East Greenwich & Peninsula History Map launched

A new map charting the history of East Greenwich and the Greenwich Peninsula was launched on Wednesday night at the Cutty Sark Tavern in Ballast Quay

The project, which tries to “connect the past with the present”, has been a six year labour of love for editor of the map and professional storyteller, Rich Sylvester.

After getting the “fever” for local history, Sylvester came up with the idea, originally titled Peninsula Stories, in 2004. Since then, he has worked with local residents, schools, researchers, designer Luke Eastop, and historians such as Dr Mary Mills, to complete the first edition of the map.

It’s an ambitious attempt to bring together an overview of over 1000 years of local history in a pocket sized document.

The map plots historical sites of note across the familiar shape of East Greenwich and the Peninsula, and features a time line of important events. The reverse of the map has background information, pictures and stories in nine categories: People, Transport, Leisure, Ships & Barges, Industry, War, Buildings, Art & Memorial and Wildlife.

In an entertaining speech to invited guests, Rich said that whilst the area  adapted to new titles like “North Greenwich” and “City Peninsula”, it was important to look back at names from the past such as the Greenwich Marsh and the  South Metropolitan Gas Company.

Rich told Greenwich.co.uk how the project was first inspired by the discovery of a coconut:

I liked coming down to the beaches expecting driftwood. I was very obsessively into driftwood and I realised after a while I had a bit of a problem with driftwood. I was waiting until my partner was watching Corrie at night and then sneaking in with this huge box of timber.

I got that under control by starting to focus on smaller stuff on the beaches and some of the smaller stuff were things like coconuts which kind of led me to enquire “why is this here and how did it get here?”

That led me into Lewisham and Greenwich local history libraries, and in the libraries, as opposed to the foreshore, suddenly I’m in a much deeper kind of trouble because I’ve really got the fever in terms of local history and this map – six years later – is one of the outcomes.

2000 copies of the map, which received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, have been produced initially and they are available free of charge from Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, Greenwich Communication Centre (164 Trafalgar Road) and Warwick Leadlay Gallery at Greenwich Market.

There will be opportunities to “walk the map” towards the end of July, and Rich Sylvester can be booked for guided story walks. Keep an eye on the website for more information.

Map editor, Rich Sylvester.

You can listen to some of Rich’s comments at the launch of the map. He begins in this clip by describing how school children interviewed local residents and workers.

A coconut – a symbol of where Rich’s inspiration came from.

Daily Photo: 29/06/2010 – St Alfege Church Tower

The tower of St Alfege church in Greenwich looks a little different here with a covering in place for renovation work to take place. The church tower looks rather more like a giant ice lolly – or am I hallucinating in this hot weather?

Daily Photo: 28/06/2010 – Azamara Journey

Nick Davison from the University of Greenwich kindly sent me this photo the Azamara Journey which he took as it passed Greenwich at the beginning of the month.

Theatre Review: The Tempest, Greenwich Park

If you’ll forgive the pun, ‘The Tempest’ takes the Observatory Gardens, in Greenwich Park, by storm. The Oxford Shakespeare Company use the space more creatively than other groups that have visited the gardens in the past and they tell the story with admirable clarity. The text is cut down to an hour and a half, which may seem over hasty, and certainly there is little room for fully rounded characters to emerge, but the shortened version allows for a constantly energetic and captivating telling of the story – and all before the park gates are locked.

In director Mick Gordon’s production the audience is set in a circle, ringed by flaming torches. The idea that that we form the boundary of the island is a strong one, and is emphasised when Miranda appears in a huge wedding dress with a flowing train that circles the stage, forming a pink beach.

The ensemble is small for a play with such a vast range of parts, but the doubling is handled with considerable ingenuity and wit. Caliban doubles with Ferdinand, which makes for a very interesting dynamic, allowing the animal side of Ferdinand to emerge and creating a more human portrayal of Caliban.

Michael Hadley and Sophie Franklin in The Tempest

At the heart of the production is a fine performance by Michael Hadley as Prospero. The proximity of the seating allows the audience to get exceptionally close to the action, and that helps us see the tension that flows through Prospero when, for instance, he confronts his errant brother at the end of the play. The clarity of Hadley’s verse speaking sets a high standard for the rest of the cast and, for the most part, they match him in all aspects.

