(With apologies to Peter for posting so soon after his magnificent post — I have been planning this for several days!)
There are various Christmas events in and around Camberwell in the next few days which I thought worth highlighting:
(Not strictly in Camberwell I know but nearby) On Friday 10 December 2010, 7:30pm, there is a carol concert including performances of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and Vaughan Williams’ Withers Carol in aid of the Robes homeless shelter at St John the Divine Church, Vassall Road, Kennington, SW9 — more information on the Robes website
On Friday 10 (evening), Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 (12–5pm) December 2010 Clockwork Studios in Southwell Road are holding open days and studio sales — more information on the Studios’ website
Also on Friday 10 (evening preview), Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 (10am-6pm) Empress Mews Studios just off Kenbury Street are holding an art, giftware, craft and design sale — more information on the Kennington blog
On Saturday 11 December 2010 10am onwards there is a Christmas farmers and crafts market with arts and crafts and food stalls together with face painting, choirs and other activities. More details on the Southwark website (at time of writing its a bit vague — there are no location details for example!) — Peoples Republic of Southwark is more definite — it on Camberwell Green
On Sunday 12 December 2010 in Myatt’s Fields Park there is a Christmas market and carol singing — market 2pm onwards, carols from 4 — more information on local Vassall Ward website
On Monday 13 December 2010 at the South London Gallery there is the Camberwell Society Christmas Party, 7:30pm onwards for members — join on the door. Not much information online — see the Society website or the numerous posters dotted around Camberwell
On Friday 17 Decemember 2010 there is candlelit carol singing accompanied by mulled wine, mince pies and chestnuts and short concert by the Pop up Choir 7pm onwards at the Secret Garden on the D’Eynsford estate — see Secret Garden blog for location
If you know of any other Camberwell Christmas events post below!
We used to be part of Surrey! Wow! I might start telling people that. No surprise that Surrey cut us off, wrote us out of their will.
The home of Surrey County Cricket Club is The Oval Cricket Ground
Blabber Mouth. Sorry I mean Voicer — what ARE you on about? Get out and DO something instead of blabbering on like that.
Camber is currently Unwell
I’m rather confused by the Nikki Hebert comment above because I wrote and posted it and I have no idea who Nikki Hebert is
@Voicer: this is not a Camberwell I recognise.
I see a community that has a lot of fun and works together, with the occasional nutter running around and a few mighty fine places to eat.
Ah! The Nikki Hebert comment was spam; repeated a previous comment, but with a link to a spam website as the author. Well spotted, J Mark.
Estate agents are going to start badging the place up as ‘Old Surrey’ before we know it.
New Camberwell Green.
I confess I almost always carry a camera with me. This has resulted in my being described as being ‘definitely in the autistic spectrum’ by my nearest and dearest who then tells me ‘you have no sense of humour’ when I don’t find this remotely amusing.
Many times I put this little picture takey thing on my belt and think “not very likely to come across anything interesting just going to get a pint of milk but hey, you never know”.
So this morning I happened by Wyndham & Comber Estate on Wyndham Road and cast a glance at the Jessie Duffet Hall and the forecourt/piazza in front of the building where I have, on occasion (http://www.flickr.com/photos/markdodds/288932378/#/photos/markdodds/288932378/lightbox/), been for a tipple and a sausage roll or two at a birthday party or Christening… and BEHOLD from the street level I saw what looked like two huge overblown tubular draught excluders curled up on the ground. I stopped, I turned, I gasped a gasp of incomprehension and another of disbelief, I pulled my camera out of its holster and snapped away. Here you are: feast your eyes on this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markdodds/sets/72157625627503543/with/5326364307/
Can anyone tell me anything about this marvellous, interesting, no doubt expensive and apparently pointless decoration of the estate?
Isn’t it obvious? It’s… erm…
the big colourful things are seating. and decking platforms which are for stuff. there is light underneath the decking but to be honest i still haven’t seen it at night — i think there’s other external lighting which may ruin the effect a bit but don’t quote me as i really can’t remember. and yes it was expensive and got to be more and more and more expensive as years went by (it took some 3 years altogether i think) and then they never removed all of the big squarey things which i can’t remember the word for and which were blocking the area & making it dangerous. there’s lots more which could be done there though
happy new year everyone
x
Hi all,
J Mark Dodd, we excercise freedom of speech in this Country.I do not share your Communist mindset!!
