Parading like Peacocks
Written by mumu | Filed under Art, History, Shopping
So the new Peacocks clothes shop has opened on the former Woolworths and 99p Shop site on Denmark Hill
(Photo taken last week prior to opening)
I feel that this is a positive addition to the local shopping scene — maybe not clothing to everyones taste but I’m sure useful for lots of people. The best thing is that its increases the diversity of shops available in the town centre and it is not another fried chicken, betting, nails or off licence shop — not that I have anything against these shops but we do seem to have several of these types already.
In other news whilst walking to Sophocles bakery today I see that a new Polish delicatessan is due to open on Camberwell Church Street approximately opposite the Jungle Cafe — this I hope will be a useful addition to the area.
And I read in the South London Press last week (and its been mentioned here) that the Antic Pub Co are considering opening up a microbrewery in the Tiger Pub. This would be fantastic news for the local area — imagine sipping a pint of Camberwell Tiger as you watch the world go by. A quick google shows (see the results here) that in olden days (ie 19th century) the Camberwell Brewery Company established in 1860 and owned by Mr Richard Ray was located on Camberwell Green producing beer for the local market — it was taken over in 1895 by the company that eventually became Marstons and closed at some point but it may have even stood on the current Tiger site?
And in other Camberwell news I have just come back from a very sunny Glastonbury Festival where Camberwell’s own Florence and the Machine played an amazing set to 50,000+ people.
And finally do not miss the Big Dance at various locations across London this weekend — including events in Myatts Fields and Ruskin Park. See the latest edition of Lambeth Life (available online or pick up a copy at any Lambeth library or council office) for further details.
Am I missing sometyhing? Who’s doing this additional stuff on Peter’s blog — it’s good to see other people contributing but I can’t see who’s doing it… It must be magic.
The Camberwell Brewery, if that is what it is to be called, is likely to be in the Valmar Trading Estate I think.
Marston’s incidentally are a brewer with has free of tie pubs and managed pubs and also a substantial tied estate which, like all tied estates (see previous musings on this blog and also http://www.fairpint.org.uk) is struggling to survive the economic strictures of… well, the tie.
The (wonderful) other contributors have their names below the title of the post; this was by Mumu.
Just rode past the new Polish delicatessen after work today. From the look of the large illuminated sign and the fact that it say’s wine and food in the bottom corner, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be an off-licence which sells a few Polish products rather that the ‘delicatessen’ we hope for.
Hopefully I’m proved wrong when it does open.
Whatever it turns out to be, it’s got to be better than the Chicken Coop which has just opened a couple of doors down — surely we’ve reached saturation point with fast food places around Camberwell Green.
Peacock’s “Urban Spirit” brand is great. Their designers are good, very imaginative, easily as good as those at George or Tutu, what’s it called, Vuvu. Tu.
A Peacocks shop is a sign of people without loads of money peacocking around looking good, it’s good.
Good old Camberwell.
That chap whose name is under the name of the chap who runs this blog, “Peter” I think he calls himself, or his parents called him Peter, yes, well Peter, Pete, mate, isn’t the South London Gallery good for Camberwell cameraderie? What a cool place to meet or schmooze or cruise. I am sure there will be people who meet there for the first time who go on to have babies, like people who meet at the Hermits. There are loads of Hermits babies, I bet.
Gay Camberwell, what does the pink squid say about the new SLG? Right up your strasse, one would think. Are you about to comment on it in pink ink?
One means, what a wonderful place to stray, the new South London Galleray.
Gay? I’d say.
[Dags, quit while you’re ahead.]
The Burgess Park debate going on “on the other side” (of this blog) as they used to say in this country about television when there was only the BBC and ITV — “WHAT’S ON THE OTHER SIDE, VERA?” et cetera -
is interesting.
The only trouble with the green space thing is that currently Burgess Park is a very dangerous place to be green, naive or otherwise.
Someone has said here that it is great that the black and hispanic white van men who play football there are the unofficial security.
Otherwise, it is like those old heaths around London where in the 18th and 19th centuries at night muggers (“footpads”) would kill people for tuppence.
Green people tend to be vegetarians or vegans, not raptors or univalves — what do you call people who eat anyone? Having a jungle in the middle of Camberwell does not seem a good idea. It is never filled with socks-with-sandals-wearing, nudist, just-heavy-petting-please swingers with beards and smocks who could see off any urban mugger bugger instantly just by being weird.
The current green squad cannot make the park safe. It is green, but just not that nice for humans, is all.
What is it about vegetarians that makes them so daft?
Eggs?
Good God, there is very little difference between proper sex and cannibalism.
