Wednesday 19 December 2012

Deptford pubs added to local listing

As part of its ongoing strategy to protect pubs in the borough (better late than never) and categorise its heritage assets, the council has proposed half a dozen pubs in Deptford and New Cross to be 'locally listed', part of a total of 26 buildings in the borough picked out to be added to the existing list. The existing list can be downloaded from the council's website.

Anyone following the recent saga of the Catford Tavern, which was locally listed in a hurry when the owner put in a planning application to turn the building into flats and retail space, will appreciate how even successful, well-run pubs can be put at risk if the building owner decides it's time to cash in. At the cabinet meeting where this proposal was considered, councillor Liam Curran even suggested that the council should consider listing all its Victorian pubs en masse, following the lead of a group of students from Kingston University who are aiming to get Unesco World Heritage status for the London boozer as a 'type' of building worth preserving.

However welcome this move is in terms of raising the profile of some of our less obvious assets, it's worth remembering that local listing does not give the building any statutory protection against being demolished or altered. English Heritage, which has published a 'good practice' guide to local listing available to download here, explains: 'Heritage assets not designated under statutory regimes, but recognised by the local planning authority as having heritage significance do merit consideration in planning matters; with the LPA taking a balanced judgement having regard to the scale of any harm or loss and the significance of the heritage asset.'

As you were, then.

Here's the pubs that have been put forward for local listing, and the detailed explanations of why. Full details of all 26 buildings to be listed are available here.

Albertines

An attractive Victorian corner pub built as the ‘Clarendon Arms’ in 1857 on the site of
the former Bricklayers’ Arms of 1803/04. It was renamed the ‘Malt and Hops’ in 1992
before its current sign of ‘Albertines’. Albertines is in a similar heavy classical style
as the Five Bells on New Cross Road (Grade II statutory listed) but without the finer
architectural detailing.
Albertines is built of red brick with deep eaves with decorative corbels and a shallow
pitched roof. There is a full height bay to the Lewisham Way elevation and the
original timber sash windows to the upper floors remain, including large venetian
windows.
This building makes a positive contribution to the townscape and contributes towards
the setting of the nearby listed buildings, 160 -186 Lewisham Way and 239
Lewisham Way.


The Haberdashers


The Haberdashers is a classically inspired pub built as the Rosemary Branch around
1854. It is a three storey building built from yellow stock brick with stuccoed detailing.
Below the parapet is an ornate frieze and two channel jointed rendered pilasters with
an urn resting on a small corbel. The windows to the first floor are grandly expressed
with a solid cornice and corbel detail. The original windows to the upper floors
remain and the first floor has particularly decorative arched sashes.
This pub reflects the architectural style of the surrounding residential area but has
enhanced the classical styling to create a beautifully ornate building. The
Haberdashers is an attractive building whose architectural merit make this a locally
important building.


The Black Horse

An traditional three storey Victorian working pub from the 1870/80s. It is built in stock
brick with deep decorative eaves. The original bull nosed timber sash windows
remain to the upper floor but the first floor windows have been replaced.
This pub has an impressive green and beige tiled frontage which makes a historic
contribution to the local streetscape which has been largely redeveloped in the
twentieth century. This pub was originally a corner pub although since
redevelopment this is no longer the case. The fascia is also tiled with the signage
incorporated into the tiling and the original windows and large gas entrance lamp
remains. The dentiled course separates the tiled frontage from the upper floors.


The Cranbrook

The Cranbrook is an unusual and beautiful bullnosed building on the junction of
Brookmill Road and Cranbrook Road. It was built in 1854 as part of the creation of
Deptford New Town in the mid – late 19th century. It reflects the building style of the
surrounding terraces in the Brookmill conservation area which are simply designed
with classical influences and unified with a rendered parapet. The Cranbrook is three
storeys tall and looks over the surrounding streets as the most prominent building
within the conservation area. It is made from yellow stock brick with a stucco ground
floor with Palladium inspired channel jointing and decorated window apertures to the
upper floors. Like the surrounding terraces the pub also has a thick stucco parapet
that wraps around the building. The windows of the building to the upper floors are
evenly and generously distributed.


The Harp




Built in 1897, this is a large and attractive pub that sits facing down Deptford High St
from Evelyn Street. It is astride the two junctions with New King Street and
Watergate Street and has been designed to address these streets as well. It makes
a handsome contribution to the streetscape.
The pub is in an ornate classical style with Baroque influences and is rendered to the
upper floors with an unusual pink marble pub frontage. The roof is a dummy
mansard which falls to a simple pitched roof to the rear. There are two ornate
dormers to the roof with a circular window to one and a tablet of a harp to the other.
There is an ornate frieze that wraps around the building at eaves levels. The first
floor windows have decorative pediments and the proportions reveal a generously
proportions rooms internally. To the ground floor the two original entrances have
been converted into windows but the pediments above the fascias revealing the
original locations. All the original timber windows remain to the upper floors.


