Urban Fox - September 2019

TA L E S F R O M S O U T H L O N D O N September 2019

Issue 2

ADVERTISEMENT

COURSES FOR ADULTS

WHERE LONDON ENJOYS LEARNING

ENROL NOW at Morley College London

“The College makes a valuable contribution to culture and the arts in the region”

VISUAL AND DIGITAL ARTS Art History Painting and Drawing Printmaking Ceramics Fashion Sculpture Photography Textiles and more

MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS

ENROL NOW

Rock, Pop and Classical Music Dance Acting and Performance Singing Musical Instruments Music Production and more

130-year history of providing adult education

HUMANITIES AND APPLIED SCIENCES Creative Writing Languages Science Health and Social Care History and more

ESSENTIAL SKILLS English and Maths English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) English as a Foreign Language (EFL) ICT

www. morleycollege. ac.uk

September 2019

Issue 2

TA L E S F R O M S O U T H L O N D O N

Have a butchers at Little Nan’s

CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 2019

6-7

Editor’s Letter Laura Burgoine

I

t is with great pleasure that I introduce the September edition of the Urban Fox, a monthly love letter to south London.

Locals Chris Mullany and Kevin Quinn have been at the helm of London’s last paid-for independent local paper, the Southwark News, since 2002. Urban Fox is their latest creation.

In our September issue, we pay a visit to neighbourhood favourite Little Nan’s to meet the man shaking and stirring up Deptford!

We also go backstage at the National Theatre, and get you all ready for this year’s Bermondsey Street festival.

Follow the Fox as we bring you all the latest stories and goings on around town.

15-29

About us Editor Writers Photography Marketing

Laura Burgoine Cara Cummings, Katherine Johnson Alexandra Seijas Tammy Jukes, Clarry Frewin,

Lorraine Wood, Samantha Ratcliffe,

Katie Boyd Media Partnerships Anthony Phillips Design/Illustration Dan Martin, Hakob Muradyan,

Aurelio Medina Finance Emrah Zeki Managing Directors Chris Mullany, Kevin Quinn Contact us Email enquiries@urbanfox.london Phone 020 7231 5258

17

5 Home Secretary | Our curated pick of the month

6-7 Local Faces | Big love for Little Nan’s

9 Around town | See behind the curtain at the National Theatre 11-14 South London sounds | Your local gig guide 15-29 Bermondsey Street Festival / Back for its 13th year 32-33 Cinema / Free films al fresco 42 Food and Drink / A new hotspot for Elephant and Castle 47-61 Education | How to get into the right secondary school 65-68 Homeward Bound | Property, homes and gardens

Printed by Iliffe Print Published by Southwark Newspaper Ltd

Our next issue hits the streets in October. Contact us to get involved: enquiries@urbanfox.london or 0207 232 1639

SEPTEMBER 2019

HOME SECRETARY

The local line-up for your diary TONNES OF VINTAGE CLOBBER

In time for Oxfam’s second-hand September, Brixton’s Make Do and Mend is holding the Brixton Kilo Sale. Shop sustainably, ethically and affordably with literally tonnes of quality, hand-picked vintage fashion for £15 a kilo. Entry is free. September 28-29 from 11am5pm. 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ. Free entry. www.mdam.co.uk

RAISING THE ROOF

FABRIC OF SOCIETY

The South East Makers Club is back for its fourth year with events, exhibitions and workshops spanning across Deptford during the first weekend of the London Design Festival. The programme includes Makers House by Georgia Bosson, iya studio, Aldworth James & Bond, Unit Lab, the Makers Market, the Designer Pub Quiz and many more! September 13-15.

Deptford Market Yard, SE8 4BX. www.southeastmakersclub.co.uk

The CLF Art Lounge and Hennessy Roof garden is now open. The new restaurant, lounge and entertainment space is a seating-only cocktail club serving authentic Caribbean cuisine and drinks with international music downstairs in the Lounge. The CLF Art Lounge x Hennessy Roof Garden, 4a Station Way, SE15 4RX (10 metres from Peckham Rye Train Station Main Entrance). Phone: 020 7635 2585. www.clfartlounge.com

PACK YOUR TRUNK FOR ELEPHANT

Keep an eye out for Elmer the Patchwork Elephant in Elephant! David McKee’s beloved children’s character has arrived at Elephant Park as part of a special trail of community-design sculptures installed to mark his 30th birthday. On show until late October.

TO THE MANOR RE-BORN

Streatham’s Manor Arms has reopened after an extensive refurb. Open daily for brunch, lunch and dinner, the pub serves a wide selection of craft beers, Young’s classic cask ales, international wines, spirits and cocktails, with homegrown brands including Brixton Brewery on tap. Enjoy the last of the summer sun in the brand new outdoor lodge, which has a fire pit for winter. Mitcham Lane, SW16 6LQ. www.themanorarms.com

FREE FILM FESTIVALS

OPEN ALL HOURS

Peckham Festival returns with live music, workshops and Open Studios, celebrating all things creative in SE15. The Peckham fun run (1km, 5km, and 10km distances) is on the Rye on Sunday 16 September, with runs starting from 9am. A whole host of food traders are descending on Holdrons Yard in Copeland Park including Sub Cult, Mike + Ollie and Peckham Cart.

Open studios run on September 13, 14 and 15 with over 70 artists opening their studios to the public in Copeland Park, the Bussey Building, Peckham Levels, Blenheim Arches, Peckham Springs and more. www.peckhamfestival.org

•7•

The Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival returns for its tenth year. Check out the Film Pub Quiz at the Old Nun’s Head, a pedal-powered Spider Man Into the Spider-Verse at Sidmouth House Green Space, Bring Your Own Super 8 Night and a screening of the Glenn Miller Story with musical accompaniment from the South London Jazz Orchestra. September 5-15.

Meanwhile in Streatham, the Free Film Fest is back from September 15-28.

Movies include Harold and Maude, Some Like it Hot, and Mary Poppins Returns.

There’s a 30th anniversary screening of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure at the Chalkpit, and the festival closes with This is Spinal Tap followed by an ‘80s party at the Rabbit Hole. www.freefilmfestivals.org

SEPTEMBER 2019

LOCAL FACES

My manor Laura Burgoine

Home is…

When he’s not serving up Costa del Deptford cocktails at Little Nan’s Bar, Tristan Scutt is hobnobbing with Pat St Clement and hanging out at Deptford Market.

Deptford!

On Saturday mornings you’ll find me…

Down Deptford Market. It’s my happy place and the best place in London. The junk market is simply the best thing ever!

Where I go to get my hair cut…

Chaplins on Deptford Broadway. I’ve been going there for years, and Mem and his team are great. Proper Deptford.

The best bit about living south of the river?

The community and the friends you make. I live and am based in Deptford, and have seen a LOT of changes over the years. I used to live above and manage the Deptford Arms over 12 years ago, and the Deptford then, is very different to the Deptford now, but the community is still strong, and other communities are evolving, and on the whole, everyone is mixing and learning from one another.

The fear is that a lot of people are going to be priced out of the area soon, as the price of accommodation and commercial rents are getting out of control.

•8•

SEPTEMBER 2019

local faces The idea for Little Nan’s bar came from...

Back in early 2013, using all of my Nan’s furniture, ornaments and treasured heirlooms, I opened up Little Nan’s Bar in a tiny windowless back room of my favourite nightclub near my home just off Deptford High Street. I set up this bar in honour of my late Nan (known as Little Nan Jojo to many) with a mission to spoil guests with a nostalgic homely kitsch environment where my friends and local residents could spend time with friends and family whilst meeting the amazing community of Deptford.

The business is a family affair...

When I launched Little Nan’s, it was friends and family who worked for the bar, and that was so important in the early years. Still a lot of my friends and family work for Little Nan’s, and my Mum, Little Mum, launched the afternoon teas, which used to be monthly, and they are now served up everyday across all three locations. Little Mum now hosts our special event afternoon teas and has been known to be hired out for wedding afternoon teas.

Now it’s an empire…

We moved into the Cavendish Arms Stockwell in February this year, and it’s been amazing. I used to manage the Cavendish Arms just before I launched Little Nan’s. Me and Landlady Shirley always stayed mates and kept in touch, and when we had to leave Catford Little Nan’s due to the theatre wanting the space back, after us being there for two years, Shirley suggested that we bring back Little Nan’s to Stockwell, and I transformed the pub room in Little Nan’s Pub. Here we also have Shirley’s Ballroom, which is a beautiful intimate ballroom, hosting events every night of the week, especially comedy, and the very popular Comedy Virgins, and parties at weekends. It’s great to be working with Shirley again!

6 years on, and 18 pop up Little Nan’s later, there is now Little Nan’s in Deptford, Stockwell and Fitzrovia.

I chose Deptford for my first venue because it’s where I am from and live. I used to run pubs in south London before I launched Little Nan’s, so Deptford was the obvious location. I couldn’t

imagine launching Little Nan’s anywhere else.

At Little Nan’s you can get a cocktail in…

Teapots, decanters and vintage vases, all the vessels that my Nan used to have in her own home.

Right now, everyone’s ordering…

Costa Del Deptford: a fruity cocktail featuring white rum, vodka, coconut rum, pineapple, orange juice, mango juice, grenadine and fresh lime.

The most bizarre request I’ve had from a customer...

Last Wednesday we had a booking from actress and Little Nan’s regular Celina Imrie, saying that she wants to bring a ‘special someone’ to Little Nan’s. We are great for celebrating so this is a popular request.

The special someone was however Pam St Clement! As the bars are dedicated to Pat Butcher - with custom made Queen Pat busts, leopard toilet and paintings of Pat Butcher - you can imagine how overwhelmed we, and our customers, were. Two national treasures, and our Goddess in an absolute surprise. What a Day!

If you come into Little Nan’s on your birthday…

We LOVE a celebration round Little Nan’s, and if you book in, we name a cocktail in your honour, using all your fave flavours and spirits. You can reserve a table or area for Free, and for parties in South London, we have Granddads Shed in Deptford and Shirley’s Ballroom in Stockwell which are both free hire to all south London residents.

What makes a south Londoner?

Anyone who loves the area that they live in. There was always a stigma about south London, I remember when you couldn’t get a black cab south of the river, and now people are flocking here by their droves. South London has always been here people!

•9•

SEPTEMBER 2019

Do you live in a council home or block?

We want to involve you more in decisions that affect you We’re making it easier for more people who live in council homes to have a say about their home and estate and to hold the council to account. We call this resident involvement.

Have your say on our proposals, by 10 October 2019, at www.southwark.gov.uk/residentinvolvement

SEPTEMBER 2019

around town

National Theatre backstage tour Cara Cummings

©©Ludo des Cognets

T

he first sign that my backstage tour of the National Theatre might not be the sedate cultural ramble I’m expecting comes when I’m handed an orange high vis vest upon arrival.

“What’s this for?” I ask.

“Safety,” intones our sprightly tour-guide Jack by way of greeting. “Don’t lean against any walls when we get backstage - some of them are fake. You might go flying.”

We haven’t even left the lobby yet and things are already dramatic.

More fool me for anticipating anything remotely ordinary from the theatre that brought us War Horse, Jerry Springer the Opera and a 2016 production of Sarah Kane’s Cleansed that left five people in need of medical attention after sitting through the ultra-violent revival. (“I wouldn’t say it was our objective to make people faint,” said a senior creative at the time, “but I suppose it does show we were effective.”)

We even have the National to thank for James Corden, whose career took off with 2004 NT smash hit The History Boys. Swings and roundabouts, I guess.

Founded at the Old Vic Theatre in 1963 and occupying its iconic, if architecturally-Marmite concrete hub on the Southbank since ‘76, the National Theatre stages an epic 20-30 shows a year. Daily backstage tours take the tangerine-clad curious on a merry, messy romp through its undergarments - and it’s absolutely fascinating from the off.

As we’re squired through the venue’s main auditorium, its warren of dressing rooms - spoiler alert: backstage smells like pickled onions - and vast prop and set construction sites, working life carries on around us. It’s the perfect tour for the nosy - you’ll literally see productions being put

together in front of you.

Every stop is eyeopening. Jack reveals that the 118 degree sweep of seats inside the Olivier Theatre, the NT’s largest auditorium named after its first artistic director, was inspired by the Greco Roman amphitheatres in which democracy was born. Does that explain the purple seats, too? “Not so much,” says Jack. “Purple was just Olivier’s favourite colour.”

In the Lyttleton Theatre, meanwhile, the crew is testing an innovative ‘indoor rain’ system for tonight’s performance. Jack describes how they’re probably taking a break from moving scenery around on giant skateboards, or unloading it from a 15 metre-deep corkscrew lift underneath the theatre that spins sets up and down from storage as required. I mean, sure.

As we reach the NT’s workshops - known as ‘drum row’ - the tour comes into its own. With 60-80 percent of its costumes and sets produced onsite, the National is technically the largest working factory in London. It’s definitely the weirdest; and it’s genuinely thrilling to dive in.

There’s Roman armour, a statue of someone who may or may not be Lenin and a giant nose sat atop a sparking cardboard cake. Dozens of what must be the biggest chandeliers in the world jostle above. Over at the rigging crew’s HQ , bloodied body bags hang from the rafters next to Alice, who started life as the mother of Joey in War Horse but proved such a scene-stealer that she had to be relegated backstage. (I’m not having a breakdown,

• 11 •

promise.) It’s nice to see she’s living out her twilight years in suitably A-list style, posing for gawping tourists.

