Issue 20 of The Lewisham Ledger by Lewisham Ledger

Family fun

A FREE NEWSPAPER FOR LEWISHAM

The Lewisham Ledger I S S U E 2 0 | M A R C H /A P R I L 2 0 2 2

Rising to the top Telegraph Hill’s Blakie PAGE 11

Meet the children’s entertainers PA G E S 1 6 , 17

Melody makers

A lifelong local

Irish music at the Blythe Hill Tavern

Angie Le Mar’s Lewisham life

PAG E 1 8

PA G E 14

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TH E LE WI S H A M L E DG E R

NEWS

MA R CH /A PR I L 2 022

Welcome to The Lewisham Ledger, a free newspaper for the borough. s we started work on this issue, Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine began. More than 3 million people have now fled the violence since 24 February – the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two. Watching this terrible war unfold and seeing the immense suffering that the Ukrainian people continue to endure has left us all feeling helpless, but here in Lewisham there are a number of ways to assist Ukrainian families in desperate need. As the UK’s first borough of sanctuary, many Lewisham residents and organisations have expressed a wish to house Ukrainian refugees through the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, which opened to applications from Ukrainians on 18 March. Visit homesforukraine. campaign.gov.uk to register your interest. Elsewhere, the Lewisham Polish Centre in Forest Hill has been collecting donations for refugees arriving in Poland from Ukraine and has received an overwhelming response from local residents. Their first trucks are already on the way to the Polish/Ukrainian border, filled with clothes, blankets, medical supplies and more. For updates and to find out what they need, please follow them on Twitter @lewpolishcentre and Instagram @lewishampolishcentre. You can also make a financial donation via their page justgiving.com/campaign/ukrainianappeal, where they have raised almost £80,000 to date.

Mark McGinlay and Kate White

The Lewisham Ledger

On 25 November 1944 a German V2 rocket hit a Woolworths store on busy New Cross Road, killing 168 people

History for the people “In Living Memory” – one of the centrepiece projects of Lewisham’s year as the London Borough of Culture – has launched with a call from lead historian Dr John Price for residents across the borough to get involved. Presented in partnership between Lewisham Council and Goldsmiths university, the project aims to bring to life a people’s history of post-war Lewisham. “People’s history is written by the people, for the people,” said Dr Price, “so it’s important that it’s a history that people feel empowered to take ownership of and a process that everyone can take part in.” The project launched with a sold-out event on 26 February – a video art installation response to Francis Spufford’s Booker-longlisted novel Light Perpetual, which imagines the future lives of children killed by a World War Two bomb. Speaking about how the project began, Dr Price, a senior lecturer in modern British history at Goldsmiths, said: “We had some conversations with Lewisham Council about how Goldsmiths might partner up and get involved in the London Borough of Culture year. “With our public engagement team we came up with an idea for a project centred around a post-war people’s history of Lewisham.

Editors Mark McGinlay, Kate White Creative directors Andy Keys, Marta Pérez Sainero Type designers a2-type.co.uk londontype.co.uk Photographer Lima Charlie Features editor Emma Finamore Sub-editor Jack Aston

The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society next door to Woolworths “Everything was suspended for two years because of Covid but as soon as we got the go-ahead we did a big public call-out for proposals. We had over 70 proposals and were able to fund seven. It was quite a difficult process to settle on the final seven. All of them are community led, and we are there to support and give guidance.” Ensuring the final seven, which range from “A Caribbean couturier in Lewisham” to “Where to, now that the sequins have gone?” were as varied as possible was key. “We wanted to try and represent as much of the diversity in Lewisham as possible, encompassing race, gender and sexuality,” Dr Price said.

Contributors Lorna Allan, Miranda Knox, Nikki Spencer, Paul Stafford, Luke G Williams Marketing and social media Mark McGinlay

“We also wanted a mixture of projects dealing with hidden areas of history – such as the 1981 Black People’s Day of Action and queer venues in the 1970s – as well as ones with a wider recognition factor, such as the Lewisham floods of 1968. It was also important that we covered the borough as a whole – north, east, south and west.” Dr Price emphasised the long-term nature of the project and the need for public participation. “The first half of the year is about data and information gathering. We will be at all the major events and festivals in Lewisham, engaging with people, talking to them and collecting their memories and stories. “The second half of the year is about using this information to run events that tell these histories. We’re encouraging people to visit our website which has the details of all the projects. There is also a form people can use to upload memories, photographs, stories and so on. “The idea of the portal is to get as many people as possible to contribute. Then eventually everything will be put in a virtual museum. The whole thing will rise and fall on the involvement of the public. You can’t do people’s history without the people.” To share your memories, visit sites.gold.ac.uk/inlivingmemory

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N EWS

Talking about a revolution Lewisham’s proud history of grassroots activism is being celebrated this spring, as its stories are told through the borough’s equally deep-rooted music and sound system culture traditions. Rebel Music, the second of a four-part series making up this year’s Revolution Through Music festival, has a seriously exciting programme, including an outdoor sound system trail and work by the iconic dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. His legendary verse – in the style that bubbled up from Jamaica and England in the early 1970s – is influenced by the rhythms of reggae music, which has a rich history in Lewisham, and he’s a long-term collaborator with renowned reggae producer and artist Dennis Bovell, who ran the influential Lover’s Rock record label out of a studio in Brockley. Taking place in May, Rebel Music will also feature a learning programme from Goldsmiths, Sound System Outernational and Alchemy Music, and a Vogue Ball with Black Obsidian Sound System – a sound system bringing together queer, trans and non-binary black people and people of colour working in art, sound and radical activism. Lewisham’s punk and DIY communities will be celebrated by experimental rock drummer Charles Hayward, label and collective Curl and Test Department – one of the most important and influential early industrial music groups, formed in early-80s New Cross – and through film screenings and talks

Dub poet and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson

brought to audiences by the Joe Strummer Foundation. Gavin Barlow, creative director of We Are Lewisham and chief executive of Deptford cultural hub the Albany said: “The Albany has a rich history of using music to ignite change, from being the site of the Rock Against Racism gigs in the 1970s to hosting a range of experimental and DIY artists.” He cited key moments in the borough’s activist history – such as the New Cross fire and the Black People’s Day of Action in 1981 – as well as the celebration of current radical artists as being an important part of the plans. May’s programme follows Love is Attention – which ran throughout March and was the first instalment of Revolution Through Music, part of this year’s Lewisham Borough of Culture programme. It saw Mercury Prize nominee and award-winning songwriter, producer, musician and Deptford resident Dave Okumu showcase Lewisham’s vibrant contemporary music scene. Audiences in spaces like the Albany, Blackheath Halls and Matchstick Piehouse were treated to performances and installations from the likes of Jessie Ware, Moses Boyd, legendary Deptfordbased jazz collective Steam Down, Hak Baker, Joe Armon-Jones, Rosie Lowe and Duval Timothy. Lewisham is in store for a huge celebration of the grassroots musical culture and activism that has sprung from this borough, changing the cultural face of London and arguably, the world.

