Issue 1 of The Camberwell Clarion

HELPING HANDS

PICTURE PERFECT

TASTE OF SUCCESS

Volunteering at King’s College Hospital

The photography of Christian Cross

Pary Baban’s thriving food business

A free newspaper for Camberwell

February/March 2022

All that jazz SE5’s legendary music venue

001

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NEWS | 3

Welcome to issue one of The Camberwell Clarion Thank you for picking up a copy of The Camberwell Clarion, a new local newspaper for SE5. The paper has been created by the team behind The Peckham Peculiar (which launched at the beginning of 2014), The Dulwich Diverter (which started in May 2016) and The Lewisham Ledger (which began in June 2018).

Thanks to more than 160 incredibly generous people who backed our Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign last year, we’ve been able to design, write, photograph, print and distribute our first issue. Numerous local businesses and organisations have also supported us through advertising.

We’d also like to say a particular thank you to the Camberwell Identity Group and Southwark Council for increasing our funding total by a significant amount.

So, what are we all about?

The Camberwell Clarion is a free hyperlocal paper that will cover the whole of SE5. It will be published every other month and stocked in more than 100 local places across Camberwell and the surrounding area, from cafes and pubs to shops, galleries, libraries and laundrettes.

Community is at the heart of what we do and we believe that local publications should truly reflect the area they represent. The paper will be a celebration of the people and

places that make this part of southeast London special. We’d love to hear your story ideas so please drop us a line at camberwellclarion@gmail. com if there’s someone or somewhere that you’d like us to feature.

We’d like to say a massive thank you to our talented team who made this issue happen, including Laura Mingozzi-Marsh for her design skills and Lima Charlie for his standout photography.

There were many others whose involvement has been invaluable – including our brilliant writing team – and their names are listed below. A big thanks also to local artist, graphic designer and author Jake Tilson, who created a limited edition cover to celebrate the first issue. A small number of these special copies are in circulation at selected stockists, so keep an eye out.

Thanks to our backers we have enough money to print our first two issues, but after that we will rely solely on advertising to cover our costs. If you run a business or organisation and are interested in advertising in our next issue, out midApril, please get in touch. As you can see from this edition, you’ll be in great company.

Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy the issue!

Mark McGinlay and Kate White

THE CAMBERWELL CLARION Editors Mark McGinlay, Kate White Designer Mingo Mingo Studio

Contributors Lorna Allan, Katie Binns, Rosario Blue, Laura Day, Emma Finamore, Meg Fozzard, Julia Hawkins, Miranda Knox, Nikki Spencer, Luke G Williams

Photographer Lima Charlie

Marketing and social media Mark McGinlay

Sub-editors Jack Aston, John Rennie, Chris Schuler

Cover image Daniel Devlin

Food, glorious food Food lovers are well catered for this spring with a flurry of new shop, bar and takeaway openings in Camberwell.

Grocery, deli and wine store Gladwell’s is opening on 19 March in a former bank turned solicitor’s office on Camberwell Green. It’s a new venture by childhood friends James Dye – who is a director of the Camberwell Arms and Frank’s Cafe – and Stanley Allen.

“If there is one thing that successive lockdowns have proved it’s that every neighbourhood needs a local, independent grocery store,” said James.

“When I was forced to close my restaurant during the first lockdown, we temporarily turned it into a grocery store, and it was here I saw first-hand the important role that independent shops can play at the heart of local communities.

“I am very excited that we have been able to embark on a brand new project to supply Camberwell with fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, meat, fish, cheese and much more.”

As well as selling a range of produce, there will be a deli serving coffee, pastries and sandwiches throughout the day. The duo are also transforming the old bank vault in the basement into a wine cellar and bottle shop.

Gladwell’s will offer weekly grocery boxes for home delivery and will donate £5 from every box sold to the St Giles Trust Pantry, which offers nutritious food to those in need.

The first 100 customers through the door on the opening day will receive a gift from the Gladwell’s team and a branded tote bag.

Frog Bakery is set to open in March at 44 Peckham Road after successfully crowdfunding to help kit out the premises, which has lain empty for 10 years. The cafe and bakery is a joint venture by local bakers Oliver Costello, who has previously worked at Ottolenghi and Hawksmoor, and Rebecca Spaven, who worked at Brick House Bakery.

The pair tested the water with a pop-up at the Platform Cafe at Loughborough Junction, which gained a popular following.

Frog Bakery will offer breads, pastries and cake straight from its open-plan kitchen. The crowdfunder also enabled the duo to buy an Omnium cargo bike to use for deliveries.

Veraison Wines, a wine bar and shop is planning on opening in mid-March in a former hairdressers at 78 Camberwell Church Street.

Camberwell resident Patrycja Lorek worked at the 10 Cases in Covent Garden before deciding to start her own venture locally, where she will offer over 200 bottles of wine.

Meanwhile Peckham Cellars has applied for a licence at 75 Camberwell Church Street, which was previously occupied by valuers and auctioneers Andrews & Robertson.

Danielle Moylan has just opened the Grove Lane Deli at 4a Grove Lane, which was formerly home to Hill Bakery. A “small, friendly, neighbourhood local”, it offers good coffee and food including cheese, chocolate and cinnamon buns, plus wine and flowers.

Two fast-food options have also recently launched locally. KoKoDoo, which was founded by Mary and Joseph Yoon in 2006, is offering its award-winning Korean fried chicken for takeaway and delivery from its new site at 163 Camberwell New Road.

And Tawooks is cooking up Lebanese fast food from railway arch 258 on Grosvenor Terrace, including barbecued chicken and lamb wrapped in fresh khobez bread.

For editorial and advertising enquiries, email camberwellclarion@gmail.com camberwellnews.tumblr.com @camberwellnews

@camberwellnews @camberwellnews Clockwise from top: Danielle Moylan and Jinx, Gladwell’s new space, the Peckham Cellars team

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

4 | NEWS

Backstreet boozer bounces back The Cambria – the much-loved pub on Kemerton Road that has been closed since December 2019 – is set for a major relaunch after an extensive and ambitious upgrade costing around £650,000.

Prospect Pubs & Bars has taken on the lease of the pub and has worked with owners Star Pubs & Bars on the revamp, with the new-look Cambria set to open its doors in March.

“The building works are scheduled to be completed on 28 February,” Mark Draper, director of Prospect Pubs & Bars, told The Camberwell Clarion. “The aim is to have the pub open from the week commencing 21 March. It’s a beautiful Victorian pub. It needs a new direction and a bit of love and attention, but it has a lot of potential. It’s very much going to be a locals’ pub. We are all about community and providing great service, great food and a great facility for Camberwell and the surrounding area.”

Mark also took the time to explain some of the details of the exciting revamp. “There has been a complete refit from top to bottom. All the public areas have been refurbished. The ground floor has been reshaped. The old bar was in a poor condition and has been taken out and replaced and the kitchen has been relocated to the first floor.

“But the biggest change is that we have put a garden room at the back of the pub, which will take up about half of what was

previously the yard. It will have a retractable roof so in summer you can sit in the sunshine and in the winter, in the evenings or if the weather isn’t good enough the roof can be shut.

“The rest of the garden is also being refurbished with new flagstones and murals on the wall. There will be some Brixton Brewery artwork going on the back wall and we will be stocking at any point at least three of their beers as well.

“We still have a function room on the first floor, which we will hire out for functions but also use as a dining space for about another 40 diners when it gets busy on a Saturday night or a Sunday.”

It is clear that the Cambria’s food offering will be varied and of a high quality. “There will be food on offer every day of the week,” Mark said. “We will have pub classics, gourmet burgers and so on, as well as Asian dishes and a real leaning towards vegetarian, vegan and plant-based dishes too. We are also aiming to have the best Sunday roast in south London.”

If you want to be part of the new-look team at the Cambria, then Mark is keen to emphasise that the pub is actively seeking to recruit. “Get in touch via our email info@ thecambrialondon.co.uk,” he said. “We’re looking for people with a good attitude who want to work in a friendly and fun environment.”

