London Masala and Chips

Eltham in Royal Borough celebrations

2012-02-05T11:05:00.000Z

Fireworks over Tudor Barn - my poor photo from the loft

It would be remiss of me to let today pass without doing a post on one of the biggest celebrations in Eltham in recent times. As I wrote in a post earlier in the week, on 4 February the ‘London Borough of Greenwich’ became the ‘Royal Borough of Greenwich’ and there have been celebrations all over the borough - in Woolwich last Friday, Greenwich today, with Eltham’s turn yesterday.

In Eltham, the newly-signed ‘royal charter’ went on display at the Eltham Leisure Centre, and there were events around town including at Eltham Palace. A tree gift from Her Maj was planted at the Well Hall Pleasaunce, and then later there was music and fireworks at the Tudor Barn, finishing just before the snow descended.

Due to family commitments and then my need to avoid ice-induced brain-freeze, I didn’t venture out to any of the events but lots of people did, and have commented on them:

- there’s great photos by greenwichcouk (Rob Greenwich.co.uk) of the Tudor Barn events here: greenwich.co.uk/daily-photo/07…

- Darryl’s wry post ‘Greenwich’s royal borough roadshow hits Eltham with a bang’ bit.ly/xDZq2n

- a striking photo posted by Bryn McNeill (via twitter @bigsocietyis) of an icy fountain at Well Hall during the tree planting

- and @darryl1974 reported yesterday “Passing through Eltham. Just seen a town crier in full garb walk down Well Hall Road. Hope his bell doesn't freeze up...”

- a close up photo of that Royal Charter confirming Greenwich's Royal Status: twitpic.com/8f68az

I’ve speculated before on what benefit royal status would bring the the borough and to Eltham - here’s a take by the Leader of Greenwich Council, Councillor Chris Roberts said: "These celebrations are a great way to showcase all the current and future inward investment, tourist and job opportunities that Royal Greenwich has to offer. Tourism brings in £774 million to the local economy, welcomes over 18 million visitors, supports more than 8,000 jobs and has helped make Greenwich the only UK destination listed in Frommer's top ten global places to visit in 2012. Our new Royal Borough status will drive forward our record levels of regeneration and cement our role as a key international destination for businesses and visitors from across the globe."

Well, that would be good. Although a recent New Statesman piece casts doubts on the economic benefits often forecast for royal connected events.

And not all locals are enamoured:

@Labour_Partisan Tom: 'Royal servility festival in Greenwich this weekend, might give that a miss'.

Elsewhere, others have chosen to highlight the much-needed improvements to the borough rather than the expenditure and fanfare about royal status:

- 'Signs of the times' at the 853 blog

- 'Greetings from Royal Kidbrooke' at the Kidbrooke Kite

And finally, Rob Greenwich.co.uk (@greenwichcouk) posted: ‘London Tonight featured Greenwich and the its new name today - available to watch online itv.com/london/fullpro… at 22 minutes in’

Florence shakes it out at royal Eltham Palace

2012-02-01T17:30:00.002Z

For those wanting a bit more on matters royal in Eltham ... did you catch up with the fact that Florence and the Machine shot a music video at Eltham Palace last year? The video for 'Shake it out', released in October 2011, was shot at the Palace and heavily features the 1930s art deco entrance hall and the surrounding rooms - a popular choice since you may remember that Cheryl Cole also shot the video to 'Parachute' there (my post here on that one).

Even if the music is not quite your cup of tea, it's a beautifully shot video and was directed by Dawn Shadforth. It's pretty stylised, with the mannequin-like, porcelain beauty of Florence Welch, the lead singer, at its heart. Welch described the video in Rolling Stone saying, "Think of a psychedelic 1920s dress party with a demonic twist. Possession meets The Great Gatsby"

Elsewhere, she talks about filming the video at Eltham Palace: "We were kind of going for a sort of 'Gatsby at West Egg'-style house party but with maybe slightly ritualistic and sort of satanic undertones and séances. That was such a fun video to shoot, for me especially, because I had all my friends down there, and they all came and we all got to dress up and do a casual séance in this beautiful art-deco mansion. It's basically a party house; there's one room which was purely just for cutting flowers. My best friend is sitting with me in the tree at the end of the video, and we just got to hang out in a tree for a while. It was really fun."

Greenwich becomes 'royal' this weekend

2012-01-31T23:36:00.001Z

What's this? We don't become a 'royal borough' until the weekend and yet I spied this road sign this afternoon which is a bit ahead of itself. It's the road leading into Eltham station, so presumably was given a bit of priority over the others.

The Greenwich website has details of the events around the borough to celebrate the borough becoming 'royal' from this weekend.

This follows the announcement originally made two years ago that:

"Her Majesty the Queen has bestowed the status of Royal Borough upon Greenwich, to take effect in the year of the Diamond Jubilee in 2012...The honour is bestowed in recognition of the close links between Greenwich and Royalty, from the Middle Ages to the present day. It also acknowledges the borough’s global significance as home of the Prime Meridian, Greenwich Mean Time and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are at present three Royal Boroughs: Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston, and Windsor and Maidenhead. They all reflect longstanding Royal associations."

Events are taking place in Greenwich, Woolwich and Eltham. Here's the blurb from the Greenwich website about the events in Eltham, on Saturday 4 February:

"Eltham will be hosting the festivities across three venues on Saturday 4 February.

The Eltham Centre

The Eltham Centre will have musical performances throughout the day, and the library will hold a drop-in crown-making workshop from 10am until 4pm. The Letters Patent will be on display.

Eltham Palace

Eltham Palace will be open from 10am until 2pm, with a whole host of royal activities. There will be a falconer, interactive performers, hobby horse jousting, Tudor confectionery and workshops for children. Tudor musicians will entertain and Henry VIII will lead the dancing.

Well Hall Pleasaunce

A black poplar, given to each of the London boroughs by HM the Queen to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee, will be planted at Well Hall Pleasaunce at 2pm.

Tudor Barn

The evening festivities will begin at 5pm at the Tudor Barn in Well Hall Pleasaunce. There will be a stage with musical entertainment and outside food and drink stalls. The musical firework finale will be at 6pm.

Spate of thefts in Eltham

2012-01-30T21:02:00.001Z

Commiserations if you've been a victim - that's horrible. Be sure to lock up, Eltham peeps...

"BURGLARS struck in Eltham a whopping seven times in one afternoon last week.
A Greenwich police spokesman described the spate of thefts on January 25 as “highly unusual”. There were just five residential burglaries in Eltham North ward during the whole of December.

Burglars hit four homes in Westmount Road alone during the hours before 7.10pm. Further thefts took place at Beech Hill Road at around 3.45pm and two in Castlewood Drive.

Police say the burglars forcing entry through UPVC back doors in a bid to swipe jewellery and laptops..."

Eltham round-up

2012-01-29T10:55:00.001Z

A quick round-up of some Eltham happenings which caught my eye:

BBC Radio London’s Eddie Nestor show came to town last week, 26 January. A 120 minute ‘Drivetime live’ radio programme was broadcast from Middle Park Community Centre in Eltham “finding out how this south east London community has changed since Stephen Lawrence was murdered in 1993.” The show featured interviews with local Eltham MP, Clive Efford MP, Greenwich Borough Commander Richard Wood and talked to various locals who included Paul Webbewood, ex-Lib Dem councillor and local tweeter @Jackcabnory. The range of views were to be found from:

- the area is changed and there’s no sense of community due to people from different cultures
- to testimony of racist behaviour,
- or of a community largely now harmonious and no different to others
- and to frustration with the ‘racist Eltham’ theme cropping up again.

According to views on twitter, some thought it was one-sided (Eddie’s ‘like a dog with a bone’) whilst others seemed more sanguine (‘Showing the gd side of Eltham’)
You can ‘listen again’ here for another few days only (is there a nifty way to download and keep these time-limited 'listen agains'?)

**************
Elsewhere, but on a related theme, local councillor Nigel Fletcher reported that this motion was debated and passed unanimously at Greenwich Council last week (click to enlarge)

***********
Last Thursday, Eddie Nestor’s radio show started around the same time as ‘trespassers on the line’ at Eltham caused trains to back down the Charing Cross to Dartford line. At one point trains were held at New Cross while they turned off the power to investigate. My husband was held up in this. As one local tweeter put it:

“kels_1987 Kelly Fox
worst journey home thanks to some numpties that decided to walk along the tracks at rush hour...only in eltham!!!”

*************
Hilly at the the e-shootershill blog brought news that a public inquiry is be held on the 8th and 9th February into the proposal for Christ Church School to use common land on Eltham Common. She has a fab and detailed write here.

***************
Last weekend’s Guardian carried a jolly piece about some women who last September hiked and camped their way around London’s ‘capital ring’ in eight days. The piece details their stop-off in Eltham:

“Our destination for the first night was Oxleas Woods in Eltham, an ancient and magnificent expanse of nature moments from intensely urban life, populated with stunning native British trees (oak, silver birch, hornbeam, hazel and wild service).
Even though wild camping in London is technically illegal without permission, we weren't ready to test our stranger-charming skills yet. So after six hours of walking, we bedded down deep in the 8,000-year-old beauty of Oxleas Woods, lulled by the soundtrack of an all-night car park party and the A207 just minutes away.
A broken night, but we recharged with a mighty vegetarian full English at Oxleas Cafe (oxleawoodcafe.info), looking out over the North Downs, before heading off through the woods again. We spotted rose-ringed parakeets – now an exotic staple of London birdlife – and a green woodpecker, and discovered a curious mixture of major roads, royal palaces (Eltham) and lovely locals including Bob, who sold us some runner beans from his allotment for our supper.”

***************
The prodigious blog Tired of London had a lovely write up on the Tarn: “The Tarn, in Mottingham, is a small lake and nature reserve which once stood within the grounds of Eltham Lodge, a seventeenth century building which was itself once part of the grand estate of Eltham Palace.....”

This reminded me that I haven’t been here for years, and certainly not since some additions have been made, and must visit again soon with the kids.

"Cryin over SE9": Eltham and the Lawrence case

2012-01-21T19:54:00.001Z

The verdict was announced on Tuesday 3 January for the trial of the brutal murder of Stephen Lawrence in Eltham in 1993. David Norris and Gary Dobson have since been sentenced to 14 and 15 years maximum though neither has shown any remorse nor admitted to their guilt.

(Though I have been too busy with life to post anything more than a summary post and was only able to follow the news and media reactions, I too shared the mutual sign of relief. However, I also wanted just a bit of distance from the initial impact of the verdict and also from the plethora of stuff written. Consequently, this may all seem a bit after the event. This is a long post (sorry) and was difficult to write in places, but I found I had a ‘planning blight’ on the blog until I got it out of my system.)

Analysis of this case in the media and social networking seems to centre on:
- the extent to which the Lawrence case has raised awareness about racism, especially in institutions
- what was responsible for the way Norris and Dobson turned out? Why them, not others?
- how different is racial awareness / ‘race relations’ now in the UK, compared to 1993?
- whether there was something different about Eltham which gave rise to this horrendous crime and if so, how things have changed now

Many of these questions were tackled in excellent pieces on local blogs, e.g.
- by Darryl at the 835 blog
- by Bob from Brockley

Others have also written about their Eltham experiences, e.g.
- Lee Cox, at Jackabnory, republished at Kidbrooke Kite
- Sunder Katwala, British Future and here
- Peter Howitt in Huffington Post - ex-local boy, now actor, director (‘Joey Boswell’ in Bread)
- Owen Hylton’s personal reflection

There are also the ‘mainstream’ media pieces seeking to give a picture of Eltham today, e.g. The Independent, The Guardian and Mail online - some of which are being re-tweeted as truthful reflections, while others decry them for their generalisations about the Eltham population.