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TH E LE WI S H A M L E DG E R

NEWS

MA R CH /A PR I L 2 022

A cultural high: local festival is back with a bang Following a two-year absence due to the pandemic, the much-loved Telegraph Hill Festival returns from 25 March until 10 April, with a jam-packed programme of walks, talks, open-mic nights, choral and orchestral performances and much more besides. The festival has been running for more than 25 years and the 2022 edition has been masterminded by a core team of volunteers led by Gill Holmes, Tamsin Bacchus, Mark Martynski, Peter Challis, Rima Bray and Vanessa Slade. Vanessa – who also acts as director for spoken word events at the festival – said the pandemic has instilled a determina-

Happiness on the hill: events will range from talks to open-mic nights

tion within the team to provide the local community with an event that will bring everyone together. “With the 2020 and 2021 festivals being cancelled due to Covid we were very keen to make sure we put the festival on this year,” she said. “The aim is to bring people and the community together. We have a great programme with so many exciting events.” Sharing a small sample of the festival’s many highlights, she said: “The comedy night [28 March] I think will be brilliant. We’re working with a local group called the Good Humour Comedy Club and have several excellent young comedians performing, with Toussaint Douglass headlining. “Peter York, co-author of The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook is coming down and giving a talk on the culture wars [29 March]. We’ve got a very new event called Dreamtime with a local life model called Esther [7 April] which combines elements of performance art and live drawing. “We’ve also got a Shakespeare workshop [4 April] led by local actress Sylvestra Le Touzel who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Then there’s the Lighthouse Youth Theatre

who have got a juniors and a seniors performance [31 March] and Finding Ferdinand, which is an interactive taster event of our community show which will be happening later in the summer.” Underpinning all of these events, Vanessa emphasised, is a community ethos based around engagement with and celebration of the whole community. “We’ve tried to make sure we’ve got events that appeal to children, families and older adults as well. We’re a very diverse community and we want all sections of the community to be involved so we can celebrate the wonderful creativity that exists within the area. “I think the festival celebrates local creativity and brings people together in a positive way. It provides opportunities for people to have fun. It also helps promote local business and venues and will get people out of their houses and involved in something joyful, which is so important after the pandemic. The feedback we’ve received in the lead-up to the festival, particularly via social media, is that people are really looking forward to it.” Vanessa pointed out that the organisers are always looking for new volunteers to pitch in. “If anyone wants to help steward at events, or work in the box office, the bar or help clear up after events, they can contact us through our website. We’d love as many people as possible to get involved. “We don’t get any funding from anyone. All of our events are generated by the community with people giving their time and talents free of charge. It’s amazing!”

Comedian Toussaint Douglass will perform

PHOTO BY LIMA CHARLIE

For full details of the Telegraph Hill Festival, visit telegraphhillfestival. org.uk

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TH E LE WI S H A M L E DG E R

NEWS

MA R CH /A PR I L 2 022

Wonderful wanderlust Hither Green-based travel writer, journalist and broadcaster Shafik Meghji has written a debut book on Bolivia, based on his many years travelling in the Latin American country. Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia, which was published on 15 March by Practical Action Publishing, is a blend of travel writing, history and reportage and tells the story of the country’s profound, but often overlooked, influence on the wider world over the past 500 years. “Bolivia has a remarkable history but it deserves to be better known,” said Shafik, who has already co-authored more than 40 guidebooks for Rough Guides and DK Eyewitness and also writes for everyone from BBC Travel and Lonely Planet to Wanderlust. “I went there first in 2004 as a backpacker and I was captivated by it,” he said, adding that “it is often overshadowed by its larger neighbours such as Brazil and Peru.”

La Paz, Bolivia

He came up with the idea for the book quite a few years ago. “As any author will tell you, writing the book is the easy part, getting it published is the difficult bit. It was good that Practical Action Publishing were enthusiastic,” he said. Shafik started writing it in Lewisham during lockdown. “I already had the publishing deal before the pandemic, so luckily I had done all the research in Bolivia already,” he said. He wrote much of the book at home, but when he needed a change of scene he went to Arlo & Moe cafe on Springbank Road and The Station pub on Staplehurst Road. “Thousands of words were written in those two places,” he said. Shafik added that he is also grateful to Kirkdale Bookshop in Sydenham for helping him to access source material. “It is such a lovely bookshop,” he said. The book has already received endorsements from leading travel writers including Monisha Rajesh, author of Around the World in 80 Trains, who said: “Meghji is a wonderful travelling companion, bringing to life a Bolivia rarely seen in such bright and beautiful light.” Shafik is currently planning talks at local bookshops, with more details set to be announced via his Twitter account @ShafikMeghji. He hopes to travel to South America later this year and said that a visit to Bolivia is on the list. “As much as I like writing about it, there is nothing like being there yourself,” he said.

Last roll of the dice

Squeeze duo Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook

For Squeeze a jolly good fellow

Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia is on sale now for £14.95

Singer, songwriter, guitarist and Squeeze frontman Glenn Tilbrook is headlining An Evening for Ed next month at the Albany. He will be joined at the event on 9 April by musicians Kay-La Morgan, Gaby Carberry, Ife Ogunjobi and Johnny Hutchinson, with a variety of musical genres on offer including jazz, folk, electronic and classical. The event, which is a fundraising concert in aid of the Ed Renshaw Music Award, sees Glenn return to his roots in Deptford, where Squeeze originally formed in the 1970s. All funds raised will go to the charity, which was founded in 2012 in memory of the talented musician by his family and friends. Over the last 10 years, it has helped young musicians in south-east London achieve their potential through mentoring and financial support. Tickets cost £25. For more information, visit thealbany.org.uk

We need a shero The stories of inspiring local women and girls – from firefighters and social entrepreneurs to suffragettes – are being celebrated through poetry, art, photography and film in the Sheroes of Lewisham project. Created by Deptford-based poet Laila Sumpton along with local visual artist Damian Wilk, it includes a series of exhibitions, performances and workshops taking place across the borough. Laila came up with the idea of highlighting local “sheroes” as part of the Lewisham Borough of Culture’s celebrations for International Women’s Day. “After all the difficulties that we have faced over the last few years I wanted to create a space to celebrate women doing inspiring things, where we could share their stories, learn from each other and find strength in each other,” she said. She chose 10 sheroes past and present, ranging from Rosa May Billinghurst, the community worker and suffragette who never let her disabilities stop her campaigning, to Bridgit SamBailey, who has campaigned against racism her whole life and now chairs the Lewisham Pensioners’ Forum. Others include 15-year-old Lewisham young mayor Rosanna Campbell, social entrepreneur Rupa Ganguli and Ellie Voce, a firefighter at Forest Hill fire station. Laila and Damian filmed interviews with the sheroes and took photographs, which they shared with year five students from Brindishe Manor School in Lee and Rathfern Primary School in Catford. The students created poems in-

From left: Laila Sumpton, Sherina Rhule from Rathfern Primary School, Rosanna Campbell and Jade Baker, also from Rathfern

spired by the women with support from Goldsmiths MA students. Five of these poems have been included in the Sheroes of Lewisham exhibition alongside five other works by Laila and local poets Carmina Masoliver, Ella Frears and Carinya Sharples. On International Women’s Day there was a launch event at the Lewisham Borough of Culture hub in Lewisham Shopping Centre where everyone read their poems to the sheroes.

After touring Downham Library and Deptford Lounge, the next stop for the exhibition is Crofton Park Community Library (22-27 March) where there will be a family poetry workshop on 26 March, followed by Manor House Library (29 March to 2 April) with a workshop on 2 April. Free tickets for the workshops, which are suitable for children aged five and above, are available via Eventbrite

Much-loved Lewisham institution Rolls & Rems closed its doors last month after 36 years on the high street – but now former manager Jennifer Allen has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help her open a new fabric and haberdashery shop nearby. “When customers heard Rolls & Rems was closing the response was quite overwhelming and some were in tears. They kept saying, ‘Why don’t you take over the shop and we will support you’, but that wasn’t an option as the business was not for sale,” said Jennifer, who managed the shop at 111 Lewisham High Street for over 20 years and also runs her own dress-making business, Genny’s Sewing. Owners Janet and Bruce Felby announced they were retiring in October last year and Rolls & Rems closed on 21 February. Their second branch in Holloway is set to shut in May. After so many years in the borough, Rolls & Rems has a very special place in people’s hearts. The shop was popular

