Peckham town centre historic restorations

[PeckhamRose]

Oops, sorry I didn't make it smaller first! There'll be complaints about the use of the bandwidth...

[Jeremy]

You can always edit the post, PeckhamRose!!

You do have to wonder how things like this were ever allowed to happen:

[PeckhamRose]

It's great to see the detail.

[DJKillaQueen]

The roof of the old station looks amazing.

[dbboy]

I can only praise Peckham Vision for the work they are doing to restore the station to its former greatness. Keep up the good work. I will try to get a long on 14th March for the exhibition.

In its heyday the pavements of Rye Lane used to be four deep with people busily shopping. IMO the reason Rye Lane has changed so much is the rents being charged by landlords. The shop owners open all hours to try and make a living. Like it or not everything changes and nothing stays the same. It is surprising how high house prices are in the area.

[Huggers]

I live off Bellenden road and love it. I already use Barstory and local pubs so I would use the new station square. It can be a relief from getting your shins bashed by bugaboos in lordship lane. For those who mock Peckham, look at Hackney. Even the shithole bits like Lower Clapton that in the eightees you wouldnt deign to walk down without a bodyguard are now denizens of charm without the fantastic transport links of Peckham. Yup, Rye Lane is a bit of a mess, but so was Ridley Road.

and we like pigs.

[jimmyraj]

I think it's fantastic and great news for anyone who lives near or uses the station. Don't think anyone's suggesting Rye Lane is going to become Lordship Lane, nor should it be, but the opening up of the station square should at least reverse some of the bonkers planning / architectural decisions of second half of the last century!

[Eileen]

http://www.peckhamvision.org/wiki/images/2/20/10.06_Peckham-Rye-Waiting-Room-05_small.jpg

Here is a photo of the Old Waiting Room above the ticket hall at Peckham Rye station. It was bricked up for possibly 60 years until we managed to persuade the Council it would be safe to unbrick the windows and put the glass back in. That opened the way to a smallish CGS grant in 2008. We had a good idea that once we started letting everyone see what was hidden behind the grime and in the shadow, revealing the historic spaces and the beauty of the fabric, it would make other things move. So it has. We got the Royal Court to the Bussey building in Peckham last year because they spotted the Old Waiting Room. When they couldn't have that we managed to persuade them the Bussey would do as well. Since then more theatre productions have found their way to the Bussey. Just the start. One thing can lead to another.

Come to the meeting on 14th March to find out where we have got to and where we are going. We need community support to show this needs to continue as a community led project.

[Eileen]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> I seem to remember the old waiting room from back

> in the mid 50's

> Old Fox

Hi Old Fox - can you recall if it looked like what it does now - see the photo above? We'd be very interested in your memories if you can tell us about them. And also if you remember it being closed down and bricked up, and what people might have thought about that?

[Townleygreen]

That photo of the Waiting Room is incredible - it is so BIG - just wow. Who would brick this up?

[Huggers]

I have just discovered the Bussey! What an amazing space. I had no idea it had a theatre space and a cafe! If the Waiting Room was used for theatre it would be wonderful.

Ive just found the old spike too! I had glimpsed it through the hoardings on Consort Road but had no idea it was actually on a proper road and accessable- now developed into flats- such an awesome building completely unknown to me during its 'alternative arts' incarnation as a squat, even though I'd lived within a mile of it for ten years.

Peckham also has the oldest/longest surviving high street of original buildings in London as the English Heritage paper records in great detail. On Peckham High Street, seeing a chippy/loan shop topped by two topsy turvy seventeenth century houses is a sight for sore eyes. ANywhere else it would be listed, restored, protected.

[DJKillaQueen]

The view from the top of the Bussey is great too. Thank goodness Mayor Ken never got his folly tram scheme going as Southwark and then leader Nick Stanton had decided it would all be better flattened for a a massive martialing yard.

[Eileen]

Huggers Wrote:

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> Ive just found the old spike too! I had glimpsed

> it through the hoardings on Consort Road but had

> no idea it was actually on a proper road and

> accessable- now developed into flats- such an

> awesome building completely unknown to me during

> its 'alternative arts' incarnation as a squat,

> even though I'd lived within a mile of it for ten

> years.

>

Hi Huggers - I agree it is a fantastic building accessible from the north end of Gordon Road, beside the railway line. But when you say *its 'alternative arts' incarnation as a squat* do you mean a squat in those large original workhouse buildings that you have seen off Gordon Road, or the recent Spike Surplus Scheme of the last 10-15 years which was evicted just 3 years ago?

The Spike Surplus Scheme was on the small piece of land between the railway lines which is adjacent to and was part of the old original Spike. It is accessed through the gates between the railway lines on Consort Road. Spike Surplus were evicted because the Council said they wanted to sell the land for housing. The last time I looked it seemed to be a lorry park or some such use. The whole sad saga was an example of bureaucratic myopia missing the real value of what was happening there.

[Huggers]

aha Eileen! Now I see my confusion. I had glimpsed 'the spike' surplus scheme with the workhouse behind it and thought they were the same and had access though those gates onto the railway line. Has the workhouse building always been flats then?

