Twinkle Park summer festival Sunday 9 June

Although strictly speaking Twinkle Park is in Greenwich, I don't like to hold that against it. And if you've never had chance to explore this little oasis at the end of Watergate Street, the summer festival - this year on 9 June - is a good excuse to do so.

‘Sounds in the Park’ is presented by Twinkle Park Trust and Friends in partnership with Parksfest 2013, a series of free events organised by Friends of Greenwich Parks and supported by the Royal Borough of Greenwich. 

This Summer Festival will take place in the beautiful surroundings of Twinkle Park, close to the River Thames. This charming ecological garden with a large pond is the serene habitat of wildlife, and is surrounded by colourful shrubs and tall trees. It is a magical place of relaxation and beauty. 

It will be the eighth annual summer event organised by members of the Trust, and volunteers and is a free event open to the general public. This lovely setting will provide an open air stage for the Paul Zec Jazz Quintet; reggae by DJ Patrick Gardener; Heart of Soul Steel Pans; Arty Party - mask making; Pond Dipping (a children’s activity), Pimms O’Clock café and refreshments. 

In addition the Festival will host displays by the Twinkle Park Trust and Build The Lenox project; Utrophia, Community Garden, the Solar Smoothie and Portrait Stall. 

The Festival is supported through grants from Greenwich Parks Forum and the Royal Greenwich Festivals, Royal Borough of Greenwich. The Park has recently undergone a clean up provided by United House, a friend of Twinkle Park Trust and Twinkle Park Trust Friends. United House plan to fund a replanting scheme this autumn. 

Both Twinkle Park and neighbouring Charlotte Turner Gardens, managed by Twinkle Park Trust received the Green Flag Community Award in 2012, nine years for Twinkle Park and 4 years for the Gardens; and are now being assessed for the 2013 award. It is a day when visitors from both the local community and members of the public from further afield, come together to enjoy a great day of events for all the family, young people and adults in the great open space of Twinkle Park.

Sounds in the Park
Sunday 9 June, 1-6pm
Twinkle Park, Borthwick Street, Deptford
Bring a picnic and a rug!

Elderly woman dies in fire on Deptford High Street

An elderly woman died in a fire on Deptford High Street in the early hours of this morning and a second woman had to be rescued from a flat on the second floor of the building, which is next door to the Morley's Chicken Shop. Fire crews and police were on the scene this morning and closed the road to carry out their investigations. According to the official report from the London Fire Brigade, officers from six stations attended the scene; one of the closest of those, New Cross, is earmarked for closure in the proposed cuts. With response times set to increase if these closures go ahead, it begs the question of whether the second woman would have survived in those circumstances.

From the LFB website:
Firefighters were called to a fire in a shop converted into flats on Deptford High Street during the early hours of this morning. Crews rescued an elderly lady from the ground floor of the building but sadly she later died at the scene. A second woman was rescued by firefighters using a ladder from a flat on the second floor and she was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service suffering from smoke inhalation. The fire damaged a large part of the building’s ground floor. The Brigade was called at 0131 and the fire was under control by 0228. Six fire engines, 35 firefighters and officers from Deptford, Greenwich, Lewisham, New Cross, Old Kent Road and East Greenwich fire stations attended the incident. The cause of the fire is being investigated by London Fire Brigade’s fire investigation team and the Metropolitan Police.

Updated: the victim has been named as 82-year-old Giuseppina Fazzani and the police are now treating this as murder.

In Situ project space launches

Thursday sees the opening of the In Situ project space on New Cross Road, right next door to the Royal Albert, one of Deptford's finest locals. Art and ale, potentially a great combination.

The space has been under development for some time but on Thursday the waiting will be over, with the official opening sponsored by By the Horns brewery and the first residency a three-week 'adventure in lifestyle, craft and noise' by Gaggle Cave, a '20-strong alternative female choir'.

After the private view on Thursday, Gaggle Cave will be open to the public, Friday 31st May – Thursday 20th June, 12 - 8pm daily and Gaggle live rehearsals will take place every Tuesday during their occupation, 7 - 9pm.
www.gagglemountain.com

Find out more about the In Situ project space at the Facebook page.

Giffin Square becomes whole again...

..well almost. Just the last few hoardings to remove. I make it approximately 15 months since the rest of the square was finished.

Food for thought: upcoming events

This week's round-up of upcoming events is focussed entirely on my favourite subject: food. Well my favourite subject after beer, that is.

This weekend in Deptford Market sees the first in a series of live performance works, curated by Something Human in collaboration with Brockspace. This series Freshly Packed/Always Check the Label ' explores themes of flesh, meat, life, the body and mortality'.