Marie Lenclos Oil Paintings www.marielenclos.com

@marielenclos_painting

“The beauty and elegance of urban settings is often overlooked or under appreciated by many. And you capture it beautifully. It must be a wonderful feeling to be able to add to this constantly evolving tapestry of London life and to be a part of that narrative”, John Madden 2021 DulwichDiverter_1/4_pth.indd 1

20/04/2021 15:18

NEWS | 5

Local theatre announces new chair Theatre Peckham has announced the appointment of its new chair.

Dr Anni Domingo is an actor, director, author and Shakespearean scholar and brings a wealth of experience spanning the worlds of performance arts, academia and literature to the role. She will work closely with the organisation’s CEO and artistic director Suzann McLean and with the Havil Street hub’s trustees.

Anni said: “Theatre Peckham brings together new ideas, new stories and new partnerships. There is a genuine feeling of family in this truly multicultural venue that is doing so much to open up conversations, nurture young people through its academy and embrace its community.

“Theatre Peckham is a home, a place where people feel like they can belong. I am thrilled to be part of its continued growth alongside the artistic vision and leadership of Suzann McLean.”

The appointment is noteworthy as she represents one of only a handful of women to be in a top leadership position in the performing arts industry.

Anni has worked extensively as an actor in the theatre as well as on TV, radio and film. She has toured Europe, the USA and Australia as a Shakespearean actor and has also worked for the BBC. She was in several episodes of EastEnders in 2019 before appearing in Inua Ellam’s Three Sisters, a

retelling of Anton Chekhov’s famous drama at the National Theatre.

She is currently lecturing at St Mary’s University in Twickenham and Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, as well as directing at RADA and at Central School of Speech and Drama.

Anni, who also holds a variety of positions on boards and panels across various sectors, added: “You can’t make a difference unless you have a seat at the table. I’m here to encourage and to say that you can punch your way through.

“I want people to stand on my shoulders and to surpass what I have achieved. I rejoice in being able to do that because that means we are progressing.”

She is succeeding Sioban Whitney-Low, who is stepping down following six years in the role that included overseeing the renovation of the theatre building.

Suzann McLean said: “Anni is an inspirational powerhouse, bringing a wealth of experience and valuable insight. The dedicated stewardship of Sioban WhitneyLow increased the credibility and visibility of Theatre Peckham’s work for, with and by young people.

“I cannot thank her enough for championing the vision and driving Theatre Peckham to become the forward-thinking inclusive cultural hub that will be a joy for Anni to hold.”

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6 | NEWS

Our brilliant backers WE, OR RATHER YOU, DID IT! The crowdfunding campaign to launch The Camberwell Clarion, a free community newspaper for SE5, received an overwhelming response.

The campaign was backed by more than 160 residents, businesses and organisations from the local area. They pledged a combined total of over £11,000 to help us fund our initial start-up costs and make the paper happen.

Their names are listed on this page and we’d like to say a huge thank you to each and every one of them. After all, if it wasn’t for their generosity, we wouldn’t be in print today.

Thank you!

Rory Newbery Alan Selby Matilda Curtis Charlie Cooke Chris, Jack & Hanne Mjumbo Jan Chanter Celine Marchbank Nuala Ginty Tom Fogarty Andrew Collinson Clare Watkins Merrick Team Carr Rebecca Spaven Emm Butcher Camilla Illingworth Beatriz Brown Susan Crisp Guy Kelly Stephane Kourouma Adnan Ur-Rub Mel Cook Neil Kirby Bart Hallett Matthew Davis Clare Young Nina Swann Lizetta Lyster Loraine Rutt Maddy Owen-Smith Monica Heeran Ricarda Brosch

William Marment Rosie Todd Mike Paterson Craig Bgg Francis Alex Wilson Lauren Travis Hannah Franklin Alex Lau Philippa Done Gabriel Vogt Jake Wetherall Antony Morgan Laura Kenwright Christian Perkins Tom May Verity Pemberton Tom Butler Sam Shrives Anneliese Mohammed Umair Hassan Papergraphie Megan & Janika David Whyte Barbara Barter Petra Egan Chris Offler James Vaughan Andy Higsom Chantal Harding Kat Turner Andy Smith Matthew Crompton Chara de Lacey

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Tom Parry Mondo Sando South London Ferments Elly Allen Interiors Ltd Ocki Magill Danielle Moylan Kelly Blaney Jordana Leighton easyGym Camberwell Camberwell Arts Suzanne – Urban Village Gather Acorn Hannah Jaenicke Wen Wong Janet Davies Ed Stephenson Richard Coombs Sophy Tayler Matt Webb Charlotte Grinling Ceramics Karen Smith Tilly Heald Deven Pamben Nick Holt Fran White Fr Nick George Adam Knight Guy Haslam Jane Benham Peter Felix

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NEWS | 7

Spotlight on SE5

Back to the 90s Dance music and nightlife culture in 1990s Camberwell and Peckham are the focus of an unmissable exhibition at the South London Gallery.

Shut the Club Down, a free show that is currently on display at the gallery’s Fire Station building on Peckham Road, explores two legendary local venues that have since closed down: Camberwell’s Imperial Gardens and Peckham Lazerdrome.

It allows visitors to immerse themselves in the history of both clubs through a collection of filmed footage, photographs, flyers, music, memorabilia and more.

Imperial Gardens, which was open from 1995 to 2003, was based under the railway arches next to Walworth bus depot. The entrance to the venue, which had a capacity of 600, can still be seen on Camberwell New Road today.

The club was known for kickstarting the music and literary careers of up-and-coming artists and creatives, including R&B group Big Brovaz and authors Patrick Augustus and Alex Wheatle, who held poetry events there.

Established acts such as Massive Attack, Daft Punk and Mica Paris also performed at Imperial Gardens, while the likes of Goldie, Lauryn Hill and Björk were seen among the crowd.

The owners aimed to make the multipurpose space as accessible during the day as it was after dark, according to the exhibition, with income from the nights, which featured a wide variety of music, going back into supporting an array of daytime community activities.

Shut the Club Down is on display at South London Gallery Fire Station, 82 Peckham Road, until 12 June PHOTOS BY ANDY STAGG, 2021

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

Camberwell residents are being urged to shop, eat, drink and visit places on their doorstep on the first Saturday of every month as part of a new Camberwell Saturdays initiative that is launching on 5 March.

Camberwell Saturdays, which will also take place on 2 April, 7 May, 4 June and 2 July, are being organised by Camberwell business marketeer and local resident Jordana Leighton, as part of the area’s Love Local campaign.

Love Local brings together more than 70 businesses, as well as the SE5 Forum, the Camberwell Society, Camberwell Arts and Southwark Council’s High Street Recovery Fund to support the area’s high streets.

“Camberwell is such a diverse and enticing place and we want people to make it a regular thing and spend a few hours here on a Saturday, and maybe visit a cafe or shop they haven’t been to before,” explained Jordana, who has lived in Camberwell since 2008 and is passionate about the area.

“New places are popping up all the time and there are so many great existing businesses, many of whom are diversifying and changing what they are doing due to the pandemic. It’s good to support them.”

Jordana is encouraging local businesses to get involved by becoming “Camberwell

champions” and offering special promotions or activities on Camberwell Saturdays. “We want to give people an extra reason to visit,” she said.

For the launch of Camberwell Saturdays there will be a Love Local stall at the weekly Camberwell Farmers’ Market on Camberwell Green, where people can find out more about what’s going on. Regular traders at the market, which runs from 10am-2pm, include Marsh Produce, which sells fresh meat and produce from its family farm in Kent; Breadwinners bakery, which provides training and jobs for refugees; and local florist Roka Brings Flowers.

At the Love Local stall there will also be a QR code available so everyone can download their own digital copy of The Travel Guide to Camberwell, which was originally published in 2012 but was most recently updated in 2021.

