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Author: Chair

Perry Vale fire station to become a church?

A planning application lodged with Lewisham council appears to open the way for the former fire station building in Perry Vale to be used as a church.

The application is to turn the upper floors of the building into 13 flats (nine x 1 bedroom; two x 2 bedroom and two x 3 bedroom). The planning forms state that  “a further application will be made for the change of use of the ground floor to create a church and ancillary spaces”.  Local gossip that a  Tesco Metro was moving onto the site turned out to be nothing more than an unfounded rumour – and  the listed status of the building would make it very difficult for any retailer to make a success of the site.

Full details of the aplication can be found here:

http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XSLPagesDC/acolnetcgi.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=60649

Over the Downs to Oxted – walk, Saturday 6th November

 A walk in wooded countryside over the North Downs to the pleasant town of Oxted, with lunch at The Old Bell (lunch deal £4.95 with a starter or dessert just £2 extra). After lunch return from Oxted station or continue for a further mile and a half past Oxted Mill to catch the train at Hurst Green station. Meet at Sydenham Station ticket office 10.10am on Saturday. 

 
The walk is approximately four miles and is almost entirely off-road using quiet well-established footpaths. There is a gentle but steady uphill slope on the first stretch before the descent down to Oxted; stout shoes essential. Please note that there are no “comfort stops”between East Croydon station and Oxted!

November the 5th – fireworks at the Palace

The first fireworks display at the park took place on July 12 1865 when two rival firework companies competed to show off their wares.  One hundred and forty five years later why not join spectators at Crystal Palace for a traditional fireworks event on the evening of the 5th November?

 Gates open   6pm

Children’s Display (aimed at children or those of a sensitive disposition!) 7pm

Main display 8pm

Adults (14 years plus) £5

Children (5 to 13 years £3

Children under 5  free

Louise House – a journey into Forest Hill’s Victorian past

What was life like for destitute girls in the late nineteenth century? How did Louise House inspire a visiting paediatrician from Poland? Could the building find a new community use in the 21st century?

 
Louise House used to be a Girls’ Industrial Home providing care for destitute girls whilst they learnt skills (there is a laundry block to the rear of the building.) The foundation stone was laid by Princess Louise, Queen Victoria’s daughter, in 1890. Built in the domestic revival style, it is highly decorated externally but it has a utilitarian interior retaining the original floor plan.

It also has links with Janusz Korczak, the Polish/German/Jewish paediatrician, children’s author and martyr whose visit to Louise House in 1911 inspired him to devote his life to the enlightened care of children.

He founded an orphanage in Warsaw, implementing many of the ideas he’d seen in practice at Louise House. On the morning of 6 August 1942, German soldiers herded the orphanage staff and 192 children towards the railway station with Korczak at their head. The group was forced onto a train bound for Treblinka extermination camp. That is the last that was heard of them.

The pdf below looks at the history of Louise House and plans for its future. Research by Steve Grindlay; documentation by Tim Walder; design and recent photography by Hilary Satchwell

Louise House exhibition boards

Hundreds of carnival marchers and two local MPs throw down challenge to mayor on library cuts

On Saturday 30 October, hundreds of carnival demonstrators marched from Crofton Park library to Lewisham town hall to protest against the closure of five Lewisham Libraries. The carnival was addressed by two local MPs – Lewisham East MP Heidi Alexander and Lewisham Deptford MP Joan Ruddock.

 

Joan Ruddock addresses protestors

 With a majority of local MPs supporting the Save Libraries campaign, a 20,000-strong petition against library cuts and a unanimous vote by Lewisham councillors to save the libraries,  the ball is well and truly back in the mayor’s court.

see www.sydlib.com for further information

Demonstrators at town hall

Half-price ticket offer for Lewisham arts and music events

Lewisham Arts are offering half price tickets for key classical, contemporary and cross-over music events throughout early November. They include a production of Verdi’s Don Carlos on Sunday 7 November at the Broadway Theatre and Synthesis – an alternative Club Night at the Albany on Thursday 11 November.

To get your half-price tickets visit the following link.

http://system.newzapp.co.uk/GPage.asp?LID=OSwxNTUzMDgwMjA=

Good news for rail travellers – extra late night train on East London Line in December

Good news for night travellers on the East London line when the new timetable starts on Sunday 12 December.  An extra late train will leave Dalston Junction at 00.15am calling at Canada Water at 00.31 and arriving at New Cross Gate at 00.36am in time to catch the last train from London Bridge and arriving at Sydenham at 00.52am.

After the new timetable starts in December the times of late ELL trains leaving Canada Water towards Sydenham will be: 22.46, 22.56, 23.16, 23.26, 23.46, 23.56 and 00.31.

With the news reported earlier on this website that two extra evening rush hour trains from London Bridge will be provided in December, this shows a continually improving service for Sydenham.

See http://www.sydenhamsociety.com/2010/10/more-trains-to-and-from-london-bridge-in-december/

Meatballs and Music – Trattoria Raffaele, 29th October

The wonderful Alex Carter, star of recent Sydenham hits such as BLITZ! and OOH LA LA! is accompanied by accordionist extraordinaire Serge Pachnine in Una Notte Italiana – a celebration of  the Italian greats from Neapolitan to popular Italian songs.

£27.50 with a superb 4-course Italian meal. Starts at 7pm. Book your ticket now – they’re disappearing fast.

Pop into Raffaele, 29 Sydenham Road or phone the restaurant on 020 8778 6262