Ukraine raffle raises £875

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.

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

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

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.

Retrospective … while we were away

This the first Brixton Bugle for two years – a lot has happened since we suspended publication because of concerns about safe distribution.

But our sister publication, the Brixton Blog has covered the issues, large and small.

This is a selection of them:

Development and construction dominated coverage, with several crucial issued and stories coming up time and time again … campaigns to stop their demolition, boosted by an increasing emphasis on the benefits of refurbishment and retrofitting of existing buildings, rather than demolition and rebuilding.

A Plans for a “Rec Quarter” in Brixton will see the eventual closure of Pop Brixton, one of the iconic sites in Brixton’s transition from a wholesale and retail economy to one based on entertainment and hospitality.

A Controversy over plans for the redevelopment of Pope’s Road and Brixton Station Road – which are looked at elsewhere in this issue – remains, as we wait for the outcome of the Mayor of London’s decision to take over the planning process after Lambeth council backed the scheme in November 2020. As we go to press, a date for the Mayor’s hearing had still not been set. A Lambeth council long-term “site allocation” plans for Brixton sites could see major changed at Tesco on Acre Lane, Halfords and Currys on Effra Road, and around the Esso garage on Brixton Road.

A The site of Lambeth hospital in Brixton is also set for redevelopment – including an 18-storey tower that would dwarf local housing.

A Brixton also saw one of its longest running venues, the 414 Club at 414 Coldharbour Lane closed and Louise Baron and Tony Pommell who, almost single-handedly, kept Brixton alive as a place for clubbers during the difficult 1980s and 1990s, were unceremoniously ousted from their home and business.

A Residents of Cressingham Gardens and other Lambeth council estates kept up their political and legal A After development, low traffic neighbourhoods – LTNs, first mentioned in May 2020 – have caused great controversy. A High Court challenge to Lambeth council’s implementation of the neighbourhoods failed.

A New arrivals, that were about to happen two years ago, like the opening of the new Brixton House theatre on Coldharbour Lane, have only just happened. One building that will be retrofitted is Brockwell Hall, where work on installing a ground source heat pump – part of a £3m refurbishment – has already begun A Future plans that have been announced include the £3m restoration of Brockwell Hall in Brockwell Park.

A There is now a memorial to Cherry Groce in Windrush Square. Her shooting by police in 1985 sparked a major riot in Brixton.

A News was not always bad. Brixton Wholefoods, badly hit by lockdowns like so many local businesses, achieved a life-saving fundraising target in hour after local celebrities joined supporters to back one of Brixton’s oldest “alternative” businesses.

A Not all were so fortunate. Cornercopia, a trailblazer in Brixton Market, bowed out as costs increased and is now to be found on Streatham High Road.

A The continuing effects of austerity policies on an area with significant levels of deprivation continue to concern local people. Demand on the Norwood and Brixton foodbank has continued to soar and parents who rely of nursery schools run by the council are increasingy worried about their future.

A Leaseholders of Lambeth council properties became increasingly concerned about the cost of repairs and maintenance – often long-delayed – with some questioning how the charges had been estimated or calculated.

There is, of course, more – all of which can be found on the Brixton Blog.

Obituary: Linda Quinn

One of the losses that occurred while publication of the Bugle was suspended was the death of Linda Quinn, the editor of the Brixton Blog and Bugle.

Born in Glasgow, Linda moved to Brixton in 1975 and lived in and around the area for the rest of her life.

The daughter of a lorry driver and a cleaner, she chose to study at the newly opened Stirling University rather than the elite St Andrews – where she had been offered a place.

She became president of the student union and briefly front-page news around the world.

A visit by the Queen to Stirling university in 1972 saw a protest about conditions on the campus get out of hand, with the monarch encountering students face-to-face in a way that is inconceivable today.

An enraged establishment needed a scapegoat and chose Linda, who was expelled and had to battle for months to resume and complete her course.

Gifted with many physical and mental skills, Linda had learnt to touch type with a brief course at university and became a typesetter – one of the very few female members of the London National Graphical Association, the union of skilled printworkers.

She was also a leading light in leftwing and anti-racist activity in Brixton and South London, recalling how she and comrades took refuge from National Front members in the Angel pub (now Mamma Dough) opposite Southwyck House – the barrier block – where they had been leafletting.

Living a literal stone’s throw from the Railton Road Frontline when the 1981 Uprising/riot began, she put a note on her car saying: “Take the petrol but please don’t torch it”. It survived unscathed.

Transitioning to journalism as new technology destroyed printers’ jobs, she worked on a variety of publications from AutoExpress to Robert Maxwell’s illfated London evening paper, the London Daily News.

For several years she worked as a journalist and PR for a trade union before becoming head of publicity at the New Opportunities Fund, one of the bodies set up to distribute funds from the National Lottery.

She oversaw a name change to the Big Lottery Fund, part of a drive she backed enthusiastically to get more funds to hardto-reach people and communities.

She retired as the fund’s director of marketing and communications. A planned life of leisure, gentle skiing, and professional-level knitting and clothesmaking was put on hold when she was asked to become editor of the Brixton Blog and Bugle when the founders moved on in 2015.

Linda led the revival of the printed Bugle and expansion of the Blog as well as making their parent organisation, Brixton Media, a community interest company.

In line with her passion for passing on her knowledge and wisdom to young people, especially those from backgrounds like her own, she made sure that one of the CIC’s aims is to provide opportunities for aspiring young journalists to work on important stories and obtain bylines in print and online.

Her recovery from the rare auto-immune disease vasculitis in 2018 after 10 days in intensive care with her lung function performed by a machine and daily total changes of blood at St Thomas’ hospital did not stop her.

This amazing recovery was not the first. Combining a relentlessly positive attitude to life and immense physical resilience, she had already survived tuberculosis, a ruptured gall bladder and several lesser health issues.

After yet another health setback, the final eight months of her life were in bed at home, where she continued her lively communication with scores of friends and work for the Brixton Blog and Brixton Media.

She was determined to reach her 70th birthday in February 2021and did so, but passed away peacefully a few days later.

Linda is survived by a husband, Alan Slingsby, and a brother, Billy Quinn.