Miranda, played by Sophie Franklin, is of particular note; she conveys an excellent urchin-like quality, full of mischief and wonder. The moment when the scales fall from her eyes and she discovers that the world is populated by men is very effective.

The costumes, created by Adrian Lillie, are colourful and creative evoking a sense of faded Edwardian grandeur. The actors jump in and out of them throughout the play fully within the audience’s sight – often with seconds to spare before they emerge on stage, a formidable technical challenge. Nicholas Lloyd Webber (yes he is a relation) has composed an exciting score. His percussive musical accompaniment to the tempest itself, hammered out on a vast copper cone dominating the stage, is as arresting a sound as it is a visual image.

There are elements of the play that seem unnecessarily complicated, including accents that I think were meant to clarify the doubling, but didn’t. There are also some arguable decisions regarding moments of clowning, it might just be me but I felt the gag of having Sebastian in snorkel and flippers outlived its comic potential pretty quickly and introduced an awkwardly contemporary feel to the costumes.

If you are looking for a highly nuanced production that fully explores ‘The Tempest’ I would head for the Bridge Project at the Old Vic. If, however, you are prepared for a high velocity telling of the story in a fantastic setting, possibly with a child or two in tow, then Greenwich Park is the place to be.

The play runs in the Observatory Garden, Greenwich Royal Park, Monday 21st– Friday 25th June, Tuesday 29th June – Friday 2nd July, 7pm, and Sat 3rd at 6pm. Booking through the Pleasance Theatre box office www.pleasance.co.uk 020 7609 1800.

Council to exhibit town centre proposals

A special exhibition beginning this weekend will give local people the chance to get a closer look at proposed changes for Greenwich town centre.

Greenwich Council is asking for the views of residents and businesses on two schemes – the revamping of Cutty Sark Gardens and the part-pedestrianisation of the town centre.

The revised pedestrianisation proposal has been arrived at following an earlier consultation held last December. The headline features of the pedestrianisation are:

• One-way clockwise gyratory on Creek Road, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich High Road (east of Greenwich South Street) and Norman Road.
• Greenwich High Road west of Greenwich South Street will remain two-way.

The exhibition will be held at Devonport House in King William Walk on the 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th of June between 10am – 8pm.

Daily Photo: 22/06/2010 – Pistachios in the Park

I took this photo of Aysin and Lizzie at Pistachios in the Park in East Greenwich Pleasaunce earlier today.

Aysin and his family started the orginal Pistachios coffee shop in Greenwich, and he is now the operations manager for the Pistachios in the Park franchises. I was pleased to read on Brockley Central that Pistachios are interested an opening a franchise in Hilly Fields, which would be good news for anyone that uses that park.

Lizzie runs the successful East Greenwich Pleasaunce franchise and here’s a salad she made today that she was particularly proud of.

Lost art in Stockwell Street

I noticed the other day that the annexe of 4 Stockwell Street has been demolished as part of the work being undertaken by the University of Greenwich.

I had an office in there a few years ago back and after doing some work for a local artist, I commissioned some work from him in lieu of payment. He did an original piece directly onto the partition wall, which I assume has now been lost to the bulldozers – if the office occupant after me didn’t paint over it in disgust!

So here’s the piece (which was loosely inspired by the work of Mondrian), preserved for all time by way of a webcam as he did the work.

Roller Disco 2010 at the O2

Roller Disco 2010 runs at the O2 arena in North Greenwich until the end of August.

The impressive roller skating rink is the biggest in London, allowing 350 skaters to dance on wheels to the sounds of the latest music from the charts as well as classic disco numbers.

The Roller Disco is great for a family day out, or for making it a night to remember, as Shalamar might have put it.

Daily Opening Times

Monday to Thursday: 12pm – 8pm
Friday: 12pm – 11pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10am – 11pm

Click here for more information or to buy tickets for the O2′s Roller Disco

Greenwich.co.uk launches new forum

A new forum has gone live on the Greenwich.co.uk website.