“If you are new to the area it’s invaluable, but there’s lots for people who have lived here for years to discover too,” said Jordana.

Each month there will be a different theme to Camberwell Saturdays and in April the focus will be on food.

“Camberwell has really become a foodie destination in the last 10 years,” Jordana said. “I would defy anyone to find a better range of affordable food anywhere.”

For more information on Camberwell Saturdays visit camberwell.life

Camberwell connections Following its successful first year, Camberwell Talks is back with another programme of exciting talks from a host of interesting voices with a connection to Camberwell.

The spring series of talks kicked off on 7 February with BBC broadcaster and blogger Anna Doble in conversation with record shop manager Jamie Upton. They talked all things vinyl, music and memories, and people were able to bring in their own vinyl and have it valued.

On 7 March musician Russell Occomore, the force behind Jazzlive at the Crypt, will be talking about his life, the local area and his love of jazz music.

Then Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire, the designer duo known for their extremely successful Camberwell-based interiors brand Mini Moderns will be leading the third and final instalment of the spring season on 4 April.

“Each different speaker brings a different crowd with them,” said Joanna Large, founder of Camberwell Talks and member of the SE5 Forum. “In a sense that’s quite nice, because you have a different audience that gets involved each time.

“It’s kind of a fundraiser for the SE5 Forum as well, with money going into things like the banners, maps and the other things that the SE5 Forum does.”

The event has also donated cash to local charities and good causes, including the clock appeal at St Giles’ Church and the Central Southwark Community Hub foodbank based on Wilson Road.

Above: Russell Occomore PHOTO BY DANIEL DEVLIN

Camberwell Talks was created by the SE5 Forum, a community group made up of a board of volunteers who focus on all things Camberwell.

Following the first series of talks at the Camberwell Arms, which featured speakers including writer and filmmaker Mark Baxter and photographer John Yabrifa, this season is taking place at the Crypt at St Giles’ Church. Tickets cost £10 (£7 concessions) and include a complimentary drink and a chance to enter into a raffle and win some exciting prizes. Although there is the option

to buy tickets on the door, each talk sells out and fast, so don’t hesitate.

“It is a nice night out – people often stay on afterwards and have a glass of wine with friends,” said Joanna.

“It’s not about talking about planning applications. It’s not a community meeting and it was never intended to be. It’s just a really fun night out, a nice evening that’s focused on the people of Camberwell.”

Grab your tickets for the upcoming Camberwell Talks via tiny.cc/se5talks

Parched, independent south London pub operators welcome you to the recently re-opened and newly refurbished Grove House Tavern situated between the beautiful streets of Camberwell Grove and Grove Lane.

Grove House Tavern 26 Camberwell Grove, London, SE5 8RE www.grovehousetavern.co.uk info@grovehousetavern.co.uk 0207 7038910

- Function Room for private parties.

- Quiz night Wednesdays.

- Sunday Roast with live Jazz.

- Amazing food from Mondo Sando.

FOOD AND DRINK | 9

A Kurdish kitchen Pary Baban always knew she wanted to run her own restaurant. After years of tireless work, she and her family have built a culinary empire right here in south-east London

BY MIRANDA KNOX Since moving to the UK in 1995, Pary Baban has always lived in and around Southwark, so it made sense that Camberwell would be the location of her first Kurdish restaurant, Nandine.

Now, Pary runs not one but two restaurants in the area with her two sons – fine art student Rang, 26, and Raman, 29, who studied architecture, alongside her husband Pola, who she married in 1991.

And with the help of two chefs, Pary does all the cooking, making everything from scratch, including pickles, dips, borek, baklava, dolma and a mouthwatering range of mezze and salads.

Other dishes recently have included Kurdish burgers such as the sujuk and smashed avocado – sujuk sausage grilled with halloumi and topped with the restaurant’s own Nandine sweet chilli jam.

Also on the menu are wraps, falafel, chicken and shifta (a delicious bitesized burger) and their speciality Nandine fries – julienne fries rolled in a Kurdish blend of herbs with tamarind and pink yoghurt sauce, topped with fresh mint and sesame.

Their restaurant on the leafy side street of Vestry Road seats around

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

I would gather recipes from everywhere, from family members or anywhere I saw good cooking

Above: Pary and her son Raman in their Camberwell Church Street restaurant PHOTO BY LIMA CHARLIE

32 people, and opened in 2016. Their second restaurant, a 42-seat site on Camberwell Church Street (nestled in between Seven Star Dry Cleaners and Italian restaurant Caravaggio) followed in 2019.

But while they’re only a stone’s throw from each other, each restaurant caters to different needs.

Vestry Road is open mainly during the day, only opening late on Friday and Saturday until 10pm. Meanwhile Camberwell Church Street welcomes diners until 11pm most nights and as well as being open during the day, is also more of an evening spot.

As Pary says: “They’re both very different. I changed the menus to be varied and we’re currently in the process of changing the menu at both sites. At Vestry Road, the focus is on the brunch menu – eggy dates, shakshuka – then coffee, pastries, desserts and baklava.

“There’s also an emphasis more on vegan and vegetarian options there.

But the most important things to me are the same in both – daily cooking and fresh ingredients.”

Pary lives in Camberwell and has resided in and around the area since moving to the UK 27 years ago when she was pregnant with her second son, who was born in King’s College

Hospital. It means she has a real connection to Camberwell, both living and working here.

“My sons have been to school here, and I love it,” she says. “When I come back to Camberwell it’s like I’m coming home. Running my own restaurant was always my dream – I knew it was something I had to do myself, even when I was a teenager.”

And Pary has worked extremely hard to achieve that dream. Her love for cooking was sparked at just 12 years of age. “I was very young,” she says. “I was staying home while my family went to a wedding as I needed to study for my exams.

“My grandad suddenly had a guest, and he told me I needed to cook! I told him I couldn’t but he said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll help’.

“I started cooking dolma [stuffed grape leaves]. It was the first time I had done them and I really enjoyed it. Before, I’d watch my aunts and my grandma, sitting by the fire when I was four or five. She’d make food for the whole family.”

But Pary’s journey to Camberwell hasn’t been an easy one. She was forced to flee Kurdistan to Iran due to the Gulf War, and for a long time she was constantly on the move. She began to collect recipes wherever she

went, before ending up in the UK. “I gathered recipes from everywhere,” she says. “From family members or anywhere I saw good cooking.

“When I came to London I wanted to study, so I went to Southwark College when my son was a baby to learn the language. I knew the basics but hadn’t finished my education because of the situation with Iraq and Kurdistan – you always had to run, pack up your stuff and flee.”

Pary first helped her husband out at his kiosk in Elephant and Castle.

He started it in 1997 and still runs it today. It was tough, she says. “We started early morning and I’d take the children at 6am to the shop as that’s when the newspapers and milk arrived. We’ve always worked together. It’s so important to us.

“People would come up asking if we sold food, which we didn’t at the time.

We realised there was demand, and started looking into sandwiches. But the factory-made ones? I couldn’t eat them myself! People didn’t really like them and they weren’t very popular.

“I got permission to sell food from a kiosk on St George’s Road near my husband’s stall, and started to make sandwiches from scratch in 2008.

Tuna, cheese and onion, egg – typical basic sandwiches.

“Within two months I started to do my own versions, taking inspiration from back home. So I fried Swiss chard with herbs and onion, putting it in a sandwich, toasting it and adding cheese – people loved it! In the chicken I’d add mayo but also nuts and raisins. I realised there was a market for Kurdish food, and I’d make dolma too.”

Pary’s fierce work ethic has been instilled in her sons, who now run the restaurants alongside their mum. She says they never stop.

“We don’t sit down. I didn’t work for money when growing up but I never sat down when I was younger and would always be doing something to help around the house or work for the family.

“Every summer my sons would come and help after going to the park and playing football. I taught them always stand on your own two feet – study is very important and I told them they had to finish university too.”