Fabric of the community: Rolls & Rems with everyone from school and college students to dressmakers, theatre costume makers and fashion designers. It was even mentioned in local resident Simone Lia’s cartoon strip in the Observer. When the owners posted about their plans to close on Facebook lots of customers shared their memories of Rolls & Rems, describing it as a “treasure trove” and “fabric heaven”. One recalled being given a fiver by her nan when she was a teenager, which she spent on fabric so she could make something to go out in on Saturday night. “It was much more than a fabric shop, it was a community,” said Jennifer. “We’d ask questions so we could build up a picture of what customers wanted, and they’d often share photos of what they had made with us afterwards.” This was reflected when they finally shut up shop for good. “It was an incredibly emotional day,” said Jennifer. “So many people popped in to wish us all well and even for a few days after when we were here clearing up, they were still knocking on the door.” The shop has already been leased to a new tenant, but Jennifer has found new premises not far from Rolls & Rems and is asking people via her GoFundMe page to help her ensure that Lewisham still has a sewing hub. “People need to come somewhere they can see the fabric and touch it and ask advice and that is just not possible online,” she said. “I am asking everyone who has shopped at Rolls & Rems over the years to donate whatever they can as our community needs this shop. We won’t just be replicating what they did, we will be responding to what customers want and catering to new trends as well as carrying core lines.” Visit gofundme.com/f/help-jennywith-her-fabric-shop-in-lewisham

LET T E R TO L E W I SH A M

he main character of my children’s book Laurella Swift and the Keys of Time is very close to my heart, because she is based on my daughters. I was inspired to start writing stories when they were younger because we found it so hard to find books with a mixed-race central character that looked like them – especially in chapter books. Laurella is a 10-year-old, mixed-race Catford schoolgirl, and the idea to write the book first popped into my head out of the blue about seven years ago. My daughters have always loved World Book Day, and their primary school would always encourage them to come to school dressed as their favourite book character, which they really enjoyed. One particular year, we were trying to think of a book where the main character looked like them – and we couldn’t think of any. Suddenly the penny dropped. It dawned on me how mad that was, considering how diverse the UK is now. It got me thinking. If you can’t see yourself reflected in the characters in children’s books or on TV, how can you feel you’re part of the story?

Allison Parkinson with her husband David and daughters Ella and Laura

A BOOK FOR EVERYONE

I felt that something needed to be done so I decided to write my own story for my daughters, so at least they would have something that was about them. It was just for them initially. Then, friends started saying I should look into getting it published, and I started researching how many books there are out there that represent society in all different ways. Every year, an organisation called the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, or CLPE, produces a Reflecting Realities report. In its inaugural report in 2017, out of all the children’s books that were published in the UK, it found that just 1% had an ethnic minority main character – despite the fact that black, Asian and minority ethnic children make up over 30% of the primary school population in England. The report looking at books published in 2019 showed there were more than 6,000 children’s books published in the UK that year, and out of that number, 5% featured a main character from an ethnic minority. So things are improving and there have been some lovely books published in recent years, but there’s still a long way to go. Now I’ve written two Laurella books, which both begin with her on holiday in the Isle of Wight. While she

Children’s author and illustrator Allison Parkinson published her first book after realising there was a lack of diversity in children’s literature. Here, the Catford resident shares the story and inspiration behind her popular adventure book series

AS TOLD TO MIRANDA KNOX

is there, Laurella makes an amazing discovery; she can travel through time and dimensions. In the first story, Laurella’s mum picks up a rug from a charity shop for her bedroom, which was inspired by a rug that I found in a charity shop in Penge. Threads from the rug transport Laurella back to the heart of ancient Persia, where she befriends a boy called Artafarnah and his pet lion cub, Zareen. Artafarnah is the son of Pantea, one of Persia’s greatest female warriors, but the story develops and the boy falls into the clutches of a murderous enemy, and only Laurella can save him. By imagining how a modern girl would attempt to make sense of an ancient and opulent world, readers are invited to share Laurella’s emotions, consider issues such as gender equality, racial identity, friendship and mortality, and explore abstract concepts like perpetual existence.

The second book, Laurella Swift and the Voyage of Discovery, takes Laurella back in time to New Zealand. This story idea was triggered by a beautiful seashell from New Zealand that I found in a charity shop in Catford. I have lived in Catford for more than 20 years, and the area feels like it still has its own character. It feels like it wants to keep that, and it features in the books too – the Catford cat is referenced, and I’d love local young readers to see themselves as Laurella, or want her to be one of their schoolfriends. Two books in the series have been published so far, and I’m writing the third one now. I do all the illustrations myself too. I’ve also published two picture books, called Tiger Tale and Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock is a book to help children tell the time, and the illustrations are based on photos of my daughters when they were younger. I’ve had some lovely comments from children. One reader told her

If you can't see yourself reflected in the characters in books or on TV, how can you feel you're part of the story?

mum she loved the book because when she read it she pictured herself in the story. She saw herself and that made me feel it was all worthwhile. I did a festival at Blythe Hill last year too, when I had just published the first Laurella story. A little girl who was mixed race came over with her mum. I was telling her about the book and you could see her eyes light up. It was just a wonderful feeling. I hope I have written something that all children will be able to identify with and enjoy. While writing children’s books is quite new to me, I’ve always written in some form in my professional career, first as a journalist and then later working for cancer charity Marie Curie for over 15 years. I was born in Jersey and my first job was working on the Jersey Evening Post, and then I moved to London in 1990 when I was 25, and was a news reporter on the South London Press. It was a real eye-opener – I had come from a tiny island that didn’t even have roundabouts to working in south London! You hit the ground running and I was thrown into the deep end working on so many big stories. As soon as I joined, the borough I was covering was Lewisham so that was my first taste of London, and I’ve always had a soft spot for the area as a result. Now I work as a freelance writer, and juggle running my own PR company helping businesses and charities tell their stories, as well as writing and illustrating children’s books. Writing books is a completely different ballgame however – I used to struggle to write a letter as I was used to writing short, concise sentences for the paper. By basing many of my stories and illustrations on my daughters, I hope to do my small bit to help more children see themselves in stories. To find out more about Allison and her books visit her website, tigerseyebooks.co.uk

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MA R CH /A PR I L 2 022

front room is hazy with cigarette smoke, cut through by warm, dim light settling on patterned wallpaper and brightly coloured dresses. A needle drops and crunches on vinyl, while dancers sway to the reggae music vibrating out of wooden speaker stacks. But the young man behind the deck flicking through seven-inch records isn’t a 1970s selector from Ladbroke Grove; he’s a 21st century actor from Lewisham. Alexander James-Blake (AKA Blakie) is a 22 year old raised in what he affectionately calls “Tele” – Telegraph Hill – and in 2020 he appeared in one of the UK’s most important cultural moments: Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock, the second film in a five-part series called Small Axe, about black British life from the 1960s to the 80s. It’s fitting that Blakie features in this particular instalment of the anthology, celebrating lovers rock reggae, as he’s already found success in music as well as acting. He’s a founding member of grime crew The Square – also including grime MC and producer Novelist – making beats as well as rapping on collaborations and his own tracks, and has worked with the likes of Skepta and GoldLink. Living on the same street as Novelist, as a kid he was into writing poetry as much as freestyling with his mates, but at home the foundations for his love of beats were being laid. Growing up in a Jamaican family he was surrounded by sound system culture and music. “Reggae, dub. I love dub,” he says. “There’s something about the bass, it’s a sound you don’t get now. It’s using hardware instead of software to record, nobody really uses hardware now.” Blakie spent a lot of time in Jamaica as a child, absorbing music there, and back in south-east London he fondly remembers a bus called Sounds Around, which would tour the area giving young people a chance to try out production equipment and programmes, like FruityLoops – the software that gave rise to the first grime tracks. “My mum would drive me around after that bus,” he laughs. Another pivotal part of Blakie’s teenhood was working with the council youth offending team after run-ins with the law, which helped him get qualifications and turn things around. “That’s when I started linking up with Novelist,” he says. “His head was just in music, and I had my Jamaican sound and flow.” The pair formed The Square crew with other teenage Brockley MCs and producers (their 2014 track Pengaleng made waves for harking back to oldschool grime) and soon Blakie was taking to pirate radio and Radio 1 with the likes of AJ Tracey and Big Zuu and making beats for a track on Skepta’s Mercury prize-winning album Konnichiwa all by the time he was 17. While The Square went their separate ways, Blakie (who’d already appeared in multiple episodes of EastEnders, as Zayan Scott) landed a part in Top Boy’s high-profile third season as Cam. “Acting is different, so different,” he says, of jumping between the two art forms. “With acting you think, ‘I could f**k up’, but with music, you’re on stage with your own spirit, how you feel and the energy of the crowd. It’s two different thrills and two different feelings.”