The Greenwich forum is designed to encourage discussion and debate in Greenwich. Commenters on Greenwich.co.uk have thus far been limited to conversations in reply to posts on the Greenwich.co.uk website, but now anyone can start their own discussion on the topic of their choosing.

Got a bee in your bonnet about bin collections? Trying to find a recommended tradesman to get a job done? Need to sell or “freecycle” a piece of furniture? The Greenwich.co.uk forum is your place for all that and more.

Click here to visit the Greenwich.co.uk forum. Before you can post, you need to register for an account.

Advertising and commercial messages are not allowed in the forum.

Win a Greenwich Monopoly Set

Last year, with the help of Greenwich.co.uk readers, we designed and made a Greenwich Monopoly set. The special edition was manufactured at the main Monopoly factory. To help kick start the new forum, we’re giving away another one of these very special sets, which will be only the third time it has ever been made (we did a second competition late last year).

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, all you need to do is register on the Greenwich.co.uk forum and post at least one Greenwich-related message – either as a new topic or a reply to another post. The closing date is midnight on Sunday 27th June.

A winner will be chosen at random from all user accounts that have posted at least one Greenwich related message.

Greenwich.co.uk Guide To… Local Tennis Courts

Whilst the England team falters at the World Cup in South Africa, sports fans may instead find something to cheer at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships which gets under way this afternoon. If the fortnight-long tennis tournament – which organisers promise will be vuvuzela free – inspires you to pick up a racquet, here’s our guide to local tennis courts and facilities.

Greenwich Park, Greenwich SE10
Greenwich Park has six tennis courts (and a hut) at the rather grand sounding Greenwich Park Tennis Centre. The courts are perfectly adequate, but at £9 per hour for adults at peak time, they are probably the most expensive pay and play courts in the area – the price is probably justified by location rather than facilities on offer.

Ranger’s Courts, Chesterfield Walk, SE10
These three courts, behind Chesterfield Walk, are in the grounds of the Ranger’s House and are leased to Greenwich Council. The courts are attractive and pleasant to play on. Each individual court is fenced off so you’ll spend less time chasing after stray balls, and they have a nice secluded feel because of the high wall that runs around the perimeter. Courts should be booked in advance by calling 020 8858 1692 and the cost of playing is £7.30 per hour.

Eltham Park South, Glenesk Road, SE9
There’s four good tennis courts on a macadam surface which is well marked out. There’s also two table tennis courts and a cafe just next to the courts if you have time to spare after your match. For part of the week, the courts are used by the Greenwich City Tennis Club. There’s a number of grass courts which are made ready for the Summer, too. It’s a nice idea to have some grass courts but I tried them recently, and even when they were freshly prepared, they weren’t good enough to play a proper match on but they are probably fun for a knockabout and the surface is less taxing on your knees.

Maryon Park, SE7
Maryon Park in Charlton has two macadam surface tennis courts. I’ve yet to go and try these ones myself but they’re definitely on my to-do list.

Plumstead Common, Se18
Four nicely surfaced courts which are free to use at Plumstead Common. The courts are, unfortunately, on an ever-so-slightly noticeable slope and the run off area between a couple of the courts seems a little on the slim side but these are good local courts which get well used.

Hornfair Park, SE18
I played here once recently and don’t plan to return any time soon. A bout of rain a day or so before I played had created something of a muddy bog – not unlike the Bog of Eternal Stench in Labyrinth, in fact – in one corner from which it took a brave soul to try to retrieve a ball. There was dog’s mess and moss on the courts and my tennis partner got scratched on the face by a bit of stray wire hanging off the gate which had been used to make an ad-hoc latch.

If rain halts play, it’s worth knowing that there’s some pretty smart indoor courts available to the public over at Bromley Lawn Tennis Club which is just outside the town centre.

As well as these public courts, there’s also plenty of clubs in the area to consider such as Shooters Hill LTC in Eaglesfield Road and the Open Door Tennis Club in Kidbrooke Grove. If you want to find hitting partners without joining a club, check out the London Tennis website which lets you find players near you at a similar standard for league or friendly matches.

Last updated: 04/07/2011

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