Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to right sidebar Skip to footer

Conservation

St Christopher’s serve up a brilliant series of concerts for 2011

Throughout 2010, on the first Thursday of every month, St Christopher’s Hospice has hosted the Dame Cicely Saunders Concert Series – classical, folk and  jazz music from the very best in the business. Now St Christopher’s has announced their line-up for 2011. And it’s  even better than 2010.

Here is a quick look at the first six months concerts for 2011:

Thursday 6 January –  Robert Cohen (one of the “foremost cellists of our time”) with Elizabeth Burley

www.robertcohen.info

Thursday 3 February – The Alba String Quartet, one of the UK’s leading ensembles

www.albaquartet.com

Thursday 3 March – Jana Frenklova, Czech pianist who records regularly for Radio 3

www.bangor.ac.uk

Saturday 26 March – The Zenoria Trio, combine classical, jazz and folk influences

www.londonzenoriatrio.com

Thursday 7 April – Branco Stoysin Trio, jazz with a Brazilian influence

www.brancostoysin.co.uk

Thursday 5 May – Sarah Walker, one of the voices of Radio 3 talks and plays piano 

www.bbc.co.uk/radio3

Thursday 2 June – Martin Pyne and Busnoys, jazz vibraphone player with trio

And don’t miss the last concert of the 2010 season:

Thursday 2 December 2010 
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Joglaresa: “ Folk Carols of England and Ireland.”
Ancient and spell-binding Yuletide song ringing with echoes of winter pagan festivals. Reworkings of well-known carols

Belinda Sykes : vocals, bagpipes, dirrector.   Jeremy Avis   :  vocals.
Mick Sands vocals, bodhran, flute.   Jim O’Toole  :   fiddles.
Jean Kelly     :   clairseach.             Tim Garside  :   percussion, dulcimer.

The 2011 concerts will be held in the Dame Cicely Saunders Room at the hospice. Tickets are just £12 and include canapés and a glass of wine during the interval.

To reserve your place at one of these exclusive concerts, or to receive a leaflet with further details, please contact Debbie Calvert at d.calvert@stchristophers.org.uk or on 020 8768 4747 (Monday to Fri 10am-4pm). Money will be payable at the door. If you cancel a reserved place please let them know as numbers are limited.

www.stchristophers.org.uk

A history of Perry Vale fire station

An application to redevelop Perry Vale fire station into flats has just been received by Lewisham Planning Department. www.sydenhamsociety.com/2010/11/perry-vale-fire-station-to-become-a-church/

Local historian, Steve Grindlay,  tells the history of this distinctive building:

Before the opening of Perry Vale Fire Station on 22 March 1902 fire defence in Sydenham and Forest Hill was fairly haphazard.

From the 1860s there was a horse drawn pump based at the Crystal Palace. Beside the Bricklayers Arms there was a fixed hose, attached to a water pipe, by which “any person may direct water in abundance”. There was also a fire escape (a cart with a ladder fixed to it to rescue people from burning buildings) next to the Woodman. In 1872 a volunteer fire service was formed in Forest Hill, but it was severely constrained and constantly in debt because it depended entirely on voluntary contributions.

After its creation in 1889 the London County Council began building fire stations across London. The earlier buildings were Victorian Gothic but by 1900 the Arts and Crafts style predominated. Building began on the Perry Vale fire station in 1901; the foundation stone was laid on 4 July 1901. The architect was most probably Charles Canning Winmill, the LCC Fire Brigade Department’s principal architect. The building is considered a particularly fine example of an early arts and crafts fire station.

From the Times 24 March 1902

The building was designed to house 12 firemen and their families. The 1911 census has 10 firemen, 2 coachmen (who drove the appliances and cared for the horses) and their families, a total of 50 people living in the station. The reason the accommodation was provided was because the firemen were on call 24 hours a day. This system ended in the early 1920s when shift work was introduced and the firemen had a fixed working week.