Please view weblinks about the History of Camberwell.
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200130/camberwell/288/camberwell-the_people/1
http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-507126-the-platanes-now-king-s-college-hall-cam
http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t‑290455.html
Big up to Prince Camber (Bronze age King).
Yes, Camberwell is ‘unwell’ but it can get better. There should be more Commercial projects in the area…there are too many Drunks, snowballers, hookers in Camberwell Green park at night! Also, the daytime is no good as well.Camberwell should be cleaned up plus more money should be spent on Community projects.
I don’t like Camberwell referred as a ‘bad-breed’ area!We know for sure, half of the Residents are not ‘bad-breeds.’
I appreciate some of the Locals taking pictures here and far.Good thinking.
Maybe a ‘Well’ and ‘Prince Camber’ as symbols of Camberwell would do the trick, as people enter into Camberwell???
Any suggestions???
Look forward to your comments.
OK, let’s go, allons‑y.
What about a tanning salon like “Sunaholic” off the Walworth Road? Ours could have a slogan like, “Get as bronzed as Prince Camber!”
There is a tanning salon near Bellingham with the promise, “Ladies tanning room upstairs.” This has always appealed to me very much.
What about a complete rebrand. “Welcome to Nor’ Nor’ East Dulwich, Home of Women so Tanned They Look Like Kippers.”
Is Camberwell unwell? Only if we say so.
“Well, well, Camberwell,” is much more on the money.
ah, that was spot on. there’s too much communism on this blog. down with that sort of thing!
@Peter, re Wyndham and Comber, exactly.
@Lili, much as I thought.
@Voicer — to which country exactly are you referring? And why do you have the (wrong) impression that I have a Communist mindset? And I’d appreciate your saying what’s the point you’re making with those links.
Maybe you and I are on a similar tack about Camberwell but as I can’t express myself very well the matter remains confused.
Saw Jeremy Bowen, who’s at this moment commenting on R4 about Tunisia, this morning wearing a red track suit jogging across Denmark Hill into Ruskin Park. It made my morning. I look forward to my afternoon being made at the Den with my boys and uncle Jes and Mickey.
@mark: glad you understood it 🙂 x
Last week BBC Radio 4 had Camberwell’s Jeremy Bowen reporting on the Bekaa Valley vineyards in the Lebanon, Camberwell’s Jenny Eclair with the second series of her older mother comedy every day plus repeat in the evening and Camberwell’s Stella Duffy reviewing the film Blue Valentine on Front Row — well done Stella!
Millwall had a scare today with Priskin the Hungarian scoring the first goal, for Ipswich, but the Wall came back and Morison got the winner — he is very handy.
Soon Millwall may be in the Premier League, which means than many moneyed fans will come seeking the Samarkand that is held in awe throughout the land and called Camberwell.
Jeremy Bowen,Jenny Eclair, Stella Duffy are not bred in Camberwell therefore they should not be classed as ‘Hometown Heros’ but I appreciate what they do.
Prince Kamber is a Hometown Hero.Henry Bessemer is a hometown hero as far as I know.Not to be rude, I do not see any blue plaques at the moment (where famous people once lived) in Camberwell unlike Walworth and Brixton.
A few blue plaques are around. But not many:
Chamberlain, Joseph (1836–1914)
Statesman, lived here.
188 Camberwell Grove, SE5
Southwark 1920
I’m pretty sure there’s one on Dr Lettsom’s house next to Lettsome Gardens.
Thinking on the ‘Home Town Heroes’ tack, what IS a home town hero?
Someone who was born in ‘your town’ who did something heroic — ‘somewhere’ — or someone who was born in ‘your town’ who did something heroic specifically in ‘your town’?
Camberwell’s Choc A Bloc with history and of people having done famous or very important things while they lived or worked here. Nothing has changed, it’s still happening.