10 YEARS AGO

April 2012

Vandalism of road furniture in Brixton did not begin with low traffic neighbourhoods … in April 2012 a speed camera at the Brixton end of Tulse Hill was wrecked in an arson attack

5 YEARS AGO

April 2017

The death of activist and broadcaster Darcus Howe gave rise to one of the most moving and inspiring local events of recent years when hundreds of people gathered in and outside the Black Cultural Archives on Windrush Square to pay their own tributes to his life

Brixton illustrator raises funds to make his books accessible to blind children

Dapo Adeola Brixton resident Dapo Adeola has launched a campaign to make picture books accessible for blind children

The children’s illustrator and writer, who co-created and illustrated the Waterstones children’s book of 2020 Look Up!, which explored space science, is raising funds to adapt this book and We’re Going to Find the Monster into accessible versions for blind children.

He has joined forces with Living Paintings, a national charity that adapts picture books into tactile, braille and audio experiences for blind children.

The charity has committed to adapting Look Up! written by Nathan Byron, and We’re Going to Find the Monster written by Malorie Blackman. Dapo hopes to raise at least £7,000 to create 70 accessible books and make them available to borrow free from Living Painting’s postal library.

“A huge part of my career has been dedicated to producing books that allow as many children from various backgrounds to see themselves reflected in the wonderful and imaginative pages within,” said Dapo.

“But diversity goes beyond who is featured in a book – it’s important that all children are able to access and enjoy them.”

Liz Davies, publishing manager at Living Paintings said: “We’re huge fans of Dapo’s books and are so excited about the prospect of bringing his wonderful work to life for blind children. His picture books are staples in school reading nooks and bedroom bookshelves, with sighted children loving with his unique style.

“The publishers have now given us permission to adapt two titles and we’re thrilled to be working with Dapo to help blind children experience something so many of their sighted peers enjoy.”

You can find out more about and support Dapo’s campaign on his Just Giving page: justgiving.com/ campaign/dapo.

Free programme to help local business recover from Covid

Impact Brixton, the community-led events and co-working space on Electric Lane in the heart of Brixton, has secured funding from Lambeth council to deliver a six-month programme for local business owners to support the resilience and recovery of enterprises in the borough.

IB Thrive is a free programme to help business owners, with a masterclass series on the key challenges faced by small businesses, including building financial resilience, understanding digital marketing, and preserving wellbeing as a business owner.

Masterclasses are designed to support businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors, since these have taken a significant hit as a result of Covid.

Three-quarters of the masterclasses will be delivered by IB members, showcasing the diversity in knowledge and skills that their community has.

Impact Brixton has also launched mentoring and free membership initiatives for local businesses.

New Lambeth disability learning centre now open

The new Crescent learning disability resource centre is now open at Coburg Crescent, on the South Circular between Tulse Hill and Streatham.

Created and run by Lambeth council and partners, the centre includes: ● A new home for Lambeth Walk day service. ● Independent supported living flats for 14 adults with learning disabilities. ● A residential respite and short-term accommodation service. ● A café and community space, providing paid, supported employment for adults with learning disabilities. ● A shop to replace the one on the site before works started.

Opening the centre, council leader Claire Holland said: “Delivering this vital new facility for our residents was a key commitment made back in 2018 and I am proud that we have been able to deliver this.

“A dedicated respite space where residents will be able to receive personalised care is something that hasn’t existed for over 10 years.

“This new location offers much more space, improved facilities, ensuring that the service can meet the needs of Lambeth residents as demand grows in the coming years.

“In Lambeth we are determined that no-one gets left behind, that everyone has equal opportunities to live their best life – and this centre is a way of making that happen for some of our most vulnerable residents.”

Services at the centre will be delivered in partnership by Lambeth council, two local voluntary sector organisations, Certitude and Rathbone, and local NHS organisations.

The Crescent is designed to develop stronger links with the local community which will be served by the shop, café and community space.

The café will create employment for students from Michael Tippett College in Clapham Park, which caters for students with severe learning needs, on their way to careers in the catering sector”

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Streatham, said: “It’s amazing to know that a facility for people with disabilities like this exists in my constituency, especially following a period when they have seen so many cuts. We want everyone to share the news that this is an essential place that’s here for people in Lambeth.”

A ticket to the lottery of life …

The seventh Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation (TMBDLF) scholarship application process is now open.

The mission of the charity is to eliminate the diversity, equity and inclusion gaps in professional workplaces by educating, empowering and inspiring our next generation of diverse student leaders.

It is led by Miranda Brawn, a former Lambeth equality commissioner. The scholarships were established in 2016.

“The aim is to make a real difference in the lives of our next generation by giving them a ticket to the lottery of life,” she said.

The closing date for applications is 5pm, 30 June.

At least 12 scholarships are available to young people up to ages of 30 years from diverse backgrounds.

Applicants must be at school, college or university on a full-time basis and achieving good grades with an interest in diversity.

The scholarship award includes £500 to £1,000 in funding, mentoring and reverse mentoring with leaders in their field, work experience (if available and pending Covid restrictions) with leading UK organisations, etiquette educational training, networking, a graduation group mentoring lunch and a VIP ticket to the annual Miranda Brawn diversity leadership lectures.

Categories include Finance and Business, Hogan Lovells ‘Law’, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), Multi-Sector, Medical, Automotive (for women), Charity, BWOB (Black Women on Boards), LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer etc), Disability and Neurodiversity, From Care (foster and government care systems), ESG (Environment).

A More information on the programme is

available at bit.ly/TMBDLF-22

Meet Brixton Umbrella Circle

Brixton Umbrella Circle is an independent, peerled, self-help group for older (50+) LGBTQs. It offers a forum for mutual support, socialising and addressing individual and collective experiences (past and current) in a social, cultural and political context.

The circle meets in person for regular cafe and pub outings in and around Brixton. Since the beginning of the pandemic it has met and continues to meet for a virtual chat via Zoom every Wednesday morning.

Why the name? “Umbrella is a term for covering all and because our hearts and minds can be like umbrellas – useless if we do not open them.