At the time the Perry Vale station opened there were two basic types of fire appliance: the pump, for extinguishing fires, and the escape with a ladder for rescuing people. The familiar dual-purpose fire engine, with both a pump and ladder, was introduced in 1934, partly for greater efficiency, and partly as an economy (reducing staff numbers).

Perry Vale fire station circa 1906

When the new Forest Hill Fire Station on Stanstead Road opened in 1972 the Perry Vale Fire Station closed. In March 1973, within a year of closure, it was listed Grade II. Since the building closed as a fire station it has been used by the Council as a housing office and for temporary accommodation. In 2008 the Council decided that the building was surplus to its requirements, and put it up for sale.

Nikolaus Pevsner described the Perry Vale Fire Station as “an especially picturesque example of its type”. Recent surveys make it clear that although there have been internal changes, some original features do survive. We must hope that any plans for the future of the building respect its past.

Steve Grindlay

sgrindlay@gmail.com

It’s not the end of the line! Having a good time in Dalston.

Sydenham resident, Jonathan S Clarke gives you some clues to what’s on offer at the other end of the East London Line.  

Dalston Junction is the last stop on the shiny new, open plan Overground train from Sydenham. It’s not that we have nowhere good to eat locally, but the East End has now opened up and those with an adventurous spirit should make that trip. Turning left out of Dalston Junction station takes youto the junction of Balls Pond Road, North is Kingsland High Street; south, Kingsland Road takes you back to Haggerston. I want to take you up Kingsland High Street and show you what’s on offer.

Dalston Superstore

I had a late brunch in Dalston Superstore, at 117 Kingsland High Street, a 5-minute walk past Dalston Kingsland station. It’s a very chilled bar in the day with American diner style 2-seater leather benches and high tables. Mannequins and puppets hang on the walls, a roof window keeps it airy and bright. The tiny kitchen produces quick tasty dishes. I had the French toast with streaky bacon and maple syrup. Simple and tasty with fresh thick cut bread. The Portobello and Paris mushrooms on toast with garlic and parsley sauce was excellent, too. With freshly squeezed juices and “Square Mile” coffee, it’s perfect for brunch. It is also the kind of place you can lounge all day and a DJ brings the place alive in the evening. There is a great cocktail list (£8.50 each) and what is described on the drinks board as Fancy Wine at £4.50 a glass. Skinny jeans are the trend but the Dalston Superstore welcomes all.

Evin

Just next door at 115, is Evin, a friendly, cozy Turkish restaurant. Open all day and with free wifi it attracts the locals to surf and sip coffee and graze meze. Before 5pm, a lady sits by the window, making fresh Gozleme, a wonderfully light and tasty Turkish pancake: thin and toasted. Tables turn around quickly, though you can sit there all evening if you want. The humus and grilled aubergine puree with tahini and yoghurt was perfect with the freshly made pancakes. Choosing a kebab from their choice of 13 was tricky – I loved the grilled minced lamb meatballs on a skewer which came with rice and grilled peppers. Fresh, authentic Turkish food with plenty of choice and lots of vegertarian options. Try the Turkish red. Trust me.

Rio - London's largest independent cinema

As you walk back towards Dalston Junction you pass the Rio Cinema at 107, Kingsland High Street – £8.50 for a full price ticket. They have all the new releases but also quirkydaytime and weekend alternatives. Over 60’s have a free matinee on a Wednesday. The Vortex Jazz Club, part of the Dalston Culture House complex, just off Gillett Square is a great place to lounge in the day-time – and listen to music in the evening. 

Jonathan S. Clarke

 Dalston Superstore: 020 7254 2273

www.evincafe.co.uk  0207 254 5634

www.riocinema.ndirect.co.uk  0207 241 9410

www.vortexdownstairs.co.uk  0207 923 9532

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

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

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

It’s not grim up north – a guide to some great pubs on the East London Line

Pub enthusiast and CAMRA stalwart Neil Pettigrew takes you on the first of a series of trips to the best boozers along the new rail line.