I know what I'm about, and I use my time productively. I don't think about it, I just do it

of the

KING HILL WORDS BY EMMA FINAMORE

At the age of 22, Blakie has already notched up countless career milestones, from roles in Top Boy and Lovers Rock to working with Skepta. The MC, music producer and actor tells us more For his role in Lovers Rock these two sides of him were almost merged; his character providing the soundtrack to the story of a blues party in Ladbroke Grove, as Parker B – selector and owner of fictional sound system Mercury Sound. In real life, Blakie’s Uncle Mickey ran a Brixton sound system in the 1970s and 80s, so he had plenty of inspiration to draw on, as well as his own music and production career. “I knew there was no way I wouldn’t get that part,” he explains. “Impossible. I lived that character.”

When I ask the name of his uncle’s sound system, Blakie calls his granddad in Jamaica to find out. The answer couldn’t be more perfect: Small Axe Sound. The part really does seem to have been made for him. “I went with just the vibe,” he explains. “Everything to do with that character is the swing, the movements, the authenticity of him feeling the groove, feeling the sound, the bass. I was able to project that because I’ve lived it, I’ve seen it. Knowing that energy and how that character feels, he’s not the

Above: Lewisham's Blakie, who grew up in Telegraph Hill

boasie one, he’s in it for the music, the love of the music. He’s really into the sound and into the rhythm, he’s watching the dance and making sure everything’s good. Overseeing it all.” One high octane, dynamic scene is particularly striking: Parker B drops the iconic Kunta Kinte Dub – now one of the most sampled tracks in jungle, which grew up out of dub and sound system culture – and leads the dancefloor in a chant of “Mercury Sound”. It’s almost spiritual, and Blakie’s performance really speaks to the love that dub reggae fans had for their favourite sound systems. The visuals in Lovers Rock are as important as the sound, and transport the audience back to late-70s London. Blakie recalls a party atmosphere like stepping back in time, surrounded by the music he grew up with at home. “This is just the beginning for films like that in our culture,” he says. “Steve’s had to go ahead and make a blueprint and set the foundation for us, so we can get other productions showing how it used to go back in the day. He had no other references to go off. Babylon [a groundbreaking 1980 film following a Brixton sound man] is the only one, and that only touched on certain subjects.” Blakie is clearly passionate about rectifying this underrepresentation, and he speaks with the same enthusiasm about helping other young people being supported by local youth offending teams. He has ideas for workshops, talks and cinema events and has even set up a LinkedIn page to connect with relevant people in Lewisham. So far he’s found it hard to cut through bureaucracy and get to the audience he wants to reach. “All I want to do is speak to the youths about my experiences, and my experiences with YOT that have helped me, to help change their perspective. It’s very frustrating,” he says. But Blakie is determined to help, and doesn’t seem the type to give up easily. He’s also about to start filming his first lead in a feature film called Olympian – in which he plays a runner on his journey to the 1996 Olympics – as well as releasing a major musical project featuring some seriously heavy hitters. Bare Energy will see MCs like grime legend D Double E, Jaykae, Sox and potentially Mercury-prize nominated Slowthai join Blakie on 15 songs, taking in everything from grime and drum’n’bass to up-tempo beats. When I ask what it’s like conquering two different careers simultaneously, Blakie is both philosophical and direct, expressing an attitude plenty of us could take inspiration from: “I know what I’m about, and I just try to use my time productively. I don’t think about it, I just do it.”

12 LEWI S H AM I N PI CT U R E S

WORDS BY NIKKI SPENCER

PHOTOS BY LUKE AGBAIMONI

Clockwise from below: stone circle sunset at Hilly Fields; paws for the news at Catford Bridge Station; coffee at sunrise, Blythe Hill Fields

LEWISHAM

hen Lewisham became London Borough of Culture for 2022, Catford-based photographer Luke Agbaimoni decided it was the perfect time to turn his camera on his home area. “I have lived in Lewisham all my life, starting off on the borders of Deptford and Southwark as a child, and eventually moving to Catford as an adult,” says Luke. “I love all that it has to offer visually, from parks and landmarks to the striking architecture on show.” His Lewisham Lens project captures the “visual wonders and hidden gems that may be unknown to those outside the borough”. For the last six years Luke has been part of the Catford Arts Trail, so he has always taken photographs locally (his Catford cat photos are bestsellers), but

this project has been an opportunity for him to explore new places and learn more about them. “I’d never actually been to Blythe Hill Fields before, although my wife has been lots of times with our kids. I went at sunrise and spotted this couple who had ridden up there on their bikes and brought a Thermos flask.” Neither had he visited the stone circle at Hilly Fields. “I didn’t know the stones were there, or anything about them,” says Luke. “At sunset and sunrise, it feels so magical.” Luke describes himself as “the type of person who likes to look and find beauty in places”. For his previous Tube Mapper project he captured moments at London underground, overground and DLR stations. “For that I did lots of symmetrical photography. One day I was at

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Clockwise from above: greyhounds at Catford Bridge Station; sunset at the Hither Green clock tower; the telephone box turned micro library on Lewisham Way; Lewisham angel wings at Lewisham DLR Station

Lewisham DLR Station and thought, ‘Oh my goodness, they [the shelters on the platforms] look like angel wings.’” He asked dancer Andreya Stoyanova to pose for the picture. Luke likes to raise a smile with his images. “Most of my photos are not point and shoot. I like to give myself a challenge or make it humorous.” He often takes photos with objects and props. “I decided to take a toy cat to Catford Bridge Station and needed a paper for it to read, so The Lewisham Ledger was the obvious choice.” When someone mentioned to Luke that they had a greyhound, he asked if they would be happy to bring it along to Andrew Ioakim’s greyhound mural at Catford Bridge Station for another photo. “It actually took about two years to organise, but when we finally did it Josh the dog posed very nicely,” says Luke.

Most of my photos are not point and shoot. I like to give myself a challenge or make it humorous

All of Luke’s Lewisham Lens photographs can be seen on his website, lewishamlens.com, and he is also hoping to hold an exhibition in the autumn. “So far I have done the whole project off my own back but if I can get some funding from Lewisham Borough of Culture that would be great,” he says. “Ideally I’d like the exhibition to be in a central Lewisham location like the shopping centre so people who might not normally go to an art gallery can see all the photos.” He also hopes to do a Lewisham Lens calendar and maybe a book. The Lewisham Lens project will run until the end of the year and Luke is keen for people to suggest their own favourite locations in the borough via his Twitter account @LewishamLens. “Focusing on these places unites us a community,” he says.

