Herne Hill #115 (Summer 2011)

Herne hill THE MAG A ZINE OF THE HER NE HILL SOCIET Y ❧ ISSUE 115 ❧ SUMMER 2011❧£1

Kind permission of Stuart Brown

Mervyn Peake Lido Opens Music festival

news: Anne Ward rip❧herne hill car clubs❧lambeth g e m s ❧ A g M ❧ R u s k i n p a r k ❧ r o s e n d a l e bridge ❧ planning articles: oxfam❧river effra❧DPG summer show❧ Eddie Placzek❧Edmund Bird

❧ carnegie library society events: Kevin Fitzpatrick❧Ian McInnes ❧ more inside...

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the Herne hill society Registered Charity No:1094346☙£1Free to Members☙Issue No:115☙Summer 2011

Committee 2010—2011

contents

President Chair

News:

Bill Kirby 020 7274 0532 Sheila Northover 020 7274 2638 Email: sheila.northover@gmail.com Vice Chair David Taylor 020 7733 5031 Email: davidjtaylor13@btinternet.com Secretary Jeff Doorn 020 7274 7008 Email: doornjeffrey@hotmail.com Treasurer Rosalind Glover 020 8678 1757 Email: rosalindglover@yahoo.co.uk Committee Cynthia Anderson: 020 7274 3408 Email:cynthia.anderson45@gmail.com Nick Baker 020 7274 1702 Email: nbak@mac.com Diana Chadney 020 7274 7210 Email: diana.chadney@btinternet.com Robert Holden 020 8674 5101 Email: robertjholden@btinternet.com Patrick Roberts: Email: pat@cognispr.net Alec Shaw 07801 790 712 Email: alecshaw@gmail.com Membership Sec. Eleanor Hayes: 0207 652 1495 Email: eleanorihayes@hotmail.com Laurence Marsh 020 7737 0658 Email: laurence@marsh62.co.uk Colin Wight 020 7733 2573 Email: colinwight@btinternet.com

Anne Ward RIP Herne Hill Junction Ruskin Park in the Spring Brockwell Lido Ruskin Park Update AGM Society Changes Society Accounts Rosendale Bridge Herne Hill Car Clubs Planning and Licensing Gems of the Lambeth Archive Membership News Herne Hill Music Festival

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Articles: Mevyn Peake Herne Hill Oxfam River Effra Dulwich Picture Gallery Carnegie Library Eddie Placzek Lambeth’s Edwardian Splendours

Editorial Address and Membership subscriptions: Herne Hill Society, PO Box 27845 LONDON SE24 9XA. Website address: www.hernehillsociety.org.uk Call for contributors We always welcome new contributors. So if you’re a writer, artist or just have something to say about Herne Hill please get in touch with Nick Baker at: nbak@mac.com

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society events: Society Events Other Societies’ Events

Copy deadline for the Autumn issue is 22 July 2011.

❧ Opinions expressed in the Magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the the Herne Hill Society Committee, which likewise does not approve or endorse the quality or suitability of any goods or services advertised in the Magazine.

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society news

DEATH OF ANNE WARD: LAMBETH ARCHIVIST

Herne Hill Junction In our last magazine we published a report of the inauguration of the Junction project in early December.

Memory often plays tricks and since then we have been reminded of the long history of the Junction Project.

For many years the problems of the junction have been discussed locally and were near the top of the agenda in the early days of the Herne Hill Forum back in 1999. At a Forum meeting in April 2001 there was an agenda item “the 68 bus consultation and Herne Hill junction”. At that time Transport for London’s (London) Bus Initiative submitted two schemes, one that involved improving pedestrian crossings and extending the bus lane in Norwood Rd. An alternative proposal at this time was to move the gates of Brockwell Park back and to provide a bus slip road, the aim of both proposals to move bus traffic through the junction more quickly and efficiently. Subsequent Forum meetings developed the ideas further with assistance from Lambeth officers and others.

In November 2002 a group of residents carried out a survey and produced a Strengths ,Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis, a major piece of preliminary work which reading today, paints a vivid picture of the considerable difficulties at the junction at that time.

In January 2003 there was a presentation of this SWOT analysis at the Forum and a Petition was to the GLA. Soon after this the Forum Transport group was formed, which developed over years into the Junction Project Board and has seen through the project until today.

In conclusion, it is fair to say that many people worked hard on this project in different ways for more than ten years, and credit is due to the people who pioneered the preliminary work done in the early days, as well as to those closely involved more recently who so successfully carried the project forward to today. ❧

We record with great sadness the death of Anne Ward, archivist at Lambeth Archives, who gave illustrated talks to the Society on two occasions in recent years. Anne came to South London from County Meath in the 1970s, and spent 10 years working in Lambeth, first as a library assistant at the Minet Library. She later moved across to the Archives, where she was able to pursue her deep interest in local history. She brought great enthusiasm to her work, and was particularly passionate about women’s history.

In May 2007 she presented to us the story of the Streatham suffragette, Leonora Tyson, in a lecture entitled ‘No Stone Unturned’. Anne’s book of the same title was published in 2005, and we carry copies on our publications stall. In March 2009 we learned about ‘Educating Ethel’, a popular talk with some memorable illustrations. At Lambeth Archives Open Day last September, Anne gave a talk on her study of Irish nurses in Lambeth and Southwark in the 1950s and 1960s, an important piece of research which now will not be finished.

Anne’s funeral was held in Ireland, but Jeff Doorn, Robert Holden and I attended her moving and beautiful memorial service in Forest Hill on 3 April, and later met her family including her daughter, grandchildren and other members of her family, to whom we send our sincere condolences. Anne will be much missed by all who knew her. ❧ SN

SN/DT

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Brockwell Lido update: April 2011

Ruskin Park in the spring

Things are going swimmingly at the Lido. The summer season for the pool began on 4 April, continues until the end of October, and will be the longest for many years. We welcomed a new manager, Craig Hawtin. An open weekend on 2 and 3 April offered free swimming and free taster sessions in the gym and classes. We are told that 350 brave people got in the water which was a chilly 12.5c. Some got wet briefly and then decamped to the hydropool. Others reported doing multiple lengths, not all of them in wetsuits.

The warm, sunny weather in the ten days following attracted more swimmers, and it was especially pleasing to see groups of teenagers, and younger children with their carers, enjoying the beginning of their Easter holiday in the pool, something which has not happened for many, many years.

The Lido café continues to deliver great food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, not to mention excellent coffee and snacks all day. See www.thelidocafe.co.uk for opening times, menus and events.

There is, at last, a proposal to make the Lido car park a facility for park and Lido users only. Details are being considered by Lambeth Planning but we understand that the new scheme will involve legitimate users buying a daily, weekly, monthly or annual permit from Lido reception which will allow them, during the period of the permit, to use the car park free for two hours; assuming there is a space! There will be charges after two hours which will be similar to those for parking on adjacent roads. The disabled spaces will be protected and disabled drivers will, of course, park without charge.