For more details and to receive invitations and links, email brixtonumbrellacircle@gmail.com A facebook.com/brixtonumbrellacircle/

Want to trade or exhibit as a charity of community group at the Lambeth Country show, back in Brockwell Park on 16 and 17 July this year? The deadline for applications is Friday 8 April. Visit bit.ly/LCS-trade-22

Calling teens with big ideas

Teenagers with big ideas about how to make a difference to communities they care about are being encouraged to put them forward to the Bright Future Prize which has £40,000 to distribute.

The closing date is Friday 29 April.

The prize, now in its second year, is hosted by the Ardonagh Community Trust (ACT), the charity of the insurance broker The Ardonagh Group.

Winners of this year’s four prize categories will each receive a share of the £40,000 fund, and opportunities for mentoring, to help turn their dreams into reality.

The charity wants to hear from 13–19-year-olds about projects and causes they are passionate about.

Last year winning projects ranged from promoting anti-bullying messages and supporting teenagers to pursue musical ambitions, to encouraging young people living in areas of deprivation to apply to top universities.

The prize is open to young people aged 13-19. To apply visit: ardonaghtrust.org/ bright-future-prize Brixton-based charity School Ground Sounds has launched recruitment for its latest annual Grit School.

The school is a seven-week music industry and artistdevelopment programme funded by the national charity Youth Music.

Grit School 2022 is aimed at aspiring creatives, musicians, artists and producers, aged 16 to 24, from South London who are not in education, employment or training.

The programme will host workshops led by industry professionals providing insights into an ever-changing industry.

From label managers to radio pluggers, these workshops will help participants grow their professional network. They will also improve their performance skills, grow in confidence and collaborate with like-minded creatives.

The school runs from 27 April to 10 June. The deadline to apply is Thursday 7 April.

A You can sign up online

or refer a young person at bit.ly/Grit-School-22

ENTER NOW FOR THE BRIXTON BLOG & BUGLE ART SHOW

Are you an artist living in or around Brixton?

Do you want to exhibit your work to the local community?

Entry is now open for the Brixton Blog and Bugle Summer Art Show

The show is open to any artist – professional or self-taught – who is at least 16 years old and is based in or around (a short bus ride away from) Brixton.

You can submit up to

two works. Each work must be no larger than one metre square.

To enter, all you have to do is send up to three digital photos of each work to arts@brixtonblog.com

Please entitle the email “Summer Art Show 2022” and include your name, address, email, contact phone number, social media, the title and a brief description of the work, including dimensions.

The closing date for entries is Friday 20 May 2022.

All selected works will be exhibited in the Summer Art Show in the Brixton Tate Library on Windrush Square from 4 to 26 July.

You can offer your work for sale if you choose – about a third of all entries were sold last year.

The winner will be decided by a people’s vote and will receive a unique custom designed award; a voucher from Brockwell Art Services worth £250; and an exhibition in the popular Lounge on Atlantic Road.

Cherise Hewett, who won last year’s popular vote, saw her work shown in The Lounge as a result. FOR FULL RULES AND HOW

TO ENTER, VISIT bit.ly/BBB-ART22

Last year’s winner Cherise Hewett RADICAL BEAUTY: DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY

Groundbreaking works

By Leslie Manasseh

The first major UK exhibition of woodcuts by the leading abstract expressionist, Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) in Dulwich Picture Gallery closes in just over a fortnight. It’s worth making an effort to see it.

Abstract expressionism was a broad artistic movement born in America in the 1940s and refers to abstract works where the technique aims to give an impression of spontaneity.

Helen Frankenthaler’s use of woodcuts to make prints of abstract works was truly groundbreaking. She pushed this somewhat narrow technique to produce the type of work more often associated with paint and canvas.

Ranging from Frankenthaler’s first ever woodcut in 1973, to her last work published in 2009, the exhibition brings together 30 works to reveal the enormous diversity that flowed from her “no rules”, experimental approach.

Unlike any other woodcuts I’ve seen, these works are sometimes bold, sometimes delicate, energetic or reflective, but always compelling. They consist of fluid shapes and fields of colour and are of a scale not normally associated with the medium.

Freefall, one of her early works, clearly marks her innovative approach. It is a work of still, calm beauty and a very confident sense of space and perspective. Alongside it are two works – Radius – one of which is a template or model for the other. The first demonstrates her print-making skill and creativity; the second demonstrates a technique known as “guzzying” whereby she used various implements to work paint to produce layers and texture to produce a fine example of abstract expressionism.

Two of the rooms are devoted to explaining and exemplifying the printing process she used. Essence Mulberry and Tales of Genji appear in many different versions which reveal the versatility of print-making and the use of colour to create contrasting ways of seeing and reproducing images.

Individually, the works stand on their merits as dynamic, expressionist pieces. Together they give a fascinating insight into her creative process and desire to break boundaries.

The exhibition ends with what is regarded as her masterpiece Madame Butterfly. This monumental work – which defies the limitations of the medium – involved a complex and lengthy process based on 42 separate blocks and 102 colours, but appears as momentary, ethereal, shifting shapes.

Jane Findlay, exhibition curator and head of programme and engagement at Dulwich Picture Gallery, said: “This is a truly special opportunity for visitors to get up close to Frankenthaler’s phenomenal works”. in the intimate spaces of Dulwich Picture Gallery.

“There is something magical about how she breathes life into such a rigid medium, retaining the energy and dynamism – that born at once feeling – that you see in her painting. And with her proofs and process explored alongside we’ll show the painstaking work behind these beguiling works – revealing just how accomplished Frankenthaler was in modulating control and spontaneity in her art.

Until 18 April in Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, SE21 7AD 020 8693 5254 dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Open Wednesday – Friday, 10am–5pm Adults £16.50, Concessions £8 Under 30s: £5 – sign up at dpg.art/under30

ALICK COTTERILL

198 CONTEMPORARY ARTS & LEARNING: BRING ME TO HEAL

Freighted with meaning

Bring Me To Heal is the clever and thought-provoking title of a new exhibition by Amartey Golding which explores the legacy and trauma of colonialism and slavery, writes Leslie Manasseh.

The show consists principally of two short films and a garment fashioned out of literally millions of human hairs. Hair is an important signifier of African heritage and is used in this work to embody the past, present and future of African people.

The first film tells the fable of the horse and goose. Related by men sitting around a fire in the countryside, the story is a metaphor for the trade in enslaved humans.

