The Burgess Park Food Project
Written by Peter | Filed under Development
NB: In lieu of a new post from me, here’s an email I received from the Friends of Burgess Park recently. I’m struggling for time, so if anyone would like to contribute a new post, please get in touch.
You may be aware of the Burgess Park Food Project, a new community garden and food project being established on the Surrey Canal Walk. A separate group supported by the Friends, they are half way through a funding bid, and a thorough consultation is needed to ensure they properly represent local needs. A copy of the questionnaire is online here.
We’d appreciate if you could fill in the form and return it to burgessfoodproject@gmail.com or drop a completed form at East St or Peckham Library or Brothers Food and Wine on the bridge on Trafalgar Avenue. Alternatively, come to the open day on Saturday 11th June and see what’s going on.
Please feel free to pass the form on. The more ideas and support received, the more representative the project will be.
For more information about the site and project, please have a look at our website
www.burgessfoodproject.posterous.com.
I see that this Saturday Loughborough Junction are having a literary night extraordinaire featuring an array of authors including Stella Duffy and Adam Mars Jones. Plus there will be a pop-up bar by Sun and Doves, and a pop-up bookshop by Review. I curse the theatre tickets I purchased for Saturday night… http://loughboroughjunction.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/invitation-warrior-literary-festival-at-loughborough-junction-saturday-4-june-at-8pm/
Congratulations to whomever thought of putting one of those outdoor gyms in Burgess Park (on the northwest edge). It’s incredibly well used. I ran through that bit of the park at about 6:45 this morning and it was very busy with people going about their physical jerkery.
Gay, what are you going to see? I wish the Sheffield Crucible were in London. Then we could see Pauline McLynn from Father Ted and Shameless in Beckett’s Happy Days.
Thanks for the tip-off. Mars-Jones is great.
What’s with police horses on Lyndhurst Grove? Three nights on the trot now.
They disappear into the Lettsom. I bet the dealers hoof it.
There is loads more going on at the 7 Bridges Festival
here http://www.7-bridges.org/10%20news/08-news.html
Starts tomorrow night with events all over the weekend.
Neigh way!
Dagmar — Off to see The Holy Rosenbergs at the National
Sounds intense, Gay, Israel-Palestine, all that. If they made it into a musical maybe that would leven the tension a little. There must be a Broadway musical out there somewhere about the Israel-Palestine conflict. A bit obvious for Sondheim — what’s Lionel Bart up to these days? Pauline McLynn (Father Ted, “You will you will you will”, Shameless) in Beckett’s “Happy Days” at the Sheffield Crucible finishes tonight after just two weeks. I hope they bring it here. It is billed as Beckett’s funniest play and is being put on for its 50th anniversary.
Now when it comes to consultation what the Burgess Park Food Project lot are doing amounts to a Hill of Beans more than the Local Authorities ever manage. It’s at a point already where we could expect a Local Authority Consultation to be at following spending £2,000,000 — you know — the point at which a few local people actually begin to hear about it.
Some lessons to be learned.
Seven Bridges was busy last night. The bar ran out of cheese straws and frankfurter rolls.
Meanwhile I’m enjoying a lupin break up north
Sad news from the SE1 website: Barry Mason, of Southwark Cyclists and the Surrey Docks Farm, has died while on a cycling holiday in Spain.
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5328
A real loss to Southwark.
The literarary event at the old Warrior pub was really good last night, part of the 7 Bridges Festival. Stella Duffy had total command of the show as the presenter — she could be on telly, that girl.
She read from her “Room of Lost Things” which really buzzes with the life of the Junction. It was revealed that she wanted to call it “Loughborough Junction”, but her publisher said people would think it was about “up north”.
Adam Mars-Jones, one of the subtlest and strongest men of letters today, came up with a wonderful quote about reading:
“I didn’t know I liked hot buttered toast until I read about it in One Hundred and One Dalmatians.”
That must be rendered here in print for posterity. Let it enter the Quotations Dictionaries at once. You would never get fancy pants Martin Amis coming up with something as brilliantly nu-Proust as that.