In the carpentry and metal workshops, we’re let in on some tricks of the set design trade - expanding foam makes great 1970s brickwork, apparently. Here Jack reveals that anyone can hire National Theatre costumes from their store. You could wear Helen Mirren to a wedding.

Don a little Ian McKellen for your end of year review. Or even crack out some vintage When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other Cate Blanchett for a crazed sex party in your garage… if you’re a theatrical purist, that is.

Finally, the pièce de résistance: we get to touch some props. Jack dishes out fake pies, pancakes and prosthetics as he talks us through just how the NT creates eerily accurate bone-crunching sound effects.

A string of fake guts gets passed around; a child hands me a severed head. It’s the perfectly bonkers end to an utterly compellingly snoop around this brilliantly British institution. Get thee tickets, stat - you won’t regret it.

The National Theatre is at Upper Ground, SE1 9PX. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk Tours last 75 minutes. Tickets: £13/£9.50 concession.

To book, or for more information, tours@nationaltheatre.org.uk

HIDEAWAY

THE SOUL OF LIVE MUSIC IN THE HEART OF SOUTH LONDON

TONY MOMRELLE

ANDREW ASHONG

Following the release of his new album, ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ and the lead single ‘Rising Up’, UK soul man Tony Momrelle returns to Hideaway.

Andrew Ashong, returns to Hideaway with his uniquely fresh soul sounds transmitting sweet and deep grooves. Ashong’s live performances are a constant evolution, introducing new layers and arrangements to his music that make any show with his full live band a truly unmissable event.

One of the male lead vocalists of the legendary Incognito, Momrelle launched his solo career, to resounding success, with the 2015 album ‘Keep Pushing’, securing four BBC Radio 2 supported singles, ongoing airplay across Europe and sold-out audiences at venues and festivals throughout the world.

“It's soul music for people who have been dismayed by most of the major developments in soul music of the last two, even three, decades” The Guardian

SATURDAY 28th SEPTEMBER

FRIDAY 20th & SATURDAY 21st SEPTEMBER

MICHAL URBANIAK SAT 14th SEPTEMBER

NATASHA WATTS FRI 27th SEPTEMBER

FOR OUR FULL EVENT LISTINGS, TICKET BOOKINGS AND OUR GREAT OPTIONS FOR HOSTING PRIVATE EVENTS AND PARTIES, PLEASE VISIT:

CORNELL CARTER FRI 4th OCTOBER

www.hideawaylive.co.uk 020 8835 7070 Hideaway, 2 Empire Mews, Streatham, London SW16 2BF

UK’s most exciting up and coming female artists. The line up features performances from musicians LION, Adannay, Mpho the GVN, Helena Deans and spoken word poet Salma El-Wardany, with support from Mahaneela. All profits raised will be directed to locally-led projects supporting women and girls’ access to quality education.

SOUTH LONDON SOUNDS

Thurs 5th Sept, SW16

Judith Sephuma at Hideaway

2 Empire Mews, Streatham, SW16 2BF, 8pm, £12.50 Acclaimed South African singer Judith Sephuma launches her new Afro Jazz album, ‘Power of Dreams’ in Streatham’s popular Hideaway venue.

The multi-award winning and multi-platinum album shifter released her debut album in 2002 and has gone on to release a further six Afro Jazz studio recordings and two live gospel albums so you know it’s going to be good.

7 Years Of Wonder, Tues 3rd

DJ, Brixton Buzz/Urban75 founder, drummer and Dulwich Hamlet die-hard Mike Urban shares his selection of south London sounds Sun 1st Sept, SW2

Wil Sifontes at Hootananny 95 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 8pm-midnight, free.

Wimer Sifontes is one of London’s super-zinger percussionists, and he’ll be leading his band into a musical orgy of hip-slinking salsa, Latin jazz, tropical, cumbia, montuno, descarga and more, laced with a knowing thrust to the 70s. Opening up proceedings is DJ Carlitos Nino (Arriba la Cumbia) whisking up a heady froth of Latin fusion and global beats.

Sun 1st Sept, SE27

Fri 6th Sept, SE11

294 Norwood Road, SE27 9AF, 3.30pm, free Tying in with the monthly Norwood Feast, there’s live music in the afternoon in this on-trend boozer.

372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY, 9pm-4am, £8 The camp, cult and glorious LipSinkers perform their monthly slot of “high-octane queer exuberance of the first order” at the RVT, with DJs and pop-ups til 4am.

Live Music at Knowles of Norwood

Mon 2nd Sept, SW2

Folk Modern at Upstairs at the Ritzy Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG, 8pm-11pm, free This free monthly night showcases five acoustic acts, curated by the appropriately monikered compère, Steve Folk.

Tues 3rd Sept, SW2

7 Years Of Wonder at Blues Kitchen 40 Acre Lane, Brixton, SW2 5SP, 6pm-11pm, £11 The Wonder Foundation is celebrating their seventh anniversary with a live music fundraiser featuring some of the

Lipsinkers at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern

Fri 6th Sept, SW9

Soul Exchange 007 at Pop Brixton 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ , 4pm-midnight, free West London club night the Soul Exchange shimmies into Pop with a bulging bag of DJs including Jazz FM Late Lab star Anne Frankenstein. Also getting jiggy on the mixer is Saffiyah Khan - who recently recorded with the mighty Specials - plus veteran DJ Jack Gadsden, James Curry of the Over Easy DJ collective and headline act Scarlett O’Malley, swirling up a storm of soul, Latin and calypso.

Sat 7th Sept, SW9

Queen Bitch at the Dogstar 389 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LQ , 11pm-3am, £5 Last month’s launch of this new LGBTQ+ friendly club night proved to the busiest

• 13 •

SEPTEMBER 2019 south london sounds

night the Dogstar has seen all year, and they’re back this month with another uplifting night of inclusiveness, fun, hedonism, boozing and partying like an amyl-infused Freddie Mercury on an Exocet love missile. There’ll be DJs hurling out party-sized disco bangers, floorcrunching pop thumpers, indie-slammers, arms in the air singalongs and chartbusting blockbusters from the 70s to today. Expect booty shunters from the likes of the Sugababes, Britney, Cyndi Lauper, Ariana, Fleetwood Mac, Dolly, Madonna, Bowie, Beyonce and Cher, plus videos, lasers, confetti cannons and balloon drops.

Look out for free entry offers on brixtonbuzz.com.

Sat 7th Sept, SW9

Come We Grow at Cafe Cairo 88 Landor Road, SW9 9PE, 6pm-1.30am, £5 Fabulously fluffy out-there vibes at this immersive fundraiser featuring musicians, MCs, performers and activists coming together in a mob-handed quest to “awaken the eco-conscience through music, song, dance, and collaboration.” From 6pm you can “bathe in the vibrations of the Earth and Moon gongs,” followed by Capoeira Science, a Poet’s Tarot Corner and Astrology Readings. With the yins and the yangs of your noggin suitably blissed out, a trio of DJs will motorise your limbs till late.

Sat 7th Sept, SE15

Dusty Groove at Canavan’s Peckham Pool Club 188 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4NF, 10pm-4am, £7 Tilman, Goddard and Franklin will be manhandling the decks at Peckham’s finest pool hall-cum-bar, backed by potentiometer-calibrating resident Janix percolating deep and groovy vibes. Get there before 11pm and you can satiate yourself on £3 pints and £2 shots. Waahey!

Sun 8th Sept, SW9

Afro House Rooftop party at Prince of Wales 469 Brixton Rd, SW9 8HH, 2pm-midnight, £22 Drums Radio curates a playlist of international DJs shuffling a pack of South African House, Gqom, Afro Tech, Kuduro and African House, with artists including Boddhi Satva, Enoo Napa and Mr Silk.

SEPTEMBER 2019

South London Sounds Motown, pop, disco and soul.

325 Camberwell New Road, SE5 0TF, 8pm-1am, Free This traditional Irish boozer is the perfect setting for a spirited but laid back weekly folk jam where anyone can join in with the band and sing, strum, rattle or parp to their heart’s content. Popular with students who appreciate live music (and the cheap bar prices, natch), the vibes are always welcoming - we love this place.

Fri 13th Sept, SW12

Folk Jam at The Old Dispensary

Soulife Relaunch at The Bedford in Balham 77 Bedford Hill, SW12 9HD, 8pm-2am, £8 Soulful relaunch the deep grooves, original vibes and future soul at the Bedford’s ballroom, with platter gyraters including John Stevenson of Funky Nation, Michael Gray of Glitterbox and host Craig Williams of Mi Soul Radio.

Sat 14th Sept, SE15

Multi-Storey Orchestra at Bold Tendencies

Folk Jam, Mon 9th Sept

Peckham Car Park, 95A Rye Lane, SE15 4ST, 7pm, £5 The Multi-Storey Orchestra’s summer season continues with a performance of classical and original material inside Peckam’s iconic multi-storey car park. Internationally renowned for engaging young people with classical music, performances will include Vivaldi’s Concerto for strings in G minor.

Sat 14th Sept, SE11

Club 414 at Union 66 Godling Street, Vauxhall, SE11 5AW, 11pm-7am, £10-£20 While they’re still looking for a new permanent home after being cruelly gentrified out of their Brixton home of over thirty years, the legendary Club 414 will be keeping their DJ crew together with a series of ‘road shows’ around London – starting with this all-nighter at the Union Club in Vauxhall. Keeping the same all-night hardcore hours of 11pm till 7am on Sunday morning, the event is hosted by trancey dons TRANCElucid and features a huge DJ line up of familiar faces including Thallom, Latex Zebra and Neill Moore.

Tues 10th Sept, SW2

The Soothsayers at Effra Hall Tavern Kellett Road, Brixton, SW2, 9pm-11.30pm, Free Glug down a Guinness in this old-school Brixton boozer and enjoy splendid original Afrobeat and reggaeinfluenced grooves from local legends, The Soothsayers.

Thurs 12th Sept, SW8

Superficial Thursday at Fire and Lightbox Arch 39 - 43 Parry Street, Vauxhall, SW8 1RT, 10.30am-5am, £5 Student-luring Thursday mash-up with essential cheap booze deals and DJs laying down an honest-to-goodness mix of deep house, techno, hip-hop, trap and chart, backed by inflatables, confetti cannons and ‘tons of toys.’

Judith Sephuma, Thurs 5th

30 Acre Lane, Brixton, SW2 5SG, 8pm-2.30am, free Barrio All-Star DJs roll out a mix of tropical soul, Latin licks, funky disco, old-skool and party faves to get your weekend wobbling wildly.

78 Venn Street, Clapham, SW4 0BD, 5pm-2am, free Throb and thrust your loins to a live set of hits from the Entrée band, punting a crowd pleasing selection of

Open Mic Night at The Joiners Arms 35 Denmark Hill, Camberwell, SE5 8RS, 7pm-midnight, free Sign up from 7.30pm for this open mic night in a splendid, two-room traditional boozer with affordable (i.e. non-Brixton) bar prices. £1 entry free with free sweets and booze promised.

Thurs 19th Sept, SE27

Awalé Jam at Railway Tavern 7 Station Rise, Tulse Hill, SE27 9BW, 9pm-12.30am, Free London Senegalese soul band members of Awalé host an Afro Funk and soul jam session. All sorts and styles are welcome to join in - bring your instrument or just hum at the bar.

Fri 20th Sept, SW2

Vicente Garcia at Electric Brixton Town Hall Parade, Brixton, SW2 1RJ, 7pm-10.30pm, £25 Dominican composer, musician and singer Vicente García fuses different styles and musical genres, laced with Dominican and Caribbean music. In 2017 he bagged the Latin Grammy in the category of “Best New Artist” with his album “A La Mar” earning “Best Songwriter Album” and “Best Tropical Song” gongs.

Sun 15th Sept, SW2

Beat Wave at Barrio

Entrée at Venn Street Records

Thurs 19th Sept, SE15

No Frills Sunday Session at The Windmill

Fri 13th Sept, SW2

Fri 13th Sept, SW4

22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton, SW2 5BZ, 7.30pm, £5 An evening remembering the singular talents of David Berman, the sadly now-departed genius behind the Silver Jews and Purple Mountains. There will be five live acts and three poetry readings, with all proceeds going to the MIND charity,

Vicente Garcia, Fri 20th

Mon 9th Sept, SE5

22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton SW2 5BZ, 7pm, Free Headed up by the hard drinking No Frills Band, this jaunty, round-thetable, low light candle-lit session invites musicians of all abilities to join in with new and traditional songs.

Like a musical Whicker’s World without the airfare or cavity searches, feel free to clatter your tumbler along to traditional tunes sourced from all around the world.

Sun 15th Sept, SW8

Freshers Moving In Party at Lightbox 6a South Lambeth Place, SW8 1SP, £11 Another event looking to capitalise on the influx of doshwielding, alcohol-demanding students moving into town, this night claims to be, “the capital’s biggest freshers moving-in party.” With a capacity of over 1,000 grogseeking students, there’ll be two arenas of house, hip-hop, grime and pop, five DJs, ball pit and, of course, cheap drinks! Get down there and wear a traffic cone on your way home. We’ve all done it.

Tues 17th Sept, SW2

David Berman Tribute Night at The Windmill • 15 •

Fri 20th Sept, SE15

Raw Silk at Four Quarters 187 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4TP, 10pm-3.15am, £10 Australian pals Grace and Steph bring their left-field grooves and dance-floor sounds to Peckham, with all profits going to LGBT-supporting Kaleidoscope Trust.

