29th November 2017

Cinema ● Theatre ● Comedy ● Arts ● Music ● Food & Drink

WEEKENDER lambeth

December 2017 www.weekender.co.uk

BACK IN THE ZONE

Boy bands team up for Christmas at Clapham Grand

Pick of the Month London Illustration Fair, landscape photographer of the year, and Bananaman By Laura Burgoine HOPEFLOATS Dropping anchor in Brixton is Young’s newest pub and restaurant, the Hope and Anchor. Taking the reins from south London institution the Grand Union, the Hope and Anchor has had a full makeover and is back as the Brixton behemoth. The pub will be shaking up classic and twisted cocktails, pouring craft ales and serving up popular plates whilst a tequila bar will keep the margaritas flowing all year round in one of South London’s finest beer gardens.

123 Acre Lane, Brixton, London SW2 5UA.

Keeping it local

T

HE WEEKENDER is an independent newspaper, covering Lambeth, Southwark and Greenwich.

We cover all things arts, entertainment, culture and news.

The Weekender is owned and run

by Chris Mullany (left) and Kevin Quinn, who also publish London's only independent paid-for paper, the Southwark News.

A dedicated team work tirelessly to cover as much of what is going on as possible and strive to ensure that a community-led, independent newspaper can survive and excel in a market dominated by national and multinational media groups.

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES? Bermondsey’s craft beer community is branching out with Hawkes Urban Orchard Cider. The company fights food waste by using as much surplus fruit as possible: a unique blend of Londonpressed and country apples to produce a medium dry cider.

Available in 330ml bottle and keg. Visit the taproom on 92 Druid Street, SE1 2HQ. Guided tours starting soon. wearehawkes.com

CHECK OUT THE VIEW A photograph of the UK’s stunning coastline wins the top prize for the third year running, as Benjamin Graham’s image of the dunes at West Wittering in West Sussex becomes the eleventh winner of the overall title: Landscape Photographer of the Year.

The Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards are held in association with VisitBritain and the GREAT Britain campaign.

Winning entries are displayed on the Balcony of London Waterloo station from November 20 until February 4. The Awards book, Landscape Photographer of the Year: Collection 11 (AA Publishing) is available now.

More information: www.take-a-view.co.uk

If you have a story, please get in touch.

The Weekender is published by Southwark Newspaper Ltd - an independent newspaper publisher, based in Bermondsey, south London.

Managing Directors: Chris Mullany & Kevin Quinn Group Editor: Anthony Phillips

MY, MY AT WATERLOO! ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus has gotten the go ahead to build a temporary ABBA themed entertainment venue on Waterloo’s Stamford Street.

Mamma Mia-the Party is an immersive dining experience currently operating in Stockholm, with around 500 guests in a Greek taverna, with dinner, a show, and dancing afterwards. Gimme, gimme, gimme!

Editor: Laura Burgoine Reporters: Michael Holland; Owen Sheppard; Chiara Giordano; Nicky Sweetland

Top DRAW

Advertising Manager: Tammy Jukes

The London Illustration Fair is back for its seventh show on the Southbank, from December 1-3 (11am-8pm on Friday and Saturday, and 11am-6pm on the Sunday).

The emphasis is on play with interactive artworks and hands-on workshops. There’s over 65 exhibitors, from the hottest emerging talent to established names, including doodle-bomber Hattie Stewart and featured artist Marcelina Amelia, fresh from shows in New York and Stockholm. Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, SE1 9PH. Tickets: £8 (children under 12 go free). thelondonillustrationfair.co.uk

Advertising Team: Nancy Simpson; Sarah Stewart, Michelle Garratt; Catherine Dillon; Katie Boyd Design Manager: Dan Martin Design Team: Milena Kanakova; Ann Gravesen; Pervez Akbar

MERRY MOVIE MARATHON

Time Out Loves Christmas Movies are screening your favourite festive films in Lost Rivers Elephant; a new shipping container venue in Elephant and Castle. The pop-up winter wonderland location is the perfect spot for the merry movie marathon, including films Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone, Bad Santa, Die Hard, The Nighmare Before Christmas, Bad Santa, and many more. November 23-December 16. Bar opens at 5pm, screenings start at 7pm. lostriverselephant.com

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MAn OF PEEL Schoolboy Eric Wimp leads a double life: whenever he eats a banana an amazing transformation occurs. Eric is Bananaman: Ever alert for the call to action. With supervillains Doctor Gloom and General Blight attempting world domination, who can we call? Superman’s on holiday. Spiderman’s not picking up. Our only option – our very, very last option – is Bananaman.

December 15-January 20 (7:30pm and 3pm matinees) at Southwark Playhouse. Admission: £25/£20 concessions. southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

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December 2017 3

SPOTLIGHT

By Laura Burgoine

K

atherine Blacker had no idea she could make a living organising people’s homes.

It wasn’t until she decluttered her own life, and left her city job, that she launched her company Sort My Space. Now the Bermondsey local is teaching people how to live with less stuff. A member -and the Head of Partnership- of the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO), Katherine always had a head for sorting.

“It’s an interesting journey,” she told the Weekender. “I was in the city about 15 years, and was always in organising and coordinating jobs: office manager, personal assistant, event management, and the most recent job was five years at Lloyds bank where I worked my way up to project manager. But I hadn’t heard of professional organising and decluttering as a career,” she continued. “A couple of years ago I heard about it and for me that was a Eureka moment.”

After leaving her job, the Professional organiser and declutterer refurbished her house in Bermondsey and considered going into property development. “I really like the use of space, and making the most of every nook and cranny because it counts, especially in London,” she said. “My house was 410 square feet when I bought it – I’ve added on a porch since- but in America the tiny house movement is anything under 400 square foot.

And they’re brilliant at using space and dual functionality.”

More space just means “more stuff to clean and repair,” Katherine said.

After coming across an article from the London Minimalist Group (an off shoot of the American group) she was inspired by the William Morris quote “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

“It doesn’t all have to be utility and functional but if it doesn’t serve one of those functions, why do you have it in your life?” Katherine said.

“Because it could be beautiful or useful to someone else. If your stuff doesn’t serve a purpose to you, you start realising the same applies to friendships, relationship, your job.

You start really questioning what value is this adding to my life?

Where do I want to be?”

A lot of the ‘things’ we own aren’t necessarily conscious choices.

“My Mum was a hostess, she had people round for dinner, she’d put everything out on serving dishes. I realised I’d inherited a lot of those behaviours but I wasn’t having people round to dinner,” Katherine said. “I organise get togethers but it’s normally down the pub –our generation isn’t expected to host dinner parties. When I realised that, I shed a load of serving dishes and bowls and things I wasn’t using.”

Decluttering isn’t just cleaning.

It’s an emotional process. “That’s something I hadn’t reckoned on,” Katherine said. “When you’re with the clients it’s wonderful –it’s what

4 December 2017

Space odyssey

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

- William Morris

was missing for me in the city job: the personal connection and helping someone transition from A to B.” Clients will call Katherine in for varying reasons, whether it’s physically helping them move house –upgrading or downsizingor because they’re experiencing health issues or bereavement and need extra support. “There’s really two types of disorganisation. I focus on situational, when something has happened or arisen and it’s knocked you off your usual course.

Like, maybe you used to be really organised and you’ve had a baby.

Or you’ve lost someone in your life –whether that be a break up, or a death. These can cause people to go off kilter,” Katherine said. “Or I’ve had clients who have health issues and can’t lift or move things. Or people with brain issues, and they used to be able to create a system but now they can only follow them so they need me to create systems for them.”

People on the hoarding spectrum

generally require a specialist in this area, Katherine said. “Hoarding is very complex, and not an area I’m an expert in,” she said. “I market myself more as a personal trainer for your home.”

Most of her clients are women.

“Females feel responsible for maintaining the household. I think there’s a fair bit of pressure on women to not only maintain standards of a home that their grandmother used to, but also be in the board-room,” Katherine said.

“Probably one of the driving forces is people are struggling to keep up with expectations. Lots of people will tidy up when they’re expecting visitors, it’s a bit like the social media thing; you only present a certain side.”

The rise of the decluttering world may be in line with the move towards experiential living. “The war mentality of waste not want not has remained, so people are holding onto things but meanwhile technology has changed and buying

habits have changed,” Katherine said. “We can buy anything online and have it delivered by tonight or tomorrow. Especially in London.

There are certain stores open 24 hours. You’re not going to starve.”

“We’ve got that amalgamation of a post-war belief system, the transition to wealthier, more disposable income, and now we’ve got instantaneous gratification coming in and nobody’s stocktaking. No one’s asking if we need the stuff, or want the stuff.”

For those familiar with Japanese decluttering pioneer Marie Kondo, author of the Life-changing magic of Tidying up, Katherine’s process isn’t quite as hardcore. “I love Marie Kondo but she’s very strict.”

“I don’t have a one-rule fits all.

I have some clients who want to touch everything, I had a client who had such anxiety issues she couldn’t touch anything so I handballed everything into the keep or let go of piles.”

Normally clients start with a consultation and discuss what they’re struggling with, how they’d like to feel, and determine what

they might be trying to make space for. “We talk about on a practical and ambition level,” Katherine said. “Some people are single and it’s come up as we’ve been talking that they would like to be in a relationship and I’ll say ‘ok, well we’ve got to clear some space for them.’ If you want to get into a relationship and yet all of your wardrobes are rammed to the rafters, there’s nowhere for a partner to even hang their shirt, nowhere for them move into your life. The same could apply to your diary, if there’s no space for someone to come into your life.”

“A lot of people use ‘stuff’ as a physical barrier to protect themselves from feeling empty. If there’s space, it can feel lonely,” Katherine said. “There are parallels with how much stuff you have.

If you need a clearer space to see opportunities, then it is quite important.”

For more information email Katherine at katherine@sortmyspace.co.uk or visit: www.sortmyspace.co.uk

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December 2017 5

6 December 2017

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December 2017 7

MUSIC

By Laura Burgoine

B

oyzone’s Keith Duffy and Westlife’s Brian McFadden are joining forces for a Christmas concert tour, and the next stop is Clapham Grand.

“The show came about by accident. Me and Brian go back years,” Keith told the Weekender.

“I was going on the road to do a one-man show, theatre style with an autobiographical feel. I’d been in a play on the West End and didn’t know what to write.

I was putting some songs and music in but I started feeling a bit self-conscious –in Boyzone I’d always done back-up vocals not lead,” he continued. “Brian and I mixed our ideas for a joint show and the whole tour sold out in four hours and the show was a huge success.”

Now they’re back for part two.

“It’s great fun, and after talking to fans and listening to what they had to say on social media we discovered they wanted more songs so we decided to go old school: 20 of our best songs, minimum talking, more jiving.”

Every song the duo sings has been a Number One. “Westlife started off as a support act for Boyzone, then we broke up, and Westlife kind of took over,” Keith said. “This is exciting, it’s good fun; we have a laugh. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

Boyzone reunited in 2008 and did a whole reunion tour. “That was just before Stephen Gately died so those are important memories now –we got two years with him and I’m so grateful for that,” Keith said. “We’re back on the road again next year for our 25th anniversary and Brian is coming with us.”

The band has enjoyed a longevity that’s eluded a great many before them. “It’s about people and being able to get on,” Keith said. “The most important word in the dictionary is compromise, whether it’s in a relationship, marriage, friendship.

Everyone has different feelings and you need to be able to get along harmoniously.”

Back in the Zone

Both bands have toured all over the world but they’ve never played at Clapham Grand. “The ironic thing is we’ve played every theatre in the UK, but not many in London. In London we played arenas; we never did smaller venues so this is the first time.

We’re really looking forward to playing in Clapham; it’s such an

iconic building.”

After Boyzone, Keith branched into acting, starring in Coronation Street for ten years.

“I was always in am dram as a kid, and when the band broke up, I really didn’t know what to do next,” Keith said. “I was never lead vocal in Boyzone, I’d done a couple of short movies and it

was during an interview about one of them that someone from Coronation Street read it and thought it’d be cool to get an Irish guy on the show. So they created a character for me.”

“It was a rollercoaster. The light within the tunnel is you have to have friends in the show, the people you work with because you

can be working up to 14 hours a day, six days a week.”

Boyzlife is playing at the Clapham Grand, 21-25 St John's Hill, SW11 1TT, on December 12 at 7:30pm-11pm.

Admission: from £32.50.

020 7223 6523. claphamgrand.com and boyzlife.seetickets.com

Hideaway Bond theme Streatham’s hideaway jazz club is calling all double agents for a night of Bond music and martinis shaken not stirred.

Expect classy new jazz arrangements as iconic Bond themes are given a new twist by a stellar line-up, led by Hideaway Musical Director Janette Mason with the sublime vocals of David McAlmont and Natasha Watts.

Enjoy new arrangements of your favourite masterpieces

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including Diamonds are Forever, Goldfinger, and Live and Let Die. Martinis mandatory, tuxedos and cocktail dresses optional but preferred.

Thursday 7, Friday 8, and Saturday 9 December at Hideaway, 2 Empire Mews, Stanthorpe Road, SW16 2BF. Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8:30pm.

Admission: £17.50. www.hideawaylive.co.uk

December 2017 9

Brixton Buzz Friday 1st December

SW2

Brixton Surf City at Effra Social 89 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-1am, Free His quiff shakes faster than a fidget spinner in a hurricane as DJ Frank Jones and his partner in arms Big Bad Bal set the oldschool rockabilly, punk and new wave tunes spinning without the assistance of shiny indestructible CDs or anything with a USB port attached - it’s nowt but glorious vinyl all night.

Friday 1st December

SE27

Friday 1st December

SE27

Gig guide

Torture Garden - The Final Coronet Party

28 New Kent Road, Elephant & Castle SE1 6TJ, 9pm-6am, £38/£42

Thu

9th December

Stick it On at Book & Record Exchange 20 Norwood High St, SE27 9NR, 8pm-1am, Free A top notch indie record shop and bookstore by day, the vinyl racks are manfully tussled aside to create a dancefloor for music nights every other week. On the first Friday of every month, the Stick It On crew invite you - the great unwashed - to haul in three monster tunes of your choice and get spinning.

Mambista at Portico Gallery 23A Knight's Hill, West Norwood, SE27 0HS, 7pm-midnight, £10

The Mambista gang shimmy into West Norwood and kick off the night with a salsa dance class at 7pm, followed by live Congolese Soukous and Cuban Salsa from Grupo Lokito and DJs throwing down a shoe leather bothering burst of African, Latin, and jazz till close.

Saturday 2nd December SE15 Cigarette Records at Four Quarters 187 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4TP, 9.30pm-1.30pm, Free Still smoking after three years, Cigarette Records light up a night of Soul, Disco, Jazz Funk, House and Garage for their anniversary party. There will be cake - yes CAKE - on hand, plus a bevy of retro arcade games to keep you amused all night.

Saturday 2nd December SW16 Move On Up at White Lion 234 Streatham High Road, SW16 1BB, 6pm-midnight, Free Original Move On Up platter rotators Stevie Dundee and Tony Rodriguez will be manning the DJ booth in this friendly Streat’am boozer.