The very popular Modern Movement event, featuring 20th-Century furniture and artefacts, plus arty activities, is, this year, planned for 30 April and 1 May. Entry to the poolside exhibition will be free of charge. If you use the Lido—whether Whippersnappers, gym, spa, classes or swimming—and you are not yet on the BLU (Brockwell Lido Users) emailing list please join us by sending your details to memberships@brockwelllido.com We will not bombard you with emails but we will try to keep you up to date with what is going on. You can also follow us on: twitter.com/Brockwelllido. We use Twitter to alert users of the Lido to changes in opening hours, closures, upcoming events etc. ❧ Yvonne Levy

The very special Pocket Handkerchief tree near the old stable block was a wonderful sight in late April this year. The new wetland is maturing nicely, with the plants introduced last year settling in and growing. There are plans to plant on the surrounding banks soon. Funding has been secured to plant the bowling green up with its new design and this will include the two herbaceous borders. A 10 year tree strategy has been planned to include treating dangerous and diseased trees, including where necessary felling and replacement, says Mary Kidd, vice-chair. Many of the trees are coming to the ends of their lives, having been planted up to a 100 years ago. The replacement trees will aim to keep Ruskin park as the flagship arboretum for the borough, with over 40 different species in the park. More details from the new Friends of Ruskin Park website www.ruskinpark.co.uk or by email to friendsofruskinpark@gmail.com. That is the good news.

The bad news is that Lambeth Council’s budget cuts will affect the Park Ranger Service, which will leave a serious gap in Ruskin Park and in park security across the borough, as well as a loss because of the events they planned and supported. There is still time to sign the petition www.ipetitions.com/petition/savetheparkrangers/ ❧ SN

Annual General Meeting 9 March A well attended AGM took place on 9 March 2011. The formal part of the meeting began with the outgoing Chair Sheila Northover’s annual report (details available on request) and was followed by the outgoing Treasurer Rosalind Glover’s report, presented by Vice-chair David Taylor, who clarified a few points from the floor. Full report is available on request from the Treasurer.

Accompanied by projected illustrations from each monthly talk, outgoing Secretary Jeff Doorn reminded the members of the previous years talks and high lighted some forthcoming speakers in the year to come.

Caroline Knapp gave her last report as membership Secretary as she was not seeking re-ection. She reported 247 4

household members with a welcome 32 new members since the beginning of the year. She commentated that 368 magazines are sent out each quarter to members and others.

The committee stood down and the Chair was taken by President Bill Kirby, who conducted the elections.

The following were elected to serve as officers for 2011-12 Jeff Doorn Rosalind Glover Sheila Northover David Taylor

Total expenditure was £4,382.59, made up as follows: Stationery, postage and printing of Newsletter etc.: Hall hire and stall fees: Insurance: Speaker fees: Refreshments/raffle prizes: Subscriptions to other organisations: Donations Audit/Accountancy: Misc Admin:

Secretary Treasurer Chair Vice-Chair

£2,381.00 £879.30 £116.00 £160.00 £106.22 £35.00 £344.00 £50.00 £311.07

There was an excess spend over income for the year of £167.88.

Whilst income remained similar to last year there was a significant increase in expenditure. This is because of the increased cost of printing the new style magazine. The Society also took the stall to more events in 2010 which meant an increase in the normal annual costs for hiring a pitch. Please let me know if you would like a copy of our “examined” accounts (contact details inside the front page of this Newsletter. ❧

Committee members Cynthia Anderson, Nick Baker, Diana Chadney, Robert Holden, Laurence Marsh, Patrick Roberts, and Colin Wight , and we welcomed newly elected members Eleanor Hayes and Alec Shaw.

Flowers were presented to outgoing membership secretary Caroline Knapp. After the break, Edmund Bird presented “Lambeth’s Edwardian Splendours”. ❧ SN

RG

Society changes At this year’s AGM, Caroline Knapp, our membership Secretary since 2003, stood down. She worked extremely hard over the years, maintaining the membership records, collecting subscriptions, claiming gift aid and organising the magazine packing and distribution; we owe her many thanks for all this, and for her active support of the committees’ work in many other ways.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Eleanor Hayes to the committee as the new membership secretary and hope she enjoys her time in this role.

The Planning, Licensing and Environment group, led by David Taylor, has expanded to include two new members, Alec Shaw (who has also joined the main committee) and Catherine Holmes. We welcome them both.

They join the existing group members Rob Anderson, Laurence Marsh and Mike Rundle. ❧

Rosendale Road Bridge

SN The attractive railway bridge at the north western end of Rosendale Road is unique. It’s Herne Hill’s only brick bridge and was listed Grade II in 1981. It was opened in 1869 to connect the line between Herne Hill and Tulse Hill.

Over the years the condition of the bridge has seriously deteriorated. This has been mainly due to trees and shrubs growing out of the bridge. Their roots penetrated the structure. This resulted in structural damage and prised bricks off to fall on the road and footway, causing a danger to passers by.

A number of times the Society has drawn the attention of Network Rail and its predecessor, Railtrack, to the damage being caused to the bridge. Railtrack did act by pruning the shrubs but this only served to promote more vigorous growth and further damage. In 2010 we made a formal complaint to Lambeth that the bridge was a

Herne Hill Society Accounts: 2010 The Herne Hill Society’s accounts for the year to 31 December 2010 were presented at the AGM in March 2011. For those who were unable to come to the meeting the summary figures are: Total income for the year was £4,214.71, made up as follows: Subscriptions and donations: Newsletter advertising: Monthly meetings (excluding publications and memberships): Profit from publications: Bank interest: Gift Aid:

£1,575.50 £757.50 £437.88 £1,058.86 £21.42 £363.55

continued 5

Planning and licensing

“dangerous structure” and that urgent remedial action was required.

It took some months: but now, at last, something has been done. In March, Network Rail erected scaffolding around the bridge and started an extensive programme of repair and restoration. This involves stripping off many of the facing bricks to get at and remove the roots; and replacing the bricks with red and cream ones to match the original structure. Hopefully the bridge will soon be restored to its earlier glory and be an asset to the area rather than a liability.

This just shows what can be achieved by continually banging away at those responsible but it would have saved a lot of time, money and effort, if a proper programme of maintenance and tree/shrub control had been put in place years ago.

Milkwood Road Arches The society considered carefully an application to change the use of some of the Milkwood Road arches which have been undergoing refurbishment for some months. When they received permission last year, the uses permitted included restaurant, offices and shops and what is called use class B1, light industrial use. A more recent application was to change the use of the arches nearest the tunnel to include hot food take away and food preparation. Although it was felt that this use might cause disturbance to nearby residents, on balance we felt that this was an acceptable use in such a location. We commented to the Council that matters such as noise, rubbish storage and hours of operation should be carefully controlled by condition.

That was in March. By the second week in April the scaffolding had come down. This revealed that an antisocial graffiti “artist” had used it to climb the bridge and to “tag” the parapet.Even more disappointingly, it showed that the job of cleaning up the foliage had only been partly done. Quite a lot of the damaged brickwork hasn’t been repaired and many of the buddleia plants and other vegetation haven’t been touched.