Fri 20th Sept, SW2

Brixton Buzz party night at the Effra Social 89 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-1am, Free With an interior unchanged since the dark days of milksnatching Thatcherism, flammable clothing, Ceefax and Angel Delight, the Effra Social now hosts this incredibly popular free night, hosted by well-oiled Brixton Buzz DJs. The music policy is straight down the line paaarty, with the floor bouncing to a relentless salvo of no-holds-barred, floorfilling pop like Cyndi Lauper, Beyonce, Bon Jovi, A-Ha, Fleetwood Mac, Cher, Dolly, Whitney, Queen, Bowie, Outkast and more, backed by off beat dance visuals till 1am.

what an ‘Industry Monday’ is but there’ll be a DJ from 8pm and cheapo drinks all night.

Sat 21st Sept, SW9

Saturday Shakedown at Market House 443 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LN, 9pm-3am, £5 Saarf Laandahn DJs Matt Klemara and Mr Corsini will be rummaging into their metaphorical crates to pull out a swivel-inducing selection of classic hip-hop, breaks, disco and all things funky.

Sat 21st Sept, SW9

Burlesque at Courtesan

Weds 25th Sept, SE5

Jazz Jam at The Junction 171 Coldharbour Lane, SE5 9PA, 8pm-11pm, free Bass playing whizz and bar manager Luke hand picks some of the best musicians in London for an explosive night of hard bop and perplexing time signatures.

Thurs 26th Sept, SE24

Scors at Off The Cuff

69-73 Atlantic Road, Brixton SW9 8PU, 10pm, Free Tucked away in Atlantic Road, Courtesan’s striking interior recalls a backstreet Shanghai bar from the 1920s. Serving as a dim sum restaurant during the day, the venue transforms into an artistic speakeasy at night, hosting cabaret, live music, and a club night, with Giddy Heights your exotic entertainer for the night.

301-303 Railton Road, Herne Hill, SE24 0JN, 8pm-11pm, £5 Anyone with a penchant for pop that is both most jingly and devilishly jangly is advised to make their way to this Herne Hill railway arch for a set from South-East Londoners, Scors.

Sat 21st Sept, SW16

Thurs, 26th Sept, SE11

103 Streatham High Road, SW16 1HJ, 9pm-2am, Free Undetermined DJs distribute soul, disco, funk and reggae in this retro chic bar stocked with real ales.

336 Kennington Park Road, Oval SE11 4PP, 8pm, Free Unspecified ‘live jazz and blues artists’ bring the music to this unpretentious, 1920s-themed

DJ at Pratts & Payne

Live Music at Brown Derby

Sat 21st Sept, SE19

Sun 22nd Sept, SW9

Reggae Rooftop Party at Prince of Wales

469 Brixton Rd, SW9 8HH, 3pm-9pm, £13 This Reggae Rooftop party winds down the summer season with rum punch and jerk chicken dispensed to a sonic backdrop of reggae, soca, calypso, reggaeton, bashment, Afro, soul and hip hop.

boozer right next to Oval tube station.

Thurs 26th Sept, SW2

Jamaica Jazzzz at Effra Hall Tavern

Sun 22nd Sept, SW9

EDO.G & The Outfit at Chip Shop Brixton

Industry Mondays at the Dogstar

389 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LQ , 8pm, free We’re not sure

EDO.G, Sun 22nd Sept

378 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8LF, 7pm-11pm, £9 Lord knows how they’re going to find enough space to wedge a live band into this tiny Coldharbour Lane venue, but anyone who squeezes in can enjoy Boston’s legendary hip-hop performer EDO.G backed by The Outfit. The night is hosted by MC Curoc with DJ Shorty on the decks.

Mon 23rd Sept Aug, SW9

261 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 6LH, 10pm-5am, £20 Ed Solo, Deekline and Benny Page make up a toe-tapping Jungle Cakes vs Dubshotta session, with Boomtown-faves Born on Road, featuring Aries, Kelvin 373 and Selecta J-Man, making an appearance. Dope Ammo and DJ Hybrid make their Jamm debut, with headliner Nicky Blackmarket dropping an exclusive “history of jungle” set. Support in the main room comes from Jessi G with the evening hosted by the Navigator, alongside Rubi Dan and MC Sye. In room two, Jurassik, Acee and Flex FM reggae don Rasta Fou will be attending to all needle/vinyl interface duties.

Fri 27th Sept, SW9

O’Flynn at Phonox 418 Brixton Rd, Brixton, SW9 7AY, 9.30pm-4am, £10 Ninja Tune and Blip Disc producer O’Flynn will be premiering his new debut album ‘Aletheia,’ which shows off his expansive electronica style using world music samples combined with layers of percussion.

Sat 28th Sept, SW11

Saturdays at the Clapham Grand 21-25 St John’s Hill, Clapham, SW11 1TT, 9pm-2am, £10 Get ready to sweep, strut and sashay in the direction of the dancefloor and unleash your animal loin-thrusts to an uncomplicated amalgam of crowd-pleasing party classics, with resident DJs spinning HipHop to House, Disco to R&B. Sat 28th Sept, SW8

Switch, Fri 27th Sept

79 Gipsy Hill, Upper Norwood, SE19 1QH, 8pm-1am, free The Gipsy Hill Tavern has bounced back as the railwaythemed Great Southern, with a “dining car” dispensing burgers, pizzas and pies, and DJs banging out Balearic Beats till 1am.

Raw Silk, Fri 20th Sept

Balearic Beats at the Great Southern

September 2019

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 sees the house band shuffling jazz, ska and reggae in front of an appreciative crowd.

Fri 27th Sept, SW16

Vinyl DJ at the Rebel Inn 78A Streatham High Rd, London SW16 1BS, 9pm-midnight, Free Come down and shake a body part to old school funk, reggae, hip-hop and more at this old school boozer.

Fri 27th Sept, SE15

Switch at The Bussey Building 133 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4ST, 10pm-5am, £12 Brixton Buzz fave Lady Lykez and Scratcha DVA slam down a fiery combo of gqom and grime inspired instrumentals and dancehall, with Ikonika DJing a set of grime, kuduro, funky, techno and club-ready RnB. Also taking turns in the booth will be Anz and Riz La Teef, the 100% vinyl grime and garage spinner. Floor two sees Overtone LDN mix’n’mashup breaks, bass and techno.

Fri 27th Sept, SW9

Jungle Cakes at JAMM • 16 •

Let’s Get Rocked at The Cavendish Arms

128 Hartington Road, SW8 2HJ, 8pm-1am, £11 It’s a dandruff dislodging headbanger’s dream night in Stockwell, with a night of hair metal and cock rock from the 1980s, powered by Spandexencased DJs Turk Thrust, Tommy Gee, Missy K8, Howlin’ Anton Bleak and guest, DJ Ostfrau.

Sat 28th Sept, SE1

Whitepark Music at Ministry of Sound 103 Gaunt Street, Elephant & Castle, SE1 6DP, 11pm-6am, £15 Artist management company Whitepark Music celebrates the Ministry of Sound’s 28th birthday with a feast of electronic dance acts from their roster, including Telomic, Lothum, Hecha, Franklin and Matt Lally.

Sunday 29th Sept, SE17

Jaded at Corsica Studios

5 Farrell Court, Elephant & Castle, SE17 1LB, 5am-3pm, £15 Techno/Experimental DJ Stephanie Sykes takes on the wrath of Argentina’s finest techno exports Pfirter in a battle for Room 1 supremacy, while Upperberry curates Room 2 with Paloma and Wallis engaging sliders in this popular after party venue.

Jaded, Sun 29th Sept

South London Sounds

Read more at brixtonbuzz.com

SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 2019, 11AM-7PM

bermondseystreetfestival.org.uk

SEPTEMBER 2019

BERMONDSEY STREET FESTIVAL

The 13th village fete in the city Cara Cummings

W

hat do Sadiq Khan, Zandra Rhodes and the presenters of Europe’s only radio show dedicated to dogs have in common? Not just the dinner party line up of your dreams: they’re all fans of the Bermondsey Street Festival, and might all be clearing their diaries for September 14th as we speak.

Because it’s that time of year again… Roll up, roll up for the ultimate village fete - right in the heart of London.

Bermondsey Street’s annual festival bursts into life once again on Saturday, 14th September, and looks set to be bigger than ever.

Whether live music, arts and crafts, delicious street-food or free dance classes float your boat, you’ll find the creme de la creme of South London showcasing their wares during the all-day bonanza.

And yes: the capital’s favourite dog show comes barking into the borough once again. We hear rumours of a celebrity appearance by the Dulux Dog himself… Selfie sticks at the ready!

The Chestertons Community Stage

It’s all about performing arts at the junction of Morocco Street and Bermondsey Street. The Chestertons Community Stage will be showcasing some of the best music and dance that Bermondsey has to offer - from acapella ‘80s hits courtesy of Kitsch in Synch, London’s “most fun-loving choir”, to a sneak preview of the Quay Players 2019 Christmas show and a headline set by The Homing, who “sound like Fleetwood Mac” according to Oasis’ producer Stuart Epps. Don’t forget your shimmy shoes - Salsa Oracle and Hot Rag Jazz will be laying on free Latin dance and swing jazz classes respectively, too.

Get your shop on

From handsewn kidswear to homemade peanut butter, South London punches well above its weight when it comes to crafting.

Bermondsey Street will transform into an artisan medina during this year’s Festival, as talented local makers, designers and producers showcase their wares. Prints, homeware, jewellery, tasty treats, skincare products and even tailoring…

Better bring a few bags, as you won’t be leaving empty handed. The best part? Everything on offer is either made or potted in Bermondsey.

Everyone loves an Underdog

Bermondsey’s most eclectic arts and music gallery-bar (try saying that after a couple of their killer cocktails) are upping the Festival’s cool credentials this year, with a showcase of live music inspired by the diverse rock-funk-indie nights that have earned The Underdog cult status within London’s music scene. Stop by their gallery-bar next time you’re near Crucifix Lane to take in works by some of contemporary art’s most exciting up-and-coming names, and stick around for live music that’s as interesting as the exhibitions on show...

• 18 •

...and everyone loves The Dog Show

Stroll around Bermondsey and one thing’s for sure: we’ve got some seriously adorable pooches in residence. The Festival’s annual Dog Show, organised with pedigree aplomb by leather collar and lathery grooming company Holly & Lil, returns to rule on the area’s best this year.

Gail Porter is this year’s celebrity judge, ably assisted by the Dulux Dog himself. Be still, my beating paint samples.

Anyone can enter their prize-hopeful pooch across a series of categories, from Best Pedigree, to Best Mash Up, to the Gus & Nelly Award for “anything goes” - and they’re really not joking - all in the hope of pawing the ultimate prize: Best in Show. At stake is a grand prize of £75 towards a Holly & Lil collar of your choice, smaller prizes for all runners up and the love of an entire borough for particularly heart-stealing furry heroes.

Crufts, eat your heart out.

See full map on pages 18-19

WE’RE PREPARING FO

WC

TANNER STR PARK

M S

COMMUNITY STAGE

WC

LEATHERMARKET GARDENS

DOG SHOW

No Access

OR ANOTHER AMAZING FESTIVAL! SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 2019

11AM-7PM

REET

MUSIC STAGE

BERMONDSEY SQUARE For more information on how to get involved get in touch: hello@bermondseystreetfestival.org.uk WC

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN SEPTEMBER! Remember to follow us and hashtag your visit #BermondsStFest

bermondseystreetfestival.org.uk

FEeL FT 50 TaLL

BOOK AT

goape.co.uk

#50feettall

Participation and supervision ratios apply - please see our website.

SEPTEMBER 2019

DOG LIFE

No longer in the dog house Laura Burgoine

A

t PAAW House, mi casa es su casa. And that includes four-legged friends. Pets Are Always Welcome (PAAW) is the UK’s first self-styled members’ club for pets.

The club is the brainchild of Gabby Kuehn, who recently moved to Bermondsey with her dog Vinnie.

“I was inspired to create PAAW House after a very public court battle which lasted almost three years, when we were the victims of legal action to evict our beloved family pet dog Vinnie,” Gabby said. “Despite having a licence to have our dog from the freeholder and winning all our legal arguments we sadly lost our case on a factual matter.”

Throughout the ordeal, Gabby received “amazing support from dog loving communities and animal charities all over the UK and even had messages from as far away as Australia.”

Here, the seeds for PAAW House were sown. “I wanted to say thank you and acknowledge a gap in the market for an online community where we can all join together, share our stories, have fun and support each other,” she said.

The club is free and open to anyone who has a pet, loves pets and/or is passionate about animal welfare and the environment.

“There has been a huge shift in attitudes towards pets in the UK recently with a large percentage of establishments now dog friendly including some of the leading department stores and restaurants,” Gabby said.

PAAW House currently has over 1000 dogs, cats, rabbits and hamsters signed up, all eagerly awaiting the launch at the end of the summer.

The website will feature the UK’s best pet services, including groomers, vets, insurance, pet friendly accommodation, legal experts, local brands and services.

“We will also be featuring our PetsNet forum, a safe place to chat, meet other members, ask questions and share information, news, gossip, photos and fun features from the PAAW world,” Gabby said.

“We remain hopeful that our experience was not in vain and will lay the ground work for any similar future court challenges,” Gabby said.

“Our case was already referenced in a change of the law in Australia which bans landlords from enforcing no pets’ clauses, so it has already led to something good on the other side of the world.

For more information, visit: www.paaw.house

• 24 •

SEPTEMBER 2019

DOG LIFE

Art gallery going to the dogs Michael Holland

Judith Carlton, Director of Southwark Park Galleries.

