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The Battersea SocietyNewsletter Winter 2008

Registered Charity no:1103560

Wandsworth Council’sinitial public consultationperiod for the planningapplications relating to theredevelopment of ClaphamJunction ended in lateNovember. More detailcan be found on Council’sPlanning register underapplication 2008/4488, butthe scheme essentiallyconsists of variousimprovements to thestation, creating newstation buildings on StJohn’s Hill and GrantRoad, and a newshopping, residential andbusiness centre, includingtwo 42 storey towerblocks, with 556residential units.

These two towers havecaused the mostcontroversy, and are the subject ofmost of the very large numbers ofobjections on the council’s website. InMay this year, the Battersea Societyexpressed concern about these twotowers in a submission to the councilfollowing the initial publication of theplans, and have repeated that concernin their official objection to theplanning application: “Not only arethey much higher than any existingbuilding in the borough, they are madeeven more dominant by their overallbulk.” Because of their size theywould have an unwelcome visualimpact on the Clapham JunctionConservation Area, and on many otherparts of Battersea.

It should be possible to provide asimilar level of accommodation in adifferent less visually intrusive way,and it is any case completelyunacceptable that both council andLondon-wide policies are beingignored by the developers’ failure toinclude any affordable housing in thescheme.

While there is some support on thecouncil’s site from those beleagueredcommuters who are desperate to seeany improvement to the station, in theBattersea Society’s view this plandoes not adequately address theserious difficulties of poor access andoften severely congested platforms.These problems can only get worsewith the likely extension of the EastLondon Line to Clapham Junction, andreceive no attention from theseproposals. And the plan almostentirely disregards the vital role of thestation as a major interchangebetween train and bus, offering noimprovements to the army of bususers who arrive at and leave ClaphamJunction every day.

The present shopping centre at thejunction of St Johns Road, LavenderHill and St John’s Hill is – afterBattersea Square – the oldest spacein Battersea, appearing in its presentshape on maps as far back as 1745.It could not fail to be badly affected by

Storm Gathers Over Clapham Junction‘Twin Towers’ development.

this development, which in effect turnsits back on St John’s Hill, cuttingthrough existing street patterns, andtaking business away.

Local residents believe that theconsultation process has been undulyrushed. The Battersea Society takesthe view that Wandsworth Councilshould meet those, and many other,concerns by holding a public meetingbefore any decision is taken on thevarious planning applications involvedand has written to council leaderEdward Lister suggesting this. Failingthis, the Society plans to organizesuch a meeting, and if necessary thiswill be held on Friday 9 January 2006at the Battersea Arts Centre. Furtherpublicity and information will beavailable nearer the date.

In the meantime anyone wishing tocomment on these proposals can goto our new website messageboard atwww.batterseasociety.org.uk/viewpoint

Mike Roden

Architects visualisation of the new Clapham Junction development

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Editorial

A LOOK AT LIFEThe Man On The Battersea Omnibus.

Jenny Sheridannewsletter@batterseasociety.org.uk

020 7350 2749

So – we’re all doomed, according tothe papers, as the jaws of therecession start to bite. Well, as Iobserved last time, we’ve all been herebefore, and our own civilisation is noless vulnerable than any that havecome before. A highlight of our recentholiday in Egypt was a hot air balloonflight over the Valley of the Kings as thesun rose over the Nile. Any concernsabout my own mortality were forgottenas I considered the ephemeral nature ofglory. Far below our fragile craft I couldsee the shattered statue - two vast andtrunkless legs of stone - which inspiredShelley to write Ozymandias: “Look onmy works, ye mighty, and despair…”Perhaps Gordon Brown should havethat chiselled on his office door.

I share the view of our esteemedchairman that a day in which nothingnew is learned has probably beenwasted. In that spirit I always accept acopy of the London Lite freenewspaper. Now it is even thrust intoyour hand outside Debenhams! What isa curse to many is a boon to me as Isettle down on the 170 bus and turn tothe pages chronicling the antics of ouryounger celebrities, stumbling in and

out of taxis and night clubs in variousstates of undress and inebriation. Idon’t know who these people are, orwhether they even really exist outsidethe fevered imagination of PRcompanies, but I know their names –Lilo and Peaches and Trixi Fou Fou –and one day that will be of some use tome.

Such collected crumbs ofinformation enabled our band of bravevolunteers (Batsoc Academicals, noless) to come sixth in the recent SW11Literary Festival Quiz, in a large andcompetitive field, and of courseexplains why one of our numbershowed such a disturbing familiaritywith the works of Jackie Collins.

Enjoyed a fascinating Society visit tothe Royal College of Music’s Museumof Instruments the other day, where theassistant curator played some of theantique harpsichords and pianos for us.We were all rather cramped in a smallspace, and some of the shortermembers of our party, or those whowere hard of hearing found it hard to getclose enough to enjoy the experienceto the full. Next time you’re in such agathering look round to see whether

you may be blocking the view of one ofyour fellow members, and try to followthe Golden Rule.*

See you next time.

Mike Roden

*If you have forgotten what theGolden Rule is, you’ll find the answerin Luke 6:31. May come in useful foryour next pub quiz!

I can ignore it no longer. Now, inearly December, what my friend thevicar’s wife calls “the C-word” is uponus. The Christmas lights have been litin Clapham Junction and NorthcoteRoad, the mince pies are weighingdown the shelves in bakeries andsupermarkets, queues lengthen in ourremaining post offices. If you arelooking for an unusual Christmaspresent for a Battersea friend, take alook at page 14. A brand new bookletfrom the Wandsworth HistoricalSociety gives the origins of localstreet names, from AbercrombieStreet to Zulu Crescent.

Just along the tracks from ClaphamJunction is another source (or shouldthat be sauce?) of gifts. Behind theRoyal Festival Hall a Slow Foodmarket will be held from Saturday 20th

to Tuesday 23rd December. Havingbeen to these events before, I knowthat the market will be full ofpassionate and knowledgeable foodproducers and sellers. Last time I

bought caramel fudge and Arabsmoked aubergine salad, sipped chillihot chocolate and was tempted by ahog roast. In the next issue of thenewsletter I hope to cover nearbyfarmers’ markets.

In this issue you can read about anumber of developments that will, ifthey go ahead, have a profoundimpact on our neighbourhood. Somewill be welcome, others less so. It isperhaps a positive side of therecession that most of them will notbe built. But if we feel strongly about adevelopment (such as the monstrousClapham Junction scheme) we mustnot rely on the credit crunch tointervene. If such schemes getplanning permission, they could goahead when/if the economy improves.

We have a new departure, too:fiction, in the shape of an atmosphericshort story from Mike Roden (page13).

On page 15 I have kick-startedwhat I hope will be a series on

Battersea’spubs. We arefortunate inhaving severalvery enjoyablepubs. I hopeyou will write inabout yourfavourite local.

This issue is the last that will bedesigned by Mike Marchant. Mike hastoiled behind the scenes for at leastseven years and has produced what Iam sure you will agree is anextremely attractive and readablenewsletter. It has been a pleasure forme to work with him, and on yourbehalves I would like to thank him verysincerely for all he has achieved.

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Planning MattersMonica Tross gives an update on the work of the Society’s

planning committee.Clapham Junction Development

The Society’s views on theseplans, including an objection to thetwo over-dominant towers, were setout at the time of the generalconsultation. We repeated them in aformal letter of objection to theplanning application.

We have called on the Council toconvene a public meeting to hear theconcerns of very many residentsabout these plans. If this is not done,we will be holding our own meeting inJanuary. Check for latest news viawww.batterseasociety.org.uk

Beechmore Road Job CentreThis site (on the corner with

Battersea Park Road) is rathersmaller than Clapham Junction butstill very important to our streetscape.The planning application was stronglyobjected to by the Society and bymany Battersea residents.

We told the Council that the plans:l would lead to the loss of a

graceful building, a significantpart of the setting of BatterseaPark*

l were an overdevelopment of thesite

l would result in an over-dominant and unneighbourlybuilding which would relatepoorly to its immediatesurroundings

l did not offer a worthwhile mix ofaccommodation.

* we have previously recommendedthat the building should be included inthe conservation area centred on thePark.

As we go to press the applicationhas been withdrawn. We will bewatching out for new plans.