And all that hard work paid off, with the opening first of Vestry Road and then Camberwell Church Street. “I was so happy to have a shop,” Pary admits.

“The kiosk was very cold, and I’d have to cook everything at home in the evening, before getting to the kiosk for 6am. I worked 24/7 I think!

“But I knew that I had to, to achieve my goal.”

10 | COMMUNITY

Coffee, culture and community Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin tell us how they turned a pair of run-down buildings in Brunswick Park into a community gallery, studio and cafe

BY MEG FOZZARD The word ”bower” has three meanings.

It can be a pleasant shady place under the trees, a woman’s private room or an attractive dwelling or retreat. It‘s also the name of an innovative local venture in Brunswick Park, which has seen a derelict toilet block and the old park-keeper‘s hut transformed into a community gallery, publication studio, bookshop and cafe. A nonprofit, community interest company run by Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the Bower is supported by an advisory board and staffed by part-time baristas and volunteers.

This is not your standard setting for an art space but one that embraces the unique structures. ”We loved the park and the building even though it was totally derelict,” says Louisa. ”We don’t know when it was last operational, but some local people have suggested it may have closed some time in the 1980s.”

Their vision for the space allowed Louisa and Joyce to see what other potential tenants couldn‘t. And while they were a little daunted by the work it was going to need, they weren‘t put off, says Louisa. ”Even though we looked at other council properties, we kept going back to the toilet block, the peculiarity of it, the small scale and its position in the park. Being in the park opened up so much more

We liked the peculiarity of the toilet block, the small scale and its position in the park

Above, from left: Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin; a previous exhibition at the Bower by artist Mary Hurrell

potential for creating an accessible art space that could become part of the environment and the community.”

But it took a lot of work from a lot of people to get the Bower into the state that it is today. ”It was a shell, with just a wall separating what would have been the ladies‘ and gents‘ toilets, grates over the windows and metal gates in place of doors,” says Louisa. ”It had no electricity and the walls and floor were just screed, not even plastered.”

So, with a lease secured for the former toilet, the partners set up a crowdfunder to help raise money for the refurbishment. While this was going on, the Friends of Brunswick Park (always great supporters say a grateful Louisa and Joyce) suggested they take on another small and unloved building. The old park-keeper‘s hut was tucked away behind fencing – and very run down. ”The Friends were using it as storage for their gazebos and other event materials and equipment for their annual fete and dog show events, but they suggested we take it on for the cafe,” Joyce says. ”The council agreed to combine both buildings into one lease, and with the help of the Friends of Brunswick Park and Brunswick Park Tenants and Residents Association we got Cleaner Greener Safer funding to transform the hut into a purpose-built cafe.”

The results are impressive. The Bower is a space that feels enclosed yet public at the same time. ”It is a very intimate space, so tiny that you are likely to often be the only person in an exhibition at any one time,” says Joyce. ”But this private experience within the gallery is in a public park, so the Bower is very much more than the sum of its parts. Its reach is beyond the walls of the buildings.”

Something else that extends beyond the bricks and mortar is the

ethos of the place. ”The spirit of the Bower is very much continued in the cafe, with a range of independent, queer and feminist publications for sale, as well as small-batch independent produce, groceries, cards and gifts,” says Louisa. ”There‘s a great sense of community ownership in the park, with the Friends organising events and the Tenants and Residents Association planting and gardening, watering the trees in the summer,” she adds. ”We very much feel a part of all that.”

Ask Louisa and Joyce about the Bower and one word keeps coming up: community. It‘s clear how important this is to them. ”We brought the cafe to a dark, neglected corner of the park,” says Louisa. ”Now it is a vibrant, busy area, used by families and the community. The cafe also gives us an opportunity to listen to people’s needs and desires for the park. ”We fundraised for an additional playground gate for example, we maintain and bring new life to these previously derelict properties, and we organise community events such as the Brunswick Park Film Festival.”

It‘s a symbiotic and growing relationship. ”We don’t just think of ourselves as tenants working out of these buildings we lease in the park; we are completely invested in the park and the community,” she says.

Like every local space and business, the Bower was hit hard by the pandemic. During the first lockdown the council shut all park cafes and facilities, including the playground and sports equipment.

It was an anxious time for the pair as they need income from the cafe, along with project grants, to survive.

Luckily, they managed to get an Arts Council emergency grant. And the community connections kicked in once again, as supporters came to the rescue with donations and by buying items from the Bower‘s online shop.

In August 2020 there was a ray of light, with the cafe allowed to open for takeaway only. That was thanks to a small grant from the local authority, allowing them to create a window hatch and safely serve customers in line with coronavirus restrictions.

Joyce and Louisa were there for the community once again, and the hatch became an essential resource, with many people discovering the park for the first time on their permitted daily walks. ”Parents have told us what a lifeline it was to get children outside and away from online learning,” says Joyce. ”To come to the park and have a hot chocolate – it became a vital social meeting point. ”We also had a lot of older people visiting the cafe for a ‘slice of normality’ at a time that was otherwise very isolating and lonely.”

The gallery reopened in May 2021 and in October they were finally able to open Olivia Plender’s exhibition, Neither Strivers Nor Skivers, They Will Not Define Us. It had originally been due to launch back in March 2020 before lockdown hit.

So, after a challenging few years, the Bower is back. Hopefully they will be able to renew their lease with Southwark Council, and then their energies will be directed into fundraising to make the buildings physically accessible to all, including widening the doorway of the gallery and creating an accessible toilet.

Meanwhile, the pandemic has been a challenge but a catalyst too. A grant from Art Fund has allowed the pair to develop their website with podcasts and digital content and reach far beyond the walls of the gallery. And they have plans to extend their opening hours, get a licence to serve alcohol and fire up an outdoor pizza oven, making it a perfect spot for those lovely long summer evenings in the park that will soon be upon us.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

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12 | CAMBERWELL IN PICTURES

Cross roads

BY MIRANDA KNOX Photographer Christian Cross is documenting the area he’s always called home with an incredibly powerful series of images.

The 37-year-old was born in King’s College Hospital and has lived locally his whole life – growing up near Burgess Park before later moving to the outskirts of Camberwell. However, while the area is now a point of inspiration for his work, it wasn’t always the case.

He says: “For a long time I didn’t shoot that much locally because I’ve lived here all my life – so I kind of took it for granted. It wasn’t until I started to get into more documentary-style photography that I started looking at it a lot differently.

“There are so many things that can attract my eye. I like taking pictures of moments – it could be two friends meeting, or a shopkeeper interacting with someone. I do a lot of portraits now too.

I chat to a lot of the small shop owners – I like hearing their stories. If I’m going to create a body of work that someone can look back on in the future, I want it to be something that means something to me.”

Despite his obvious talent, Christian had limited interest in photography until his late 20s, when he made a conscious effort to turn his life around after getting in trouble with the law.

He says: “To be honest, I didn’t get into photography until I got out of jail. I went to jail for two years when I was 26 for selling drugs, and when I got out I made sure I stayed on the straight and narrow.

“I got myself a new iPhone and I just started practising taking pictures on it.

As I enjoyed taking pictures and was getting better, I [saved up] almost a whole month’s wage working at Sports Direct and bought an entry-level Nikon camera when I was about 29, as well as six or seven photography books, and taught myself how to use it.”

Over time, Christian experimented with different styles, before establishing a concrete interest in street photography after going on a guided walk on the subject on Brick Lane. “Since that day, I’ve constantly just documented whatever’s going on around me,” he says.

“At protests for example, I’m usually right in the middle of things, and a lot of the time I’d be using a 28mm lens, so to get the shots you would literally have to be in between the police and the rioters.

“I’m doing a lot of documentary photography now, and over the last couple of months I’ve started shooting more in Camberwell as well as Peckham.

It’s my home, I’ve never really lived anywhere else. It’s a beautiful place with a lot of beautiful people.”