If you like your Xmas parties kinkier than an old garden hose, then slip into some shiny latex, adjust your leather straps and whip yourself down to the Elephant for an evening of burlesque, art installations, live music, fashion shows, body ritual and all sorts of saucy shenanigans guaranteed to turn Tory voters into paroxysms of purple outrage. take to the bijou stage in this charming little café/bar by the Oval. Recommended.

Thursday 7th December SW9 Live Jazz at the Prince of Wales 469 Brixton Rd, SW9 8HH, 11pm-3am, Free Popular with locals and musicians, it’s perfect for night owls with an insatiable thirst for beer and live jazz. Open till 3am and admission free, the only downside is the requirement for Photo ID. The bouncers are lovely though.

Friday 8th December

Saturday 9th December SW9 Burlesque Cabaret at Courtesan 69-73 Atlantic Road, Brixton, SW9 8PU, 9pm-1am, Free

Tuesday 5th December SW9 Live Jazz at the Cable Bar & Café 8 Brixton Rd, Oval, SW9 6B, 8pm, Free This weekly event sees jazzy/blues bands

10 December 2017

No Frills Sunday Session at The Windmill 22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton SW2 5BZ, 7pm, Free

With roaming Brixton folkies, the No Frills Band at the helm, this lively, round-the-table session invites musicians of all abilities to join in with new and traditional songs. Like a musical Whicker’s World without the airfare, expect to hear an earful of sounds from around the globe.

Monday 11th December SE5

Formations at Off The Cuff 301-303 Railton Road, Herne Hill, SE24 0JN, 6.30pm-10pm, Free For fans of ruminating, Formations looks like the place to be, announcing itself as a “space to ponder different ways we can be creative and reconsider the expectations we often place on performance.” Sound, movement or any other artistic form of storytellers are welcome to share their experiences in this homely venue.

Empty Set at Corsica Studios 5 Farrell Court, Elephant & Castle, SE17 1LB, 10pm-3am, £3 Two room showcase of five DJs and ten visual artists, with free admission before 11pm. DJs include Jackson Massey, Cressa and Peter Butterworth.

Sunday 10th December, SW2

SW4

Under The Arches at Fu Manchu 15 Lendal Terrace, Clapham, SW4 7UX, 10pm-3am, £10 Lurking under railway arches, Fu Manchu goes for the upmarket crowd, dispensing “carefully crafted” cocktails to the Cla’am massive. Expect to hear silky smooth disco, funk, Latino and soul all night.

Sunday 3rd December SE24

Monday 4th December SE17

dabble in jazz tradition, rock, electro, afrobeat, hip hop and jazz fusion with the lovely folk from Pure Vinyl DJing till midnight.

Folk Jam at The Old Dispensary 325 Camberwell New Road, SE5 0TF, 8pm-1am, Free See out the month at this small, friendly, affordable and unfussy traditional Irish boozer where anyone can join in with the band for the weekly folk jam.

Tuesday 12th December SE5 The extraordinary Suri Sumatra returns to Courtesan for a night of candlelit performance and smooth grooves from all four corners of the globe, played on a ‘unique audiophile sound system,’ whatever that is. First show 10.00pm.

Sunday 10th December, SW2 Crates Feat. PYJÆN + Pure Vinyl at Upstairs at the Ritzy Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG, 7pmmidnight, Free Based in London, improvisers PYJÆN

Jazz Jam at The Junction 171 Coldharbour Lane, SE5 9PA, 8pm-11pm, Free The strummin’, tootin’ and percussin’ starts at 8pm and keeps on throwing shapes and improvising until close in an affordable, independent boozer. Recommended.

Wednesday 13th December SW11 Cheeky Midweek Disco at Clapham Grand 21-25 St John's Hill, Clapham, SW11 1TT, 10pm-1am, £3 We wouldn’t raise our expectations too high

In the nine rooms of pervy delight, punters can sample a medical playground, Japanese bondage temple, dungeon and more, while DJs slam down a soundtrack of electro swing, electro, drum and bass and more. It’ll be your last chance to see the Torture Garden at the Coronet as the venue is scheduled to be pulled down in 2018. for this one, with its unnamed ‘resident DJs’ and the promise of mulled wine, but it’s only three quid. And it’s nearly Christmas.

Saturday 16th December SW2

BRXTNFNK at White Horse 94 Brixton Hill, Brixton, SW2 1QN, 9pm-midnight, Free BRXTNFNK and their chums frantically rummage through their record collections like crack-addled squirrels looking for a long-buried Barrier Block fix.

Congo Faith Healers at the Blues Kitchen 40 Acre Lane, Brixton, SW2 5SP, 10pm-2.30am, £10 An evening of ‘dirty savage swamp infested gypsy blues’ is promised by the Congo Faith Healers in this pricey venue. Expect to hear a mélange of voodoo vocals, trumpet grooves and rockabilly swing before resident band The Beekays take over at 1am with their more conventional diet of classic rock and roll.

Thursday 14th December SW2

Saturday 16th December SW9

Thursday 14th December SW2

Jamaica Jazzzz at Effra Hall Tavern Kellett Road, Brixton, SW2 1EB, 9.30pm-11.30pm, Free One of the few traditional pubs left anywhere in the area, this locals’ boozer has regular live music nights throughout the week. Thursdays is always a busy night, with the house band mashing up jazz, ska and reggae in front of an appreciative crowd.

FLO at JAMM 261 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 6LH, 7pm-11pm, £17

Thursday 14th December SE15 Bring Your Own Vinyl at The Nines Unit 9a, Copeland Park, Peckham, SE15 3SN, 7.30pm-11.30pm, Free Haul along your own vinyl to this open session, with in-house vinyl-nerd Grace passing on tips on how to make the most of your 20 mins of DJ fame. All genres are welcome from Black Sabbath to Miles Davis, with DJs asked to chip in a few quid which goes to a different charity each month.

Friday 15th December SW2 Metalheadz at Electric Brixton Town Hall Parade, Brixton, SW2 1RJ, 10pm-5am, £17 Founded in 1994 by junglist legends Goldie, Kemistry and Storm, Drum & Bass imprint Metalheadz has dispensed deep, dark and heavy productions for the past two decades. For this festive special, expect to hear a half-ton of rafterthreatening dance bangers through the venue’s mahoosive sound system.

One of the UK’s most successful international soul artists, FLO is bringing her unique blend of poetry, neo soul and live music to downtown JAMM with a full live band. Also on the bill is Omar and Terri Walker.

Saturday 16th December SE15 Gazebo DJs at Canavan's Peckham Pool Club 188 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4NF, 10pm3am, £3 The Gazebo gang of deck-mauling DJs promise a set of nothing but buttockgyrating tunes, covering lively house, electro, disco and techno is this friendly Peckham club-cum-pool hall.

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Saturday 16th December SE15 South London Soul Train at The Bussey Building 133 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4ST, 10pm-5am, £13 A Christmas special celebrating the funktastic Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Punters will be cordially inviting to get offa that thang and gyrate wildly on the dancefloor, with JHC and Snowboy on the wheels o’steel. On level 2 and keeping things funkier than a juggling seal doing stunt jumps on a unicycle will be Dean Rudland and Ben Gibson, while Nik Weston, Huw 7, First Word and Wah Wah will be keeping the other levels resonating to an exuberant feast of trouser exciting floorboard shakers.

Brixton Buzz

Gig guide

Massive NYE Party at Dogstar 389 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LQ, 8pm-6am, £5 adv

Sunday 17th December SW2 Brixton Hill Studios Concert at The Windmill 22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton, SW2 5BZ, 7pm, £10 The rather wonderful Brixton Hill Studios gang take over Brixton’s finest small venue for a night of eclectic entertainment.

The Dogstar NYE parties are the stuff of legend and this year they’re putting on a wild 80s Star Wars sci fi/new wave-themed event across three floors. In the alwaysrammed main room, AudioSushi DJs, Track Dept and Disastronaut will be thumping out 90s, 00s Classics, anthems hiphop, trap and dancehall etc. In the Ballroom, DJs Jizzy Rascal and Editor from Brixton’s famous Offline Club get the party rocking with a swaggering, Headlining the event is Spratley’s Japs, an enigmatic side project by The Cardiac's Tim Smith. Also on the bill and ready to share hard earned tales of bitterness and resentment is the Stephen Evens Band, plus teenage rampagers Black Midi and The Display Team who will be on hand to illustrate what a mash-up of Madness, Frank Zappa and The Beach Boys sounds like.

Tuesday 19th December SW2 Live Jazz at the Effra Hall Tavern Kellett Road, Brixton, SW2, 8.30pm-11.30pm, Free Tuesday nights see Afrobeat/reggae local stars The Soothsayers, with guest musicians, entertain drinkers in this delightful boozer.

Saturday 23rd December SW9 HAAi at Phonox 418 Brixton Rd, Brixton, SW9 7AY, 9.30pm-4am, £10 Resident DJ HAAi (pronounced ‘Hi’) continues her long residency of the former Plan B/Wimpey Bar in Brixton with a Christmas special. As ever, she’ll be banging out a selection of eclectic house, disco and other dance floor wobblers.

Sunday 24th December SW9 Grass Roots Live Music at Club 414 414 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LF, 10pm-3am, Free/donations

Wednesday 20th December SW4

Strummerville Xmas at the Railway Tavern 7 Station Rise, Tulse Hill, SE27 9BW, 9pm-2am, Free Hosted by wordsmith Dennis Just Dennis, this Strummerville special looks to get your tinsel tickled and your festive bells a-janglin’ with gusto, with a DJ line up including Mike Urban, Lazytalk, Meat & Onions Gang and Joei Supernova.

Friday 22nd December SW9 80s Brixton Rooftop Party at Prince of Wales 469 Brixton Rd, SW9 8HH, 9pm-4am, £10 Spinning hits from the era of the proud mullet, the Prince of Wales will rock to the sounds of 80’s Disco, Hip Hop, Soul, House, New wave, Rock across three floors. There’s also a not-secret-at-all 80s Karaoke room and a special 2 channel Silent Disco on the roof, if that’s your kind of thing.

Thursday 28th December SW2

443 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LN, 10pm-3am, £5 There’s going to be another jam-packed night upstairs at the Market House as DJ Editor and Jizzy Rascal pump out their trademark category-catapulting selections of dance zingers and pop tunes to keep the floor bouncing like an extra-springy Slinky on a trampoline.

Thursday 28th December SE22

Saturday 30th December SW4

House Night at Gremio de Brixton St. Matthew's Church, Effra Road, SW2 1JF, 9pm, Free DJ Lee Harris spins Spanish/Latin House music in this tapas restaurant/bar lurking in the crypt of St Matthew's Church, a short saunter from the centre of Brixton.

Watson's General Telegraph Forest Hill Tavern, 108 Forest Hill Rd, SE22 0RS, 8pm, Free Shuffle up the hill to this well stocked, on-trend bar and flap your moveable parts to the sound of hot swinging live Trad Jazz, daddy-o.

Friday 29th December SW9

Open Mic at Bread & Roses 68 Clapham Manor Street, Clapham, SW4 6DZ, 5pm-8pm, Free Owned by the Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Union Council, this is a great place for Tory-free boozing and socialising. Test out your talents in front of a friendly crowd at this regular open mic night.

Friday 22nd December SE27

sweaty, fun packed mix of fist-in-the air party bangers, thrusting the decks in time to dance monsters, pop thumpers, indie bangers and booty-quivering anthems guaranteed to get your arms waving in the air like a platoon of semaphore signallers on poppers. On the top floor, it’s the Superstructure Room with DJ legends Sean McLusky and Magic Robot, mashing up Classic House, 90s house, Acid House, electro.

Bowie to Béyonce and Beyond at Upstairs at Market House

Hosted by UB40 trumpet-player Patrick Anthony, backed by a talented house band, this you can expect a night of uplifting blues, reggae and ska in front of a busy, old school mixed Brixton crowd. It’s open till late and a big hit with locals.

Sunday 24th December SW16 Vince Dunn Orchestra at Hideaway 2 Empire Mews, Streatham, SW16 2BF, 2pm, £15 World renowned tub-thumper Vince Dunn brings his orchestra to SW16 for a Christmas Sunday lunch show, playing an eclectic mix of jazz, latin, funk, classic big band swing and a smattering of “classy” festive songs.

Tuesday 26th December SW8 Audiowhore Boxing Day at Fire Arch 39 Parry Street, Vauxhall, SW8 1RT, 10pm-6am, £12 Shake off the Christmas blubber at this all night housey rave-up, located in a five room venue under the arches.

Massive NYE Party at Dogstar

95 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-3am, £5

Saturday Sessions at Gigalum 8 Cavendish Road, Clapham Common, SW4 9DW, 8pm-midnight, Free Pledging “pure fist pumping, heart pumping glory” this bar by the Common insists that they are “London's free number one music venue.” Ignore the daft hyperbole and just enjoy resident DJs Hilton Caswell and Ben Yong banging out a half ton of classic soulful house music.

Fri

29th December

Sun

31st December

Saturday 30th December SE11 Black Elvis at Duckie Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Ln, SE11 5HY, 9pm-2am, £6

Headlining one the most provocative and fun cabaret nights in London is south London legend Colbert Hamilton, aka Black Elvis, who brings his own unique style to The King’s hip-swivelling catalogue of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Blues. Keeping the floor bouncing all night is the Readers' Wives DJs.

Saturday 30th December SW16 Polar Bears Can Dance at Pratts & Payne 103 Streatham High Road, SW16 1HJ, 9pm-2am, Free Named after the two most memorable landmarks from Streathams past; the now destroyed Pratts department store and madam Cynthia Payne, Pratts & Payne hosts DJs every Saturday night, serving up soul, disco, funk and reggae.

Sunday 31st December SW9 London outfit General Skank do pretty much what they say on the tin, banging out a set of dubby melodies and politically conscious vocals to a soundtrack of roots to rocksteady, dub to dancehall, and ska to drum ‘n’ bass. Reggae and future dancehall dj/producer Sleepy Time Ghost plays alongside rising stars Kosher & Natty Cambell, while DJs Nuffone and MC Honeybrown slice’n’dice classic and fresh jazzwize dubwise afrobeats and associated riddims until the early hours.

Cohesion NYE Party at Club 414 414 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LF, 10pm-8am, £20 More psychedelic than a swirly knot of multi-coloured glowsticks spinning on an entranced unicorn’s rainbow-hued horn, the Cohesion gang are shimmying back in town for a NYE special with a bevy of psytrance acts ready to turn your noggin into a swirling, throbbing mass of loved-up repetitive beats.

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THEATRE

By Laura Burgoine

A fantastic actor, and a fantastic story –what more do they need? Nothing. The entire run is completely sold out -but you can get day tickets or Friday rush tickets (details on how, at the end of the article).

Adapted by Lee Hall -of Billy Elliot the musical fame- and based on the Paddy Chayefsky film, Network follows veteran news anchor Howard Beale, who gets fired due to dwindling ratings. In his final broadcast, he threatens to kill himself live on television and becomes an overnight sensation.

The story follows his rise to populist prophet and slump to yesterday’s news, illustrating the fickle nature of the industry and audiences alike.

This production makes ample use of Howard’s iconic catch-phrase “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore,” but it works.

It’s a great line. And it has plenty of company.

The pressure is on for the 61-yearold Cranston. The National is coaxing Breaking Bad die-hards out of their Netflix caves and into a theatre. We all want to see if the man who brought Walter White to life is as mesmerising in the flesh, and you know what? He is.