There’s also a blue plaque on Brunswick Park to Una Marson, a black lady who worked at the BBC — http://www.international-womens-month.com/news/una-marson.html. It’s not clear from this link why, as it says she lived in Peckham with the famous Dr Moody. Stupidly I didn’t take a picture when I first saw it…
Actually have now found Southwark’s official list of Camberwell Blue Plaques: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/1227/blue_plaques_and_locations-camberwell
There are only two here — it doesn’t include the more historical ones like Chamberlain and Lettsom, presumably because they’re too bourgeois…
On the more ironic end, there’s a Blue Plaque on the Coldharbour Lane side of the railway bridge over Denmark Road which says something like ‘This Plaque placed here on 7th June 2009’ or something, but without it appearing to commemorate anything at all.
On the subject of developments, I’ve been hunting down information on the building site on Camberwell New Road opposite the Black Sheep pub.
It was designed by Cartwright Pickard Architects and was ‘expected to start on-site in mid-2009’ — which it has done. http://www.cartwrightpickard.com/news/cartwright-pickard-leads-elephant-and-castle-regeneration
For some reason they call the area ‘Newington South’ — which I’ve never heard as a designation before — rather than Camberwell or Kennington (both closer than the old village of Newington, which most people now know as Elephant & Castle).
There will be 107 apartments and 6 houses, almost all of them affordable dwellings run by Wandle Housing Association.
The heating engineers responsible for the eco-friendly biomass plant that will heat the flats also have some information: http://www.whiteassociates.co.uk/projects/camberwell-new-road
Muriel Spark wrote The prime of Miss jean Brodie in Baldwin Crescent. I think there should definitely be a blue plaque there.…
Voicer, do you have access to the internet? There’s a lot about old Bessemer on the web! He was born and grew up in Charlton, not Camberwell.
Charlton in Hertfordshire, that is, now a part of Hitchin.
He retired to Camberwell to live in the Denmark Hill part of the luxe Dulwich Estate — very grand. He bought the house when he was 50 and moved in much later when it had been extended to include an astronomical observatory — massive thing. The place was demolished in 1947, pity.
His dad was an inventor, too, and went to live in a place called France where he worked until he had to return to escape the chop — the guillotine.
But he had made enough to buy a small estate in Charlton, HERTFORDSHIRE.
Interestingly enough — keep up, Voicer! — interestingly enough, Guillotin was a French doctor who wanted to abolish the death penalty altogether.
He sat on a committee about how best to execute people during the Terror — tu connais? — but only advised on what was humane. His family later changed their name because they HATED being associated with the guillotine.
Amazing, eh?
My advice is, when you see couple of our Camberwell Ivoreans babbling away in French, say to them “Ta guele! Tu veux le guillotin, quoi?” and see how you get on.
Also.…
[Hours later… cobwebs hang from the screen…]
… blue plaque in Denman Road, almost next door to the old Denman Arms. Sir Alan Cobham — proper Camberwell chap — was the famous aviator who attended Wilson’s Grammar School which amazingly relocated to the site of Croydon Airport in 1975 which is exactly where Sir Alan ran his airline to the Channel Islands before… amazing aerial exploits… the great but strange John Ruskin… pubic hair… Robert Browning — hang on — my time’s expired.
Rats!
I am pretty sure that a future Camberwell Plaque will honour…
Camila Batmanghelidjh
Oh yes, As the kids like to say around here — props are due!
On the subject of JAZZ, last Friday’s gig at Camberwell Crypt Jazz Club kicked off the New Year to a buzzingly packed night with Adam Glasser Quintet; vibey mellow music led by Adam on harmonica with Roger Beaujolais on the vibraphone…
Coming up this Friday 21st we have the wonderful “World Service Project” who have just won the 2010 Peter Whittingham Jazz Award. And if that isn’t enough, on the 28th the most hotly tipped by the Mercury Music Awards band the Kairos 4tet, fresh out of the studio from recording their second album.
Recommended Everywhere. And also here.
There’s a lot afoot in the planning undergrowth locally.
Just posted a map of the big Camberwell building developments over on the SE5 forum: http://www.se5forum.org/forum/index.php?topic=1836.0
@NickW — Nice work! Is there a higher-res version available anywhere?