More latterly, there have also been pieces which criticise the ‘excessive racialisation of the public domain’ and suggest that ‘class’ should instead be the driver for achieving social justice. These include a piece by David Goodhart at Prospect magazine and chime with recent pleas for a greater focus on ‘white working class communities’. The magazine is known for its left-liberal critique of multiculturalism. Such articles point to a sense of grievence stoked up amongst these communities by cases such as the Lawrence one. The reactions to the Diane Abbott twittergate affair also demonstrates this sense of competing grievances i.e. we’ve got it just as bad, why are you getting all the attention etc. (Sunder Katwala suggests a sensible solution to this in his piece).

Like many people, and to repeat the cliche, I feel as though I have grown up with the Lawrence case. I am a brown, (now) middle-aged, woman who has lived in Eltham since 1989. I lived for over a decade near Footscray Road/ Eltham High Street (in my single days) but for the last 12 years or so have lived with my husband (Greenwich-born and bred) and children in the Eltham North ward, not far from Well Hall Road, the site of that terrible murder.

All those years ago, I had never heard of Eltham before a chance rental opportunity came up through a friend (thanks Chris!). I remember my young brother coming to see me in an inaugural visit (from west London, Southall/Bedfont, from whence I hail) and deciding to take me on a pub tour to get acquainted with my new area (more for his benefit than mine I think). We went innocently into old The Castle pub (now the site of the KFC) (this decision now reads like a suicide mission...confirmed later by astonished local friends who told me it was the local NF haunt!). My brother, being a very friendly, sporting, chap, put his money down on the pool table, to join in the fun. It was soon shoved back to him and he thought it wise to leave quickly. I’ll always remember on the way out glancing over my shoulder at the out-of-place glitter ball spinning on the ceiling of the grubby, empty, back ‘lounge’.

Pretty soon after moving here I remember the frequent reports of various murders and stabbings. A Telegraph article gives a useful summary (in the context of how the same gang were involved):

“In 1991 Lee Pearson was stabbed outside a kebab shop in Well Hall Road, the same street Stephen was killed. The Acourts were the police’s main suspects, but Mr Pearson refused to sign a statement implicating them.

In July 1992 an Asian boy, Rohit Duggal, was stabbed to death by Peter Thompson, again on Well Hall Road. Thompson was named as a member of the Acourts’ gang in the anonymous calls to the police the day after Stephen’s death.

In November 1992 a black youth named Kevin London said that Gary Dobson threatened him with a knife after challenging him over the fact he had a white girlfriend. Dobson denied it and no charges were brought.

Norris and Jamie Acourt were also suspects in the stabbing of Darren Witham in Chislehurst in 1992. Both were charged, but the charges were later dropped.

A month before Stephen’s death, in March 1993, David Norris is alleged to stabbed a man named Stacey Benefield with a miniature sword after he tried to calm an argument Norris had with a friend of his. Norris and Neil Acourt were suspected by police of being involved in the attack. Only Norris stood trial and was acquitted.

The same month Gurdeep Banghal, 22 was stabbed by a white youth while working in a Wimpy restaurant in Eltham. His attacker is said to have called him a “P*** b******”.
Information received by the police suggested those responsible for the Lawrence murder were also responsible for the stabbing of Mr Banghal.”

And of course, earlier in 1991, there was the murder of Rolan Adams in Thamesmead.

I decided it would be a good time to get a car. By 1993 I was working at a university in south-west London and had been travelling there by train, using Eltham train station.

I very much remember the heightened tensions around that time. Far-right parties used to frequently leaflet in the High Street and the BNP ‘bookshop’ in Welling (an adjacent town) was frequently in the news.

I remember the campaigns around this time about the local stabbings and murders - I attended a conference at the Greenwich Borough Hall around this time, with many of the bereaved parents and families attending, including the Lawrences. In the meantime I carried on driving to south-west London for work, studying in the evenings at Birkbeck College and also mostly socialising in central London.

Today, however, my life is much more integrated with Eltham, mostly because of having young children (and abandoning late night partying up town...). My children attend an Eltham primary school, they are part of a local beavers and cubs group, my son trains and plays for a local football club and my daughter plays her clarinet in the school band at various places.

Some people have been attesting in the media articles to the racist atmosphere in certain parts of SE London, in its schools, pubs and cafes, while others are putting a display of pride in Eltham above giving the Lawrences their day, without any nuance in their comments. I think that the true picture of Eltham is different to the one portrayed in the extreme hyperbole used in some of the articles - for example, the Mail online article refers to Eltham as an ‘insular bastion of bigotry’. That sort of language really is lazy, but in this case also inaccurate.

On the whole, I feel that Eltham is a good suburban town for family life. It has its fair share of problems similar to many towns on the outer ring of London but it also has lots of facilities, lots of green spaces (including its own woods) and great historical places. I’ve had good relations with most people I deal with and am happy to see a mix of cultures about the place.

I have to say though that I probably only come across certain sections of Eltham and probably not the people and parts of Eltham which have been written about recently. And I haven’t been to an Eltham pub probably for years; I rarely wait at bus stops and I never have cause to walk around at night on my own. All this possibly puts things in a rather different perspective to the experiences that others have had.

The nub of a current concern is the question “is there something particular about Eltham in relation to racism?” (yes, I’ve framed this in the openest way possible). In true academic style, I think the answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no’.

No, because I don’t believe that people’s views here are really any different to the variety of views to be found in any typical suburb in the other corners of London - more especially what has been called the corridors of ‘white flight’ around inner London e.g. Northolt, Woodford, Brentford (or at least these used to be such when I knew them well a while ago). In all these places there are some concentrations of views against immigrants/black people amongst some communities, perhaps those experiencing the worst economic problems. But there are there are many people in these towns that don’t have these views. Eltham is far more varied than the suggested proliferation of the Brook Estate as implied by numerous media articles. The town is more mixed than people allow for - it’s fairly mixed in class terms, housing, and “quietly more diverse than the 1993 imagery suggests.” (BBC, lost the link!)

Following the Lawrence trial, there were many comments on social networking sites but I thought that this one was a good illustration of Eltham have more than one side - a comment by a (white) Eltham woman: “The Estate Agents I worked for in Eltham used to tear up the registration cards of anyone of an ethnic background who registered to buy property in the area. I used to fish them out the bin and re-write them!”

Yes, because I think that the mere reputation of Eltham as racist (whether we agree or disagree), has attracted others of that ilk and made the town a target of far-right parties and whipped up that hysteria. A sizeable number, to my mind, of people in Eltham were motivated to spend their one vote on the BNP in the 2010 general elections. The EDL have also turned their gaze on Eltham and reared their heads on Eltham during the August riots.

The association of Eltham with race also of course heightens all sensitivities so that more behaviours and comments come to viewed through the prism of race.

That Tuesday morning, the last day of the Christmas holidays for most Greenwich primary schools, just before the verdict was announced, I went to Eltham High Street with my children - it was very windy and rainy after a long, mild, dry spell. We visited the Nissan car show room (lovely service), the bakers (lovely service) and then had a long session at the Eltham Leisure Centre Pools (really nice atmosphere, especially the young attendants entertaining the kids with squirts of water). Life goes on in this town for ordinary people. I really applaud the people who highlight racism and work towards eliminating all forms of prejudice, but the situation is not helped by the hysteria whipped up in the press, some balance would be welcome. Apart from the generally desirable aim of being accurate, hysteria is to be avoided if more people are not to feel alienated at ‘got at’. Sometimes it’s a fine line. (There are, of course, some people who just can’t be reached by ‘balance’ - I’ve been disgusted by some of extreme and mindless comments in reaction to the verdict).

Finally, I completely bizarrely came across this video a few weeks ago which seems apt in some ways (without wishing trivialise things). It’s “Cryin over SE9” by Sister Company, a 2008 video shot in and around Oxleas woods, opening in Falconwood station:

“Can’t sleep tonight I’m crying over my glass of wine
My thought trains (?) just had a direct line through SE9
Coz now whenever my imagination roams
Eltham is calling my soul back home......etc.”

Norris and Dobson found guilty of Stephen Lawrence's murder

2012-01-03T16:47:00.000Z

The media are abuzz with reactions to the verdict announced today in the trial of the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence. Dobson and Norris found guilty, to be sentenced tomorrow.

Twitter is awash with reactions ranging from the factual, the relieved, and stronger reactions centering on views about Eltham - some thinking it is a racist town (can a whole town be racist!?) and others getting very defensive about Eltham (and as always, there’s also a more extreme tendancy but I’m not going to go there). Here’s a selection:

The factual:
GdnPolitics Guardian politics
Timeline of the Stephen #Lawrence case from @sandralaville bit.ly/uXOblE

JudiciaryUK Judicial Office
Following today's verdicts the Court of Appeal's full judgment in R v Gary Dobson can now be published bit.ly/vTbLOV

NewsShopperJR Jamie Ross
Stephen Lawrence murder trial - the background bit.ly/tjFlLz

BBCDomC Dominic Casciani
The microscopic evidence that caught the killers of Stephen #Lawrence: Our guide to the forensic work bbc.in/vFJeng

politicshomeuk politicshomeuk
The former MP for Eltham, where Lawrence was murdered in 1993, said that the police had learnt lessons, however.

Reactions:
CliveEfford Clive Efford
Stephen Lawrence’s family finally have justice and it is testimony to their dignity and determination that it has been served today

jonsnowC4 Jon Snow
Our crew filming point where Stephen Lawyrence died had racial abuse shouted at them from a passing white van:locals say it is commonplace

issuesinthenews Gbenga Akinyooye
Stephen #Lawrence was murdered in 1993 in Eltham, South London. Why? Because of the color of his skin. 18years later, justice is done.

RachelReevesMP Rachel Reeves
When Stephen Lawrence was murdered I was 14 living in S London near Eltham and was so upset & shocked. 19 yrs later justice finally comes.