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

CAMBERWELL IN PICTURES | 13

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

14 | MUSIC

Going underground For 27 years, the crypt of St Giles’ Church has played host to some of London’s hottest jazz

BY EMMA FINAMORE Ask people to name a classic London jazz club and many will think of the big names in Soho, but those truly in the know will point south of the river, to a beautiful but unassuming neighbourhood church, through a side door and down a staircase.

Jazzlive at the Crypt, beneath St Giles’ Church in the heart of Camberwell, has been home to some of the best jazz and improvised music in the city for more than 25 years, from straight-up classic acts to forward-thinking jazz fusion, celebrating British artists and beyond.

With its shadowy pillars, candle-lit cabaret tables and intimately close-up stage, it’s easy to think the space was always this way, but – like most things of beauty – it’s taken a lot of hard graft to get here.

Founder and director (and proud Camberwellian) Russell Occomore was involved with the church when it hit difficulties in the early 1990s, needing repairs that ran into millions of

pounds. As a musician and huge music fan on the periphery of the jazz scene, Russell, with a few others, had the bright idea of putting on some jazz shows to raise much-needed cash.

But in order to do so, they needed to convert the space beneath the church.

“One day in the spring of 1995 we turned up and found a bag full of gold coins stuffed inside the church door, with a note saying, ‘For the crypt’,” remembers Russell. “Someone from the congregation donated what equated to about £30,000 [the sum needed to convert the crypt] in rare gold francs. They were rolled up in brown greaseproof paper, so they looked like dynamite. We called the police!”

As Russell sits in the club’s office, a little nerve centre just off the main space, his face has a calm elegance that cracks into a big smile or a laugh if something tickles him. He speaks like this too, his voice spiked with enthusiasm for music and stories, like the improvised jazz that bounces off these historic walls every Friday and Saturday night.

Jazz bounces off these walls every Friday and Saturday

That treasure became the property of the church, and with it the team transformed the crypt into the club it is today. The drama didn’t stop with a mystery bag of gold though: on the opening night in October 1995, the headline act, Scottish saxophonist Robbie Richardson – big on the 1960s Soho jazz scene – collapsed on stage, mid-set. “It’s absolutely packed,” says Russell, painting the scene. “This is

opening night, middle of the gig!

He got taken away on a stretcher.

He realised he’d left his saxophone behind so someone got it for him, and on the way out, on the stretcher, he started to play some notes! Everyone just roared, cheered. It was crazy.”

And that’s how things would stay.

The early years of Jazzlive were “an explosion”, as Russell puts it. The venture had initially been planned for

MUSIC | 15

just a few years, focusing on raising funds, but it very quickly became clear it had legs longer than that, selling out every week and attracting jazz fans, musicians – “A lot of musicians came down, that was really important” – and locals.

The club tapped into the wider creative community in 90s Camberwell, with the art college and local artists, cafes and bars where creatives would hang out until the wee hours. With its unique offering, Jazzlive filled a gap, and at a fair price.

“We weren’t ripping people off. It was about a pound to get in, and the bar prices have always been the cheapest in the area,” explains Russell.

“We wanted people to be able to have a good time, and not just the better off – we wanted it to be open. Our normal age range is 18 to 80, which is pretty impressive – sometimes you look around and think, ‘This is so intergenerational’, and everyone’s comfortable. It really is for everyone.“ It’s important to him that it was Camberwell where all this was happening. Born in St Giles’ Hospital – the beautiful circular building on Havil Street, minutes from the crypt – Russell proudly describes himself as “a Camberwellian through and through”.

His mother’s side of the family goes back here many generations: “Some of my ancestors lived in parts of

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

Camberwell that don’t even exist anymore. I’m talking going way back.

Camberwell is more to me than home, it’s home and hope. I really feel a part of it.”

And family runs deep for him at the crypt too. Russell’s identical twin brother, Lester – also a big jazz fan – tragically took his own life in 1995, the year the club opened. In a way, it’s been for him. “It was like losing half of myself,” Russell reflects. “At the time I didn’t really articulate it properly, but I wanted to make something in memory of him. It was a tough time.”

It’s clear to see that he’s doing his brother very proud: Jazzlive now has more than 25 years of top-notch music under its belt, and is still going from strength to strength. “We’re very discerning about the bands we book, they’re all really high quality – there’s no doubt about that,” Russell says of the ethic underpinning the club.

“We never have a duffer, at all. We really think about it. If you’re doing something, do it really well. Don’t muck about with it.”

He enthusiastically talks about giving a platform to “amazing British jazz players, who don’t get the recognition they deserve”; the likes of the award-winning saxophonist Tony Kofi, and trumpeter Byron Wallen, another award-winning artist and alumnus of Tomorrow’s Warriors, an

organisation that’s been pivotal in the UK jazz scene, helping young people develop and pursue careers in jazz.

“They are just world-class players, they seriously are,” Russell says, his passion for and knowledge of music shining through in the resolute tone of his voice. “And yet they’re in this very small scene that means they’re not really well known, but they should be household names – for their ability in playing but also their compositional genius, and what the music does to you when you listen to it.”

Some of the Jazzlive regulars he admires the most are female – singer Heidi Vogel, for example, who’s worked with Ronnie Scott’s and Jazz Re:freshed. “She’s been playing here for a long time, and she’s without a doubt one of the best singers anywhere.”

The club has been central to the next generation of innovative south London jazz artists too, melding jazz elements with more contemporary sounds like grime, garage and drum’n’bass. Everyone from dubstep singer Katy B to Mercury-prizenominated jazz drummer Moses Boyd – “He was about 12 when he was sneaking in!” – has come through the door, as players and punters.

Producer and musician Kamaal Williams (aka Henry Wu), who grew up round the corner, spent his formative

There’s always something new and exciting round the corner, and someone new to discover it

Clockwise from opposite page: Jay Phelps; jazz jam with Arnaud Guichard; Ineza Kerschkamp Quartet; Heidi Vogel; Mussinghi Brian Edwards PHOTOS BY DANIEL DEVLIN

years here too. “He actually had his first gigs here when he was just 16,” remembers Russell. “Tony Kofi was playing one night and I was out the back having a cigarette, and I watched this guy climbing the fence to get in. And I was like, ‘What are you up to?’ And he said, ‘Please, please – there’s no more tickets left!’ Anyway, it was Kamaal. And then he kept coming to the club because he was really into the music. Eventually he asked if he could put a few of his own gigs on.”

This momentum hit a hiatus in 2020 (sadly, the club’s 25th anniversary year), but as someone with a science background who worked for years in environmental health, Russell was well equipped to deal with Covid, and realised early on that things would be shut down for a lot longer than just a few weeks.

The team got to work accessing government and Arts Council support, and improving the venue’s tech set-up, as well as taking a step back to think strategically about the club’s next moves. These included reaching a wider audience through live streams and interactive virtual events, using social media to put out calls for artwork, and launching photography projects.

I comment on the scientific levelheadedness Russell seems to bring to the table – a man with a plan.

“There’s no other way to do things,” he says. “We’re always striving to improve, that’s the ambition. Some people would be satisfied with where they are, but not us. Stretch further, there’s still somewhere to go. And all our staff buy into that. They are amazing. One of our doormen we’ve had since day one, 27 years, our sound engineer for 21 years. We’re that kind of family.”

That family weathered the Covid storm and reopened their doors last July. This year they will be showing some of the work that came out of their 2020 creative projects, as well as launching a Jazzlive archive – including everything from ticket stubs, film and photographs to pieces of art – and inviting members of the community to have their own input too.

The real beauty of Jazzlive – like improvised music itself – is that there’s always something new and exciting round the corner, something to discover and someone new to discover it. Russell brims with enthusiasm: “Maybe each week about 30% of people have never been here before. I love overhearing, ‘I wasn’t sure about coming into this church, but look at this place!’ My work’s done when I see the reaction to the music.