He truly is. Under director Ivo Van Hove (Hedda Gabler) the staging is spectacular, and the entire cast stellar, but the moments that hold you in a trance, completely and utterly captivated, are Cranston’s monologues. He is magnetic, breathing new life into words we’ve heard before and creating something completely unique. This is what people are paying money to see, and it’s a rare experience.

The Oscar nominated, Golden Globe and Emmy winner is known for his range, from the goofy sitcom Dad on Malcolm in Middle to the quiet intensity of Walter White in Breaking Bad and more recently a raw, angrier turn in Trumbo. He’s a

Mother courage

The strife of Bryan Breaking Bad star is magnetic – and mad as hell - in National theatre’s Network

chameleon, and is as comfortable on the National stage as in a rolling meth lab.

The staging is particularly inventive; almost half cinema, half theatre with a large television screen, sound engineers positioned above the stage, and a camera crew buzzing around at all times.

The director plays with angles, often actors are out of view, or facing away from us and we’re watching their faces on the screen, then

following them as they move about the stage. It’s a fast-paced two hours with no interval and a big cast. Just the way I like it. At any given time there’s about five different things going on. On the left of the stage a glass box contains the fictitious TV network’s producers and execs. On the right is the latest new theatre gimmick: audience members dining in a pop-up restaurant. I was the first to dismiss this as a cheap trick on the theatre’s part to over-charge the selfie

generation for function chicken and close-up ogling opportunity. But, it really fits into the stage and the story quite effectively.

The entire production is a triumph with no weakest link. An exceptional cast delivers a story both entertaining and more relevant than ever. It’ll make you think, it’ll you make you laugh, and it might just make you mad as hell.

Network is on at the National Theatre, Upper Ground, South Bank,

SE1 9PX, until March 24, 2018.

Phone: 020 7452 3000. On Friday at 1pm, a limited number of £20 tickets are released online for the following week’s performances. The next Friday Rush ticket release for Network is on December 15.

A limited number of day tickets are available in person at 9:30am from the Ground floor box office, priced at £15 or £18 and limited to two tickets per person. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

A welcoming salvo of strafing and bombing from a squadron of planes sets a scene of soon-to-come sadness and sorrow, writes Michael Holland...

Germany, hence the sounds of modern warfare). Mother Courage (Josie Lawrence) spends her life following conflicts with her cart and family in tow, selling supplies to the soldiers.

Along for the ride is the camp prostitute, Yvette, in her red dress and ripped stockings; a chaplain, and the General’s cook, always on the look out for a capon.

The play is about survival, and surviving at all costs. Mother Courage loves her children and does her best to teach them to be good, honest people but one by one they fail to heed her warnings and go off to carve out their own paths in life.

Yes, Mother Courage has to lie and cheat, and swap flags to

appease whoever is winning Even the Chaplain exchanges faiths when the Catholics approach - but everything she does she does for the good of her children, trying to protect them from the harsh severity of life. But keeping them safe is difficult when death is potentially around very corner.

This rambling epic traverses countries and decades and has fear and trepidation constantly travelling alongside it. Lawrence inserts some respite from the gloom with the occasional funny look, or by delivering a line with the comic timing she has perfected over time, but for me Laura Checkley’s Yvette, the buxom blonde always on the

lookout for a soldier with money to spend on her is the one to watch out for.

The cast of actor-musicians are gleaned from my favourite drama schools, where they invariably turn out students who can produce grimy and gritty and convincing - all of which they do in this Brecht anti-war masterpiece.

Photo by Scott Rylander

You realise that Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children is not going to be a day in the park but more a lifetime in Hell. As the ordnance fell so did my spirits because even in his lighter moments Brecht is a miserable git.

When the play begins we are told that we are in 17th century Sweden, a Protestant Superpower having a go with anyone who thinks they’re hard enough (Brecht was writing this 1939 play while in exile from Nazi

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I

t’s the hottest ticket in town: Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston making his UK theatre debut in the National theatre’s stage adaptation of Network.

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Mother Courage and Her Children is on at the Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, SE1 6BD until December 9.

Times: Mon - Sat 7.30pm; Tues and Sat matinees 3pm.

Admission: £20, £16 concession.

Phone: 0207 407 0234. www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

December 2017 15

THEATRE

By Michael Holland

Surprise witness

Catherine Steadman as Romaine Vole and Jack McMullen as Leonard Vole in Witness for the Prosecution

Photo by Idil Sukan

D

rama devotees will know the work of Jack McMullen from his award-winning portrayal of Josh McLoughlin in Brookside when just a boy.

Fans will know of his follow up roles in Grange Hill and Waterloo Road and most of the other popular TV shows that fill our screens.

More recently Jack was in the compelling series Little Boy Blue, a true story about the sad killing of the young Rhys Jones.

These days the Liverpool lad lives in Camberwell and has

Laura Pitt Pulford

moved into stage work, a big step from the multi-takes allowed on camera to get it right, and especially so for someone who didn’t go to a professional drama school - A move that shows the commendable get up and get going attitude that many Scousers have.

The actor was very young when he got his first role, ‘so it wasn’t a career choice at that point,’ he tells me, adding that he has ‘been lucky to find something I enjoy at such a young age.’ In fact he barely remembers the two British Soap Awards he won: ‘I was only 11 or 12 at the time…I’m just glad

I got to take my Mum down the red carpet,’ he says, showing how much he admires his parents for their support.

I asked him about the importance of that support and he was very aware of the sacrifices they made: ‘When I was a child they’d take me to auditions, and to and from set every day.

Sometimes they’d have to stay with me until I’d finished filming,’ begins the young star, continuing with the maturity of someone much older. ‘They both worked full time so it must have been incredibly hard for them, although they didn’t show it.’

enjoyed…. It was one of my plays that I like best myself.’

The new production has been developed with the support and involvement of the Christie family. Christie’s Great Grandson and Executive Chair of Agatha Christie Ltd, James Prichard said ‘It is really exciting to see this innovative approach to one of my great grandmother’s best plays.

The amazing setting of County Hall will help raise the production to great heights, and with Lucy Bailey directing it will be a must see theatre event. This show will help demonstrate that Christie’s works are as relevant today as they have ever been, and 21st century London is in for a treat.’

I asked Jack McMullen what he will be doing after playing such a challenging role, and with Liverpool cheek and charm he laughed and told me, ‘I think I’ll deserve a holiday.’

For the main run, there will be 100 tickets available for every performance at £25 or under.

Witness for the Prosecution is on at London County Hall, The Chamber, County Hall, Belvedere Road, SE1 7PB until 11 March 2018. Admission: From £25 £95. Phone: 0844 815 7141. www.witnesscountyhall.com

Roll up, roll up for Barnum T he legendary P.T. Barnum once said ‘Every man should make his child learn some useful trade or profession, so that in these days of changing fortunes they may have something tangible to fall back on’.

Well Laura Pitt-Pulford’s parents didn’t force her into a career of acting but they were very supportive of her choice when she was growing up in Warwickshire. Now, after moving to London to train at Mountview Academy, she has an Olivier nomination tucked into her belt and is currently rehearsing her role in the award-winning musical Barnum.

Even so, this lady who is fast earning a reputation as a theatre legend, took time away from rehearsals to talk to the Weekender and was keen to tell me that acting was something she had loved doing from an early age – “but it wasn’t ’til I was about 13/14 that I realised this was something I could potentially consider as a career.” She recalls how her parents were behind her theatrical pursuits and “they’ve been there through the tough times as well,” she says.

In 2015 Laura received her

16 December 2017

Jack McMullen will next be appearing as Leonard Vole in Agatha Christie’s Witness For The Prosecution, a gripping tale of justice, passion and betrayal played out in a courtroom setting inside County Hall. Leonard is accused of murdering a widow to inherit her wealth but will he survive the shocking witness testimony? Will he be able to convince the jury of his innocence and escape the hangman’s noose?

He told me ‘Agatha Christie’s script is a thrilling read and kept me guessing until the end,’ when I asked what drew him to this play.

‘The prospect of playing Leonard in this magnificent site-specific location was very appealing to me… The only evidence in Leonard’s favour is his wife’s alibi, so he seeks the help of top barrister Sir Wilfred Robarts to prove his innocence. But all is not as it seems as more evidence comes to light.’

Sounds like thrilling entertainment.

Witness for the Prosecution was one of Agatha Christie’s favourites.

In her autobiography, she said: ‘One night at the theatre stands out in my memory especially; the first night of Witness for the Prosecution. I can safely say that that was the only first night I have

nomination for her portrayal of Milly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which she says was “a huge honour and something I only ever dreamed of happening.” She added that “an Olivier nomination brings a huge sense of achievement.”

But it is now 2017 and there is new work to be created. I asked Ms PittPulford what drew her to Barnum.

“I’m always excited by the idea of taking a huge show and fitting it into an intimate space, like the Menier Chocolate Factory,” she begins. “It requires extreme imagination and truth and really enables us to focus on the story… There is a lot of heart in this show and this space really lends itself to that.”

She plays Charity Barnum, P.T.’s wife, a “strong, straight talking, no messing woman who is incredibly practical. Some would say she is quite cold but I disagree. To be a strong, practical woman doesn’t mean you have to be shut off and this very much shows in the scenes between her and Barnum.”

The Barnum role will be played

by Marcus Brigstocke and Laura reveals that rehearsals are going “incredibly well” and that “a very

happy, supportive company are having a lot of fun putting this show together.” She talks excitedly of the “many challenges to overcome” and the magic tricks and circus skills to be learnt, but also that it is very rewarding.

I have no doubt that this spectacle of circus and side-show legends will be just as rewarding for audiences.

Barnum is on at the Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, SE1 1RU from 25th November - 3rd March 2018.

Admission: £39.50 - £47.50.

Phone: 020 7378 1713. www.menierchocolatefactory.com

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BOOKS

The Weekender is featuring extracts from the The Good Old Days by Gilda O’Neill, published by Endeavour Press, in three serialization articles.

This is the second instalment.

From chapter 8 The Good Old Days, Indeed: Dissent and Revolt

There were many other episodes of industrial action during Victoria’s reign as labour became more confident, but other events occurred that didn’t have quite such a satisfactory outcome.

Achieving a decent wage for a fair day’s work by mass organization in the form of structured unions was eventually seen by the majority as a laudable aim — although this was to change in the twentieth century — but there were other groups of people operating at the time that found themselves gaining far less popular support. These were the groups that were associated with violent dissent, carrying out acts that would now be called terrorism — acts that were engineered by people coming from outside the mainland to wreak havoc and mayhem, spreading distrust and fear among us — an all too familiar tactic today.

In Queen Victoria’s reign the main such group were the Fenians: the nineteenth-century incarnation of Irish nationalism. On the afternoon of 13 December 1867, a keg of gunpowder was ignited by the wall of the Clerkenwell House of Detention, in an attempt to free two prominent Fenian prisoners, Richard O’Sullivan Burke and Joseph Casey. The attempt was unsuccessful, and instead of breaking through the wall, the force of the explosion destroyed a nearby terrace of houses — obviously not so robustly constructed as the gaol.

Twelve people lost their lives and 126 were injured in the blast. A few weeks later, an Irishman, Michael Barrett, was arrested in Glasgow and charged with causing the explosion and subsequent deaths and injuries. He was found guilty and condemned to death. On 26 May 1868, on a scaffold outside Newgate Prison, he became the last person to be hanged in public.

Barrett’s execution didn’t deter his compatriots and the use of explosives continued as part of a concerted campaign that was carried out between 1883

and 1885. This included the first examples of terrorists targeting the London underground. On one day in October 1883 the line near Charing Cross was dynamited, followed by an explosion close to Praed Street Station. There were no deaths but many injuries. In the following January, an explosion was prevented when a device was found in a tunnel near Euston, but the authorities weren’t so fortunate in February, when a bomb exploded in a cloakroom at Victoria.

They did rather better when they discovered unexploded devices at Charing Cross, Ludgate Hill and Paddington stations. Intelligence also prevented a potential bomber boarding a train near Liverpool with packages of explosives. The success wasn’t repeated in January 1885, when a device exploded on an underground train at Gower Street.

But it was an incident that took place in 1884 that thoroughly embarrassed the Metropolitan Police, despite the fact that no deaths ensued. An anonymous letter had been sent to Scotland Yard in 1883, stating that not only would Superintendent Williamson be ‘blown ... off his stool’ but all public buildings in London would be dynamited on the same night — 30 May 1884. On the chosen night, just before 9 p.m., a huge explosion ripped through Scotland Yard, damaging not only the CID and the Special Irish Branch HQ, but totally demolishing Superintendent Williamson’s office. As the building was empty at the time, deaths were averted, but people in a nearby pub and a passing cabman were injured by flying glass. True to the threats in the letter, further bombs went off: one in the basement of the Carlton Club and another outside the home of Sir Watkin Wynne, a prominent establishment figure. A further device didn’t explode, but if it had the humiliation would potentially have been even greater than that caused by the colossal hole left in Scotland Yard earlier that night.

The bomb had been placed at the base of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, in a position that meant, had the dynamite detonated, the column would have come tumbling down. The Met’s reputation was to be further damaged the following year.

Endeavour Press is a leading independent digital publisher, specialising in Crime/Thrillers, Romance, Historical Fiction and History.

To find out more about Endeavour Press, its books and promotions, sign up to the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/vsAN1 www.endeavourpress.com

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Introducing

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Your guiding light to south London and beyond Where to go? What to do? The Weekender has you covered from stand-up comedy to sit-down dinners.

December 2017 19

ARTS & entertainment

By Laura Burgoine

The Art of Music

The alchemist

A

ged just 25 Jemma Hickman extended her overdraft, rented out space in Bath, opened an art gallery to promote local artists, and after increasing success she went on to work with Damien Hirst and Gavin Turk.

Photo by Alex Barnes

Over time the young gallerist built up an art collection of her own that includes work by Turner Prize nominee Cornelia Parker and it seemed inevitable that she would one day outgrow the South West.

In 2012 she moved to the capital.

With London property prices among the most expensive in the world, Jemma had to set

Violinist Philippa Mo was born in Berkshire but has lived in Surrey Quays so long now it is as though she has always been here.

In fact, like a local she still calls it Surrey Docks.

Philippa began violin lessons when she was six, and enjoyed it so much while growing up she won a place at the Royal Academy of Music. As if that wasn’t enough this determined young woman then went off to the famous Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, where she was taught by the legendary Lin Yao Ji. Oh yes, she had to learn to speak Mandarin too. These days, between teaching (Senior Lecturer in Violin at Leeds College of Music, Westminster Abbey Choir School) and touring (she’s off to China soon), Philippa was kind enough to talk to Weekender.

Like many creatives, Ms Mo absorbs all kinds of stimuli. She finds pleasure and inspiration from a number of sources, including: living by the water; “the way the wood grain patterns shine through the varnish” on her Italian violin, listening to Janine Jansen, reading Hardy, Dickens and Irvine Welsh, and the poetry of Neruda and Verlaine “for their romance and expression,” looking at the art of “Van Eyck for

20 December 2017

up a gallery in her own East Dulwich home, This was bo.lee projects, which afforded her the opportunity to “exhibit out of the white cube setting” as she had been in Bath. The name bo.lee is an amalgamation of her nickname and her middle name, Lee. “I loved Bath,” she declares, “but felt that I needed more space to expand the scope of the gallery and open up to a wider audience.