A horse rampages through the countryside and traps a goose in its mane. Unable to escape, the goose is torn from its family and home and is forced to go wherever the horse chooses as it carves a trail of destruction in its wake.

But ultimately it is a story of hope and redemption. With a nod towards Marxist thinking, it becomes clear that the horse’s journey contains the seeds of its own destruction. The horse exhausts itself and finally lays dying, only to be rescued and healed by the goose – the oppressed save the oppressor and finally triumph and repair the world. At the end of the film the garment, worn by the artist’s brother, comes to life and, in the second film, wanders among the exhibits in the Victoria & Albert Museum. As it moves among increasingly gruesome examples and representations of man’s inhumanity, the suit stands as the only living thing amongst the dead. The suit itself (left) is an extraordinary creation – fascinating, mysterious, elaborate and freighted with meaning and history. It’s worth watching the introductory film which explains how it was made and what it represents. Bring Me To Heal runs until 1 May in 198 Contemporary Arts & Learning, 198 Railton Road, SE24 0JT.

Monday – Friday 11am-5pm Sundays 12–4pm on Further information: 020 7978 8309 www.198.org.uk

BLOCK 336: SPEKYNG RYBAWDY

Rude, lewd and wildly libidinous

Bad taste and a desire to shock while travelling are not new British traits. Medieval pilgrims heading towards Canterbury up Croxted Road from what is now Brockwell Park may well have been wearing bawdy badges.

You can find out more at Spekyng Rybawdy in Brixton’s Block 336, a new solo installation by Melanie Jackson which opens on 22 April.

Bawdy badges, secular badges, sexual badges or erotic pins from the 12th to the 16th century have been discovered across much of northern Europe, often along the pilgrim routes that criss-crossed the continent.

The badges typically depict obscene sexual encounters or wandering oversized genitalia, often hybridised, held aloft, or legged and running rogue.

While the rude, lewd and wildly libidinous iconography of the badges is a likely cause for their omission from the historical canon, their sophisticated satirical humour has since troubled art historians.

The badges’ true power to shock and offend lies in their complex dialogue with – and profane subversion of – state politics, orthodox religion, and conventional sexual practices.

Jackson’s installation is a procession of pilgrims, a carnival of conceptual nomads “that jostle and jive, fight, fuck and take flight across a trans-historical plane of existence,” says Block 336.

Spekyng Rybawdy brings subversive characters from medieval obscurity and into the light of 21st century gender politics, power and state. Block 336, 336 Brixton Road SW9 7AA 22 April – 21 May Thurs – Sat, 11 am – 5pm

The Windmill: Brixton’s legendary indie venue

Dynamic duo host reggae at the Ritzy

Lockdown may have seen the end of The Sisters of Reggae DJ collective, but two of them – Shirley Slattery and Debbie Golt – are sticking together with gigs including Upstairs at the Ritzy in Brixton. Simone Richardson finds out more

Don’t miss out … this is Brixton!

Music editor Dave Randall has some advice for you on a proper Brixton night out …

When the Brixton Bugle last had a print issue, Grammy award winning artist Thundercat had just dropped into a jam session at Pure Vinyl and American guitar star Joe Bonamassa joined local blues artist Errol Linton at the Effra Hall Tavern.

“What other neighbourhood offers such a smorgasbord of musical delights?” I asked excitedly. “Where else does a plethora of bustling independent venues bring such pleasure to so many?”

The very next month the pandemic stopped it all. It’s been a hard couple of years for musicians, venues and events staff, but thanks to generously supported fundraisers, Arts Council grants and sheer determination, our music scene has survived mostly intact and is booming once again.

So for those who are new to Brixton’s musical delights, or who haven’t ventured out for a while, here are five tips to make sure you’re not missing out …

1. Thursdays at the Effra Hall Tavern

Jamaica Jazz’s uplifting sets of jazz classics and reggae floor-fillers have been a firm local favourite for more than two decades. The all-star ensemble is led by guitarist Alan Weekes and typically features Lance Rose on bass, Michael ‘Bammie’ Rose and Bukky Leo on saxophones, Eddie ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton on trumpet, Gary Williams on drums and George Kelly on vocals. The night serves up a delicious slice of old-school Brixton, where a diverse crowd comes together to get down. If, after last orders, you decide to continue on to the Hootananny for Cecil Reuben’s reggae session, then you’ve got yourself a proper Brixton night out.

2. Tuesdays at Cable Cafe

OK, so strictly speaking Cable Cafe at 8 Brixton Road is a couple of bus stops north of Brixton, but it’s well worth the ride. The atmospheric décor of the bijou bar suggests the romance of a bygone era, perhaps Paris in the 1920s, and sure enough authentic sounding swing is sometimes on the menu. So too is the future of jazz. The night is expertly curated by Tom Sankey who showcases London’s finest young musicians in this wonderfully intimate setting. Arrive early – the place is usually packed by the time the music begins at 8.30pm.

3. The Windmill Brixton

How could we not mention Brixton’s legendary indie venue located on Blenheim Gardens just off Brixton Hill. It has the appearance of a regular spit-andsawdust estate boozer, but booker Tim Perry has brilliantly maintained The Windmill’s reputation as one of London’s coolest venues. Recent alumni include black midi, Goat Girl, Kae Tempest and just about the whole roster of producer Dan Carey’s Speedy Wunderground label. So pick a night and take a punt – you may well witness a soon-to-be-legendary formative gig of a future festival headliner. Or, if shanties, reels and fiddles are more your bag than loud guitars, try the fabulous “No Frills Folk Club” on the second Sunday of each month.

4. Weekends at the Hootananny

For 15 years now, this big hearted venue has delivered a wonderfully eclectic mix of live music several nights a week. Fridays and Saturdays find the place in full party mode. The Dynamite Disco, Big Balkan Bash, Tropical Tea Party and Out The Box nights are all well worth a look, but our top pick goes to Movimentos who bring the best in new Latin American talent to the stage and DJ Cal Jader’s sizzling selection to the decks.

