The Deptford Dame

Mayor Steve takes an early bath

2009-07-09T20:42:00.002Z

Fair play to our local mayor who got himself out of bed early on Wednesday to celebrate the new hours at Wavelengths pool. Despite grey skies and gloomy drizzle, Sir Steve and a few hardy swimmers took to the waters for a free swim at 6.30am on Wednesday. There were more people on the poolside than there were in the water, what with the photographer, the centre manager and various assorted onlookers peering down at the swimmers, but hopefully numbers will grow now that a huge banner has been hung outside Wavelengths, and presumably there will be an ongoing campaign to publicise the early hours.
You can read the mayor's account here.

Deptford art materials shop opening/call for submissions

2009-07-09T20:34:00.005Z

Arch Gallery is branching out on 10 July with the opening of a new shop, Arch Materials, selling a wide range of paints, brushes, canvasses, pencils, pens and so on for professionals and students. The shop is right next to the gallery (which halfway down Resolution Way, one of the arches on the lane directly opposite Deptford railway station entrance).

The shop will be open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am till 5pm, and to celebrate its opening, Arch Materials will be having a 'VAT-free' week from 10th to 17th July.

Click here for more details.

Submissions for Arch Gallery's contemporary Open exhibition are also being invited, and entry forms are available to download from the website. From 10 July you can also collect them from the new shop.

"The aim of the open is to catch a glimpse of the diverse nature of the art being made here and now in South East London. Visual artists & students over 18, living or working in South East London are eligible to submit. Up to 10 artists will be selected to exhibit one piece of work each. In a take on the current trend for reality based TV shows, visitors to the gallery during Deptford X will be invited to vote for their favourite work. The artist receiving the most votes will be given a four week solo show at ARCH in 2010. We will host a preview evening for the show and pay for all marketing & publicity. Deadline for submissions is 31st July. Visit www.archgallery.net for more info."

Public meeting about Deptford Jobcentre

2009-07-08T15:16:00.003Z

There is a public meeting at the Albany on Thursday 9 July (tomorrow) about the plans to close the Deptford Jobcentre Plus. An online petition has been created - you can sign it here - and the Public and Commercial Services Union is running a campaign to save the centre.

Plans to redevelop the building, and the fact that the Jobcentre Plus lease expires in November this year mean that unless plans for the development are shelved and the lease is extended, it has to find new premises in Deptford. However the DWP is also considering closing it down and making its 'clients' go all the way to Lewisham or Forest Hill job centres to find job opportunities, interviews, help with benefits, form filling, box ticking etc.

At this stage it seems that the search for new premises is still going on, so hopefully there is still time to influence the outcome. The meeting starts at 7pm.

Thanks to Transpontine for the tip-off.

Deptford in the Guardian

2009-07-06T07:56:00.004Z

Deptford was featured in the Saturday Guardian's 'let's move to' series. If you missed the printed version, you can read it online here.

If anyone knows where the photograph was taken from, do share! Martin Godwin seems to have gone to very ordinary lengths to get a photo of the Evelyn estate tower blocks - at least I assume that's what he was trying to do. Or perhaps he really couldn't bear to set foot in Deptford so he peeped out of a neighbour's window in New Cross or Surrey Quays.

Focusing on the 'arty' side of Deptford as a reason why we should move here, it totally fails to mention the market and moans that you have to drag up the hill to Blackheath for a blade of grass.

(NOT) EXCLUSIVE! Wavelengths pool and fitness centre - early morning opening!

2009-07-03T22:06:00.006Z

Great news from manager Clare Motton at the Wavelengths Centre - from 8 July the pool and fitness suite will be open from 6.30am every weekday morning.

This is EXCELLENT NEWS for local swimmers and gymers who work in town, and I would like to pass on my thanks to Clare for being persistant on this matter. I hope that the new hours will bring increased business and membership numbers to the facility, and help to contribute to its continued success.

The launch of the new hours takes place on 8 July at 6.30 (I assume that's am!) and will be attended by Lewisham mayor Steve Bullock.

May I just say, in the immortal words of Citizen Smith: Power to the people!

Deptford museum and tea-room launch

2009-07-03T17:36:00.004Z

Saturday 4 July sees the launch of the Deptford Museum and tea room which will be housed in two rooms in the Old Police Station (just down the road from New Cross Station, on Amersham Vale).