MarkCF83THFC Mark O'Neill
@DuwayneBrooks Pleased for Stephen's family but specially for yourself. So easy could have been you left by the side of the road in Eltham.

politic_animal Political Animal
Peter Bottomley on #bbcnews demonstrating that he is one of the most sensible of Tories. Always forget that he was MP for Eltham in 1993.

amandapbishop Amanda Bishop
@fleetstreetfox hope so, the other lot strut around here (Eltham) like gangsters. 2 down 3 to go

tom_watson tom_watson
The #stephenlawrence verdict. I could almost weep.
in reply to ↑
@dalekwidow Fiona James
@tom_watson Me too! It's been far too long coming. I went to school in Eltham so this has been close to home #Lawrence #Justice

TonyNewsCamera Tony Smith
Fascinating admission in 5Live vox pop. Most young people in Eltham hadn't heard of #Stephenlawrence 18 yrs a long time

patrick_kidd Patrick Kidd
Eltham should also be known as former home of Frankie Howerd, Bob Hope, Herbert Morrison, E Nesbit and WG Grace, not just racist killers

journojames JournoJamie
Just been past The Lawrence Memorial in Eltham. People already turning up to lay flowers.

darryl1974 Darryl
Well Hall Road, Eltham. Photographers at Stephen Lawrence's memorial. Police watching from a distance. pic.twitter.com/Kff0FRS7

charlieconnelly Charlie Connelly
As an Eltham boy meself am pleased to see Stephen Lawrence getting some justice at last. Not a day for celebration, but reflection.

tpearce003 teresa pearce
RT @DPJHodges: : open letter to Stephen Lawrence's killers > tinyurl.com/7bjrscg > Telegraph //I grew up in Eltham & recognise this

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T17:37:00.000Z

Just enjoyed our usual New Year's Day walk around Greenwich Park on this unusually mild winter's day at 12c. We came into the park close to the Henry Moore sculpture (called 'Knife Edge'?) and made our way down the hill, with our kids on their little bike and scooter.

St Mary's Lodge by the main King William Walk gates appeared to be open for teas and other 'diary pub' items. Then a right turn to admire the Sammy Offa wing, the new face of the National Maritime Museum now opening on to the Park.

The kids visited the playground while at the same time declaring it too young for them now. As the drizzle started we took a steep hike back up the hill to 'One Tree' and took in the inscriptions on the benches about Queen Elizabeth I having once stood there enjoying her "pensive thoughts". The gathering rains saw us speed walk the rest of the way, while my 7yo son and I regaled passers by with a Take That medley as we peered out from under our umbrella.

Happy New Year.

Happy Christmas

2011-12-25T01:28:00.000Z

Merry Christmas to those celebrating - to the religious, to the fun-seekers and the agnostics.

I hope our kids are enjoying things so far. We've been well 'christmassed-out' from before the schools broke up. This atheist was forced to go to TWO performances in local churches, and two school concerts. While I clearly don't agree with the 'god' bit and would prefer schools to take a secular approach to religion, the visits to church were good occasions for getting people together - it's difficult to think of other local organisations which do that in the same way.

Today we had our usual Christmas eve visit to Greenwich Theatre's pantomime - this year Aladdin. It was another brilliant production by Andrew Pollard (it's on until 8 Jan).

Outside of cute children doing cute stuff (a little of which is always a good thing), and the chance to go to the theatre (even if it is panto), Christmas really is one big stress-inducing, time-sucking, consumer-fest. What a bah humbug. Then, just when you think you are clear about all this, some generous person goes and gives you a lovely gift, someone who has actually taken time over it and you feel even more guilty for not loving it all.

Or you make a Christmas cake (actually a banana and sunflower seed cake) with your daughter and have to deal with realising how disproportionately excited you are about having made green-icing xmas trees, complete with silver ball decorations.

For now though, the kids (and hubby) are tucked up, their presents arranged and Santa has been left his snacks. A dip into the xmas issue of the New Statesman beckons, with perhaps a wee baileys. Just think, only a few months before we have to do this all again.

Have a good break, one and all.

Autumn in Eltham (part 1)

2011-12-11T09:28:00.000Z

It still seemed to be Autumn a couple of weeks ago, and now we've been plunged into the icy chill of Winter, although happily a sunny, blue-skied one. Here's a few photos from a couple of weekends ago:

A dormant rose garden in the Well Hall Pleasaunce, early afternoon.

The new addition to the existing children's play area in the Well Hall Pleasaunce grounds. (There's a News Shopper article about a new £23,000 play area - I'm not sure if this is it, or if there's more to come?)

Earlier that day we had been to Eltham Park and seen the latest addition there to the existing playground. It's meant for toddlers I guess but my two children still had some fun on it.

And finally, I had to capture the very pretty apple crumble served up at the end of our lunch that Sunday at the Tudor Barn. It tasted good too.

Eltham and SE London events - December 2011

2011-12-02T23:04:00.001Z

Some random local happenings in December, some of which I like, and might pop along to:

Saturday 3 December
Christmas Fair
Environmental Curriculum Service
Children’s Christmas Activities FREE 10am - 3pm
77 Bexley Road, Eltham, SE9 2PE Craft Stalls - Santa's Grotto - Festive Treats and Mulled Wine - t: +44 (0) 20 8850 2615
(a lovely local resource much used by my children's, and other local primary schools)

Saturday 3rd December 2011
Christmas FUSS Fair in Hither Green
“Join us on Saturday 3rd December for a day of festive fun and games at the Christmas FUSS Fair in Hither Green. We’ve plenty on offer to suit every taste and invite you, to eat, drink, shop and be merry with us. 12.00 to 17.00hrs.

The arrival of twilight will see our large Christmas tree illuminated by beautiful sparkling lights as carols are performed by Hither Green's local school Christmas Choir. Browse a selection of stalls along Staplehurst Road, for some perfect gift ideas, have a nibble on some of the delicious food on offer & enjoy a hot cup of mulled wine whilst enjoying the live music & festive ambiance.

Live performances / Carol singing / Christmas shopping / Kids activities / Santa's Grotto/ Raffle / Mulled wine & Mince Pies / Local artists & artisans / Handmade Gifts / Exquisite home baked food / Art / Jewellery / Home-wares / Seasonal decorations.”
Staplehurst Road, Hither Green, LONDON SE13
For more details go to blog: http://hgfuss.tumblr.com/xmasfair
(Hither Green has got such a sense of community!)

Sat 3 Dec 2011
Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet!
Hither Green's fab 70's & 80's night - is back at St Swithun's for a Christmas knees- up on Sat Dec 3rd from 7.30pm - 11.30pm. There's great soul,funk and disco classics from DJ Lord Ant and DJ Da-Lynne & dance-line ups from Ali, plus there's a cash bar and free retro sweets - not to mention a funky festive grotto in the lower vestry. Tickets are £10 in advance from our lovely local cafes, Cafe of Good Hope and You Don't Bring Me Flowers. Buy online via www.haventstoppeddancingyet.co.uk or call 0796 716 3247.

Saturday 3rd December and Sunday 4th December 2011
Greenwich Circus Festival
Charity fundraiser in aid of Circusability
at Hangar Arts Trust, unit 7a, Harrington Way, London SE18 5NR
AirCraft Circus are hosting a three day festival packed with all things circus.
A weekend of entertainment for young and old alike – activities and shows for the whole family during the day, and then party all night once the kids are tucked up in bed!
Various daytime and evening sessions. Click here to buy tickets
(whoa, never heard of this before, wish I knew earlier)

Sunday 4 December 2011
‘Feeding the Birds’
Practical teach-in on best techniques and materials, followed by bird watch
John Beckham, Greenwich Park Ranger
Organised by Eltham Nature Club
Well Hall Pleasaunce - 2-4pm

Sunday 4 Decemember 2011
The Los Dawsons
The Los Dawsons are performing at the Pelton Arms Pelton Road SE10 9PQ
7pm it's FREE “the best sounding and vibe place in Greenwich tell all!”

Sunday 4 December 2011
Festive Family Fun Trail @ Eltham Palace
Get into the festive spirit with a fun trail for kids this December at Eltham Palace and Gardens.
Spend the day finding hidden clues to solve the puzzle and win a yummy prize!
Location: Eltham Palace, Greenwich, SE9 5QE
Times: 11am – 4pm
Cost: £9.30 (Children are £5.60 and families £24.20)
Ticket price includes entry to event plus entry to the Palace & Grounds.

Sunday 4 December 2011
Xmas Sing-a-long
The Tarn, Court Road, Mottingham, SE9 5AQ
Nearest train station: Mottingham
1.30-3.30pm. Join us in singing Christmas Songs while enjoying fruit punch and Mince Pies. Also Childrens' activities and other stalls. For inquiries please email info@thetarn.org or call 07729364506.

Friday 9 December 2011
Lewisham Local History Society
The History of New Cross in the 20th C
by Ray Thatcher
“All meetings on a Fri, at 7.45pm at the Methodist Church Hall, Albion Way, Lewisham. You don’t need to be a member to come to a meeting, but donation appreciated. Tea, coffee, biscuits at interval: 50p (a bargain!). Please pass the prog on to anyone who might be interested, as we’re having problems updating the website.”

(whole programme of interesting local history lectures, run, it seems, by ex-Lewisham councillor Andrew Milton)

Friday 9 Dec 2011
Christmas Concert
Start time: 19.30. End time: 21.30
Venue: St Margaret's Church
Brandram Road, Lee, London SE13
020 8318 9643
organiser: Blackheath Choir

Friday 9 December 2011 - Saturday 7 January 2012
Around the World in Eighty Days
7.45pm
Brockley Jack Studio Theatre, 410 Ye Brockley Jack, Brockley Road,
London SE4 2DH.
From rainy 19th century to a technicolour Bollywood vision. Join Phileas Fogg, his faithful servant and various pursuing friends and foes in this Jules Verne classic tale.
(Perfs: Tuesday - Saturday. No shows 23-27 December, & 31 - 2 January.)
Tickets: £13, £10 conc.
Family Ticket £40 (two adults and 2 U18s)
To book online click here
(sounds intriguing, would love to see what they do with the bollywood bit, wish there was a matinee)

Sat 10 to Sun 11 December 2011
Traffic-free days on Oxford St & Regent St. Pedestrians rule the street for the whole weekend!
(I know, not SE London but wanted to mention this!)

Sat 10 Dec 11
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Comedy Night at The Pavilion
‘Comedy on the Common’, The Pavilion on Plumstead Common, London SE18 1QG
Doors open: 7pm. Show time: 8:15pm.
£12 on the door or book online. Includes a free drink and late licensed bar.
Comedians include:
HL - Frank Sanazi, Hattie Hayridge, Fredrik Andersson. MC - David Whitney
Click here for location details.

Saturday 10 Dec 2011
Christmas Concert
Eltham Choral Society
Holy Trinity Church, Southend Crescent, Eltham SE9
Soloists, carols for choir and audience
£12 (£10 conc) - 7.30pm
(Would love to go. Question is, would the kids last...? They do surprise sometimes)

Saturday 10th December 2011
Glam party at the Rivoli Ballroom by the Magic Theatre
“The Magic Theatre is a night of un-themed dressing up freedom held in London's most beautiful venue, the Rivoli Ballroom. Dance yourself dizzy to happy retro cheesy tunes, live band and cabaret.
Created for a happy-dancing wildly mixed crowd of all romantic inclinations and gender identities, who come together to make a Grand Entrance, and to flaunt, flirt and pose in the finery of their choosing in the finest venues London has to offer...
The Rivoli Ballroom. 350 Brockley Rd,
London SE4 2BY [map]
(one for beautiful glamorous people. Another night in then.)