“The thing that gives me the most satisfaction is witnessing those really fleeting moments when the whole of the audience and the band are thinking the same thing, properly sharing that moment. I’m sure you get it with other music too, but I’ve never seen it so powerful as the reaction to improvised music.

“There’s almost a spirit, or an energy in the space when that happens. And every time it’s like being hit… and then it’s gone.”

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HEALTH | 17

What you give is what you get The volunteers at King’s College Hospital are there to make patient and visitor experiences better. Petula Storey, who heads up the volunteering and community participation programme at the NHS trust, shares some insights from the volunteering frontline

BY LAURA DAY At King’s College Hospital, the “orange army” is out in force. They’re the hospital’s volunteers, easily identifiable by their bright orange uniforms. They’re there to meet and greet visitors, direct patients to where they need to be, befriend inpatients, be a link to the outside world, chat at bedsides, help with mealtimes, pass on messages from loved ones – and much more in-between.

“Our remit is about improving patient and visitor experience,” says Petula Storey, head of volunteering and community participation at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. “Volunteers do so much good, and when you speak to them you see there’s so much they get out of it. It’s definitely a mutually beneficial experience.”

Petula has worked in her role at King’s for six years, helping to shape, grow and develop the volunteering programme at one of London’s largest NHS trusts. “One of the reasons I love working at King’s is even though it’s one of the biggest trusts in London, it feels very much like a community.”

Petula originally trained as an engineer, but after a couple of years in the industry, she moved into the volunteering sector, working in volunteer-delivered services. When she spent a short time living in the US and had a personal experience of healthcare there, it made her appreciate the NHS even more.

“Everyone values the NHS very much, and I did before going to live in the States. But when I came back I realised how much we sometimes take it for granted, and that if there was an opportunity to go into the NHS, I would.”

Then, six years ago, an opportunity arose. “I thought it would be great to use the skills that I already had gained in volunteer support, but with the challenge of a different sector,” she says.

Now Petula looks after the volunteering programme across King’s sites in Denmark Hill, Princess Royal University Hospital in Bromley, Orpington Hospital and Beckenham Beacon, doing anything from training and recruiting volunteers and forming partnerships with charities, to thinking strategically about how the programme can keep improving.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

The reasons why people choose to volunteer with King’s are varied, but Petula says the majority come because they’re looking for a career in healthcare – and not just first careers, but second and third career moves too. There are also personal motivations.

“A lot of volunteers come because there is a personal connection to King’s. Maybe they’ve been a patient themselves or volunteers have helped their family members. There’s some sort of community connection that people want to engage with.”

Because of the interest in professional development, nearly 70% of King’s volunteer base are under 25.

“That surprises a lot of people. We’ve always had younger people, but our percentage has probably been around 60%. That has suddenly grown during the pandemic.”

She adds: “I’m very proud of the diversity of our volunteer base; it’s very reflective of the community we serve. We very much want to be in the community, but also to bring the community to us. Volunteering matches up that need.”

Petula’s volunteers kept going through the pandemic, albeit in different roles, and away from the wards. “One of the things I’m incredibly proud of is the fact that we had volunteers on site, apart from two weeks, for the whole of the last two years.”

There were several key supporting roles that the volunteers fulfilled in the first phase of the pandemic. “We were front of house, helping with hand hygiene and masks. We helped with staff wellbeing hubs, which were set up to support staff if they want to talk, or get teas and coffees.

“We very kindly got lots of donations from the public, so volunteers were helping to make up packs for staff and patients. We also helped with lateral flow testing programmes and with the initial setup of the vaccination clinics. And when families would drop off patients’ personal items, we would take them up to the wards.”

Volunteers have been more or less back to normal duties since February last year, with support in emergency departments restarting in the last couple of months. They have been particularly vital now patients are visiting King’s from other parts of the

country for its specialist services. “It’s been even more crucial to have our volunteers on site,” says Petula. “They are supporting people who perhaps don’t get the visitors as much.”

In the six months since April 2021, volunteers on site have contributed a staggering 21,000 hours – and in monetary terms, she adds, volunteer hours are worth millions of pounds to NHS trusts around the UK. Whatever the figure, the impact for patients is often priceless. She says that volunteers often say what they do is “small stuff. In fact it’s not small.”

From helping someone’s dad learn how to FaceTime so they can talk to their family, or transporting someone in a wheelchair, Petula says it means so much to patients and their families.

“There are lots of little moments where patients or families are really grateful.”

She describes how a few years ago a volunteer sat with a patient at their bedside to relieve the family. “Sadly the patient passed away. Within 24 to 48 hours the family had very kindly written a note and personally came to drop it off, which was completely unexpected. They were in the middle of grieving and they chose to come and say thank you for what we’d done to help.”

While volunteers are there to support patients, Petula says the volunteers need support too. The programme is now working with the British Red Cross to deliver a support service for volunteers over Zoom.

“The partnership is a first for a volunteer service in the NHS. We realise how important it is to take care of our volunteers’ wellbeing. If we take care of them and provide them with the skills and support for their emotional and physical resilience, they are able to better support our patients.”

The trust forms partnerships with other charities to upskill their own volunteers, such as Pets As Therapy,

There are lots of little moments when patients or families are really grateful

Above: Gloria Chast Achiaa, Faye Bedding, Alice Ibiam, Roger Engwell and Luke Palmer from King’s College Hospital PHOTO BY JULIA HAWKINS

which assesses whether volunteers’ dogs are suitable to bring on site for patient and staff wellbeing. Other partnerships use specialist volunteers for specific patient needs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, whose volunteers talk to patients who have concerns about their alcohol consumption.

Given the huge interest from volunteers in working in healthcare, the trust is currently putting together a work experience programme.

“We’re really excited about it,” Petula says. “It’s about what we can do for the community, knowing that not everybody necessarily gets the opportunity to understand what they could make of their life. If we could play a small part in opening doors and people’s eyes to what they could be, we’re really keen to do that.”

Because the current volunteer workforce is a lot younger and in school and college during the week, Petula wants to encourage people in their 30s and upwards to come forward for just four hours a week.

She’s hoping that with the rise in flexible working patterns, more people can come either before they start their work day or spare their midday breaks across the week to come and support patients.

“You’ll be a significant piece of the jigsaw, working alongside staff and helping assist in improving patients’ experience in our care,” she says.

For Petula, the pleasure of her role is simple. “I love the fact that for the most part I’m in one place, so to speak, which allows me to engage.

It’s being on the ground, meeting and engaging with our volunteers, finding out the difference they are able to make, and hearing the difference that volunteering is making to them.”

For more information and to get involved, visit kch.nhs.uk/about/getinvolved/volunteering

18 | HISTORY

Welcome to the Fun Factory How Fred Karno revolutionised comedy

BY LUKE G WILLIAMS Southwell Road in Camberwell was once home to perhaps the greatest comedy empire in British history.

Fred Karno’s Fun Factory was the HQ from which the acrobat turned music hall impresario, writer and producer revolutionised comedy and taught the tricks of the trade to Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel among many others.

Karno’s name may have faded from public consciousness, but he remains a towering figure in the development of the comic arts. “Karno’s influence on popular culture, comedy and film is hard to overstate,” says author David Crump, whose exhaustively researched book, Fred Karno: The Legend Behind the Laughter, is the definitive account of Karno’s rollercoaster life and career.

“He deserves to be remembered as the father of slapstick,” David adds. “He was a mentor and trainer of Chaplin and Laurel. He started in 1888 in London and was still working in 1941 when he died. That’s a hell of a span of social history – from Jack the Ripper to Pearl Harbour and everything in between, including the Boer War, two world wars, the introduction of the aeroplane, the telephone, radio, cinema. All of that happened in Karno’s lifetime and a whole generation of comics came through his stable.”

Born Frederick John Westcott on 26 March 1866 in Exeter, Karno largely grew up in Nottingham. As a teenager he discovered a flair for acrobatics, working as an apprentice to a performer named Olvene and then joining a touring circus, where he learned the arts of physical comedy and slapstick.