Royal College of Art (RCA)The Society welcomes this

development in Battersea BridgeRoad, now agreed by the Council. Wehad written to express concern at thesombre façade planned but were notsuccessful in getting the architects,Haworth Tompkins, to re-think this.

19 Bus RouteThe RCA development will mean

that the bus station in Hester Roadwill close. We have written to tellTransport for London that it is vital that

the 19 bus route continues to thesouth side of Battersea Bridge, ideallycontinuing through to ClaphamJunction. TfL have made no decisionsas yet. We will keep checking on this.

Battersea Power StationTreasury Holdings hosted a

meeting of the Battersea Society atthe Power Station site at the end ofSeptember. The planning director ofTreasury Holdings gave a presentationand answered questions, followingwhich the Society discussed theplans (see page 5).

Views of the proposals, in particularthe 300 metre tower, were mixedalthough members welcomed plans todevelop the site and the greenaspirations expressed by thearchitect. The Society has set out itsoverall views on the site in a paper onNine Elms as a whole (see ourwebsite).

Please tell us about any planningor transport issues which concernyou. Email David Lewis, chair of ourplanning committee at planning@batterseasociety.org.uk,

or phone him on 020 7622 8017.

The US embassy may be moving toNine Elms. It is thought that securityconcerns lie behind the decision tomove from central London. Since thetwin towers attacks in 2001, thecurrent embassy building in GrosvenorSquare has had armed roadblocksstationed outside and part of thesquare has been made inaccessibleby car or bus. The plan will only goahead if approved by the US Congressand by Wandsworth Council. Councilleader Edward Lister has alreadyexpressed his pleasure at theproposed move, saying it will breathenew life into this area of Battersea.

What do local people feel about theidea of having the United Statesamong us? Annabel Stein, who lives inNine Elms, says, “I am absolutelydelighted that the US Embassy ismoving here. They will be welcomeneighbours. Currently Nine Elms Laneis a no man’s land and drab to say

Nine Elms to Host US.the least. So having action on mydoorstep will liven up the area in anice way.

“When Battersea Power Stationshows signs of life, that too, will be abonus. The transport here is wonderful– thanks to Vauxhall Cross - and withthe underground station at BatterseaPower Station now being built, thosewho thought I was nuts to move tothis neck of the woods will be eatingtheir words!”

On the other hand Richard (who didnot want to give his full name) said, “Itwill lead to an increased risk fromterrorism. There will be a hugeincrease in security manned by armedAmericans, who may see themselvesas being outside UK law. It will providework for a number of people, but thesecould well be existing staff. As therewill be facilities within the buildingthey will have little need to supportlocal shops. It will lead to increased

road andhelicoptertraffic. I cannotsee itbenefiting thelocalcommunity oreconomy atall. What weneed in thearea isincreased social housing, shops, ahealth centre or even allotments.

“Given that the good people ofGrosvenor Square clearly want rid ofit, why should we want it?”

If the move is approved, there willbe an international architecturalcompetition to design the building.

Jenny Sheridan.

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A Signage SlumCouncil notices add to visual blight, says Suzanne Perkins.

Most right-minded people and theircouncil representatives take a dimview of anti-social uglification of theurban environment: litter, fly-tipping,chewing-gum and graffiti, especiallythe obsessive ‘tagging’ of everyavailable surface with spray paint. It isthe general consensus that thesehabits must be addressed vigorouslyand kept under control, or the urbanscene will slide into squalor.(Personally though, I do hope no-oneever gets fined for pinning up a noticeabout a lost cat, or for letting us knowthere’s a funfair nearby.)

However, even well-meaning localauthorities don’t seem to realise theirown culpability in adding an officiallyauthorised layer of visual misery.Anyone who enjoys architecture, thestreet scene, or the parks andcommons becomes sadder andsadder, knowing that for this blight,there is no council cure. There’s onlymore to come.

The need for an instruction to thepublic, (whether it be real need, ormotivated by aversion to risk , controlfreakery or just plain habit) evokes aknee-jerk reaction: someone is sentout into the borough with a notice (i.e.words on a board). This will be firmlyattached to the nearest verticalsurface in the most convenient way forthe operative consigned to the task:job done. Repeat the process a fewtimes and it becomes a tatty collageof dos and don’ts.

There seems tobe no overview ofthe general effectand still less anyrealisation thatthere is more thanone way to controlthe public’sbehaviour.

An obviousexample is theThree Island Pondon WandsworthCommon (nowrenovated andcalled The StockPond). This is acharming and easily accessiblebeauty spot, with plenty of interestfrom flora, fauna and the aestheticbeauty of reflections of the sky in thewater. The eastern edge has longbeen guarded by a gently curvingstretch of Victorian railing, which fromthe approach on Bolingbroke Grove,makes a pleasant and practicaltransition from the street scene to thepastoral scene. Over the last fewyears, various council departmentshave used this railing as if it were abillboard, and mounted name boards,instructions, warnings – all in differentstyles and at different levels. Theresult is a signage slum. Everyone isaffected by this blight, if only at asubconscious level.

Please could someone from thecouncil with a design backgrounddesign or commission an attractive

and integrated information board, tobe placed nearby, but not necessarilyclamped onto the view itself? Thiscould be an updatable source ofinformation for children and adultsabout the plants and wildfowl to beenjoyed. Or why not contact TheBattersea Society for wittier andbolder ideas? An elegant column ofsteel with interactive animations of themigration patterns of the birds? Aquaint Victorian penny machinedispensing healthy food to throw tothe ducks, instead of soggy whitebread? When the pond is frozen, acautionary message flickering as alightshow on the ice, in eerie blues?

And don’t get me started on thelitterbins…

The horse chestnut is one ofLondon’s most popular trees. With itspink or white candle flowers in latespring, its fine spreading shade and itsautumn conkers it embellishes ourstreets, squares and parks. But forseveral years now all has not been wellwith the horse chestnut. This summerit was noticeable that leaves wereturning brown and then falling, asthough autumn had come early. Weretrees dying?

According to Trees for Cities, aspecialist charity, the most likely causeis the leaf-mining moth. This tinycreature lays its eggs on the leavesand after hatching, the caterpillarsburrow into the leaf to gorgethemselves, leaving the characteristic

Canker Conquers Conkers.brown marks. The moth was firstdiscovered in the UK on WimbledonCommon in 2002 and has since spreadwidely.

The good news is that althoughthe trees look ugly there is no long-term damage and no need to fell thetrees. Those trees on the edge ofWimbledon Common that wereoriginally affected now look hale andhearty.

A more dangerous threat to horsechestnuts is bleeding canker, abacterial disease which affects the barkand can cause trees to die or to losebranches, thus becoming dangerous.

Patrick Langley, WandsworthCouncil’s arboricultural manager, is veryaware of the problems but says, “We

have hundreds of horse chestnuts onWandsworth Common and probablythousands on Tooting Common. Weare monitoring the situation but we renot doing anything about the leaf miner.As there’s no lasting damage, it’s notnecessary and it’s not recommended.The canker is a big problem, which hasbeen around for some time, and we dotake action with that.”

Jenny Sheridan.

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One Chimney To Dwarf Four?The Society debates the power station proposals.

Could Battersea’s biggest, grandestbuilding be dwarfed by a huge eco-chimney three times its size? Can wetrust the latest in a series of developersthat have bought the vast site and itsiconic power station? If part of abuilding is replaced by a replica, is thata pragmatic response or does itbecome a Disneyfied fake?

These were some of the questionsthat the Battersea Society confrontedat its members-only meeting at thePower Station on 30 September 2008.Jeremy Castle, planning director forTreasury Holdings, the current owners,assured us that Treasury were in it forthe long term. They have spent£4million to date on shoring up theGrade 2* listed building and “after 25years of failure we want to make suredevelopment happens”, he said. Healso pointed out that repairing thepower station after years of neglectwould be costly and any developerwould need to make a financial return.Mr Castle outlined the plannedscheme, consisting of residential,commercial and retail buildings andopen space. Describing Nine Elms asthe biggest opportunity area in London,he said that the offices would be on asimilar scale to More London (the officedevelopment between City Hall andTower Bridge).The aim was toprovide 20,000jobs and to house7,000 residents.An extension to the tube line fromKennington would improve transport.