Saturday 10 December 2011
Leegate Christmas Festival
Leegate Shopping Centre, Lee, London SE12
12 noon to 7pm. Christmas Festival in Leegate shopping centre plus unveiling of a Community Art Project by Heidi Alexander, Lewisham East MP.
(Hmm - this area needs a little love, and a few fairy lights)

Saturday 10 December 2011
An Audience with Queen Victoria
7pm for a 7.30pm start
at The Baker Trust Hall, Maxim Road, Crayford
Organised by the Crayford Manor House Historical and Archaeological Society. A talk given by Anne Carter. An entertainment in the Queen's own words and in costume, giving an insight into the humour of the whole family.
Admission: Please use contact below
Tel: 01322 551279
Email: janet.hearn-gillham@ntlworld.com

Saturday 10 December 2011
Macbeth
at Edward Alderton Theatre, 5 Brampton Road, Bexleyheath, DA7 4EZ
7.30pm. Shakespeare's Macbeth, inspired by the works of Dennis Potter and dealing heavily with themes of madness, this production has been set by the Director in the claustrophobic confines of a dilapidated Psychiatric Hospital at Christmas. This is the story of 'Macbeth' seen through the eyes of a heavily medicated patient where the patients and staff become characters in Shakespeare's great tragedy. The directors aim is to create a world where order hangs by a thin thread, where nobody is what they seem, and murder, deal and insanity are to norm.
Admission: £10. Tel: 020 8301 5584. Email: edwardalderton@hotmail.co.uk

Sunday 11 December 2011
Christmas Carol Concert
Horniman Museum
5pm - 6pm. Join us for this fun and festive event. Enjoy performances from the English Baroque Choir and the Crystal Palace Band to celebrate Christmas.

Wednesday 14 December 2011
Christmas Concert
Goldsmiths University of London, Richard Hoggart Building, Lewisham Way, London SE14 7NW
6.30pm. Goldsmiths Chamber Choir and Vocal Group present their annual concert with audience participation a must.

Friday 16 December 2011
The Vanishing Point
We're converting the Victorian Art Studio into Scrooge and Marley’s Counting House, 21 Lee Road, Blackheath, London SE3 9RQ at 7.30pm
The Vanishing Point's Christmas Carol: an immersive, interactive screening of Brian Desmond Hurst’s Scrooge (1951, starring Alastair Sim).
There will be cheap Christmas drinks, urchins+other Dickensian characters, guaranteed snow, carol singing with choir+festive Super 8 films.
Reservations should be made online - please click here to proceed.
http://thevanishingpoint.org.uk

Saturday 17 December 2011
Carol Singing
Eltham Choral Society
Passey Place, Eltham
11am - 12am
Proceeds to Demelza

Saturday 17 December 2011
Carols by Candlelight
Well Hall Pleasaunce, Eltham SE9
Greenwich Youth Band and community choir Craft and gift stalls, hog roast, mulled wine.
Entrance free - 7pm
(last year this took place in deep, festive snow!)

Saturday 17 December 2011
“A Christmas Carol" - Family Pantomime
Time: 15:00 (doors open at 14:30pm)
Venue: Hall Place & Gardens, Bourne Road, Bexley, DA5 1PQ
“Join us for a family friendly pantomime version of A Christmas Carol, with audience interaction, live music (carols and original songs) as well as puppets. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation after the supernatural visitations of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come. The show will last approximately one hour.”
•Adults £7, Children £5
•All tickets in advance from the booking line on 01322 621238
•All children must be accompanied by an adult

Tuesday 20 December 2011
Christmas holiday activities at Woodlands Farm
10am to 3pm from Tuesday 20 to Thursday 22 December
at Woodlands Farm Trust, 331 Shooters Hill, Welling DA16 3RP
Tues 20 December: Winter Woodlands. Take a trip into our woodlands to learn how to get by in the cold. Shelter-building, fire-making and cooking are just some of the activities which will be taking place. FREE (donations welcome); no booking necessary, drop in between 10am and 2.30pm. Ages 6+. Will take place whatever the conditions, so do wear appropriate clothes and footwear for the weather.
Wed 21 December: Making cards and gifts. Yet to sort out a card and present for your nearest and dearest? No worries, the farm offers a one-stop shop for both, with a chance to make Christmas cards and photo frames from natural and re-used items. Saves you money and is kind to the environment! FREE (donations welcome); no booking necessary, drop in between 10am and 3pm. All ages.
Thursday 22 December: Toddler Club. It's Christmas at Toddler Club! £2 per adult; children FREE; no booking necessary, drop in between 10am and 12pm.
Admission: Mainly FREE; Toddler Club £2 adults, kids free.
Bookings: 020 8319 8900

December 29 2011 – 28 January 2012
Cinderella
Bob Hope Theatre, annual pantomime in Eltham SE9

(p.s. I've tried my best to make sure things are accurate here - I'm happy to receive any feedback and will gladly correct any inaccuracies/do any updates)

Eltham Lights Up 2011 - last night

2011-11-18T07:55:00.001Z

Eltham Lights Up last night was a great success as usual. The sense of fun, the kids' delight and the artistry on offer always makes this a lovely family event, especially so when the weather was so mild.

Here's my (rather poor - click to enlarge) picture of a giant mechanically-controlled inflatable Henry VIII, the star piece of the lantern-lit procession featuring hundreds of local school children (including my daughter's primary school, and headteacher!).

Here's the Phoenix just about to glide pass St Mary's community Centre. Next to this was a little stage where, amongst others, local Clive Efford MP took to the mic. He tweeted later: "More people than ever tonight in hgh street for Eltham Lights Up' - great night for the whole community"

A glitter-jacketed little brass section.

(better photo available here btw:
'Robot mega Henry' twitpic.com/7fgf6y
via pysproblem81 Phil Bird)

And finally (for now, until Hubby downloads his super-duper iphone photos....hurry up!) some gorgeous fudge bought in the little market set up in the Passey Place area. They were lovely people from 'Sweet Nostalgia', based on the Isle of Sheppey, who also attend Well Hall Pleasaunce events and will be there for the Christmas Carols next month.

Related previous posts:
Eltham Lights Up 2010
Eltham Lights up 2009

Eltham and SE London events - November 2011

2011-11-02T18:52:00.000Z

Some local things happening this month...

to 30 Nov 2011
Blackheath Art Society Exhibition
at Discover Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College
Maritime Greenwich is close to the hearts of the local artists who are members of Blackheath Art Society. Some artists have explored the Old Royal Naval College buildings and the people who inhabited them. Others have been inspired by the river Thames, its foreshore, industry, and maritime heritage. This exhibition celebrates their enthusiasm with a collection of paintings, textiles and ceramics.
Venue: Temporary Exhibition Gallery, Discover Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College
Greenwich SE10 9LW

Friday 4 November 2011
Opening night of photography exhibition

by Claire Swindale
at Tudor Barn, Well Hall Road, Eltham
4-6pm. As she says at @cswindale “WINE, FUN, ART SHOW!! Spread the word, bring a friend, it'll be lovely to see ya!” www.claireswindale.com

Saturday 5 November 2011
Blackheath fireworks
8pm. It’s still on. “Blackheath fireworks is a long standing highlight of Lewisham’s event calendar. An estimated 100,000 people attend South London’s biggest and best free firework display every year. Visitors can enjoy the funfair, food stalls and a fully licensed bar before and after the display.” Being funded this year by Lewisham Council, local businesses and your voluntary contributions.

Saturday 5 November 2011:
50 years of Bromley on Film: 1930s- 1980s
Bromley Central Library, Bromley
Run by: London Borough of Bromley Archives
View recently re-discovered films together with a demonstration of film conservation from an expert.
An opportunity to view recently digitalised, film from Bromley and the surrounding area from the 1930s to 1980s from within the Bromley Archives collections for the first time in many decades. Viewing will be accompanied by commentary by local history experts. Preceded by a film conservation demonstration and question and answer session with a professional film archivist.
14:00–16:00. Suitable for any age

Sunday 6 November 2011:
Film at Hither Green
Pan's Labyrinth and The Watchers. £3. 7pm 6 Nov. Hither Green Hall, St Swithun's Rd. @HitherGreenFilm

Sunday 6 November 2011:
Pop-Up cinema in Sidcup
The Blues Brothers will be shown at Sidcup and Footscray United Services Club, in Main Road, on November 9. Doors will open at 7pm and the screening will begin at 8pm.
People over 18 are invited to the monthly event, which will screen new and classic movies for £4.50

Thursday 10 Nov 2011:
Reel History Film Show
Bexley Local Studies & Archive Centre, Bexleyheath
Run by: Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre
A Century of Bexley on Film - Screening of rarely seen archive films dating from the early 20th Century to more recent times showing the people and places of the London Borough of Bexley. Archive film presentation with talk by Borough Archivist Simon McKeon.
19:15–20:30. Cost: £3.50. Suitable for any age.

Tuesday 8 November 2011:
Tudor Life tour
Time: 2.30pm (approx 1 hour)
Location: Hall Place Visitor Centre, Hall Place and Gardens, Bourne Road, Bexley DA5 1PQ
Description: Join a costumed guide to tour the historic house and lean about life in Tudor times for the rich, such as Sir John Champneys who built Hall Place - and the poor who would have worked on the estate surrounding Hall Place. Bexley.gov.uk
Admission: £6 per person
Tel: 01322 621238

11 November 2011
7.30pm
Blackheath Goes Gospel Performance
Blackheath Halls
Performance led by the London Community Gospel Choir with the ‘community chorus’ of workshop participants and pupils from local schools.

11 - 20 November 2011
GREENWICH Jazz Festival

This festival returns featuring contemporary jazz, afrobeat, blues, funk and gospel performances across the borough. The event, running from November 11 to November 20, is part of The Greenwich Festivals, a series of events supported by Greenwich Council.
Artists like Soweto Kinch, Cleveland Watkiss, Empirical, Ian Shaw, Liane Carroll and Arun Ghosh, will perform at the National Maritime Museum, Blackheath Halls and Charlton House, along with jazz clubs and schools.
For more information visit greenwich.gov.uk/festivals

Friday 11 November 2011:
Jazz singer Liane Carroll
Part of Greenwich Jazz Festival (see above)
Tudor Barn, Well Hall Road, Eltham SE9
£15 from 0845 459 2351 or on the door

See www.lianecarroll.co.uk for more information on Liane Carroll

Saturday 12 November 2011
10.30am
Blackheath Holistic and Wellness Fayre
Event in support of Eltham Charity Demelza Hospice Care for Children
We are holding an inspiring local community Holistic & Wellness Fayre
at the Quaker House in Blackheath Village, Lawn Terrace, Blackheath, SE3 9LL
For a map click here.

Saturday 12 November 2011:
Christmas grotto and seasonal gifts
Times: These will vary and will be on display at the grotto or available from the fundraising office
Location: Broadway Shopping Centre, Broadway, Bexleyheath.
Admission: £2 per child to visit Santa (includes a gift)
Description: Grotto and Christmas shop with new gifts, cards and a Christmas present wrapping service
Runs until 24 December

Tel: 020 8319 9236. Email: info@gbch.org.uk

Saturday 12 November 2011:
Christmas bazaar, on behalf of H.A.L.O. disabled club
St.Lukes Church Hall, Westmount Road, Eltham SE9
20p entry, children free
10.30am - 12.30pm 20p entry
Children free

Sunday 13 November 2011:
Remembrance Sunday Service, Eltham
Eltham War memorial Parade on high street from Conservative Club (10.30) to Memorial at St John's (11.00) - followed by service at St John's

Sunday 13 November 2011:
Remembrance Sunday Service, Mottingham
Mottingham War memorial starts 10.45am

Tuesday 15 November 2011:
Eltham Nature Club Talk
‘Fox: Friend or Foe?’ Illustrated talk at 7.30pm by fox ecologist Terry Wood. St Mary’s Community Centre, Eltham High Street. £1.50 members, £3 non-members. Membership £5 p/a.