The White Swan



An imposing corner property situated on Deptford High Street on the corner with
Edward Street. This was built as a pub and also a hotel in the early 1800s. It is stock
brick with classical detailing and retains the original pub frontage. There is a grand
separate entrance to the hotel on the Edward Street elevation and the pilasters,
fascia and decorative entrances of the pub frontage are all still intact. The pediment
detail to the first floor windows has been removed. The most impressive element of
this building, which can be seen along the street, is the deep parapet which
incorporates the signage ‘Swan’, ‘Hotel’ and ‘The White Swan’ and classical arched
detailing. At the corner rising above the parapet is a swan figurine sitting within a
stuccoed recessed background with a finial above.

Friday 7 December 2012

Deptford Community Cookbook and live cooking demos

The Deptford Community Cookbook which I wrote about earlier this year is now on sale, and the organisers behind the project have been launching the book with a series of live cooking demonstrations on Saturdays. Unfortunately the post I scheduled to publish earlier this month did not appear, perhaps due to operator error, but you can still catch the last demo this weekend.



They will be showcasing recipes from the book this Saturday 22nd December from 11.30am to 2pm, in conjunction with Regenerate Deptford High Street (no I've never heard of it either).

Niaomh says: "We are located next to the Codfather fishmonger, there will be free tasters and the book will be for sale for only a tenner! The book is also available for purchase through our website http://www.deptfordcookbook.com and will be on sale in some local shops."


Saturday 1 December 2012

Cockpit Arts open studios and New Cross Learning AGM & Christmas fayre

News of two upcoming local events - the annual pre-christmas open studios at Cockpit Arts and the AGM and Christmas Fayre at New Cross Learning (formerly New Cross Library).

7-9 December 2012
£3 entry (free on Friday) 
Friday 11-9
Sat, Sun 11-6

I usually make an effort to get round Cockpit Arts at least once a year and usually find at least one or two great presents. It's well worth the effort, especially if you haven't been before, and even if you don't have any money to spend it's a fascinating opportunity to meet some very skilled crafters and admire their gorgeous creations.  

However I do have to take issue with the way Cockpit Arts is promoting the studios on the website as being 'a stone's throw from glorious Greenwich'. PLEASE! It's 'a stone's throw from glorious Deptford' and a bit further to Greenwich if you like that kind of thing. Anyone would think they were ashamed of being this side of the Creek!


New Cross Learning AGM & Christmas Fayre
Sunday 16 December
AGM 2pm-3pm
Christmas Fayre 3pm-6pm
Free entry.

All are welcome at the AGM as well as the fayre.

The community-run learning space and library in New Cross is celebrating its second Christmas with a festive book fayre. There will be:

  • A Christmas tree made of books
  • Mystery book bags for £5
  • New and second hand books for sale from 20p
  • Book consultant service for advice on those tricky Christmas book giving decisions
  • Festive crafts
  • Raffle
  • Mulled wine and mince pies

According to the press release: “It’s going to be a fabulous festive afternoon” said the chair of New Cross Learning, Gillian Hart. “Book lovers should come to buy our books for friends and relatives. We’ve got a marvellous selection, and every penny we make goes towards our utility bills – and keeps our learning space and library open! So it’s not just a gift for your friends, it’s a gift for the whole community in New Cross.”

The Christmas Fair will follow New Cross Learning’s first Annual General Meeting, which will report back on the community-run learning space and library’s first year of work and accounts, and elect a new management team.


DIY home insulation workshop


Transition New Cross has organised a 'DIY home insulation workshop' which will take place at the old Tidemill School building on Sunday 2 December. 

The workshop is intended to help residents install DIY measures to reduce heat loss from their homes and learn how they can minimise their energy bills; it has been organised by Transition New Cross, a collective of locals promoting sustainability issues and engagement in the community.

The workshop provides participants with easy to make insulation adjustments for the house and will cover the following topics and techniques:
- temperature management
- curtain making
- DIY door and window sealing
- radiator reflector installation

As well as learning how to apply these to your own home, participants can get hands-on experience by helping to apply them in the venue. Materials will be provided by the organisers and no building skills are required.


The DIY home insulation workshop
Time: 11am to 5pm
Date: 2nd December 2012
Location: Old Tidemill school (Frankham street, SE8 4RN, Deptford)
Organisers: Transition New Cross and Assembly SE8