@ Peter. Thank You. I is blind.
Serious question: we have been nurturing two delightfully grunty saddlebacks, called Enterprise and Punch, who will be killed in a few weeks to be turned into steaks and sausages and the like.
These pigs will be prepared and served to our willing customers anyway, and will prove delicious and wonderful as did last year’s brief foray into sourcing our own pork.
This time though, we could do a ‘carcass carving class’ or somesuch audience participation activity.
We’d have a butcher turning pigs into portions under the awning in the garden with an audience and a talk through the process. It would amount to something like River Cottage Live at The Sun and Doves.
Anyone interested in this?
Your thoughts appreciated.
Enterprise and Punch. Pigs with their snouts in the trough:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4740733530_932e2c9625_b.jpg
@Dagmar: You musta been on Urban Spirit when you wrote that last post dear. Shurely.
My 1915 OS map of peckham shows a brewery behind Camberwell Arts College and one on Chadwick Road SE15, where the GP surgery sits. Doesn’t go as far as the Green unfortunately. The chain who have just opened the Victoria on Bellenden brew their own down at the Florence in Herne Hill. Never tried it.
Mark@
Enterprise and Punch piggies?…I would like to partake in the ceremonial sacrifice
Dagmar@ — Your post was right up there (as usual) but still nowhere near as amusing as the one about Austin Allegro burnt orange spray tan in response to a request for a tanning salon!
That still makes me laugh when I think about it
Thank you, Eu. I have a touch of World Cup fever, that’s all, nothing serious, nothing a matter of life and death, but more important than that. Did you see that Spanish chap throw himself at the earth in the penalty area towards the end of the Portugal game? I hope that Brazil, Germany or Argentina take their due course and thrash ‘em.
Police tape round the shop by Warwick Gardens again, last night. The young guns have been at it again. It’s not like the old days when a copper’s nark would have put an end to this. In fact the local firms would never have let this happen in the first place, working closely with the old Carter Street type of copshop.
What we have gained in better haircuts since the 1970s we have lost with feeling safe on the streets.
That shop has been turned over so many times; the thieves can’t get away with much, that shop barely has any stock. I suppose it’s an easy target because of its location. Still, sorry to hear it.
mmmhh Pork. Selena and I would be up for the River Cottage experience Mark.
@ Mark
Count me in for the butchering tutorial. A man needs to know his French Trim from his Chine Bone.
Right. I will try nailing down dates for the OFFERING and come back here. I bet the demise of Enterprise and Punch will be in August when simply EVERYONE, who is anyone, will be AWAY.
Still; Putting the porcine post here got me thinking and I squeezed a version of it over onto the Morning Advertiser forum this morning. The two biggest pubcos are Enterprise and Punch and I sort of thought a post about killing off two pigs with snouts in a trough would be pulled but no; it’s still there and it’s gathered a bit of attention. Have a look if you have the time. You’ll quickly see from the discussion there just what a mess the pub industry really has made of itself.
http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/forum.ma/thread-for-post/79562
Yo Mark
Would be very interested in your pig dissection session, and I’m sure many folk would be. Do it! Not sure if you intend charging. I’d pay a fiver or so.
My girlfriend got me a wonderful and expensive present last year — a butchery class with Farmer Sharp’s Mastering Meat class at borough market.
A morning of butchery! Great idea. But the class itself turned out to be of very limited use, given the cost, and was a bit disappointing.
S+D can do better.
Anyone interested in butchery might like to know that perennial Borough Market favourites, The Ginger Pig, also provide classes. They also have a shop on Lower Marsh in Waterloo. Their website currently appears to have been taken out by Turkish hackers: http://www.thegingerpig.co.uk/
Lower Marsh is a great street. I’m sorry BRA are knocked out, Peter. I pooh-poohed NED’s chances against BRA the other night, in an alehouse, to a Dutch lady of all people, and now this.
There is a fantastic art show at Tate Britain by a Belgian feller living in Mexico which everyone must see. Francis someone. It is ever so funny and ever so good. The voyeur exhibition of photos is just plain weird, but the Belgian’s ideas are hilarious and brilliant.
Thanks for the encouragement on the butchery class. Will speak to the butcher and find out more…
Went to the Crypt again tonight briefly:
http://bit.ly/anOnTC
Today, the film cameras were back in SE5, because it was the first anniversary of the Lakanal fire. Went to the memorial service for the 6 that died at St Giles Church. The whole event was quite inclusive (even to those, like me, without a faith). That’s the first time I’ve seen the inside of St Giles Church, which is fabulous.