Thursday 17 November 2011:
Eltham Lights Up
Lantern-lit parade and entertainment. Theme is 'Eltham's heritage'. Streets close 4pm - Entertainment from Crown Woods band and gospel choir 4.15pm - Switch on and Parade 6 – 6.45pm - Eltham Choral Society 7pm
Related previous posts: Eltham Lights Up 2010; Eltham Lights up 2009

Sunday 20 November 2011:
Eltham Farmers Market
Passey Place (off the Eltham High Street, Eltham, London SE9)
The market sells a range of fresh produce including locally reared rare breed Saddleback Pig, traditionally made succulent sausages, free range organic eggs, fresh fruit and juices, vegetables, game, jams, sauces, cakes and freshly baked breads and pastries. 10am-3pm

Friday 25th November 2011:
Christmas market from 6-9pm
at the Sunfields Methodist Church. Expect many local crafts people with a variety of stalls selling handmade ceramics, jewellery, cards, childrens and adults clothes, bags, beauty products and homemade preserves and cakes. Entry is £1 and Children go free.
Sunfields Methodist Church Hall, Old Dover Road, Blackheath SE3 8SJ

25 November 2011:
History of Bellingham (Godfrey Smith).
All meetings on a Fri, at 7.45pm at the Methodist Church Hall, Albion Way, Lewisham. You don’t need to be a member to come to a meeting, but donation appreciated. Tea, coffee, biscuits at interval: 50p (a bargain!). “Please pass the prog on to anyone who might be interested, as we’re having problems updating the website”.

Sat 26 November 2011:
Comedy Night at The Pavilion
‘Comedy on the Common’, The Pavilion on Plumstead Common, London SE18 1QG
Doors open: 7pm. Show time: 8:15pm.
£8 on the door or book online
Licensed bar. Comedians include:
Adam Crow, Kate Lucas, Stephen Carlin. MC - Andy Davies
Click here for location details.

Saturday 26 November 2011:
Christmas Bazaar, 10.30am to 1.30pm
at St Luke's Church, Westmount Road, Eltham, London SE9
Christmas gifts, raffle, tombola, bric-a-brac, books, games, knitted gifts, food stalls
Entrance: 50p for adults; children free

Sunday 27 November 2011:
Christmas Fair, 11am-3pm, Free entry
Woodlands Farm, Shooters Hill
All are welcome at the Woodlands Farm Trust Christmas Fair. Sip mulled wine whilst browsing stalls of local produce and crafts for early Christmas present ideas, or relax in our café while the kids enjoy crafts and games. A great festive day out for all the family. Entry is free, but donations are welcome – all money raised helps us to care for our animals.
Woodlands Farm Trust, 331 Shooters Hill, DA16 3RP
Nearest train station: Falconwood or Welling

Herbert Morrison: Eltham's "Cockney Socialist"

2011-10-24T11:46:00.001+01:00

The National Portrait Gallery are currently showing an exhibition about a local boy. No, not Boy George, or Bob Hope, but Herbert Morrison:

"This display explores the portrait imagery associated with Herbert Morrison (1888-1965), one of the key political figures of the mid-twentieth century, who helped engineer the emergence of the Labour Party as a leading parliamentary force. Taking as its theme the idea that Morrison’s political character was defined by his reputation as an archetypal Londoner, the display looks at how his public profile and political persona were similarly shaped by his cockney identity....." Continue reading at NPG website.

The free display runs from 26 July 2011 - 18 March 2012, in Room 31 case display.

Herbert Morrison (1888–1965), born in Lambeth, was a Labour Cabinet minister and leader of London County Council. He is often quoted now as being the "chief sponsor of the Festival of Britain," and of course the grandfather of Labour politician Peter Mandelson, ex-cabinet minister, made a peer in 2008.

The local connection is that in 1923 the then "rising politician Herbert Morrison moved to 272 Well Hall Road, now No. 352, where he stayed with his family until 1929 on removal to Archery Road, Eltham" until 1960. [credit: John Kennet]

There's some interesting British Pathe footage of "Herbert Morrison and Mrs Morrison posing for cameras at Eltham" and "coming out of Polling station" but I'm not sure where (or even which year?) .....

Art exhibition at the Woodnut Cafe

2011-10-18T09:00:00.003+01:00

Image © Madu Batuwangala

News has reached me of an exhibition at the new-ish Woodnut Cafe on Westmount Road, Eltham.

Artist Bichelle Masrani is exhibiting at the Woodnut Cafe which is described by Spot on Art as "a contemporary, stylish place to relax in leafy Eltham". Sounds good to me. Not sure how long the exhibition is on for though.

We've not popped in yet - the children are desperate to try the cakes and hot chocolate at this cosy little place (which is a couple of doors away from Ayres the bakers).

You can see more of Masrani's work here.

Eltham Lights Up on 17 Nov 2011

2011-10-17T16:29:00.000+01:00

The details are now out:

"On 17 November 2011, Eltham Lights Up will see Eltham town centre transformed with lights and colour to celebrate the start of the festive season.
Eltham High Street will be closed to traffic between 4pm and 8pm, with street performers and a live music stage providing entertainment from 4.30pm.

At 6pm the street's Christmas lights will be switched on, followed by a spectacular lantern-lit procession featuring hundreds of local school children, a giant mechanical character and other special effects....."
Read more...

Related previous posts:
Eltham Lights Up 2010
Eltham Lights up 2009

Band playing charity gig in Eltham

2011-10-05T15:00:00.001+01:00

I've not heard of them, but if you're in Eltham High Street this Saturday, here's a tweet about an event there, all for a good cause:

"BisonBass Tony Heasman
Skybluepink, doing Air Ambulance Charity gig at passey place Eltham London se9. England, on sat 8th October From 11 to 2pm. See you there."

Don't mention the war

2011-10-03T09:45:00.003+01:00

Co-incidently, following on from my last post on Blitz archaeology in Eltham, this piece appeared in yesterday's Telegraph about a woman who:

"... lived in Sydenham – an area of south-east London severely damaged by Hitler's V1 and V2 rockets. Bombs had exploded around her childhood home. Many a long and terrifying night had been spent in the air-raid shelter."

It's a touching story by a son about how his mother came to terms with a nation which she had for so long perceived as the enemy.

Blitz archaeology in Eltham

2011-10-02T00:24:00.002+01:00

A local twitterer has written about attending this Eltham event - @Lee SE12 tweeted yesterday:

"Pics from brill bit of local history, Blitz archaeology walk in Eltham Green, shame @BBCLondon949 for poor plug not giving the details, only 3 other people were at the 3pm tour. Starts opposite Macdonalds, follows detail road plan from recently unearthed records in the Greenwich Heritage Centre."

The event in question was an Archaeological survey (9.30am) and a walk (3pm) on the Page Estate in Eltham Green described as follows:

"We are launching a self guide map and fact sheet, put together with the support of the team at BBC Hands on History, on the ARP Service on the Page Estate. We will be carrying out a formal archaeological survey of the items on the map, recording and photographing those which are still there and looking for other evidence of the Blitz. We hope to the work will also lead to us meeting more local people with information about the period and people named in the map." The BBC also put together this Hands on History guide. (extract right)

More photos by @Lee SE12 from the Blitz walk in Eltham Green this afternoon can be seen at twitpic.com/6tix5f twitpic.com/6tiq1n twitpic.com/6tit6u

This is certainly an event in which local schools might be interested - last year my daughter's primary school class was 'evacuated' via Eltham station for a couple of nights to a centre (in Herts) where they experienced the wartime life of evacuated children (all done in an age-appropriate way, of course!).

UPDATE: I spoke too soon - the organisers DO do work with local schools and had apparently done so that day - fab. And more: the item was plugged on BBC London in the morning with a reporter even talking to organisers onsite in Eltham, however they didn't have a chance to give all the details and also said Erith by accident. The 11am/1pm walks were well attended apparently (thanks for info @Lee SE12). It sounds a good project and it is great to have our local area's history mapped in this way, so well done.

Eltham and SE London Events for October 2011

2011-10-01T19:34:00.000+01:00

Sun 2 Oct 2011
Italian Market, Passey Place, Eltham
Experience the sights, sounds & aromas of Italy & sample Continental produce when Italian traders visit Passey Place, Eltham.10am-4pm

2 October 2011–25 February 2012

Traders Unpacked Season
A new gallery at the National Maritime Museum explores the history and continuing relevance of Britain’s trade with Asia, looking at this compelling story through the lens of the East India Company. Traders: the East India Company and Asia examines the commodities that the Company traded, the people that shaped its tumultuous career and the conflicts and rebellions that were its ultimate undoing. Check out the fantastic range of events going on http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/traders/traders-unpacked/
at National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF

4 October 2011
Museum Gallery Tour, Hall Place and Gardens, Bexley
2.30pm.
Join the Bexley Heritage Trust curatorial team for a tour that explores the new Museum galleries at Hall Place. You can ask questions and find out what it takes to look after Museum objects. Charges apply. Tickets must be booked in advance on 01322 621 238.

Sat 8 October 2011
10.30am to 4.30pm at Eltham United Reformed Church
Annual Meccano Model Show in Eltham by the South East London Meccano Club.
A great day out for all the family. The hall will be packed with working Meccano models - trains, planes, cranes and more. There will be a raffle with Meccano prizes. You can buy Meccano sets and parts from the Meccano dealer. Refreshments available all day.
Meccano Show 2011 website

Sat 8 October 2011

The Big Draw Face Station website

12noon to 4pm at The Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College

Experiment with ways to create faces surrounded by James Thornhill’s wonderful portraits in the Painted Hall. Led by freelance artist Caroline Dorset. Free event.

Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, London SE10 9LW

The Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, location map

Tel: 020 8169 4799 or boxoffice@ornc.org

Sun 9 October 2011
London Regatta 2011
10am to mid-afternoon, subject to weather conditions.
London's largest sailing event of the year at Greenwich Yacht Club.
The annual test closure of the Thames Barrier will create non-tidal conditions on the up-river side towards London. This temporary removal of the effects of the tide provides a rare occasion for dinghy sailors to compete in open water without needing qualifications or tidal water experience. Over 60 boats of various types representing sailing clubs across the capital will take part. The first race will start at 10am on four courses marked out between the Thames Barrier and the O2 Arena. Presentation of awards is expected to take place mid-afternoon. Directions foir spectators can be found at www.greenwichyachtclub.co.uk/directions. Public entry to Greenwich Yacht Club on the day is free. Greenwich Yacht Club, Peartree Way, London SE10 0BW
More details can be found at www.greenwichyachtclub.co.uk

Sun 9 October 2011

Bird watching with the Friends of Greenwich Park

8am at Greenwich Park, Blackheath Gate entrance

Join the Friends of Greenwich Park on a guided walk to explore the park's birdlife. Bring binoculars and meet at Blackheath Gate. Free. Bird Walk website

at Greenwich Park, London SE10 9NF

Greenwich Park, Blackheath Gate entrance location map
Tel 020 8858 2608

Throughout October
Black History Month -see Lewisham and Greenwich websites
various events including:

1. Deacons For Defense
at Goldsmiths University of London Lewisham
Screening of a film which explores a little known but true aspect of the American civil rights movement. Starring Forest Whittaker and Ossie Davis.
(conflicting date information around - check with Goldsmiths Student Union)

2. Alex Wheatle: Uprising
The Albany Centre and Theatre
11 Oct to 14 Oct, 7.30pm
Marking the 30th anniversary of the Brixton riots, award-winning author Alex Wheatle presents his autobiographical story of how he became a writer.