J

udith Carlton, Director of Southwark Park Galleries (Cafe Gallery & Dilston Grove), has the sweetest Geordie accent that she combines with an infectious laugh that I heard a lot in our time together.

Even when talking of her family not being able to afford the fine art degree she so wanted to do it sounded like a tale of joy and hope as she told it: “I had to find a cheaper degree that involved books,” she rallies with an upbeat smile, “so I did a philosophy degree that specialised in aesthetics - the philosophy of art.”

Judith remembers being “dragged kicking and screaming through museums and galleries” as a child but as she grew older she realised this was a world where she wanted to work. She did a lot of drawing as a young girl but reveals that she originally wanted to be a dentist. “My dentist had a good art collection and loads of money so I thought, right, that’s a nice life… But I can’t add up or do science so that was never gonna happen,” she adds with a chuckle.

She found jobs in the once detested museums and galleries. “I’d volunteer my time so I could be in them.”

But these places that others see as destinations for their cultural aspects have other meanings for Ms Carlton.

She sees free public spaces as somewhere to go for peace and quiet, an escape from the rush of life. “You can be having a dreadful day but you can enter a gallery or museum and have the choice to think, or not think, you can just stare at something, listen to something, or just sit and do nothing. It’s restorative… It’s what my mum did with me because there wasn’t many options for a single parent… It’s why I will always fight so strongly for free places like these.” She says this with a sweep of her hand introducing the Southwark Park Gallery we are sitting in.

Judith has been in the director role for four years, taking over from Ron Henocq, who had the position since the Bermondsey Artists’ Group was founded in the early ‘80s. But she wasn’t some intrusive outsider turning up for interview; she had worked with Matt’s Gallery, a

long-time collaborator with the gallery, she had already produced several exhibitions in Dilston Grove, and it was the first gallery she had been taken to when she first moved down from Newcastle to South London. “I’m not saying this for effect, but I fell in love with it straightaway. It’s still my favourite gallery, so working here is a dream.”

Henocq’s were big shoes to step into and it wasn’t always easy, but, Judith declares, “the team and the audiences have all been supportive, there is a lovely board of trustees, and Ron’s been amazing… The Bermondsey Artists’ Group has been like a family as well.”

Changes had to be made by the new director, with more fundraising needed to commission large-scale artwork, and exhibitions extended to justify the time put in to creating the art. “More people get to see the work, the artists get longer to show their work, and more conversations are generated from the exhibitions so they live on and continue to inform.” Have the changes worked? “Our visitor numbers have climbed up and up every year,” she replies.

The gallery has always supported emerging artists who often get overlooked, plus artists of any age or background who show potential. “We don’t care a monkeys if you’ve been to art school or not. If we feel more people should see your work we’ll show ya, and support ya and fundraise to pay for new work by ya - and we’ll show your older works too…” All this in her bouncy North Eastern lilt made it more real, like a revolutionary calling all artists to arms while standing on her desk with fist aimed skyward. Not really, but that pose would have been perfect. “We want to champion people and let them shine, we want to allow them to dream big,” she continued before talking about how Jonathan Baldock benefitted from the gallery’s support, enabling him to become an internationally recognised artist.

I got a rundown on the many aspects of the two Southwark Park sites: the gardening projects, the schoolchildren that visit, the book collection to honour Ada Salter, and how dogs are encouraged to

• 25 •

visit. In fact, that encouragement has now led to an exhibition for and about our canine companions.

Judith has an affinity with dogs and sees certain dogs at certain times in the park as she comes and goes, and can tell the time by their routines. She understands that clocks are set by dogs as they have to be fed and walked at certain times. She also knows the local dogs’ names, but not of the owners - She knows them as Buddy’s mum, or Banjo’s mum.

Consequently, an idea has been simmering for some time now since Judith decided that because dogs are such a big feature of the park, then the gallery had to reflect that. So the big summer exhibition is Dog Show and they are the stars.

Many artists and curators chose their favourite dogrelated art; Martin Creed is included, Vic Reeves got in touch pleading to be involved, and Lucien Freud’s Pluto makes an appearance. “It’s the most fun we’ve had putting this show together so we plan to have it bi-annually now.”

Ideas for a future dog show are afoot and a calendar of the 12 most good-looking dogs is very likely. “We want to showcase the animals of Southwark Park so we will have a dog photo booth, theatre for dogs and a poodle installation.”

Dog Show is on at Southwark Park Galleries, 1 Park Approach, SE16 2UA until 8 September. Admission: Free.

Phone: 020 7237 1230. www.southwarkparkgalleries.org

020 7924 7303 info@sashwindows.london www.sashwindows.london

For sash & casement windows.

For French, front & bifolding doors.

For plantation shutters & much more.

Contact the experts in bespoke joinery

Showrooms in Brockley & Lower Sydenham

Handcrafted by us, perfection for you

WE’RE PREPARING FOR ANOTHER

AMAZING FESTIVAL! SAT 14TH SEP 2019 - 11AM-7PM For more information on how to get involved get in touch: hello@bermondseystreetfestival.org.uk

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN SEPTEMBER Remember to follow us and hashtag your visit #BermondsStFest bermondseystreetfestival.org.uk

Custom Media Console

“We had our beautiful raw edged oak breakfast bar made by Goldfinch. It’s stunning and definitely the focal point of the kitchen.”

Lucy, Camberwell

Your local custom furniture maker.

10% locals discount when you mention this publication.

Goldfinch is a project of London Reclaimed.

We help 16-25 year olds in South East London step up into employment.

Find out more here: www.goldfinchfurniture.co.uk E: sales@goldfinchfurniture.co.uk T: 020 7237 7831

Goldfinch is a trading name of London Reclaimed, Company No. 07768745 & Charity No. 1148279.

We use ethically sourced timber, often grown right here in London. We’d love to show you around our Bermondsey workshop or visit your home to discuss your free standing or fitted furniture requirements.

SEPTEMBER 2019

FASHION

by Laura Burgoine Designer Zandra Rhodes celebrates 50 years in fashion

• 30 •

SEPTEMBER 2019

FASHION

A

t home in her penthouse above the Fashion and Textile Museum on Bermondsey Street, Dame Zandra Rhodes is dressed head to toe in pink with a pair of pink Crocs on her feet. “I never work dressed up,” she says.

This September, the iconic designer is celebrating a career spanning five decades –from her first store, the Fulham Road Clothes Shop in 1967 to a bold move to New York in ‘69 where her garments were featured in American Vogue and later stocked in Neiman Marcus and Saks in New York. To honour the milestone, the Fashion and Textile Museum, which Zandra founded in 2003, is holding a retrospective of her designs. She’s also releasing a book, a homewares collaboration with Ikea and is starring in the 14th series of Celebrity MasterChef.

“Fifty years in fashion,” she says with a smile. “It has gone fast but it’s endless. There’s so much work to do.”

A new book, Zandra Rhodes: 50 Fabulous Years in Fashion accompanies the 78-year-old’s exhibition.

“September is the month. We have to call it Zeptember,” Zandra says. “The book is a series of photographs with about ten essays by different people.”

Some of the famous faces gracing the pages include Jasper Conran, Manolo Blahnik and Philip Treacy. “They look alright, don’t they?” Zandra says, flicking through the pages. “The exhibition is going to back up the book so we’ll be looking for the various clothes that are in the book, then we have to work out how to show them but we haven’t figured that part out yet,” she laughs. “I don’t always have full confidence –we’ve just got to pull it together.”

The designer was introduced to fashion by her mother, a fitter for the Parisian fashion house House of Worth and a lecturer at Medway College of Art, where Zandra also studied before specialising in textile design at the Royal College of Art. Her clothes have been worn by style icons including Natalie Wood, Princess Diana, Cher, Kate Moss, and Sarah Jessica Parker in HBO’s Sex and the City. Princess Anne wore a Zandra Rhodes dress for her engagement photo. “We got told to send clothes into Vogue because someone famous was being photographed,” Zandra said. “We weren’t told who, I thought it was Elizabeth Taylor.”

Growing up in Chatham, Kent, Zandra made her name first in America, something she says “was just by accident.

I thought that they’d taken notice of what I did quicker.”

She recalls some of the famous faces she’s worked with throughout her career. “Angelica [Huston] modelled for me when she was 17 here in London. She lived in London. I did shows with Piero De Monzi in the Fulham Road so that’s how that happened,” she says.

“Diana Ross came into my shop when she was doing a personal appearance and bought one of my pleated jackets and looked absolutely gorgeous. And Princess Diana wore my dresses. She became an icon for high fashion.”

Recently, Zandra designed costumes for the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. “I did the original white pleated top in ’77 that Freddie Mercury wore, and then they came back to me to make the originals for the film.

That was good to do that,” she said. “We had the original of the pleated one for Freddie so we worked off that.”

The grand dame of fashion works across time zones, dividing her life between Bermondsey Street and San Diego where, until recently, she lived with her partner, film producer and former head of Warner Brothers, Salah Hassanein, who died in June at age 98. “I work every day. And if I sit still I fall asleep,” Zandra says. “I

““

I’m working when I’m here. I might take enough time off to see how my cactus is

live here half and half there but my partner whom I was living with just died. So I’ll probably be here more of the time now,” she continues. “The travelling has been exhausting. I land and I come straight into work.”

It was the designer’s friend: sculptor, jeweller and performance artist Andrew Logan, who enticed Zandra to Bermondsey Street. “My great friend Andrew lived around the corner and he saw this building and said ‘Zandra you’ve always wanted to do a museum, why don’t you get this building?’ and I said ‘what do you think I am, made of money?’ Then I worked out that I could get the building, convert it and then I’d turn that into part of a museum and the penthouse.”

The now trendy, high-fashion high street is unrecognisable from when Zandra arrived. “There was only one shop and one pub then,” she said. “People moved in and they’d go ‘is it alright to move round here?’”

The Fashion and Textile Museum was the first European building Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta designed. “It’s now his second. He died about two years ago and they have now done one of his buildings in Spain,” Zandra says. “I liked what he did. I worked out that his buildings were quite simple and what made them really look different was colour,” she continues. “I was worried if I got an architect like Zaha Hadid it would be too extreme and it wouldn’t be passed. And through my boyfriend I got to know someone who lived in a Legorreta house so I entertained him, then flew him to this country first class on my American mileage tickets and said ‘this is an up and coming area and would you design it?’”

From her rooftop garden, Zandra looks out across a horizon now dwarfed by the Shard. “Gradually they’re all going up,” she says. “The Shard came after my building so it meant my building was cheap until they built it!”

Zandra points out her artist friends’ houses in the neighbourhood. “Norman Ackroyd has got an etching studio and he’s been there for 50 years.

Norman is England’s modern day Constable. He’s got a whole building that he bought for a quarter what I would’ve paid for mine…And there’s Natalie Gibson over there; she teaches textiles at Central Saint Martin’s and she’s been here…well I left college in ‘63…she must have been here since 1959.”

Does Zandra hang out on Bermondsey Street? “No. I only walk to the tube station. I get the tube if I need to get somewhere quickly. Or drive other times. Or they send a car,” she said. “I’m working when I’m here.

I might take enough time off to see how my cactus is,” she says, gesturing to an extensive collection of plants.

The penthouse is a haven for artists and Zandra regularly has interns staying. “If a student stays here, their job is gardening,” she says. “If they’re not here, then it’s me. I come up here first thing on a Sunday morning, check the plants, check they’ve got fed, and then I get on with my work again.”

Fifty years on, what is the secret to Zandra’s success?

“I suppose don’t give up. Stagger along and keep going really,” she says. “If you try and fit in with everyone’s trends and try and be, say, Philip Treacy or someone else all you’re going to do is give people a second hand version, so it might as well be you and what you’re like.”

Zandra Rhodes: Fifty Years of Fabulous is at the Fashion and Textile Museum from September 27-January 26.

83 Bermondsey St, SE1 3XF. The accompanying book is £30. Phone: 020 7407 8664. www.ftmlondon.org

• 31 •

URBAN PROFESSIONALS

SEPTEMBER 2019

Rye and shine

By Cara Cummings

©©Orlando Gili

S

Simon Thorpe

©©Orlando Gili

omething special is about to launch at 133 Rye Lane.

As the former church’s doors open following a stunning refurb, the Urban Fox takes an exclusive first-look tour around a co-working, restaurant and retail hub like no other...

It’s the kind of space you immediately feel settled within.

In fact, so invitingly comfortable is the space that you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d walked into a cosy showhome instead of Peckham’s latest professional workspace. That, it seems, is no mistake. “We’ve tried really hard to make it feel quite homely,” explains Simon Thorpe, co-founder of Market. “We aimed to strike a balance where it feels professional but doesn’t feel too hard-edged. Domestic is a good summary: comfortable, yet adaptable when you want it to be.”

It’s a smart move from Simon and co-founder Nick Mansour, who’ve spent three years transforming the seven storey building into a brand new community hub for Peckham - one that helps freelancers, small businesses and independent retailers to thrive on their own terms within it’s freshly refurbished walls.

Market isn’t just geared towards providing south London’s laptop nomads with a desk to call their own. It’s bringing new restaurants, shops and a live performance venue to the heart of Peckham, building a work-meetsleisure hub for the whole community. Ramen rockstars Tonkotsu are already confirmed residents along with Furza Wine, who’ll serve up antipasti and killer drinks to punters enjoying 360° views of the city from Market’s rooftop bar. The basement venue, meanwhile, will host bands and club nights curated by the founders of Bermondsey Social Club and Peckham bar Four Quarters.

“It’s reflective of the area - there are so many people doing such interesting things,” says Nick of Market’s innovative mix of professional, cultural and social spaces.