5. Follow the Brixton Chamber Orchestra

It’s worth remembering that for various reasons – financial, cultural or otherwise – many of Lambeth’s residents never set foot inside a live music venue. For that reason the work of the Brixton Chamber Orchestra is all the more important and laudable. Run by Matthew O’Keeffe, the orchestra brings repertoire ranging from classical and jazz to disco and grime direct to Brixton’s estates, streets, parks and other public places. Follow them on social media to find their roving performances – they have a busy summer planned… A Dave Randall is a musician and author of Sound System: The Political Power of Music

Grime artists and BCO members at Brixton Rec before a rehearsal for an appearance at the Prince of Wales in March 2019 (l-r) Beka Reid, Matthew O’Keeffe (BCO director) , Alex Shad, James Howell, Michael Ruddlesden, Joshua Brook and Yizzy

Grime Orchestrated album awarded free studio time

Brixton Chamber Orchestra are one of only three applicants chosen from 2,750 worldwide to get free access to Pirate’s worldwide studio network throughout 2022.

Pirate is the UK’s largest network of self-service recording studios and launched in the USA last year.

Its Project Fund is an initiative to support diverse work that will make a positive community impact. From 2,750 applicants, 21 judges selected three to get free access to Pirate studios.

Brixton Chamber Orchestra (BCO) will record Grime Orchestrated, an album to bridge the gap between grime and classical music, breaking musical and social barriers.

The Grime Orchestrated project has been running for four years with live performances around Brixton and South London.

The project will be the first time BCO records and releases material.

Brixton Chamber Orchestra will use Pirate’s London studios to collaborate with grime artists, recording instrumentals, mixing, mastering and releasing 10 to 12 tracks of original music.

Dynamic duo Miss Feelgood (Shirley Slattery) and Debbie Golt now DJ as the Vinyl Sisters with a regular Ritzy gig that showcases and encourages other female DJs.

“Debbie Golt and I decided it was important to keep the female DJ relay that had been run by the Sisters going as it had been very successful and we loved doing it,” says Shirley.

Debbie started the relay before Sisters of Reggae got together.

“We had a monthly residency at the Ritzy. Four (female) guests would be invited to play their favourite reggae tunes on vinyl for 30 minutes – experience wasn’t needed, just a passion for the music as help was at hand from us.

“We play mostly reggae, a little bit of soul and Debbie plays some African music, the female DJ relay is mostly reggae.”

Appearances will continue every third Sunday throughout the year.

“We don’t plan what we will play beforehand. It depends on the crowd, we go with the flow,” Shirley says.

A recent Vinyl Sisters gig Upstairs at the Ritzy saw sessions from guests Zeena, DJ Sherinne , DJ Ezzy Rascal and Sistren Shirley.

They kick off around 7pm with a warm-up welcome set from Debbie and Shirley.

Four 30-minute sets make up the Outerglobe Femxle DJ Relay.

Guests are “womxn with fabulous reggae vinyl collections who may not play out that often, may never have played before and/or do play out and want to try out new sets”.

“We are on hand to help anyone who needs that – and find that even novices find their way very soon,” says Shirley. Vinyl Sisters take over for two and a bit hours until midnight – with MC mighty MAD-X. Debbie began playing out with Rock Against Racism in the late 70s and has weekly and monthly radio shows on Resonance FM and Threads Radio. Lockdown had less effect on her than many. However,

“Not being able to go out

Shirley Slattery (left) and

Debbie Golt

to anything, DJ out or socialise was a big change, as was having to make my radio shows from home. “Resonance FM, where

I have a weekly show The

Outerglobe, with African diaspora music, including reggae, shut the studios, so

I made and make my shows from home with Zoom interviews, digital music I have been sent, and digital home recording, which kept me engaged and mentally active and takes a couple of days a week.” Debbie also joined a daily

“airy matters” Zoom chat that someone she met at a festival started.“It went on for nearly a year and was a brilliant anchor for the day,” she says. Shirley also plays on the third Friday of every month at The Railway

Tavern in Tulse Hill.

Domino Club and Soup Kitchen voice concern over future of their home of many years

Two of Brixton’s most important community organisations are becoming increasingly concerned about their future.

Both Brixton Immortals domino club and Brixton Soup Kitchen have been warned by Lambeth council to vacate their Coldharbour Lane home.

Known locally as the domino club, the Lloyd Leon Community Centre building – named after Lambeth’s first Black mayor – has housed the Immortals and their club bar since the aftermath of the 1981 Brixton Uprising/Riot.

It was established by Lloyd Leon and others as a direct result of recommendations in the Scarman report.

Lord Scarman author of the official report on the 1981 events in Brixton, whose portrait hangs on the walls of the domino club, took a personal interest in its establishment in the Coldharbour Lane building.

His report concluded that it is essential that “people are encouraged to secure a stake in, feel a pride in, and have a sense of responsibility for their own area”.

More recently, the Brixton Soup Kitchen has provided meals and a great deal more – from school uniforms to legal advice – to communities and individuals in Brixton and across London.

Refurbishment of the building so that it can become a “community hub” has been planned for some time and was welcomed by both organisations.

However, recent events have led to concern about what is happening to the building which stands at the corner of Coldharbour Lane and Moorland Road, next to the “Barrier Block”, Southwyck House.

With no notice, the club and soup kitchen were warned that they should not use the building because it is structurally unsound.

Leading figures in both organisations were shocked by the suddenness of this warning, the apparently casual way it came about, and its timing – two days before Christmas.

Their fears were deepened when a structural engineer they commissioned themselves did not agree with the need for immediate closure of the building.

Their engineer’s report does Lloyd Leon, one of the founders of the Brixton Immortals domino club and the first Black mayor of Lambeth, speaking at a club event in the Coldharbour Lane premises (below) in 2018

recommend immediate “remediation works” to one of the walls of the club building, but says: “it is likely that the remedial works can be completed externally without the need for the existing tenants to vacate”.

Council officers stress that their concerns are based not only on the council’s financial liability for any long-term damage to the building, but also their moral liability and genuine concern about possible injury to anyone using the building.

Attempts by the police to effectively close down the domino club by restricting its licence, which were not opposed by the council, came as recently as November 2017.

The domino club and soup kitchen have been discussing alternative locations with the council since the warning to quit, but both are concerned that their needs are not fully understood and fear that the council is dragging its feet and that “the goalposts are being moved”.

There are also fears that, once they have left the Coldharbour Lane building, they may never be able to return.

Council officers have assured the Bugle that this is not the case, saying that such a move would be “political suicide”.

