APRIL 2022
brixtonblog.com
NEWS 5
The changing miniature worlds of Brockwell Park Brockwell Park’s main claim to popularity in Brixton is most likely the wide open spaces that it can offer. But it also has a semi-secret miniature life. A hollow tree contains a tiny tableau that, after storm Eunice, lost Peppa Pig but gained a firefighter. The remnants of what was once a larger model village outside the Walled garden have also acquired a new model of the Ritzy cinema. Thanks to Brockwell Park Community
Partners for details of the village’s history … The original model village was given to the park in 1947 by Edgar Wilson, a retired engineer who lived in West Norwood. He made the Brockwell Village in 1943 – the houses are all signed on the inside with the date. Lambeth council soon decided that Brockwell Park had rather a lot of village houses and used about half of them to establish another model village in Vauxhall Park,.
The Brockwell Village fell into disrepair and until recently, had only two houses. The last village that Edgar Wilson made is part of an extraordinary story that was recorded by the South London Press in 1948. He was so touched by food parcels sent to hungry Londoners from Melbourne in Australia during the war, that he wrote to show his personal gratitude by offering the city a model Tudor English village – his offer was accepted.
Drinks raffle raises £875 for Ukraine
Louisa Payne (above), founder of Brixton Wine Club (BWC), ran a week-long wine raffle to raise money for Ukraine. Customers could purchase tickets for £5 through the BWC website. The club specialises in wine in cans. The raffle prize was a 24-can mega Juice Box (a mixed wine and cocktails selection) worth more than £110. The total raised was £875 which was donated to Rescue UK. They are helping families who are fleeing the war .“As an idea of what the money can be used for – it translates to: 62 comfort kits for children or 19 emergency kits for families or temporary shelter for 86 families,” said Louisa. A rescue-uk.org/topic/ukraine-crisis A brixtonwineclub.com
Petition to drop LTN in Atlantic Road Above: Not to scale … The Ritzy Left: the tree with Peppa Right: the rhinoceros is still there … but Peppa has gone
A Railton Road that reflects its historic past Two organisation are looking for help with a project to create public spaces on Railton Road that reflect its central role in local life, history and culture. Brixton-based Urban Growth is joining the InUse-ReUse team, who work from the Remakery on Lilford Road, to create the project commissioned by Lambeth council. They want to work with the local community to capture the legacy of Railton Road in street furniture design. Once “The Frontline” and a busy thoroughfare leading to Brixton’s Markets – the No 2 bus route used to run down it – Railton Road is now a quiet link between Brixton and Herne Hill because of a low
traffic neighbourhood. It’s a far cry from being the centre of the Uprising/riots of 1981. “We believe that public spaces should reflect the character of an area, but unfortunately, standardised street furniture, such as seating and bike racks, rarely do,” said InUse-ReUse and Urban Growth, “We are inviting residents of Railton Road and other local stakeholders to help us to bring to life the vibrant history of this landmark street and bring its unique character to the public space. “The political and cultural significance of Railton Road is undeniable,” the two organisations said. The InUse-ReUse team will design and build seating and cycle
parking stands for the street. Last year they designed some wooden pavement for Atlantic Road, which runs into Railton Road. Material will be sourced locally and integrate historical and cultural elements to ensure that the street furniture tells a story. The project will consist of three stages – community outreach in spring, followed by design and then production. Five co-design sessions with the community will produce the final street furniture design. You can register an interest in participating in the co-design workshops in April and May 2022. “This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the team that
will create the final design for the new street furniture,” said the organisers. “You will be led through the design process by a skilled facilitator. You do not need to have any prior experience. You can register online. You can also tell the project what Railton Road means to you by sending stories and memories about the street. These stories will be shared with the co-design team to help inspire them. If you have questions about the project, you can contact the organisers at RailtonRoad@inuse-reuse. co.uk or message 07395 193772. A The survey:
bit.ly/Railton-Design-Project
Dwayne Barrett, director of Atlantic Bakery on Atlantic Road, took advantage of a visit by Lambeth council chief executive Andrew Travers to the annual general meeting of the Brixton Business Improvement District to present him with a petition. Signed by traders on Atlantic Road, it called on the council to remove low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) restrictions from Atlantic Road. “These changes have had a dire impact on our businesses,” the petition says. “The change has affected people who would travel from Loughborough direction, they are now unable to turn into the road. Our customers who are elderly or have a disability can no longer park in the road and shop as before. At these difficult times it is indescribable the impact these changes have had on trading in this street. We urge you to consider our livelihood as we are struggling to keep afloat. It would be such a shame to lose the diversity of businesses in the road.” It clear from exchanges at the meeting that not every Atlantic Road trader agrees with the petition.
E-bike battery alert after Brixton fire A flat fire in Lambert Road, Brixton, caused by an e-bike battery has led London Fire Brigade (LFB) to issue a safety alert. LFB fire investigators believe the fire was caused by the failure of an e-bike’s lithium-ion batteries. A spokesperson said: “Many of the fires we are seeing involve batteries which have been sourced on the internet, which may not meet the correct safety standards. We know that lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to failure if incorrect chargers are used, so it’s important to always use the correct charger for the product and buy an official one from a reputable seller.” LFB advised people not to charge lithium-ion batteries while people are asleep, nor to leave them unattended.