Part 1 – Dalston

 

Sydenham pub-goers, often less than thrilled by the pubs on offer locally, are finding they have a feast of new pub experiences to enjoy, now that the recently re-opened East London Line goes all the way to Dalston. There are good pubs to be found near all of the stations on the new line (including Wapping and Whitechapel), and this article, the first of a series, will begin by looking at just those that are an easy walk from Dalston itself, the end of the line.

The previously-uncharted (at least by a southern softy like me) territory of Dalston is a goldmine for those who, like me, enjoy the endlessly fascinating architecture of London’s Victorian suburbs, and in particular the faded grandeur of our capital’s purpose-built nineteenth century pubs. And, a bonus for real ale lovers, all of the following serve traditional cask-conditioned beer by hand-pump.

 

When you emerge from Dalston station you will immediately be confronted by the sad sight of two impressive Victorian pubs that have seen better days. Look slightly to the right and you will see the Railway Tavern – now a William Hill betting shop – and then walk left to the main crossroads where you will see the Crown and Castle – now a noodle bar. For both pubs, look up to see the evidence of their former glory.

Have no fear, though, a short walk west takes you to The Duke of Wellington (119 Balls Pond Road, N1). This handsome Victorian corner pub still displays, rather magnificently, an old Watney’s sign outside. The original Victorian features inside have been sympathetically retained by the current licensees, including some old dark wood and etched-glass screens. A selection of real ales is offered and kept in excellent condition. Here one can sample beers from Sambrook’s, a small and relatively new London brewery based in Battersea. Food is offered daily, and so too are Saturday brunch and Sunday roast are also available. See their web-site for more information: www.thedukeofwellingtonn1.com

Head south from here to the Scolt Head (107a Culford Rd, Dalston, N1), another elegant Victorian corner boozer. While musing over the meaning of the pub’s name, you can admire the green-tinted leaded windows, which are trade-mark remnants of its days as a Charrington-owned pub. And on the day of my visit, there was another reminder of pub heritage: a bitter called Truman’s Runner was available, thanks to some enterprising locals who have started a new brewery in honour of the old company.

The Stag’s Head (Orsman Rd, Hoxton, N1) is a splendidly traditional 1930s back street boozer, included in CAMRA’s inventory of London pubs with interiors of special interest. For those who object to the gentrification and gastro-ization of many of our pubs, this place will be more to your liking, and it has even retained an old spittoon trough around the base of the bar (present-day usage not recommended).

The Prince George (40 Parkholme Rd, E8) is a short walk to the east of Dalston station. Inside is still pleasingly traditional, and outside is a seriously faded pub sign atop a pole (still advertising ‘Whitbread’, although they haven’t owned any pubs for two decades), and depicting the Prince himself with a lady of low morals sitting on his lap. Real ale fans will enjoy the selection available in here.

The Prince Arthur (95 Forest Rd, E8) is just a couple of minutes walk from the Prince George. Architecturally, it’s another good-looking Victorian corner pub, looming over its neighbours by a good ten feet, and with the name of the pub and the year 1861 engraved high up in stone. Inside is still traditional, and above the back of the bar is an eye-catching display of old lettering advertising various drinks.

Forest Hill underpass – renovation at last?

Long-awaited improvements to the underpass at Forest Hill could now be within sight thanks to a decision of Lewisham’s Mayor and Cabinet on Wednesday 20 October.

The M&C agreed to provide up to £104,000 from money allocated to improve access to the East London Line stations in the Council’s capital programme to renovate the subway. Together with funds from Network Rail it looks at long last as if local residents may soon have a decent underpass to walk through on their way to and from Forest Hill Town Centre.

Let’s hope this long saga will soon come to an end.

Full details of the Mayor and Cabinet decision here  

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4BCCEDF5-B895-493B-A722-5C69FF7C10DF/0/caba4551fbc0493d93c1522ff16b637eItem7ForestHillAssembyResponse220October2010.PDF