There are more opportunities to collaborate in London, so many exhibitions to see and I’m closer to many of my collectors.” And her venture paid off as bo.lee has been involved in art fairs as far flung as Hong Kong, New York

and Miami.

And now Ms Hickman is beginning again with bo.lee gallery in the burgeoning art scene of Peckham. Her first exhibition, Nature’s Alchemy, will feature twelve artists who use materials such as mud, blood and ash to explore patterns and symbolism found within nature, and includes Turner Prize nominee David Mach as well as several from the South West.

Hickman says, “I am keen to build on the relationships that I have forged over the last ten years alongside collaborations I am now exploring in London and beyond.”

The artists all imitate the

Mo’s town

International violin sensation still calls Surrey Quays home

his astonishing craft and his joyous colour in his paintings…Louise Bourgeois for the power in her spider.”

At this point in the interview the musician was on a dreamlike roll.

“The architectural riches in London all of which I can find on the doorstep for free… Walking through the city always throws up new routes, new views, new buildings next to the very oldest… All of this inspires me and my work.” I thought she had run out of inspirational attractions, but no: “I

am a bit of a metal fan too, which is a great contrast to much of the music I play,” she added, as if this was not going make me fall off my stool while holding a full cup of coffee.

“A contrast indeed,” I said, picking myself and brushing the damp coffee grounds off my front while attempting to dislodge images of this quietly spoken musician in the mosh pit at a Megadeth gig!

Philippa Mo is obviously no ordinary violinist, and this was confirmed when she told me of playing solo at the

Everything we do is music, curated by Shanay Jhaveri, explores Indian classical music as a source of inspiration for a diverse group of modern and contemporary artists.

phenomena of naturally occurring forms, patterns and reactions throughout their life cycle, allowing chance and error to play as their works develop and age.

The detritus of the natural world is transformed into something spectacular, as the artists celebrate the incidental beauty of decay and rebirth in nature.

Nature’s Alchemy is on at bo.lee gallery, 222 Rye Lane, Peckham SE15 4NL from 23 November to 6 January. Times: Wednesday – Saturday: 11am – 6pm.

Admission: Free.

Phone: 07970 492 858. bo-lee.co.uk Soviet Opera House in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and in the former stronghold of Genghis Khan, plus beneath a tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in a museum. I was thinking of calling in Jeremy Kyle and his lie detector when she recalled the wondrous tale of playing amongst the dunes of the Gobi Desert in Southern Mongolia where she watched the arrival of the nomadic tribesmen as she played. “I watched them approaching and standing in a long line across the tops of the dunes, silhouetted against the sky,” she says, with the memory still in her eyes.

I found myself swept up in her reverie but was quickly brought back to reality when, after all that, she brings me down with a bump by telling me her favourite concert was playing in London’s Wigmore Hall.

“Everything that day smiled,” she says wistfully. “Unforgettable.”

And so, with Philippa’s tales of exotic violin concerts and travel bringing us back to London I was keen to know about her two local concerts. The first will be in St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe, which she reliably informs me will be “an amazing candlelit concert with a programme of some beautiful Baroque works for strings, featuring

The exhibition reflects upon the ways in which something as distinct as Indian classical music is connected with the visual arts. It brings together a host of approaches, from the figurative and graphic to the abstract and performative. Drawing and the act of mark making emerge as a guiding principle within the diverse artistic approaches.

Everything we do is music is not a comprehensive show on the subject of Indian classical music, and how it has been engaged by visual artists over time. Instead it endeavours to consider a diverse group of artistic responses, and to prompt reflections on how an oral tradition like Indian classical music has come to be experienced and represented; to wonder at how artists react and respond to sound to create images that are graphic, figurative, abstract and even sublime.

Everything we do is music is on at Drawing Room, Unit 8 Rich Estate, 46 Willow Walk, SE1 5SF from 30th November - 4th March 2018. Admission: Free.

Phone: 0207 394 5657 drawingroom.org.uk

double violin concertos by Vivaldi and Bach, which I perform with Harriet Mackenzie and the Celoniatus Ensemble - local musicians from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Greenwich and then Harriet, my Retorica Duo partner, brings in some sizzling Latin style with the Four Seasons by Piazzolla for the second half.” I’m already convinced.

The second show, in the New Year, will find Philippa kicking off a series of classical music events at Shortwave Café. Tuned In to Shortwave Nights is a series of classical that covers about 400 years of music, so plenty of variety. “And there is a chance to be right up close to share the flying fingers and heat of live performance!”

Philippa is performing at St Mary’s Church, St Marychurch St, Rotherhithe, SE16 on December 9 at 7.45pm. Admission: £14 adult, £8 child. http://tunedin.london Shortwave Cafe, the Biscuit Factory, 100 Keetons Road, SE16 4DG on Tuesday January 30 at 7.45pm. Admission: £10. http:// tunedin.london For more information visit: philippamo.london

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December 2017 21

family

Photo: Khristopher Morgan

By Anthony Phillips

Cinderella in Peckham Theatre Peckham’s Christmas shows are legendary, and this year promises to be no exception.

In Cinderella Shoeshine, a cast of professional performers are joined by talented young people from Theatre Peckham’s youth company for an Art Deco extravaganza, filled with Hollywood glitz, show-stopping dance numbers and toe-tapping tunes.

Taking the classic fairy tale and adding a multi-cultural twist, Cinderella Shoeshine follows the adventures of Cindy and her little brother from sunny Jamaica to a chilly winter in 1940s London and on to the glamour of Hollywood’s golden era. In this new land of high heels and high society, where powerful movie moguls and glamorous starlets are the toast of the town, even a shoeshine gal can dream of seeing her name in lights!

Cinderella Shoeshine plays from December 5-23 at Theatre Peckham, 221 Havil Street, SE5 7SD. For more details and show times, visit: www.theatrepeckham.co.uk

Kiddie rave

Have tea with Santa Have Tea with Santa on Saturday 9, Sunday 10 December, Saturday 16, and Sunday 17 December.

Join Santa and the elves for a magical cooking and eating experience, then aid your digestion with a little singing and dancing elf style!

Prepare a traditional Lapland meal with Mary Christmas in this group interactive theatre experience with food.

Stir sticky porridge, create festive cakes and edible snowballs, and help the elves wake

Santa before he sleeps through Christmas.

Performed by children’s theatre company Tea Dance for Little People.

For full details, timings and to book tickets visit: www.horniman.ac.uk. Admission: £8 per child / £5 per adult. Recommended for ages 3+.

Also, the Horniman Christmas Market returns on Thursday 7 December from 5.30pm– 9.30pm. Admission is free.

And the Horniman Christmas Fair is back on Saturday 16 December from10.30am–4.30pm.

Toddlers, parents and grandparents can get on the dance floor (or watch and chill out) at Rave-aRoo Wintertime, a club experience for all ages.

Rave-a-Roo brings old school rave tracks and kids pop songs to get all ages dancing. There are also funny hosts who will have you laughing with their antics, drum and bass musical statues and jungle dance-offs.

It’s at 1pm on December 21 at the Royal Festival Hall, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, and is free. www.southbankcentre. co.uk

Winter crafts

Pop in

A free day of fun for the whole family is planned at Pop Brixton on December 9.

Pop’s Christmas Cracker, from 10am to 12am, includes a visit from Father Christmas, craft activities, storytelling and a Christmas wreath workshop. www.popbrixton.org/events/

22 December 2017

A host of events are being held at the Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses in December.

There will be Winter Printmaking for children aged 5 and up on December 2 from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Children can explore the gardens and make prints inspired by the winter wildlife and nature that they find. Wrap up warm! The workshop is £5 per child, or £2.50 for those on low income.

There will be Christmas wreath making, also on December 2,

from 10am to 1pm. You can collect natural materials from the gardens, like seed heads, pods and cones.

There’s also a Winter Warmer on December 16, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, to celebrate the season. You can learn about nature and winter festivals, create festive decorations to take home, bake gingerbread and prepare a winter warmer dink. It’s £5 per child or £2.50 on low incomes. www.brockwellgreenhouses. org.uk/

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Countdown to Christmas Christmas The

Final countdownto...

Our handpicked festive guide: markets, ice rinks, pantomimes, gifts, food & drink and events in Lambeth & Southwark

Grab a unique gift at a christmas fair Morley College's Winter Fair

Pick up unique, handcrafted gifts for Christmas, enjoy live performances and demonstrations and take part in taster sessions happening throughout the day at Morley College’s Winter Fair. Sample delicious street food, mulled wine and mince pies.

Performances take place in Morley's prestigious Holst Room from with a mixture of Kathak dancing, Opera, Flamenco dancing, Folk Choir and more.

The college is also running a number of taster sessions to excite and inspire. If you’re interested in taking up a new subject for the New Year, register for one of the taster classes on the day.

Salsa in Spanish: 11:15am12pm: £5 Zumba for all ages: 11:15am12pm: free.

Choral singing taster: The Kenningtones: 12pm-12:30pm: free.

Piano taster: 12pm-12:45pm: £5.

Flamenco taster: 12:45pm1:30pm: £5.

British sign language taster: 1pm1:45pm: £5.

Street dance for all ages: 2pm2:45pm: free.

Choral singing taster: Morley Folk Choir: 2:30pm-3pm: free.

Greek Bouzouki taster: 3pm5pm: £15.

Millinery taster: 2:15pm-3pm: £5.

Morley College’s Winter Fair is on December 3, from 11am3pm, at Morley College, 61 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7HT. www.morleycollege.ac.uk

Battersea's Partridge in a Pear Tree

Take a walk through Battersea Park and visit the enchanted Christmas Market. Located on Pear Tree Cafe’s charming terrace, amongst twinkling trees, overlooking the frosted boating lake, 30 vendors are selling artisan food and drink products as well as handmade and luxury gifts.

As the carol singers chime, guests can roam the markets, sipping mulled wine and feasting on festive favourites. A personalised hamper service will run throughout the weekend for market goers to build the perfect gift by picking up a basket and filling it with favourite treats and trinkets.

The BBQ is being lit from 12pm serving The Pig in Blanket Hot Dog with prunes, pancetta and balsamic onion and brussel sprouts and chestnut skewers with date syrup. Move across to the Raclette Stand for a plate of molten cheese with charlotte potatoes, cornichons and pickled pearl onions before retiring around the Marshmallow Fire Pit. Spiced mulled wines and warming cocktails will be served from the covered Lake Bar to get guests in the yuletide mood before wandering the market stalls.

Vendors are hand selected by founders Annabel Partridge and Will Burrett, with foodie favourites such as Alpages Swiss Alpine Cheese, Rococo Chocolate, British cured meats from Cannon & Cannon, relishes and chutney from Rubies in the Rubble, loose leaf tea and ware from Good and Proper Tea and sparkling wines from Wiston Estate. For design lovers, handmade woven rugs from Francesca Gentilli, playful shoe brand Rouge Matilda and whimsical stationery from South London Letter Press will be on offer. The Pear Tree Christmas Market is designed to get every list checked off, whether that be fresh wreaths from Miranda Fairhurst or sheepskin dog beds from Wool and Woof.

As the frosty evening draws near and the candles start to

glow, the Saturday Night Market will be a magical gathering for friends and family with carol singers and festivities. Pear Tree Cafe will be putting on an evening supper with views overlooking the market and ice dusted park, serving seasonal dishes such as pulled pork sliders, pickled apple and red cabbage; turkey schnitzel brioche bun with cranberry sauce, melted brie and radicchio. Look out for the Pear Tree Hatch handing out sausage rolls, hot chocolate, mince pies and mulled cider.

Pear Tree Café’s Christmas Market is at the Lakeside Cafe, Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ, on Saturday 2 December (11am9pm) and Sunday 3 December (11am-4pm). Phone: 020 7978 1655. www.peartreecafe.co.uk

Crafty Christmas at Elephant

This Christmas, Hotel Elephant – a not for profit workspace for arts and creative enterprise in Elephant and Castle –is holding a Christmas Market at Spare Street. Hosted in the railway arches near Walworth Road, the market runs from December 1-3.

Artists and Makers, some of whom are residents of the shared studio and workspaces, are showcasing the very best of their products and talented creations, brought to life through the creative enterprise hub on Spare Street, the newest street to be opened in Southwark. In addition to the Christmas shopping

opportunities, the market allows people to see behind the scenes.

The growing list of products available for purchase includes knitted baby hats by Wild Goose Chase, exclusive illustrations and stationery gifts by Becky Bird, and exclusive ceramic ornaments and vases by Clara Castner. Food and drink will be well provided in the form of sourdough toasties, tarts, and pastries from St John’s, as well as coffee beans from the Gentlemen Barista’s, and a wide selection of craft cider and beer.

The market runs from 6pm9:30pm on Friday 1 December, and 11am-6pm on the Saturday and Sunday. Admission: free all weekend. 1-5 Spare Street, SE17 3EP. www.hotelelephant.co.uk

Christmas calendAr: december day by day

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SEASONAL SOUTHBANK

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WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER

This season, the Southbank Centre Winter Festival is pulling out all the stops to throw its biggest and best ever Christmas celebration, running from Friday November 10 to Thursday 4 January. There's a sack-load of Thames-side festive fun planned including one of the best Christmas markets in London, and seasonal Christmas shows.

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SHOP LOCAL

Crafty Fox market returns to its original location, Brixton’s Dogstar, on Saturday 2 and Saturday 3 December from 11am-5pm. Support independent designer-makers and discover an inspiring mix of over 50 traders offering an eclectic mix of original gifts, homeware, jewellery, prints, and more.

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CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

www.craftyfoxmarket.co.uk

www.southbankcentre.co.uk

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HAVING A GIRAFFE

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Omnibus Theatre and Little Angel Theatre have joined forces to create Zeraffa Giraffa, a new play by award-winning poet and writer Sabrina Mahfouz, based on the picture book by Dianne Hofmeyr. The play is inspired by the remarkable true story of a real giraffe called Zeraffa, and her epic journey from the plains of Ethiopia to the Jardin de Plantes in France. The stage adaptation includes a cast of three performers, and an array of puppetry styles from shadow puppetry to object manipulation and live music.

Running from November 25-December 17 at Omnibus theatre in Clapham.

Tickets: £8 children and concession/£10 adults.

Get silly season off to a lucky start at Vauxhall City Farm’s 40th anniversary raffle where the first prize is a whopping £500. Throw your hat in the ring, and enjoy the seasonal festivities, winter crafts, and animal cuddles. Tickets are on sale for £2 each at the farm’s new gift shop and office: the Old Dairy Café.

To volunteer to sell tickets email volunteering@vauxhallcityfarm.org

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Get your skates on

The Shard’s annual festive light show returns on Monday 4 December as the top 20 storeys of the building illuminate the London skyline for a fifth year. Shard Lights animate the sky from dusk until early morning with one of five colours each day on rotation. There will be an array of visual effects including gradients, patterns and sparkles throughout the evening.

The show will build to a crescendo at midnight and feature special oneoff displays to mark the first night and New Year’s Eve. www.the-shard.com/shardlights

WHAT THE DICKENS

Old Vic creative director Matthew Warchus is staging Dickens’ classic Christmas Carol from November 20-January 20. In the joyous new adaptation by Jack Thorne, starring Rhys Ifans, the cold hearted miser Scrooge is visited by four ghosts, transported to worlds past, present and future.