Ironically, the buddleia growing out of the Norwood Road side of the bridge, which was responsible for dislodging many of the facing bricks, remains in place and growing happily. We have brought this to Lambeth’s attention, in the hope that the job will be properly finished. ❧

Former petrol station site Herne Hill This site, next to the former sorting office, has been a source of nuisance to local residents for some months as a result of fences being broken down, unauthorised car washing on the site, rubbish being dumped and the risk of the site being squatted. After a lot of email traffic involving the society, local councillors and officers, a site meeting was arranged by Cllr Jim Dickson on 21 March with a representative of the site owner and local residents present, together with Cllr Boucher, an enforcement officer from the Council and two of the society’s committee. It was a useful meeting and the owner’s representative pointed out that they had tried to keep the site in a good state but acknowledged that they could have been more responsive to residents concerns about activities on the site. He agreed to keep a closer eye on the site in the future. As to the long-term future of the site, it appears some time off. An earlier planning application was turned down, mainly on grounds of bulk in relation to the surroundings: the society pointed out that local groups were keen to see the site developed but it had to fit in better than the rejected scheme. However, because of the need to rearrange the financing of the site, no development was likely in the near future.

John Brunton

Car Clubs in Herne Hill Have you ever thought about giving up your car? I know I have, what with the price of petrol going up and up, the cost of insurance, road tax and rescue organisations. I find I don’t use my car so often now I have the privilege of a Freedom Pass, and the bus at the top of the road; I have been thinking that I might use a local Car Club one day rather than replace my current car.

There are two companies with cars waiting on the streets of Herne Hill. You have to join, around £50-60 a year, then phone or book up on line. Streetcar on 0845 644 8475 www.streetcar.co.uk has cars in Kestrel Avenue, Hollingbourne Road, Half Moon Lane, Stradella Road, Ruskin Walk, Dulwich Road, and Rosendale Road. Streetvan 0845 644 8475 www.streetvan.co.uk has a useful sized van in Kestrel Avenue. City Car 0845 330 1234 www.citycarclub.co.uk has a car in Delawyk Crescent off Half Moon Lane. ❧

6 Hollingbourne Road: an application for a lawful development certificate for a rear dormer has been opposed because of its size, and lack of harmony with the existing building and its effect on the overall appearance of the building and its neighbours.

84 Railton Road/corner of Chaucer Road: there is a long history to this block of flats. It received permission in 2001 but was built larger than the plans showed with an adverse impact on the adjoining conservation area. It is also poorly designed, especially its windows. There has been a number of applications for retrospective permission, all turned down, and failed appeals. This latest application is to alter some of the design details and while these are an improvement, it would not alter the fundamental fact that the building as a whole is larger than that permitted. We have objected and asked for appropriate enforcement action to be taken.

SN

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Membership news

49 Elfindale Road: another application for a lawful development certificate for a rear dormer. We have objected for the same reasons as 6 Hollingbourne Road.

A warm welcome to our new members who have joined since November 2010:

Lambeth enforcement has been asked to investigate possible breaches of planning control: firstly, noise and disturbance from the bar/restaurant at 127 Norwood Road. These premises appear only to have consent for a shop use, although the bar may have been there for long enough to have permitted use. Secondly, the Society was asked to check the legality of adverts on shop premises. Both cases are being investigated and the offending adverts have now been removed. We have also passed on a complaint about alleged illegal gambling in the arches at the rear of the Norwood Road shops. ❧ DT

Honorary Member: Stephen Humphrey Life Member: Charmian Hornsby Margaret Alan-Smith, Liz & Jonathan Allen, Sue Beynon, Sam Bickley, Antoinette de Bromhead, June Clark, James & Karina Croyston, Alyse Dar, Max Deckers Dowber & Kim Stanway, Tegan Duddridge, Colin Failes, Daniel Jones and Melissa Fitzgerald, Anthony Hayes, Sarah Jones, Steve McIntosh, Mr & Mrs E J Pulley, Rebecca Scroggs, Nick & Harriet Thompson, Michael & Julia Waller, Robin and Sophia Yates

Gems of Lambeth Archives

Herne Hill Festival 2011: extended programme There will be a Festival of “music which doesn't have to be amplified” in Herne Hill this September. In practice that means jazz, classical, and light music. The core of the Festival consists of eight short concerts at the Half Moon pub on the evenings of 23 Friday and 24 Saturday, September. Highlights include the South Circular Orchestra playing 18th-century music, the London Saxophone Choir, an operatic soprano, a trombone quartet and jazz performances to round off each of the evenings.

The Festival has aroused a lot of interest among other musicians. As a result there are now three additional events spread over the previous week. Several more are being planned. We already have a performance lined up for 18 Sunday featuring Mozart’s greatest wind serenade and two local ensembles will hold rehearsals open to the public. The Festival hopes to have a fairly complete programme of music running from 17 Saturday September until 25 Sunday. This may include some open air music in the pedestrian area in Railton Road, if Lambeth Council come up with a grant to cover the costs. Full details of the programme can be found at: ❧ www.hernehillfestival.org Website scores to download: www.alantaylor.eu London Performance Collective: www.londonperformancecollective.org London Contemporary Chamber Orchestra: www.lcco.org.uk Blog: www.composersnotes.wordpress.com/author/compos

Lambeth’s Mayor, Councillor Christiana Valcarcel and Peter Bradley, Chair of the Friends of Brockwell Park (FoBP), on the steps of Brockwell Hall, launching the exhibition “Gems of Lambeth Archives” on 14 March. This was a display of paintings, drawings and photographs from the Lambeth Archives’ collection: the first in a series of exhibitions at the Hall, initiated by the FoBP. To come are: “Brockwell Park Four Seasons”, photographs by Max Rush (28–30 May); and “Treasures of the Black Cultural Archives” (5–9 October).

Depending on finance being available, the FoBP hopes to continue with the programme of exhibitions.

Contributions would be very welcome. Anyone wishing to help support this venture should contact Peter Bradley: chair@brockwellpark.com.❧

John Brunton

Alan Taylor 7

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captivated Maeve with his eccentric wit and personality, and dark good looks. They married in 1937 and Maeve became his most frequent model. Sebastian showed many portraits of his mother, together with pencil sketches and paintings of himself and his siblings as babies.

In 1940, Mervyn Peake had begun writing Titus Groan, when he was called up into the Royal Artillery. After over two years of offering his services as a war artist, he was finally given a job, painting “for officers only” on 54 lavatory doors. He suffered a nervous breakdown and it was later in the war that he was sent to paint glassblowers at work, not knowing at the time that these were the cathode ray tubes destined to be used in radar screening. In 1945, he was commissioned and became Captain Peake for five weeks.

Later that year he visited Belsen which had just been liberated. The scenes he drew there were truly harrowing.

The remaining inmates were too ill to move, several dying each day. His drawings are almost too painful to look at.

After the war, Peake finished Titus Groan and embarked on Gormenghast, illustrating them as he went along. The books are extravagantly ornate, vivid, comic, weirdly and wonderfully inventive.

These, and later Titus Alone, were the forerunners of a whole new genre of literature and unique in those illustrations.

Some are intricate and finished, some simple evocative line drawings.

While the Titus novels burst upon an astonished England, splendid sets of drawings for Dickens’ Bleak House, Coleridge’s The Ancient Mariner, the Grimms’ Fairy Tales, and many more poured from the Peake pen, along with poetry and more novels, notably Mr Pye, set on Sark, where the family now had a home. The children played on the beaches, using abandoned German armoury as toys, while their father continued to paint, draw and write books, plays and poems, designing costumes too.

In the spring of 1955, Mervyn Peake’s health began to decline, and he was diagnosed with a form of Parkinson’s disease, associated with dementia. There was then no effective treatment, and his ability to work or concentrate decreased, until he could no longer hold a brush or pen. He finished Titus Alone with great difficulty, even with Maeve’s constant and devoted care.