For the soup kitchen, the main issue is the very large amounts of food that is delivered, prepared and distributed from it.

For the domino club, hard hit both financially and socially by Covid, the issue is loss of revenue from its bar and the danger that, with no competitive matches being played, supporters might drift away.

“Brixton domino club is not just about dominoes,” said one Immortals committee member.

“It is a community hub a place for elderly to young people of all cultures to interact.

“Its aim is to promote the health and wellbeing of residents in the area.

“We work together, regardless of age, ethnicity sexuality, or political affiliation.

“We recognise the residents’ differences and celebrate the community’s variety and diversity.

“Our club is where members spend quality time, for children and family and where those who are isolated can see friendly faces.

“In 2022 we have huge plans to promote and revamp our community hub to include various activities to suit all ages.”

“The soup kitchen is an important service that the community cannot afford to lose,” said one of its organisers.

“So many are reliant on its service. It is an essential lifeline that is provided to families who would starve without the weekly provision it offers. We really help alleviate poverty in the borough.”

Both organisations stress that they support plans to refurbish the building, but are concerned by how the work is – or is not – proceeding.

“Every week there is something new – and all against us being in that building,” said one of the people most closely involved.

Brixton’s unique economy under the microscope

TOTAL VISA SPEND WITH MERCHANTS IN BRIXTON

2019–Q4 2020–Q1 2020–Q2 2020–Q3 2020–Q4 2021–Q1 2021–Q2 2021–Q3 2021–Q4 Motoring Wholesale Financial services Building materials & service Personal services Health Retail & High Street Food & Drink Supermarkets Restaurants

“Brixton is younger, more polarised in terms of spend profile, more dependent on the night-time economy and recovering quicker over the last few months than any other area we work with.”

That was how Andy Nuttall of Movement Strategies introduced his presentation at the annual general meeting of the Brixton Business Improvement District (BID) in March.

He and Movement Strategies report to the BID using the latest technology available, including data on spending using plastic cards.

In a couple of years plastic payment for small sums has gone from novelty to norm as Covid has made contactless payments both desirable and increasingly common.

Nuttall agreed with one person who pointed out cash is still very much in use the markets of central Brixton, saying that his methodology attempts to recognise this.

But cards spending alone showed a 30% yearon-year increase in Brixton between the fourth quarter (October to December) of 2021 compared to 2020. In Croydon, there was no change over this period. In Lambeth as a while, the change was just over 15% – half as much.

And, in economic terms, the night time is the right time for Brixton.

The night time economy has driven the local recovery from the Covid-induced slump.

Night time spend in Brixton over the latest period for which figured are available is running at nearly 150% of pre-Covid levels.

In Croydon it is about 10% of pre-Covid levels and in Lambeth as a whole it is still well below 100%.

Nuttall said that Brixton’s night time economy is the largest in the country as a proportion of the total local economy.

It represents more than 40% of the total, compared to less than 20% in Croydon and less than 30% in London as whole.

He showed the BID members charts (above) illustrating the huge effect of Covid on night time and overall spending in Brixton in 2020 and early 2021 as well as how it dominated the economy in the final quarter of 2021.

Where does the money spent in Brixton come from? Four-fifiths – 80% – is from cards registered within 10 kilometres (just over six miles) from the centre of Brixton.

But, said Nuttall, it is also returning from the rest of Britain.

What he found about how people feel about Brixton is that they are “generally passionate and positive”. Much of that opinion, for visitors, is driven by attending an event at the Academy.

BRIXTON BUGLE COMMENT

Do you want to know a secret?

We all knew that Brixton is unique. But the figures on credit card spending produced for the local business improvement district show just how different Brixton is.

One phrase stands out: “more polarised in terms of spend profile”. That sounds like the old story of rich and poor.

There has been talk of “building back better” after we have escaped the clutches of Covid, but there is precious little evidence of this happening.

And, as we report elsewhere in this issue, there’s a lot of building planned for Brixton that will benefit people who wish to remain anonymous.

Why should they? The obvious conclusion must be that they have something to hide – their identity, their money – probably both.

While the rich can hide their money and how they make it and “shelter” it from tax – in one of the absurd euphemisms for antisocial behaviour that are now everywhere – the poor are paying a greater and greater proportion of their small incomes in tax.

Every time there is a scandal about secrecy, there is comforting waffle about reform and transparency, but nothing ever happens.

Transparency, of course, is not the solution to anything, but, without it, nothing much is going to happen.

We publish the Brixton Bugle for all sorts of reasons, to celebrate our amazingly diverse and rich local culture, to give recognition to the many, many people who work selflessly for the good of our society, for instance.

But we also believe that someone has to ask questions about who benefits from the massive changes that are taking place in Brixton. As the law stands, we can ask all we like, but won’t get or find an answer.

There’s an old journalist’s definition of news: it’s something that somebody doesn’t want you to know about.

The way things are now, there is plenty of that to investigate in Brixton.

If you have a complaint about the Brixton Bugle, see bit.ly/BBB_complain for how to pursue it

Regulated by IMPRESS: The independent monitor for the press 16–18 New Bridge Street EC4V 6AG 020 3325 4288 complaints@impress.press www.impress.press

Remembering Darcus Howe

People from all over the world online joined local residents and distinguished visitors to see the unveiling of a plaque on Railton Road honouring Darcus Howe, who was one of Brixton’s most distinguished residents

The plaque honouring Darcus Howe joins one marking the life and death of CLR James, the great writer and revolutionary who was Darcus Howe’s great uncle, on the side of the building on Railton Road that housed the Race Today collective.

It is the 68th plaque honouring a person of colour to have been installed by the Nubian Jak Community Trust.

Dawn Hill CBE, former chair of the Black Cultural Archives on Brixton’s Windrush Square, said: “people just came and came and came” to the building on Railton Road that was at the centre of so many crucial struggles.

“I’m standing on sacred ground,” said the founder of Black History Month in the UK, Akyaaba Addai-Sebo. “I have been touched because of the significance of this building to me and our history.

“I came here as a refugee and Darcus and Leila took me in and gave me a refuge. It was through them that I managed to get a position at the Greater London Council that enabled me to come up with the Black History Month concept.”