It wasn’t always meant to be this way. Nick and Simon’s initial aim of developing the building into flats through their residential architecture practice Frame had to be withdrawn after more than 15,000 people

Nick Mansour

signed a petition calling for the planning application to be rejected. It wasn’t an easy moment for the pair - but the setback proved the start of the Market journey.

“Through the consultation process it became clear that there’s real interest from south Londoners when it comes to their local town centres,” reflects Nick, a long-term Peckham resident himself. “In Peckham’s case, it’s particularly strong. People wanted to see their town centre develop in a way that fostered business growth, to maximise the amazing potential the area is clearly demonstrating at the moment. Seeing the variety of different people who responded with what they wanted, which wasn’t the classic buy-to-let boxes...

I think that was the pivotal point. We could see the massive interest and thought: ‘let’s make it happen’.”

“Our own process of trying to find work space told us an awful lot. We couldn’t find a workspace that reflected what mattered to us as people in a creative industry; all the other spaces just seemed a bit generic. We felt patronised by the graphics on the corridor walls, and like we weren’t getting the cost-effective shared facilities that make a massive difference to a small business.

“Inflexibility of commitment was a nightmare for us too.

We were evolving constantly, so couldn’t speculate on a fixed term, two year contract based on what size we might be and

• 32 •

then start paying that rent straight away! It’s odd sometimes that these things can carry on and carry on without someone saying, ‘This is absurd!’ It feels long overdue.”

“It’s a really fulfilling experience having your own business or being a freelancer,” continues Nick. “Being part of a big corporate machine, you can spend an awful lot of time communicating rather than actually doing. It’s incredibly satisfying being able to be small, lean and focused, and think about what you’re doing and get on with it.”

Simon and Nick have already hit the ground running with Peckham Rise, an annual competition with a business-changing prize of free desk space for a year for. (Inaugural winner Daniel Peters, founder of Southwark-based menswear brand Your Samples Collective, moves in this month.)

“Peckham’s got this incredible small business scene that’s growing at an amazing pace, and it’s incredibly inventive in the way that people are doing things. It felt as though this is an area that’s ripe for successful businesses, who need good quality office space to grow and not feel hampered.”

“We’d feel really proud if in five or ten years’ time, it felt like we were able to facilitate people taking a step towards doing things that they really want to do, and enjoy working life. It’s incredibly important for us that we’re able to look back, in the end, and think: ‘Market helped that happen.’”

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2019

The Windrush generation through time

By Laura Burgoine

Explore the concept of belonging and raise questions about Britishness, citizenship and identity at the Black Cultural Archives’ (BCA) exhibition Windrush: Looking back, Moving Forward.

The dedicated exhibition focuses on key legislation from the 1940s, 1980s and 2010s and how their existence has impacted on the lives of the ‘Windrush Generation’ forever. The BCA demonstrates how successive Governments have used legislation to define who is, or is not British- often along the lines of race.

The museum is also hosting a series of panel discussions, events, activities and displays that will allow people to hear the untold stories of the ‘Windrush Generation’ firsthand, experience the power of their legacy and discover the impact that this important piece of living history has on all Britons.

The exhibition runs until September 14 at the BCA, 1 Windrush Square, SW2 1EF. Phone: 020 3757 8500.

Admission: £3. www.blackculturalarchives.org

SEPTEMBER 2019

cinema

PECKHAM AND NUNHEAD FREE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES DIVERSE MOVIE LINE UP FOR ITS 10TH YEAR

T

he popular Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival celebrates its 10th edition in September 2019, marking this landmark anniversary with an exciting range of films for all ages, screening in unique venues across SE15.

The PNFFF was south London’s first free film festival when it launched in 2010 and since then this much-loved community event has inspired a number of free festivals in neighbouring areas, all organised by volunteers.

This year’s Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival features 17 events over 10 days, running from Thursday 5 – Sunday 15 September. And there’s a pre-festival film quiz night at the Old Nun’s Head on Sunday 1 September.

Programme leaflets are being distributed around the area and details of all the film screenings and activities are available on the festival website www.freefilmfestivals.org/filmfestival/peckhamnunhead/ - and there will be regular updates on Twitter https:// twitter.com/freefilmfest and Facebook www.facebook.com/ nunheadfreefilmfestival/ Among this year’s highlights are the opening night film at Peckhamplex – the London premiere of The River and the Wall – and the ever popular Nunhead Cemetery outdoor screening on Saturday 7 September with cult black comedy Harold and Maude, which won the public poll at the cemetery open day back in May. There’s a bike-powered screening with Electric Pedals of Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse, a trip down memory lane with The Glenn Miller Story ¬– complete with a live performance from the South London Jazz Orchestra – and train-based classic The Lady Vanishes in the lovingly restored Old Waiting Room at Peckham Rye station.

The all-day Afrikans on Film Festival is back at the Bussey Building, Steve McQueen’s Widows

comes to Peckham Palms, and people can get involved in Super 8 and movie music vinyl nights in local pubs. There’s also an older people’s afternoon screening of The King and I at The Green in Nunhead.

Community workshops have always played an important part of the Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival, including those organised by the Women in Film group that grew out of the festival. And this year the Pempeople’s space in the heart of Peckham plays host to a celebration of short animations made by 7 to 25-year-olds.

One of the original founders, Howard Francis says: “Over the years people have enjoyed the range of events that we have organised. We have tried to take film out to the local community in locations that give people different experiences of watching a film” Current co-ordinator Ann Lazim comments: “This is a great opportunity for people to immerse themselves in great films and activities. Often these are rarely seen classics. Others might be available to stream, but nothing beats the feeling of seeing them in unexpected venues, often with live entertainment or Q&A sessions.”

Fellow co-ordinator Neal Browne adds: “We’re grateful to all the local volunteers who’ve helped run the last 10 festivals.

Coming from every walk of life, they’ve brought their own event ideas and film tastes into the mix, while picking up extra skills along the way. So get in touch if you’d like to get involved, we’re a friendly lot!”

For further information contact: Ann Lazim annlazim@googlemail.com 07946 700190 Neal Browne nealbrowne@googlemail.com 07961 043 708.

• 34 •

LOCALLY SOURCED Seasonal pickings

• 36 •

q Chinese money plant (12cm): £14.95, and (16cm): £22.95 Buddha head pot (12cm): £11.95 and (16cm): £21.95 Nunhead Gardener, 1a Oakdale Road, SE15 3BW. Phone: 020 7635 3443. https://thenunheadgardener.com

SOUTH LONDON HEMISPHERE

SEPTEMBER 2019

Watch out for summer showers What are shooting stars and when can we see them? Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer Tania de Sales Marques has the answers.

W

hat we call shooting stars are in fact meteors: particles as big as space rocks or as fine as cosmic dust that burn up as they enter Earth's atmosphere and fall towards us at high speeds, creating beautiful, short-lived, bright streaks in the sky. The term meteor doesn’t apply to just one type of object but can include dust, meteoroids, asteroids and even comets. The most common meteors are either meteoroids or dust. Space dust is made up of very small particles that might be fragments of planets, moons, asteroids or comets but might also be simply the interstellar or even intergalactic dust that inhabits the vastness of space. Meteoroids are solid objects that can vary in size up to 1 metre across, with anything larger considered an asteroid. These can be made of metal or rock and they’re usually fragments of asteroids or comets that suffered a collision with another object, releasing debris into space. To make matters slightly more confusing, if the object does not completely burn up in the atmosphere and actually reaches the surface of the Earth, then we call it a meteorite. Meteorites are not easy to find, but studying them helps us learn more about the early conditions of the Solar System and even the origins of life, since some meteorites contain organic compounds and even traces of water.

But going back to the question: When can we see meteors? Well, all the time and anywhere in the world, as long as the skies are dark and clear. Space isn’t as empty as we sometimes think; there are lots of particles everywhere. You might happen to spot a lone shooting star over a field somewhere, but there are particular events throughout the year that can give us the opportunity to see a great many meteors at once: meteor showers. Meteor showers are caused by the clouds of debris left behind when a comet passes close to the sun, heating up and throwing off gas and dust along the path of its orbit. As the Earth follows its own orbit around the sun, each one of these debris clouds it encounters will appear at a specific time of the year. And the resulting meteor showers bear names that indicate which part of the sky we should watch: most of the meteors will seem to originate from a point, called the radiant, within a particular constellation in the sky, which lends its name to the shower. We just witnessed the very prolific Perseids meteor shower peak in mid-August within the constellation Perseus, and the next exciting meteor shower coming to London's skies, the Orionids, is due to occur in October with its radiant in the constellation of Orion, the Hunter.

The debris cloud that generates the Orionid shower is associated with Halley's Comet.

• 37 •

HISTORY

SEPTEMBER 2019

The south London sex pioneer

By Katherine Johnston

O

ne of the first people to study sex and sexual behaviour - and publicly declare homosexuality was both natural and normal - was a south Londoner and St Thomas’ medical student.

Henry Havelock Ellis, known as Havelock, (18591939) was born in Croydon, educated in south London, and became a pioneer in the nascent field of sexology.

After teaching for several years in Australia, he enrolled in St Thomas Hospital in 1879 to study medicine.

During his time at the prestigious hospital, Ellis joined a coterie of leading academics and creatives, including George Bernard Shaw and Arthur Symonds, through the Fellowship of New Life, which later became the Fabian Society.

Living in Brixton’s Dover Mansions, Ellis was an editor with interests ranging from seventeenth dramas to contemporary science journals, who also began his own research, including the seminal Studies in the Psychology of Sex, written in six parts from 1897 to 1928.

Conceived as a kind of sexual encyclopaedia, Psychology of Sex analysed the biology, physiology, and social and cultural attitudes to human sexual behaviour; with topics ranging from homosexuality, masturbation, and fetishes – and caused an immediate scandal.

The first volume, Sexual Inversion, was the first academic study of homosexuality ever published in the UK, profiling gay men and women Ellis knew well and written at a time when homosexuality was illegal.

It featured five years’ worth of case studies and data, collected while at King’s College London, and argued gay sex should not be a crime.

Rather than presenting it as a mental or physical sickness that should be ‘cured’, as was attempted by the physicians of the day, Ellis showed homosexuality as a common and natural difference occurring throughout history and across all societies and cultures.

Ellis used the term ‘Eonism’ for what we would now describe as ‘trans’ behaviour – encompassing cross-

gender, or the belief a person is non-binary, or born the ‘wrong’ gender. He called homosexuality ‘inversion’, and described lesbians and gay men as ‘inverts’ – whose desires are ‘inverted’ and channelled onto the same gender.

Although to today’s reader his work is out-dated, sexist, and his terminology superseded, he did much to develop the early study of psychology, and sexology and many of his ideas were taken up by world-famous psychologists including his arch-rival Sigmund Freud.

““

Ellis believed in women’s rights, sex education, and contraception at a time when these ideas were hugely radical As with many other writers and thinkers so ahead of his time, Ellis found his work on trial with obscenity charges, with one judge describing his work’s scientific value as just ‘a pretence, adopted for the purpose of selling a filthy publication’.

Sexual Inversion was vociferously attacked and ultimately banned, described as a “lewd, wicked, bawdy, scandalous libel.”

Despite this setback, Ellis continued to write and publish his work and gained high-profile support from other forward thinkers.

In 1899, he released the second volume, The Evolution of Modesty, The Phenomena of Sexual Periodicity, AutoEroticism (which looked at masturbation) and in 1903 came Love and Pain, the Sexual Impulse of Women, then Sexual Selection in Man (1905), Erotic Symbolism, The Mechanism of Detumescence (1906, which examined

• 38 •

erectile function), and Sex in Relation to Society (1910).

He even wrote about his own particular fetish, urolagnia, whereby sexual satisfaction is found in urination, which he described as ‘within the normal limits of variation of sexual emotion’, and an impulse felt by both men and women including those of ‘high intellectual distinction’.

Ellis believed in women’s rights, sex education, and contraception at a time when these ideas were hugely radical. Some of his beliefs are now unpalatable, including his staunch support of eugenics.

He was, however, groundbreaking in his determined, but highly controversial, belief that all kinds of consensual sex are natural and healthy.

Ellis wrote that ‘when love is suppressed, hate takes its place’.

His work sought to understand sexual difficulties experienced by men and women and to help them overcome feelings of shame.

Speculation about Ellis’ own lovelife somewhat overshadowed his work, with his revelations about his own sexual proclivities, and long-term impotence, fuelling gossip.

In 1891 at the age of 32, and still a virgin, he married writer and women’s rights campaign Edith Lees.

The pair had an ‘open relationship’, with Lees openly lesbian, and lived separately.

After her death, he had another long-term relationship, where he found greater sexual satisfaction.

Ellis is one of many Victorian and Edwardians who put themselves at considerable risk to help create a more tolerant and understanding society.

Although he struggled to achieve satisfaction himself, in his own words: “Sex lies at the root of life, and we can never learn to reverence life until we know how to understand sex.”

From outlet shopping to indoor trampolining, ten-pin bowling to five star blockbusters, casual dining to roof-top climbing.

The O2. It all happens here.

North Greenwich Only 15 minutes from Central London

F.A.A.