An open day on Saturday will give people the chance to see where it's all going to take place, and take part in an auction to raise funds for things the centre needs. As Jaine Laine explains:

"One space will house the Deptford Museum that will be open to the public each day and will house the archive we have commenced. Here we will be able to keep artefacts and memorabilia of Deptford history. Ironically just across the road in Amersham Grove there is a small disused and boarded up building that used to be the Deptford Museum erected in 1890 by J.T. Taylor.

The other room will house a tearoom to be called the Metropolitan where people can meet and tea and sandwiches and cakes can be bought. All the produce will be home-cooked, simple and appealing and yes cream teas will be on the menu. One of the old cells has been converted into a recording room so your wonderful history can be recorded and archived. Also a space will house vintage clothing for people to buy to raise money for the project. The tea room will be the financial arm for supporting the Museum.

This is a very exciting thing for Deptford and will unite the community and attract visitors. My role now apart from providing the scones etc will be to look into attracting large funding and support, and creating a website and a full archive system put into place.

With the help of volunteers the rooms will be freshly painted and I have put out pleas for shelving and cabinets for the Museum. The tearoom already has tables and chairs and counter and the owner of the building is letting us use some lovely china. We would need a few things like a fridge, cutlery, cruets, teapots etc. "

If you have chance (sorry for the short notice) please come and see the new space on Saturday between 1 and 6pm; the auction begins at 2pm.

Otherwise, make a date in your diary for 20th July, which will be the official opening of the museum.

Simply the best, or inspired by dance?

2009-07-01T11:12:00.004Z

If you want to see some prime marketing tosh, just take a walk along Creek Road and read the hoardings.

On the Deptford side of the creek, the new Greenwich Creekside development is now well out of the ground and rising to its dizzy heights at a formidable speed. We are told that this block of flats consists of 'The Finest Apartments in a World Class Location'. As if that wasn't enough, be sure to understand that these are 'London's most inspirational new apartments!' Most preposterously we are being asked to believe that this development is 'inspired by dance', and there are huge photos of dancers on the hoardings too, just to reinforce the claim. I invite you to peruse the photo and suggest what kind of dance inspired these apartments.

Here's a picture of the finished building, in case you need more 'inspiration'; the website has additional tosh for those who want to mock some more - including the fact that this is 'A new light for Greenwich' (wtf?).

Meanwhile on the Greenwich side of the creek, the New Capital Quay development doesn't bother with any poncy inspirational stuff. They don't need to justify their existence - put simply, this is 'The Finest New Riverside Development in London'. So there.

I would guess that the finished apartments in both of these developments will be a cut above the average for the area (with prices to match). The ones in Greenwich Creekside look fairly spacious and light, but I'm pretty sure Creek Road doesn't qualify as a 'world-class location'. The New Capital Quay site should provide a pleasant environment and quite a few riverside view for those with the money, but is it 'the finest'? And how is that measured?

It's all very entertaining flim flam for a hot day, but lest you forget - someone has been paid to come up with this!

Friday lates @ Deptford

2009-06-24T16:37:00.002Z

If you find it difficult to get along to Deptford's art galleries during weekends, this Friday you get the chance to enjoy late night openings at many of them followed by a gig at the Old Police Station. The late night openings will take place from 18.30 to 20.30 at Bearspace, Arch, The Agency (on Evelyn Street), APT, Utrophia, SE8 Gallery and even Viewfinder (Royal Hill, Greenwich) so that you can check out their latest shows, enjoy a glass of wine and even rub shoulders with others members of the Arty Crowd.

This first late night event coincides with the launch of the Deptford Art Map, which you can find here - it includes information about all the local galleries, shows, and links to their websites as well as information about events. Hopefully this site will continue to be updated and hence become a one-stop shop for information about new openings, upcoming shows, competitions and so on. Check out the site if you think you know every gallery in the area - I'll hazard a guess that, like me, you'll be surprised there are so many!

Those looking for an aftershow party should head on down to the Old Police Station for Dirty Cop Friday with Tainted Live Art.
"Amidst the cells and the vestiges of an institution, ten young live artists are inviting you to examine the traces and leave your own imprint on their work. Exploring the themes of intimacy, home, absence or memory, through the means of live performance, the audience is enticed to participate in a private encounter in a cell.
4-11pm - £5/3 conc. Free from 9pm."