Good beer in Hoopers at the moment.
The atmosphere in that pub is much improved since the current manager took charge.
Could do with reviewing the table arrangement but that’s a relatively minor criticism..
@Alan Dale — I’ve never been to Hoopers (never been inside, at any rate). I’ll change that shortly.
Great. Be sure to let me know your thoughts.
There is a back room with the old ‘Ivanhoe’ pub sign on the wall. Be sure to take a look..
Two ‘be sure’s to be sure.
Two be sure two be sure. I spend quite a lot of time in Hoopers since the George Canning closed. You know, since the George Canning CLOSED — before the pubco spent £140K on making it into a better, more relevant pub. Before the last three tenants lost their shirt on it. You know, the last time it was busy even though it needed a load of money spending on it to make it a better, more relevant pub.
Anyway Hoopers is where we plot a lot of our Fair Pint stuff and other highly secretive plans. I only sip the beer for tasting because of habit I don’t drink beer but I’ve tasted some pretty impressive cask ales — a grapefruit juice and lime overtone tasting stout was one. Amazing.
Nick, the manager at Hooper’s, is good at his job. Neither Jamie Hooper, the owner, nor Nick, appear to know much about wine. Hooper’s wines are consistently not nice. Not off, not corked, not badly kept; Just not nice wines.
I keep meaning to point this out to them and to offer support but as consistently as the wine is not nice, I forget. I drank tap water the last time I was there.
I can well vouch for Hoopers. Good place to watch the Six Nations and hold forth. Nice pies too. And the walk home is downhill for most of us, which is a good thing
I agree with the Hoopers comment. Was in there friday night and there was a great atmosphere with an Irish folk band playing away.
Much use of the em dash — well, I think that’s what it’s called — in your last post Dagmar. Not that I’m complaining — how rude that would be! — it’s just I’ve never understood that punctuation properly.
Other than the Joiners — and excluding the one at the top of Shenley Road — which other pubs in Camberwell have a pool table?
Oh yes, we went to the Arts Against Cuts thing at the art school.
A little intellectual for us. Dude with a slide set giving a preso on the use of protest posters in Paris in ’69. That kind of thing. And meetings.
We liked the sculpture left out in the yard from earlier, more affluent days. Various types of, erm, transport — possibly with an eco-theme. A moveable greenhouse. A transit van with no engine converted into something that looked pretty cool.
The New Gallery on Peckham Road had a jumble sale. Very hipstery. I like that vibe even if hipsters aren’t hip any more.
Mixed reaction to the SLG exhibit. Video stuff. Our eldest didn’t like it, apart from the film projectors, which *are* interesting. I’m waiting to see what the critics think before deciding. Still think that place could use some actual energy in the art it shows and something a bit more extrovert and positive than what it has been serving up. It’s all a bit introspective and not really of our times.
Peckham Road was backed up for miles due to roadworks. It meant you could actually get across without risking your life. How progressive. Might stick that in my submission to the planning officials.
@Gabe — Why exclude The Cadeleigh at the top of Shenley Road? That’s my local, and a great pub.
By a feat of sheer convenience, it’s ended up that the football squad Christmas night out will be a pub crawl around Camberwell this February.
Not sure we’d blend in at The Cadleigh. On second thoughts…
Also, need to find somewhere for a dozen or so people to eat before the pub. It’s tricky because several of us are vegetarian, one is vegan, one has a beard, and some are McDonalds types (well not that bad, but you get the idea).
Suggestions?
“Portuguese travel magazine has a 14-page article on visiting Peckham & Camberwell!” wow this is so cool — makes this area look great — nice photos (skip to page 54). Where did you hear about that Peter? http://issuu.com/revistas-blue/docs/blue_travel_84
I saw it on the Twitter stream of Persia in Peckham — no idea how they heard about it.
Amazing on the Portuguese mag. Who’d have thought it. Is that The Cambria that they’re calling Peckham though? Mustn’t quibble.
V interested in Hoopers. Not too far from me. Must try it some day.
I know The Cadeleigh too but haven’t been in a long time.