The last few years were painful indeed, as his life and talents were cruelly extinguished. After his death in 1968, his work became less sought after, but is now enjoying an upsurge in interest as a new generation discovers his huge diversity of gifts. Sebastian’s lavishly illustrated talk was greeted with possibly the most rapturous applause ever heard at a Herne Hill Society meeting. ❧

Mervyn Peake Diana Chadney reviews Sebastian Peake’s talk on his father The task of summarising Sebastian Peake’s talk on the life and achievements of his dazzlingly multi-talented father Mervyn Peake is daunting indeed. Artist, illustrator, and poet as well as author and playwright, he was also a man with a wicked wit and a tremendous love of life.

Born in China where his parents were medical missionaries, Mervyn could speak and read Mandarin at an early age, and it is thought the landscapes, scenery and culture influenced his later work. He was sent to the Grammar school in the British Concession, riding there each day on a donkey. Aged eleven, he was already having descriptive letters published in magazines in England, embellished with drawings.

By 1923, China had become too dangerous, and the Peakes with their two sons returned to England. At Eltham Collegiate School, Mervyn excelled at sports, though not academically.

His notebooks were habitually filled with drawings, often of pirates: Treasure Island was his favourite book at the time. Tall and lithe, with long dark hair falling over his eyes, he seemed destined to become an artist. Encouraged by his teachers at Eltham, he studied briefly at the Croydon School of Art before enrolling at the Royal Academy that year. Here he drew and painted, won prizes, and started to paint commissioned portraits. In 1931 he had a painting chosen for the Summer Exhibition, and designed the costumes for a play.

Having helped to found The Sark Group—an artist’s colony on the Island—Peake spent two years there, painting and drawing the local landscapes and people and learnt to imitate the Norman-French patois many Islanders then spoke, while also exhibiting in London and Paris.

In 1935, he began teaching at the Westminster School of Art, and there he met Maeve Gilmore, a new girl in the sculpture class. Maeve was beautiful, with honey-gold hair, hazel eyes, an ivory complexion and a gentle gazellelike quality that enraptured Mervyn Peake. He in turn

Illustration: “Mr Grindley” from Dickens’ Bleak House,

by Mervyn Peake c. 1945. Methuen edition, 1983.

Kind permission of the Mervyn Peake Estate www.mervynpeake.org 9

The goods donated were of a very high standard. Local residents cared that Oxfam would be able to sell their donations and we strived to get a good price for the items.

Even if they weren’t “valuable” we’d display them to share the memory of something that was gone.

Our best sellers were ladies fashion. The items that were donated were staggering! We once had some vintage Dior dresses from the 60s. We had superb handbags and lots of jewellery. One pair of 24-carat gold earrings had little stars made of diamonds and raised over £2,000 at auction.

Because the knowledge base of the volunteers was so high, the book and vinyl sections developed really well—we basically had specialists! Alisdair, one of the volunteers, was a genius with records. Grant liked his vinyl too and the owner of Café Provençal often helped us out with sorting and pricing.

The book shop came about because the book sales and donations were so good. We had volunteers who were avid readers and really respected the books. They gave them pride of place and kept an eye out for specialist interest books. It’s developed very well—the local appetite is just right for good book shops.

I felt very blessed to live in London and have a pleasant commute through Brockwell Park twice a day where I said hello to the gentlemen that sit and drink there. I did yoga at the stunning Lido and swam there in summer. I

Herne Hill’s oxfam Rebecca Thackray interviews Ann Jones, founder of our Oxfam Shop Oxfam saw Herne Hill as a great location. There were few charity shops around and we thought that the people of Herne Hill were likely to respond well to Oxfam's products and ethos.

Setting up the shop was really fun. I advertised for volunteers in the shop window and people started tapping on the window and offering their help straight away. Within a short space of time I met lots of people which made me feel connected to the area very quickly. Due to the huge amount of early local enthusiasm, Oxfam was a success from day one. The first few months of the shop opening were incredibly hectic and I couldn’t have done it at all without the people who helped—I am eternally grateful to them. We had a real cross-section of people working together, all local: students from the local schools and sixth forms doing work experience or their Duke of Edinburgh awards, parents, artists, retired or self-employed people, even local business owners lent a hand on occasion; some knew each other, most didn’t. At its peak there were around 25 people from the community working together. I remember laughing a lot with the volunteers and one of the Book Team, Barbara, giving me cooking tips.

On the first day of opening we took hundreds of pounds and everyone who came in was so friendly and up for Oxfam in Herne Hill. The buzz of the shop and the people that came in were fab. I loved working on the till as I got to speak to so many of the local people.

Grant and Laura did the amazing window displays.

They weren’t window dressers by trade but their style and originality were of a professional standard. When the shop was shut in the evenings, people stood outside just viewing the displays.

visited the gardens in the park, bought plants and had tea and cake on sunny days at the café. We had Oxfam Christmas parties at Café Prov. and sampled the marvellous selection of beers at The Florence. A lunchtime treat was a baguette from Mimosa with Bayonne ham and celeriac remoulade.

I would like to thank the people of Herne Hill for helping Oxfam and me! The Herne Hill shop is still one of Oxfam’s most successful in the South East of London, entirely because of the support it gets locally. I did love working in Herne Hill. Around the rush and hub-bub of London having Herne Hill to come to was very comforting. ❧

Illustration: One of Laura and Grant’s ever-popular window displays

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The Effra has many sources, all draining into the London basin from the various heights in the area. One branch comes down Knight’s Hill and is joined by another from Crystal Palace. Another flows into West Dulwich from Gypsy Hill and joins the first stream at the far end of Croxted Road. One channel rises in Belair Park, travels in a culvert under Burbage Road and into Half Moon Lane. One meandering rivulet came down Croxted Road, or Lane as it was then known, where John Ruskin enjoyed its tadpolehaunted delights. All these meet near Herne Hill railway station, together with a tributary that flows through Leigham Vale, Tulse Hill and Brockwell Park, where it emerges briefly as the ponds. Another small river, the Ambrook, descends from the old railway tunnel in Sydenham woods to become the pond area in Dulwich Park.

Apart from these ponds, the river is culverted all the way to the Thames at Vauxhall. The Effra sometimes makes its presence felt, as when roadwork holes dug in Croxted Road filled up with Effra groundwaters, as did the basement of our newest eating place recently. On occasions, Herne Hill has been dramatically flooded, the last being in July 2007.

Dr Heath now arrived at the subject patently closest to his heart, Belair Park and the regeneration work being headed by the Head of Parks for Southwark The railway is being used as a wildlife corridor, and much work has been done at the lake, which is now eight feet deep in places. Islands have been built and planted with alders and willows.

A wet area has been installed with the aim of creating biodiversity, such as birds, bats, butterflies and insect life. Already a rare spider-pisura mirabilislives there, with damsel and dragonflies in season. A wildflower meadow grows next to the car park, and a stag beetle day is planned. Much of the work is done by young volunteers, who do four hours of work for a rock concert ticket. The Friends of Belair Park are working on a scheme of long term management.