F A ALBIN & SONS

The O2_Destination Campaign_2019_Weekender_Southwark & Lambeth_221x155mm_V1.indd 1

Family Run Funeral Directors

020 7237 3637

11/07/2019 10:05

ROTHERHITHE 52 Culling Road, London, SE16 2TN

OUR OTHER BRANCH ADDRESSES ARE: DEPTFORD 164 Deptford High Street, LONDON, SE8 3DP WALWORTH 88 Brandon Street, LONDON, SE17 1ND

Serving the people of Bermondsey & Rotherhithe for over 200 years

www.albins.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2019

The daily planet

by Donnachadh McCarthy

A

couple of weeks ago, during the heat-wave I popped into my local supermarket to get my paper. As I entered a blast of hot air hit my head. Usually at this time of year it is freezing due to ramped up air-conditioning.

I looked up. And to my astonishment, despite the baking sun outside, the over-head heat-curtain was operating full-blast. I asked the security guard why. He said they “needed it”.

I asked again why. He said it did not matter why. So, I asked him to turn it off, as it was a glorious day. He refused and said I could take it to the manager. He did not offer to get them. I went and found them and their reason for it being on stumped me!

He said it was for the cleaners!! I asked why on a roasting hot day did they need the heating. He said “it is to help dry the floor”! I confess I have never heard of this floor-drying technique before. I thought people allowed floors to dry naturally or used a dry-cloth. I said this was crazy but he said they do it all the time for “health and safety reasons”.

I asked if HQ knew this. He said yes! I said I did not believe it and asked if he knew about the climate emergency. He looked blank. I said I would report it to the HQ sustainability department. He said ok. I then asked again if he would turn it off and he agreed to.

I did contact the supermarket’s HQ. Their director of sustainability, got back to me quickly and said they had been in touch with the “Store Technician” and “a plan to resolve this is in development”. I thought the corporate lingo was hilarious but was glad that action was being taken.

I take two morals from this little story: 1. It is always worth complaining politely if we see energy being needlessly wasted.

2. We urgently need a Climate Emergency Energy Efficiency Act to make it illegal to deliberately & continuously waste energy.

Too many people are already dying from climate breakdown. Please write to our local MPs demanding they back such an Act.

• 40 •

COMMUNITY

SEPTEMBER 2019

The guys are back in town

A different kind of social network for men over- 5 launched in south London this summer. Cara Cummings meets Prime founder Dominic Taylor to find out how he’s re-energising guys one kickabout at a time.

S

aturday mornings in Vauxhall are a curious thing.

Joggers, caffeine hunters and carrying-onall-nighters happily mingle in the streets and squares of SW8. Now, there’s a new tribe on the block: middle aged men enjoying a kickabout.

They gather for weekly football sessions held by Prime, a brand new social club for men in their late 30s, 40s and 50s that launched in Lambeth this summer. With activity ‘hubs’ in Vauxhall and Herne Hill, Prime are on a mission to help middle-aged men to get active, make friends and reclaim the best years of their life.

Over a whirlwind first few months, Prime have brought open-invite boxing, basketball and bring-your-own records DJ nights to south London’s midlife men - and you’ll soon be able to train with coaches from Millwall at the group’s flagship Saturday football sessions.

“We’re trying to focus on things that men like doing,” explains Dominic Taylor, Prime’s founder and CEO. “We want guys to have fun, be part of a group and do things they love to do.”

But this is about a lot more than hanging out. One in five British men dies before the age of 65. Middle aged men in the UK are statistically more likely to have a chronic health condition like cardiovascular problems, pulmonary disease or diabetes. Meanwhile, two thirds of suicides in the UK are amongst men aged 35 to 65; the highest rate, according to data from The Samaritans, being men aged 45-49.

The stats go on - but one in particular drove Dominic to create Prime during a nine-month placement with Zinc, a social enterprise incubator helping budding entrepreneurs tackle the world’s toughest issues.

“We did a lot of research into different parts of the UK which had social inequalities and health inequalities,”

he recalls, “and visited areas like Glasgow and Rochdale where jobs have been taken away. In some of those places, men’s’ life expectancy is as low as 66 years old. That really shocked me,” says Dominic. “I just thought, there’s got to be some way you can actually address this; something that would improve wellbeing and quality of life.”

Curiosity piqued, Dominic - a former publishing and medtech entrepreneur - started plotting how to fix the problem. The self-confessed “data geek” dove headfirst into exploring male midlife wellbeing from every angle, working with hospitals, academics and men across the country to see what might help his peers stay healthier - and happier - for longer.

From stats to solutions, Dominic’s vision is underpinned by some serious scientific chops. But the breakthrough that led to Prime was powerfully simple. “We found that getting together socially and taking part in activities that they love actually caused men to live longer, have healthier lives and have higher wellbeing rates,” Dominic explains. “That really hit home that there are basic things that you can do.”

Prime functions as a relaxed social club with just two rules: activities are designed to boost physical and social wellbeing, and are for men only. That’s a deliberate move, says Dominic - who, at 47, understands the challenges of engaging men of his age.

“Male-only initiatives tend to be much more successful - with mixed groups, guys tend not to go along; there’s a barrier between taking that first step and joining in.

“I think men have an issue around being made to look stupid; worrying their pride might be damaged.

Something that men feel much more comfortable with, like sports, allows them that first step to get over that

threshold and take part. And once they’ve bonded with others, they actually open up a little bit.

“It’s also a stress reliever to do something that’s not thinking about the stresses of life. Even if it’s just half an hour kicking a ball around in a park, it eases things up a bit.”

Dominic’s research exposed the challenges men face as they navigate midlife - work, family and a still-lingering societal expectation that you shoulder your burdens alone.

“Men in my age group have issues seeking help,” he says. “They tend to bottle things up and stay very much self-contained. That’s deeply ingrained in behaviour; right from childhood boys are told to stand up for themselves, don’t show emotions; you take it on alone.

“There’s many, many inequalities in this world where men have a much more favourable position to women in terms of power, work, pay, and all of those completely need to be addressed. But men have this focus that they should be the ones who actually sort out their own issues, rather than looking for help. It’s a big problem in society.”

He’s also seen what can happen when the tightrope balancing act of some men’s lives suddenly comes unstuck - without a support network in place to help pick up the pieces.

“They’ll have two main pillars in their lives,” he explains. “Their work, which they identify with, and their immediate family - their spouse or their children.

But men in that age group have three times less social connections outside of work than women do. So if either of those pillars

““

• 41 •

We’re trying to focus on things that men like doing.

The plan is to expand out across the country, and indeed the world! has an issue - if they lose their job or if their relationship breaks down - then they tend to descend pretty quickly.”

Dominic himself has experienced such a destabilization.

He lost his wife five years ago, becoming a single parent to two teenage daughters overnight.

“Going through that does make you think about the things that are really important,” he says simply. Having a network around me - I’ve always played football and had a group of friends - really helped me through those times. And I could see that helping others as well.”

Prime are aiming big with that focus. Dominic may have kicked off in his native south London, but he’s got serious visions for the future.

“The plan is to expand out across the country, and indeed the world!” he laughs.

“We want to emulate the success of drop-in participation activities like Park Run: open spaces that anyone can go along to where you’re not competing with other people, that give a sense of trying to push yourself a little bit without being overwhelmed.

“If we can have 1000 parks across the country, and worldwide, where guys are getting together, playing football and coming out of it feeling positive, refreshed and like they’ve made connections with other people, that will be a perfect ending.”

COMMUNITY

SEPTEMBER 2019

Commitment to the Community

The Tower Tandoori has always been very much involved with the local community. To celebrate 40 years, they have pledged to support local sports clubs and are currently looking to sponsor Youth and Adult teams in the area.

Over the last four decades, the restaurant has been able to raise money for various important causes and is affiliated with a Cancer charity in South East Asia.

The restaurant aims to host a number of Charity Nights this year to raise money for local charities.

Other activities to look out for this year include a Spice Pack Range and a Christmas Card Design Competition at local schools!

If you are interested in finding out about any of the activities above, kindly email

Celebrating 40 years

of the Tower Tandoori

London’s Oldest Tandoori Restaurant

I

t’s 1978, the last Volkswagen Beetle ever is produced, the Bee Gees’ album ‘Saturday Night Fever’ goes Number 1 and the Tower Tandoori Opens its doors for the first time; to serve well-known Curry dishes and Tandoori Specialties to Bermondsey, London and beyond!

Mr Ali helped his sons establish the Indian Restaurant in Bermondsey, Tower Bridge Road and they later went on to open other restaurants in the area and nationally. The business has grown over the years and is now run by the founder’s grandson and third generation of the business, Suhel Ahmed.

Suhel, who is also the Chair of Southwark Council funded Tower Bridge Road Alliance (the business association for Tower Bridge Road) says the key to the business’s survival and success has been down to the close-knit community and their ongoing support.

info@towertandoori.co.uk

5 Stars!

The Tower Tandoori has had a rating of 5 stars for more than 20 years. The Restaurant was recently awarded 5 stars by Southwark Council. The restaurant is now the highest rated Indian Restaurant in Southwark with the best Food Hygiene rating. Owner Suhel Ahmed explained: ‘The current rating represents the team’s commitment to the business and the community.’

Bollywood comes to Bermondsey!

To commemorate the 40 year milestone, the restaurant will be organizing a celebratory Bollywood themed ‘Thank You’ event for residents and businesses of Bermondsey and Southwark in the autumn.

To be added to the invitation list, readers can email info@towertandoori.co.uk

William Rose 10 High quality Butcher Premium Quality free range and organic meat, poultry and game from UK suppliers with the highest standards of health and welfare.

% off

with this advert

Suffolk Blythburgh free range pork Texel Salt March Lamb from East Mercia Marshes Delicious Free Range Poultry Native rarebreed cattle Butchery Master Classes Course (ask for details) Suppliers to the retail and catering trade

Free delivery services (min £35 spend).

Now delivering in your area.

126 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, London SE22 8HD • Tel: 020 8693 9191 • Closed Sunday/Monday

www.williamrosebutchers.com

Follow us on Follow us on

food and drink

SEPTEMBER 2019

THE BOY DONE GOOD

B

Cara Cummings

razilian chef Gleysdon de Paula has opened two of south London’s most exciting fusion restaurants within 18 months of first setting up his business. Let’s start with a sobering fact: sixty percent of restaurants fail within their first year. It’s never been tougher to crack the eating out market - which makes Gleysdon de Paula’s success all the more astounding.

Less than two years ago, the Brazil-born chef was working in someone else’s kitchen. Today, he’s at the head of a rapidly expanding London-meets-Latin-American food empire, with his signature brand of TUPI restaurants serving up innovative fusion feasts to hungry south Londoners. European, South American and even Japanese-inspired flavours make up a TUPI meal, mixed across deceptively moreish dishes of the kind that - be warned might make you suddenly come over all Oliver Twist.

From menus full of surprises - halloumi and guava jam anyone?

- to wallpaper that truly wows, Gleysdon has forged his own defiantly different path with TUPI since day one. Every element of the Peckham and Elephant and Castle restaurants reflect his experience as a South American living in - and loving - London.

The TUPI world is bright, welcoming, playful and delicious; sip a ruiva picante (sumptuously fruity booze-juice with a hidden chilli hit) in front of the birds of paradise adorning the walls, and you could almost be in Rio, rather than behind the Elephant and Castle roundabout. It’s the cheapest holiday you’ll go on this summer. (Thanks again, Brexit.)

Gleysdon’s demeanour is as chilled as the tantalisingly tropical atmosphere he’s created; but don’t be fooled. Just as TUPI’s food punches far above its affordable-restaurant-category weight including a prawn and langoustine starter that rivals anything a Michelan star eatery might produce - Gleysdon’s laidback persona masks a driven, intrepid entrepreneurial core, and a habit of opening restaurants at breakneck pace. TUPI Peckham was opened in just three weeks. “I remember having a meeting on Tuesday, getting the keys on Wednesday and having to go back to the restaurant I was working at and say: ‘I got a restaurant!’”, laughs Gleysdon. “My boss didn’t believe me. ‘You don’t open restaurants that fast,’ he said. ‘It takes months!’”

His Elephant and Castle outpost, meanwhile, saw him become the first restauranteur to open up in Castle Square, Elephant

Park’s new gateway development. TUPI Peckham had been in business for just six months, making Gleysdon’s gamble the definition of ‘bold move’.

In fairness, it seems Gleysdon has never been one to hang around.

Having left Brazil for London at just 17 - “The city felt so big. Try taking a bus from Croydon to Camden on a sunny day; it seemed like forever!” - he got his big break three weeks into his first job as a kitchen porter.

“The head chef saw that I had passion,” he remembers. “Within three weeks he said, ‘Do you want to learn how to cook? We’ll hire someone else and you can help on the salad section.’ I think it was the shortest time anyone has ever been a kitchen porter! I just really, really wanted to do this.”

But it wasn’t long before Gleysdon’s trademark determination sparked a new idea: striking out on his own. “I think every chef wants to have the freedom to express themselves,” he says. “If

• 44 •

you don’t cook what your heart tells you to, you end up not liking your job. That’s the issue with a lot of chefs - they end up leaving restaurants. For me, it was down to being given a menu and told: ‘This is what you do, and this is how you do it.’ That’s fine, it pays the bills; but up to what point is it what you really want to do? I thought, ‘if I’m going to do my own thing, I want to put on a menu that mixes what I like, and what my team like and enjoy as well.”

If it sounds like hard work, it is. “Damn hard work!” stresses Gleysdon. “Whoever works in the catering industry, let me tell you: they’re working hard. We work our asses off.” And as a nonBritish national building a business, he doesn’t mince his words when it comes to the anti-immigration narratives.

“Most of those people who are opposed to immigration look at a statistic here or there, something like ‘2-3% of immigrants don’t work’, or whatever, and will make sure they highlight that.

There’s not a lot of people highlighting the good that’s being done.