14 C OM M U N I T Y

t’s a clear, crisp morning in Hilly Fields, and the view of Canary Wharf is, for once, unblemished by the usual miasma of capital city fumes. As a pair of limegreen parakeets bicker in a nearby tree, underscored by the steady drone of faraway traffic, a more upbeat tempo gradually fills the air. It’s the smooth disco grooves of McFadden & Whitehead, transforming the atmosphere with their can-do attitude of Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now. An unusual, souped-up tricycle bearing a boombox appears to be the source of the music. As it crests the hill, scores of people follow behind, chatting and filling the park with a positivity sorely lacking since the beginning of the Covid era. At the heart of this crowd is Angie Le Mar, internationally recognised comedian and co-founder of the nascent We Walk Wednesdays, a leisurely movement combining aspects of dance, socialising and light exercise. “One thing I love about Lewisham, which means I can’t leave Lewisham, is the community. And feeling that you come from a group of people that you’re responsible for, and they’re responsible for you,” says Angie, a lifelong Lewisham resident. It’s a theme that comes up time and again across the borough: people reaching out to shatter the urban anonymity.

As we start chatting, it’s clear very quickly that Angie isn’t one to be derailed by the trials of life. “Covid wasn’t even a nightmare for me, because growing up as a church kid, it was like, ‘Get inside’. You’re restricted, you can’t rave, can’t have boyfriends, can’t do nothing,” she says. “I was raised in church. My mum was an Evangelist, my dad was a deacon, so a very strict church upbringing, and I loved it, because I didn’t know what it was, I just knew it was my life. I made friends that I still have today in church.” While community was always an important foundation, Angie’s story is one of finding novel ways to cope with adversity on her own. It’s a skill she unwittingly began to hone from a young age. Struggling with dyslexia, a condition for which she wasn’t properly diagnosed until well into her adult years, the school’s drama club became an antidote to the classrooms filled with words and letters, which often swam incomprehensibly across the page. Like all good origin stories, Angie’s contains one great teacher, who helped to get things moving in the right direction. That was Mr Woodgate, who taught at her childhood primary school, Lewisham Bridge, near New Cross station. “He saw something in me,” says Angie of Mr Woodgate, who allowed

From a young age, Angie Le Mar learned how to turn adversity into comedy. Now an internationally acclaimed comedian, writer and director, she discusses Lewisham’s formative impact on her life and work

walks thetalk WORDS BY PAUL STAFFORD

her to join the school’s drama group at a younger age than students were ordinarily permitted. “My brothers and my mum and dad would come and see me, and that was it for me. That feeling of, ‘Guess what? I will say something and you will listen to me because I’m on the stage.’ I got that power and it never left me.” Around the same time that she was experiencing her first taste of life beneath the proscenium arch, another major national upheaval was instrumental in helping Angie find her voice as a comedian. “When we used to have blackouts back in the 70s, that was my opportunity to crack jokes,” she says. During long stretches of 1973 and 74, blackouts were a frequent occurrence in Lewisham and the rest of the UK, resulting from a

reduced supply of workers and coal for the power stations after a series of strikes against Edward Heath’s government by the National Union of Mineworkers. Not one to be deterred by the state of the nation, Angie used the situation to perform hand puppetry by candlelight, tell stories, do impressions of her parents and to work out what kind of jokes got a laugh out of her brothers, as well as which ones didn’t. “That gave me something that I didn’t really appreciate until I got older,” says Angie of the skills she was inadvertently building. As she moved into higher levels of education, other Lewisham institutions played their part in honing her blossoming abilities. “I really found a home to learn how to do

One thing I love about Lewisham, which means I can't leave Lewisham, is the community

Lifelong Lewisham resident and comedian Angie Le Mar is inviting local people to join her for some light exercise and laughter things, how to get on the stage, how to write, direct and produce,” she says of the Albany Empire theatre (now known as The Albany) in Deptford. “The skills I learned back then came about very early and I just got that bug for it.” With dyslexia, the standard sightreading auditions meant the door to acting was often closed for Angie. The lack of inclusion at the time meant that auditions remained a barrier that forced her to write her own material and find her own voice instead – and comedy was the perfect outlet. “You don’t know you’re getting strong,” says Angie, “you don’t know that going to church and saying your Golden Text in front of all these people or having to stand in front of an audience and make people laugh, you don’t know how that is making you strong.” It’s that strength that also helped her sweep aside the additional race and gender barriers along the way. “Somebody can boo you off the stage and you think, ‘I don’t care – there’s this thing that I want and I don’t know what it is but I’ve got to keep going that way, and whatever you put up in front of me, I’m going.’ And you get fierce that way.” It can’t always have been easy, and Angie could well have left for pastures new – or old, in following her parents back home to Jamaica – especially having lit up stages in the USA and other places around the world with her stand-up comedy, but as she notes, “Lewisham keeps me grounded. It reminds me of what I love.” And it’s to the borough’s benefit that she stayed. One day while out walking in Lewisham, and feeling as though something was missing from her local park, Angie asked friends to join her in the park once a week. “I know the value of walking because my dog has forced me to walk every day for the last 14 years,” she says. Before long, Angie’s experience had filled in the other gaps with some laughter therapy and stretching beforehand. We Walk Wednesdays was born. Nowadays, at the end of the walk, there’s music and dancing, invariably featuring Candy by Cameo. “Candy is a dance that everyone in the black community knows. As soon as it goes on, we go into formation. It just happens,” Angie jokes. We Walk Wednesdays is starting to grow. “By the end of summer last year we had five parks walking,” says Angie, and there are plans to continue things in the same manner in spring 2022, as well as longer hikes, talks, dining experiences and stand-up comedy sets. “Anything we can do as a community becomes a ‘We’ event,” Angie says. And with that approach to life, there’s surely no stopping the movement now. Check out We Walk Wednesdays on Facebook for upcoming events, including walks around Hilly Fields. Angie is currently directing Soul Sisters – The Musical, which begins its UK tour in March

16 FAM I LY

Margaret’s Music “When you have a wonderful experience in life you want to share it,” says Catford resident Margaret Omoniyi, founder of Margaret’s Music. When she was growing up, Margaret’s primary school teacher inspired her journey into music by encouraging her to sing and join the orchestra and throughout her life, Margaret has been on a mission to inspire others in a similar way. After studying music at Goldsmiths in the 1980s, she trained to be a primary school teacher and organised numerous extracurricular musical activities including choirs and bands. In 2014 she founded Margaret’s Music to provide a range of music workshops and activities for schools in Southwark, where she lived at the time, which aimed to help nurture young talent from an early age. Over the years her company has grown to provide a variety of accessible and inclusive services to families in the community, including piano school, drama and dance classes and a youth choir, as well as holiday camps and pre-school classes in Nunhead, Peckham and Bermondsey. They are aimed at children and young people aged from nought to 17, encouraging youngsters of all ages to experience the joy of music, build their confidence and flourish. “We are about providing a musical environment that is supportive and nurturing,” says Margaret. “We have different price bands based on what people can afford so it makes it accessible to everyone.”

The lively, 45-minute family sessions for babies and toddlers, which take place every week, include activities ranging from singing and dancing to playing instruments and using fun props such as finger puppets. The popularity of Margaret’s classes has meant her schedule is increasingly busy. “I used to carry all my stuff in an old Silver Cross pram, and I do love the idea of being ‘the pram lady’ but now I have to rush from one class to another so I have to go by car,” she says. Margaret is now looking for more venues in Lewisham – and is also planning to launch a Lewisham version of her free-to-join South London Songsters choir for three to 15 year olds.

Little Folk Nursery Rhymes Former TV production coordinator Cat Bateman never actually planned to make a career out of singing nursery rhymes and playing her guitar to babies and toddlers, but she says she can’t imagine ever doing anything else. “I just love seeing the joy on little ones’ faces when they hear live music. Their eyes widen and their bodies shake with excitement,” says Cat, who started Little Folk Nursery Rhymes 10 years ago after volunteering at a music playgroup in Sydenham that her young sons attended. “The woman who led it was leaving and some of the mums said, ‘You can sing, why don’t you take over?’ I couldn’t bear the idea of it no longer happening, so I did,” says Cat.