For families aged 11+ Tickets: £12-£65. www.oldvictheatre.com

8 Drums X Vibes

Fancy whizzing around one of London’s most famous landmarks? Located in the dry moat, the Tower of London ice rink offers a grand historical setting for seasonal skating sessions, along with views of London's ancient fortress and the river Thames.

Tickets: £14.50 adults, £12.50 children (13-15 years old), £10.50 children (3-12 years old). toweroflondonicerink.co.uk

Afrikan Roots are putting on a night of Afro House at Brixton’s Prince of Wales. Joined by DJs Mr Silk, Aluku Rebels, DJ Fiddla, DJ Mkhukhwini Kasiluv, Drums X Vibes promises to be an evening of African rhythm and drums from 10:30pm-5am.

467-469 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH. Tickets: £10-£15.

Phone: 020 7095 1978. pow-london.com

Christmas calendAr: december day by day

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NORTH POLE VAULTS

The Vaults in Waterloo are bringing back the Dance Before Christmas.

This year involves a journey through space ending up at The Party at The End of The Universe. Expect mindblowing installations, warp drives, underwater alien caves, Martian canyons of glitter and foil, a chat with the man in the moon, a beverage on the forbidden planet and a party at the end of the universe where you'll be assured of the galaxy's greatest tracks - making it the best last party you ever had. A theatrical experience, crescendo-ing in the most wonderful dance to celebrate the festival season in the depths of Waterloo station.

Complimentary punch on arrival for all guests for the first hour.

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MARKET HOUSE

MODERN MARKET

Pretty wooden chalets fill the space between the Tate Modern and the Thames for this traditional Christmas market. Shoppers can browse handmade wooden toys, accessories, intricate decorations and plenty more, before tucking into festive food and warming cups of glühwein. A Victorian carousel and festive music help add to the Christmas spirit.

Crafty Fox market returns to Peckham’s Bussey Building on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 December, and Elephant and Castle’s Mercato Metropolitano on Saturday 16 December. www.craftyfoxmarket.co.uk

PEXMAS It’s beginning to look a lot like Pexmas –the festival returns on December 9 and 10 from 11am-9pm at Warwick Gardens. Now in its sixth year, there’s a market, mulled wine, stalls, street food, and tunes.

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CHRISTMAS CAROLS

The merriment continues at Royal Festival Hall with a traditional concert of seasonal classics, glorious carols and readings.

Performers include the Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Stephen Bell, soprano Susanna Hurrell, reader Sir Tony Robinson, the London Chorus, and the Southend Boys and Girls Choir, among others. The reportoire includes Schubert’s Ave Maria, Harold Darke: In the bleak midwinter, Handel: Excerpts from Messiah, John Rutter: Candlelight Carol, plus carols including the First Nowell; Hark! the herald angels sing; O come, all ye faithful; O little town of Bethlehem; Once in royal David's city; Unto us is born a son; O come, O come Emmanuel; Good King Wenceslas. 7:30pm.

Admission: ££16.50 - £49.50

Royal Festival Hall, he Clore Ballroom, Level 2. Admission: free.

Join international development charity Feed the Minds for Southwark Cathedral’s annual Carol Concert on Tuesday 12 December. The candlelit setting will be a magical backdrop for the programme, which includes a singalong to classic Christmas carols and choral performances from the church’s Quorum Chamber Choir. Concert runs from 7pm-9:30pm. It’s been sold out for the last three years, so book your ticket to avoid disappointment.

SILENT NIGHT

London Bridge, SE1 9DA. www.eventbrite.co.uk

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HOLIDAY HARMONY

Part of Southbank Centre’s Wintertime festival, the holidays never sounded so good. Young musicians from In Harmony Lambeth perform a rich, varied and joyful programme of music. Runs for 90 minutes, from 5:30pm at Royal Festival Hall’s Clore Ballroom, Level 2. Admission: free.

Part of the Wintertime festival, hear over 250 children from Southwark primary schools share seasonal songs old and new in a high-energy performance that follows a series of in-school workshops.

Runs for 60 minutes, from 5:30pm at

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT

December 9 and 16 from 8pm-2am.

Tickets: £10-£18. www.thevaults.london

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SOUTHWARK WINTER SPLASH

They’ve partied 244 metres above the city at the Shard and now the movers and shakers at Time Out events are sailing south with dance floor, headphones and expert DJs all in tow. The latest Time Out Silent Disco is hopping aboard the Cutty Sark in Greenwich with three channels of perfect pop tunes to keep you dancing all night long. Boppers can also venture from the dance floor and explore the rest of the ship between 8.30pm-10pm to avoid the usual crowds and pepper the partying with a little history. Tickets must be booked in advance online. Cutty Sark , Greenwich Friday December 15.

NATIVITY SCENE Nativity the Musical comes to the West End from December 13-17.

The popular festive film is now a major new musical adapted for the stage by Debbie Isitt, the creator of the much-loved films. So join Mr Maddens and his crazy assistant Mr Poppy as they struggle with hilarious children, unruly animals and a whole lot of sparkle and shine to make everyone's Christmas wish come true. Eventim Apollo Hammersmith.

Phone: 020 8563 3800. www.eventimapollo.com

XMAS SHOW AT THE HIDEAWAY

The swinging six piece band with a big punch are turning on the Christmas cheer at Streatham’s Hideaway jazz club. Lead by Hideaway’s resident musical director Janette Mason, top vocalists Lily Dior and Kevin Leo are grooving their way through a classic Christmas catalogue.

December 14, 15, and 16. Tickets: £15. www.hideawaylive.co.uk

SOUNDS OF STREATHAM Join conductor Calum Fraser, organist Richard Leach and members of the Streatham Choral for an evening of Christmas carols, songs and readings.

Members are asked to bring their own copy of "100 Carols for Choirs".

Admission: £8/£6 concession.

December 16 from 7:30pm-9:30pm.

St Leonard's Church, Streatham High Road, SW16 1HS.

MOOMIN WINTER'S EVE

HORNIMAN XMAS FAIR

Enjoy talks, performances and workshops exploring the magical tales of Moominvalley.

Your ticket includes all latest activities, entry to the Permanent Collection and the Tove Jansson exhibition.

Join in the festivities and get into the spirit of the season at the Horniman’s Christmas Fair.Pick up your seasonal produce at the Farmers’ Market, take part in festive themed craft workshops, and enjoy a carol concert with mince pies and mulled wine.

6pm-10pm. Adults: £15.50, friends and concessions: £12.50. www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

Saturday 16 December: 10.30am 4.30pm. Admission: free. www.horniman.ac.uk

Christmas calendAr: december day by day

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XMAS CARNIVAL

Shabba and Love Kulture Project are joining forces to bring the Carnival spirit to Brixton with a festive twist at Brixton’s Prince of Wales rooftop.

The venue is unveiling a new winter roof terrace with a seasonal rum shack, serving warm cocktails and jerk BBQ with Caribbean cuisine, with three stages of music, dancers and performers, carnival production, a free braid bar and much more. 8pm-5am.

467 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH.

SECRET JAZZ CLUB

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SNOW DAY

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BRAND POWER

The multi-award winning international sensation Slava’s Snowshow returns to the Southbank Centre. A combination of theatrical clowning and stunning visual spectacle, it’s performed by a world-renowned company of clowns led by Slava Polunin, Artistic Director of the St Petersburg Circus.

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CHILDREN'S FAIR

There’s festive fun on Windrush Square with children's rides and fair amusements throughout the Christmas season.

Admission: free.

in 24 Winter Greenwich

Runs from December 18-January 4.

Tickets: £20-£105. www.southbankcentre.co.uk Comedian, Russell Brand is embarking on his Re:Birth tour, which poses questions like "What is real?" and "Who are we?" Journey with Russell as he talks about politics, sex, fatherhood and death.

The best and brightest from London's vibrant jazz scene are coming to Pop Brixton. Regular contributors include: Andy Davies: scintillating trumpeter in the house band at the world famous Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, Vimala Rowe: recognised as one of the most dramatic and passionate jazz vocalists of her generation and an expert in sublime renditions of classics made famous by Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, Binker Golding: multiple award-winning tenor saxophonist whose intensity is reminiscent of John Coltrane. And many others. Sunday 17 December at 9pm11pm. Admission: £15. www.popbrixton.org

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THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS SHOW ON EARTH

The Cinema Museum has compiled another great evening of top-class entertainment from all over the world for your pleasure and amusement.

They’ve got internationally-renowned singers and musicians, exuberant dancing, jaw-dropping speciality acts, and comedians of the first order.

Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:30pm start.

Phone: 020 7840 2200. www.cinemamuseum.org.uk

O2 Academy Brixton on December 18 and 19 at 7pm.

Tickets: £32.20.

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FINNISH LINE

The Queen Elizabeth Roof Gardens will be home to a Finnish sauna which overlooks the river and the London skyline, as part of Southbank Centre’s Wintertime festivities. Each 16-person session will last 70 minutes with changing and showering facilities and on hand sauna-experts as well as blankets and warming winter drinks at The Rooftop Bar for post-sauna sipping.

November 10-December 30. Tickets: £15-£25. www.southbankcentre.co.uk

23 Clapham common's first ice rink

The inaugural Greenwich Wintertime Festival is set in the grounds of Sir Christopher Wren’s riverside masterpiece Old Royal Naval College.

A fresh, new winter festival blending the contemporary and the traditional, the event will host a bespoke covered ice rink, high-calibre entertainment, an array of independent creative designers and brands, the very best of artisan festive food and drink, an art exhibition, plus an enchanting Father Christmas experience for all the family.

Runs from December 1-31.

Tickets start at £15 for adults and £8 for children. greenwichwintertime.com

25 I will honour For the first time, a magical town is springing up on Clapham Common for the yuletide. Winterville boasts an outdoor ice rink, roller disco, fairground and big wheel, plonk golf, and a Winter Night Garden courtesy of Backyard

Cinema. There’s also a food court run by Street Feast hosting some of London’s best street food traders. From November 23. winterville.co.uk

Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

Charles Dickens

It's in front of you!

Here comes panto season

Goose on the loose

It’s that time of year again where the RVT chooses a traditional panto, feeds it gin until it takes its clothes off, then sleeps with one of your relatives. This festive season’s artistic offering is Goosed! A tale of clubs, greed and golden ‘eggs’.

The RVT panto has become a yearly institution and has had a string of distinguished cabaret stars directing, writing and performing on the Tavern’s illustrious and Grade II listed stage. From Nathan Evans, Scottee, Mzz Kimberley, Holestar, Jonny Woo, Timberlina, Fred Bear, Dusty Limits, The Divine Miss M, Ophelia Bitz Topsie Redfern, Martin Fitch to the Miss alternative miss world winner; Fancy Chance, Harry Clayton Wright and Ginger Johnson. This year sees the incredibly talented Tim McArthur return to direct the show, and welcomes Paul Joseph and Tim Benzie as writers plus the return of the immensely popular Topsie Redfern and Faye Reeves.

Mother is the proud owner of the Goose Tavern: an iconic ramshackle bar in far off Vauxhall-land. Business is slow and Mother and her dim, yet achingly handsome bar manager; Jack are running out of ideas to get the punters in.

Can glamorous nightlife sprite; Fairy Lamé turn the tide of fortune for the Goose with the help of the ‘Golden Egg’? And even if the ‘Egg’ helps can they save the Goose Tavern from the evil, scheming Kelly-Anne ConWitch who is determined to get her perfectly manicured mitts on the Golden ‘Egg’ so it can hang in the brand new AmerikeeLand Embassy just in time for President Hump's inaugural visit.

Can Mother save her Goose and reclaim her status as ageing doyenne of the queer club scene? Will Jack get the ‘egg’ back, with the help of seriously hot local cop Finn? Will Finn and Jack find love once they get off their apps? Will Fairy Lamé find anyone to polish her wand?

Is the nightlife of Vauxhall-land doomed forever? And can I order an Uber?

All these questions and more will be answered in Goosed (in between the song and dance numbers obvs!) This adult panto has glitz, glam, gags and a lot of goosing.

Goosed is at the RVT, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY, on December 6, 7,8,13, 14, 15, 20 21, 22, 27, 28, 29 and January 3 and 4. Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. Admission: £17.

Phone: 020 7820 1222. www.vauxhalltavern.com

Wild winter time Greenwich Theatre’s wild and wacky winter show, for 4-year-olds and up, tells the tale of the last two people in the World. Trilby and The-Boot have never had a winter, or a snow ball fight, or even a pig in a blanket.

What they do have, is each other and maybe, just maybe, that is enough.

Follow the two hapless heroes as they try to discover what this Crimbo-thing is really all about ‘What are presents?’ ‘What is the point of tinsel?’ and (most importantly) ‘Will it snow?’

With silliness, light-up antlers and a whole lot of snow, our two unlikely heroes create a wintery wonderland - in a world where anything can be made from the scraps left behind and magic and mayhem is around every corner.

Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, SE10 8ES from Dec 8 - 30.

Various times: 10.30am, 11am, 2pm.

Admission: £13.50 adults, £8.50 children.

Phone: 0208 858 4447. www.greenwichtheatre.org. uk

Greenwich's glass slipper This festive season

watch Cinderella go from rags to riches in Greenwich Theatre’s latest all-singing, alldancing magical pantomime.

The clock is ticking! See the greatest

pantomime heroine of them all as she shows what can happen with a great pair of shoes and sprinkle of fairy dust. Packed full of all the amazing Greenwich pantomime ingredients, it’s time to dust off your finest linens, practice your booing and join Cinders and her two horrible step-sisters as they

embark on an adventure full of magic, mischief and musical mayhem.

Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, SE10 8ES from 17 Nov - 7 Jan 2018.

Various times:

10am, 1pm, 2pm, 5pm, 7pm.

Admission: £29, £20 concs.

Phone: 0208 858 4447. www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk

where to see santa Winter in woolwich Meet Father Christmas and Fairy Flyalot for a magical experience at Under 1 Roof in Woolwich.

VICTORIAN VISIT Take a step back in time to celebrate a Victorian Christmas at The Museum of London Docklands.

The West India Quay museum’s Sailortown gallery will receive a festive transformation from December 2 to 23, and visitors will be able to hear the sound of Victorian carols being sung in the distance.

Children can find Santa in his grotto and receive a gift. Prices are from £10 a child, in advance, and £11 on the door, with photos available at an additional cost. www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museumlondon-docklands

The ticket will give you the chance to create Christmas arts and crafts, a gift and photo.

The grotto will be open 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm on certain dates. Please check the website for details.

Tickets cost £15 for a child (which includes entry for one adult), £8 for under 2s and £4 for additional adults.

Under 1 Roof is at Unit 9, The iO Centre, Skeffington Street, Royal Arsenal Riverside, SE18 6SR. www.under1roofkids.com/

BLUE CHRISTMAS Have a Blue Christmas in Bermondsey on Sunday, December 3, where there will be lots of festive fun to be had.

There will be a Santa’s grotto, donkey rides, and ice rink, face painting, a snow globe and children’s entertainment.

The event is happening in the Blue Market Square from 12 noon to 5pm.

peninsula wonder

A ‘Santa’s Grotto of Wonderment’ will be open for visitors on Greenwich Peninsula.