You don’t see a lot of politicians saying ‘Look at all these South American, Indian, Polish businesses thriving all around London.’

“Imagine if we took out all the foreign business all at once. What happens to society, the community? It collapses. We contribute; it’s just a matter of highlighting the good that’s being done. Call me an immigrant, this or that - I work a lot, and I employ a lot of people. I know what I’m doing, and you can take me however you want.”

Gleysdon is equally upfront when it comes to criticisms of ‘gentrification’ Elephant and Castle becoming gentrified by developments like the one his second restaurant is part of.

“Everyone coming to Castle Square is an independent business and I’ll tell you: we may change the area, but we will keep the community intact,” he vows. “The developer isn’t looking for Byrons, or Jamie Olivers because that would kill the place. It would have the same feeling as any other high street in London where the community doesn’t matter, it does matter here.

“I’ve been in London long enough to see a lot of neighbourhoods changing - Tooting, Clapham, Streatham - but the community is very much the same. I’m working really hard to keep the South American community as part of the feel in here, just with a slightly more modern decor. The food, in the end, is 90% South American, so I’m not taking the community away and bringing a new one in. I’m just enhancing the original.”

carrie on

To date or not to date?

That is the question

T

Greenwich life coach Carrie Brooks shares her tips

he answer is: how to do you feel? Do you feel ready? Is this something you’d really like to do? Just remember there is no obligation here.

I have noticed recently that there has been a movement towards seeing the single state as something positive, as opposed to something negative that ought to be remedied as quickly as possible. One of the beauties of being single is that we can unapologetically prioritise ourselves, spending our time and energy on what we enjoy and what genuinely inspires us. Deciding to find the time to actually pursue what we want to do. It can be a precious time to reconnect, find ourselves again and rediscover life outside coupledom.

At the end of a relationship, we need to give ourselves time to reflect on how we feel, what we would do differently next time and most importantly: what did we learn about ourselves? This time of reflection is essential if we don’t want to keep dragging the same old issues into relationship after relationship. If we don’t take this time to think things through, we become what I call the ‘walking wounded’ -not healed and certainly not ready to embark on anything new. My motto here is “get your own ship in order before you ask anyone else to get on board!”

The most important thing we need to do before we step onto the dating merry-go-round is to understand exactly what we want. It’s interesting that if we are about to make a choice, an important life decision, say, buying a new car, we would do the research. We would decide whether we

want an electric one, hatchback or estate, for town or long trips; we would have a clear idea of what is important to us before we went to a dealership. However, when it comes to relationships we generally stumble into them, a veritable lottery with the outcome very much out of our hands. What I am suggesting here is: ask yourself what is important to you in a person? Do you value kindness, integrity, humour, a sense of adventure? Whatever these traits are, it is so much more productive to have a clear idea of what you’re looking for before you jump into the dating fray. This goes hand in hand with the idea of intelligent dating, which is essentially using your life experience, accrued common sense and a deeper understanding of human nature to date more intelligently. Hit the spot with more successful dates, waste less time, and have plenty more fun!

The latest statistics suggest that one in four relationships start online, so it may be time to step out of your comfort zone and step into Internet dating, if you haven’t tried it yet. Time can be valuably saved by taking the following simple step. If you are looking to connect with people who are genuinely interested in meeting up and dating, as opposed to having endless, mindless conversations on WhatsApp, (regular daters will know what I mean!) I recommend signing up to a dating site where you are encouraged to take the time to write a proper profile and preferably pay; this ensures a commitment and the likelihood of more actual dates.

Summer fun at Home Instead

I

n August Home Instead had the first Sunflower Café summer party which was attended by over 35 people, including the Lambeth Mayor, Ibrahim Dogus, and the heads and representatives from the Lambeth and Southwark Age UKs and Alzheimer’s Societies.

Home Instead owner Tony O’Flaherty said: “We had a fantastic time and our care-givers cooked a variety of dishes to cater for all tastes, from pork pies to Singaporean noodles and fried fish.”

“Me and a chap called Nick played a selection of tunes ranging from Doris Day to Bob Marley, and we were amazed when the whole audience got up and started dancing, including the Mayor!”

• 47 •

A dating article would not be complete without talking about the potential emotional bumps and bruises. As you put yourself out there you will be stepping outside your comfort zone and meeting a rich variety of people, and when we take a chance and put on our dating shoes, we put our hearts out there as well. I find the best way to be successful at dating is to make a pact with yourself to enjoy the date whatever happens. There has to have been some synergy in your earlier communication for you to be on the date in the first place, so if you don’t feel any chemistry, make the decision to enjoy their company, make the most of it. Even if you both go your separate ways afterwards, you have still talked and shared your time with another human being, and that in itself can be a healthy injection of variety.

One more thing I would like to share with you is to highlight how we tend to extinguish the fire of potential dates by dampening them with layers of our own expectations. We have so many expectations of what the date will be, what the person will be, what the future will be, that we smother the actual potential of any given moment. By suspending our expectation of what we believe some experience is going to be and instead just letting it unfold, we open up our life to some wonderful surprises.

If you feel ready to start dating or are out there already, I hope this article will give you pause for thought, assist you to be proactive in your dating experience and have much success, fun and delight!

wellbeing

7 Ways to Wellbeing #1 Be Active!

Do you, or someone you care about, wish to be more active, so as to improve your health and wellbeing? We can help - with general exercise programmes, a specialist gym equipped for people with disabilities and with social activities.

Aspire Wellbeing offers adults with short or long term physical disabilities, and individuals with learning disabilities, services and opportunities to improve your overall quality of life, and to gain and regain the skills and abilities that will enable you to live as full and healthy a life as possible.

To discuss how we can support you towards greater wellbeing, please call us on 020 8265 1125 or email health@aspirewellbeing.org

Aspire Wellbeing 1 Park Hall Road, West Dulwich, London SE21 8EH.

Education

2019

• A small school with a strong sense of community and smaller than average class sizes • A focus on academic excellence, achievement and progression • Extensive co-curriculum including Art, Drama, Music and Sport • Enrichment options such as Duke of Edinburgh Award, table tennis, debating and leatherwork • Unique careers programme with seminars, work placements and professional mentoring • Well-being and pupil engagement at the heart of all that we do, with Student Voice, free breakfasts and fruit for all

The school’s values of aspiration, integrity, exploration and resilience are evident around the school.

Ofsted, 2017

OPEN MORNINGS

OPEN EVENINGS

9:00-10:30am

5:00-7:30pm

• Friday 27th September

• Thursday 26th September

• Thursday 3rd October • Monday 7th October • Wednesday 9th October

020 3542 6506 | Drummond Road, SE16 2BT info@compass-schools.com | www.compass-schools.com

Secondary School Open Events Tuesday 1 October 2019, 9:00am–10:30am Thursday 3 October 2019, 5:00pm–7:00pm Tuesday 8 October 2019, 9:00am–10:00am (Tours only)

“Every day I feel appreciated and welcomed by my teachers and I know that Ark Globe will prepare me well for the next stages in my life.”

Isabella, Year 9

No appointment necessary

Sixth Form Open Evening Thursday 5 December 2019, 5:00pm–7:00pm If you are interested in attending our Sixth Form Open Evening please register via email to n.barcinska@arkglobe.org

Ark Globe Academy, Harper Road, London SE1 6AF Principal: Mr Matt Jones 020 7407 6877 arkglobe.org info@arkglobe.org @ARKGlobeAcademy

Preparing our students for university and to be leaders in their community GLO0488 Southwark Weekender 221_286.indd 1

13/08/2019 11:29

At 1st Place, we are passionate about enabling children to achieve their potential.

At our three nurseries, we: • Encourage children to explore hands-on experiences that spark curiosity and wonder.

• Offer creative learning and resources that enable children to make meaning of the world around them.

• Provide a physical environment designed to give children a personal space to move, experiment and discover in their own way.

Find out more about what makes us unique:

www.1stplace.uk.com

education

SEPTEMBER 2019

GET INTO THE RIGHT SECONDARY SCHOOL

WHERE TO START AND HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS

The difficulties faced each year deciding which secondary school to apply to for your child remains one of the biggest education decisions for parents and carers...

You can’t expect to name a secondary school and assume that your child will automatically be offered a place. It is simply a case of listing the schools you prefer and awaiting the outcome of the allocation process.

It is vital that you get the order of preferences right on your child’s primary to secondary transfer application.

You may be tempted to name just one school on the online application as it is the only school you want for your child.

However, there are no guarantees that your child will be offered this school. To increase the chances of your child being offered a preferred school, we strongly advise you to list up to six preferences on their application.

It is all too easy just to go by hearsay and reputations - visit the schools for yourself. A school that may never have been in your mind before could offer subjects or have specialist facilities that would better suit your child more than the school that was originally top of your list.

There are various types of secondary schools to choose from including academies, voluntary aided, foundation, free and independent schools. And it is here where the oversubscription criteria vary. It is important you fully understand the oversubscription criteria and match them to your own circumstances.

Some schools are heavily oversubscribed, with hundreds applying for just 120 – 300 places.

When you go to an open day, make sure you find out

how many applications the school usually receives - this information will also be printed in the Starting Secondary school in Southwark 2019/2020 brochure and the Starting secondary school in Lambeth 2020/21 booklet.

The more people who apply for a school for their children, the bigger the risk that your child might not be offered a place at that school. Armed with this knowledge, you should be better placed to put your preferences down.

Do use all six preferences - however, you need to be wary about only choosing schools which are heavily over-subscribed. You should name your first preference school on the application, but also list preferences where your child has a realistic chance of being offered a place.

As the local paper, we have often seen situations where parents and carers have only listed oversubscribed schools as preferences on their child’s application and consequently have not been offered a place at any of them. So, from being in a position where they had the luxury of being able

• 55 •

to name preferred schools, they were left feeling like they had no option but to accept the alternative school they had been allocated by the local authority - this is likely to be the nearest school to the child’s home which has a vacancy.

This offer of a school place will remain available unless the local authority is notified of any other suitable alternative arrangement for education that has been made for their child.

Applying for secondary schools can be emotionally difficult. It is such a vital decision for your child’s future.

If your child is in Year 6 and currently attending one of Southwark’s or Lambeth’s primary schools, you will receive further information from your child’s school.

If you are a Southwark resident you must apply online at: www.southwark.gov.uk/schooladmissions or If you are a Lambeth resident you must apply online at www.lambeth.gov.uk/eadmissions

Continues page 58

SEPTEMBER 2019

education

Continues from page 53 The online application process gets rid of the paperwork and is available to use 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The site allows users to save, continue or make changes to their application, right up until the closing date and your details are safe and secure. You can of course print a copy of your application to keep and can also view the outcome online. The closing date to submit the online application is 31 October 2019 by 11.59pm.

You also need to ensure that you submit a school Supplementary Information Form (SIF) to the schools you apply for that need these, to the school by their deadline. These ask for further information, such as religious observance or regarding school specialisms.

Where a school requires your child to sit an admissions banding test, it is vital that they sit the test. Children will be invited to the test once a SIF has been received at the school. Failure to provide a SIF to the school by their deadline and your child sitting a banding test, where these are needed, may significantly reduce the chances of your child being offered a place at a school on your application.

Children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan follow a different admissions process and parents and carers must contact the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Team within their local authority for further advice.

Once you have made your preferences and submitted your online application by the closing date, your application will be processed. If you have successfully submitted your online application before the closing date,

you will be able to view the results of your application on the eAdmissions website (www.eadmissions.org. uk) during the evening of 2 March 2020. You will also be sent an email in the evening of 2 March 2020 which will contain information on what to do next.

If it was not possible to offer a place at any of your preferred schools, then the School Admissions Team will allocate your child an alternative secondary school. This is likely to be the nearest school to your child’s home which has a vacancy. You also have the right to appeal against the decision not to offer your child a place at a preferred school. The email containing the outcome of your child’s application will include information about how to appeal.

If it has not been possible to offer a place at any schools named as a higher preference on your child’s application, your child’s name will automatically be added to the waiting

• 60 •

lists of these schools. You may also ask for your child’s name to be added to the waiting list of any out of borough schools listed on your application. Please contact the local authority the school is located in for further information.

If your child has been offered a secondary school place, you have until 16 March 2020 to respond to this offer. For those that live in Southwark, if the School Admissions Team do not hear from you by this date, your offer will automatically be accepted and your child’s details forwarded to the allocated school. If you live in Lambeth, the School Admissions Team require all offers to be responded to, ie accepting these by 16 March 2020.

Only if you reject the offer and also provide details of any alternative arrangement you have made for your child’s education, will your child’s place be withdrawn and offered to the next child on the school’s waiting list.

FREE TO BE AMBITIOUS_ STUDY WITH US Open Enrolment until Saturday 7 September Clapham Centre, SW4 9BL

Find out more www.lambethcollege.ac.uk 020 7501 5010

@1stPlaceCentre

OAK TREE DAY NURSERY * Close to public transport * Free settling in sessions * Free baby and parent music sessions * Nutritious and delicious meals * Excellent facilities * Newly renovated premises * Stimulating, caring and homely environment

* Qualified and experienced staff * Outside garden * Good OFSTED report * French * Music & movement * Fun Sports sessions * Early years foundation stage curriculum * Baby unit * Sensory room

3 months to 5 years

8am to 6pm (Mon to Fri)

Free registration with this advert, offer ends on 30/10/19

020 8674 4844

56-58 Blairderry Road, Streatham Hill, London SW2 4SB

www.oaktreedaynursery.com

Give your child the best start at Oak Tree Day Nursery, Streatham Hill

O

ak Tree Day Nurser y Streatham Hill aims to provide each child with the opportunit y to achieve their potential in a safe and stimulating environment.