Deptford in Time Out

2009-06-12T09:41:00.004Z

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about current and ongoing art shows in Deptford, highlighting the fact that we have a huge number of galleries and art spaces in such a small area.

I'm delighted to see that Time Out has picked up on it, albeit with a few additions and ommissions. They do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the Dame will take it in a positive spirit and consider herself duly flattered.

Events in the week ahead

2009-06-10T21:42:00.002Z

A couple of items have come to my attention in the week ahead, which may prove of interest to my local audience.

This weekend (13 and 14 June) the Creekside Centre is holding two open days, on Saturday and Sunday, which offer the opportunity to go along and find out just what goes on behind those decorative gates on Creekside.

Having been on one of the low tide walks in the past, I can thoroughly recommend them - and this weekend the centre's staff are leading four walks, two each day. It's best to book in advance, but then you just turn up, put on the waders and grab a stick and enjoy an hour or so's walk along bottom of the creek. If this isn't really your sort of thing, there are plenty more activities going on at the centre this weekend - you can check out the numerous sculptures made of peculiar items that have been found in the Creek; enjoy river dipping sessions; or sample tea and cakes and participate in the bug hunts and games and quizzes.

See the website for further information.

Meanwhile there is what promises to be a good night out at the Albany for the adults next week - the OOXXOO art collective is running a music night on Thursday 18 June from 7.30pm onwards. The Invisible are headlining, fresh from supporting Hot Chip, the Doves and the Foals and are supported by Monade, Exlovers, Dimbleby & Capper and David Jay. There will also be DJ sets by Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip, Laetitia 'Stereolab' and Marie 'Lisbonne' along with A Little Bazaar Market.

Full details of the evening and tickets are available here.

Urban wildlife in the south east

2009-06-05T16:44:00.004Z

One of the things that constantly delights and surprises me about London is the amount of wildlife that can be found even in the depths of its urban sprawl. My favourite places to spot the wild side of the capital include Deptford Creek, Brookmill Park, the cycle routes along the Thames and the Regent's Canal, and a combination of our best-kept local secrets; Russia Dock Woodlands and Stave Hill Ecological Park over in Rotherhithe.

I occasionally stray down here on my bike for an hour's ride if it's a sunny evening, or pass through while tracing the Thames from Tower Bridge down to Deptford. Russia Dock Woodlands meanders between the houses, with paths leading off in all directions making it seem something of a maze and giving it a really secluded feeling. On the route of the central path is a series of pools, each with its own character, and further along it opens up into a large meadow area surrounded by trees, where families come to picnic and play games. It always feels oddly remote and otherworldly in comparison to the housing estates and roads that surround it, and I always find plenty to look at and ponder while passing through.

It seems that the wildlife in these parks is much more diverse than even I could have imagined - local resident Andie Byrnes has been keeping a blog about the area for a year now, and it has really opened my eyes as to how much more there is to see.

Andie has many, many fantastic photos which will have you itching to get down there for a visit if you haven't been already. She posts wonderful pics of the flora and fauna (mammals, birds and insects including butterflies and moths) along with identification information for those she has managed to pinpoint, links to articles containing local news or relevant wildlife information, and updates on residents' attempts to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime in the parks.

Wavelengths response; good news for early morning swimmers?!

2009-05-28T12:09:00.006Z

Further to my comments about the opening hours and availability of the 'training pool' at Wavelengths, centre manager Clare Motton was kind enough to reply via the noticeboard in the foyer.

I contacted her to ask for a copy of her response, and have reproduced it here.

***********

•Swimming pool availability:

The pool programme is designed to cater for the specific needs of different sections of the community as well as those that wish to participate in general swimming. There are four swimming pools within Lewisham and all pool programmes are balanced to ensure that public swimming is available within the borough at any one time.

Due to the diverse population within Deptford, the centre aims to provide sessions, which allow all residents to use the facility. Some sessions are particularly targeted at specific user groups, for example, ‘women only’. Without such sessions being specifically programmed, it is known that numerous customers would not be able to participate in swimming and therefore not benefit in the centre’s facilities.

•Session names:

We try to state the names of the clubs that hire the pool, within any publicity material. Further to feedback, programme names will be adjusted in our next re-print of the programme.

• Early opening:

The London Borough of Lewisham and Parkwood Leisure are currently in discussions as to the possibility of opening the centre from 6.30am on weekdays. We hope to have a decision in the near future.

• What is casual swimming?