At 11.30am on Saturday you can witness American artist Anya Liftig carrying out the first of the works outside Codfather's fishmonger. She will be... er.. talking to and then cooking a lobster. Not recommended for vegans or those of a sensitive disposition.

Next weekend is the launch of the 'Deptford Food Court' in Douglas Square. Try to set aside the images of dingy shopping malls and plastic seats that the words 'food court' conjure up. I'm sure it will be way more tasteful and chic than that. According to the poster below, there will be 15 new food stalls as well as chairs and tables at which to eat your food, although only 11 traders are listed on the poster. New Saturday regular In a Pikkle will be there, and even if you don't have room for a full meal I recommend dropping by for one (or three) of their lovely fishcakes.

Finally, and a bit further afield, the launch of Edible High Road also takes place next weekend, but in Forest Hill. Somewhat outside the Deptford boundaries, I know, but there's a possibility that this could be rolled out across other parts of the borough next year, so worth keeping an eye on.

Summer 2013 will see SE23 transformed into a fruity Urban Orchard! 

Local shops and businesses are hosting 70 beautiful fruit trees as part of a city-wide network of Edible High Roads, a real celebration of urban orchards. From the Horniman Museum to sober firms of solicitors and fashionable pop-ups, SE23′s business community has warmly embraced the Edible High Road. 

So turn yourself into a Tree Hunter by exploring our urban orchard using a special Edible Trail Map; the first 100 Tree Hunters under 11 can claim a free potted herb worth £1.99 from Shannon’s Garden Centre on Stanstead Road.

You can read more about the project, which is part of the Chelsea Fringe garden festival on the Lewisham Gardens website here.

A matter of opinion

Last year before Deptford High Street 'improvement' works began, the council held a public consultation event at the Deptford Lounge. This was to tell people - residents, shop owners, market traders and so on - what they were proposing to do to on the High Street and ask for their opinions about how often they use the street and what would encourage them to shop there more often. 

With plans afoot to remodel the south end of the high street, the survey also included a question about what should happen to the anchor. 

At the event I was told by one of the staff that the results of the survey - which at the time was still open  - that there was strong support for the anchor to stay in Deptford, backing up my own experience of talking to people about it locally, and the comments they make on this blog and on other social media sites.

Since then, as has been reported on here and elsewhere, the future of the anchor in Deptford - seen here just prior to being removed from the High Street - is far from certain.

At the moment it is being stored on the Convoys Wharf site, and some councillors and officers have said that once redeveloped, the former dockyard will be its permanent home.

This would be utterly pointless in my opinion, you might as well send it back to Chatham where it came from. For a start, most of the former dockyard is still there - some parts such as the Olympia Building are even above ground - on the site of Convoys Wharf. The developers have paid plenty of lipservice to their commitment to acknowledge the former heritage of the site, and depending on how that pans out in their masterplan, they shouldn't really need an anchor to create the maritime link.

What's more, if they did need something, it would be more appropriate to request the return of the clocktower from the former 18th century storehouse, whose cupola was shipped away to Thamesmead in 1986, where it still remains unnoticed and unmarked in the middle of a dying cluster of shops.

I have always argued that the anchor - while not being originally from Deptford Dockyard, and being a relatively new addition to the High Street - should stay on the High Street itself. It is an overt symbol of Deptford's maritime history, of which there is very little else - close to zero I would suggest - left in our main thoroughfare.

When I first moved to this part of south east London it was several years before I came to appreciate the full significance of the area's role in England's maritime history. This was partly due to my own ignorance of course, but also because there was so little sign of anything to do with the docks, shipbuilding or sea-faring in the heart of Deptford. I strongly feel that we need something to make sense of Deptford's long and chequered history, something that serves as a constant reminder of the skills, industry, trade and international links that played such a significant part in its past.

But enough about what I think. Perhaps no-one else in Deptford really agrees with me?

I've been passed a copy of the results of the survey that I previously mentioned, obtained from Lewisham Council, and thought you would be interested to know about the strength of feeling in Deptford.

It's not just a moaning old blogger banging on about keeping this powerful symbol in our midst. There were 185 respondees to the survey - not great, but not to be sniffed at either considering it's not easy to get people to fill in a form or complete a survey online.

Here's the relevant bit:

What do you think the Council should do with the anchor?

Try and keep it in Deptford:   84%
Give it back:     12%
Don't know:     4%

You could argue that retaining it on Convoys Wharf is the same as 'trying to keep it in Deptford' but I'm willing to bet my worldly goods that that wasn't the solution the 84% of respondees had in mind when they ticked that box.

Sneak peek at new footbridge proposals

Apparently there was a bit of a hoo-ha last week when someone at Greenwich planning department prematurely posted the documents for the revised proposal for a new footbridge over the mouth of Deptford Creek.