Henry Bonsu, a broadcaster like Darcus Howe, who lives on nearby Dulwich Road, spoke of the “17-year-old firebrand legal scholar,” who arrived in Britain in the 60s and, in the early seventies, put that legal training to use in the famous Mangrove 9 trial that was dramatised in the Small Axe TV series.

As a broadcaster with his show Devil’s Advocate, “He was fearless. He was always the most relaxed, but most fearsome and most incisive commentator. And that’s what I remember him for.

“The confidence I have whenever I go on radio and TV today, is in large measure due to him and the energy and the vibe he brought.”

Local MP Helen Hayes spoke at the last minute when Linton Kwesi Johnson, who was isolating, could not attend.

She hoped that people walking along Railton Road, particularly those with young children, will point to the plaque and tell them about the role that Darcus Howe played in the struggle for equality and in the struggle against racism and discrimination in our society. “You’ll equip them and prepare them to take on that mantle for future generations,” the MP said.

Patrick Torsney, who was a friend of Darcus and now runs Brixton Advice Centre, remembered consulting him when he was about to make a speech. He tore up his prepared speech and followed Darcus’ advice to “speak from your heart and tell the truth, and people will listen to you”.

Leila Howe, who was Darcus’ wife, said that despite his huge success in broadcasting and national media, he considered his greatest achievements in public life to be the Mangrove 9 trial and building the collective that produced Race Today magazine.

He wanted working class people and intellectuals to come together in an organisation so that they could learn from each other. “He was very much against the idea of intellectuals’ academic understanding leading ordinary people. He believed that we had experiences and understanding where we could govern and decide for ourselves what we wanted to do with our lives.”

She recalled how Darcus Howe “was a thorn in the side of the establishment.

“They didn’t want to hear this radical and revolutionary idea that we were not going to put up with the racism in this society.

“So now while I hear the way he’s venerated – which I must say, I’m very pleased about – there were times when he was in the wilderness and it wasn’t always easy.”

She recalled how he had been arrested five time, jailed, and followed by Special Branch police – even to cricket matches.

Leila Howe also spoke of the cultural side of work in the Railton Road building, ranging from fighting to save Carnival to inviting Maya Angelou to a Lambeth town hall event in Brixton to mark the death of James Baldwin.

“He would really, really be pleased today,” she said. “I think his real pleasure would be the fact that he is side by side with his great uncle.”

The two plaques The scene on Railton Road at the unveiling Leila Howe

Homes for Lambeth is part of the problem

Georgina Schueller of the Save Central Hill campaign against plans to demolish the estate near Crystal Palace, spoke at a recent Lambeth council cabinet meeting. This is an edited version of her speech

I am a local council resident extremely concerned about what Homes For Lambeth [HFL, the council’s wholly owned property development company] appear to be doing.

I spoke at a cabinet meeting looking at the HFL Delivery Plan, to point out the glaring omission in all the calculations of housing numbers to be built – demolition figures are never factored in.

Six estates are to be demolished. According to a recent freedom of information request, 1,377 homes in total will be flattened – this includes 463 privately owned/ leaseholders and 914 council homes. Some 884 council level rent new homes are planned, meaning that these are replacements, not extra homes as the council so often implies. It also means that there will be 30 fewer council level rent homes than currently exist on those estates.

Sub-market rentals, especially council rents, are the most under-supplied and needed according to a Savills report [The property company Savills is advising the council].

HFL was set up, with Savills’ help, to “meet the demands of the housing crisis” and “with a focus on homes at council rent”.

Meanwhile, nearly 2,500 EXTRA open market sales properties are planned. This will change the demographic of the estates dramatically, to 60% homeowners, or 75% if the shared ownership and rent to buy options are factored in.

Such a change will push up property values and rents on the estate and surrounding area, thus stoking the housing market. The likes of Savills are well aware of this.

Demolition of buildings also flies in the face of expert guidance regarding the climate emergency, because of the problem with embodied carbon.

The greenest building is the one that already exists, so structurally sound, retrofitting to EnerPHit standard should be the preferred option.

This would also remedy the hellish uncertainty created for the residents, on top of the exceptional hardship being felt by so many as a consequence of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis, fuel poverty, and a surge in mental health problems.

Pulling out of demolition plans, would instantly create more available council housing, as Lambeth have borrowed £170 million to buy back leaseholder properties, and spent £94 million already.

Some of these, HFL are managing, and currently renting out at full market rent on short tenancies.

With sensitive infill, and adding extra levels onto what already exists where possible, and with residents being properly consulted, better solutions could be achieved.

Community land trusts should also feature more prominently, especially on small sites, to lock in sub-market affordability.

It is clear to me that Homes For Lambeth is not fit for purpose. Homes for Lambeth is not the solution to the housing crisis.

It is part of the problem.

WHO OWNS BRIXTON?

Simple questions like ‘Who owns Brixton?’ can have complicated answers as Alan Slingsby discovers when looking at the complex and sometimes unknown ownership of some of our important local sites

Registered in the Isle of Man …

Exploring who owns what land in England is, in theory, a straightforward task.

Log on to the official government website of Her Majesty’s Land Registry, key in a postcode, pay a £3 fee, and download the information you want.

That’s the theory. Practice is a different matter.

The Brixton Bugle checked up on some controversial local sites to see who stands to benefit from the massive changes planned for Brixton.

Two large hotels are currently planned for central Brixton.

One will stand next to Marks & Spencer and over the existing site of the Superdrug store on the Brixton Road opposite the Tube station. The Superdrug will continue in the rebuilt structure.

Another, even larger, development, slated to include office and retail space as well as a hotel will take over a whole block a little further north up Brixton Road.

The land on which the Superdrug hotel will stand is owned in two sections. The vast majority of the site is one section; the bar and café that was once the popular café and meeting place – SW9 – at 11 Dorrell Place (which run down the side of Marks & Spencer) is the other.

The owner of 11 Dorrell Place is a company called Yelloway. It is registered in the Isle of Man. That means we have no way of knowing anything about the company, nor about its profits or losses, nor about the people behind it.

Many people think the Isle of Man is part of the United Kingdom. It isn’t. It is “a self-governing British Crown dependency” which means it makes its own laws and can ignore many of those of the UK.

Thousands of companies that trade and own land in England are based there.