The scheme is claimed to be highlyenergy-efficient. In response toquestions, Mr Castle said that thetechnology involved in the eco-chimneyhad been used before – but only indeserts. He also acknowledged that, at300 metres high to the Power Station’schimneys’ 100, the new building woulddwarf the old. However, he said that aspart of it is glass it would not blockviews.

Iconic chimneysParkview, the building’s previous

owner (which is thought to have made aprofit of around £250million on the saleto Treasury) had received permission todemolish the chimneys and replacethem with replicas. This remainsTreasury’s aim. This prompted adebate between Society members as

to whether it is the iconic silhouettethat should be preserved or thestructures themselves. “We’ve trusteddevelopers for years and look what’shappened. How can we trust thepresent ones to keep this as a realbuilding not a Disney version?” was oneview. Another member replied, “Thechimneys have lost their originalfunction anyway. What matters is notthe detail but the view from all over

London.” TheTwentieth CenturySociety believes thatdemolition is un-necessary and

supports repair, according to KeithGarner of the Battersea Power StationCommunity Group.

Following Mr Castle’s presentation,Society members viewed the model ofthe proposed development. Somemembers were impressed by the“elegant design – it’s not just a lot ofslabs and towers.” Others noted theabsence of the school and the six-acreriverside park that had been mentioned.

New businessesDavid Lewis, chair of the Battersea

Society’s planning committee, thankedJeremy Castle warmly for theopportunity to meet and for hiswillingness to listen. After Mr Castleleft, Society members discussed theissues between themselves. DavidLewis noted that while Treasury’sfigures on employment seem over-optimistic and need probing, the

Society is keen to attract design andnew media businesses to Battersea.

Members held a variety of views onthe proposals. There was a feeling that“we can’t be negative about everything.The site has been empty for so long, Ijust want to see it used.” On the otherhand, “the model flatters it. It wouldmake the Power Station look like adoll’s house.” Members wanted thescheme to include affordable familyhousing for long-term occupation, tooffset the preponderance of small flatsseen in recent Wandsworthdevelopments.

A minority of members felt stronglythat the 19th century pumping stationon the site should be retained. Treasuryplans to demolish it.

Members approved of the scheme’sgreen credentials but felt that theyneeded detailed examination. The tubeextension was broadly welcomed butpeople pointed out that only linking thetube to Clapham Junction would makea real difference. There was alsoconcern about the impact on roadtraffic.

The aim of the meeting was to helpthe Society to reach a view of theproject, informed by its members.“Redevelopment of the power stationand the surrounding site is clearly anissue of great concern to Battersearesidents, “says David Lewis. “We willbe keeping in close touch as plansevolve and will keep our members fullyinformed.”

Jenny Sheridan

At 300 metres high the newbuilding would dwarf the old.

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“Yes, we can”Plagiarism is the sincerest form of

flattery, some say. So I shall draw onthe leitmotif of the President Elect ofthe USA as the theme of this piece. In1945 I was too young to understandVE day, but I am sure that, when theoutcome of the American electionbecame clear on 5 November, thesense of relief must have been similar.A poisonous sore had been lancedand a kind of nightmare had ended.The global sense of rejoicing wasalmost deafening.

Why should this be?My view is that it was not just a

signal of the end of the Cheney/Bushneo-con cynicism that has blightedthe international scene for nearly adecade. Nor was it just becauseObama is black, or young, or anintellectual liberal who can stringwords and thoughts together. No, Ithink most folk around the worldresponded to his sense of ‘can do’,his optimism that, with applicationand effort and time, things can bemade better, society can becomefairer. It was the triumph of “Yes” over“No”.

So how does this apply toBattersea?

Even in this curious period of ‘creditcrunch’ and the implosion ofcapitalism, there are threats to thequality of life of people in Battersea. Inthe market place of planning inWandsworth there is a battle going onbetween those who live and work hereand those who seek merely tomaximise profits made here. A classicexample is the Battersea PowerStation site, where greed andmammon have held sway for decadesto the continuing shame of Battersea.Another is the current twin towerproposal for Clapham Junction.

A similar proposal in Putney,opposite East Putney station, withtowers of 21 and 25 stories, has justbeen refused planning permission onthe grounds that it would “loom largeover the more domestic scale of thesurrounding area”, and it was“overbearing and out of character withthe surrounding area”. The council’splanning committee could see nojustification for a scheme of suchoverwhelming size and scale.

If this is its view of a development of21 and 25 stories, what must be thecommittee’s response to the ClaphamJunction monstrosity of two 42 storytowers? “No!” should be a foregone

conclusion. But I suspect that we cantake nothing for granted. It will have tobe argued and fought over.

Which brings me back to BarackOsama and his theme of “Yes, wecan”. Because we can succeed indefeating this threat. I have beendelighted to see the opposition growas people realised what was afoot.The campaigning of local residentsand the activities of Cyril Richert,Harvey Heath and others in spreadingthe word shows that civic sensibility isalive and well. I hope that WandsworthCouncil will accept the BatterseaSociety’s call for a public meeting(see the news section of our web sitewww.batterseasociety.org.uk)

Whether they do or don’t, I sensethat the ground swell of opposition willreach Jericho proportions. Because,Yes, we can…….

Tony Tuck

With the continuing uncertaintyover the future of the BolingbrokeHospital, members may be interestedto know that one of the community’ssurviving WWI memorials (one ofmany put up locally in the yearsfollowing 1918), was an integral part ofarchitect Alner W Hall’s scheme forthe 1930’s extension to the hospital.The memorial was dedicated andunveiled as part of the formal openingceremony of the new hospital buildingby the Duchess of Gloucester inDecember 1936.

The memorial can be found justinside, to the right of the mainporticoed Wakehurst Road entrance

Memorial To Battersea’s War Dead.of the hospital. Set in a black marblealcove of the green marble panelledentrance hall, the memorial consistsof an internally lit alabaster urn with asurface decoration of poppy flowerheads towards the top of the urn anda poppy leaf embellishment near tothe base. Below the memorial urn onthe flat surface of the alcove isinscribed in gold lettering thededication:

TO THE MEMORYOF THE MEN OFBATTERSEAWHO FELL IN THEGREAT WAR1914-1918

The family of John BenjaminGeorge Elliott, a postman at SouthKensington who lived with his family inSpencer Street (now under theEthelburga Estate) placed a memorialto him in St Mary-le-Park church in1918. His name also appeared on the

Church War Memorials - where are they now?

with the dates 1939-1945 addedfollowing WWII.

Funds were raised by the BatterseaWar Memorial Committee andpresented to the Bolingbroke Hospitalin November 1935 as a contributiontowards the re-building fund. It wasseen as being a lasting and tangiblememorial to Battersea’s war dead.

Nicola Hale

parishioners’ war memorial in thechurch, erected in 1921, and on thememorial placed in the church by theTunbridge Wells Equitable FriendlySociety.

Is there anyone out there whomight know where the memorials went

after the church was demolished inthe late 1960s?

Any leads please to Nicola Hale,23 Joubert Street, SW11 5AE

Chair, Battersea Society

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The Museum Phoenixis rising from the ashes.

Many Battersea Society memberswere involved in the fight to keepWandsworth Museum open. Somejoined the Friends of the WandsworthMuseum (FOWM), set up to supportthe museum. FOWM’s first AGM washeld on 23 October 2008 andmembers left it in good heart afterlistening to an enthusiastic AndrewLeitch, director of the new museum,present his plans and ideas. After theepic struggle to prevent the closure ofthe Court House and to ensure amuseum continues to exist inWandsworth, it was good to look tothe future and to see the excitingideas that are taking shape.

In the short time that he has beenin post, Andrew has set up a teamand office to plan the development ofthe new museum. The question of apermanent site still remains open; theoptions being considered include bothWest Hill and the Young’s site, whichwould not be available until 2013 atthe earliest. So the prospect of atemporary home in SouthsideShopping Centre, which could open in2009, is most encouraging. Such aspace will keep alive the vision of amuseum in central Wandsworth whilstnegotiations are in progress for apermanent base, reminding everyoneof the vital part museums play in acommunity’s cultural life, and, most

importantly, bringing the museumdirectly in contact with local people.Unique story

The aim of the new museum, saidAndrew, is to tell the unique story ofthis part of London through galleriesfocusing on the natural history of theWandle and its wider area; people’sstories through their voices, artefactsand interactive displays; the humanlandscape – transport, industry andcommerce, buildings and towns; andoral history.

