1. Walworth Society General Meeting – Wednesday 21st September 7pm.
Our next general WS meeting will be held on Wednesday 21st September online starting at 7pm.
We look forward to seeing you at the meeting if you can make it.
Join in on Zoom, click here or log on with meeting ID: 817 0784 5551 Passcode: 343719
| 2. Southwark Council draft Local List consultation – ends 30th November. Southwark Council has kicked off its Local List consultation – protecting Southwark’s locally important heritage. They are asking people to comment on suggestions that have already been made BUT most importantly asking people to add other buildings/places that residents care about. Michael Tsoukaris from Southwark Council will be speaking at our 21st September meeting about the consultation and the society will be doing a great deal of work on this over the autumn. Please do have a look at the consultation: southwarkdraftlocallist.commonplace.is …and start to think about the buildings in Walworth and the surrounding area that you would like to see given local protection.  |
3. Walworth Stories
Below is a report of, and some recordings from, the amazingly well-attended Walworth Stories event (more than 150 people came along!) hosted at St Peter’s Church at the end of July. It was an evening of entertainment, live music and songs composed in and about Walworth and the Elephant and Castle through the ages. All were sung by four local residents. Please watch this recording made on the evening by Southwark News, click here.
Tyrone Landau, a professional tenor and pianist, uncovered songs held in the British Library from the Royal Surrey Zoological Gardens and C18th ballads that were sung on local street corners. The ballad singers sold broadsheets with their lyrics printed on them to highlight local news stories about murder and other illicit activities around East St. market.
Rawlene Evelyn and John Whelan from People’s Company, together with Matt Meynell of the Walworth Community Pub Project, led the Music Hall singalong. Many songs such as “Knocked ‘em in the Old Kent Road” and “The Elephants went back to the Elephant & Castle” were still sung in local pubs until the 1980s. Everyone joins in with Rawlene signing “Knocked ‘em in the Old Kent Road”, click here.
During the evening, Walworth Society researchers, Diana Cochrane and Neil Crossfield, provided the historical context and images.
We are currently in the process of re-recording the songs in a studio so that we can share these with the visual presentations that we made on the Walworth Society website. The programme from the evening can be viewed by clicking here.
Read the articles that Neil wrote for Southwark News about some of the songs.
1. The flamboyant French conductor, Louis Antoine Jullien played to entertain huge crowds at the Royal Surrey Zoological Gardens in Walworth the 1840s and 50s. Find out about Julien, click here.
2. The sad tale of one Eliza Wilson, who had an affair with a married man, had got pregnant and died following a botched ‘backstreet’ abortion in Walworth in 1848 was told through singing a broad street ballad. Find out more about Eliza, click here.
3. The tale of the murder of four people in Manor Place, Walworth on 31 July 1860. Local printers employed ‘hawkers’ to sell the news around the streets of London. At this point, literacy rates among the working classes were low, so singing the ballad was an important means of disseminating news to London’s citizens. Find out more about the Walworth Tragedy, click here.
Finally, thanks to St Peter’s Church for hosting the evening and especially to our wonderful singers. The “Walworth Untold Stories Project” is supported by Historic England and Southwark Council as part of the Walworth Heritage Action Zone.
4. Southwark Council draft Economic Strategy (Consultation closes 30th September)
Southwark Council is consulting on an Economic Strategy for the period 2022 to 2030. The draft strategy and details of the consultation can be seen here:
https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/corporate-strategy/economic-strategy-22-30/
If you have comments in relation to our area that you would like the Walworth Society to include in its response please do get in touch and we will do our best to include them.
5. Fredrick’s Playground Consultation – closes 5th September.
In West Walworth, Southwark Council is consulting on plans for Fredrick’s Playground. Southwark says:
Fredrick’s Playground is a former adventure playground, currently in poor condition, which has been closed since 2020. The playground is bordered by Chapter Road to the north, Westcott Road to the east, and a residential property to the south. An access road to the Doddington Grove housing estate forms the western boundary of the site, with Pasley Park located north.
We have set aside funding to redesign and redevelop the playground into a vibrant, new, exciting space that will meet the needs of local children, young people and families. We expect redevelopment works to begin in the space by the end of next year.
Have your say here: https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/environment-leisure/fredricks-playground/
| 6. Nursery Row Park; Farm In The Park Saturday 17th September 12.30 to 4.30pm, Nursery Row Park late summer event: Farm In The Park. With Haystack building, Surrey Docks Farm zoo, Walworth Community Gardening Network, Dog Show, plus much more for all the family! |
 |
7. Liverpool Grove.
News from Southwark Council about the changes to Liverpool Grove.
“Thanks to everyone who has participated in the engagement and consultation process for the proposals to transform Liverpool Grove.
Your comments, ideas and suggestions were fundamental to the design process, and we hope we have developed a design which is reflective of the community’s aspirations.
Following a decision by the Cabinet Member for Parks, Streets and Clean Air earlier this year, the next phase of the scheme is construction.
Construction is programmed to commence on 5th September 2022 until 28th November, these dates may be subject to change. We are working with our contractors to ensure disruption to residents and local businesses is minimised.
We hope that the scheme will transform the Liverpool Grove area, creating a new community space for people to enjoy, and for local business to thrive whilst enhancing the heritage of the area. You can find out more about the scheme at www.southwark.gov.uk/liverpool-grove
| 8. Walworth Town Hall Redevelopment – update Latest update on the progress of the Walworth Town Hall redevelopment below.  |
| 9. Cleaner Greener Safer Grants Applications Open The latest round of Cleaner Greener Safer grant applications opened on September 1st and closes 2nd October. More details click here and see below . |
 |
10. Kennington Bioscope: The Sea Hawk Wednesday 7th September at 7.30pm Kennington Bioscope presents The Sea Hawk (1924) directed by Frank Lloyd, and starring Milton Sills, Enid Bennett, Lloyd Hughes and Wallace Beery. Based on Rafael Sabatini’s 1915 novel, The Sea Hawk was adapted for the screen by J.G. Hawks and produced and directed by Frank Lloyd.  There will be a programme of shorts before the main feature. Because of the length of the main feature, there will be no interval. The programme will finish before 22.00. Colin Sell will be providing live piano accompaniment for The Sea Hawk and John Sweeney will be playing for the supporting cartoon. More details here. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7.30pm start. Tickets £7. To attend this screening, please email: kenbioscope@gmail.com. |
 |
The Walworth Society 