What about the lion’s share of the Superdrug site? At first sight, its owner appears to be based in the UK. It’s a company that appears on the official government Companies House register and is based down the road from Brixton in Colliers Wood.

But closer inspection reveals that when the company, Miraj Investments, was set up in 2014, all its shares were owned by an Isle of Man registered company, Goodart. Miraj also recently mortgaged itself to another company based in the Isle of Man, True Phoenix.

The 21 December 2021 document detailing the mortgage transaction states unequivocally that Miraj is “a company registered in the Isle of Man”.

Ownership of the site to be developed at 414 to 426 Brixton Road is more straightforward. The UK Land Registry says that the owner is “Governside Ltd (incorporated in the Isle of Man)” – and “care of” a Wimbledon-based company, Crown Properties.

Two huge new additions to Brixton that may be required and welcome, but who are the beneficiaries? Computer generated image of the planned hotel in Dorrell Place

… and Amsterdam

While Brixton’s planned new hotels do not make many headlines, its two large covered markets and plans to place a development including a 20-story tower alongside Pope’s Road and Brixton Station Road, get plenty.

One man, Texan Taylor McWilliams, the sole director of Hondo Enterprises, apparently owns the lot.

But things are not so straightforward.

In fact, the covered markets are controlled by a group of companies registered in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, all of which have a majority of directors from the New York based finance company Angelo Gordon.

They include ● AG Brixton Lender BV ● AG Hondo Market Row BV ● AG UK Market Row

Coöperatieve U.A. ● AG UK Brixton Village

Coöperatieve U.A. ● AG Hondo Brixton Village BV

In a “joint venture”, Hondo Enterprises and Angelo Gordon bought the markets in April 2018 from London and Associated Properties.

In December that year, the two companies “refinanced” the purchase with a five-year loan from the Mayfair, London, based company, Starz Real Estate.

Hondo Enterprises has twice announced the purchase of sites in Brixton that, when examined closely, appear not have been purchased by the company.

Pope’s Road

The most puzzling example is that of the Pope’s Road site where Hondo is hoping to build a 20-storey tower.

Several tens of thousands of pounds have likely already been spent on this project for architects, lawyers, and public relations and other consultants.

Yet the official Land Registry continues to record another company as the owner of the site – Sports Direct, which bought it in 2018 and still has a store based there.

Consultants acting for Hondo Enterprises have more than once refused to explain this anomaly to us, saying it is a “private” matter.

Club 414

Hondo also announced that it had bought the building housing Brixton’s long-running 414 Club – at 414-416 Coldharbour Lane.

But Land Registry and Companies House records show that, in fact, it is owned by a company which has four directors, two Dutch and two from the US, all working for Angelo Gordon.

The former owners, London and Associated Properties, created the company that owns the 414 site, Coldharbour APL. It was then transferred to the Angelo Gordon directors.

A spokesperson for Hondo told us that: “the ownership [of 414] is organised in a similar joint venture relationship to Brixton Markets”.

Carlton Mansions: ‘Sacred in a way’

Local architect Zac Monro tells the Bugle why Carlton Mansions on Coldharbour Lane is so significant a building for Brixton and how his practice set about saving as much of its spirit as possible

If one building can bear witness to how Brixton has changed and is changing, it’s Carlton Mansions, near the junction of Atlantic Road and Coldharbour Lane.

Once an elegant home for South London commuters right next to Brixton station, later a famous housing co-op, it now contains 26 high-end workspaces.

Built in 1891 – “a mansion block in Queen Anne style” – the building escaped the Second World War Blitz and has had at least two more escapes – both thanks to local people.

From 1979 to 2014, it was saved from dereliction and demolition by a housing co-operative, giving a roof to homeless people “and many cats”, according to one of several unofficial plaques on its walls.

Emptied of its inhabitants by Lambeth council in 2014, planning permission for development of the area was granted just over five years ago on 23 March, 2017.

Now, with help from the practice of Brixtonbased architect Zac Monro, who is also a local resident, its elegant form is still a presence opposite Brixton Village’s Granville Arcade.

And Brian Barnes’ Nuclear Dawn mural on the side of Carlton Mansions has regained its full chilling impact, thanks as much to its complete restoration as to Vladimir Putin.

Carlton Mansions “ is a significant part of our history,” says Monro.

With his brief to “save the spirit of the building”, Nuclear Dawn was one of the things that Monro made sure remained, despite challenges.

Some members of the construction team were not fans. One described it as “just a big skull” and “not very pleasant”.

But not only did it stay, it has been restored to its former glory despite the top tiers of the building having to be totally rebuilt.

There have been compromises. Where once there were three staircases, there is now a single one. “Stuff had to be engineered out to save the building,” says Monro. There was discussion of complete demolition and rebuilding, because it was in such a bad state. There were no arguments, but there were “strong discussions with the money people”.

The building was saved and the original room sizes have been retained along with features like now-redundant chimneys.

It required extra structural stabilisation because the theatre next door sits above an underground siding for the Brixton terminus of the Victoria Underground line.

While he has been “proposing things for Brixton for years,” including plans for the Windrush Square toilets, “It’s the first time we’ve had a hand in a bit of Brixton,” Monro says of the commission.

He’s hardly unknown locally though. The Brixton Blog’s post about his conversion of “The Brockwell Park house” is its all-time most viewed, thanks to the appearance of the house on TV’s Grand Designs. Carlton Mansions is “a significant bit of architecture,” Monro says. “It’s kind of sacred in a way. Part of all the events that have happened in Brixton.” He suspects, from reading the deeds of the building, that it played a part in the most significant part of Brixton’s recent history – housing the newly arrived Windrush Generation.

Deborah Bestwick, director of Ovalhouse, the predecessor of Brixton House, was keen to document the interior of Carlton Mansions before work on it began.

“There were still rooms where we found the beans people had left on the cooker,” says Monro. But, he adds, “people were coming in and taking stuff” and Carlton Mansions held some culturally valuable surprises.

Among them are two decorated keystones from St Agnes Place in Kennington, probably London’s longest running squat and one of its most famous. “They’re one of things we’ve got to put back,” Monro says.

“We would have liked to get our own space in Carlton Mansions,” he adds. “But it’s already all taken.”