But this is not to be an insularmuseum, nor one that turns its backon the 21st century. Andrew hopes thatnational museums will lend relevantartefacts; that schools will not onlyuse the education packs but will beactively involved in developing them.He sees schools taking advantage ofboth the education and resource areawithin the museum and, before thereis a building to inhabit, using thewebsite/wiki currently being set up.The idea is that everyone in thecommunity will feel part of the livinghistory aspect of the museum byusing modern technology to contributeideas and knowledge, participating inthe oral history project, and takingadvantage of the gallery to be setaside for community events.

Funding inevitably remains an issuedespite the wonderfully generous

donation from the Hintze’s. Thisdonation is being managed soexpertly that all the work to date isonly using the interest on the£2million.

Andrew’s energy and enthusiasmfor the project left the Friends in nodoubt that, over the next three years,he will raise the £2-£3 million hebelieves will be necessary to maintainand develop the museum. Few will beable to withstand his determination tomake Wandsworth Museum a vital,innovative institution. His desire foreveryone to be involved – infundraising or the oral history projector the website - made the Friends feelthat it is to be their museum and thatof everyone living in the Borough. Thissense of involvement was reinforcedby Andrew’s announcement at theAGM that Sheila Allen, Chair ofFOWM, has been invited to become atrustee and to add the Friends’ voiceto those of the existing boardmembers.

The Court House may be closedand being turned into a library; apermanent site may still be some wayoff, but there will be a museum inWandsworth.

Andrew Leitch is willing to talk toall interested groups.

Christina Dawson, Friends ofWandsworth Museum.

News that Wandsworth Council hasapproved plans for a new campus forthe Royal College of Art on BatterseaBridge Road has been greeted withjoy in Kensington Gore (the RCA’shome). Sir Christopher Frayling, rectorof the Royal College, said “Theexpansion will give the school room tobreathe.” He praised WandsworthCouncil, which he said had been verywelcoming. (See page 3 for theBattersea Society’s view).

The RCA’s sculpture school hasbeen based on the Battersea site forsome years, but the £33 million newbuilding will house the schools of fineart and applied art. Eventually therewill be space for photography,printmaking, ceramics, glass, goldand silverworking.

Around 250 students and staff willmove to Battersea. The site will becar-free, with 58 bicycle spaces and a

Room For Art To Breathe.minibus linking tothe main building inKensington.Excitingly, thecampus will alsoinclude 30‘designers’incubators’, whichwill provide facilitiesfor recent designgraduates.Professor Fraylinghopes that the areawill develop as adesign hub,attracting creativeindustries and thus encouraging localindustry and employment.

The building (pictured) is designedby architects Haworth Tomkins, whodesigned the redevelopment of theRoyal Court Theatre and the re-building of the Young Vic. They are

also involved with developments atBAC.

The first phase of the developmentis aimed for completion in 2011, thesecond phase in 2013.

Jenny Sheridan.

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Wandsworth Primary Care Trusthas plans to provide modern, fit-for-purpose healthcare facilities that willimprove people’s health and tacklehealth inequalities, particularly forthose living in the borough’s mostdeprived areas. This article is basedon the PCT’s press release, issued inJune 2008, after a local consultationexercise.

Grant RoadThe PCT plans to develop a new

primary care centre on Grant Roadnear the back entrance to ClaphamJunction station over the next fouryears. The new centre will includespace for GP practices, a walk-incentre, outpatient and diagnosticservices like x-ray and ultrasound andsexual health services. However thesite is owned by Wandsworth Counciland at present it is unclear whetherthe Council has declared the sitesurplus to requirements and thereforeavailable for the PCT to purchase.Development work will hopefully beginin 2010 , aiming to open in 2012.

Bridge LaneBridge Lane Health Centre will be

refurbished. Some patients of BridgeLane were worried that the NHS wasplanning to move or close theirsurgery. This was never the case.

Doddington

The third part of the plan is toredevelop Doddington Health Clinicand Battersea Fields Practice. Thiswould be a significant development tomeet the health needs of people livingin Queenstown and St Mary’s Parkwards, two of the six most deprivedwards in Wandsworth.

Bolingbroke HospitalThe majority of individual responses

to the PCT’s consultation wished tosee a new primary care centredeveloped at the BolingbrokeHospital. The building is owned by StGeorge’s Healthcare NHS Trust. Ifthey decide that they no longer needit, Wandsworth PCT will declare aninterest in securing space on the sitefor healthcare. The PCT would like tosee the following delivered from the

Health MattersSue Marshall updates us on the latest health service plans.

new development: GP services,maternity and child healthservices and services for olderpeople.

Geriatric outpatients, theelderly day hospital, podiatryand physiotherapy will remainat St John’s Therapy Centre forthe long term. Once it is open,the new primary care centre onGrant Road should house mostof the Bolingbroke’s outpatientand diagnostic services,including x-ray, ultrasound and bloodtests and the Harmoni GP out-of-hours services. These are movingtemporarily to St John’s TherapyCentre in early December.

The Council’s responseWandsworth Council’s Health

Overview and Scrutiny Committee hasthe responsibility to review andscrutinise plans for the provision andoperation of health services in theborough and to make commentsfollowing resident consultation onsubstantial changes to existing ornew services. In addition it has theright to refer its decisions to theSecretary of State for Health forconsideration.

It reviewed all the above proposalsin September 2008. In summary thecommittee welcomed the developmentat Grant Road subject to a feasibilitystudy in relation to space, planningand accessibility. However itexpressed serious concern at theperceived low priority of theBolingbroke and stated that the tenyear timetable for re-development wasunacceptable. The PCT was chargedto come forward with a more urgenttimetable.

Patient ConsultationLocal Involvement Networks, LINks,

are being set up across the country togive communities a stronger voice intheir health and social care services.Independent networks of local peopleand groups, LINks will find out whatpeople want, investigate issues anduse their powers to hold services toaccount.

Up to now, one of the ways that theNHS has talked to patients has beenthrough Patient and Public

Involvement Forums (PPIFs), whichsucceeded Community HealthCouncils. The Wandsworth LINk willbuild on the work of the PPIFs and willbe open to anyone to join. It will coverall publicly funded health and socialcare services (except children’s socialservices) no matter who providesthem. The LINk will make it easier forpeople who commission and managethese services to talk to communitiesand find out what they want. LINks arepart of the local accountability andscrutiny arrangements and will havepowers requiring health and socialcare managers to respond to them.They will also be able to refer mattersto Overview and Scrutiny Committeesin the Council.

For more information, see

www.wandsworthlink.org.uk

New Clapham Junction ClinicThe PCT have advertised for

“expressions of interest” inestablishing new GP-led services in oraround Clapham Junction. This isseparate from the planned Grant Roadcentre. The bidders would beexpected to provide the location. Thisis an open competition and could leadto a private company winning thetender.

The latest news is that theBattersea GPs have decided tocollaborate in a joint venture as asocial enterprise company and submita tender. This would mean that thoseinvolved would have a share in thecompany. There was an informationsession at the PCT on Friday 17October. The contract will be awardedby mid January.

9

It is a remarkable fact that fewBritish people have heard of BenedictArnold, one of the most famous (orinfamous) men buried in BatterseaParish Church. And it is ironical that ifArnold had died in New York state in1777 of the wounds he sustainedfighting against the British in the War ofIndependence, instead of in London in1801, he would have been an Americanhero rather than a despised traitor. Thisarticle explains these paradoxes, andwhy he is buried in Battersea.

Benedict Arnold was born inNorwich, Connecticut, in 1741. After atroubled childhood, Arnold built up aflourishing apothecary’s and tradingbusiness in New Haven. Like manyNew England merchants, he agitatedagainst British attempts to control andtax their trade. In 1775, when troubleflared with the British military, Arnoldthrew himself into the fight, and for twoyears fought the British with recklesscourage and superb leadership of men.He also made many enemies on hisown side.

