon Greenwich Theatre 8

Wednesday 14

DRAMA Tomorrow Greenwich Theatre 6 WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton TALK History Of Stained Glass With artist Janette Smith Eltham Centre 7 JAZZ Jam session Oliver’s CULTURE Poetry South East Blackheath Halls 8 DRAMA Angels Greenwich Theatre 8

KIDS The Magic Violin Backheath Halls 3 MUSIC Folk Jam Blackheath Halls 6 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7 MUSIC Steffi Dykes, Tandem and Joe Townend & Friends Blackheath Halls 8

Monday 19

WRESTLING WWE Live O2 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Tuesday 20

WRESTLING WWE Live O2 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood DRAMA Medea London Theatre 8

Wednesday 21

WOOLLIES Knitting club Pelton DRAMA Medea London Theatre 8 JAZZ Jam session Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

Thursday 22

DARTS Premier League O2 DRAMA Medea London Theatre 8

Friday 23

MUSIC Nine Inch Nails O2 DRAMA Medea London Theatre 8

Saturday 24

FAMILY Alice In Wonderland Greenwich Theatre 11am, 6 DRAMA Medea London Theatre 8

Sunday 25

FAMILY Alice In Wonderland Greenwich Theatre 11am, 2 MUSIC Little Mix O2 DRAMA Medea London Theatre 8 TALENT Something for Sunday The Vanbrugh 7

Monday 26

FAMILY Alice In Wonderland Greenwich Theatre 2, 6 MUSIC Barry Manilow O2 MUSIC Bovi IndigO2 PUB QUIZ The Vanbrugh 8.30 JAZZ Corrie Dick Oliver’s

Tuesday 27

FAMILY Alice In Wonderland Greenwich Theatre 11am, 6 MUSIC Katy Perry O2 MUSIC English folk Lord Hood

Wednesday 28

MUSIC Trinity Laban recital Donations to Age Exchange & Blackheath Village Library. Old Bakehouse 1-2 FAMILY Alice In Wonderland Greenwich Theatre 2, 6 TALK Dr Gavin Rand Military Expeditions & the Performance of Power on the Imperial Frontier. Greenwich Heritage Centre 6.30 MUSIC Katy Perry O2 JAZZ Jam session Oliver’s MUSIC Glenn Tilbrook DJ Night Pelton

MyLife JAMES BENMORE: WRITER

y grandparents had a toy shop, Benmore’s Toys and Prams, on Trafalgar Road in the 60s & 70s and my dad grew up living above the shop. They moved the business to Welling and it became Benmore’s Beds. My brother now runs the company and I worked there after leaving school, starting as a sales and delivery guy, then becoming a manager. ive years ago I left the family business to become a writer. I left school at 16 with no qualifications but I did an Open University literature course and after that I started writing. I used to work in the shop in the day and write short stories in the evening. I was accepted onto an Oxford University creative writing course in 2008-9 and that’s when I began writing my book Dodger. It’s about the Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist and his return to London after five years in a penal colony in Australia. I love Dickens and wanted to write a London-based book. s part of my course I read the first chapter at an event and an agent was in the audience. He loved it and got me a book deal. Dodger is now out in paperback (Heron Press, £7.99, available from Waterstones Greenwich) and I have just delivered the sequel, Dodger of the Dials, set around Seven Dials in central London, which and is out in hardback in June. odger spends a lot of time in Greenwich in my book and it helps that I know the area so well. I’ve lived around here since my early 20s and my favourite pub is The Trafalgar Tavern on the river. There is a scene in my book where Dodger goes in there and gets into a bit of a fight. I used to sit at a table by the window and imagine what the river would have looked like in Dodger‘s time with vessels going up and down. The place has such a wonderful sense of history. ilms are one of my passions – I love Greenwich Picturehouse, and will sometimes go in there in the day on my own. I love the fact that the Royal Naval College is in so many movies, every time I go to the cinema it’s in things, from Les Miserables to Pirates of the Caribbean. I’m hoping that one day they can shoot my film there too. lackheath Standard, where I live, is great as there’s a lovely little community and everything you need close by. The library is a good place to work and then I pop across the road to the Moca Italian Delicatessen for a coffee. Writing means you sit down and snack a lot so to keep healthy I go running around the heath and the park. It’s a bit of a jogger’s paradise around here. I also do British Military Fitness. They put you through the mill and it’s hard when you haven’t done it for a while but it’s a great workout.