Meanwhile we can walk round Herne Hill, and imagine the Effra, still running, but beneath our feet. ❧

a river runs through it Dr Martin Heath sheds “New Light on an Old River” for Diana Chadney

Dr Heath began by introducing us to the Ecospheres Project which is a collaboration to promote research and education in climate change. Then we were transported 146 million years, in an instant, to the Cretaceous period. A variety of slides showed how a layer of chalk was laid down all the way from the south coast of England to the Wash. A series of

earth movements over millions of years saw the Weald rise and the London area sink. By Tertiary times, the chalk was covered by gravel washed down from the surrounding hills, slowly becoming clay under huge pressures.

Five million years ago, a sub-tropical climate was replaced by an Ice Age. The North Sea became dry land and is known to have been inhabited. As the Ice Age eventually passed, it is thought that the great ice sheet burst, scouring out the English Channel, and probably diverting the Thames.

Now we arrived at the River Effra. There are several theories as to the origin of the name: it could be AngloSaxon, or possibly the Celtic word for river “ffrydlif ”. John Ruskin thought it might have been from “Effrena”, meaning unbridled river.

Illustration:One of the entrances to the Effra, London.

Courtesy of Yaz Doc, www. prourbex.com

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Meanwhile, don’t forget the Gallery’s bicentenary year series Masterpiece a Month: Presiding Genius. The special loans for May—August are “Venus and Mercury Present Eros and Anteros to Jupiter” (Veronese, from the Uffizi), “Titus as a Monk” (Rembrandt, from the Rijksmuseum), “Comtesse d’Haussonville” (Ingres, from the Frick, N Y) and “Self Portrait with Felt Hat” (Van Gogh, from the Van Gogh Museum). Don’t miss the rare opportunity to see these and other world-class pictures right on our doorstep. ❧

SUMMER AT DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY Jeff Doorn reviews the the 4th biannual Friends Spring Open Exhibition Following the record-breaking success of its Norman Rockwell exhibition, Dulwich Picture Gallery honours its loyal Friends group by hosting the 4th biannual Friends Spring Open Exhibition, from 22 April to 8 May. Two side rooms feature 133 works selected from the 388 submitted by 183 artists. There is a wide variety of paintings, drawings, etchings, photographs and prints.

All the art is offered for sale, with 30% going to the Friends. Prices vary from £50—£3000. Among the artists are two familiar names: Audrey Hammond, who has exhibited widely, including a memorable show at Carnegie Library, and David Whyte of Herne Hill. The final days of the show coincide with the first of Dulwich Festival’s Artists’ Open House weekends, when admission to the Gallery will be free.

The next major show at the Gallery will be “Cy Twomby and Nicholas Poussin: Arcadian Painters”. Running from 29 June to 25 September, it is billed as a landmark exhibition in which “Old Master meets contemporary enigma”. Born three centuries apart, Poussin and Twomby appear to have a surprising amount in common, from the fact that they both moved to Rome aged 30 to their chosen themes, subject matter and motifs. It will be most interesting to see in their juxtaposed works how each handled depictions of pastoral scenes, mythological figures and the four seasons. A full review will appear in our next issue.

Above: Comtesse d’Haussonville (Ingres, from the Frick, N Y) Open Tuesday—Friday 10am-5pm; weekends and Bank Holiday Mondays 11am-5pm. Gallery and exhibition £9; Seniors £8; Conc. £5. Friends and children free.

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am speaking for you, please send me your ideas and suggestions now. Then, when Lambeth’s questionnaire comes around, respond to show why the Carnegie is so essential for Herne Hill.

In the meantime, the Friends continue activities to add value to the library. Our Mulch & Munch garden day on 5 March brought in many from the neighbourhood, including newcomers, who happily worked together to get the gardens in shape for the season. Everyone remarks on how fresh and inviting the front and side gardens look now, making a pleasant, welcoming sight. As for the Reading & Wildlife Garden at the back, it is more of a colourful haven than ever.

More recently, we celebrated Shakespeare’s birthday (23 April) with songs by The Friends’ Musick and readings by FoCL members, all in Elizabethan costume. The programme featured madrigals and rounds on the themes of spring, drinking and country dances, interspersed with sonnets and passages from plays on the same themes, plus paeans to the Bard by two of his contemporaries. Our capacity audience, which included familiar faces and people who had never visited the library before, greatly enjoyed the

CARNEGIE LIBRARY: HAVE YOUR SAY Jeffrey Doorn discusses his new role as Vice-Chair of the Friends of Carnegie Library At the Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Carnegie Library on 17 March, I was elected Vice-Chair of a committee which includes some long standing members and two newcomers. However, Stephen Carlill having stepped down as Chair, no one stepped into the breach. Even without that serious gap, no committee can take on the burden of work without support from members and others who agree the aims and purpose of an organisation. The library service in Lambeth, as elsewhere in the country, is at a crossroads, and it is up to all of us to help shape its future—if it is to have any future at all.

Work is starting on the Lambeth Libraries Commission, and we will need to make a strong case for keeping the Carnegie as a free public library for Herne Hill and vicinity, making it more cost effective and sustainable.

As reported last issue, a new Head of Libraries had been appointed, and we had high hopes for him. However, a family crisis caused him to resign after only one day in office. The result is that the Interim Head has had to defer her retirement to proceed with the consultation exercise with Friends of Lambeth Libraries and others. Alongside this, other activities are being planned to ensure people have an opportunity to have their say on libraries. Feedback will be reported to the Commission and to the Council’s cabinet meeting in July.

It is crucial that we have clear, concise arguments to present for the library review, both as a Friends group and as individuals. What are your thoughts? Do you use the Carnegie? If so, what do you like about it, and what could be improved? If not, why not? What are the most important aspects of a library in this community; what special features are there, or could there be that make the Carnegie the hub of Herne Hill, and how can these be developed and sustained? How can we help save money or generate income and make Carnegie secure for the future? To be certain that I

show, as did the Mayor of Lambeth, Cllr Christiana Valcarcel, who graced the proceedings with her presence and later spoke of the lovely warm feeling in the library and the sense of community, like a big family.

Our tea and garden days continue on 7 May, 4 June and 2 July, which will be a special party to mark 105 years of service at Carnegie Library. All this plus the weekly chess club and twice weekly Ruskin Readers, twice weekly Silver Surfers and much more show our library is used and valued in many ways. It is up to each of you to make sure that remains secure, by ensuring your membership of the library is up to date, by using it regularly, by joining and supporting the Friends and by making your voice heard, so that the library does not simply survive but flourishes. ❧ Please leave your comments in our tray at the library or contact me at foclchair@gmail.com or on 0207 274 7008

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In German dress uniform, 1943 How did it feel to be forced into the enemy’s army? I had to accept it because there was no alternative. It was a matter of doing everything possible to survive. Fortunately, we Poles were treated just the same as the German conscripts. After six weeks’ training we were put on a transport train and sent to the Russian front. Here I had a stroke of luck. We were intended for Stalingrad, but because the Russians were threatening the front to the west of Moscow, we were sent to reinforce the army there instead. One man from our village did end up in Stalingrad and we never heard from him again. A cousin of mine also died there.

At the front 1943 (me on the right) In 1942 I arrived in the trenches, at first up to the armpits in dirty water. Despite the continuous artillery barrages, we did feel reasonably safe.