In 1775, after seizing a Britishfortress, he was appointed by GeorgeWashington to lead an audaciousattempt to capture Quebec, where hewas badly wounded. In 1776 he builtand commanded a flotilla on LakeChamplain which fought a larger Britishflotilla and frustrated a British attemptto retake the colonies from Canada.

Gentleman JohnnyIn 1777 when the British tried again

under General ‘Gentleman Johnny’Burgoyne, Arnold was sent to help. Hedefeated one British force in theMohawk Valley, and was fieldcommander under General HoratioGates in two battles near Saratoga.Before the second he had quarrelledwith Gates and resigned his command,but joined in the fighting all the same.In both battles he showed inspiredleadership and courage, and wasterribly wounded (amputation of his leftleg was counselled but he refused it)and partially crippled. Burgoyne wasdefeated and surrendered to Gates atSaratoga. Gates took all the credit, butthe British thought that Arnold had wonthe battles.

When he had recovered somewhat,Arnold was appointed military governorof Philadelphia by Washington, partly

Spy, Traitor And Duellist.Sven Tester outlines the life of Benedict Arnold,

buried in St Mary’s Church.as a reward for his bravery. It proved adisastrous appointment. Arnold gotembroiled in quarrels and accusationsfrom local politicians, ending up with aCourt Martial, which he demanded toclear his name. This it more or less did,but it called for Washington toreprimand Arnold for some matters.Washington did this in fairly mild terms,but Arnold found it humiliating.

Arnold felt betrayed by thepoliticians he had fought for, and hisbusiness was more or less lost throughhis absence on war service. Hedecided to go over to the British. In1780 he asked Washington to put himin command of the fortress of WestPoint, on the Hudson river fifty milesfrom New York, secretly intending tohand it to the British with its garrison,for a monetary reward and military rankin the British army. The plan wentwrong, and Major Andre, acting as go-between for Arnold and the Britishcommander, was caught and hangedas a spy. Arnold escaped - just - andjoined the British. Ever since then,Arnold has been known in the USA as‘the great traitor’.

Arnold fought for the British inAmerica for about year. In 1781, whenthe Americans had won the war, he hadto leave with his family and go toLondon. For most of the next twentyyears, the Arnolds lived in London invarious houses in the West End, lastlyat 62 Gloucester Place, where a plaquecommemorates him. He spent fouryears in Canada, where he tried to re-start his business, and had anadventurous trip trading in the WestIndies. In 1792 he fought a duel (no-onewas hurt) but mostly he spent his timetrying without success to getcommands in the British army. He diedin 1801, at which time his financeswere at a low ebb.

St Mary’s burialAt this time, many people in the

centre of London sought burial outsidethe immediate city, where thegraveyards were overcrowded. TheArnolds were friendly with three familieswith American connections who hadburied relatives at St Mary’s Battersea,which was newly built (1777) and had alarge crypt used for burials. They allhave monuments there - the Vassals,

the Fitchs and the Middletons. TheArnolds decided on Battersea too.

Benedict was placed in a lead-linedcoffin in the crypt. The coffin had anidentifying plate, and was not buriedbut simply put in the crypt with manyothers. The coffins of his wife and adaughter were also later placed in thecrypt. Then in the 1870s the many andapparently gruesome coffins were allburied under the crypt floor with theiridentifying plates, apart from a fewplates which were kept and aredisplayed in the crypt. Fortunately,someone made a list of all the coffinplates before they were buried.

In the 1920s, the historian of StMary’s, FH Taylor, investigated. Hefound the Arnold entries in the StMary’s registers, he found the Arnoldnames in the list of coffin plates, andhe was able to trace the Arnoldconnection with the Vassal, Fitch andMiddleton families.

A simple plaster memorial was put inthe crypt on the 150th anniversary ofBenedict’s death in 1951. In 1976 ahandsome memorial window in thechurch was made by the stained glassartist John Hayward, paid for by a MrVincent Lindner of Scotch Plains, NewJersey. On the 200th anniversary ofBenedict’s death, there were specialmemorial events in Battersea, and MrBill Stanley of Norwich, Connecticut,Benedict’s birthplace, presented a finestone plaque to replace the somewhatfaded 1951 memorial in the crypt.

10

St Mary’s ChurchFair on a fineSeptember day was agreat success, withstalls, games, BBQ,bouncy castle andhome made teas.There was a wonderfulview of the Thames asalmost 300 boats fromall over the world tookpart in the Great RiverRace.

The EventsCommittee organized astand (see picture).Virginia Hiller and her team diligentlycollected, sorted and priced bric-a-brac, jewellery and gifts. Sara Milnespent hours making jams, chutneysand cordials for the home producestall and Maureen Larkin, with othermembers of the Events Committeewere on hand to answer questionsabout the Society. A record sum of

What makes a street a socialstreet? From the late ’60s, DonaldAppleyard, an Englishman working inSan Francisco, published researchshowing that traffic levels directlyaffect the friendliness of streets. Hiswork has been used by campaigners,such as myself, who are keen topersuade our own authorities to makeour streets usable by everyone;however, this American study has hadlimited influence on UK town planners.Now, Josh Hart, a Bristol-based SanFranciscan, has replicatedAppleyard’s classic study, eloquentlydemonstrating how heavy motor trafficerodes communities. Josh has shownthat the average resident on a busystreet has fewer than one quarter ofthe number of local friends of thoseliving on a similar street with littletraffic.

Quotes from this report convey theflavour of the Bristol findings. Forinstance, from the ‘light traffic’ street:“People stay for a while and put downroots”“There is really a sense of community- we look after each other”

From the ‘medium traffic’ street:“It’s not so friendly - you barely seeanyone”“We tend to only know people who livenear us, because it’s busy” and fromthe ‘heavy traffic’ street:

Is Yours A Social Street?“The traffic’s like a mountain range,cutting you off from the other side ofthe road”“People don’t communicate unlessthey have to”.

What’s also striking is the extent towhich people adapt their livingarrangements to high volumes ofmotorised traffic in their street -keeping their front windows closedagainst air and noise pollution frompassing vehicles; moving to the backof the house to get away from trafficfumes; forbidding children from playingin the street. Sound familiar to you?

All these types of streets exist inBattersea; for people on the busieststreets, as Josh Hart says: “Theseimpacts exact a particularly heavy tollon children and the elderly, who aremore vulnerable to the impacts oftraffic in their neighbourhood.” But foreveryone, this is a key public healthand quality of life issue, bothnationally and locally, and this workprovides more evidence - as if it wereneeded - that our current transportpolicy is simply unsustainable.

By taking practical steps toaddress the effects of motorisedtransport, we can improve people’shealth and quality of life, strengthenlocal communities, and (last but notleast) tackle climate change. JoshHart identifies a number of policy

solutions, for example, adopting a20mph speed limit on all residentialstreets; designing streets primarily asa social space; supporting ‘car-lite’ or‘car-free’ new residentialdevelopments; promoting events suchas street parties; and ‘localising’communities (“improving theavailability of local goods and serviceswhile reducing the need to travel”). InBattersea we’ve made some progress;for all its imperfections, publictransport is relatively good, and levelsof car clubs and car sharing - whichthis report recommends as a way offacilitating lower car ownership - arerapidly growing across our borough.But we can, and must, do more, if wecare about our streets and wish tomake them fit places for everyone touse.

Susie Morrow(Trustee, Living Streets / member of

Battersea Society)

(Footnotes)1 ‘Driven To Excess: Impacts Of MotorVehicle Traffic On Residential Quality OfLife In Bristol, UK’. Summary ofresearch undertaken as part of a Master’sDissertation in Transport Planning at theUniversity of the West of England.

Joshua Hart, 2008.Full study at:

http://tinyurl.com/67k72c

St Mary’s Fair. Local HistoryIlluminates Our Past.

“Clapham Junction swallows astreet” is the arresting title of anarticle in the Autumn 2008 issue ofthe Wandsworth Historian, detailingthe rise and fall of a Victorian working-class street as the railways ate intoBattersea – particularly interesting inlight of the current proposals for thearea.

There is also an article aboutwomen workers in a wartime projectilefactory in Thessaly Road. Just beyondour boundaries, there is a riveting, ifharrowing, first-person account of thebombing of a dance hall in Putneysixty five years ago.

The Wandsworth Historian can beobtained from the editor, Neil Robson,at ngrobson@tiscali.co.uk Thejournal costs £3 plus 70p post andpacking.

