Clapham, Stockwell and Kennington news, rumour and general chat

...at the end of September.

 

I was in crown and anchor the other night and it was like being in an episode of friends uk, surely there is no need for a corporate recreation.

 

It will never replace the Grosvenor

 

A few pics of pullens festival, courtesy of event Facebook page where u will find more....
Pullens Festival


three legged spaniel

Dream machine


Trapeze fun



Ghost of Charlie


Topical humour


Damidge

 

Ah I know that trapeze artist!

 

Just to let everyone know that Surrey County Cricket Club (who run The Oval Cricket Ground) will be sharing their proposals for the current Ovalhouse site at Ovalhouse, tomorrow, 1st August, 4pm - 8pm. There will be sketch schemes of their plans, a representative from Rolfe Judd, (local architects), members of SCCC and also someone from Ovalhouse (not me, alas). SCCC are the preferred bidders for our site at the Oval, and the sale of our site will enable our new theatre in Brixton. Local residents and businesses, do drop in, all welcome.

 

Where have all the public toilets gone?

Lambeth has only lost 3 loos since 2010 ish.

 

Always been intrigued by the dining-pavilion-type building opposite the War Museum. Now this!

 

It was built as part of the flats. Originally it meant to be a community building/ centre.

Was let on commercial basis some time ago.

 

I ate there a couple of years ago when it was a Turkish restaurant. Was pretty good but they had a parrot in a cage by the front door which seemed a bit odd for a food place

 

I waited until got home to check but this pavilion building was designed by architect who designed Brixton Rec.


George Finch obituary

Disputed Architecture by MA Architectural History 2016

"Designing for everybody"

This sums it up.

Finch design for Brixton Rec has been grade two listed partly as example of socialist architecture.

The restaurant in the block of flats wss originally part of this post war designing for everybody ethos.

Às was Brixton Rec.

Its sad statement on todays Britain that this is now commercial space. Designing for everybody has been replaced by things like Pop Brixton. Which are now seen as cutting edge architecture practice.

In all the argument about gentrification on this forum what is lost is that there was an alternative vision.

Practical socialism.

Its still realisable now with a government prepared to take on the rich.

There is a lot of argument on this forum about gentrification. I'm taking it that people would support a left government that would re introduce the vision post WW,2 to this country?

As practical way to stop "improvements" being just for well off?
.

 

I went to the unveiling of Brian Barnes new mural at Carey Gardens Estate in Wandsworth. Glorious mural, beautiful
colours, full of wit and history. I was intrigued by the image of Keith Moon as a crossing warden - a story that has the most tragic origins also represented in the mural. Nick Wood, the former GLC architect who designed the estate, made a speech and it was clear from chatting with residents, the people elected to run the residents co-op and the housing manager that his vision for architecture supporting a better society for all was something current residents are proud of. It is all worth seeing and reading about. I had A really rewarding afternoon.

The detail from the top is Stephen Hawking!

 

Will there be any possibility of him restoring the much abused Nuclear Dawn mural?
Was on a local history walk today focusing on gay squats/housing co-ops in Railton Road, but we called in on Nuclear Dawn and it is in a sorry state (also the Mansions which are tagged to hell).

 

Yes!
If all goes well work will begin on site in October. I am not sure at which stage the mural re-painting is scheduled for but Brian and his team are very much up for it. He works with colleagues who did the upper parts of the new mural, while he did the lower section.

 

From the Cabinet report [pdf] for this evening:

"The Nuclear Dawn Mural on the side of Carlton Mansions is a central heritage feature of the scheme which will be restored as part of the Phase 1 development.

The mural has been vulnerable to vandalism and graffiti for a number of years despite attempts to clear and protect it, however recently the artist has been working to restore some of the damaged parts.”

Buzz piece.

 

I had the pleasure this evening of visiting the opening of The Oscar Wilde Temple exhibition at Studio Voltaire in Nelson Row behind the Clapham High Street Methodist Church. This exhibition is brought over from New York, and has a curiously religious ambience. There are stations of Oscar round the wall - like the Stations of the Cross. There is a triptych like an altar piece which has Oscar's mother to the left, Bosie to the right and the transfigured Oscar in the centre panel.

The venue, which was presumably originally a Victorian church hall seemed very well suited to creating the atmosphere the artists are aiming at. Note this is an exhibition drawing attention to persecution of gays through the ages, so it is serious rather than flippant.

More info here: https://www.oscarwildetemple.org/about/


Just for fun, here is my favourite poetic evocation of Oscar Wilde's travails, recorded by funky 1974 Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman

 

....and from the same era (now and then)

 

Do any Stockwell locals know anything more about this?

David Bowie’s primary school investigated for teacher cheating and bullying culture

Ignore the spurious Bowie mention!

 

This school, which is actually in Brixton opposite the skate board park, is federated with Jessop School in Waterloo.

I only say that because I heard tell of a Jessop School dinner lady who got a £30,000 Employment Tribunal award.

The allegations about Stockwell School sound serious. Is this what happens under OFSTED?

 

Jessop is actually in Herne Hill, although the Federation may be bigger? Not heard of the dinner lady story. I don't think OFSTED would get involved in tribunals etc, but it calls the grading result into question certainly.

 

I was getting it mixed up with Johanna School - my apologies.

 

My daughter was there 4 years ago and it was well known that most of the SLT were Jehovas which stank of nepotism at the time.

 

Just to let let everyone know this is going on til the end of March next year and the gallery are inviting people to use the space for ceremonies and events. Queer groups without a home are invited to use the space for free.

Brixton Umbrella Circle (a group for queer people over 50) are hoping to do something there next year - we are keen to do something that invites a dialogue between younger and older LGBT+ people. All details yet to be decided If you know anyone who would be interested in being involved please pm me.

 

Intrigued I looked up the artists. Not well known here. They became well known in US in 80s. Living in run down part of the city they recreated a version of early 1900s also living the part dressing with top hats.

There works spans photography, film, painting and themselves. They use popular culture of the last to look at gay identity.

Found this old BBC fifteen minute piece on them. Where two "academics" show us around the house they recreated.



The short films they made are on YouTube. This homo erotic short is clearly influenced by Wilde. ( The mirror). Its also well put together. Example of the slightly off kilter world they have created that is quite affecting in an indefinable way.



I definitely want to catch this exhibition. Thanks CH1 for letting us know its on.