However, there wasn’t much food and we lived mainly on a diet of soup made from vegetables and potatoes. This soup we called “Gallop” because of the speed that we drank it— straight down without a spoon. Things got better in the autumn, when the harvest came in the German occupied areas of Russia. Our front followed the comfortably wide River Oka. Our trenches were deep and well built, roads had been constructed to the rear, and we were well fed and supplied. In front of us were barbed wire defences and mine fields. We stayed in the same place for about a year. My fellow soldiers were from Bavaria. They treated me as one of themselves, made jokes about Hitler and took the mickey out of the Nazi party. Fortunately they got away with it.

On leave with father, June 1943 In May 1943 I went home for three weeks’ leave, wondering what sort of reception I, as an enemy soldier, would get. I needn’t have worried.

My family, friends and neighbours were all very sympathetic with my situation and there were no problems at home. We were quite cut off from mainstream life and, being farmers, there was plenty to eat and the Black Market for us to supply. Things were very different for people living in what was left of Poland proper. After returning from leave, I saw a Russian shell explode quite far away and was hit in the neck by a piece of shrapnel. I spent six weeks in hospital in Brno in what is now the Slovak Republic, followed by another two weeks’ leave. I was then kitted out with a new uniform and sent back to the front.

Up to this time I had been as quiet as a mouse. Although I wasn’t a very enthusiastic soldier—never rushing forward in an attack—I always did what I was told and kept a low profile. Now I met a Polish friend who told me his plan to get out of the army. He was going to shoot himself—just a wound but bad enough to be invalided out. My friend did shoot himself in the thigh. He wasn’t discharged from the army, but was never sent back to the front.

My journey to Herne Hill John Brunton talks with Eddie Placzek, an eighty-eight year old Herne Hill resident, looking back on his life and how he came to live here I was born in October 1922, in a little settlement of twelve houses near to the old village of Wozniki in Silesia, southwestern Poland. My father had a small-holding, with five or six cows, four pigs, a couple of horses and a guard-dog called Bulek. With this, he and his wife supported themselves, their three sons and one daughter. I was the oldest child, aged 14. After eight years at school, I went to work on the family farm.

Our farmhouse where I was born.

The Second World War broke out on 1 September 1939. The following day, a Saturday morning, the German troops arrived. I remember standing in a field watching them pass by. They were mostly on motorcycles, each with a machine gun mounted on a sidecar. There was some local fighting and artillery shelling. A few villagers were killed and houses destroyed. 1942 with my accordion and three friends, all of whom were later killed.

During the first part of the war I stayed working on the farm. However, very soon Silesia was annexed and became part of Germany. This meant that—like it or not—we all became German citizens.

Although I only remember one person who joined a Nazi organisation. This was a return to pre-1918, when Silesia was also part of Germany.

My father (left) in German army uniform, 1914 In 1940 I had been forced to take a medical and register for the German army. In March 1942, like my father in the previous war, I was called up. I had to leave my family to work the farm themselves—my mother had died in 1940. I was sent to Darmstadt for training as an infantryman.

Coincidentally, this was to the same barracks where my father had been trained as a msoldier some 28 years before. I was with a group of 11 Poles and a German from Frankfurt.

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This seemed a good plan to me, so I decided to do the same but it wasn’t all that simple. A wound had to look convincing and it had to be with a Russian bullet—of smaller calibre than the German. There were plenty of these lying around.

So I took a German cartridge, removed the bullet and most of the propellant, and inserted the Russian bullet. I then tried to shoot myself in the shoulder. But having only my machine gun, I missed! But I did nearly hit a fellow soldier standing nearby. Naturally he wasn’t very pleased.

In the trenches with my machine gun and Bavarian comrades, 1943 Later I tried again and managed to give myself a flesh wound in the arm. This led to 12 days in a field hospital after which I was sent back to the trenches. While I was being patched up, the Russians had advanced and the Kiev front moved further west. I arrived back in the evening and a few hours later managed to shoot myself again. This time I was taken to hospital in Dresden where I spent two weeks followed by another two weeks leave.

Fortunately no one ever accused me of having selfinflicted these wounds. I’m sure that the doctors had their suspicions but they kept these to themselves, perhaps out of sympathy. Back to the front again, this time near to Kharkov in the Ukraine. However, we had to wait a long time to get there as our division was encircled by the Russians and cut off.

I then tried a new tack. This time I put strong spirit vinegar into my ear. It really hurt and caused serious inflammation. The doctor sent me to a hospital in Lwów.

I was there for four weeks and had a great time, going to theatres and the opera but I could only go to matinees because it was too dangerous to go out at night in a German uniform.

These good things came to an end and I was back again at the front, this time near Kowno on the Polish border.

It was now May 1944. I remember in particular one incident where we captured a group of 30 partisans. The officer ordered a few to be taken for interrogation and the rest shot.

Unfortunately, he only learned later that the partisans were not Poles but Ukrainians fighting on the German side.

Things were quiet for a while, but at the end of July the Russians attacked. I shot myself yet again with a bullet that I’d been saving for months, waiting for an opportunity to use it. This time I was taken to a hospital in Strasbourg.

By October 1944 the Americans were getting near.

The hospital was evacuated. Many patients were sent east.

But the walking wounded, including me, were sent to the front line to face the Yanks.

One night very soon afterwards, a friend ran across no-man’sland and surrendered to the Americans but I was afraid of what might happen to my family if I were to do the same. All was very quiet. Planes flew overhead, but there was no shooting. War was very different here. On the eastern front it was a total war: a continuous fight to the death. No quarter was given and on both sides the enemy’s wounded were routinely killed in cold blood.

On 8 October 1944 it was pouring with rain. The hole I was sheltering in was full of water. There was an artillery barrage. Then the American soldiers arrived and, along with everyone else, I surrendered. No one wanted to fight. We were treated well, although we had nothing to eat

for a few days and were shut in an old French barracks with just straw to lie on.

For us the war was over; and we all felt very relieved!

In British army uniform, Scotland 1945 I was kept as a POW for four months, being moved around France. We Poles were given the opportunity to join the Polish army. I’d had enough of war, so wasn’t very keen to do this. However, in March 1945 I did join. We were given British army uniforms and taken to a training base in Scotland. For the first time in my life I ate white bread. Life was good. I stayed with the army in Scotland and never had to go to fight. VE day came on 8 May 1945, but I couldn’t celebrate. My homeland with my family was occupied by the Russians.

I was discharged from the army in May 1947 and came down to London to get a building job with Wimpys. Along with a group of Poles I spent my time building houses in Ilford.

My wedding day, 1950 In 1946 I had met Eve at a dance at an RAF base in Scotland. I courted her for four years. She followed me down to London. In 1950 we were married and have lived happily together ever since. Our first home was a two- room flat near London Bridge.

Two toilets were shared between the four flats in the block. Rent was 14 shillings (70p) a week.

In 1954, just by chance I found and bought a house in Shakespeare Road, Herne Hill. It cost £1,000, with a £250 deposit and the balance paid off at 39 shillings (£1.95) a week.

In March 1960 we had an offer for the Shakespeare Road house, so moved to Hawarden Grove, where we’ve lived ever since, bringing up our three children there. After the war, like many Poles, I wanted to go to live in the USA or Canada. But when we got our Shakespeare Road house, I decided to stay here. I’d also always had an ambition to return to Poland, back to my homeland. I did pay one visit there, in 1960, to a country under communist rule but I found myself under suspicion and was interrogated by the secret police.

Post-war Poland wasn’t for me. I was heartbroken and, for the first time, I cried.