The real surprise discovery for me was Alex Wheatle, who read from his latest book, “The Dirty South”. He beats “I know London” Martin Amis into a cocked hat. He is observant, witty and punchy, a really reassuringly uplifting and intelligent voice of Black Brixton and a master of the phrase and page.
The coolest clothing brand round here is Paul James-Lecky’s “Warrior Sports Clothing” which you can find on Facebook. He was selling his line last night and we can find it all over at fairs and festivals.
How come Loughborough Junction, one of the least glamorous endz in south-east London, is in many ways way ahead of Camberwell?
Amis’s version would be that he didn’t realise he liked raw liver until he read Portnoy’s Complaint
Had a quick nose around The Crooked Well (formerly Le Petit Parisien, formerly The Dark Horse, formerly etc etc) yesterday. They seem to be doing a complete refit, instead of the half-arsed job LPP did. The restaurant will be upstairs, downstairs will all be bar area. Looks nice so far, and I wish them luck. There are pictures on Facebook, for those who are into that sort of thing.
Also took a walk around the Farmers’ Market; it’s now on monthly, on the first Saturday. Needs to grow a bit, but a promising start.
@Dagmar: “How come Loughborough Junction, one of the least glamorous endz in south-east London, is in many ways way ahead of Camberwell?” — scale, perhaps? Easier to overcome small problems one at a time than tackling years of entropy in the broadness of Camberwell.
@Dagmar — Peter’s right. Small group of people get together and make some change happen. It’s in one borough. And that’s NOT Southwark. Less space to focus on. Also got grants to do stuff. No one in Camberwell gets involved ‘together’ they all do their own thing. Dagmar.
Put 23rd July in your diary — Camberwell Green One Year to GO. There will be a marvellous day shindig and a farmers market and stalls and games and everyone in Camberwell pulling together to have a wonderful exciting time. Watch here and there for more news soon. It’ll be like this but bigger and even better: http://www.flickr.com/photos/se5forum/sets/72157626735064603/
@J Mark Dodds
Yes, I’ve pointed out the historical differences between Lambeth and Southwark more times than you have mentioned pubcos!
Tis what it is — and little else — sadly
The ex-Bingo Hall IS a small corner of Camberwell — If only the Lambeth boundary extended to Medlar Street and the west side of Camberwell Road –things would be a lot different…
Now it’s raining… Which pubs are good for drinking outdoors in the sunshine?
* The one above the station (Firkin?) — on the steps to catch the evening sun.
* The Grove — the little alley outside catches the afternoon rays, kind of.
* Camberwell Green — with a few lo-cost tins from The Drink Store
Any others?
* Funky Monkey? — if you stand outside on the pavement
* Sun & Doves — does the garden there get sun?
* Hoopers — did they build that roof terrace yet?
@Gabe:
The Fox On The Hill is probably your best bet for all day sunshine.
S&D gets good sun all afternoon, but it disappears quickly early evening.
The Crooked Well (when it opens) gets sun in the morning, and The Grove mid-afternoon.
The George Canning gets it afternoon and early evening.
The Phoenix gets sun from the afternoon until just before sunset (when the sun dips behind King’s).
If I were doing an all-day sunny pub crawl I would probably go: The Crooked Well > The Grove > The Fox On The Hill > The Sun & Doves > The George Canning > The Phoenix.
The Cambria also gets some good hours of sun even if it is a little off the beaten track…like the S&D it’s garden faces the same direction…
That’s a serious pub crawl. I’ll stick The Cambria down for mid-afternoon.
So far, I only know one pub locally where people take bicycles in — the Joiners Arms (back room).
Edit: I liked that podcast from Peckham your tweeted , Peter. Very Radio 4ish http://t.co/sFhWhNr
Poplar makes Loughborough Junction look ordinary. They have a branch of Percy Ingle, the famous East End baker’s, who these days do a fabulous low GI bread that contains barley and oats. They bake using the oven bottom method hardly used anywhere these days. The mix of people is extraordinary — Harry Redknapp and Mr Rascal are from there — and they have one of the pleasantest little parks in the whole of London with an incredibly affecting memorial to the 18 small children killed in a bombing raid on 13 June 1917.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotha_G.V
I have received an email asking if anyone knows of a suitable venue in Camberwell that could be used as a temporary venue for a theatre. It would need to be free for about 3 months from September I believe and able to seat about 100 people.