Thursday 29

KIDS In The Night Garden Live 10, 12, 2, 4. O2 FAMILY Alice In Wonderland Greenwich Theatre 11am, 6

Friday 30

VOLUNTEER Nature Trail Dig-In Greenwich Pk Wildlife Centre 9.30 KIDS In The Night Garden Live 10, 12, 2, 4. O2 FAMILY Alice In Wonderland Greenwich Theatre 11am, 6 MUSIC Katy Perry O2

Saturday 31

VOLUNTEER Drop-In Greenwich Pk Wildlife Centre 1-3 FAMILY Alice In Wonderland Greenwich Theatre 2, 6 KIDS In The Night Garden Live 2, 4. O2 MUSIC Leroy Hutson & The Valentine Brothers IndigO2 MUSIC Katy Perry O2

Tell us your life stories and favourite local places. email Matt@TheGreenwichVisitor.com

GreenwichVisitor THE

March 2014 Page 23

here we ‘bow again! AFTER the wettest start to the year most of us can remember it was a relief when even the smallest ray of sunshine finally appeared. Over Humber Road in Blackheath we spotted this amazing double rainbow during a sunny pause in the February deluge. We love to see YOUR amazing pictures taken here too. Whether – like most of our readers – you live here or are visiting. Email Matt@TheGreenwich

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1 From the Sun, what is the name of the nearest star? 2 When did the first colour supplement to a Sunday newspaper appear? 3 Which newspaper brought out the first colour supplement? 4 What’s the furthest thing you can from the top of Ben Nevis? 5 Which artist painted the famous Sunflowers? 6 What was the name of the company that Reginald Perrin worked for in the TV series The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin? 7 In what year were professional soccer matches played on a Sunday in Britain for the first time? 8 Which American state is nicknamed the Sunshine State? 9 Who were the last team to win the FA Cup wearing red & white stripes? 10 B&Q stores nationwide broke British law in 1989 by doing what? Answers: 1 Proxima Centauri 2 1962 3 The Sunday Times 4 The sun 5 Vincent Van Gogh 6 Sunshine Desserts 7 1974 8 Florida 9 Sunderland 10 Opening on a Sunday

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COME on then cleverclogs. Think of a team name and test yourelf against our legendary quizmaster Deke. Still not authentic enough?

STRIKING isn’t it? This threebed architect-designed home is in G r e e n w i c h ’s r e n o w n e d Ashburnham Triangle. It has vaulted ceilings, a 29ft reception

Get off the sofa and catch his legendary quizzes at The Vanbrugh Tavern every Monday night. 8.30.

room and 124ft garden. It’s on the market for £974,999 with Winkworth. Call them on 020 3324 0894. And, of course, tell them we sent you!

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NOT far aweigh from the Old Royal Naval College, close to the river you’ll find this. That’s a golden clue. Don’t know? Don’t

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The Blog of Samuel Pepys T

o Greenwich Park betimes where I passed a woman wearing a badge who addressed a small band of people. I did hear her say that she was to take them on a tour, but their destination when I followed them was neither Florence nor Venice but ten paces down the path. Here she did point out the Queen’s House to them and then, upon seeing me, asked if I had paid. I replied that I’d be d–ned if I’d pay to be pointed out something which every cheesemonger in London knows and I went on my way. then did reflect on how I also could make money by telling people of the Park so I stood by the entrance crying “Tour...leaving now!” After two hours no one had approached and I was about to leave when a man and his wife agreed to come with me. They said they were from the Americas but when I complimented them by saying it was a most useful colony the churlish fellow merely frowned. First I did point out to them the Observatory. On being asked what occurred there I told them that I had once by chance met my tailor Mr Broad by the building and had disputed with him about his excessive bill for my cravat. The man asked if I knew

of a more important event than that so I told him that nothing was more important to a gentleman than his cravat. His wife consulted a book and, looking at the statue on the hill, saying “It says he’s General Wolfe. Tell us about him. “Judging by the shabby cut of his cape,” I said, “he was a most uncouth fellow and I am pleased to say I know nothing of him.” “What about the Planetarium?” she asked. “Such a building never existed in the Park!” I cried. “Your book is full of lies and must have been published by the Dutch.” “By no means,” she said, “It’s The Lonely Planet!” “That proves my point,” I replied, “as there are nothing but crowds hereabout.” hey then did ask me to lead them up the hill, to which I replied that no gentleman would attempt such a slope on foot. On their telling me they had paid me money, I said I was not their lackey, and, seeing the woman with a badge pass by with another group, they muttered “Let’s do a proper tour” and went over to join them. When I see the King again I will tell him that we should relinquish the Americas forthwith.

AS IMAGINED BY TONY KIRWOOD: @tkirwood tonykirwood@gmail.com

GreenwichVisitor THE

March 2014 Page 24

RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL DESIGN PLANNING

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COMMUNITY

FUN RUN

walk jog run TH 27 APRIL 2014 on

BLACKHEATH

5k community run - 10:30am 1 mile children’s run - 11:30am

GREENWICH PARK | 2.62 MILE ROUTE

SUNDAY 27TH APRIL 2014 AT 10AM A sponsored run for 7 –16 year olds

OPEN TO ALL

Adults £10 entry

Register online at www.communityhospice.org.uk For more information call us on 020 8319 9230 or email us at info@gbch.org.uk

Children free with £5 charity sponsorship Free training available

Like us on Facebook Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice

This event has kindly been sponsored by

£7.50 per child Every child will receive a medal at the finish

PRIZE S FOR FUND TOP RAISE RS!

Help raise money for our schools and for these great charities AS B

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YEARS of care and support ACROSS GREENWICH AND BEXLEY

Email for more information or registration form: heathforhealth@live.com

AS B

@heathforhealth

Heath for Health

AS B

Registered Charity No. 1017406. A limited company by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales No. 2747475.

Kindly sponsored by