£560 was raised for the Society, butthe main aim in taking part wasto raise our profile. In 2009 we shallbe on the look out for help from ourmembers in providing goods andhelping out on this enjoyableoccasion.

Cynthia Newman

11

Starbucks, Greggs, Gap, Next,Tesco Express: you could beanywhere. So many high streets nowlook and feel identical, with all theirsoul ironed out by the blandness ofchain stores and cafes. Battersea,fortunately, is not one of theseidentikit areas and we must try tomake sure it retains its individuality.

Clone Town is a phrase coined bythe New Economics Foundation (Nef)to describe the identical high streetsdeveloping all over Britain. In thesetowns, chains outnumber independentshops and most of the retail activitygoes on outside the centre, leaving adead heart. The worst, Exeter, hasonly one independent shop in the citycentre.Northcote Road

The Northcote Road Action Group(NRAG) has been campaigning forover two years to retain the diversity ofthe road and to promote it as a centreof food culture. Recently (October2008) it carried out a survey of theroad to assess whether, in Nef’sterms, it is a ‘home town’ or a ‘clonetown’. (While the group used Nef’ssurvey, it did not carry it out in theprescribed way).

Out of a total of 118 shops, 75 wereindependents and 43 were chains.Twenty five were restaurants or cafesand four were pubs or bars – nearly aquarter of the total. It is no wonderthat residents object when planningapplications appear for yet anothercafé masquerading as a coffee ‘shop’.Almost another 25% of the roadconsisted of clothes shops, most ofthem chains. Eight hairdressers and

No To The Clones!beauty shops add to theimpression that NorthcoteRoad caters very largely for theyoung and wealthy. This area‘between the commons’ inestate agents’ jargon, is indeedlargely well off. But it includesestates and a walk around thestreets suggests that manyhouses are lived in by peoplewho do not have money toburn.

Six shops cateredexclusively for children,confirming the area’s ‘Nappy Valley’reputation. There were eight estateagents. Seven shops stood empty.Only nine shops were primarily foodretailers – though the road does ofcourse have its much-loved streetmarket on Fridays and Saturdays.

So is Northcote Road a home town,with real local, individual shops or aclone town like so many others?Using Nef’s calculations, NRAGdiscovered that it would be classifiedas a border town, between the two,though happily hovering near hometown status. It will be interesting torepeat the survey in a year’s time, toexplore the difference the recessionmakes.What’s wrong?

What’s wrong with clone towns,some may ask. Supermarkets, forexample, offer the convenience ofbuying a large range of goods underone roof. But Nef has shown that aswell as decreasing the sense ofcommunity that people need, chainstores damage the local economy bydraining profits out to distant

headquarters and shareholders. Smalllocal businesses on the other handtend to keep money circulating locally

Loss of diversity ultimately leads toless choice for the consumer, as wellas, frequently, higher prices.Supermarkets are well known too forforcing down prices to producers,leading to farmers and other artisansgoing out of business.

The Federation of SmallBusinesses has launched a campaignto “Keep Trade Local”, supported byseveral Northcote Road shops whichcarry an FSB petition. According tothe organization, Britain’s high streetsface extinction, with the potential lossof 50, 000 small businesses over thenext seven years.

NRAG urges everyone in Batterseato support their local shops byshopping locally. Otherwise we mayrealize too late that our ‘home town’has turned insidiously into yet anotherclone town.

Jenny Sheridan.www.neweconomics.org

www.fsb.org.uk

From Jane Austen to Thomas theTank Engine and from BarbaraCartland to Henryk Ibsen, the SW11Literary Festival pub quiz stretchedBattersea bookworms’ brain cells.

Eighteen teams competed in thefeverish atmosphere of the Latchmerepub on Monday 29 September.Sample questions included:

What children’s book did IanFleming write?

Which Booker Prize-nominatednovelist played Ken Barlow’s girlfriendin Coronation Street?

What body part is the first - andsecond and third – word in TomStoppard’s play Rozencrantz andGuildenstern are Dead?

(answers on back page )The quizmaster, James Walton of

Radio 4’s book quiz programme theWrite Stuff, devised cunning roundswhere all the answers were linked. Inone, all ten answers were alliterative(Gunther Grass, Ruth Rendell ….); inanother they contained a colour, suchas The Color Purple or VioletElizabeth Bott.

The Battersea Society’s teamcame a respectable sixth, with 69points. The winners were a team ofauthors, including the historian TomHolland, with an Olympic gold medalscore of 92 points out of a possible96. Teams from Wandsworth librariesand Waterstones also did well.

The quiz is an annual highlight ofthe literary festival and is growing inpopularity and hilarity. As well as theBattsoc Academicals, several otherSociety members distinguishedthemselves (or otherwise!) in variousteams. Next year, perhaps theSociety will be able to put forward abigger team, or even two teams. Yournewsletter will remind you in duecourse and will exhort you to upholdlocal literary pride.

Congratulations to Lorinda Freint,the Clapham Junction Town CentrePartnership and Waterstones, whoorganize the SW11 Literary festival.

Jenny Sheridan.

So what WAS Mr Darcy’s first name?

12

The Katherine Low Settlement isbased in a large, untidy part-Georgianhouse on Battersea High Street. Ithouses or manages an eclecticcollection of groups and activities.Sarah Rackham, the communitydevelopment worker, has worked therefor 15 years.

JS: Why Katherine Low? Who wasshe?

SR: She was an Americansuffragette who was an active memberof the parish of St Mary’s. When shedied in 1923 the settlement was setup in her memory for the benefit oflocal women and children. Originallythe workers – all volunteers – livedhere, like missionaries in the slums ofBattersea. There are several of thesesettlements in poorer areas – we’repart of a proud tradition of radicalcommunity activists.

Before the war there was one of theearly Marie Stopes family planningclinics here. People were very poor.Barefoot children were given shoesand a cobbler came in to teach thekids how to mend their shoes.

JS: What do you do for childrennowadays?

SR: There’s lots of things going on!There’s a very lively youth club. Theirdrama group wrote and performed aplay in Putney Arts Theatre. The girls’group completed a City and Guildscar maintenance course. Dione, ayouth worker, always says thatdespite all the bad publicity, knifecrime and gang culture, young peopleare great.

We are very proud of our youngcarers’ project. This supports childrenand young people who live with aparent who have a physical disabilityor mental health problems. We havefour different age group clubs rangingfrom five up to 18. We offer supportand advice and can accompanyparents to hospital, school or courtvisits. And it’s important that the kidshave a chance to take a break fromtheir caring role. Last year a group of11-13 year-olds went to the BreconBeacons and had a great time rockclimbing, kayaking and trekking. Thisyear an older group went to the Isle ofMan. The project as a whole is fundedby the Council, but they did notincrease their grant this year so thekids wouldn’t have been able to goaway on trips if a charity hadn’t kindly

“A proud tradition of community activists”Sarah Rackham tells Jenny Sheridan about the Katherine Low Settlement.

stepped in. This project helpsfamilies to stay together, and wewould really like to be able toincrease it. We have 92 childrenon our books and a waiting list.There is a tiny staff, mostly part-time, and we can’t take anymore clients at the moment. Webadly need funding for more staff.

Our refugee home-schoolsupport project works withschools and provides homeworkclubs for these children, whohave to struggle with a newschool system as well as a newlanguage. And we provide artsopportunities, such as Africandance and drumming. Some ofthe children were chosen to joina dance group in TrafalgarSquare for the Olympic torchprocession. They had anamazing time and looked stunning intheir bright costumes. There’s also abefriending scheme where volunteersvisit families at home.

JS: What about adults?SR: We have a nice mix of people

who have lived in Battersea all theirlong lives and new arrivals. Thepensioners’ drama club has a superbtutor and is really flourishing. Theystarted doing readings but now theyfind plays themselves or write theirown. There’s terrific enthusiasm. Oneof the ladies is 90 and in a wheelchair.They love it.

Earlier this year the Peabody lunchclub had to close. We invited itsmembers to join us so our cook isnow providing meals for 25-30 peopletwo days a week. Some are quite frailand would otherwise be housebound.There’s also a line dancing club forpensioners and Tai Chi for over-50s..