WORDS BY NIKKI SPENCER

The Entertainers

Helping children discover the joy of music can take many forms, from singing, dancing and nursery rhymes to bubbles and fancy dress. We meet four people whose funfilled classes are loved by local kids

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Clockwise from far left: Margaret Omoniyi, Oren Marshall, Cat Bateman and Sally Reeve Edwards

sing together and has even released an album called Oh Joy! He says that starting Oren Marshall’s Jazz for Toddlers has “transformed” his life in Hither Green, where he has lived since 1995. “It has made me an integral part of the local community. Everything I have learnt as a musician I am now sharing here and that feels very special.”

these old songs alive is so important and children learn so much from singing along and doing the actions,” she says. When the country went into lockdown in March 2020 Cat thought it would be the end of her business, but with the support of Happity, the baby and toddler activity platform, she introduced online classes. “I didn’t even know what Zoom was and it was an intense learning curve. I spent a stressful weekend trying to get to grips with everything, tested it on Monday and then launched a programme of activities on the Tuesday,” says Cat. “Parents were so grateful and say it really helped them when they were incredibly isolated.” She was delighted when she was named the Independent’s best online baby and toddler class in 2020. People joined from all over the world, including Dubai and Mumbai, and she still offers four virtual classes a week, although being part of her local community in south-east London is clearly where her heart is. “Over the years I have entertained thousands of little ones, so everywhere I go children come up and say hello to ‘the singing lady’ or ‘the guitar lady’ as they call me, and I adore that.”

Singalong Sally

Oren Marshall’s Jazz for Toddlers

The sessions she ran, which combined singing old-fashioned nursery rhymes with some more contemporary ones, were so popular that she started paid-for groups at Grow Mayow Community Garden and “it all just developed from there”. Cat now offers 30-minute classes in Sydenham, Penge, Crystal Palace and South Norwood, and has performed at numerous festivals including Cornbury and End of the Road. She has also produced a CD and set up a YouTube channel, and along with local artist Michelle Poultney has created a Little Folk Nursery Rhymes colouring book. Cat is passionate about nursery rhymes and their benefits. “Keeping

Since the pandemic, professional tuba player Oren Marshall has swapped performing in concert halls, recording studios and jazz clubs for playing and singing with families with young children in Lewisham’s parks, community centres and church halls, and he’s relishing it. “It has been amazing, and the support from local people has been wonderful,” says Oren, who began Oren Marshall’s Jazz for Toddlers after the country went into lockdown in March 2020. Prior to that he had an incredibly busy career touring and performing everywhere from the Southbank Centre and the Barbican to Abbey Road Studios. “For over 30 years I had a very diverse life working with all the London orchestras and on numerous films, but then in 48 hours I lost everything,” he explains. “As a single parent with teenagers it was a lot of pressure.” For the first month or so Oren says he was completely “overwhelmed” but then felt he had to do something. “Local parents with little ones told me they were going stir crazy,” he says. He started a Facebook page and offered online classes where he played his tuba and other instruments, and everyone could sing along together. As soon as restrictions started to ease, he moved things to Mountsfield Park, near to where he lives. “People were wanting to connect, they wanted to get out of the house and get involved with others,” he says. Word quickly spread and soon he was getting 30 to 40 families joining

Whether it's dinosaurs, the weather or food, I love dressing up and have a whole rail of costumes

him every Friday morning for his sessions in the community gardens. During the height of the summer more than 100 families turned up in one week. “It has been mind-blowing,” says Oren. “They would often come with picnics and it was absolutely delightful.” He’s now added sessions at local indoor venues too, including the Abbotshall Healthy Lifestyle Centre on Catford’s Corbett Estate, where he also does a group for babies, and St Swithun’s church hall in Hither Green, where he offers music with storytelling. Over the last 18 months he has written lots of songs for families to

“I have as much fun as the children do!” laughs Sally Reeve Edwards, who started her Singalong Sally pre-school music and movement classes over a decade ago. Every week she chooses a different theme for her sessions in Catford, Lee and Hither Green and creates an outfit to match, as well as making wacky Snapchat promo videos for social media. “Whether it’s dinosaurs, the weather or food, I love dressing up and have a whole rail of costumes,” says Sally, who studied performing arts at De Montfort University and has appeared in everything from opera and comedy shows to films. Previously she worked as a temp between acting roles, but when she became a parent she decided to use her theatrical skills to entertain and educate little ones. “I remember taking my son to a singing class and thinking, ‘I could do that’,” she says. She initially started teaching singing with Monkey Music, and after a few years decided to set up on her own. “I wanted to do something a bit sillier,” she explains. “I’m very juvenile. The children think I am seven!” As well as singing, Sally plays everything from punk and disco tracks to heavy metal versions of nursery rhymes and there’s always “lots of bubbles”. And she likes to make her classes fun for grown-ups too. “Being a parent is a tough job, and certainly the hardest thing I have ever done, so I try and give them 45 minutes of escapism,” she says. When acting work comes along Sally lets everyone know and rolls her classes over. “People are very sweet about it and like to look out for me in things,” she says. Over the years she has performed with everyone from Judi Dench to Hugh Laurie and was very excited to work with Sandra Oh from Grey’s Anatomy and Phoebe Waller-Bridge from Fleabag on the first ever episode of the popular BBC spy thriller Killing Eve. “I got to play ‘nurse in fun scrubs’ and I was so chuffed. I love Sandra Oh and I was trying to be so cool, but then I met Phoebe too and I went all fangirl!” she confesses. Her character very rapidly met a grizzly end. “They find me dead on the floor, so I was covered in fake blood.” Soon Sally will be popping up as a “mad Scotswoman” in Gaynor & Ray, a comedy special with Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones, and you’ll also find her sitting on a sofa buying costumes for her dog online in a billboard campaign for an American bank. “I never know what I will be asked to do next,” she says.

18 MU S I C

ith its welcoming ambience and friendly staff, no one can ever claim that Victorian pub the Blythe Hill Tavern on Stanstead Road lacks atmosphere. This is especially true on a Thursday night when the cosy back room really comes to life, with customers given the opportunity to enjoy a pint or two while listening to local musicians play traditional acoustic Irish music. Established in 2003, the Blythe Hill Tavern session is one of the longest running in London. In part this is a result of the unwavering support for the night provided by landlord Con Riordan, who has run the much-loved pub for over 30 years. The group have also played other pubs including the Ivy House in Nunhead, the Conquering Hero in West Norwood and the Old Dispensary in Camberwell, but the Blythe is undeniably their “home”. The premise of a session is simple. Max Fishel, who plays mainly tin whistle and some Irish flute, explains: “There are different types of sessions. It’s usually in a pub, like this. A group of musicians sit round a table and play tunes all night – that’s basically what it is.