Yeah, they call it Peckham but it covers Camberwell too. If I’m at a loose end (not likely) I may translate it for you all.
Nick W
Good find…Er… were you involved in some of the photos? 😉
Minor quibble — The correct title should have been Camberwell & Peckham
Nevermind
Peter — I am able to translate too…if somebody is desperate enough!
Nick W, thank you for posting Portuguese travel magazine.Despite my limited Portuguese lingo, they showed more ‘white people’ when in fact, Camberwell and Peckham are diverse Communities.They should have asked J Mark Dodds for some pics…
Thanks but the credit has to go to Peter — he saw it on the Twitter stream of Persia in Peckham.
Peckham, the perfect place for a minibreak.
My folks visited just after Xmas and that kid was shot in the Pelican estate. The next day a street or so away and there were police, TV crews, the lot. Later on we saw it on the main news.
That night there was a major swoop by the bizzies on a flat in my street at 4am. The shouting woke me up. Cars and cars of coppers hauling away hoodies, and nearby a van full of brooding, overpaid, skinheaded, low IQ plod.
Peckham, come visit.
Thanks for the pointer to my pics Voicer, I tend to shy away from people pics — don’t like to poke my camera into other people’s lives, although that is something I’m working on getting over…
ON pics though HERE is the blue plaque at the end of Camberwell Station Road
And HERE is the trasit van at Wilson’s Road annexe car park that Gabe mentions above.
Camberwell and Peckham in a Portuguese language publication. Who’d Adam and Eve it? Imagine there’s a lot of appreciative natives on the ground here though eh?
There’s a meeting of the southwark planning committee tonight. They will be discussing the changes to the internal structure at the bingo hall. I sent a rather rushed letter to councillors saying why I object (mainly because they haven’t done a very good job of the lobby and it was subject to them getting permission for change of use). You can see it at http://www.camberwellvillagehall.com
Here’s another culinary expose. Been wondering about PASHA for a long time.
Pasha’s quite popular at the moment as it’s on the Groupon discount site, so there are lots of bewildered bargain hunters travelling by Tube and bus to end up in the Walworth / Camberwell borderlands wondering what the hell they’ve let themselves in for.
We went for the hammam and meal combo. Never realised it but there’s a ‘spa’ function here and it could be OK for massages etc. The hammam is a nice idea and they’ve put some money into it, but it also smelled of damp and mould, and the changing area was a bit odd. It was like a steam room at a gym, but not as hot. Q authentic though with its marbled walls and floor. I’ve been to them in Morocco and Turkey but didn’t really like this one. Couldn’t really recommend it.
Then through to the restaurant at the back of the building. Interesting seating choices: tables and chairs, or rugs, cushions and low tables. The whole point of coming was to try Central Asian / Kazakh fare but very few dishes on the menu seemed to cover that. Most of it seemed Turkish, and I suspect you’d get better Turkish elsewhere.
Our group tried the fixed Kazakh menu. Uninspiring salads mix for starters. Potato salad, some beetroot in a salad cream type sauce, some spam ham bits, some OK rice noodles. Filling and straightforward, but unremarkable. Mains were dumplings and pilav rice with lamb. The dumplings were similar to the Chinese ones you can get in Silk Rd but much bigger and not as tasty. A big lump of unseasoned mince inside. Not good at all really. The Pilav (plov they call it) was much better, especially if you like lamb. Light, fragrant, not too greasy. The meat was tender. It could’ve used some sauce or a more generous side salad. Dessert was some rice crispie like cake thing with honey and raisins.
Overall, the food was disappointing and I definitely wouldn’t return for it. People on this site have suggested otherwise, but in my view Pasha is certainly not up there with either Camberwell’s finer dining options (Ganapati, The Bear before standards dropped) or its cheaper but flavoursome places like Wuli Wuli, Silk Rd, Mangal etc.
However, it was very ‘different’ and is one of those London cultural experiences where you’re happy to let standards slide for an evening as long as it’s sufficiently different. There were a few Russian speaking diners boosting the whole Steppe vibe, and there was also some funky Kazakh muzak going on, so it wasn’t all bad. Glad we tried it anyway.
ps. Note now that Johannsons is serving dinner.