Thursday 13 Oct to 15 Oct 2011
Table Manners
Alan Ayckbourn's play by the Priory Players
8pm. Progress Hall, Admiral Seymour Road
Tickets £7 (£6 conc)
Contact 07502 450 983

Fridays 14 October, 28 October, 25 November
Friday Night Curry and a Pint
19.30–21.30, £25
Discover the origins of the ‘Great British curry’, the story behind India Pale Ale and how the East India Company changed the eating and drinking habits of a nation. An evening of masala, manuscripts and migrations that is guaranteed to stimulate the imagination and the taste buds. Speaking on this series of unique learning and dining events, will be historian Rozina Visram, Shrabani Basu, author of Curry: The Story of the Nation’s Favourite Dish and the beer writer and convivial raconteur, Peter Haydon. Ticket price includes a delicious Indian meal and a pint of India Pale Ale.

16 Oct 2011
Passey Place Farmers' Market
Support the farmers' market in Passey Place
The market is held on the third Sunday of each month between 10 am and 3 pm

starting Wed 19 October, for various dates
Hair
Bob Hope Theatre, Wythfield Road, Eltham
The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical HAIR tells the story of the "tribe", a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the "Age of Aquarius" living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War. Let the Sunshine in !!!! 7:30pm
Contact Details: www.bobhopetheatre.co.uk or 020 8850 3702 or http://www.eldoradomusicalproductions.co.uk/

Wednesday 19 October 2011
7.30pm
The Mayor of Lewisham is hosting a curry evening at the award-winning Babur restaurant, 119 Brockley Rise, Honor Oak, SE23 1JP. Tickets cost £25 per person and includes a superb three-course meal as well as a donation to the Lavender Trust at Breast Cancer Care. This is a popular annual event so booking is essential. To make your reservation contact Derek Johnson on 020 8314 8636.

Sunday 23 October
Apple Day, 11am-4pm, FREE ENTRY.
Woodlands Farm, Shooters Hill
All are welcome at the Woodlands Farm Trust Apple Day. Come and celebrate National Apple Day with a variety of activities, including crafts, a treasure hunt, archery, face-painting, and pressing apples to make juice. There will be stalls selling local produce, including farm honey and home-made jams and cakes. A great day out for all the family. Entry is free, but donations are welcome – all money raised helps us to care for our animals.

Tues 25-Fri 28 October
Education Activities for Half Term
Woodlands Farm, Shooters Hill
See their website: Woodlands Farm

25 - 29 October
The Circus is Coming to Town, Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, Sidcup
See the spectacular John Lawson Circus Company with fantastic acts such as acrobatics, Wild West knife throwers, trapeze artists, and comic chaos from clowns Kakehole and Popol. For show times or to book go to www.ruxley-manor.co.uk

Sat 29 Oct 11
Comedy Night at The Pavilion
‘Comedy on the Common’, The Pavilion on Plumstead Common, London SE18 1QG
Doors open: 7pm. Show time: 8:15pm.
£8 on the door or book online
Licensed bar. Comedians include:
Marian Pashley, Juliet Stephens, Danny Ward. MC - Frank Casdy
Click here for location details.

Blogging mojo fading and apolcalypse now

2011-09-24T09:06:00.000+01:00

I've kind of lost my blogging mojo at the moment. It happens. Life is busy. The odd quick tweet is easier. Twitter just EATS time doesn't it? Much as I'd like to, I have had to stop trying to read every tweet in my timeline. How do people do that? I guess they have smartphones, which I don't. That would EAT even more of my time.

I happened to watch two movies recently of the 'apocalyptic' genre. Apocalyptic moves usually fall into either the biological or climate disaster category. You know, there's a crazy virus out there, we're all gonna die, or there's some crazy climate change, we're all gonna die.

I am, at the same time, both repelled and fascinated by apocalyptic films. I guess, as the directors intend, the themes in these films bring home the vulnerability and transience of the human race, as well as questioning what it means to be human. It's the themes around how society changes which interest me most - how the usual sociological rules change in the face of different dangers. This reaction in me has only really come on since becoming a parent. The thought of our young children being on their own after the mutated virus has got us, eugh, it's scary. It freezes my heart. I couldn't watch 28 Days Later after the first 15 minutes. Anyways...

I watched one of each of the biological or climate disaster films. In the former category, I Am Legend (2007), with Will Smith in which "Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure." [IMBD]. I watched most of the film with my heart in my mouth. It had huge holes in the logic no doubt but it was a powerful film with some poignant moments.

The other night we caught up with what is becoming a modern classic, Danny Boyle's Sunshine (2007) in which a team of astronauts set off on a last gasp mission to re-ignite the dying sun and save humanity on an earth which is darkening and freezing over. Fascinating and, occasionally, baffling. Is the earth worth saving, and is there a higher power? It also includes that common dilemma in such films - should you take a particular action which will save humanity but which will take away from yours personally?

I mention having watched these type of films because, listening to the news recently, it occurred to me that the more imminent threat to society and everything we are used to might lie in another direction. What would happen if the worldwide banking system, capitalism and the money system collapsed? Our usual financial priorities would be subverted and we would be forced to barter goods, food and produce on a different kind of E-Bay or swapping websites? Is there a film which covers such a subject?

Eltham and SE London events - September 2011

2011-09-08T23:18:00.000+01:00

5 to 11 September 2011:
Greenwich Comedy Festival
Old Royal Naval College Greenwich

9th-16th September 2011:
The Lewisham Literary Festival is happening 9th-16th September 2011, in venues across Lewisham and Hither Green. The events page has a growing list of confirmed guests and events. See website for the full programme, locations and times, and to advance book online.

Saturday, 10 September 2011:
Family fun day fete and dog show
12 noon
Eltham Park South, Glenesk Road, Eltham, London, SE9 1AG
A great day out for all of the family. Stalls, sideshows, dog show with celebrity judge. In aid of Demelza Childrens Hospice. Inflatables, Charlton football club, attractions, food and drink. Free Entry. 12 noon until 5pm. Dog registration 12noon for a 1pm start.

Saturday, 10 September 2011:
Cataclysm: The 1st Catford Festival. Ravensboure Arms. http://thejase.co.uk
“We have comedy from Dan March, Fliss Russell, Jane Deane, and probably more will be added by Saturday. Circus and burlesque performances. Also music from Jimmy Bongos, Enderby's Room, Minarcshe, Tini Houdini and a live band karaoke set from The Sweet Funkin' Association. It's all kicking off around 2pm. There's a BBQ in the beer garden and entry is free.” from Brockley Central

Saturday, 10 September 2011:
Oxleas Wood Volunteer Workdays, 10am
Oxleas Café, Crownwoods Ln, SE18 3JA
Nearest train station: Falconwood
Meet at the café on the meadow and help the Shooters Hill Woodlands Working Party and park rangers with light woodland work. Duration: three hours.

Sunday 11 September 2011:
Oxleas Woods Ramble, 10am
Oxleas Café, Crownwoods Ln, SE18 3JA
Nearest train station: Falconwood
Meet at the café on the meadow and join the park rangers for a light, informative walk. Duration: 90 minutes.

10-11 September 2011:
Art Deco Fair at Eltham Palace
10am-5pm
This much-loved fair gives you the opportunity to buy original 1930s objects in the magnificent Art Deco surroundings of Eltham Palace. Browse everything Art Deco, from jewellery to furniture.
Nearest train stn: Eltham or Mottingham
£9.30 per adult, FREE for English Heritage Members

10 & 11 September 2011:
Thames festival celebrating London's iconic river
http://www.thamesfestival.org

Saturday 17 September 2011:
1pm to 5pm
The Big Draw
Chislehurst Common (between Manor Park Road and School Road, BR7 5PQ)
Get on your marks to come and join “Our World in Common” to celebrate the 2012 London Olympics. Get set with your passport to artistic adventure and then you’re off around the globe to create traditional crafts and art from each continent. On your journey you can listen to the beat of the African drums, shout with Punch and Judy or be enchanted with fairytales. You can sculpt an Indonesian shadow puppet or make a Hopi Indian kachina warrior, hide behind a Venetian mask or twirl a hand painted Chinese banner. Go down under for Aborigine dream painting or stay closer to home with golden English brass rubbings of knights in armour. There will be helium balloons, face painting, a Hog Roast, tea tent and creative adventures for travelers of all ages. Be sure to come early to have a go at everything.

17 and 18 September 2011:
Open House London
Open House London, London’s greatest architectural showcase, encourages the public to visit and tour some of the capitals most iconic buildings. Programme now available with over 760 buildings and events throughout London to choose from.

All are free but many sites have to be pre-booked.

Over 700 buildings are included in the event, including 11 in the Bexley borough. Amongst them:
Danson House, Erith Playhouse and Crossness Engines House.

Tours are being offered around Danson House in Welling on September 18, offering visitors the chance to view the house in its full restored glory.

Eltham sites include:
Eltham Lodge, Court Road: Sunday 10am to 12.30pm
St Saviours Church, Middle Park Avenue: Sat 10am to 4.30pm
Tudor Barn and Well Hall Pleasaunce: Sat/Sun 10am to 6pm

Visit areas of the Old Royal Naval College site not usually open to the public and join in one of the free talks and guided tours. Tours start from the information point on Lower Grand Square.

Address: The Old Royal Naval College, Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, London SE10 9LW.

The Old Royal Naval College location map

Open House Weekend website

17 – 24 September 2011:
Herne Hill Festival
Classical, Jazz, and Light music are the staples of the new Herne Hill Festival, which takes place for the first time this year. It combines a number of free events with concerts at £5 each (£3 concessions).

21 September 2011:
Pack of Lies at The Bob Hope Theatre until Saturday 24th September
By Hugh Whitemore.

Thurs-Sat 7.30pm. Bar opens at 7pm
Thur-Fri Adults £8, conc. £7
Sat All £8

Box office open Tues-Sat 10am to 1pm

24 September 2011:
Chislehurst Rocks
11am till 9pm
Free entry
Music for all ages and workshops. Great food and drink, rides, stalls. They are looking for
volunteers + sponsors

Mon 26 Sep 2011:
Blackheath Goes Gospel
7:30PM - Blackheath Halls

London Mela today

2011-09-04T11:12:00.000+01:00

The mela festival season has unfortunately passed me by this year. This is a quick mention though that the biggest of them, the London Mela takes place today, between 1pm and 8.30pm at Gunnersbury Park, which is on the Hounslow/ Ealing borders.

It's billed as the UK's largest Asian mela and has "seven zones with urban, classical and experimental music, DJs, circus, dance, visual arts, comedy, children’s area; food from around the world. Pop and classical music, cabaret, cultural stalls, martial arts, street theatre. Free entrance, but parking charge.. It's supporting the British Heart Foundation charity.