And that’s my story. There is much more I could tell: the deadly cold of the Russian winter, the 11 of my cousins who were killed, the 70 men in my detachment who went to the front only 11 of whom survived. I’ve lost my country, but gained another where I found my wife and have been very happy. Maybe people will laugh at my many attempts to get out of the German army, or question why I should have done so but I had been forced to leave my home and family and to fight for my enemy. All I can say is that, like everyone else in those times and circumstances, all I could think of was how to survive, how to protect my family and how to escape from the horror that was the war on the Russian front. ❧

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completed in 1903 by the architect P.A.Robson, and includes a fine mix of Gothic, Tudor, Renaissance and Art Nouveau styles. We looked at Charles Edward Brookes School, the Beaufoy Institute, built by F.A. Powell in 1920, and the Strand Grammar School, designed by W.E.Riley in 1914.

The Belgrave Hospital for Children was built by Charles Holden in 1903. Its Art Nouveau lettering and gold mosaic round the entrance are still visible. King’s College Hospital was designed by William Pite, and opened by King George V and Queen Mary in 1913. The handsome building was to house 600 patients, and included a large and beautiful chapel.

We now had a quick look at the former WMCA in Stockwell Road. As sadly, there was no custom after WW1, it was converted into a women’s hostel, and is still in use. Via temperance and billiard halls, we arrived at cinemas. The Ritzy at Brixton got a special mention, having been built in1911. It is now one of the oldest surviving cinemas.

Now we looked at handsome Edwardian shop fronts in Clapham, Streatham, Bon Marche in Brixton, and not forgetting Herne Hill. Railway stations followed, with our own getting its picture on screen. Waterloo’s grand fcade is by J.R Scott, with giant columns and sculptures in the classical style. Lambeth North station features an oxblood faience façade by Lester Green.

LAMBETH’S EDWARDIAN SPLENDOURS Diana Chadney shares Edmund Bird’s delight in those splendid Edwardians

The Edwardian period lasted only for 13 years, strictly speaking, but it heralded a period of enormous change in Lambeth. 1900 saw the founding of Lambeth Borough Council, to replace the old Lambeth Vestry. The population was soaring, and the local fields and woods were fast disappearing under a tidal wave of new building. The suburban railways were expanding, and the new electric tram had appeared.

The first splendour appeared on screen:Lambeth Town Hall. Built to a design by architects Septimus Warwick and Herbert Austen Hall, it was chosen from several entries. Edmund showed us an assortment, and it seems that a wise choice was made. The splendid building which still dominates Brixton was opened in 1908 by the Prince and Princess of Wales. It soon proved inadequate, and was extended in the 1930s. The handsome interior is decorated with various marbles, stained glass, and chandeliers. It boasts a rotunda on the first floor and a Great Chamber with galleries for the public.

Next we looked at County Hall.

This impressive building was begun in 1912 by architect Ralph Knott, but remained lopsided and unfinished until 1933. It was extended later by Giles Gilbert Scott. The river frontage is 700 feet long and with its concave colonnade is one of the most familiar sights in London. The classical interior includes an octagonal Council chamber and marble staircases.

Moving on to Fire Stations, we found that all the Victorian buildings, built for horse-drawn vehicles, were not large enough to allow the egress of the new motorised appliances. These included ours at Herne Hill and West Norwood’s original building. Norwood got a fine Edwardian building, while Waterloo Road Fire Station was built in Renaissance style, with dormitories.

Moving on to libraries, Streatham and our own Carnegie got a special mention The Carnegie Library was designed by architects Wakeford & Son. Completed in 1905, it is a handsome building of red brick and terra cotta dressings, a Lakeland slate roof and two bell cupolas.

Post Offices were next. We inspected Streatham’s former post office, now a bank, and the sorting office, and Clapham’s clock tower, before moving on to places of education. St. Gabriel’s College in Cormont road was

Housing had become a priority, and the Duchy of Cornwall’s Kennington Estate brought sweeps of pretty Regency style small houses, while huge blocks of flats such as Briscoes Buildings went up in 1906 on Brixton Hill. Herne Hill saw the Peabody Estate built in Rosendale Road, and many rows of new houses.

Churches were not forgotten, and we had a quick look at St Saviour’s fine church hall, now used for services, and we ended a splendid talk with a visit to the architect Beresford Pite’s unusual design for Christchurch, Brixton Road. ❧ Much more information can be found in Edmund Bird’s book: “Lambeth’s Edwardian Splendours”, obtainable from the Herne Hill Society.

Edmund Bird is heritage advisor to Design for London and Transport for London Illustration: Lambeth’s Electric Pavilion (now the Ritzy) Kind permission of Lambeth Archives www.landmark.lambeth.gov.uk

16

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18

society events

Red Post Hill at Sunrise. Kind permission of Stuart Brown

At Herne Hill United Church Hall, at 7:30 for 7:45pm, unless otherwise stated.

“From Camberwell to Herne Hill to Dulwich Common via East Dulwich in Old Postcards” by Ian McInnes. The Chairman of Dulwich Society will take us on a journey using his extensive collection of postcards dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century.

Wednesday 11 May: “Local Justice—A Magistrate’s Tale” by Kevin Fitzpatrick JP. Experiences of a local magistrate and a sentencing exercise: try your hand and sentence some offenders—not as simple as you might imagine.

The Wednesday meetings start promptly at 7:45pm—doors open from 7:30pm. Please try to arrive before the speaker is introduced, to avoid disturbance to others.

Wednesday 8 June: “The Manor of Norbury” by Michael Gilbert. An illustrated talk on the fascinating history of this once rural, now suburban area between Herne Hill and Croydon. This talk describes the development of Norbury and its neighbour, Thornton Heath, from native woodland to agricultural land and then to a London suburb. The approach taken is thematic rather than strictly chronological. There is a Roman road running through what is now Norbury. Records of Norbury started when it was part of “The Great North Wood”, probably so named as the north part of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s estate-centred on Croydon.

OTHER SOCIETIES’ EVENTS Friday 6—Sunday 15 May Dulwich Festival Walks, talks, theatre, music, comedy, artists’ open houses, Goose Green and Dulwich Park Fairs www.dulwichfestival.co.uk

Sunday 24 July “Herne Hill Highlights” Guided walk by Robert Holden Meet Herne Hill Station at 2:30.

Tuesday 10 May at 7:30pm Southwark and Lambeth Archaeological Society: “Recent Archaeological Works in advance of the British Museum World Heritage & Exhibition Centre” by Becky Haslam at Co-op Hall, 106 The Cut, Waterloo SE1. Refreshments 7:00. £1.00 donation.

Wednesday 14 September:

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Ticket/map available on day from 22 Court Lane Gardens SE21 Thursday 12 May at 8:00pm Dulwich Decorative & Fine Arts Society: “Art in Paris 1850 - 1900” by Linda Collins at James Allen’s Girls’ School, East Dulwich Grove SE22. £7, students £1

Wednesday 15 June at 7:30 for 8:00pm Clapham Society: “Clapham Portraits” by Local History Subcommittee members.

Short illustrated biographies of Revd Henry Whitehead, ballet dancer Katti Lanner and medal maker John Pinches at Clapham Manor School, Belmont Road SW4

Sunday 15 May at 10:00 Friends of Brockwell Park: Five Parks Walk. Explore leafy open spaces and raise funds for Brockwell Park’s music, arts and drama programme.