FESTIVE cruise

Children can set sail with Santa and pass some of London most famous iconic landmarks, with City Cruises.

Each child will get a drink and cookie, and Santa will be handing out presents. There will also be on-board magic shows. Cruises are from December 2 to 23 from Tower Pier.

Tickets cost £28 for adults (aged 16 and over), £16 for children aged over 1. Children under one go free. www.citycruises.com

dulwich magic Santa’s elves will meet you at the Garden Gate and lead you into a ‘magical world’ as part of The Whippersnapper Winter Wonderland Experience in Dulwich.

Elves will be in the garden entertaining with music and fun. You will also receive an invitation to visit Santa’s Class Room. In Mrs Claus’s kitchen the children will learn to decorate gingerbread tree decorations.

The grotto is in Dulwich College Lodge, Old College Gate, College Road, Dulwich Park, SE21 7BQ. Tickets cost £22.50 for children and £9 for adults. www.whippersnapperswinterwonderland.co.uk

The grotto is part of A Peninsula Christmas, which also includes a Tepee Snug Bar, a designer-maker Christmas market, an ‘enchanted forest’ and a ‘seasonal staircase’.

See website for more details. www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

santa in sidcup You can meet elves and Mother Christmas, who will guide you through the Christmas Grotto at Ruxley Manor in Sidcup.

There’s a snowball game in the grotto entrance and then you can take a journey through Santa’s workshop, before meeting Father Christmas.

You can also make Father Christmas’ secret, magical reindeer feed to sprinkle across your lawn on Christmas Eve. There will also be reduced capacity sessions, designed for customers with special needs, which must be booked. These sessions run until December 1 at 4.30pm.

Tickets cost £10 for babies to one year old, £12 for one to 15 year olds, and £5 for adults.

The grotto is open until 2.30pm on Christmas Eve. www.ruxley-manor.co.uk

Greenwich launch

Youngsters can enjoy a ‘unique theatrical experience’ as Santa lands his sleigh at his Christmas Launch Pad at the Greenwich Winter Time Festival in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College.

The 15 minute show is not a one-on-one meeting, but will be watched a group of up to 40 children. All visitors receive a small gift and the chance to take part in a group photo.

Tickets cost £5, but you also have to buy an entry ticket to the festival, which are £15 for adults and £8 for kids. The show is suitable for children aged up to 10. Children aged 3 and under only require a ‘Visit Father Christmas’ ticket. Adults do not need a ticket to attend with their children. www.greenwichwintertime.com

MARKET GROTTO

Father Christmas also has a grotto in Greenwich Market from Wednesday, December 13 to Saturday, December 23.

The grotto, at 9 Durnford Street, is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays, 10am to 5pm; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 6pm; Sundays 10am to 4pm; and Christmas Eve, from 10am to 3pm.

Santa will be feeding his reindeer, Monday to Friday, 1.30pm to 2pm.

Tickets cost £5.

For more information, call 020 8319 9230.

family

By Anthony Phillips

ut o b A & t Ou as Christmial spec

Christmas at Legoland

Legoland is a place that takes on mythic proportions in many young minds. Combine it with Christmas and you may well have some very excited children on your hands.

The Windsor theme park is getting a festive make over, turning it into an enchanted Christmas land, where little ones can meet Santa in his grotto and receive a gift (which we think may be Lego-related).

If you haven’t been before, then Christmas may make it an extra special visit. We’d never been before, so decided that the time had come to ignore the talk of long queues and follow the plastic brick road. Within 10 minutes we were asking myself why we hadn’t gone sooner. It’s fantastic!

OK, so there can be long queues to get on the rides, but that’s where a bit of pre-visit research (and advice form Legoland old-hands) come in.

As soon as we entered the park we picked up some Q-Bots, a little electronic device like an old-school beeper, or for the more modern parents it can be downloaded as an app, which

lets you pre-book your ride – and you just turn up at your allotted time without having to queue.

There are different types of Q-Bot you can buy, costing £20, £35 and £80 per person, offering different levels of access. And this is my first piece of advice I received and feel it my duty to pass one – buy a Q-Bot, it will transform your visit. While other people were queueing, we were exploring the park.

And there’s lots to explore, probably too much to do in one day. Legoland is huge. We were a bit bewildered about what to do first when we got there.

And here is my second piece of Legoland wisdom that was handed down to me – go to the back of the park first and work your way forward, going against the crowds.

Now I went with my 5 year olds, who at most theme parks may be a bit too small for the rides, but in Legoland they were tall enough for almost all of them. And the rides aren’t all sedate. Most I went on felt extreme enough for my tender sensibilities!

Legoland is split into theme land; there’s Land of the Vikings, which has a great River Splash

ride; though the Pirate Falls Treasure Quest in Pirate Shores got as much more soaked! In fact Pirate Shores was one of our favourite areas. The Quest ride was great, one of the best in the park, and there’s also a Pirate Goldwash, where you can sift for little pieces of ‘gold’ in a gold panning area. My two loved this; Adventureland was another of the favourites, especially the submarine ride where you can view (real) mantarays, sharks and fish, as well as Lego ones, on a journey to the deep.

Duplo Valley is a place to visit on a warmer day with plenty of opportunity to get soaked through at the Splash Safari and Drench Towers; the Dragon ride in the NEXO Knight Kingdom is a fast one to watch out for.

Legoland’s most recent addition is the Ninjago World (you may have noticed if you watch children’s TV that they have a new movie coming out!), and this is home to one of the best rides. Ninjago the ride is a 3D experience, where, you the Lego ninja, can shoot fire

and ice from your hands at the baddies (skeletons and giant snakes included), from your seat. I’ve never thought much of any 3D movie that I’ve been to, but the Ninjago ride really did immerse you into it. It’s a great ride, and you get points, so you can see who scored the most on your way out.

There’s so much at Legoland that I’d recommend you get there early and try to spend more than one day there, if your budget will allow. It’s by far the best theme park I’ve been to.

On certain dates this December, there will be Christmas activities to enjoy.

Miniland, where you can see cities around the world in, well, miniature, will get a Christmas theme.

Elves will be looking for helpers to write letters to Father Christmas, build Lego Christmas decorations and a Christmas village scene.

Families can take part in a Lego scavenger hunt and see an eight metre high Lego Christmas tree. There’s even Mrs Christmas’ Toy shop, where youngsters can build their own snowflakes. www.legoland.co.uk

Lido lunching Throughout December, the Lido Café, in Brockwell Park, is hosting poolside Christmas dining.

Visitors to the candlelit restaurant will be welcomed with a Ginger and Quince Martini, before tucking into Chicagoborn Head Chef Lily FergusonMahan’s satisfying seasonal menu that combines comforting holiday classics with great locallysourced British produce. Starter bites like confit duck, apple jelly and sourdough are followed by a choice of main plates, ranging from slow-roasted pork belly with crackling and medlar jam, to whole roast acorn squash with whipped maple sweet potato stuffing, and roast free-range

Suffolk guinea fowl in garlic and herb butter. Three sharing dishes will be served for the table alongside the mains, with options from a tempting selection including beer mac and cheese, buttered cavolo nero, cheesy potato soufflé, and golden, red and candy beetroot carpaccio with horseradish.

Sweet-toothed diners can take their pick from either ginger sticky

Free Christmas lunch hampers for families in need

toffee pudding with pumpkin ice cream or pecan pie with brandy crème fraiche for dessert, and an array of top-quality British cheeses will be on offer with charcoal biscuits plus fig and red onion chutney for the final Christmas course.

Those looking to make the most of the Art Deco venue’s al fresco setting can toast the occasion

with warming post-dinner extras such as malted Irish coffee (Allpress expresso, Bushmills whiskey, cream, malt extract and Xocolatl Mole bitters) and hot buttered rum (Plantation rum, butter, clove and cinnamon), and a carefully-curated drinks list of London craft beers and fine wines can be ordered throughout the evening.

The festive dinner menu is being served at the Lido Cafe, Brockwell Lido, Dulwich Road, SE24 0PA, from December 6-22 for £29 per person for three courses or £35 for four courses. Reservations recommended via the restaurant’s website. Also available for private hire. www.thelidocafe.co.uk

Old Kent Road’s New Covenant church is giving struggling families festive lunch hampers for Christmas day. There’s still time to register if you live in Southwark and your family is struggling financially.

campaign starts in autumn; the church gets in touch with social services and charity organisations in Southwark and asks them to spread the news.

The free Christmas hampers include a medium sized frozen turkey (feeds about six people), non-alcoholic wine, Christmas pudding, chocolates and sometimes extra goodies for children. The church aims to lighten up Christmas for families experiencing difficulties.

Two days before Christmas, a group of volunteers from the church distribute all the hampers. They deliver to people’s homes and can bring

The Christmas Lunch on Jesus

FAR OUT BRUSSEL SPROUT Throughout December, south London pizza

sensation Four Hundred Rabbits is serving up a special London sourdough pizza with shredded Brussels sprouts, confit duck, pomegranate seeds, San Marzano DOP tomatoes and Fior di Latte. For an inventive twist on classic Christmas food, look no further.

Nunhead branch: 143 Evelina Road, SE153HB. Phone: 02077324115.

Crystal Palace branch: 30 – 32 Westow St, SE193AH. Phone: 02087716249. www.400rabbits. co.uk

them inside for people who are disabled or need assistance.

In 2015, the church delivered 100 hampers, in 2016 it rose to 200, and this Christmas they’re aiming for 400. The hampers cost £25 each and funds are raised within the church so they can give them away for free to families in need.

Until December 11, families can still register to receive a free hamper. To register, phone: 0207 252 3300 or 0203 737 8413 and ask to speak to the Christmas hamper order line. You must live in Southwark and be able to demonstrate you’re struggling financially (eg: low income, children

receive school meals).

Anyone interested in volunteering to help deliver hampers, or to make a donation, please call the same number or email: christmashampers@ newcovenant.org.uk On Sunday 24 December (Christmas Eve) the church is holding a multi-cultural, multilanguage Christmas service at 10am. The service is being delivered in Spanish, French, and English.

The New Covenant church is on 506-510 Old Kent Road, SE1 5BA. Phone: 020 7231 9817. www.nccbermondsey.com

Dash, get ski fit, and propose Santa sprint at Clapham Common

Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity is calling on runners of all abilities to suit up as Santa and run the London Santa Dash on Sunday 3 December to raise money for seriously ill children.

Returning for the third year, the event will see thousands of people dressed as Santa Claus merrily make their way around a 5k or 10k course on Clapham Common. All funds raised will make a real difference to children and families at the hospital and across the UK. All participants will receive a complimentary Santa suit, a medal, a mulled drink and mince pie at the finish line. With festive fun including a snow machine and a brass band, the event is set to be a perfect pre-Christmas warm up.

Money raised by dashing Santas will go towards the hospital’s dedicated play team who design activities for children to aid their treatment, recovery and understanding of their illness, making their hospital experience as stress-free as possible. Their support and activities help provide fun and smiles to their time in hospital.

The event is sponsored by Galliard Homes this year. Entry prices are £25 for adults and £15 for children aged 5–15. Infant entry (ages 4 and under) is free.

For more information and to sign up, visit www.gosh.org/ londonsantadash or call the charity’s London Santa Dash team on 020 8341 3270.

Christmas by the river As part of a busy schedule

Yuletide shake-up

of festive events this winter, Christmas by the River has announced the first two exclusive events.

ICE-BREAKERS

Stop simply swiping and make a real connection this Christmas.

Speed dating’s hottest events team Smudged Lipstick are teaming up with the sub-zero Eis Haus ice bar for an evening of Connect 4 fun. Throw on Eis Haus’ retro ski gear, dust off your competitive spirit and get involved with London’s coolest speed dating event.

Smudged Lipstick - Connect 4 Speed Dating, at Eis Haus ice bar, on December 7 at 7pm.

Admission: £5. All proceeds go

to the Mayor’s Fund for London.

To guarantee a space, visit www. smudgedlipstick.co.uk

on hand guide you through the murky waters and ensure your loved one says “YES!”

RING IN THE NEW YEAR

Christmas Proposal Masterclass, The Pier event space, London Bridge City, 19 December.

If your speed dating experience goes very well and you and your Connect 4 fancy fall madly in love, Christmas by the River is on hand to help you take your relationship to the next step with the founder of the UK’s leading marriage proposal planners, The Proposers and Marriage Proposal Expert, Daisy Amodio

Pre-ski powerhouse Don’t get left behind on the slopes this year; prepare your body for the Alps with

Pilates instructor Nathalie Clough’s intense Classic Method class.

The free session at London Bridge is carefully catered to work on those essential but rarely used skiing muscles to keep you in tip top condition, no matter what the mountain throws at you.

December 13 (8am-9am).

Admission: free but tickets are on a first come, first serve basis. www.londonbridgecity.co.uk

Make the Bread and Roses your first pit stop this Christmas party season.

Shakeup Soul Club has four DJs spinning original vinyl only: Rare and Northern Soul, vintage Rhythm and Blues, Motown and Boogaloo.

Hosts Curtis Taylor and Jonathan Dabner will be joined by the Breaking Point's Stephen Taw and Michael ‘the Lover' Viner.

Bread and Roses, 68 Clapham Manor Street, SW4 6DZ. Saturday 2 December: 9pm12:30am. Phone: 020 7498 1779. www.breadandrosestheatre.co.uk

Advertorial

BIDDING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS InStreatham Business Improvement District wishes you a very happy Christmas from all your Streatham Businesses!

Our festive season kicks off on Small Business Saturday - 2nd December, when the BID hosts the annual Lights On Streatham event, and Father Christmas, Chuka Umunna MP, the Mayor of Lambeth, and a very special secret celebrity will turn on the Christmas lights at Babington Plaza by the Manor Arms 4pm-6pm.

There will be festive stalls, mulled wine, mince pies, carol singing, stilt-walking, fire –eating and Father Christmas will be waiting to meet the children in his grotto in the Manor Arms.

At 2pm, Streatham Free Film Festival are showing A Muppet Christmas Carol at the Drop-In Centre just across the road from Babington Plaza.

The Business Improvement District is an organisation set up and funded by local businesses to help make Streatham an even better place to live, work and visit.

Over the last five years they have jet washed the pavements, put up banners and hanging baskets, installed seaters and planters, introduced additional policing, created the mi-Streatham app, supported a whole summer season of great festivals and events happening in our town and offered free recycling to our local businesses.

Streatham is a great place to live, and we’ve seen some fantastic new businesses make it their home this year, joining award-winners like Hood, Emma Wilson Spa, Brava Ragazzi, Hideaway, Vegan Sweet Tooth, Fish Tale, Kennedy’s, and many more.

In just the past few weeks Creative Soul, Marks and Spencer, Brickwood Café (see right), CrossFit Gym (see

right), and Blackbird Bakery (see right) have opened, and there are more exciting openings to come in 2018.

JUST OPENED Crossfit Streatham

Crossfit is a cult fitness phenomenon created in the States by Greg Glassman in 2000 and its recent opening in Streatham will provide an alternative to the other gyms in the area.

Images of intense lifting of large tyres in garages or industrial settings is what usually springs to mind.