The nurser y follows the EY FS curriculum and have state-of-the art ICT equipment with touch screen and educational programmes for the children’s use. The nurser y also offers extra curricular activities such as French, Music and Movement and Fun sports at no extra cost. We also offer free settling in sessions. Free baby and parents music workshop on Saturdays mornings for children aged 0-2 years.

The nurser y has a sensor y room and a large garden, which offers the children plent y of opportunit y for exploration, play and learning.

They also have a mud kitchen and pots to grow vegetables. The children enjoy outings to places such as the local librar y, fruit & vegetable stalls, parks, farms and Polka Theatre. Our children enjoy delicious, balanced

and nutritious meals which promote healthy eating. We have been consistently been awarded 5 stars

by Lambeth council Food Hygiene / Food standards / Health & Safet y inspectors, the most recent inspection was on the 25th of July 2019.

““

Children feel secure and settled in this homely nursery. Specialist teachers in French and music visit the children regularly to teach language and music; this enriches children’s learning.”

Comments by Ofsted

Open day: Saturday, 28th of September from 10am – 2pm.

(Registration fee will be waived for children registered on the day) For more information, please contact the nursery on 02086744844 or email enquiries@oaktreedaynursery.com

THE TRADING FLOOR

Excellence in Irish Dance

Classes across South London & Kent

Children age 4+ For more information on classes or to hire us please contact Deborah Whelan TCRG 07837818375 info@deborahwhelandance.com www.deborahwhelandance.com

SUMMER sale

Any Size Loand and Distance Anywhere

MAN, VAN & HANDY

50% off

FULLY INSURED

aS Many HanDS aS yOU neeD FOR an aDDITIOnaL £10 peR Man

£35 for SINGLE ITEM DELIVERY

Most beds can be delivered next day.

Single, Double and Kingsize mattresses in Stock.

100s of models to choose from.

MInIMUM Fee appLIeS TO JOBS LeSS THan 2HRS

384 Walworth Road, London, SE17 2NG

We disconnect and reconnect appliances STORaGe-HOUSe & RUBBISH CLeaRanCeS

Tel: 020 7701 9900 Open Monday-SATURDAY 9.30am - 6.00pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

Call Malcolm McDonald 07876 508357 / 020 8674 3023

CASH / CASH / CASH / CASH

Extensions, Garden Walls, Paving, Patios, Pointing, Demolition, Propping and Dry Pack, Steelwork, Drainage, Concreting, Underpinning, Fencing, Timberwork, Groundworks and all Structural Works.

WANTED

CARS + VANS ANY CONDITION • ANY AREA • PROMPT & POLITE SERVICE

TELEPHONE

020 8659 8988 ANY DAY, ANY TIME, 7 DAYS MOBILE

07850 323 508

CLASSIC & UNSUAL CARS ALSO WANTED

To place and advert, please contact Lorraine on

0207 232 1639 •

lorraine@southwarknews.co.uk

CASH / CASH / CASH / CASH

BRICKWORK

Tel 02086597373 Mob: 07947994752

email: info@storytotell.co.uk Web: storytotell.co.uk

home turf

SEPTEMBER 2019

Scabius

W

e are moving into the last of the summer months; daylight hours are noticeably shorter, a reminder that the season is slowly turning towards autumn. By mid-August, after months of growth and variable temperatures, some plants are looking a little tired and showing signs of wear and tear with leaf drop. Despite periods of record breaking temperatures, rainfall was steady through June and July and enough to avoid drought conditions.

A woman for all seasons

By Jackie Power

There are still lots of flowering annuals and perennials to enjoy. Look out for bright orange / yellow French and African Marigolds (confusingly originating from Mexico).

Also Scabious with deep blue, white or lavender flowers (loved by bees) and feathery foliage. Another arrival at this time of year is the giant annual sunflower; it usually has a massive single bright yellow flower head, which follows the sun’s course across the sky all day – as if it knows there are only weeks of precious summer left!

Ornamental Salvias are a group of perennials which seem under used in the garden; there are different varieties and a type for every location including window boxes.

Salvias often have delicate scented leaves and also produce

““

Despite periods of record breaking temperatures, rainfall was steady through June and July and enough to avoid drought conditions. There are still lots of flowering annuals and perennials to enjoy • 66 •

masses of flowers in a range of colours from red, pink, deepest blue to pale lavender. One gorgeous Salvia is ‘Javier’ with bright green foliage and small blue-purple flowers born on long stems. This and other Salvias are a magnet for beneficial insects (bees, butterflies/moths).

Salvia ‘Viola Klose’ has mid-green leaves and deep blue flowers. Salvia ‘Silas Dyson’ has vibrant red flowers and it prefers full sun and usually blooms until October.

Strawberry plants have finished fruiting and sent out long tendrils (runners) which develop plantlets. They will root into the ground by themselves whilst still attached to the main plant. Once rooted, the linking runner can be cut. Strawberry plants are productive for three to four years then need replacing. Collect new plantlets and either pot up or move to a different position in the garden and start a new strawberry patch. In their first season they do not usually produce much fruit.

Remove berries to ensure energy is focused on developing a strong root system and healthy foliage for the following year.

Strawberries are happy growing in window boxes, providing they are fed (Vitax Organic Liquid Feed) from early spring and kept well-watered during the growing season.

property

SEPTEMBER 2019

Homeward Bound

New builds, luxury flats, affordable housing and what’s up your street

A collection of duplex townhouses has launched at London Square Bermondsey in the heart of SE1.

These are part of the first phase of the new £220m regeneration at The Tannery, designed by Coffey Architects, comprising a striking new building, and the restoration and conversion of the original Tannery warehouse building, which dates from the 1920s and is a fine example of industrial architecture. The site was also the home of a Crosse & Blackwell factory. London Square Bermondsey will include galleries and studios for Bermondseybased Tannery Arts plus co-working spaces for start-ups, in a collection of heritage and contemporary buildings.

Continued on next page u

• 67 •

SEPTEMBER 2019

property

Grange Road Apartments from £610k +

T

he townhouses comprise a one-bedroom ground floor and mezzanine duplex in a refurbished warehouse at The Tannery, 765 sq ft in total, for £695,000 with its own ground level front door accessed through the courtyard garden, plus a two bedroom townhouse for £1,140,000 in the warehouse, and a selection of new build three bedroom townhouses from £1,250,000, all with private terraces.

Apartments start from £610, 000 and include a selection in the restored warehouse building featuring industrial styling and also contemporary new build from one to three bedrooms. Kitchens feature Siemens integrated appliances and sleek cabinetry and spacious open-plan living areas, perfect for entertaining or relaxing. Apartment features include underfloor heating and audio systems, with speakers in the living room and master bedroom.

All apartments have private outdoor space, either a balcony or a private terrace. Video entry and a CCTV system is integral, as part of a Secure by Design initiative.

An on-site gym, equipped with the latest cardio and conditioning machines, is also provided. The development will feature communal gardens and green spaces, providing a haven away from the bustle of the capital.

The development is the showcase scheme in a major regeneration plan for the wider Old Kent Road area, set to bring thousands of new homes, schools, jobs, parks, public areas and two new tube stations for the Bakerloo Line extension. Bermondsey Street is close by, where fashionable bars, restaurants, the iconic White Cube art gallery, the Fashion and Textile Museum, and independent shops can be found in spectacular, restored former industrial buildings, from quirky to designer. London Square

Bermondsey is a short walk from Jubilee Line stations Bermondsey and London Bridge, alongside the main national rail station. It is also close to excellent cycling routes to the West End and City and good bus links.

Bermondsey has some fascinating open spaces, including Bermondsey Spa Gardens, with a playground, games area and picnic grounds. Tabard Gardens and Leathermarket Gardens are other hidden green pockets to discover. Just over a mile away, Southwark Park has 61 acres, with a bandstand, boating lake, tennis courts and rose gardens.

SE1 is one of the few London postal districts where prices are rising, according to latest Land Registry figures which showed a 6.3 per cent growth last year – good news for buyers looking to buy in an area where there is growth to be achieved and yet already offers a great lifestyle.

Rebecca Littler, Sales and Marketing Director, London Square, said: “Buyers are attracted to Bermondsey because it has such an authentic atmosphere and a real buzz for people who live in the area, for those who

• 68 •

work here and for the people who just love to enjoy all it has to offer. London Square Bermondsey captures the essence of SE1, with a great mix of new and warehouse style homes and a cultural element with galleries and studio for emerging artists and spaces for start-ups.

There has been a high demand from buyers who want to be at the heart of this district and be able to walk to highly rated restaurants and bars in Bermondsey, as well as embracing the arts and cultural vibe in the area.

“We love being part of the local community and will be taking part in the Bermondsey Street Festival on September 14 and are looking forward to a great day. We hope visitors to the festival will come and take a look at our sales suite where we have a range of show homes by three interior designers.”

Call developer London Square on 0333 666 4343. www.londonsquare.co.uk The London Square sales suite: 58 Grange Road, Bermondsey, SE1 3BH

E RE

H

UAL ACT AREA L A Y C LO APH OGR T O PH

D

SEY T

NEW

MON R

The

L BE A

heart & soul of SE1

4.7 ACRE LANDMARK DEVELOPMENT OF NEW BUILD AND WAREHOUSE STYLE APARTMENTS AND TOWNHOUSES CLOSE TO BARS, RESTAURANTS AND AMENITIES, THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE IN SE1 Just 12 minutes’ walk from London Bridge Station

Selected apartments with views of London’s iconic skyline

Concierge, residents’ gym and landscaped courtyards and gardens on site

New landscaped square, walkways and open spaces for the community

1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments and townhouses from £610,000 Call to book your viewing appointment

0333 666 4343 bermondsey@londonsquare.co.uk Sales Suite and three stunning Show Apartments are open daily.

58 Grange Road, Bermondsey, London SE1 3BH. Computer generated image depicts exterior and photography depicts Show Apartments at London Square Bermondsey and is indicative only.

Distances are approximate and are sourced from www.tfl.gov.uk. Details and prices are correct at time of going to press. August 2019.

WWW.LONDONSQUARE.CO.UK

Can you make Southwark

cleaner greener or safer?

Have an idea for a community garden? Does a playground or sports facility near you need a new lease of life? From new lighting to cycle lockers, seats to zebra crossings, outdoor classrooms to raised tables, the 2020/21 Cleaner Greener Safer and Devolved Highways programmes could make your idea a reality.

Visit www.southwark.gov.uk/cleanergreenersafer for more information, or pick up a form* at your local library, Peckham MySouthwark Service Point or leisure centre.

Closing date is Monday 7 October 2019. *Same form can be used to apply for Devolved Highways Funding

ZSUZSI ROBOZ TRUST SCHOLARSHIP The Zsuzsi Roboz Art Trust Scholarship is a unique opportunity for emerging artists to develop their artistic style and skills under the guidance of staff from Morley’s School of Visual and Digital Arts.

Find out more at: www.morleycollege.ac.uk/ zsuzsi-roboz-art-scholarship

INSIDE OUT – ZSUZSI ROBOZ ZSUZSI ROBOZ TRUST ART SCHOLARSHIP SCHOLARSHIP 2018/19

Join us for an exhibition of works by our current scholars, Loyane Bianchini and Kirsty Howlett.

6–12 September 2019 14:00–18:00 Daily The Cello Factory 33–34 Cornwall Road, London SE1 8TJ

2019

ZSUZSI ROBOZ TRUST SCHOLARSHIP

Calling All Sound Artists!

Our third International Sound Art competition is now open and we invite submissions of original works of sound art, including audio and audio-visual pieces, interactive works and performances, installations, sound sculptures, and graphic scores.

ENTRY DEADLINE: 15 September 2019 For full details, including how to enter, visit www.engineroomlondon.org

EXHIBITION: 5–24 October 2019 IKLECTIK Art Lab Old Paradise Yard, 20 Carlisle Lane, London SE1 7LG

AUTUMN EVENTS at Morley

MORLEY COLLEGE LONDON

WINTER FAIR 1 December 2019

THE SCRATCH ORCHESTRA AT 50 The Scratch Orchestra grew out of a series of music composition classes held at Morley College London.

Cornelius Cardew Concerts Trust Concert 4 October, 19:30–21:30 A Weekend of Seminars and Workshops 26-27 October, 10:00–17:00 Howard Skempton and Michael Chant Talk 31 October, 18:00–19:30 A Celebratory Scratch Concert 1 November, 19:00–21:00

PENNY LECTURES Our oldest tradition dates all the way back to when we were first founded!

Listen to a lecture on an interesting and unusual subject, delivered by an expert, for just a penny.

PENNY LECTURES

The Silence of Solitude 16 October, 18:00–19:30, 1p Berlioz 150 Years Later 29 November, 19:30–21:00, 1p

THE ORIGINAL TED TALKS

UNTOLD TALES

Six bitesize animations reflecting on contemporary life in the UK. 9 September–19 October, M–F 9:00–21:00, Sat 9:00–15:00

© Ian Gouldstone

EXHIBITION:

“Our work is to bridge the chasm which too often separates people.”

– Emma Cons

Tuesday Lunchtime Concert Series 10 September–10 December, 13:05–14:00

Revealing the Hidden Wisdom of Poetry

Morley Chamber Orchestra Concert Series: Concert 1

8 November, 19:00

18 October, 19:30–21:00

For full details of all events at Morley, and to book tickets, visit www.morleycollege.ac.uk/events