[Eileen]

Huggers Wrote:

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> aha Eileen! Now I see my confusion. I had glimpsed

> 'the spike' surplus scheme with the workhouse

> behind it and thought they were the same and had

> access though those gates onto the railway line.

> Has the workhouse building always been flats

> then?

Hi Huggers - The workhouse closed as a hostel for the homeless some time in the 1970s/80s. It was then converted into housing after that. I don't know exactly when.

[Eileen]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> I think it would be wonderful.

>

> On a selfish aside, where will my dentist be

> going? (It's the one right opposite the present

> entrance)

Hi Peckhamgatecrasher - The whole process hasn't really started yet. We hope that the Council will develop a clear and sensitive way to support all the businesses in that immediate area as there will be uncertainties until the plans are settled. Can you come to the meeting and raise this very relevant question? That will be a good way to show there is a community demand for clear and sensitive action for the businesses and their customers.

[Eileen]

Otta Wrote:

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> Beautiful as it is, do you reckon anyone will

> actually bother using it once it's done? Serious

> question, as I just can't really see myself

> bothering, so have to wonder if it's a bit of a

> waste of money.

We have had hosts of requests and suggestions to use the space for a wide variety of activities. We are developing a business plan for a community company to get a lease from Network Rail. This is a long way off yet as substantial work still needs to be done to complete the restoration. So there is still time to develop the ideas. Our focus for the moment is to wend our way through all the byzantine proccesses to get the space physically restored and accessible from the forecourt without going through the station. We are still working to try to achieve that stage for this summer for some initial temporary use during the Cultural Olympiad.

The next step towards this will be the unbricking of the windows on the ground floor in the tower in the forecourt, to the left of the door into the ticket hall. This will start we hope in the next few weeks, and will reveal the original staircase - see below, and here and here for pictures. This needs cleaning up but is in generally good condition. It needs to be extended by half a flight to bring it into the south east corner of the Old Waiting Room. This is more substantial work. However all permissions have now been granted for this so it will begin sometime soonish. The latest on progress will be reported at the meeting on 14th March.

http://www.peckhamvision.org/wiki/images/2/28/1._Peckham-Rye-Stairwell-13_600.jpg

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Thanks Eileen. I will try and come. I think what you are doing is fantastic.

[Eileen]

Huggers Wrote:

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> I have just discovered the Bussey! What an amazing

> space. I had no idea it had a theatre space and a

> cafe!

The Bussey building is huge. See the picture below, and other pictures here (scroll to end of page). It already has over 60 artists studios, as well as the CLF Art Cafe now on three floors, and another theatre company The Last Refuge just taking up a couple of spaces in the Bussey building and next door on the Copeland site between the Son Gallery and the Hannah Barry Gallery (the one storey buildings in front of the Bussey in the picture). There are a number of other embryonic projects developing. This is a commercial space so there is a turnover on the site, and a lot of potential space to accommodate new ventures.

http://www.peckhamvision.org/wiki/images/thumb/9/90/Bussey_Building_from_south.jpg/450px-Bussey_Building_from_south.jpg

[ibilly99]

Townleygreen Wrote:

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> That photo of the Waiting Room is incredible - it

> is so BIG - just wow. Who would brick this up?

The same generation who destroyed the old Euston station....

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/09/24/article-1215583-068FFD8D000005DC-990_634x393.jpg

[Eileen]

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

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> The view from the top of the Bussey is great too.

Yes it is a great view. It is two floors higher than the multi storey car park so even better than the excellent view from there during the summer Bold Tendencies exhibition and Frank?s caf?. Since we started campaigning in 2006 to save the whole site from demolition, to be locked up as a secure transport depot, we have had some enjoyable and memorable events in the summer on the roof. Here below is a picture from one of the earliest in 2007, and more here and here

http://www.peckhamvision.org/wiki/images/thumb/4/40/CLF_Weekender%2C_Aug_07_3.jpg/400px-CLF_Weekender%2C_Aug_07_3.jpg

[ibilly99]

Some of us remember the Richard Roger's vision for Peckham back in 1990 which was going to transform the area http://www.cnplus.co.uk/news/16feb90-uk-flaxyard-submits-peckham-pomp-proposals/1689408.article

[ontheedge]

Fantastic work you're doing,it has been sad to see some buildings go in my time in the area such as Austins &The Heaton Arms which I always thought was a beautiful building.

[Eileen]

ontheedge Wrote:

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> Fantastic work you're doing,it has been sad to see

> some buildings go in my time in the area such as

> Austins &The Heaton Arms which I always thought

> was a beautiful building.

yes I agree on these two. I really miss Austin's - my house is full of furniture from there in the 1970s. It was such a treat to go in every time, climbing higher after wandering through each floor, getting nearer the ones I could afford at the top, everything always so interesting! If it had remained just a few more years it probably would have done a roaring trade with the changed demographics in this whole area.

[skyblue]

Eileen you are doing amazing things. Did you read that the new York times has said Peckham is London's 'cool kid hide out'. The piece in last Fridays evening standard about shoreditch mentioned Peckham too. Rye lane is in need of a rework- the train station square should help massively and the east london line will too ( as an aside I think that the number of bookmakers in any area should be limited. The hope pub on rye lane turning into a bookies was terrible.)