Casual swimming is a session that allows any member of the public to swim without the restriction of lanes. This enables both non-swimmers and children to use the 25-metre pool. This session was created at the request of our customers and has proven very popular.

• Club hire:

At present club hire only uses 13% of the total pool programme, providing 87% for a range of alternative swimming pursuits. Club hire is invaluable for providing development of our swimmers who could potentially develop into the swimmers of the future.

*****

Naturally I was delighted to hear about the ongoing discussions with the council about opening the pool much earlier on weekdays. I know for a fact that Parkwood Leisure is very keen on the idea, acknowledging that it is guaranteed to boost the centre's membership numbers. Quite what the sticking points are and why the council is dragging its feet has never been fully explained to me. If anyone can shed light on the matter, please feel free to email me or leave a comment. Clare advised me that although discussions are still continuing, 'we are extremely hopeful of a positive outcome'.

If this could be achieved, it would also go a long way to improving availability for swimmers who live locally but work in London. I'm never going to change my mind about casual swimming sessions and I still think that there are too many exclusive sessions, but making more swimming hours available would be a huge boost.

As far as availability goes, there's very little merit in the response: 'There are four swimming pools within Lewisham and all pool programmes are balanced to ensure that public swimming is available within the borough at any one time'. Deptford is not in the centre of the borough, or even equidistant from several pools - it is stuck out in the north of the borough a long way from most of Lewisham council's facilities. While some people may have the choice between Wavelengths and Ladywell, there is a huge swathe of the catchment area who are closer to Greenwich or Southwark pools than they are to Parkwood's other centres. Offering us public swimming sessions that are miles away is pointless.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that the council pulls its finger out of wherever it is stuck and gets the ball rolling for earlier hours.

New market in Deptford

2009-05-24T11:08:00.003Z

Make a date with the new market that is due to be launched next to the Deptford Project cafe on Saturday 6 June from 10am until 5.30pm. We are promised 'Vintage fashion, arts and crafts, world street food, furniture and bespoke items from local designers.'

Meanwhile, if you haven't been to the Deptford Project cafe for a while, it's worth popping back in to try out the new sofa and the rearranged interior. One of the things that I didn't like about the interior of the carriage was the arrangement of the tables - all in one long row down the centre of the carriage with stools along the side. It meant it was often difficult to get past other customers and their shopping if the only seats free were at the far end, and I'm sure it was a pain for the cafe staff who had to negotiate the set-up carrying plates of food and hot drinks.

Now the tables have been turned by 90 degrees and pushed up against the side of the carriage along one edge, creating smaller, more intimate seating arrangements where you are more likely to get a bit of privacy and which are much easier to negotiate.

The 'piece de resistance' is a new sofa and coffee table at the far end of the carriage to enable a bit of lounging - the sofa is a second-hand item which has been re-covered using a variety of very kitsch tea towels and old fabric. Well worth a visit just to see it!

Cycles UK, 'Greenwich' (Deptford really)

2009-05-22T09:33:00.006Z

I have been somewhat remiss in reviewing the new Cycles UK shop on Creek Road, which opened in March, and the recent review by Sustrans' Bike Belles has prompted me to get my act together.

First off, apologies for the poor photo, which is not particularly representative of what you should see as you approach the shop - as Jane mentions in her review, it usually has racks of bikes outside on the pavement.

Just a bit of background - I would describe myself as a very experienced touring cyclist (yikes, is it really 25 years?!!) and one who now commutes daily by cycle into central London. Although I'm very practical and can do most of my bike maintenance myself, I have never been the sort of person who reads cycle magazines, pores over technical specs, or knows about the latest type of gear shifters/brakes/tyres etc. I'm fairly old-school and low tech in my approach to cycling. That being said, I'm happy to spend money on good quality items and can see the benefit in waterproof panniers, good lights, comfortable clothing etc.

I was delighted to see the arrival of a new cycle shop in the area (technically it's Greenwich borough, but since it's this side of the Creek I will claim it for Deptford!) and since Witcomb's has now deserted Tanner's Hill for a much bigger facility in Wales, I won't feel bad about patronising the newcomer!

To be honest I was never able to give Witcomb's much of my business because they rarely had what I wanted in their restricted stock, but I did use them for occasional spoke replacements/wheel trueing and won't ever forget Barrie digging around in one of the many boxes behind the counter and finding some second-hand old fashioned brake levers for me to fit on my new bike. My fallback for inner tubes, helmets etc was Decathlon - not far on the bike but a bit of a pain when buying awkward items such as new tyres.