I wrote earlier in the year about the initial design, which was clunky, ugly and generally pretty piss poor. Unsurprisingly it attracted a lot of complaints.

For once Greenwich Council stood up to the developers (who are building the footbridge in exchange for getting a few more storeys on top of the biggest block) and insisted something more appropriate was  developed.

The documents were published on the planning website last week, only to be hastily pulled a couple of days later, apparently because the details were still being finalised.

Happily they were up there long enough for us snooping bloggers to take advantage, hence I offer you the following (possibly exclusive?) sneak peek of what to expect.

Credit where it's due - this elegant little cable-stayed bridge which presumably rotates around the tower to open the Creek for larger boats, looks like it might do the trick very nicely. As someone who's regularly disappointed by the architectural calibre of local developments, I await further details and an official announcement with some excitement.

Until then, shhh!

Proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel - next part of the planning process

With Thames Water having now submitted the plans for its 'Supersewer' or Thames Tideway Tunnel to the Planning Inspectorate, members of the public and interested parties will be invited to make representations as part of the planning process.

You may remember that one of the preferred sites is the triangle of public land next to St Paul's Church, bounded by Coffey Street/Crossfields St and Deptford Church Street. The proposal is to dig a 17m diameter shaft here that will enable flow from the existing sewers to be intercepted and diverted into the new tunnel, so that it will no longer flow directly into the river.

If you're not sure how big 17m is, just pop along to Coffey Street and you'll see someone has helpfully marked it out using a small wicker fence.

In response to these plans, a pressure group Don't Dump on Deptford's Heart was set up (with a Facebook page here), and plans are afoot to establish a community garden on the Coffey Street site.

The group has raised concerns about the impact of the noise, dust, construction traffic and so on, on local residents and in particular on children in St Joseph's School, not to mention the loss of amenity during the construction process.

They are urging supporters to register with the Planning Inspectorate so that the strength of feeling by local residents can be fully expressed.

Their press release explains:
1) Everyone needs to register to the planning inspectorate. You can do this online or by phone and post. You must do this by 28th May 2013. If you are wanting to register by post you have to start the process in time to receive the form and send it back before 28th May 2013.

2) Please copy any MPs and politicians you think it would be useful to and ask them to register in our favour 

3) We must visit as many of the drop in centres as possible (sadly there is not one in Deptford) but we are fighting this. The details of this are outlined below 

4) Join our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/DontDumpOnDeptfordsHeart I will be adding reminders of events and important campaign dates to this page. I will also try to email too of course! 

5) Watch out for a public meeting of our own that we are organising - this will be in the next two or three weeks. Fr Paul has kindly said that we can use the church.


People can register easily online at: http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/projects/london/thames-tideway-tunnel/ or call the Inspectorate’s helpline: 0303 444 5000 for a printed registration form, which must be completed and returned by 28 May 2013.

Those who register will be entitled to provide evidence in writing to support their representation, to attend the Preliminary Meeting, to request an open floor hearing and to speak at other hearings where appropriate.

To help people understand how the process works, Planning Inspectorate staff will be holding drop-in events and presentations in the local area to answer questions and explain how to register and make a representation about the application.

Details of these meetings are available here however the closest to Deptford are in Tooley Street in London Bridge, or at City Hall.

Only nine?

The Wharf magazine has published a four-page spread (five if you count the cover) detailing 'Nine reasons why Deptford is staging a come-back'.

Yes, only nine. That flummoxed me a bit I'll admit. Not ten, or twelve, or five, but nine. What's more, none of them are related to Waitrose.

Please feel free to read it if you enjoy a bit of insubstantial fluff (one of the authors, after all, is the same individual who spent a night in the show flat at New Capital Quay and whose incisive article reported that it had lots of storage space and that the living area was 'flexible').

For those who would prefer to prise their kneecaps off with a spoon (but still have a nagging feeling they really need to know what these NINE reasons are) I shall explain:

1. Little Nan's Bar (probably the one thing mentioned in the article that truly counts as new).
2. Enclave Projects; the row of hard-to-let studios on the dark, cold, unattractive strip of Resolution Way. Now used for one-off events and temporary shows.
3. The Albany. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
4. Kids Love Ink. Times have changed folks. Gone are the days when the arrival of a tattoo shop (no matter how trendy) signalled that your street had finally hit rock bottom.
5. The Ahoy Centre. In Greenwich borough. (*Lights blue touch paper and retires*)
6. Deli X
7. Panda Panda
8. The Deptford Project
9. Big Red Pizzeria

So to recap: five eating and drinking places, a sailing charity, a tattoo parlour, some temporary events and a long-established theatre.