12 months after the event and the police investigation is not yet complete, with no date set for an announcement. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of people living in similar dwellings, not knowing why the fire spread so quickly & whether their homes are fire-safe. There is something seriously wrong here.
Dagmar@
Francis Alys…yes, it a good show, well worth seeing but there is a lot of video work that needs to be listened to carefully…
Ditto Lower Marsh…Love that place, always have even 20 years ago…not just now it’s a bit more trendy
Burst water main on Lyndhurst Grove last night, top of Vestry. Clancy Docwra were there right away to dig but Thames Water arrived later. Are they French owned Like the leccie? In that case, they could be called an inutility. As ever, it is shareholder value that is their priority, not something as simple as water. When you have a case of fried kids at home, this is not joke. There is not even a van with those bottles of Thames Water water they sometimes hand out.
Commiserations Dagmar. Plenty of water at Camberwell Green earlier: two fire engines, several ambulances in attendance at a fire in a block of flats, apparently caused by someone setting light to rubbish and putting it in the rubbish chute. No serious casualties.
Thames Water have done it, fixed it, sealed it off, remetalled the road, brilliant job. Beautiful streams of lovely pure tapwater were flowing down the streets round here from a mighty fountain sparkling in the Camberwell sun. Long live the Victorian watermains of old London with their fine displays every now and then of shareholder value going down the drain.
Important bit of information for anyone with any form of business interest in SE5:
SE5 Forum is putting energy into Camberwell Business Forum, something it was tasked with as Camberwell Traders’ Association became moribund but there clearly is a need for a business body (perhaps, even a business busy body) locally. SO, Thursday 15 July sees the first of a hopefully never ending series of Business Forum meetings designed to get business owners alongside local authority bods, business mentors, grant funding/business skille and training bodies, and other business owners, to get some interesting stuff happening locally. At the very least there will be nice finger food and refreshing refreshments and it all starts at The Sun and Doves. Innit.
Tea and cakes provided: IF you are in business in SE5, make Camberwell YOUR business!
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4763494159_dd8e4f9581.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4763491849_492e550baa_b.jpg
Perhaps the pig butchery could be combined with a showing of “The tree with wooden clogs”, a lovely albeit long film of everyday life set in rural Italy a 100 or so years ago. There is a long sequence of a pig being hung up, stuck, then bled to death. Nothing is wasted — in every sense of the word — either on the viewer or off the pig. And it’s true, dying pigs make a lot of noise.
Disappointing dinner at The Bear the other week. Standards have definitely slipped. Is there a new chef?
I had the duck n lentils, which I’ve tried before. 1st time it was really good. This time the meat was overdone and salty as hell. Chips not as good either.
It was tasty but not good enough at the price. Come back old Bear food, what’s happened?
Also the menu mains have become less ‘interesting’ — fish and chips for example. We’re in the middle of summer so do Shepherds Pie and stews really belong?
@Phil G
Bear food been off for sometime now I think. Still by no means bad in my book but not in the same league it was 6 months ago.
Where serves peacock? There is this fantastic 1929 film, “The Scream of the Rainbow”, about the traditional slaughter of peacock in Afghanistan. Many people go into the new Peacocks on Denmark Hill expecting to come away with one tucked under their arm making that plaintive squawking sound you can hear from the same iridescent fowl in Battersea Park. Many of our neighbours are disappointed to find only cheap clothes in the shop. Peacocks hail from Persia, originally, or Peckham, somewhere like that.
A good book is “Obsession: A Life in Wireless” by Gerald Wells who runs the Vintage Wireless Museum from his house in Rosendale Road, Dulwich. He set up televisions for street parties in Camberwell for the Coronation in 1953. It is a great book, available from the museum.
Tampopo is all I can say
Apart from: Thanks SouthLondonJohn I’ve ordered The Tree With The Wooden Clogs.
meanwhile in the world of ‘oh no not again,’ more housing could come to ‘west a planning application’s gone in for redevelopment of the area where former National used to be (Camberwell Road/Wyndham Road). While the spot desperately needs something done to it, four buildings with no amenities to speak of is hardly the answer. They are promising ‘mixed office/artist studio/small business space’, presumably similar to the successful ‘mixed use’ space in Gwenn Morris House across the road which stayed empty from the day it was finished. Or it could be as successful as the two unfinished skeletons of steel behind Gwenn Morris House (as the developer went bankrupt so the development was never completed. Had it been, the two buildings would be even more flats, with no space between them to swing anything or anyone).
The link to the planning application reference is here: http://planningonline.southwarksites.com/planningonline2/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=9535830
check documents or our website if you want to see what my objections were.
x
I noticed my photos coming up on this blog through the Camberwell Flickr feed. Awesome community blog!! Thanks.