I visited the Cycles UK shop shortly after it opened, with nothing more in mind than browsing the shelves and seeing what sort of stock they were carrying. It's a spacious shop with quite a lot of bikes on show, including some lovely Pashley classics, which I would definitely be tempted by if only my bike storage wasn't up two flights of stairs!

As well as lots of wall space carrying a wide range of parts, accessories, tools and clothing, they have some great panniers which overcome the old problem that as waterproof as my panniers are, they don't look great and are not very easy to carry when you are going out in town after work.

I was particularly taken by this model of Basil bag, which can be bought singly or as a pair and each has a webbing strap so that it can be slung over your shoulder messenger-bag stylee.

I found the level of service attentive without being overbearing; during the time I was browsing, almost every member of staff asked if I needed any help, but managed to do so without making me feel like I was under any obligation.

The shop also offers a Tacx trainer which means you can try out different race stages from around the world, and the more practical implication is that beginners or less experience riders get a chance to try out and get used to the bike before going on the road.

If you want to check out the shop (and I recommend you do!) it's open seven days a week and is only about five minutes' walk from Deptford Station, Cutty Sark DLR, and Greenwich overground/DLR (take the side exit from Greenwich station/DLR). Or cycle there of course...

Current opening hours are:
Weekdays 10-7
Saturday 9-6
Sunday 11-5

Art in Deptford

2009-05-20T11:16:00.017Z

Most of Deptford's galleries and art spaces have got new exhibitions starting about now, so if you are looking for something to do over the long weekend and beyond, why not try an art tour of the area?

Throughout the bank holiday weekend there is the chance to get a peek inside the beautifully tiled ground floor of Gallop (198 Deptford High St) to see the exhibition 'Last Orders' by Anna Lincoln. The show is made up of a series of screenprints showing former pubs in Deptford in their new incarnations.

According to the press release; "Last Orders presents a selection of screen prints inspired by Deptford’s historic pubs and deciphers the clues embedded in the buildings that reveal their fascinating history. In doing so the exhibition also draws our attention to the future of Deptford‘s commercial landscape.
The minimal, striking style of Anna Lincoln’s illustration mimics architectural plans and draws inspiration from pub signs, many of which still remain above new shops and businesses in the area.
Supporting work also on show includes a film about local people’s opinion of the changes happening in Deptford, and a photographic installation encouraging people to take a renewed interest in their environments.
Gallop is an unconventional exhibition space, worthy of a visit in its own right: from the outside it appears to be just another shop on the High Street; inside all the walls are covered in tiles located around the UK. The effect is similar to the historic interior of ‘Manzes’ pie shop, just a few doors down, and the practical impact is that all artwork will be suspended from the ceiling."

Anna was also responsible for the 'Deptford Now!' leaflet and recent exhibition at the Albany, which followed a similar theme. The leaflet gives some history to 18 different buildings in Deptford, and urges you to 'look closer at what you know'. I was particularly intrigued to learn that the Shades Snooker & Pool Club used to be the Deptford Mechanics' Institute, and offered a library and weekly lectures to the skilled elite of the town - in 1908 it became Deptford's first cinema, the Electric Cinema.

Anna's show at Gallop runs from 21 to 26 May, every day from 10am till 5pm.

If you get a chance, I also recommend dropping in to the Albany where they have some old music posters on display in the cafe - including one for a performance of the legendary Squeeze. Of course the venue has made it even more worthwhile for you to drop by since it is hosting two free events this weekend - Unplugged at the Albany on Saturday, 12-3, and Brassroots, playing as part of the new Sunday Sessions which kicks off at 3.30pm on Sunday.

The latest cool venue to wash up on the shores of 'Scruffy Deptford' (copyright Daily Mail) is the Old Police Station, which has been taken over by Antony Gross of temporarycontemporary. Take a look at the website and see just amazing the building really is - just down the road from New Cross railway station it is exactly what the name suggests, an old police station! Complete with cells, interview room, booking office and even the former gym - many of them now kitted out to become performance/gallery space, artist studios, a private members club and party space.