And in case you were in any danger of taking the whole thing too seriously (tell me you weren't?), I'll finish with this classic snippet.

Somehow we lost a century off our dockyard history.

Films, art and music (and a bit of food) in and around SE8

There's a whole host of cultural stuff kicking off in the next few weeks around Deptford - here's just a taster of what's on offer:

New Cross & Deptford free film festival
26 April - 5 May

There's an excellent line-up of free film showings in Deptford and New Cross venues ranging from an openair screening of Skyfall in Fordham Park to The House on Telegraph Hill which is very appropriately being shown at the Hill Station in Telegraph Hill.

The most unusual part of the festival looks like being the 'Light houses' which will be on show in the windows of certain houses in the roads around Telegraph Hill. A great excuse to peer into people's front rooms. Do take the map though, if you don't want to get into trouble with the neighbourhood watch.

There will be a rare screening of cult US underground 60s film,  Brand X  at Goldsmiths College Cinema on Monday 29 April, 7:30 pm (doors 7pm).  This film has been unavailable to the general public for over 40 years and isn’t currently available for general viewing.

Conceived and born between 1968 and early 1970, Brand X (Dir Wynn Chamberlain) uses simplistic television programming of that era as a frame to expose and ridicule the politics and taboos of the day.  Brand X is subversive in that it undermines and deconstructs broadcast TV so that your belief in its rationality is seriously challenged.

The film will be introduced by the director’s son, Sam Chamberlain, who will also be available to answer questions after the screening.

As well as showing some great films, the festival offers a fantastic excuse to get into some of the borough's more unusual venues, such as the former Deptford Town Hall, the King of Hearts Tattoo Parlour and the Sanford Housing Coop.

Most venues have limited capacity so tickets are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Sound Tracks Festival
11 May

This music festival is based around the East London Line and features bands playing at venues near stops on the route, as well as acoustic performances on ELL trains from noon till 8pm.
Not strictly speaking free of charge - you need a wristband to access the venues and naturally you will have to pay for your ELL ticket to see the travelling bands.

Disappointingly the organisers seem to have focussed on the hip venues in Dalston, Hoxton and Peckham for the most part, with nothing around New Cross, although there are some acoustic bands performing at the wonderful Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe, and you can experience an 'audio-visual sensation inspired by the northern lights' at Canada Water Library.

Uzbekistan: cultural insights photography exhibition at the Stephen Lawrence Centre.
22 April - 19 June

An exhibition of pictures by amateur photographer Kurshid Raupov offers a view of Uzbekistan's rich heritage through the lives of ordinary people.
Unfortunately the exhibition is only open during weekday office hours.

Goldsmiths & Lewisham: shared histories
24 April - 3 May

The intertwined histories of Goldsmiths, University of London and its local community in Lewisham are to be explored in a special exhibition of works of art and historical artefacts across four sites in New Cross and Deptford.

The collaborative exhibition, organised by the Department of Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, in partnership with the Goldsmiths Art Collections and the Lewisham Local History Society, offers an insight into the area as a centre of creative work over the past century.

According to organiser Dr Jenny Doussan, Department of Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths: "Such histories, produced by virtue of inhabiting the same space, are often forgotten, yet their presence remains in the sometimes invisible accumulation of objects that comprise our environs.

"The Shared Histories exhibition restores visibility to a few such histories, bringing the past into the present and connecting dislocated spaces."

Each of the four sites - Goldsmiths' New Academic Building and 310 New Cross Road, New Cross Learning, and The Albany in Deptford - will be linked by interactive technology 'We Curate' that allows collective browsing of objects across all four installations.
More information in the press release here.

Deptford Community Cookbook - live demonstrations on Saturdays

There will be live cooking demos of recipes from the Deptford Community Cookbook every Saturday on the market next to the Codfather fish shop from about 11am onwards. And live cooking demos means...free samples!

Twitter account @deptfordmarket has more information (or alternatively follow @deptforddame for all your Deptford gossip and news!).

and finally (as they say)... classical music in a pub stylee

The Night Shift: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at the Amersham Arms
23 April

If you like classical music but hate the stuffy atmosphere of concert halls, this could well be for you. As the marketing blurb explains (in a somewhat flowery rhetoric): "The Night Shift returns to crush the rules of classical music like the fragile hearts of weeping Beliebers, for a night where audiences can drink, chat and clap when they want.

"With a programme also featuring classical A-Listers Handel and Purcell, it’s a rare opportunity to hear some of the world’s greatest composers played by top performers, in a relaxed pub atmosphere. Presented by James Redwood, the OAE players will also be improvising a new piece inspired by the music of the evening. There’ll even be a few drinking songs to finish the night off."