While later performing as part of an acrobatic trio called The Three Karnos, he suggested performing an old circus sketch to fill a gap in the evening’s entertainment after the cancellation of a planned boxing exhibition.

Thus began a truly remarkable comedy career.

“Perhaps his greatest contribution to comedy is that he brought circus slapstick to music hall and in doing so he effectively developed sketch comedy,” David explains.

“At that time you weren’t allowed to speak on the music hall stage.

You could sing, you could dance, you could do solo comedy but you couldn’t have dialogue. By the law of the land dialogue was only allowed in the legitimate theatre, in plays.

“So Karno initially avoided the censorship problem by presenting his comedy entirely in mime, although as time went on dialogue was to be introduced too.”

As Karno’s comedic influence and expertise grew, he based himself in Camberwell. “Camberwell and Brixton were very popular places for music hall artists to live,” David explains.

“It was a hotbed of talent. Chaplin was born nearby and if you look at various censuses you see that lots of Karno performers lived nearby too.”

In December 1896 Karno began renting a property called Park House at 28 Vaughan Road (now called Southwell Road), near Loughborough Junction. He lived in the house with his family and it also served as the headquarters for his fast-growing comedy empire.

Around 1905 Karno bought the property outright, along with the adjacent houses at numbers 26 and 28a, forming them into one building. He then built a new fourstorey building next to them in 1906, where the extra height was used for rehearsing high acrobatic routines.

“This suite of buildings was his home, headquarters and a rehearsal space,” says David. “He ran his whole empire from there. It was there that all these young comics would come. They’d learn their trade with Karno, then they’d go off to the music halls at night and perform various Karno sketches.

“He was a great talent spotter.

The likes of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel trained with him from a young age. A whole generation of comics came through his stable – people like Will Hay, Robb Wilton, Sandy Powell and Syd Walker, who were all very big names in their day.”

Karno named his Camberwell HQ Karno’s Theatrical Factory. People knew it by a variety of other names too, such as Karno’s Fun Foundry and Hilarity Villas, but the name that stuck was the Fun Factory.

“As well as his sketches, which were devised and rehearsed there, the Fun Factory also effectively acted as a complete one-stop shop theatrical supplier,” David says. “Scenery was designed and made there, so were props and costumes. Out the back Karno also had a menagerie of animals and stables, as he would often use live animals in his shows.”

Karno’s sketches were legendary for their ambition and technical daring.

“Some of them were on a massive scale,” David says. “He developed one sketch which was a parody of the big Atlantic liners like the Titanic and the Olympic. It featured a ship which filled the whole stage, and had three decks and 100 extras on a hydraulic system which made it rock. At the end of the sketch it sailed off the stage.

“In another sketch Karno recreated a football match on stage complete

with rain. He would get local footballers to come and star in the sketch when it was being performed, which would always get a huge reaction from the crowd.”

The Fun Factory became a big success. “He ended up with multiple companies touring the world,” says David. “Chaplin and Laurel went to America with a Karno company in 1910 and it was off the back of that tour that Chaplin was poached to go and work for Keystone Studios – that’s how he became a movie star.

Stan Laurel stayed in America as well, although it took him a bit longer to get into film.

“Lots of Karno comics who went to America ended up being poached by the new silent film studios who saw these silent physical slapstick

Watch a silent comedy from Hollywood’s golden days and it’s full of Karno comics comics as a godsend. If you watch a silent film from late 1915 onwards right through to the 1920s then it’s probably full of Karno comics who had gone from playing Aladdin in Bradford or whatever and then found themselves in Hollywood performing alongside Chaplin and Laurel.”

But by the time of the First World War, the glory days of the Fun Factory were coming to an end. The war cut demand for Karno’s theatrical supplies and around 1914 or 1915 he moved his offices to the West End. And fatally, Karno began to overstretch financially. He built a houseboat (the Astoria) at Hampton and invested in building a new hotel nearby, on Tagg’s Island in the Thames, naming it the Karsino. But with music hall in decline, Karno was declared bankrupt in 1927.

He successfully reinvented himself a couple more times – working in Hollywood briefly in 1929 before returning to England and developing a new and wildly successful comedy troupe, Karno’s Krazy Komics. But a 1935 investment in the British film Mother, Don’t Rush Me proved disastrous.

Karno spent the final years before his death in 1941 living modestly in Devon and running a wine shop.

His name survives in the popular expression “It’s like Fred Karno’s Army” which is still used to refer to chaotic situations and circumstances, often by people who have no knowledge of who Karno even was.

As for an epitaph, the words of the legendary Stan Laurel say it best.

“Fred Karno didn’t teach Charlie [Chaplin] and me all we know about comedy – he just taught us most of it.”

David Crump’s biography of Fred Karno is available to buy from fredkarno.com

Top: Fred Karno circa 1888 Above: a flyer for Karno’s “football match” © DAVID CRUMP COLLECTION

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

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FOOD AND DRINK | 21

Exceedingly good cakes Exploding marshmallows, terrifying sourdough experiences, life-changing flavour combinations – the Band of Bakers takes us through a decade of shared culinary joy

BY KATIE BINNS The Band of Bakers Instagram account is a virtual scrapbook of almost 10 years’ worth of escapades from the local baking club.

There are the classic bakes: a lemon tart topped with raspberries, blueberry cheesecake and Chelsea buns. There’s the unusual: tahini Basque burnt cheesecake, gooey chocolate marzipan cookies and sweet potato bebinca (a Goan dessert) with whipped chantilly cream.

There’s savoury stuff: spanakopita (Greek spinach pie), prawn pancakes with caramelised onion and a beetroot, dill and feta rye crust tart. And there’s the exceptionally mouthwatering: a butterscotch Angel Delight cake, blackberry focaccia and a babka with rhubarb, rose and pistachio.

And now, after 18 months on hiatus due to the pandemic, the club’s regular meetings around south-east London are back. “It felt amazing,” says Fleur Bell (a PA and longtime member) of a recent gathering held in the Crooked Well pub in Camberwell.

“No more solo banana bread-making or sourdough starter-turned-monsterbefore-dying experiences. It’s so much more fun to share.”

The club holds free events where enthusiastic bakers bring their culinary efforts on a selected theme – the last one was Covid-friendly canapés and small bites. Previous concepts have included Americana, boozy bakes, Italia, childhood favourites, sugar and spice, chocolate and Nigel vs Nigella.

“It’s the ultimate night out,” explains Felicity Spector, a TV journalist and another longtime member. “There’s a long table full of food – it’s such a sight! But there’s an agonising 30 minutes of milling around. I always want to eat everything and I never pace myself.”

Co-founding locals Naomi Knill and Gemma Thomas launched the club in May 2012 after connecting online just six weeks before. Their aim was to hold free events, be fully inclusive and build a local community around baking. There are no criteria for membership, other than an enthusiasm to bring along something you have baked and let others try it.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

One of my first bakes was a pistachio, plum and coconut cake.

It looked nice... but it was raw when I cut into it

Above: Band of Bakers members display the delicious results of hours spent in their kitchens PHOTO BY LORNA ALLAN

Most members live in Camberwell, East Dulwich and Peckham but some come from further afield.

Felicity, who treks from north London to make meetings, emphasises that the club is non-competitive.

“People exchange ideas and really encourage each other,” she says. “One of my first ever bakes was a pistachio, plum and coconut cake from Honey & Co. It looked nice from the outside but it was raw when I cut into it! I learnt about the benefits of using a skewer.

People are always helpful.”

“I was apprehensive at first and wondered if I needed to be good,” says Ben Walker, a teacher. “But you don’t. I remember my key lime pie oozing out of the bottom of the tin by the time I arrived. And there are some wonky bakes when people have arrived on public transport.”