If anyone knows of a place please let us know. It would be fantastic if we could get something like this in Camberwell.
@ Dagmar — I saw Happy Days at the National a couple of years ago. It was fab. NB I am not always at the National…
@ Monkeycat — tricky. They could negotiate a deal with the Institute of Psychiatry or Kings College Hospital, I guess. They both have lecture theatres of such dimensions. Expect Camberwell Arts College does too. Assuming they’re not looking for something quite so glamorous/academic… tricky for 100 people. The Crypt?! Upstairs at the Cambria or the Bear?
I don’t think they are looking for somewhere that is specifically a theatre. The only proviso is that it needs to be available every night. So somewhere like the crypt is out. Maybe St Giles though?
OK Monkeycat– How about the Ruskin Park Bandstand as a stage then everyone can crowd round on folding camping chairs?
Camp chairs.
Where’s the best place (cheapest) to get an inner tube replaced on a mountain bike?
(SE5 and neighbouring codes only)
Buy one from Edwards and put it in yourself, or they’ll do it for a fiver
great! thanks
Alan, are you Paris Hilton?
Now, now Dagmar. Not easy to change a tube when you have a prosthetic arm.
(Gosh, I could appear in a Bateman cartoon, “The Man who Defended Alan Dale”)
Paris Hilton has a WHAT? Now you’re talking, Mr Bateman. So listen, she uses it to… to…
More to the point it must be difficult to ride with a prosthetic leg?
I had a hernia op last Wednesday. In and out in a few hours. The patient service team, management and staff, at King’s day surgery are excellent. Really, it was touching to see how well Dorotha, Dave and Asif and the others whose names I didn’t catch in my wooziness, cope with a huge workload and remain caring and considerate of everyone that comes their way. Great experience of the NHS. We have to be proud of this amazing service and truly should fear for its demise.
Apart from the egg Mayonnaise sandwich that is. Like eating dry sand, it was.
More like Heather Mills.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1019348/as-muccas-marriage-declared-goes-cycling-personal-trainer.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1019348/as-muccas-marriage-declared-goes-cycling-personal-trainer.html
There is a weird little cycle related shop opposite the Father Red Star / Nollywood or whatever it’s called.
Anyone know anything about that?
It’s little more than a doorway…
I think it’s related to the squat; I know they did bicycle repair workshops there.
There’s Bob Bikes up on John Ruskin Street too. Lots of second hand bikes and a good workshop I hear.
Bob’s Bikes is 5 star. Wilson’s in Peckham is good. Bob’s, though, you go there, it’s done.
I’ll give Bob’s a try. Or the Ratstar.
Creaky bottom bracket. < no sniggering
Got my programme for the upcoming Camberwell Arts Festival through the letterbox today. Will hopefully get along to a few of the events and open studios this year.
I’m sure there will be a post from Peter soon about it, but for those interested further info can be found here: http://www.camberwellarts.org.uk/
Looked at that website for The Crooked Well. It uses that faux easy-going prose for the urban professional with plenty disposable income who just absolutely deserves quality and a bit of fun after a hard week’s brainstorming.
Jeez, I just read that back. I sound cynical. Hope it work’s out for them.
The site does appear to use that clever web technology that resizes according to you screen size/orientation. That’s awesomeness right there.
What is awesome, Gabe, is to ride through the Heygate at the Elephant. The estate is massively deserted. It is just the most impressive, deserted citiscape.
@Gabe: That’s a bit of serendipity right there; I went to Sainsbury’s to get rubber gloves tonight — and butter. On the way back I have the habit of going around the houses to avoid Denmark Hill and as I was going down Grove Lane thought ‘Oh, it’s Thursday and that Crooked Well lot are supposed to be opening tonight’. And they were open. And I went in.