Musicians perform traditional Irish music in the back room of the Blythe Hill Tavern, at its popular Thursday evening session

“Some are like gigs but ours is an open session without a set band and it’s not a closed performance – there’s no particular list of tunes we play, although we all have favourites we tend to play weekly. “There are different types of tunes, linked to different dances. Jigs, reels, hornpipes… there are also polkas and slides, which are quite regional. “People mainly play reels. They’re the most popular, because they have a fantastic pulse. “Anyone can start a tune, and everyone who knows it can join in. There’s usually at least two tunes, which is a set of tunes and the standard is two or three. It can be anything up to six really. “Sometimes it becomes a sort of challenge – can you keep the set going for a bit longer? “It’s very unusual to have a session in the same place for so long – nearly 20 years, and that’s entirely down to [the landlord] Con.” Member Gordon Dalton plays the bodhrán – an Irish drum. He was born in Limerick and has lived in London since 1966. A Blythe Hill Tavern regular for the last 35 years, he lives a stone’s throw away, and is undeniably one of the pub’s biggest fans.

a session at the blythe WORDS BY MIRANDA KNOX

PHOTOS BY LORNA ALLAN

Traditional Irish music takes centre stage at the Blythe Hill Tavern’s Thursday session, which has been running almost 20 years. Our reporter went along to meet some of the musicians

It's very unusual to have a session in the same place for so long

He says: “My wife actually asked me at one point, ‘Can we move?’ and I said, ‘Can we get closer to the Blythe?’ I was dead serious!” Gordon started playing after attending the Blythe’s session nights. He says: “I love the music but started playing really late – I used to come in here every Thursday and I’d sit at the bar listening, so I decided to teach myself.” It’s an event that is hugely popular with regulars – whether they initially know it or not. Gordon says: “I’ve spoken to people who’ve come in and said, ‘Oh I’m not really a big lover of Irish music’, and I always say, ‘Really? You better tell your right foot that, because it’s been tapping away for the last 10 minutes!’ It’s contagious, it really is.” The session is open, so anyone who can play Irish music is welcome to join. Approximately four to six regulars

attend weekly, and they’re joined by guests who bolster the numbers to 16 some weeks. This means there’s no set “band” as such, which gives the evening a community feel. Max adds: “Altogether we’ve probably had around 30 to 40 people coming and playing semi-regularly at various points. “It’s non-hierarchical, there’s no one telling anyone else what to do. Con just leaves us to get on with it, and sometimes he joins in too.” One element that people often find baffling is the fact that none of the musicians read the music – they all memorise each tune. Max says: “It’s a bit like an actor learning lines. If you see Irish tunes written down, they look incredibly simple, almost trivial. Most are quite short, lasting maybe 40 seconds for one go round.

“It’s single notes, no harmonies, it’s just a melody line with no accompaniments. “We just play the basic tunes and so some people can dismiss it and think a grade one person could play it – which they probably could in one sense. But what we do is we take the tune and because we’ve all been playing a long time and have internalised this sort of feel for it, we then process this simple-looking tune through all our experience of playing that we’ve had and the feel for it and what we think it should sound like, and it comes out like that. “A beginner could knock out the tune in the sense of playing the notes but it would sound completely barren. We’re putting the heart and soul – the pulse – into it. Every tune has its own personality, and if you can get into the personality of the tune you have a relationship with the tune. “We’ve all spent years playing the same tune and every so often I find I’m playing it differently, or putting something more into it. They grow and develop, almost like people. You need to know the tune inside out.” Jo Lynam lives in Peckham Rye, plays the fiddle and has been playing at the pub since 2005. Speaking about their song repertoire, she says: “It’s all by ear – we don’t have any music. We learn them. There are thousands of tunes, and I probably know a good few hundred. “The connection between players is important, more than anything else. “I’ve been to about 10 sessions in London and when I started playing more Irish music I listened and recorded tunes at sessions for a year and would fall asleep listening to Irish music – I probably didn’t pick up my fiddle for a year at that session. “There is a bit of etiquette to it. You have to be sensitive.” Mark Priestley plays the fiddle and also has classical training. He says: “I’ve played a lot of classical music, and classical musicians who are ever so skilful will often say, ‘I can’t play by ear, I don’t know how you do it.’ “It’s just a completely different way of thinking about music and how you make music and the importance of listening to other people. The listening that goes on in a session like this – you can listen to a tune and mime it to learn it and pick up tunes through listening then halfway through join in. “The whole kind of musicianship that goes on is just very, very different.” It’s remarkable the night has stood the test of time, and it’s clearly down to the group’s love for the music, and their desire for Irish music to continue for future generations to enjoy. Gordon says: “At the end of the night, when you get people leaving and they clap and say they had a fantastic night, or we’ve had someone put a fiver in one of our empty pint glasses – it makes it. “It’s nice it’s really appreciated – some people come on a Thursday just to see us. We’ve got younger players [who join us] in their 20s – they’re going to keep it going, it’s amazing.”

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n 1888, Rudyard Kipling penned a story titled The Man Who Would Be King, in which two British adventurers become kings of a remote area of Afghanistan. It’s a tale that would decades later find a strange echo in the real-life story of Khalid Sheldrake – pickle manufacturer, Islamic convert and short-lived monarch of an obscure breakaway Islamic republic. Khalid’s unusual life is certainly one of the more surreal historical narratives to have a connection with Forest Hill. Browse online and you will find all manner of stories, anecdotes and several untruths about this enigmatic figure. Dig a little deeper into the likes of ancestry.co.uk and the British Newspaper Archive and the truth begins to emerge from underneath the myth. Bertram William Sheldrake was born in Camberwell on 29 July 1888 (funnily enough, the same year the aforementioned The Man Who Would Be King was first published) to William Charles and May Sheldrake (nee Williams). Known as Bertie to his family, he was raised a Roman Catholic, educated privately and then went to work for the family pickle business. Named G Sheldrake after Bertie’s grandfather Gosling Mullander Sheldrake, the Camberwell-based firm was founded in the 1870s. Its works were located initially on Albany Road, and then in the grandly named Sheldrake House on Cobourg Road. Both locations were in the vibrant industrial area surrounding the Grand Surrey Canal, which once ran along the area of land now occupied by Burgess Park. G Sheldrake was a highly successful manufacturer of “pickles, sauces, chutneys, ketchup and vinegar”, as well as “bottlers of capers, curries and other condiments”. As late as the 1911 census, Bertie – by now aged 22 – was still listed under his birth name as living with his parents and working as a “commercial traveller in sauces and pickles”. However, by this point it is thought he had converted to Islam and renamed himself Khalid. How this conversion came about is something of a mystery, with some accounts maintaining it occurred in 1903 when he was just 15 years old. Certainly by 1914 Bertie – or Khalid as we will call him from now on – was honorary secretary of the British Muslim Society. It was in this capacity that he penned a letter on 19 December to King George V, in which he “most humbly” sought to bring the king’s attention to press cartoons and articles in which the “Muslim creed” was “held up to ridicule”. “I wish to bring to your notice that there are hundreds of English Muslims serving in His Majesty’s forces, and you will understand our feelings on this matter,” Khalid explained, while also emphasising that “the Muslims of the empire are praying for Your Majesty’s life and prosperity”. In 1917, Khalid married Hampshireborn Victoria Catherine Sybil Gilbert, who thereafter adopted the Islamic name of Ghazia. He established mosques in properties he owned first in Peckham and then East Dulwich. For example, the Weekly Dispatch reported in 1927 that:

WHO WOULD BE

THEMAN KING WORDS BY LUKE G WILLIAMS

ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA KENDREW

Hailing from a successful family of pickle manufacturers, Forest Hill resident Khalid Sheldrake converted to Islam and in a surreal turn of events, was invited to become king of a faraway land “There is a house in Fenwick Road, East Dulwich, where until the new moon is visible on the night of April 3 the great Mahommedan Fast of Ramadan, which began yesterday, will be strictly kept. It is in the house of Dr Khalid Sheldrake, an Englishman, who is imam of the mosque and sheikh of the British Moslems. Members of the sect from all parts of the world come to the building for prayer night and day.” By this time, Khalid was still involved with the family pickle business, but was spending most of his time writing about Muslim

issues and causes, mainly for journals he had helped establish, such as the Muslim News Journal and The Minaret. By the 1930s he was living in Gaynesford Road in Forest Hill with Ghazia and their two sons, while also touring the UK and abroad giving talks and lectures about Islam and his experiences as a convert. At this point there were only around 3,000 Muslims in Britain, of which probably only a fifth were converts. Khalid was disappointed by the low rate of his compatriots converting to the faith, but in the early 1930s he became a central figure in