CrossFit is a strength and conditioning programme consisting mainly of a mix of aerobic exercise, calisthenics (body weight exercises), and Olympic weightlifting. So it’s definitely a marmite scenario and that is why this opening cleverly comes with a free trial for the week. You will be able to jump into their Foundations Program Class. The membership ranges from £125 a month for two sessions a week to £155 a month for unlimited access.

This is ideal for people who really need someone to push them. Crossfit Streatham also offers Strongman/woman Session Gymnastics, Weightlifting and Pilates.

Opening Times: Mon-Thurs 6am-9pm, Fri 6am-8pm, Sat 9am- 12noon, Sun 9am-11am Address: 292d Streatham High Road, SW16 6HG Phone: 07714 621 381 Website: www.crossfitstreatham.com

Brickwood Coffee & Bread

Streatham Christmas Market Now businesses must vote again for another five years of improvements for Streatham and we need your help to ensure the local businesses you visit get involved and VOTE YES! A voice for business, a vision for the community, a future together

Future of Streatham In 2018, businesses will have the opportunity to decide on whether to continue the great work of inStreatham. Future plans include: • Further investment into festivals and events, to celebrate Streatham’s culture and to excite people about our rich heritage, green spaces and stunning architecture e.g. the Dyce Fountain.

• Working hard to attract new retailers to the High Road. In the coming months, M&S, Aldi and The Gym Group will be opening their doors on Streatham High road.

• Safer and cleaner roads. The BID will lobby for green buses and 20mph speed limits.

• Progress the look of the high street. Help businesses to look better, trade in better ways and keep shop fronts clean.

• Lobby TfL for improved bus provision East to West, to encourage local shoppers and revellers from neighbouring areas such as Balham and Norwood

We can create an even brighter future for Streatham

This Aussie café group comes to Streatham having been a hit in Clapham, Balham and Tooting, where locals have raved about their own blend of coffee and the ‘corn fritters to die for’.

Aussie ex-pats can feel right at home with smashed avo on toast and Tim Tams available for purchase on the front counter.

And the guys at Brickwood are very serious about coffee as well, using Caravan Coffee roasters in King's Cross and their own ‘Market Blend’ Brickwood to get very technical on their espresso. On their website they say it is “extracted via our sexy bespoke La Marzzocco FB80’s and Mazzer Robur & water filtered via our state of the art Sierra RO (Reverse Osmosis) system for optimum purity.”

The Streatham Café boosts 28 seats and from the look of the crowds flocking there, it’s fast becoming a favourite on the already vibrant café scene along the massively long high street.

Opening Times: 7am – 6pm weekdays, 9am – 6pm weekends Address: 292 Streatham High Road, SW16 6HG Website: www.brickwoodlondon.com

Blackbird Bakery

Streatham is café number seven for this south London bakery that is known for making everything it sells.

From the bread, cakes, pastries, biscuits, breakfast cereals, jams, marmalades to fresh juices, sandwiches, salads and even dog biscuits when they have the time.

Blackbird began on a market stall in East Dulwich, and have cafés in Grove Vale, East Dulwich; The Arches in Queen's Road, Peckham; Westow Street, Crystal Palace; Hidreth Street, Balham; and Norwood Road in West Norwood, as well as a kiosk on Platform 1 of West Norwood Station.

True to their roots, you can also still find them at our original pitch on North Cross Road every Saturday in East Dulwich, as well as at the Herne Hill market every Sunday on Railton Road.

The Streatham Café opened only last week.

Website: www.blackbirdbakerylondon.co.uk

Gifts for her, him & the kids

Bosch IXO £41.99 with corkscrew adaptor, Bosch, £16 shop.bosch-do-it.com

GHD V Gold Styler Gift Set, GHD, £139 www.ghd.com

Make-up bag, Lulu and Luca, Greenwich Market, £24 www.luluandluca.com

NEOM Christmas Wish 3 wick candle, NEOM, £45 www.neomorganics.com

Spice Pot, Debenhams, £27 www.debenhams.com

Penguins, Pineapples and Pangolins, British Library, £12.99 www.bl.uk/

John Hanly baby alpaca scarf duck egg, Roullier White, £48 www.roullierwhite.com

Amazon Echo Smart Speaker with Alexa Voice Recognition & Control, John Lewis, £89.99 www.johnlewis.com

Playmobile Hiccup and Toothless, Argos, £29.99 www.argos.co.uk

Beauty and the Beast heat changing mug, Debenhams, £8 www.debenhams.com

Dinosaur Snow Globe, Natural History Museum Shop, £12 www.nhmshop.co.uk

Steiff Cuddly Paddington, Nauticalia, Greenwich, £75 www.nauticalia.com

InstaSnow, £3.99 www.amazon.co.uk

Stegosaurus custom top for kids, Natural History Museum Shop, £20 www.nhmshop.co.uk

Fox Tail, British Library, £20 www.bl.uk

Play in a Box, National Theatre shop, £12.99 www.shop.nationaltheatre.org.uk

46 December 2017

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December 2017 47

50 December 2017

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Book your Christmas festivities on 020 7232 5174 Simplicity is open every evening from 6pm until late and open for lunch every Sunday 12-5pm. Bookings recommended.

Enjoy a traditional Christmas feast at Simplicity: we use the finest ingredients, all dishes are personally prepared on the premises by our award winning chef Lawrence Lingard.

Visit www.simplicityrestaurants.com

Christmas Day Bookings essential Open 2:30 - 7pm (lunch served at 3pm)

£90 per person / Under 18 £40 / Under 8 Free

limited spaces available

Email eat@simplicityrestaurants.com

New Year's Eve

Book early to reserve your table Open 7pm - 3am £70 per person Music from our resident DJ limited spaces available

SimplicitySE16

@Simplicity_SE16

Christmas Parties 3 course set menu £35 per person We can tailor a menu to your budget

T: 020 7232 5174 1 Tunnel Road, Rotherhithe, London SE16 4JJ (Behind Rotherhithe overground station, between Brunel Rd / Rotherhithe St)

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December 2017 51

52 December 2017

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FOOD & drink

By Joey Millar

Tower Bridge Ivy is the bombe T

he Ivy Tower Bridge is peak SE1. Glitzy, bold and seemingly appearing out of nowhere, it exemplifies the drastic changes undergone across the north of the borough in recent years.

While Tower Bridge itself may have remained a constant backdrop as London slipped from the 20th century into the 21st, the area around it has become increasingly unrecognisable to those Bermondsey boys and girls with long memories.

Suitably enough, the Ivy offers a perfect vista for this sort of reminiscing. The Tower of London, sitting directly across the water, is a perfect example: a one-time giant of London now dwarfed by mountains of iron and glass.

But while London's landscape may change, the people never will: for every crowd of diners sitting outside a flash new Southwark eatery there will always be a group of Bermondsey boys popping wheelies nearby in the dying sun.

And so it was as Hattie and I had dinner at the Ivy last month.

The restaurant opened in July to rave reviews and, after generously allowing a few months for any teething problems, we decided to see what all the fuss was about.

It didn't take long.

Would the restaurant be annoyed if I spent most of their review raving

about the 'nibbles', I wondered, as Hattie and I tucked into a delicious (and sizeable) helping of zucchini fritti? You should be fine as long as you don't waste your intro wittering on about something obvious like London changing over time, Hattie replied.

Bugger.

In any case (and I'll be brief now because I've burned my way through a fair chunk of the word count already) the fritti was delicious – and this was before we had even ordered

02the03ivytow1er3br6idg7e.c7om22

our starters.

They, too, were beautifully done – but then everything tastes better with cocktails, as our waitress subtly hinted. She wasn't wrong. Who knew the Ivy’s Riverside Spritz and Crown Jewel drinks went so well with wild mushrooms on toasted brioche and crispy duck salad?

With the sun now down and our cityscape illuminated by a galaxy of lights our main courses arrived. We had both gone for the specials: the

sea bass for Hattie and the burger for myself, accompanied by sides of mashed potato and chips.

Some people think cuisine is all about the flavours and smells, the hints and notes. They are wrong.

It’s about filling yourself up to such an extent you cannot even think of food for three working days. Luckily both sides can leave the Ivy happy: our mains were delicious and large: quality and quantity.

As is often the case, we found room

Zucchini Fritti Wild Mushrooms on Toasted Brioche Crispy Duck Salad Burger Sea bass Chocolate bombe Creme brulee Riverside Spritz Crown Jewel Bottle of Grenache Blanc TOTAL Food (1-5) Ambience (1-5) Value (1-5)

£5.75 £7.95 £7.95 £22.50 £21.50 £8.50 £6.50 £8 £10.50 £19.50

£118.65 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Disabled access Disabled toilet

YES YES

A tale of two Manuels

sy Hill 129 Gip 1QS SE19

0ta1nd8ba4r.c3om 7 6 8 0 2 0 elsrestauran manu

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SE1 2AA.

the damage

el’s

That is what happened after lunching with Ms Aitch (no relation) at Manuel’s in Gipsy Hill. We both left there feeling utterly spoilt and with plans to go back.

Manuel’s serves food that has influences from many Mediterranean countries, though

1 Tower Bridge

for dessert. My mother used to tell me people have two stomachs: one for savoury food and the other for sweet (sort of like a fine dining cow).

It took me longer than it should have to find out this isn’t strictly scientifically possible and I’m still not convinced the old dear wasn’t correct.

In any case, after a chocolate bombe and creme brûlée Hattie and I left the Ivy with both (or all four) of our stomachs full.

Manu

Sometimes you go out for lunch not expecting anything special and come home completely amazed at the standard of cooking and service you have just received.

The Ivy Tower Bridge

with a predominantly Italian bias.

The chef and owner is Manuel, and the waiter, of over 20 years, is also called Manuel. Manuel the chef has a real passion for cooking while Manuel the waiter talks about good wine as if it as much a part of life as breathing. Chef Manuel recited the day’s specials which saved us going through the menu because they sounded fantastic, leaving us with only a drink to order and to wait for

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the first courses to arrive.

While we chatted about making wills and troublesome family parties we heard a noise nearing from behind. It was Manuel the waiter pushing a cart carrying a huge prosciutto ham set its own carving block, which he then proceeded to slice with expert precision. This was then laid before Julia with melon that was equally meticulously carved. As Manuel pushed the cart away she said “I want one of those.” I wasn’t sure if she meant a skilled, oldschool waiter or a large cured ham.

However, I think this is the point when she fell in love with Manuel. I began with the chargrilled Squid, a very nice dish with the experience heightened by roast garlic and chili.

Our accompanying wines were a Sicilian Inzolia for the ham, while I had the Pinot Grigio Rosato Alto Mincio, and Rosé from the Lombardy region. It was light, smooth and quite uplifting. So much so I had a second glass with my second course.

I chose Monkfish in a sauce of samphire and roast tomatoes that offered up feelings of joy with every

mouthful. An excellent choice that I was attracted to by the chef’s description. But I was immediately envious when Julia’s Lobster Ravioli appeared. She allowed me a taste and it was divine and I was not surprised to hear that this is one of the restaurant’s biggest sellers.

After the main courses we sat finishing our wine and chatting with the owner who told us how he came to take over Manuel’s, and also how his rigatoni with beef sauce is the best around. “Better than what you would get in Rome,’ he claimed. Just one more reason to return.”

We were both quite full but in the interests of foodie journalism we decided to share a dessert from the range of Manuel’s homemade delights. The Tiramisu that arrived was creamy, succulent and one of the best I’ve had for a long while. It did that thing of making you feel like laying down on the settee, closing your eyes and smiling.

We both loved Manuel’s. The chef puts a twist on classic dishes to make them his own, thereby making Manuel’s a restaurant for

the damage Inzolia Terre Siciliane £6.50 Pinot Grigio Rosata x 2 £13.00 Prosciutto San Daniele con Melone £10.50 Squid £12.00 Monkfish £24.00 Lobster Ravioli £22.00 Sparkling Water £3.00 Tiramisu £5.00 TOTAL

£96

Food (1-5) 0 0 0 0 0 Ambience (1-5) 0 0 0 0 Value (1-5) 0 0 0 Disabled access NO Disabled toilet NO Booking Weekends

celebrations and fine dining. But there is also a set course, set price option (Lunch Mon-Sat/Dinner MonThurs 2 Courses £19.50; 3 Courses £23.50). Free live music ranging from Jazz, Elvis and opera can also be enjoyed here.

After a Limoncello and a coffee I dropped Ms Aitch at the station where she was still dewy eyed over Manuel.

December 2017 53

FOOD & drink

By Michael Holland

Portuguese setting the bar high Bar Douro

n Square Arch 35B Flat IroSE1 1TD 66 Union Street

020ww7w.b3ar7do8uro.co0.u5k24

Flat Iron Square was once hidden by billboards and buildings because of its ugliness, but has become a place of wonder and edgy attractiveness.

It was just a scruffy, unkempt piece of land between Union Street and Southwark Street that nobody wanted, with uncared for railway arches and makeshift food and drink stalls with weeds growing upon through the uneven floors.

It still is, but that very thing is currently the height of trendiness and Flat Iron Square is now a destination venue.

Bar Douro, however, is bucking the trend with counters made of marble rather than discarded palettes, furniture that matches, glistening glassware and personalised crockery. Bar Douro is a sterling ambassador for Portuguese cuisine and wine.

I went for lunch with the Boy Burkett, a local gourmand and gadabout, who moaned about the stools, the weather, and my being three minutes late, before a smoked Portuguese sausage (Croquettes de Alheira) shut him up. I could see by the presentation of those little beauties that Bar Douro had raised the tapas bar high here. Each croquette sat in its own sauce to stop it rolling around the plate, with a little dollop on top

54 December 2017

to hold a sliver of herb. “Shlom, shlom, shlom” he slurped, which I translated as “these are nice, ain’t they?”

The salt cod fritters (Pataniscas de Bacalhau) came as a plate of three, which might have caused a sharing problem if this was a first date for someone, but not for us carers and sharers. The peri-peri sauce they came with gave the dish a welcome kick, while the Super Bock beer countered the saltiness.

That was the starters out the way and we were ready to move on. First we ordered wine. I had a Sauvignon Blanc, while Brother Burkett went for a sparkling wine.

Both exceedingly nice. I can say that because I drank his wine as well after he moaned about it having “the wrong kind of bubble!”

The lovely lady in charge, Patricia, made us order in Portuguese and was scoring for style, accent and

attitude. I ordered the salt cod hash (Bacalhau à Brás) in my best Portuguese, while Mr B went for the octopus with sweet potato as it was the only dish in English on the menu.

The cod was a delight, with some very nice unidentified flavours in there. While we were enjoying this dish the onglet steak with confit egg (Prego no Prato) arrived with the most mini fries I’ve ever seen, but which added a nice little crunch. The beef was just off raw, seared quickly on both sides, and the runny egg had also only been threatened with heat. My favourite was the octopus, all suckers and tentacles with sweet potato crisps adding a crunchiness that pleased.

Bar Douro is a shiny new place, all clean lines, with an uber-trendy Josper grill and everything good about Portugal. The chefs work quietly and efficiently in the open kitchen and the counter staff are

friendly. Patricia took time to explain everything that was going on with each plate and this all went to heighten the experience. The short menu covers all angles.

After some time discussing the merits of Bar Douro we ordered dessert. We decided it wouldn’t be right to not have the Portuguese favourite - Pastel de Nata, - a custard tart made with flaky pastry, and here served with cinnamon ice cream. Delicious.