The English as a Second Languageclass is very popular. A tutor comes infrom South Thames College to teach17 students from 14 nationalities.

Eighty per cent of new arrivals inthe borough are Somali. We run aSomali Women’s Group, who meet totalk about life back home and theissues they face here.

The mental health carers’ groupmeets here once a month. This givesthe parents of a person with a severemental health problem the opportunityto hear speakers and to support eachother.

JS: There’s a lot going on. How isall this funded?

It’s a struggle! We decided forvarious reasons not to go for renewalof a contract with Sure Start. We relymainly on grants and donations. Therefugee project has a Big Lottery grantand the Council supports the youngcarers’ project. We have grants fromthe Sir Walter St John EducationalTrust and the Wates Foundation. Andwe charge rent for the hire of ourrooms. But repair and maintenance ona building like this is expensive. Wealways need more funding.

JS: Any future projects?SR: Well, we want to make a

community garden. The probationservice has cleared some land for usbetween the crèche and the railwayembankment and will offer us ongoinghelp. If any Battersea Societymembers would be interested in thisproject, either practically or with fund-raising, we’d love to hear from them.We want to buy railway sleepers tocreate safe, level flower beds, butunfortunately they’re very expensive.

JS: You’re obviously very busy.What keeps you motivated?

SR: It’s a great place to work.We’re autonomous and independent,people here are idealistic andenthusiastic. And our members andpeople who attend groups here comeby choice, because they enjoy it andget something out of it.

To contact Sarah, phone 020 72232845 or email

sarah@klsettlement.org.uk

A young refugee enjoys a trip to Kew Gardens.

13

In winter the Thames riverside canbe a disturbing place, especially asdarkness begins to fall. On Old SwanWharf next to St Mary’s Church thepast never seems very far away. On alate winter Sunday afternoon there arefew people around, and with a chilleast wind stopping the Heathrowbound planes heading over the river,the silence can sometimes beunsettling. On my way back from theshop in Battersea Square, I stopped,as I often do, to look out across theriver. There were lights here and there,but many buildings were as dark andshapeless as the industrial buildingsthey must have replaced.

The silence was suddenly broken,“You thinking philosophical thoughtsagain?”

I turned sharply and saw an oldman grinning at me from under awoolly hat. “Maurice? What are youdoing out in this weather?” He gave arasping cough , “And that chest ofyours doesn’t sound too good.”

He was small and wiry, wrapped inan overlong, shabby overcoat.“Nothing that a few tots of whiskywouldn’t cure…”

He was a familiar face along thispart of the river, always in search of anaudience, and the possibility of a freedrink. He had moved from this part ofBattersea about forty years ago, butnow lived somewhere off NorthcoteRoad with his daughter. He was fondof announcing that he was eighty-nineyears old.

“Does Moira know you’re up here?”His daughter was probably already onher way looking for him. She’dstormed into The Castle onelunchtime just as Maurice wasbeginning to down the pint I’d boughthim.

“Dad, you’ve got a doctor’sappointment.” But I took the full forceof the blame, as if I’d been leading ateenager into bad habits. “You shouldknow better than encourage him todrink at lunchtime!” She would not bepleased that he was here in thisweather

“She knows I’ve always liked totake a stroll round here, this time ofyear. Just before Christmas. Quiet,like it was back then – when theyclosed the works for a couple ofdays.”

AfterwardsA Battersea Riverside Tale.

Maurice knew every inch of thisriverbank. He could still identifywhat had been where – fromMorgan Crucible up to GargoyleWharf (or Battersea Reach as thedevelopers like to call it).Sometimes I wasn’t sure he couldeven see the shiny new blocks offlats, but was looking instead at theshadows of what been there before.He was clearly thinking about thatnow, as he glanced back at thewhite-painted building behind us.“Used to be a pub you know.”

“Yes, I know – the Swan.”“Buildings have ghosts too.

Burned down, that did. Twice. Ifever a building’d haunt itself thatone would.” His throaty chuckleturned into another hacking cough.

“Don’t start on about yoursupernatural experiences,Maurice…”

I had heard all this before.Among other assortedmanifestations Maurice claimed tohave seen JMW Turner embarkingfrom a rowing boat to go and sit inhis chair in the church. “Course, Ididn’t realise it at the time,” he’dtold me, “But I saw a picture of himlater on, and then I knew it. Seethat’s what they say about ghosts.They reckon you never know at thetime. Only afterwards.”

“It’s too cold for Turner, today,Maurice,” I said. “And for you. It’s timeyou were going home.”

Maurice was a great one for notlistening to what he didn’t want tohear. “They say that Mr Turner neverpainted a picture of St Mary’s – for allthe time he spent over this side of theriver.”

“Next time you see him getting offhis boat, you can ask him. Look, youdon’t want Moira coming up herelooking for you.

“Not today she won’t”, he saidemphatically. “No, she won’t be uphere today.”

“I’m glad you’re so sure”, I said,“But you need to get out of this wind.I’ll walk you to the bus stop.”

Maurice laughed, “Worse than sheis, you are. I’ll get myself back whereI belong , don’t you worry.”

“I’ll get back and phone Moira, tellher you’re on your way.”

“No need to do that. She won’t beworried about me.” He gave me afriendly nod, “You have a good

Christmas, eh?” Then he was gone, aspry enough figure, hands plungeddeep in his pockets. I hoped hewouldn’t have to wait too long at thebus stop.

……………..She answered the phone straight

away. “Hello?”“Is that Moira – Maurice’s

daughter? You probably won’tremember me, but I live near the riverand Maurice…”

She interrupted me, “Oh, it’s verykind of you to phone. Dad seemed toknow everyone in Battersea. Thefuneral’s next Wednesday – if you’dlike to come you’d be very welcome.”

I let it sink in. “Funeral?”“Oh I’m so sorry. Didn’t you know?

It was two days ago. He’d not beenwell, a chest infection. It was veryquick…”

I stared at the phone for a moment,recalling words I’d heard only a fewminutes before: “See that’s what theysay about ghosts. They reckon younever know at the time. Onlyafterwards.”

Mike Roden

14

It is now a year since the SW11tchBack to Battersea Campaign was re-launched and much has beenachieved in that time. The aim is todefend the identity of, and the integrityof the geography of, Battersea and tosave the area around ClaphamJunction from confusion withClapham.

We have been tackling businessesone by one and have gained increasedcommunity support.

The campaign re-launchimmediately gained profile in theBorough News with articles on: Areyou proud to be from Battersea, NameConfusion Up the Junction. A numberof letters were sent in by residentsbacking the campaign

Estate agents, often seen asamongst the spreaders of theconfusion, have given full support,particularly Douglas & Gordon andKinleigh Folkard & Hayward.

Shops have changed their stores’designation, for example Jigsaw andCath Kidston on Northcote Road andnow the forthcoming Waitrose in StJohn’s Road.

Magazines, newspapers and onlinemedia have published their supportand featured the campaign:Wandsworth Borough News, the localGuardian, Edge Magazine, RiseMagazine, Brightside Magazine,Essential Local/insidebattersea.com,LavenderHill.com.

Campaigners went out onto thestreets and into the bars onValentine’s Day to invite people todeclare their Love for Battersea.

SW11TCH Back To Battersea

A collection of wonderfulphotographs of Battersea has begunto be published on the campaignwebsite, http://lovebattersea.googlepages.com

A new Facebook group has beencreated called “Love Battersea”.

Wandsworth Council hasreconfirmed its unanimous support ata full Council meeting for a newMotion on Restoring Pride in theName of Battersea, submitted by co-chairmen of the campaign, CouncillorTony Belton (Labour) and CouncillorPhilip Beddows (Conservative).

Battersea Technology College hasre-branded as Battersea Park Schooland has adopted as its emblem theshield from the old Battersea coat ofarms.

A major milestone is about to beachieved with the formal “re-opening”of ASDA in Battersea. The store hasbeen known as ASDA Clapham foryears, but the company hasresponded very generously to thecampaign’s approach. It is so keen toassociate itself with the community itserves that local general managerAndrew Holmes has organized aribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the

new “ASDA Clapham Junction,Battersea”. Waitrose also plans to re-brand its store the same way.

To top it all, the AmericanGovernment has announced initialplans to relocate its embassy towonderful Battersea.