Don’t get your hopes up but so far it’s really good. I’m happy to say ‘THEY’ have done a great job. Go there and see. They’ve broken the back of all the interior stuff that didn’t work before. Quite a challenge. It’s been done simply and effectively and the place feels ‘right’ the moment you walk in. The decor’s good. The reception is good. It’s confident, it’s classy, it’s cool without being overblown. Everything’s good. They’ve resolved the problems of the layout that the three previous incarnations failed to, the bar layout works much better and the dining area to the right doesn’t feel remote and disconnected anymore.
Matt is the chef and Hector is FOH. Front of House. They are both charming, clearly very clued up and obviously make a good business team. I just had a glass of good merlot. A couple I chatted to had dinner and said the food was ‘amazing’ and ‘the best creme brulee I’ve ever had’. For the time being the upstairs restaurant will not open but this is because they want to get the measure of service and demand — they are concerned to keep standards high. This is a good sign. That is not a review. It’s just a recommendation.
The official opening is next Tuesday. Be there or be square.
@Dagmar. You are right.
@Gabe. Responsive design
Mark
Did you see that Fullers are trying to buy out Capital (owners of the Victoria, bishop etc). I’m assuming this is a bad thing.
Capital turned them down on £53million.
went to the crooked well also last night and loved it! a great place to go and will hopefully make johanssons pluck its ideas up (johanssons — great food, but needs a makeover, if only they would change the layout to suggest people are actually eating in there instead of looking empty all the time!)
if you havent been to the crooked well then put down what ever you are doing and go and have a drink to check it out! le pp just felt half done and uninviting, unlike the new decor and staff!
Would have to agree regarding the Crooked Well. Popped in for a drink on Thursday night and it looks great — the space is just a lot more inviting than Le Petit Parisien. Went back tonight to try out the food and was impressed — had the rabbit and bacon pie which was delicious. Very friendly and welcoming staff — will be back again soon to sample more of the menu.
Great food at the Crooked Well. Really liked it. They’ve done a good job with the decor too and the pub/bar seating area is better than before. Lookswise, it’s now perhaps CWell’s finest dining room?
Enjoyed our mains. Tad pricey — think Bear prices — but worth it.
Wonder if they haven’t missed a trick by not pitching at Tiger menu prices.
Bit confused… Crooked Well’s website/twitter touts their independence; but their licensing application etc is all in the name of Punch Taverns PLC?
Punch own the freehold and leases the pub to the guys who invest all the money in their own business, which they operate in Punch’s property. The guys take all the risk and Punch try to take all the profit. That is why pubs are failing everywhere.
By the by on that note the forfeiture hearing on my lease at The Sun and Doves is on Monday 28 June at Lambeth County Court. Not sure how long it will be but I’ll be out on my ear not long after that. Bankrupt with no job, no income, no assets, no savings, no pension and starting out again at 52 after sixteen wonderful years in Camberwell. Don’t say I didn’t tell you — no one ever believes what I tell them. All I’ve been is honsest and frank about what pubcos do to pubs — thousands of pubs are closing all over the UK, our cultural landscape is being changed forever because of these private equity scamming scumbag pubcos and everyone remains surprised when ANOTHER pub bites the dust. The tie is why the Kerfield, The Sterling Castle, Father Red Cap and, oh god, loads of other pubs round here have churned and churned tenants — most of them losing their shirt on the way. Now it’s my turn. It’s frankly amazing it’s taken so long. I thought I would be made bankrupt by the end of 2006. It will be a relief.
Dagmar, I’m going to do that Heygate thing ASAP.
I think Grace may have set up a peace camp there. There is an area in the middle where wild gardeners are growing beetroot and the like, with a hand-painted sign so hand-painted that the paint is still dripping down it — the signwriter must have not even laid the sign flat to paint it — declaring the “Heygate Regeneration Project”. As I passed by the other day, one situationist there was boring another with a maundering and atonal discourse on “The Big Society”.
Anyway, Maude, indeed, don thy bloomers and have a pedal round. One has to be wary of footpads and the like, but it is an awesome experience — in the meaning that we used to use in the old days, dear sister, when we made excursions cycling to the Crystal Palace.
Mark
Best of luck with your case. Many happy memories of the Doves.