Has everyone seen this? Our own Mark Dodds is taking over The Crypt under St Giles church: http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/87633
Good Lord. This is inspired. Every church should have a bar beneath it, a sort of all souls on resurrection day theme bar, dancing, grinning skeletons, saloon girls beckoning sailors on the sea of life to their fate, that sort of thing.
The unconscious.
Or just unconscious.
Good old Fair Pint.
That’s great to hear that Mark will be taking over The Crypt — hopefully he won’t make too many changes as I like the current atmosphere.
Slightly confused by one section of the article — is Mark planning to change the name of The Crypt to The Fair Pint, or is that what they plan to call the pub they are looking for in the Westminster area?? Mark can you clarify?
The Tree With The Wooden Clogs arrived yesterday. Will be in touch with the butcher soon. I’m just waiting for the DVD now.
On the Crypt. No changes planned immediately, this is a transfer of management rather than creation of an entirely new business. Our remit is to oversee the operation of the premises and look at ways of ensuring its long term stability as venue in the context of it being in an operational church. Our presence will influence the venue — this is unavoidable — but we’ll not do anything substantial over time other than look after it, nurture it and make it more comfortable for everyone.
@PK The Crypt will not change; The Fair Pint is a separate thing altogether and ideally will be a substantial pub in Westminster which will have meeting and letting rooms above, where people, political dignitaries, concerned imbibers, historians and plain characters from all over the world, can come and stay, with a roof terrace, a forecourt and a garden at the back with off street parking, a bicycle rack a bus route and taxi rank outside and so on. A tall order and not at St Giles.
Am a concerned imbiber that needs clarification.
Hic.
An operational church? What do they do, soul transplant? Turn faithful into squausages?
Check out the grill at the Sun & Doves.
100% pure Christian sausages.
Methodists also served.
Is anyone else a little doolally with the heat?
I had breakfast at No. 67, the new cafe at the SLG, today — it was delicious. Egg, beans (home made), mushroom, chorizo, sourdough toast; cost £8, but worth it. The new wing is light and airy, the artist in residence will be lucky indeed.
The latest exhibition is Nothing Is Forever, paintings and text on the walls designed to show off the gallery space, all of which will be painted over soon. Some of it was obvious (the elephant in the room), some delightful. There’s a huge Nigerian fabric on the side of a building in the Sceaux Gardens estate, by the artist who’s currently exhibiting on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.
I took some photos before we were told of their ridiculous no-photography policy.
Come on you reds
Did I mention this already? http://bit.ly/aFLUAn
Cryptology
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4782666910_387894903f.jpg
Mark
Come on you Reds indeed!
I won’t be able to watch at the S&D tonight…I’ve been invited to watch the game at The Lauriston E9 (just next to Victoria Park) — Do you know it? — That area is prime for an se5forum field trip
Which is a fine spot for such a lovely day (which has the potential to be even better, later on
Regarding The Crypt — Nice One…I know you won’t cock it up!
Eusebiovic — that was a stab in the dark, I’ve no idea who’s wearing red, if, indeed anyone will be wearing red at all… I hope that Spain will win but will be pleased if the Netherlands do too. Well I like the idea of a warm European country getting the cup.
“Could 2010 World Cup final be the most watched event in history?” I hope so, for my sake and for the sake of my children’s children’s children.
On the other hand I have no idea. Who does?
The Lauriston sounds good, does it go on and on and on and on? Lauriston.
I see the former Paulet Arms on Paulet Road is up for rent http://www.gallowayscommercial.co.uk/details.asp?ID=460 — the upper floors have been converted into flats but the ground floor remains as pub/food use. Not sure about local levels but £35,000 rent a year does seem to be a lot.
@Mumu The upper floors were being converted when I moved to the area in 2007, three years later they remain unlet, unsold & unloved, which is a shame.
@Mumu. £35K is utterly ridiculous. The Paulet was tied before it failed serially, the rent was similar, I seem to recall, and the rooms above could have been used to pay the commercial rent.
I’ve no doubt the premises are in much better condition now than when a tied slum of a pubco landlord but nevertheless where the hell does the current freeholder think enough trade is going to come from to pay that kind of rent?
The flats above the Paulet Arms are let I think (mostly) but not sold — I imagine a new owner isnt going to want to buy whilst they dont know who is going to occupy the ground floor. If you’re cynical it could be that the developers dont want to let it because then they can show that its not viable and then apply for planning permission change of use and then sell it off as a residential unit.