There have been lots of adventures over the years. Members have featured in the final episode of Paul Hollywood’s BBC Two series Bread, helped baker Dan Lepard launch his baking bible Short & Sweet in the Netherlands, participated in The Great British Bake Off’s after-show An Extra Slice, held a mince pie competition to raise money for Southwark Foodbank and enjoyed the odd picnic on Peckham Rye Common.

“I loved hosting Dan Lepard’s book launch,” says Naomi, who works in healthcare communications. “We all baked something from his book and it was such a joy to see him so happy.”

It’s been a learning curve too. “I seem to remember the Americana theme coinciding with a summer picnic and us ending up with lots of melted creations with chocolate and peanut butter,” says Felicity.

Club meetings are a chance to experiment with new recipes and techniques, and try the baking of up

to 20 other members. “We do have wonderful chats about the intricacies of recipes. There aren’t many places you can do that,” says Fleur.

“I eat things I wouldn’t try usually, like one time miso butter on charcoal bread,” says Ben. “I make things I wouldn’t normally too – I’ve tempered chocolate, for example. I’ve even made marshmallow, though it did partly end up on my ceiling and carpet after an exploding situation.”

Kirsten Ing, who works in media monitoring, agrees. “I really impressed myself when I made pork pies for the first time,” she says. “And I am always inspired by one particular member who uses ingredients like wasabi and miso in her baking. Once she made the most extraordinary Japanese cheesecake.”

“We aren’t nerdy bakers, though,” says Ben. “We talk about food but also what’s going on locally, in London and nationally.”

Fleur agrees. “Every gathering is a nice respite from life and work. There is a real cross-section of people: young, old and different professional backgrounds. It’s a great community for finding out what’s happening locally. I learned about Peckham’s parkrun from one member.”

Felicity even found solace in the club when her mother died. She says: “I wasn’t in a good space the week my mum passed away but I wanted to go to Band of Bakers. There were people around me laughing and chatting and it was probably good for me. It’s such a warm atmosphere, a real mix of regulars and newbies.”

And it has proved hugely popular, meaning there’s sometimes more demand than space. Anyone interested in joining can subscribe to the mailing list via the website (bandofbakers.wordpress.com) for

event invitations. To secure a place at an event, you reply to the invitation.

Your name is put into a ballot and you are contacted to confirm whether you have received a spot or not.

“The challenge has been when there were way more people than places.

We hate having to turn people down.

The club generally reserves spaces for new bakers, though,” says Naomi.

Meetings are mostly held at the Crooked Well in Camberwell and the Clock House on Peckham Rye. Previously the club used the Palmerston pub and the now-closed Brick House Bakery in East Dulwich.

“We are so grateful to the local businesses that give us space for free,” says Ben. “We support their kindness by making full use of their bar.”

Attendees should expect to strategically eat and drink while socialising. “The club has evolved to include savoury offerings so we don’t overdose on sugar,” says Ben. “People interpret the themes as they wish and bring all sorts. We had a Southern Comfort glazed ham at our Americana evening.” And anyone attending should remember to bring tupperware to take home any leftover goodies.

“My husband puts the kettle on as soon as I walk in the door,” says Kirsten. “My colleagues also know they will get treats the next day.”

So what does Band of Bakers plan to do for its 10th anniversary in May? “I can’t believe it’s been a decade,” says Ben. “We’ll definitely have a party and do something special. And it would be great to welcome new members before then.”

And Felicity has the perfect opening line for anyone who is shy but interested in joining the club: “Just ask, ‘What did you make?’ You won’t be able to shut them up!”

22 | CAMBERWELL CURIOSITIES

The Camberwell crossword

Chantenay carrots, goat’s cheese & hazelnut At Good Neighbour we are always looking to showcase the best seasonal produce.

These colder months give us the gift of delicious, colourful Chantenay carrots, a superb ingredient which inspired this tribute to a humble and often overlooked vegetable.

7 Across is a Camberwell feature.

ACROSS 7 BUCKWRAPSRINK (anagram) (9, 4) 9 Motherly (8) 10 Reiterate (6) 11 Sparkly Christmas decoration (6) 12 Riches, wealth (8) 15 In a forward direction (7) 16 Corrects again (7) 19 Tall showy flowers (8) 21 Pill (6) 22 Lucky charm (6) 24 Hanger-on (8) 25 Reporter (13)

DOWN 1 Senseless, illogical (10) 2 Comprehend, grasp (10) 3 Diminished, shrunk (8) 4 Follower (7) 5 Scant, sporadic (6) 6 Journey (4) 8 Have a swim (5) 13 Next to each other (4, 2, 4) 14 Going backwards (10) 17 Outside (8) 18 Get rid (of) (7) 19 Wine fruit (5) 20 Scandal, uproar (6) 23 Weaving machine (4)

ACROSS: 7 Brunswick Park, 9 Maternal, 10 Repeat, 11 Tinsel, 12 Treasure, 15 Onwards, 16 Reedits, 19 Gladioli, 21 Tablet, 22 Amulet, 24 Parasite, 25 Correspondent. DOWN: 1 Irrational, 2 Understand, 3 Dwindled, 4 Acolyte, 5 Sparse, 6 Trip, 8 Bathe, 13 Side by side, 14 Retreating, 17 Exterior, 18 Dispose, 19 Grape, 20 Outcry, 23 Loom.

SOLUTION

A Camberwell curiosity This Camberwell coin dates back to the year 1666, when Charles II was on the throne and the Great Fire of London swept through the city. It was issued by a merchant named Thomas Philips, probably at a tavern called the Bull’s Head in Camberwell according to the British Museum, where the token now resides. On the front of the coin is an image of a bull’s head with the inscription “Thomas Philips at ye”, while the reverse bears the words “In Camberwell”.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4) 360g Chantenay carrots (a variety of colours will give your plate a striking look) A good glug of olive oil 1 lemon 10g honey 5g sea salt 5g fennel seeds 30g unsalted butter 1 sprig rosemary For the pickled carrot 1 large carrot 100ml distilled vinegar/white wine vinegar METHOD For the pickled carrot ribbons Firstly peel your carrot, then using the same peeler, shave it into ribbons and place in a clean, dry mixing bowl.

Into a saucepan, pour the vinegar, water, sugar and salt and place on a high heat to bring to the boil. Once boiling, keep on the heat for a further minute and then pour straight over the carrot ribbons.

Leave to stand for at least two hours before using.

For the goat’s cheese mousse Pour the double cream into a food processor and blend until whipped thoroughly. Keep the blender going on its lowest setting and crumble in the goat’s cheese until fully incorporated. If the mixture is too thick it can be thinned out with more double cream until you reach your desired consistency. Finally whisk in the salt, a squeeze of lemon and a drop of honey to taste. Transfer to a sealable container and keep refrigerated until use.

For the Chantenay carrots Preheat your oven to 185°C and top and tail your carrots. Slice the larger carrots in

50ml water 50g caster sugar ½ teaspoon sea salt For the goat’s cheese mousse 75g double cream, plus extra to finish 150g goat’s cheese Sea salt, lemon and honey to taste To serve Salt, pepper and lemon to taste 20g hazelnuts half, lengthways so they will cook evenly and transfer to an ovenproof tray lined with baking parchment.

Give the carrots a good glug of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of honey.

Next scatter with sea salt and fennel seeds, and slices of the unsalted butter.

Transfer to the oven for 25 minutes, until the edges have started to caramelise but the carrots still have a nice bite to them.

Place the hazelnuts in the oven with the carrots, on a separate tray, for eight minutes, until golden. Roughly smash the hazelnuts with a rolling pin and allow to cool while the carrots finish cooking.

To serve Place a healthy spoonful of the goat’s cheese mousse in the centre of each plate and spread evenly. Black plates are great for this dish to really make the colours pop! Arrange the carrots on top of the mousse.

Roll three ribbons of the pickled carrot per serving and arrange on the plate.

Finally dress the dish with a drizzle more honey and a scattering of toasted hazelnuts, and serve.

© THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022