Start at Brockwell Hall. Tickets £5, 10-16 years £2, under 10s free.

Tuesday 21 June—Sunday 3 July Tue—Sat 7:30; Sat/Sun 3:00pm The Faction Theatre Co: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Open air performance opposite Brockwell Hall. Tickets £12/£9

Monday 16 May at 8:00pm Streatham Society: “Working and Guiding in London” by Irene Last at “Woodlawns”, 16 Leigham Court Road SW16

Thursday 23 June at 6:00—8:00pm South London Botanical Institute: Open Evening. Visit the garden with a glass of wine. Free admission at 323 Norwood Road SE24

Wednesday 18 May at 7:30 for 8:00pm Clapham Society: “The Thames Tunnel” by Malcolm Orford, Senior Project Manager at Clapham Manor School, Belmont Road SW4

Saturday 25 June Friends of Ruskin Park Summer Fete. Community stalls, refreshments, fun and games, music concert at the bandstand.

Thursday 19 May at 8:00pm Norwood Society: “Brixton and Stockwell” by Alan Piper, Secretary of Brixton Society at Phoenix Centre, Westow Street SE19

Saturday 2 July at 2:30—4:00pm Friends of Carnegie Library: Tea Party. Celebrate the library’s 105th anniversary (opened 9 July 1906) with refreshing tea and home-made cakes and enjoy the garden in full summer glory at Carnegie Library, 188 Herne Hill Road

Friday 20 May—Sunday 26 June Sydenham International Music Festival Ten concerts in three venues and a historical talk.

Tickets and information from www.sydenhammusic.org.uk or Kirkdale Bookshop, 272 Kirkdale SE26 4RS

Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 July at 10:00—5:00/4:30pm Friends of the Horniman: 20th Annual Art Exhibition in the Conservatory, Horniman Museum, 100 London Road SE23

Saturday 21 May at 11:00—5:00pm Friends of Nunhead Cemetery: Open Day. Demonstrations, stalls, tours, entertainment.

Linden Grove SE15

Thursday 14 July at 8:00pm Dulwich Decorative & Fine Arts Society: “Spirituality in Culture” by Rosalind Whyte at James Allen’s Girls’ School, East Dulwich Grove SE22. £7, students £1

Saturday 21 May at 7:30pm Lambeth Orchestra: Mozart and Mahler concert at All Saints Church, Rosendale & Lovelace Roads SE21

Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 July at 11:00—7:00pm Lambeth Country Show Local society stalls, charities, music, food, displays and funfair.

Brockwell Park

Friday 28—Monday 30 May at 10:30—4:30pm Friends of Brockwell Park: Exhibition “Brockwell Park – Four Seasons”. at Brockwell Hall.

Thursday 21 July at 6:00—8:00pm South London Botanical Institute: Open Evening. Visit the garden with a glass of wine. Free admission at 323 Norwood Road SE24

Sunday 5 June at 2:00 Friends of Brockwell Park: Tree Celebration. Annual walk to dedicate recently donated trees.

Meet at the clock tower.

Thursday 21 July at 8:00pm Norwood Society: “Bygone Streatham” by John Brown (in case you missed it on 6 June) at Phoenix Centre, Westow Street SE19

Monday 6 June at 8:00pm Streatham Society: “Bygone Streatham” by John Brown at “Woodlawns”, 16 Leigham Court Road SW16

Saturday 6 August at 2:30 Friends of Carnegie Library: Bat Fun Day. An afternoon and evening of jollity and learning activities on the theme of bats. Bat awareness and detection; batty refreshments. The Reading & Wildlife Garden at Carnegie Library, 188 Herne Hill Road

Thursday 9 June at 8:00pm Dulwich Decorative & Fine Arts Society: “The Amish People—their History, Culture and Quilts” by Jan Jefferson at James Allen’s Girls’ School, East Dulwich Grove SE22. £7, students £1

Thursday 18 August at 8:00pm Norwood Society: “Lighterage on the Thames” by Alun and Barbara Thomas at Phoenix Centre, Westow Street SE19

Sunday 12 June at 2:00 – 6:00pm In aid of Dulwich Helpline: Dulwich Garden Safari Explore five beautiful gardens not normally open to the public.

Tea and homemade cakes, plant stall 20

YOUR COUNCILLORS

from the archives

Herne Hill Ward Lambeth Carol Boucher (Lab.) cboucher@lambeth.gov.uk 07814 567 914 Jim Dickson (Lab.) jdickson@lambeth.gov.uk 020 3149 6657 Leanne Targett-Parker (Lab.) ltargett-parker@lambeth.gov.uk 07805 942 796 Thurlow Park Ward Lambeth Ann Kingsbury (Lab.) akingsbury@lambeth.gov.uk 07814 567 594 Clare Whelan (Con.) cwhelan@lambeth.gov.uk 07946 218 525 John Whelan (Con.) jwhelan@lambeth.gov.uk 07802 412 761 Village Ward Southwark Robin Crookshank Hilton (Lib-Dem) robin.crookshank.hilton@southwark.gov.uk 020 8613 6046 Toby Eckersley (Con.) toby.eckersley@southwark.gov.uk 020 7701 3112 Michael Mitchell (Con.) michael.mitchell@southwark.gov.uk 07535 932 326 Your MP Tessa Jowell MP (Lab.) jowellt@parliament.uk House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. 020 8333 1372 GLA Member Valerie Shawcross AM (Lab.) valerie.shawcross@london.gov.uk 020 7983 4407 GLA, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA. Environmental Contacts

Druid’s Open Night Enthusiastic Gathering at Loughborough Junction In accordance with well-established customs, the Ruskin Lodge (No 575) of the Ancient Order of Druids gave an “open night” on Wednesday in the concert hall of the Cambria Hotel, Cambria rd., Loughborough Junction. The hall was packed, many ladies being included in the audience.

Bro. Cecil Davis P.NA. (Noble Arch) presided, supported by Brothers Jackson (Vice Arch), Gearing (Director of Ceremonies), Evers (Treasurer), Panther (Hon. Secretary) and many others from kindred lodges.

The programme directed by Bro. Jackson, with Bro. Bush and Bro. Keely at the piano, was of great length, among those figured being Miss Westman, Mrs Sutton, Little Cecil Bros. Rowe, Jackson, Bishop, Lewis, Kelly, Landall, Guard, Cockshott, Panther, Bowles, Wal Robins, Axtell, Butterfield, Cecil Davis, Sheppard, C. Taston, Hughes, Hocker, Loomes, and Dudley.

The night was well advanced before the National Anthem concluded a very enjoyable evening.

South London Press. December, 1917

Lambeth Streetscene: cleansing, rubbish removal, pot holes, abandoned vehicles, graffiti removal etc: 020 7926 9000 Southwark Streetscene (as above): 020 7525 2000

Advertising space is available in this Magazine for local businesses at the following rates: Full page £48 Half page £30 Quarter page £15 Eighth page £9 Classified £6 Full page advertisements are available at a cost of £48, limited to two per issue, with a premium of £60 for an advertisement on the back cover.

Four insertions for the price of three.

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Copy deadline for the Autumn issue is 22 July 2011.

Contact Cynthia Anderson on 020 7274 3408 or email cynthia.anderson45@gmail.com.

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