Noisy neighbours: the Peckham scene

I read recently yet another ‘Peckham is the latest London hotspot’ article, with the evidence this time being Frank’s (of course) and a one-off night food market at the Bussey (of course). There’s definitely a buzz in Peckham at the moment, but it goes a bit further afield than those two now-stalwart venues.

Just around the corner from the train station is Peckham Refreshment Rooms, a small Spanish-style restaurant serving portions of fantastically well-cooked food including some delicious Parma ham. It’s small and very busy, but worth a trip.

Peckham Pelican is a new bar/cafe with tasty and very reasonably priced pizza. It’s got a very improvised vibe* at the moment but is still a work in progress and is more accessible than the previous incarnation, the New Gallery.

Cinnamon Tree Bakery sell at Borough and Broadway Markets and have just opened  a new shop on Peckham High Street. It’s mostly sweets and pastries, plus pizza; haven’t been there myself yet, but they’re apparently very proud of their coffee. And if coffee’s your thing, Cafe Viva sell hip London blend, Volcano, along with some good breakfasts and lunch specials.

Nowadays a scene is defined by its pop-ups, and in SE15 there’s the Peckham Bazaar, a ‘pan-Balkan meze and mangal’. Haven’t been there yet, but looking forward to it. Also on Fridays and Saturdays ‘all Summer’ there’s Peckham Springs, behind Bar Story.

And the hipster bingo card will soon have a full house with the arrival of craft brewers, Brick.

There’s probably a ton I’ve forgotten, but it’s pretty exciting to be around Peckham at the moment. Biggest news is, of course, that the temporary space holding Bold Tendencies/Frank’s will be made permanent over the next few years. Visit now before Foxtons get there.

Update: If you’re into the Peckham scene, you might want to kickstart a new local magazine, the Peckham Peculiar.

* Do people still say ‘vibe’? I fear I may be showing my age here.

Lifts at Denmark Hill station now fully operational

Just a quick update to bring the good news that as of 5 August 2013 the lifts at Denmark Hill Station are now fully operational. Hurrah! Denmark Hill station is now fully accessible to people in wheelchairs, those with reduced mobility and parents with young children in prams.

The London Overground service is bringing real benefits and at last, it seems, really putting Camberwell on the map. In an ideal world I would like to see Camberwell incorporated into the name of the station somehow — something like ‘Denmark Hill for Camberwell’ or similar to connect the two.

Until the new Camberwell tube station and Camberwell railway station open Denmark Hill is your main option for travelling to Camberwell by train.

Park, life

By gum, it’s been a while. More on that after this bit of good news:

Burgess Park has won a Green Flag Award, given for meeting eight criteria including being welcoming, secure, and well-maintained. I know the redevelopment has had its critics but I think it’s much nicer to visit now than before, especially with the wild flower areas finally bedding in. I cycled through the park a few times in the recent hot weather and it certainly seems to me that it’s being used a lot more than it was before, with the picnic area in particular being extremely popular.

This is now the fifth Green Flag park in Camberwell, joining Brunswick Park, Myatt’s Fields, Ruskin Park and Warwick Gardens.

So, I’m looking for contributors to help run the blog as I’m currently finding it very hard to keep going. Mumu has already done an excellent job of providing the last pair of posts, and I’m looking for a few people who can help out with a post every month or so. If there’s an area you’re particularly interested in you can cover that, or you can also write more general posts if you prefer. I have a few names in mind I think would make fantastic additions, but I’m really open for offers from everyone.

There’s no compensation other than satisfaction, although I do sometimes get offered tickets to press previews of local theatres, if that’s your cup of tea. Anyway, if interested please email peter@​camberwellonline.​co.​uk or leave a comment below. Thanks.