As Antony says: "The building is a monolithic 1912 institutional monster laden with an archeology of drug helpline stencils, seizure warning posters, operational room door signs, all mixed with an Edwardian building design - fanlights, bay windows, caramel green tiles - with even some Arts and Craft touches. A heady mix, especially when you enter the heavy holding cells with their intense history. Then there is the process, the old fingerprint room, followed by 'the surgery', the soundproofed and heavy 'audio interview room', then 'photography' for your mug shot and the cells. What is this now used for? Well its our bar and social hang out of course with exhibition in the cells and booths for private views and a whole host of proposals (cabaret and one-on-one theatre performance kind of thing). I can't wait to do some food nights in there if we can - know any good Dim Sum chefs? - anyone want to run a café?"

Just don't get confused and go next door, which is the new police station!

On to a rather more traditional venue, with a new exhibition at the Arch Gallery (Resolution Way, the street of arches which connects Deptford High St and Deptford Church Street down the side of Tomi's Kitchen)
The show is Paul Marks: the butterfly effect
Runs 29 May - 20 June: preview evening 28 May 6 - 9pm

"The butterfly effect is a phrase used to describe changes to the initial conditions of interdependent, complex systems in Chaos Theory. Humans, economic & social structures, nervous systems and climate are all examples of such systems. This term, first made popular by Edward Lorenz in the 1960s relates to the idea that a butterfly's wings could cause small changes in the atmosphere, that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado. The flapping wing causes a small change in the initial condition, the effect of which results in a chain reacion leading to major changes in the system. Paul Marks continues to explore the notion of interdependence in his work with this new body of drawings. Each drawing is composed from hundreds of free-hand lines, drawn directly onto a painted canvas. Each line is influenced by the previous one and therefore has an effect on the next. Each line is unique with individual properties, but clearly cannot exist on its own. These drawings, that all start with a single straight line, gradually evolve into wildly exaggerated forms. Mark’s drawings are often interpreted in one of several ways. As contour maps, cell structures and bodily crevices. Some appear overtly sexual, others, like a meandering flow of air, smoke or water. There is though, an other-worldly quality about these new drawings, like alien organic forms or lunar landscapes. These ‘specimens’, collected for examination and magnified for our scrutiny, entice with a curious seductiveness that is quite compelling."
There's an interesting promo clip on You Tube here.
ARCH gallery, 15 Resolution Way, Deptford, London SE8 4NT

The APT Gallery on Creekside is showing the first exhibition in the Creekside Open 2009 (works selected by Jenni Lomax) until Sunday 24 May, Thursday to Sunday 12-5pm. The second exhibition (works selected by Mark Wallinger) will be on show 4-21 June, Thurs to Sunday 12-5pm.

Other local art and craft places to keep an eye on, of course, are:
Utrophia on Tanner's Hill, which hosts an evening of paintings and performance by Tim Spooner on Friday 22 May.
Although the Bear Cafe is closed for the summer, the Bearspace Gallery is still open and has a new show starting on 29 May, with work by Lisa Slominski and Sally Spinks.
Creekside Artists
Corblimey Arts on Creekside
Cockpit Arts (next main event is the open studios June 19-21)
Lewisham Art House on Lewisham Vale (gallery, studios and lots of workshops available). Next exhibition starts on 27 May.

Meanwhile I was lucky enough to see an old shop sign uncovered on Deptford High Street today: the shop between the dry cleaners and Iceland, which is in the process of being renovated.

Here it is, on show for one day only: (click to make it bigger)

Please feel free to add your suggestions of other arty venues I might have missed in the comments box, or if you remember the place with the 'latest pin tables', share your memories!

We are the best!

2009-05-08T11:48:00.004Z

Gosh, I seem to be listed in Time Out as one of London's best bloggers! And in very good company, I hasten to add! A shout out to my fellow SE bloggers - Brockley Central, the Phantom, Darryl at 853, Neil at Transpontine, and the Bugle (links on the left along with quite a few more - Caroline should definitely be on the TO list in my opinion!)

For once, Time Out gets it right, asking whether the fertility of the blogosphere in this part of the world is a result of the fact that SE London is usually ignored by the mainstream media. Time Out has long been an offender in this regard, and I see the policy still continues, even when they are trying to convince readers that south London sucks!

Crime mapping

2009-05-08T09:22:00.005Z

A lot of the responses to the recent hoohah about Deptford have involved comments about what a crime-ridden area it is. Certainly recent events have lent some weight to this argument; the appalling details from the trials of the men who killed two students in New Cross are still fresh in many peoples' minds, and the death of another teenage stab victim yesterday just a few streets away from the station would surely back up the Daily Mail's case. (Before we start, let's get one thing clear though - wearing a jacket with the hood up is NOT a crime, or it wasn't last time I checked, nor does it make you automatically a criminal.)