The biggest names performing there today include Jay Sean, Jazzy B and Mumzy Stranger. As you can see, even Boris Johnson. Mayor of London, enjoys honing his skills at the Mela (believe me, 'change the light bulb while patting the dog' does work sometimes...well, if you're an aunty-ji)

BBC Asian Network will be filming the London Mela Main Stage for their BBC TV ‘A Summer Of Melas’ Red Button special. Just press the Red Button on your remote control from tomorrow (Monday 5th September) to watch Mela highlights. For full information go to: www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork

See here for my more substantial piece on Asian melas in 2010.

Holiday return round-up

2011-09-03T10:49:00.000+01:00

We're back from our annual French sojourn having left Eltham, London and the UK in that surreal state during the disturbances. (I shall hopefully write soon about our trip to Fayence, France...)

The explanations or excuses (take your pick) and remedies about the unrest are in full swing, though it's surprising how quickly the new agenda has moved on already. There's a comprehensive round up here on the 'Dan Cull Weblog' of articles about the unrest - predictions, eyewitness accounts, main and non-mainstream analysis, TV and radio links (including that incredible Starkey interview on Newsnight just as we left to go away).

And today, the EDL are seeking to exploit the general unrest by going ahead with a static march in Tower Hamlets. I really hope that all ends peacefully in the east end today, the police seem to have brought in a lot of resources.

I see changes have been afoot in Eltham. There's a new, lovely-looking little cafe on Westmount Road, the 'Woodnut cafe'. And I hear that the much-beloved Eletriq Cafe is closing and a branch of the chain Prezzo is opening there instead, on 11 Sept? Say it ain't so somebody! There are also some sub-continental goings-on in the Old Greyhound pub - more on that shortly too...

Eltham and the London riots (& UPDATE)

2011-08-10T09:09:00.006+01:00

I've no time to post a longer piece (so much to say here), but for now, I really welcomed local MP Clive Efford's statement last night. He was "furious" at the self-style activists from outside the area tying up police resources in Eltham being drunk and disorderly.

Here's a report and footage posted by the NewsShopper:

bit.ly/oSXNPw

I've spent years writing about the wonderful things going on in Eltham, so it is particularly galling to see these scenes. As I understand it, there was NO looting in Eltham last night, just the police having to deal with these unruly people. I spent hours yesterday on Twitter yesterday trying to dispel all rumours of 'EDL riots', but then I started seeing the tweets and pictures from those taking part and I got a bit cross about people bigging them up without knowing what was going on. Surely, proper defenders would be liaising with the police and not have spent hours drinking in the pubs?

There's also an awful Eltham picture I've seen of the police having to kettle the 'defenders' with riot shields! However much we appreciate people defending Eltham (and that is a brave thing), there is something wrong with doing it in this way, isn't there?

[UPDATE: Wednesday (10 Aug) night:
You'll know by now that, while all around London the troubles were at last quietening, much of this happened again tonight ('London riots: vigilantes hurl bottles at police in Eltham'), though this time with hundreds of police and lots of police vans in attendance. Sky News had live cameras trained on police as they again had to deal with crowds gathered once again. Here's the ITN News footage ('Police clash with Eltham rioters').

This time, however, following lessons learnt yesterday, the police had advised that Eltham High Street pubs be closed, from early evening. Then at about 10.15pm, with this succinct message from the Met Police, the evening was concluded as far as they were concerned: "Missiles thrown at officers in Eltham. Incident dealt with and group dispersed. Police remain on scene."

The police did an brilliant job - apparently there were police groups from all over the country and even Wales. The saturation policing of London has largely quelled the disturbances. This shows that we need the police numbers rather than reducing them.

One of the rabid debates on Twitter was whether far-right groups were or were not involved. Some people even objected quite vehemently to this being discussed at all - it's akin to being unpatriotic about Eltham, or something like that (some of that 'flame mail' came my way). Widely-viewed video footage certainly shows that they were present on Tuesday evening, with their 'Regional Organiser' saying he was there 'to manage and control' people there. I guess if you don't want to be associated with these groups, or fear that you may become a target of them, this would have made it difficult for all citizens of Eltham to be able to take part in 'defending Eltham'.

I hope we can return to the Eltham we've come to know and can enjoy. We've got so much going for this town - perhaps we need an event or coming together to get over this horrible episode, show our solidarity, and ensure that we don't see headlines like that about Eltham again.]

Eltham and SE London events - August 2011

2011-08-03T23:38:00.000+01:00

Here's some Eltham and other local-ish events for August (while I'm not getting on and writing other things...):

Saturday, 6th Aug 2011 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Crayford Town Archive open day
An exhibition of photos of Old Crayford including a continuous slide show, photos and artefacts from David Evans silk works, and albums of pictures to peruse. Free.
Please bring your old pictures of Crayford, Slade Green or Barnehurst for us to copy onto our data base.
Address: Crayford Town Hall, Crayford Road, Bexley, DA1 4ER

Sunday 7 August:
Tea in the Tarn

light refreshments, children's activities

Friends of The Tarn will be on hand to welcome visitors to The Tarn and provide teas, coffees, soft drinks, etc, along with children's activities such as wildlife identification sheets. Walk with Wildlife Photographer.

Address: The Tarn, Court Road, Eltham, London SE9 5AQ

The Tarn location map

Sunday 7 August:
2pm to 4pm
Live music on the Lawn
Enjoy the delights of live music on the Tudor Barn lawn every Sunday from 2.00pm to 4.00pm throughout July and August.
7 Aug: Espree featuring Suzie Bailey
14 Aug: Espree featuring guest singer
21 Aug: Steve Mac
Address: Tudor Barn Eltham, Well Hall Pleasaunce, Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SZ

Sunday 7 August

Walk from Ladywell to Forest Hill

Meet at Ladywell station 10.30am

An easy four mile walk exploring Blythe Hill Fields, One Tree Hill and Forest Hill with the fascinating Horniman Museum. Suitable for people with young children. Dogs

are permitted on this walk. For enquiries email Des at des@desdemoor.com.

Sunday-Tuesday 7-9 August

11am-4pm

Knights & Princesses at Eltham Palace

Nearest train stn: Eltham or Mottingham

£9.30 per adult, £6.60 per child

Transform yourself into a noble lord in squire training, and even try on armour in the academy for budding knights and princesses. Children can take part in a hobby horse joust and children's battle.

Monday 8th August

Let There Be Drums! With Ali Clark & 3 drum kits

at Mycenae House Open Mic, Blackheath: £5/£4 (conc) 8.30pm

“Mycenae House, one of London's best kept musical secrets, is the perfect opportunity for you to perform on stage amongst respected musicians, no matter what your experience! Many legendary musicians and artists have been featured over the years.”

Event part of Jazz Nights.

Address: 90 Mycenae Rd, London SE3 7SE. Enquiries: Dave Silk 01689 875 683

Wed 10 Aug, Wed 17 Aug, Wed 24 Aug, Wed 31 Aug:
The Wednesday Fayre
The Wednesday Fayre every Wednesday in August (3rd, 10th,17th, 24th, 31st) – fun for parents and children at Greenwich Market. Cream teas for the parents in our pop-up English garden and fun for the kids on the bouncy castle, face painting and lots of children’s craft activities. Daily (10am?) or 12 noon to 5pm.
Greenwich Market, Greenwich London SE10 9HZ10am- 5pm.

12-13 August 2011:

Leefest

LeeFest is a non-profit music festival held at the Highams Hill Farm. Winner of 'Best Grass Roots Festival' UK Festival Awards '09. LeeFest is held on a small, rural working farm, just on the outskirts of Bromley and Croydon (about 15 minutes from either town centre). There is camping and the site is family-friendly. 2,000 capacity

Address: Highams Hill Farm, Sheepbarn Lane, Warlingham, Surrey, CR6 9PQ

(ok, not really that close to this blog’s territory but it sounds good...)

Saturday 13 August 2011:

The fifth Crystal Palace Overground Festival will take place on Saturday 13 August with several smaller events running in the week leading up to the big day. The festival will include live music, poetry, theatre, comedy, film, food and fashion around the Crystal Palace Triangle with another festival hub in Westow Park. The park will host arts workshops, sports and kids activities and entertainment for all the family.

Saturday 13 August 2011:

Life Of Brian Open Air Cinema at The Churchill

Cinema In The Park - Life Of Brian (Cert 15)
An open-air event taking place in Bromley Amphitheatre, situated in Church House Gardens behind the Churchill Theatre. In partnership with Bromley Comedy, Where is the Nomad (pop up films) bring you one of the best British Comedies ever if not the best. Look out for surprise guests and do feel free to come dressed as a Roman or wearing some outlandish garb associated with the film - it will be a wonderful themed alfresco film experience. Check the website for performance times and prices.

Address: Church House Gardens, foot access via Bromley High street beside the Churchill Theatre, BR1 1RH.

Saturday 13 August 2011:

Oxleas Wood Volunteer Workdays

10am-1pm. Oxleas Café, Crownwoods Ln, SE18 3JA

Nearest train station: Falconwood. Meet at the café on the meadow and help the ShootersHill Woodlands Working Party and park rangers with light woodland work.

Sunday 14 August 2011:

Oxleas Woods Ramble

10-11.30am. Oxleas Café, Crownwoods Ln, SE18 3JA

Nearest train station: Falconwood. Meet at the café on the meadow and join the rangers for

a light, informative walk.

Sunday 14 August 2011:

Ride a Model Steam or Electric Train

2.30-5pm. Electricity Station, off Rochester Way

Nearest train station: Falconwood. The nostalgia model railway at Falconwood Fields is a

real gem that few people know about. Train rides for children and adults, with the last ticket issued at 4:30pm. Refreshments are available in the clubhouse. See www.wdmes.co.uk.

(repeated Sunday 28 August 2.30-5pm)

Sunday 14 August 2011:

Proms in the Park at The Churchill

An open-air event taking place in Bromley Amphitheatre, situated in Church House Gardens behind the Churchill Theatre. Proms In The Park – with fireworks This spectacular prom in the park is performed by the Kent Sinfonia, the foremost professional symphony orchestra for the County of Kent. Its members either live in Kent or have strong links with the County; many also play with major London orchestras such as the RPO. Here, in the gorgeous surroundings of Bromley Amphitheatre, the Kent Sinfonia delivers a wonderful evening of familiar and well-loved music, including Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Elgar's Nimrod and music by Vivaldi, Rossini, Strauss and others. The event is accompanied by a stunning finale of fireworks and FX show.

Check the website for performance times and prices.

Address: Church House Gardens, foot access via Bromley High street beside the Churchill Theatre, BR1 1RH.

21 Aug 2011:

Farmers' Market in Passey Place, off Eltham High Street, SE9

Support the farmers' market in Passey Place.

The market is held on the third Sunday of each month between 10 am and 3 pm.