We also had the caramel mousse (Baba de Camelo), the ordering of which got me all the Portuguese points from our judge. I did want to tell her it was a little too rich for me but without seeing the words written down in Patricia’s language I would not have known where to start. But that was a very minor quibble and quickly forgotten.

There was also a dessert wine to help that quibble along but which I can’t find on the menu or on the bill, so I guess that was my prize for making the Portuguese language a beautiful thing to hear even with a whiny Bermondsey accent.

Of course I like those gritty hipster places but sometimes I like to go to a restaurant where there is not an overabundance of facial hair, or the threat of splinters from all the old wood you have to sit on, and Bar Douro fits the bill perfectly.

the damage Smoked Portuguese Sausage Salt Cod Fritters Super Bock beer x 2 Salt Cod Hash Octopus with Sweet Potato Onglet Steak with Confit Egg Sauvignon blanc Sparkling Wine Olives Pastel de Nata Caramel Mousse

£4.00 £4.00 £7.00 £5.50 £11.00 £12.00 £8.00 £6.00 £2.50 £4.50 £5.00

TOTAL

£69.50

Food (1-5) 0 0 0 0 0 Ambience (1-5) 0 0 0 0 Value (1-5) 0 0 0 Disabled access YES Disabled toilet YES PRE-Booking Recommended

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GOING OUT

By Laura Burgoine

Where to be on NYE! A Vintage New Year's Eve Party

Usher in the New Year at the Southbank Centre’s annual vintage nightclub spectacular as Royal Festival Hall transforms into five floors of immersive entertainment.

With five pop-up vintage nightclubs, all tastes are catered for with music from the 1920s through to the ‘90s, including swing, rock ‘n’ roll, soul, disco, house and cabaret. As always there's stylish dining, a hair and beauty salon, walkabout entertainment, photo studios and a private terrace overlooking the Thames where you have a perfect view of London's world-famous NYE fireworks.

December 31 from 7pm at the Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX. Phone: 020 3879 9555. Admission: Second release £99, final release £119. www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Studio 54 at Pop Brixton Pop Brixton is transporting

party-goers to 26th April 1977. In the South Bronx, a new kind of music is emerging. Brand new block parties are filling the streets with colourful sounds. A stark contrast to the bleak economic back drop. These are the early days of Hip Hop.

In Central Manhattan, Donna Summer is the Queen of the dancefloor, John Travolta gets night fever and a nightclub is about to open between 8th avenue and Broadway. Studio 54.

Disco and debauchery. Glamour and glitter.

In 1970s New York, you can be whoever you want to be. Those were the days, and you are about to be thrown back in to relive the magic.

Sunday 31 December. Free entry before 9pm / Tickets starting from £5. www.designmynight.com

Ants NYE Off the back of a jam-packed festival season in Ibiza and a stand-out performance at Clapham’s SW4 festival, Lock n Load is bringing

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back Ants, Richy Ahmed, CamelPhat, Eli and Fur, Lauren Lane and more for their NYE blowout at Electric Brixton.

Following a hugely successful Ibiza residency, this is Ants’ first ever NYE show in London. It’s bound to be one of the hottest house and techno parties to hit the capital.

31 December from 10pm-7am at Electric Brixton, Town Hall Parade, SW2 1RJ. Phone: 0207 274 2290.. Admission: £25 + booking fee. www.electricbrixton.uk.com

PLAYAZ NYE After an incredible summer, which included hosting a festival arena at SW4, Playaz Recordings are set to put on their biggest show ever this New Year’s Eve at O2 Academy Brixton. Come and join the party!

Sunday 31 December, from 8pm.

Curfew is 5am. 211 Stockwell Road, SW9 9SL.

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www.academymusicgroup.com

A jazzed up NYE It’s New Year’s Eve and time for a big soul and groove party with the Hideaway’s special guest UK soul man extraordinaire Ray Simpson (Cymande, Soul II Soul, Incognito and more) serving up two sets of stone cold soul classics and dance floor fillers as Streatham says hello to 2018 in style.

Ticket price includes a free glass of bubbly on arrival and a four course meal.

Ray Simpson is a British based recording artist who was inspired by the soulful sounds of

Motown, Stax, Atlantic Records, Philadelphia International and others, which led him to follow his dreams and achieve a career as a musician.

Ray went on to develop a varied solo career as a vocalist, producer and songwriter, writing for himself and other popular artists such as Maxi Priest, Sugar Minott and Al Campbell to name a few.

In 1984 Ray signed recording and publishing deals with Island Records and Blue Mountain Music, and started to actively explore soul and funk music.

He collaborated with Jean Paul Maunick (Bluey), of Incognito, to record vocals on a project produced by Maunick and also toured with Incognito.

In 1989 Ray was signed by Circa Records and recorded his selftitled debut album ‘Ray Simpson’, produced by celebrated American producer Michael J Powell (whose production credits include work with Anita Baker, Randy Crawford among others).

Over the years Ray has worked with Will Downing, Jocelyn Brown, Loose Ends, Maysa Leak and Caron Wheeler and was a featured soloist with Soul II Soul

on their album ‘Time For Change’ on which he penned the single ‘Pleasuredome‘.

Ray’s connection with Cymande dates back to the origin of the band in the 70’s, when as a young schoolboy he would watch the band practice in their Brixton basement and thereafter follow their progress with great interest through the connection between his family and the family of Sam Kelly and Derrick Gibbs. That connection was made complete as Ray joined the newly reformed Cymande, touring the US with the band in 2016.

Joining Ray on stage will be Sam Kelly (drums, Cymande), Ray Carless (sax, Cymande, Incognito), Richard Sadler (bass, Kinks, Paul Weller Neil Cowley Trio), Paul Jobson (keys, Chaka Khan, Omar, Joss Stone), Michael ‘Lally’ Carey (guitar) and Kevin Davy (trumpet, Cymande, Finlay Quaye).

Sunday 31 December at 7pm at the Hideaway, 2 Empire Mews, Stanthorpe Road, SW16 2BF. Show starts at 9pm. Phone: 020 8835 7070. Admission: £85. www.hideawaylive.co.uk

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

By Anthony Phillips

CLEAN RESERVE Velvet Flora £79 www.spacenk.com

Diptyque, Vetyverio, 50ml £64 www.diptyqueparis.co.uk Charlotte Tilbury, Scent of a Dream 100ml, £96 www.charlottetilbury.com

Fragrant

Heeley Eau Sacree 50ml, £125 www.selfridges.com

Chanel, Gabrielle Chanel 100ml £79 www.chanel.com

gifts

Jo Malone, Orange Bitters Cologne, 100ml £94 www.jomalone.co.uk

Tom Daxon, Riven Oak, 100ml, £155 www.tomdaxon.com Neom, Energy Burst £49 www.neomorganics

Tom Ford, Oud Wood Intense, 50ml, £210 www.debenhams.com

GHOST Dream EDP, 30ml £27 3 www.superdrug.

Trudon Parfums, Flacon Mortel, 100ml, £165 www.selfridges.com

j O BS & e D UC AT ION

College's new centre opens A brand new centre in Brixton is now open for local people across south London to enrol in Lambeth College courses, including one that helps youngsters aged 16-25 into work.

The Prince Trust Team Programme boasts that three out of four people who take part go into work or progress onto an educational or training courses.

The new Brixton Centre on Brixton Hill has been completely rebuilt to the tune of £2.5 million, including extensive IT facilities.

58 December 2017

The vast majority of the college’s intake at the centre and at its larger site in Clapham are from Lambeth and Southwark.

Most of the Brixton site’s sixteen classrooms are for students studying English as a second language, commonly known as ESOL, but The Prince Trust Team programme is seen as an excellent way to get young people on the path to a career of their choice. The next twelve week courses start on January 3, February 19 and April 16 next year.

To find out more call 020 7501 5784 or visit www.lambethcollege.ac.uk

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Homes & Gardens

A woman for all seasons Jackie Power

L

ow cloud, grey skies and chilly days characterise November’s weather - with occasional bright and clear conditions.

This is the likely seasonal pattern of wintery days ahead.

Autumn leaf colour is not spectacular this year (summer was cooler than usual and heat makes the red tints in autumn). Leaves are in the yellow range - still beautiful but generally without the fiery reds and oranges. Field maples are a buttery yellow; London Planes have bronze tints. The run-away climber Virginia creeper always turns iridescent red whatever the summer temperatures.

Leaves need clearing regularly; small piles can be used in the garden as mulch to protect tender plants from frosts; and to provide cover for wildlife. Composting is the best way to dispose of leaves, but they take a year or so to break down and need dedicated bins.

Small amounts can be put in with the general compost (leaf material

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should not dominate the mix).

Until the first frosts many autumn and late summer plants will remain in bloom. Geraniums are still flowering; roses are now in the habit of blooming long into winter.

Rosemary has produced another flush of little blue flowers, giving the bees a late source of nectar.

Shrubs which provide a backdrop to the late autumn/winter garden include Myrtle, Mahonia aquifolium and Viburnum tinus. Myrtle is a rather talented and mysterious shrub; it can reach 5 metres (the size of a small tree) but is a slow grower, has glossy dark green aromatic leaves - and when crushed smell similar to Rosemary or Eucalyptus (without the heavy camphorous note). Myrtle has delicate white fragrant flowers in summer - followed by purple-blue berries.

Myrtle (pictured) is steeped in folklore; it was a sacred herb linked to the Greek Goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite; planted next to Temples and used in funeral rites and wedding bouquets. Myrtle is

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evergreen shrub producing white flowers in winter through to spring; followed by blue-black berries.

used in Aromatherapy and reputed to have medicinal properties – useful to calm anxiety and stress; for the respiratory system and also urinary tract. (Caution: if unwell always seek advice from a qualified health care professional; do not self medicate with herbs/plants). Grow

Myrtle in a container or a sheltered spot in the garden – a special shrub with fascinating qualities.

The striking Mahonia is instantly recognisable with its holly-like foliage and clusters of yellow flowers borne on arching stems. Viburnum is a large

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Homes & Gardens

Silver reindeer cushion Debenhams £26 www.debenhams.com

Light Up Polar Bear Wilko £50 www.wilko.com

Christmas

cheer!

4 Copper Cups On Paddle Homesense £12 www.homesense.com

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Led 3D 3 Hessian Stars B&Q £22 www.diy.com

December 2017 61

CLA S SIFIED

BARLEY-STONE DRIVEWAYS * Block Paving * Brickwork * Crazy Paving * Artificial Lawns * Fencing * 40 yrs Experience * All Work Guaranteed * Public Liability Insurance 07944 634618 Tel: 0208 319 4242

BOOK YOUR TRADE SERVICES AD HERE

Call our sales team on 020 7232 1639 or e-mail: ads@weekender.co.uk

62 December 2017

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Southwark Newspaper Limited (the publisher) will only accept advertisements on the understanding that the advertiser (the customer or customer’s agent) is responsible and accepts the liability that the advertisement is in line with current legislation and does not in any way contravene the Consumer Act of 1974 nor the 1968 Trade Description Act. The publisher also reserves the right to refuse to publish any advertising copy without explanation or notice. There can be no guarantee of insertion and the publisher shall not be held liable for inaccuracy or non appearance, neither will the publisher be liable for third party or consequential loss due to inaccuracy or non appearance of the advertisement. The publisher’s responsibility in the case where the publisher admits responsibility for errors, omissions or non appearance would be either to publish a correct version of the advertisement as soon as practical free of charge to the advertiser. Or reimburse the cost of the advertisement to the advisor. Claims of any inaccuracy in the reproduction or message contained in the advertisement must be made within ten days of the date of publication. Unless agreed othwise (in writing) the terms of payment for credit accounts are to be net 14 days from the date of publication, all private advertisements, classified advertisements and family announcements must be prepaid prior to publication.

Advertising copy originated, written or designed by the publisher belongs to the publisher as the publisher’s copyright and may not be reproduced in any other publication or electronic media without the publisher’s written consent. The advertiser agrees to indemnify the publisher against any legal action brought against the publisher arising from the publication of the advertiser’s advertisement. One week’s written notice must be served upon the publisher for the cancellation of any pre-booked or series advertising. In the case of the publisher awarding the advertiser a series discount, the equivalent percentage of the discount must be repaid to the publisher. The placing of an advertisement by the advisor indicates that the advertiser accepts these terms and conditions and agrees to abide by them & that there can be no deviation from the terms and conditions unless formally agreed by both parties in writing prior to publication.

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WALWORTH

WATERLOO

Lower Marsh, SE1

£925,000

Morecambe Street, SE17

£875,000

Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 £739,000

Bell Yard Mews, SE1 • Two Double Bedrooms • 893 SQFT • No Chain • EPC Rating – C

• Two Bedrooms • Two Bathrooms • Close to Waterloo • EPC Rating – B

• Four Bedrooms • Chain Free • Off Street Parking • EPC Rating – E

• Two Bedrooms • Balcony • Located Close to Lambeth North • EPC Rating – D

KENNINGTON

Kennington

ELEPHANT AND CASTLE

Crampton Street, SE17

£475,000

• Two Double Bedrooms • Communal Roof Terrace • Period Mansion Block • EPC Rating – D

Crampton Street, SE17

£425,000

• Two Double Bedrooms • Modern Development • Two Balconies • EPC Rating – C

Kennington

£650 PW

Albert Embankment SE1

LAMBETH NORTH

Mcauley Close, SE1

• Two Bedrooms • Leisure Facilities • 24 Hour Concierge • EPC Rating - C

• One Bedroom • Period Mansion Block • Close to Lambeth North Tube • EPC Rating – G

£365,000

WATERLOO

BOROUGH

Marshalsea Road, SE1

A well presented three double bedroom with study end of terraced house. The property benefits from two en suite bathrooms, Separate WC, Communal Gardens and is offered to the market on a furnished basis. West Square is situated within a conservation area just off St Georges Road. Within the congestion zone. Elephant and Castle (Northern and Bakerloo line, BR) is only 400 metres walk. Lambeth North (Bakerloo line) is 650 metres walk. Westminster Bridge is nearby with easy access into Westminster by foot. EPC Rating D.

£650,000

Metro Central Heights, SE1 £410,000

WATERLOO

West Square SE11

LONDON BRIDGE

LAMBETH NORTH

£425 PW

Albert Embankment, SE1

• One Bedroom • Warehouse Conversion • EPC Rating D

• Double Bedroom • Balcony • EPC Rating B

LAMBETH NORTH

WATERLOO

£385 PW

£645PW

A stunning two bedroom apartment set within this prestigious development located along Albert Embankment. The apartment is on the river side of the development offering direct views of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the River Thames.

The property comprises: reception with views overlooking the river, balcony, two double bedrooms and two bathrooms. The development benefits from a 24hr concierge and the London Eye, Royal Festival Hall and London Aquarium are all only a short stroll away. EPC Rating B.

Kennington Road, SE11 £370 PW • Two Double Bedrooms • Opposite Lambeth North Tube • EPC Rating D

Morley Street, SE1

£360 PW

• One Bedroom Apartment • Heating and hot water included • EPC Rating C

Waterloo Branch, 42 Kennington Road, Waterloo, London, SE1 7BL T: 020 7928 2406 E: kennington@reedsrains.co.uk

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December 2017 63