But if like me you prefer to see the evidence rather than believe everything you read in the papers, you might be interested to check out the Metropolitan Police's Crime Mapping service.

Input your postcode and you can find out how your area rates in comparison with other London boroughs - whether crime rates in your area are average, or higher or lower than the rest of London. Click on the map to get information for each ward about the actual number of incidents, the figures from the previous months, and trends for the month or the year.

I've discovered that in March 2009, the overall crime rate in Evelyn ward (north of the railway line and all the way up to the river, the 'dreaded' Pepys estate and all) was up slightly on February's figures, but still average by London standards. The area south of the railway line, up to New Cross road was above average.

The overall figures can also be broken down further, revealing that although 'violence against the person' is above average for my ward, and high for a neighbouring New Cross ward, 'most serious violence against the person' is only average in most of Deptford, although above average in parts of Rotherhithe and high in Lewisham town centre.

We did not do so well in 'personal robbery'. In March the ward's figures were high by London standards, although surprisingly many of the surrounding wards scored 'low or no crime'. Business robbery was also high - although to be fair, the figures recorded a single incident in the month, showing the rating system to be a rather blunt tool on this occasion.

Residential burglary is also average or low in many parts of Deptford, while many neighbouring Greenwich wards are above average or high. 'Other burglary' ranges from low or no crime (Evelyn) to high (High Street towards New Cross).

The information on trends shows that although February and March of this year recorded a rise in crime compared to January of this year, they show a reduction on the number of crimes at the same time last year. Even personal robbery figures show a decline over the last few years.

Ultimately of course it's possible to pick out whichever statistics suit your argument and ignore the rest - but having this information available at least enables readers to get statistics about crime rates in the area they live in, and make up their own minds about whether or not they want to come here.

Deptford: no place for the faint-hearted

2009-04-28T14:10:00.003Z

Deptford Park

The Laban Centre

Bear Cafe & art gallery

The Deptford Project

St Paul's Church

Deptford X 2009

2009-04-27T13:02:00.002Z

Start planning now for Deptford X 2009, which will be held between 25 September to 4 October.

The schedule for submissions is as follows:
8 June: Guidelines & application forms available
19 June: Deadline for applications
3 July: Projects selected

More information is available on the website or you can send an email to matthew at deptfordx.org (replace 'at' with @ of course).

Need a reminder about last year's events? See here and here.

Deptford in the news again

2009-04-27T12:43:00.008Z

The Daily Mail has followed up the story by the New York Times with a typically balanced article about 'Scruffy Deptford', the 'crime-plagued UK district'.

It seems the photographer timed a visit for a Saturday afternoon at about 6pm, when the market stalls had gone but the dustbin lorries had not yet arrived, and the reporter picked quotes from locals who don't enjoy living here. I also suspect that Heidi said a lot more than she is quoted with, and that they only picked out something that could be described as vaguely negative.

This kind of lazy reporting doesn't really surprise me from the Daily Mail - and to be honest, the more they dissuade their readers from coming here, the better!

*Later Monday evening
Hmm, the comments on the Daily Mail story have now been disabled and the headline changed to remove the reference to 'Scruffy' Deptford. It will be sad if my comment ('You're right, it's a terrible place. I recommend all Daily Mail readers to steer well clear of it.) never sees the light of day.

Don't worry - if you would like to respond to the Daily Mail about this story I recommend you do so here.

*Tuesday morning
Gosh, the story has been rewritten yet again! Those online staff must be short of work. Comments are back on. And as Caroline points out in the comments, the photo of the high street was nicked from Flickr with no credit for the photographer Celie.

*Even later on Tuesday
Watch out for further media coverage. I just saw a film crew in Giffin Square. Sigh.

Wavelengths pool: access analysis

2009-04-13T08:05:00.007Z

As a regular swimmer at the Wavelengths training pool, I am often frustrated by the restrictions placed on access to the pool. These range from the late weekday opening hours to the fact that the pool is often unavailable because it is being used by school groups, or that public users have to share it with swimming clubs or lessons.