I am awaiting events before proceeding to my kingdom

an Islamic conversion that caused a worldwide media sensation. Gladys Palmer, a famous socialite and daughter of Sir Walter Palmer, a rich biscuit mogul, was renowned for mixing with the great, the good and the not so good, but by 1932 she had decided that she was in need of further spiritual enlightenment. Having already tried and rejected several forms of Christianity, she decided to convert to Islam instead. “I particularly wanted to become a Moslem in an aeroplane so that I might be as far from Earth and as near to heaven as possible,” Gladys declared, and as probably the most high-profile Muslim in the UK at the time, it was Khalid who was called upon to lead the ceremony in which she officially embraced Islam on a 42-seater Imperial Airways craft somewhere over the English Channel. Khalid’s role in this somewhat surreal religious ceremony made headlines around the world, and brought him to the attention of a group of rebels in the newly proclaimed Islamic Republic of East Turkestan (popularly known as the ETR), a breakaway state in China. A deputation from the ETR arrived in London in 1933 and over tea with Khalid and Ghazia in Forest Hill proposed that he become “overlord” of the new state, which was dubbed “Islamestan” in the British media. Khalid accepted and headed to the Far East on a tour of Muslim communities and territories, hoping to end up on the throne in Islamestan in due course. By 1934 he was in Peking and – having met with another set of ETR officials – it was announced that he would henceforth be known as “His Majesty King Khalid of Islamestan”, although wags in the media also suggested titles such as “The Pickle King of Tartary” and “The English Emir of Kashgar”. Ghazia, who was reported in Time magazine as having said: “I intend to take my responsibilities as queen seriously” and “my two sons are excited at the idea that they are now princes”, joined her husband in China and the duo prepared to travel over 4,000km by camel train to assume the throne. Alas, Khalid’s dream of becoming monarch of an Islamic republic collapsed, as did the ETR amid all sorts of political wrangling and subterfuge. Time reported: “Before the royal family could get to the coronation city of Khotan on the southern rim of the Taklamakan desert, the troops of General Shen Shih-tsai, young Chinese provincial governor, swooped down on King Khalid with planes furnished by Soviet Russia.” Khalid and Ghazia fled to India, where he told the media: “I am not ready to be the pawn of any political game… for the moment I prefer to be an absentee king. I am awaiting events before proceeding to my kingdom.” Events never unfolded in a way to allow Khalid to assume the throne he had been offered though. Instead he returned to England to his life of Islamic lectures, tours and writing – he also rejoined the family business, travelling to Turkey to buy pickles. And when Khalid died in 1947 in Redhill County Hospital in Middlesex there was nary a mention in the press of the long forgotten pickle mogul who almost became king of a faraway land.

22 LEWI S H AM L E I SU R E

SOMETHING TO EAT HOT CROSS BUNS With Easter approaching, Catford-based caterer Salters Events shares a recipe for hot cross buns typically eaten on Good Friday. Ingredients (makes 12) Dough 500g strong white bread flour 75g caster sugar 2 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 1 lemon zest 10g fine salt 10g fast action yeast 40g butter 300ml milk 1 egg 200g sultanas/raisins 50g candied peel Oil for greasing the bowl Topping 75g plain flour 100ml water 3 tbsp apricot jam (to glaze) Method 1 Put the flour, sugar, spices and lemon zest into a large bowl and mix together. Then add the salt and yeast, placing them on opposite sides of the bowl. 2 Melt the butter in a pan and warm the milk in a separate pan. Add the butter and half the tepid milk to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and use your hands

CROSSWORD NO. 20 ACROSS

DOWN

7 RUNNERSABOVE (anagram) (12) 9 Bad headache (8) 10 Hesitate, waver (6) 11 Time to come (6) 12 Perpetual, incessant (8) 15 Mogul, tycoon (7) 16 Travel to work (7) 19 Newspaper report’s title (8) 21 Complete (6) 22 Belgrade’s country (6) 24 Courteously (8) 25 Referees, judges (12)

1 2 3 4

Well-spoken (10) Tipped up (10) Event, occurrence (8) Lack, non- appearance (7) 5 Onus (6) 6 Tangle (4) 8 Deserve, earn (5) 13 Allure, enticement (10) 14 Student of plants and animals (10) 17 Put too much weight onto (8) 18 Hopelessness (7) 19 Rash, impulsive (5) 20 Mythical character who flew too close to the sun (6) 23 Corpse (4)

to bring the mixture together, incorporating the flour from the edges of the bowl as you go. Gradually add the remaining milk to form a soft pliable dough (you may not need all of the milk).

3 Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand incorporating the sultanas and mixed peel into the dough. Lightly knead for 10 minutes until silky and elastic and forming a smooth

ball. (The kneading can also be done in a food mixer with a dough hook.) Oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl, cover with a clean cloth and leave to rest in a warm place for about 1½ hours or

BY ALDHELM

7 Across is a watery feature in Lewisham.

23 44

13 44

20 44

SOLUTION

44 44

until doubled in size. 4 Turn the risen dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Knock back and knead for a further 5 minutes. Return to the bowl and cover. Leave in a warm place to rise for

a further hour, or until doubled in size. 5 Turn the dough out again on to a floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces, shaping each of these into a ball. Line 1-2 baking trays with paper and place the balls on the tray, placing them fairly close together and flattening them slightly. 6 Cover each tray with a clean cloth. Leave for 40-60 minutes until the buns have doubled in size. 7 Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/ gas 7. 8 For the topping, add the flour to a bowl with 100ml water. Mix together to make a paste and spoon into an icing bag. 9 When the buns have risen remove the cloth and pipe a cross on each bun. Bake for 1520 minutes until pale golden-brown, turning the baking trays round halfway through if necessary. 10 Melt the apricot jam with a touch of water in a pan and while the buns are still warm, brush them with a little jam to give a nice shine, before setting aside to cool on a wire rack.

A lewisham LOCAL SID VICIOUS The bassist for punk rock band the Sex Pistols was born Simon John Ritchie in 1957 in Lewisham. The Sex Pistols formed in 1975 and Vicious, who earned his nickname after he was bitten by fellow Pistol John Lydon's hamster Sid, joined in 1977. Later that year their only studio album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols came out. Despite sales bans by major retailers due to the album's notoriety – in particular the song God Save the Queen – it debuted at number one in the UK charts. The band then split in 1978.

ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA KENDREW

Salters Events is a husband and wife team, Ian and Robyn, who have more than 40 years’ combined experience in the catering industry. We pride ourselves on our well-sourced, seasonal food, delicious flavours and team of passionate and experienced foodies. We have a simple, uncomplicated approach to catering and create bespoke menus tailored to customers. Whether it’s a relaxed sharing board, a five-course tasting menu or an afternoon tea, everything centres around three things: seasonal produce, quality ingredients and making your event personal, memorable and unique. Hot cross buns are rich with history dating back to the 12th century. They’re yeasted sweet buns filled with spices and various fruits such as currants, raisins and/or candied citrus. They’re decorated with a white cross representing the crucifix, marked on top with a flour paste. Hot cross buns are a traditional Easter food,

Months later Vicious' girlfriend Nancy was found dead in their hotel room and Vicious was charged with her murder. He pleaded not guilty and died of a heroin overdose in 1979 aged 21 while awaiting trial. Mystery still surrounds the case.

ACROSS: 7 Ravensbourne, 9 Migraine, 10 Dither, 11 Future, 12 Constant, 15 Magnate, 16 Commute, 19 Headline, 21 Entire, 22 Serbia, 24 Politely, 25 Adjudicators. DOWN: 1 Articulate, 2 Overturned, 3 Incident, 4 Absence, 5 Burden, 6 Knot, 8 Merit, 13 Temptation, 14 Naturalist, 17 Overload, 18 Despair, 19 Hasty, 20 Icarus, 23 Body.

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