But Marks & Spencer (amongstothers) have still failed to budge oreven come back to us yet……theymay do so when they see how muchWaitrose and ASDA have done.

We need the help of all members ofthe Battersea Society in maintainingthe pressure and keeping a watchfuleye on those who have fallen into theClapham-trap. We would be verygrateful if you could alert us of anymentions of Clapham in respect ofplaces within Battersea. There is stilla long way to go but we are definitelyheading in the right direction.

Tony Belton and Philip BeddowsCo-Chairmen of the SW11tch Back

to Battersea CampaignEmail:

lovebattersea@gmail.com

As you walk thorough the streets ofBattersea, do you sometimes wonderwhy they got their names? Why somany St Johns? Who or what inspiredKambala Road? What about all thosenames in ‘Little India’? Why didHester Road get its name in 1879?

Wonder no more. The WandsworthHistorical Society has producedanother fascinating booklet, TheStreets of Battersea: Their Names andOrigins. The author is Dr Keith Bailey,who has been researching the historyof Battersea and Wandsworth for over30 years. It is a work of immense

scholarship, giving not only the originsof street names but also the datesthey were approved.

Copies are available from HilarySims, 112 Putney Bridge Road,London SW18 1NJ. Cost £3 plus 70pfor post and packing. Or emailngrobson@tiscali.co.uk

What’s in a name?

15

Twenty years ago, when I moved tothe area, the Eagle was a pretty roughpub. There was illegal gambling run bya tough-looking man known as TheAnimal. Some landlords lasted nomore than six months. Then DavidLaw arrived in 1996, and the pub wastransformed into “a traditional, old-fashioned British pub,” as Dave says.“It’s cosy, there’s a real coal fire, andwe get a fantastic eclectic mix ofpeople. Lots are locals and we have alot of regulars, but there are alsothose who only come in once in awhile, but we recognise them and sayhello.”

Its real ale is one of the Eagle’spulling points. There are always threeor four regular bitters, plus severalguest beers. All are well kept. Thereare occasional real ale festivals withunusual beers from all over thecountry served from the barrel bypeople who know and love their beer.“Our ale festival in August was evenbusier than a rugby weekend,” saysDave proudly. “It’s wonderful to see somany young people drinking real ale.Fifty five per cent of our draught salesis real ale, whereas nationallyEnterprise (the company which ownsthe pub) sells just seven per cent.”The next festival will probably be inMarch 2009.

Fair Pint CampaignDave is passionate about traditional

pubs, their role in the community andabout his pub in particular. He and hisco-landlord, Simon Clarke, areinvolved in the Fair Pint campaign.They are trying to persuade the

The Eagle Ale House, Chatham RoadJenny Sheridan raises a glass to her local pub.

government to release pubs ownedby large companies from the ‘tie’that forces them to buy beerthrough the company. This inflatesthe price to the landlord and thusto the consumer. “Beer is fourtimes the price here as it is in thesupermarket. Pubs can’t compete.I’d argue that people drink moreresponsibly in a well-run pub thanat home. We’re asking for achance to compete in an openmarket, like every other business.”

Simon, who lives locally, was asurveyor and a pub regular until hejoined Dave in 2005. It is rare towalk into the Eagle without at leastone of them being behind the baror in the pub, talking to people ordrawing up plans for the Sundaynight quiz. The other regularweekly feature is the Wednesdaycurry, cooked by one of them, and agood warming plate for £7.50.

Rugby on the big screen in thegarden marquee draws a large andlively crowd. Living nearby, I canalways tell how well England is doing.The marquee is also the home ofchristening parties, weddingcelebrations, parties and wakes.

AlfieIndoors, there are pleasantly scruffy

tables, chairs and leather sofas. Alfie,Dave’s avuncular black labrador, holdssway but other dogs are welcome,especially Rosie, a collie describedas Alfie’s girlfriend. There’s a smalllibrary of books, which are read. Thereare board games and shove ha’penny.

Shelves lined with empty champagnebottles testify to past celebrations.Rosie’s owner, Kev, says he comeshere because “it’s kept the sort ofcommunity values that I like. Peoplehelp each other. If you need any sortof trade – an electrician or someoneto fix your roof – someone here willknow somebody. There’s never anytrouble and if there was Dave andSimon would sort it out straight away.And I like the bitter; especially StAustell’s Brewery’s Tribute bitter.”

And me, why do I like it? Becauseit feels like a proper local, it’s friendlyand welcoming. The beer’s great andif I feel like wine there are eight verydecent wines by the glass and 37 bythe bottle. And I’ve known Alfie sincehe was a puppy!

The Battersea SocietyChair: Tony Tucktony@tonytuck.eu020 7622 0485Secretary: Harvey Heath

Membership secretary: Maureen Larkinmembership@batterseasociety.org.uk020 7228 4873

CommunityChair: Harvey Heathcommunity@batterseasociety.org.uk020 7585 3788

PlanningChair: David Lewisplanning@batterseasociety.org.uk020 7622 8017

Open Spacesopenspaces@batterseasociety.org.uk

MarketingChair: Sara Milnemarketing@batterseasociety.org.uk

EventsChair: Wendy Deakins events@batterseasociety.org.uk

Displays and exhibitionsChair: Brian Newman displays@batterseasociety.org.uk

16

For all Battersea SocietyEvents -

please go to the website

www.batterseasociety.org.uk

There must have been a few patson the back in 1891 when the opencompetition to build Battersea TownHall was won by a local man, EdwardMountford. His distinctive red Suffolkbrick and Monks Park stone façade isjustly celebrated (and listed): theinterior is no less striking. Many ofthe ornate finishing touches, such asthe much-loved bee mosaic flooring,were also commissioned fromBattersea firms.

Since 1981, this remarkablebuilding on Lavender Hill has beenhome to Battersea Arts Centre and inApril 2008 BAC took on a long-termlease, having worked very closely withthe landlords, Wandsworth Council, toagree the terms. It was theculmination of a year in which the OldTown Hall was transformed from top tobottom. The foyer was filled withtrees, the basement turned into acatacomb, and if you ventured throughthe right door you’d usually find ablack cat curled up in front of an openfire. All this was in service of our co-production with Punchdrunk, TheMasque of the Red Death - thebiggest event at BAC for many years.

BAC believes its extraordinaryspace inspires creativity. Many localpeople will be aware that JerrySpringer, the Opera started its life atBAC, but did you know thatthousands of local school childrenwork with BAC artists every year, andyouth theatre members have gone onto perform their own shows at theEdinburgh Fringe to four-star reviews?In November 2008, four BAC-supported companies flew to Beijingfor a British Council showcase of thebest of current UK theatre. And

Literary Quiz Answers

In Pride and Prejudice, Mr Darcy’sfirst name is Fitzwilliam.

Ian Fleming wrote Chitty ChittyBang Bang.

Beryl Bainbridge played KenBarlow’s girlfriend.

Heads (they were tossing a coin).

If you got those right, do sign upnext year!

alongside all this,every week, localgroups meet herefor community andcreative activities.

The Masque ofthe Red Death wasjust the start of aprocess that we’llbe exploring overthe next few yearswith award-winningarchitects HaworthTompkins andvarious BAC artists.We’ll improveaccess around thebuilding, make thecafé more attractiveand replace our1950’s wiring with a21st centuryinfrastructure thatwill help ourtechnicians realisewhatever theatre-makers can dreamup. Alongside this,the building needsto be refurbished and there are otherpractical issues. In the Town Hall’s115 year life offices and toilets, builtinto corridors, have made circulationmore difficult and the foyer darker.We’d like to undo some of this. Wewant to improve the Grand Hall as avenue for large scale theatreperformances, as well as thecommunity and private events ithouses so well. That means creatingaccess for large pieces of set, andwe’d like to go back to somethingnearer the elegant original balcony

than its 1930’s replacement, whichcuts across two window arches.

So where do the artists come in?We’ll be asking various artists overthe next few years to re-imagine thebuilding and create adventures foraudiences and local people that willtake them around the whole of the“playground” of the Old Town Hall. Dowatch this space: you never knowwhen you’ll find a tree growing in thefoyer.

Adventures For Audiences.Rosie Hunter, BAC’s executive director, outlines its exciting future.