I see that bus route 36 is to feature on Top Deck Tales on Radio 4 tonight — http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/tv_and_radio/newsid_8806000/8806170.stm
The mural on the side of Lakanal House is great. I’ve still not been to the new SLG extension & cafe. They serve good ice cream thou, according to the kids.
Frank’s Campari Bar in Peckham — much the same as last year? Or better / different?
@Gabe
Hi Gabe, I went to Frank’s for the first time last week, so I can’t say if it’s better or worse than last year but we had a really great time and will be returning to have dinner there for sure. It was really popular, that said it was a particularly glorious evening last thurs.
Is the ice cream at the SLG Gelato Delight?
The best ice cream I have tasted in ages.
And made in Camberwell too.
I knew someone who was living at a guardian in the Paulet Arms after it was closed down. According to her, they got closed down because on health grounds and couldn’t afford/didn’t want to pay the fines or pay for the work to clean up. I saw the kitchen and can honestly say that anyone who ever had the misfortune to eat there and is still alive must have guts of steel. It was absolutely foul.
The world of my little bit of Coldharbour Lane settles back to normality today. We’re having problems with our mail list programme and the website at exactly the same time as Flickr has changed its format. Change change change, humbug, so here’s a snapshot:
Private View Tomorrow. Tuesday 13 July an excellent show called ‘WITHOUT GLOSS’, to which you are all invited of course. There will be some rather decent wine available at just £1.50 a glass — to help fund exhibitions — and rather fine work for sale too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesunanddoves/4765129693/
Wednesday is the all new format quiz: exactly the same as before but a lot different at the same time. NOW there’s prizes for everyone. I don’t understand the math but apparently it works for all of us… I haven’t got a handy link for the new image because I had to leave to pick the children up from school just before I could convert it into a jpeg;
The Quiz? 8pm at The Sun and Doves every Wednesday (football free zone).
Thursday 15 July 3pm — 5pm Business Tea and Biccies — if you’re in business in SE5 make Camberwell YOUR business — the launch of Camberwell Business Forum under the awning in the garden of The Sun and Doves. Come and have some fun in the errr, sun?
Here’s the poster http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4764124762_9ec56d9368.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesunanddoves/4786695756/in/photostream/
I used to know a Paulet crew, Monkeycat, who attended the famous lock-ins and lived in the street. One of them now lives in Totnes, the Camberwell of Devon.
Totnes certainly is the Camberwell of Devon but I recall there being more bed and breakfasts there.
There used to be a fish & chip stall in Totness that did great curry sauce and crispy chips with batter bits dropped from the fish.
Has anyone tried Brockwell Lido and is it a good place for a few hours?
@ Phil G, tried Brockwell Lido a few weeks ago before the current good weather and it was lovely! Bit of a shock when first diving in, but it’s probably warmed up a bit since. Sure it will get very busy with the school holidays if this good weather continues ‘tho. I’d get there before lunchtime if I were you
@genfink incredible location, isn’t it. The view’s more compelling than the art.
@PhilG: Was at Brockwell Lido on Friday — water temp was 23.9C. Happy days.
As others have said, get there early (particularly on weekends) to make the most of it.
Yes was there last Sunday, great as usual although very busy.
There is an interesting exhibition on at the Red Gate Gallery down the road in Loughborough Junction — Last orders at the bar: The demise of the Great British Pub runs until Thursday 15 July. Further information at http://www.redgategallerylondon.co.uk/2010/07/last-orders-at-the-bar-the-demise-of-the-great-british-pub/
@ Mumu. The Red Gate is pretty useless at advertising itself. Would have liked to have had a gander at this but don’t have the time now!
As well as the Red Gate Gallery exhibition regarding the Great British Pub…
There is also an exhibition regarding the great lost cinemas of South London at The Carnegie Library on Herne Hill Road…
The photos are by David Freeman a resident of Lambeth who used to be a projectionist for many of the cinemas…
It is there until the end of the month
Dagmar, sorry for the lateness of Gay Camberwell’s SLG-related comments: we were in Transylvania but are now back: http://www.gaycamberwell.com/gc-blog.html
“In Transylvania” is presumably, er, oh never mind.
The new SLG package is just great, isn’t it, Pinkerwell? I like “flimsy arsy gay boys louching airily over their capriciousness”.
Did anyone see Twinkle Brothers at the Lambeth County Penitentiary? Toots and the Maytals and the magnificent Lee Scratch Perry were on at the Barbican, of all places, last night.
@Dagmar, yes, spent two fun days in Brockwell Park this weekend. The Twinkle Brothers and the Alabamas were terrific!