When the pool first opened it was difficult to get hold of details of these restrictions, but requests to the management team resulted in the timetable shown above being made available on the Parkwood Leisure site as a pdf (or you can click on the picture for a bigger and more legible version).

As a matter of curiosity, I decided to do some analysis of the hours available to swimmers in the borough, and came up with some interesting results.

The first thing to notice from the timetable is how complicated it is and how many different sessions there are, some of which seem indistinguishable from others.

For instance, what is the difference between 'private hire', 'club hire' and 'Saxon Crown'? To the public swimmer they mean the same thing: 'not you'.

Why the need for so many sessions that exclude others? I'm talking about 'ladies only', 'men only', 'adults only', '50+ swim'.

And from a purely personal viewpoint, why so few hours for anyone who lives in the area but does not work in the area?

I have created a pie chart showing the division between public use of the pool and private use of the pool (including school hours). [For each one-hour session that is shared between for example Saxon Crown and 'lane swimming', I have assumed that half the pool is given over to each, and have allocated half an hour to each. This may not be totally accurate; I don't know if this is the case in all shared sessions, but it is the case in my experience.] Restricted hours refer to public sessions such as 'ladies only', 'men only' which may be available to you depending on your sex/age etc.

So what is available to those of us who live in the borough, contribute to council tax, but work elsewhere?

Assuming that you work a standard 9am - 5.30pm day, and hence have to leave before 8am to get to work and don't get home until about 6.30pm (trains willing), what swimming opportunities do you have?

Here we see a division of the sexes; in this case, women come off better than men! 'Ladies only' is a very generous three-hour session on a Tuesday night, while 'men only' is squeezed into one and a half hours on Sunday lunchtime.

To give a fair illustration I've made up these pie charts based on the hours available to this particular user group - 29.5 hours in total.

This shows that as a sector of the community we are very poorly served indeed, being able to use the pool for just HALF the time it is available to us outside of our working and travel hours (and assuming that we are happy to swim during the 'casual swim' on Saturday morning, which I am guessing means 'no lanes').

A few things for consideration - please feel free to offer any response or add your own opinions in the comments box:

- we were promised that the council was looking into earlier opening hours to address just this problem and to try to attract new members. There seems to have been no progress on this as yet, for reasons that have not been explained.

- 'training pool' is a bit of a misnomer; 'fitness pool' would be better. We are not all Olympic hopefuls; some of us just use swimming as our main form of exercise and need the opportunity to swim up and down the pool at our own speed for half an hour or so without interruption, two or three times a week. We'd like to be able to slot this around our work and home lives with as much flexibility as possible.

- why so many restricted sessions? And why the need for 'casual swimming' sessions? Isn't that what the Leisure Pool is for?

- club hire undoubtedly brings in valuable revenue, but it severely restricts the hours available to potential (paying) members too. I do not bother to take out membership since the hours available for me to use the training pool are so few.

Famous around the world

2009-03-24T13:49:00.003Z

Thanks to Caroline for pointing me to this article about Deptford in the New York Times.

I can't believe the only shop they thought worthy of a mention on the high street was Goddard's!

And as for the photo....

Ha'penny Hatch artists

2009-03-18T13:23:00.005Z

It's worth taking a walk down to the Ha'penny Hatch footbridge not only for the view of the Creek and the chance to sneak up on a heron paddling in the shallow waters, but also to see the latest offerings in the arches. For too long these white-painted spaces have attracted nothing but ugly spray-painted tags and the scrawlings of illiterates.

It's a delight to see that they are now adorned by something worth of the graceful curve of the bricks and the inviting whiteness of the paint.

Panic on the streets of Deptford by Suffoca

Fuzon groan'd on the tree (inspired by William Blake's mythology) by Riccardo Attanasio (Matlakas)

And a second one by Matlakas, my personal favourite. The marine and nautical references are perfect for the location.

New bike shop on Creek Road

2009-03-16T13:32:00.003Z

The long-awaited opening of a new branch of Cycles UK in Deptford has been confirmed for Saturday 4 April.

The Dame first mentioned this way back in October; it has taken till now for the shop to finally start getting fitted out.

I'll be reporting back with a full review once it is open - cycle supplies/repairs being a central part of the Dame's commuting life - until then you can see what is happening by checking out the shop's blog.

An alternative view

2009-03-12T20:35:00.002Z

Andrew Gilligan has written a column in praise of Deptford. If you are interested in what he thinks of our quaint little community, you can find it here.