Sunday 21 August:

Columcille - Open Garden for NGS
Small garden featuring Japanese sanctuary, influenced by Zen tradition, incl water feature, lanterns, traditional Japanese plants and garden shed transformed into a tea house. Also cottage garden section with colourful display of roses, digitalis, lupins, peonies and delphiniums, especially in June; lilies July, dahlias Aug and Sept

Admission £3, Children free (share to St Nicholas Church). Times:1-5. Open for charity.Columcille, Chislehurst, London BR7 5RN

Friday 26 August to Monday 29 August 2011:

4 Day Music and Beer Festival

Four days of the finest music in the area in a variety of styles starts on Friday night with the rock band VOYD. Saturday starts 1330 with guest artists and open mic followed in the evening by Seven Stars Live with Jude Onyeaka and the Andy Smythe Band. Sunday 1100 - Heritage Walk from Water Lane, North Cray to the Seven Stars 1330 guest artists and open mic 2000 Blues Night (provisional) Monday 1230 - guest artists 2000 - 'Graham Corbould Presents' Guests include Ron Trueman-Border, Felix's Rock Choir, Missouri Gutts, Open House, Dave Kenningham, Mick Woods, Zahira Al-Zahira Throughout the festival there will be a good selection of Guest Real Ales that are not normally available at the Seven Stars and these will be varied as the weekend progresses. For details see website

No charge for entry but collections will be taken. Guest beers and Pub Grub available Good Car Parking or Buses.

Website: www.sevenstarslive.co.uk/festival

Address: Seven Stars, Foots Cray High Street, Sidcup, DA14 5HJ London DA14 5HJ

Saturday 27 August 2011:

‘Jimmy Day'

11.30am

Eltham Park South, Glenesk Road, Eltham, London, SE9 1AG
Jimmy Mizen Foundation

Sunday 28 August:
Family Fun Day at Well Hall Pleasaunce website
10am to 6pm

Family activities, stalls, displays, activities and live music in the beautiful garden setting of Well Hall Pleasaunce. Stalls, inflatables, animal dispalys, craft demonstrations and live music and much more. (free)

Address: Well Hall Pleasaunce, Well Hall Road, Eltham, London SE9 6SF

Well Hall Pleasaunce location map

Two Eltham events for July

2011-07-30T23:48:00.000+01:00

Life has been getting in the way of keeping up with local events in recent months - but here's two for tomorrow!

31 July
Tea in the Tarn

2pm to 4pm

“Come and listen to a harpist while enjoying tea and cakes.”
A Parksfest event with music, light refreshments, children's activities (free)
There are also events on more Sunday afternoons - check their website.

Address: The Tarn, Court Road, Eltham, London SE9 5AQ

The Tarn location map

31 July
Live music on the Lawn
2pm to 4pm
Enjoy the delights of live music on the Tudor Barn lawn every Sunday from 2.00pm to 4.00pm throughout July and August.
31 July: Greenwich Soul Choir (see my previous post)
7 Aug: Espree featuring Suzie Bailey
14 Aug: Espree featuring guest singer
21 Aug: Steve Mac
Address: Tudor Barn Eltham, Well Hall Pleasaunce, Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SZ

Summer holidays day out: South Bank London

2011-07-27T14:43:00.000+01:00

We started Day One of the summer holidays this Monday with a great day on London's South Bank.

In theory, the whole of this day out need only have cost us £12.80 - that's the current train fare for an adult and two children from Eltham (in SE London) to Waterloo East on a mid-morning weekday. After that, there's plenty of free pleasures to be had.

For example, a 'beach' has been installed along the railings overlooking the Thames, outside the Royal Festival Hall. Children can happily play in the sand while the adults relax on the benches.

View of 'the beach' from the RFH balcony. There are posters strapped to the railings at intervals reading "wish you were here". Further along there are brightly-painted beach huts, some used as impromptu mini-galleries.

After the sand, the children changed into their swimming costumes and had great fun in the 'Appearing Rooms' on the RFH balcony.

Apparently, "Danish artist Jeppe Hein's aquatic sculpture Appearing Rooms was originally commissioned for the garden of the Villa Manin, Italy. Inspired by the Baroque villa, he designed an ornamental fountain that combines sculpture, architecture, and technology and playfully invites visitors to interact with the changing spaces created by rising and falling walls of water."

As usual, there was plenty of entertainment along the South Bank walkway. The kids always love the performing acts - the gold and silver-sprayed mime artists, the magicians and the curious cat/dog in a box. There's also the children's playground alongside the old County Hall building (where I once worked for several years on the 2nd floor for the the Inner London Education Authority, before it was abolished in 1990), and the traditional carousel (£2 a ride).

As I mentioned, you could just get away with paying your travels costs for the day but I was not an organised mummy that day and didn't pack, and carry around, a packed lunch for us. There are plenty of eating places here, though often busy and a bit pricey. There was a queue as usual outside the favoured Giraffe restaurant (outside the the ground floor of the RFH), and so we nipped to behind the National Theatre where there is a good Pizza Express and walked straight in to a table. Cost-wise, there was also the ice-creams (an eye-watering £3 each), small water bottles (£1.79!) and candy floss (£2 each).

We also spent some time around Gabriel's Wharf, further up the South Bank, where the kids still enjoyed playing on the wooden rocking sculptures (those sculptures have been there for years now). By mid-afternoon it was a step too far to expect enthusiasm from the kids for a session at the Tate Modern - another time.

On the walk back, I spotted this mocked-up Indian 'Chowpatty beach' cafe called 'Dishoom' (which is kinda equivalent to the 'pow' sound used in comics when batman punches a villain). Chowpatty beach is a famous hanging-out area in Mumbai, India.

So a great day out in London, and good start to the summer holidays. Anyone have any other suggestions for days out with children?

Hackgate, Norway and Winehouse

2011-07-24T10:34:00.001+01:00

What intense and grim news recently. Corruption and cynicism riveted us for three weeks, then the shocking mass killings in Norway since Friday and then yesterday as if on cue, an outlet for people's pent up feelings and confusion, the sad and lonely death of singer Amy Winehouse for whom there is a Diana-like outpouring of public grief, despite few of those people knowing her.

People on social networking sites and the press have been ranking which merits greater grief, throwing in a further options of their own - soldiers in Afganistan and famine in Somalia. The psychological draw of concentrating attentions on one iconic figure, was encapsulated on Twitter - the #Amywinehouse hashtag immediately trending far above #oslo or #somalia. Many news channels were live-streaming yesterday from outside Amy Winehouse's house. I guess they wouldn't do that with Somalia - that doesn't offer known characters, or a neat narrative, and would contain many re-occurring tragic and disturbing events.

On the shootings at Utoya in Norway, I was moved to read some personal testimony published in The Telegraph, by one of the young people who describes her experiences as she managed to hide from the killer. It is the first detailed first-hand account I've come across. It happens that this woman is a Sikh Norwegian, Prableen Kaur:

"....We had a crisis meeting in the main building after the explosions in Oslo. After that there was a meeting for members of Akershus [a county bordering the capital] and Oslo. After the meetings there were many, many people around and inside the main building. We consoled ourselves that we were safe on an island. No one knew that hell would break out with us too.
I was standing in the main street [of the island] when panic broke out. I heard shots. I saw him shoot. Everyone started to run.

The first thought was: "Why are the police shooting us? What the hell? "I ran into a little room....."

Read the rest here. Or Prableen's own blog, as translated by Google.

Eltham's Mecca Bingo Hall burglary attempt

2011-07-15T17:15:00.001+01:00

Just received this news via the News Shopper:

"FIVE people were arrested when police foiled a burglary at Eltham’s Mecca Bingo hall last night.

Part of Eltham Hill was closed off for three hours following the incident, which happened at around 11pm. Police say four people wearing balaclavas had entered the premises carrying a hammer and cable ties...." Read more.

It must have been awful for the staff there, thankfully it wasn't worse. They do sound like hopeless burglars though...

More Eltham posts here.

'The public sector Woodstock' or Lewisham People's Day 2011

2011-07-10T12:15:00.000+01:00

We dropped in on Lewisham People's Day yesterday. @cllr_mikeharris yesterday called it "the public sector Woodstock", which is some ways seems quite apt.

I think it's a great event, so much variety, and it means that hubby and I get to watch some live music for a change which we don't often get to do now amidst busy family life. Only problem is, as any parents knows, that we have to snatch those moments before the alert goes up -"I want an ice-cream/a drink/a fair ride/to go to the toilet"....I guess a 6 and 9 year old may not find an anarcho-jazz-punk band as fascinating as we might...

Anyways, here's some photos from yesterday:

Miss Kjah on the Dance for Life stage: Miss Kjah really hit the right note, with her RnB, dancehall, socca style. She's on Twitter @misskjah and her website.

Stark Dangerous at the Rocklands stage

Felix's Rock Choir at the Bandstand: Fun choral singing of modern classics such as Ce-Lo Green and Dusty Springfield, at one of my favourite stages (and right next to the kids playground, which is always handy...)

Princess Amy and Isabelle, two Rajistani-style stilt-walking Indian princesses wowed all passers-by.

I didn't get a photo of the fascinating Ensemble Tramontana at the Blackheath Halls tent. They were a four piece ensemble singing continental medieval troubadour songs - they were beautiful and haunting - no, really. The singer gave very useful, and witty, translations of the lyrics before each piece.

It was while sitting on a hay bale here that we got talking to a fascinating elderly lady, with a Scottish accent, who readily introduced herself. She lived in sheltered housing, she said, but loved different music from around the world and made an effort to get to hear it whenever she could. She then proceeded to name some Bollywood film stars from the black and white era, saying that she and her late-husband used to go to watch them decades ago. She even remembered some Hindi song lyrics. Wow. Talk about shattering stereotypes.

And finally, just love the graphics on this food stall:

East London Lines were live-blogging the event and have more pics and description on their site. Those covering it on Twitter included the ever-informative and local, @MattClinch81.

Lewisham People's Day 2011

2011-07-08T23:06:00.000+01:00

Unglue yourself from the NOTW drama - this has got to be the one tomorrow:

Lewisham Peoples Day 2011

"Largest, longest running free festival in SE London"
Sat 9th July 2011 12-8pm
Mountsfield Park, Brownhill Road, SE6 1AN

"The Neville Staple Band leads a fantastic line up of over one thousand local and international performers. Enjoy music, magic, art, dance, sport, cabaret and spoken word on eight beautifully themed stages at Lewisham’s largest and longest running community festival.

There is something for all ages – grab a partner for Electro Swing, learn a circus skill, browse the craft market, Sing Out! With the BBC Singers, relax with a pint of real ale or take afternoon tea in a twinkly big top."

Full programme here.

2009 People's Day - Brockley Ukulele Band

2009 LPD - oh dear, I didn't label the photograph of this band on the ?Albany stage - anyone?

NOTW & Coulson: Lewisham enters the stage

2011-07-08T17:42:00.000+01:00

In a local link with the current events surrounding NOTW and hacking, it seems Andy Coulson (ex-editor of the NOTW) was taken to Lewisham Police Station earlier today. The station is apparently Europe's largest with 96 custody cells.

I drove by earlier, about 3pm and there were a few journo types and one TV van (photo left). People are saying there's quite a crowd outside now though. Locals on Twitter are referring hungry hacks to the Sausage Man stall by the clocktower...

It also turns out that Coulson's a south Londoner and was picked up from his home in Forest Hill according to The Telegraph, though elsewhere they are saying it's Dulwich. Discussion going on over at Brockley Central.