Investigating Clapton's past and present

Yesterday we ran a walking tour to investigate buildings of the past and present in Clapton. The walk was one of a series of activities for older people we are running at NANAs. We set off from The Convenience in Brooksby’s Walk, following a route along Chatsworth Road, Glenarm Road, Lower Clapton Road and finally Clapton Pond.

We gave each participant a series of old photographs showing various locations along the route. The photographs included scenes of a vibrant Chatsworth Road market in the 1930s, WWII bomb damage, the classical architecture of the London Orphan Asylum (of which only the Portico remains - on Linscott Road) and grand Georgian houses, which have long gone. 

Each snapshot gave insight into how the area has changed and evolved over the years – a glimpse of a time gone by - generating discussion, debate and reminiscence amongst the group.

As well as looking at past changes the walk also provided an opportunity to take in more recent ones including new shops, cafes and homes and the conservation and refurbishment of historic buildings. At Clapton Pond the group were pleased to see how Pond House has been brought back to life but saddened to see that the Bishop Wood’s Almshouses (which date back to the 17th Century) have been shut down and boarded up.

The walk unlocked the buildings of the past but also generated discussion and debate about the change we see around us today.

 

Local and Lovely - by Gillian Lawrence

Gillian Lawrence wrote a piece about our collaboration with NANA and the Islington History & Architecture Group on her blog, Up Your Street. She has kindly allowed us to publish it here. We hope you enjoy.

Years ago there was a public toilet down Chatsworth Road on the way to Chats Palace. Now it’s The Convenience, a scrubbed up and scrubbed out homely café  where NANAs grandmas cook away plating up nourishing feasts,  and in the evening a chef does Hanoi Nights.

That’s busy enough amidst the gleaming tiles and inventive menu cards.

The Buildings Exploratory for seniors in Hackney and now Islington has teamed up with NANAs so that seniors can come along, sit ,chat, go for a guided walk, share information all about the history of Clapton and have a nice cup of tea. People from our Hackney community get to meet and learn. There are daughters of the Windrush generation, residents  who have lived in their Hackney homes since birth having  managed to escape the dreaded doodlebugs and rent-rise evictions, sons of labourers who have travelled along the Thames living and working by the Lea,  those who live in flats where the stench from the Stratford tanneries in days of yore choked their mouths and followed them on their way to work at Lesney’s.

We can’t talk fast enough to get our stories out and shared whilst our facilitator eggs us on with grey photos gleaned from The Hackney Archives.

The meet-ups are every fortnight at 10.30 am for a couple of hours which leaves ample time to stroll along Chatsworth Road and see the old kitchen utensils in a local vintage shop or smell the crepes from The Creperie.

Change is daily and that’s why it’s good to sit in The Convenience and take a breather,  cherish what we know, and make each other laugh about how things were and will be. And it’s good to come together from all sorts of backgrounds and reinforce neighbourliness. That’s what it’s really all about.

Visit Gillian's blog, 'Up Your Street' here: http://ww.upyourstreet.wordpress.com/

Senior BEEs activity - Spring term

Our Senior Building Exploratory Explorers have been busy this term. Below we show highlights with a Canal trip in January, visiting the RIBA exhibition in February, and a discussion of Hackney's Heritage at Risk in March of this year.

Islington group review this term's activities

Our Islington History & Architecture Group completed a term of interesting walks and visits last week, and kindly reviewed the sessions for us.

Here are some of their comments, as well as images from this term's visits.

"I particularly enjoyed the visit to Diespecker Wharf because although I'm fairly familiar with that area I saw a different side of it. The presentation was excellent."

"The talk on Islington's Lost Cinemas: I found this fascinating and am now able to see the buildings I walk past regularly in a different light."

"It gets people out to places we would not go to and keeps you in touch with the places of interest in the area."

My Haggerston: rescheduled walk date to be agreed

Dear friends

We would like to apologise for the postponement of the "Haggerston Treasures" - My Haggerston walk, which was to take place on Saturday 29th March. We are rescheduling the walk and have an option of three different dates: please click on the link below to add your availability to these dates, and we will email round for you to sign up to the most popular date chosen.

“My Haggerston - Haggerston Treasures walk": http://doodle.com/b8txyusc9vcps4ez

Please select the dates that you are able to attend by adding your name to the schedule.

The dates are:

Saturday 26th April 11:00am OR

Saturday 10th May 11:00am OR

Saturday 17th May 11:00am

Many thanks from us all at The Building Exploratory 

Peckham Rye Park & Common - proposals to be discussed at adventure playground fun day this Friday

We are working with Southwark Council to consult with local people in Peckham about the proposed changes to Peckham Rye Park & Common. 

The proposals are to:

• Build a new One O'Clock Club (now known as a play room) next to the adventure playground
• Build brand new changing rooms near to the football pitches
• Remove the existing playroom building and changing room containers to make way for a fantastic new open access play area for local children 
  

Fun Day Friday!
Come down to the Adventure Playground FUN DAY this Friday between 12pm and 4pm to discuss the plans with the project team and to share your views.

Make a tile, take a tile!
Local artist Sally Crowley will be making clay tiles with children, using natural objects found in the park.

More details and a press release from Southwark Council follow below.
Email us to let us have your views.

Tour South Haggerston with us - 29th March

Haggerston Treasures

- A walk by The Building Exploratory on Saturday 29th March at 2.00pm

 

Join Nicole Crockett on a guided tour of some of the listed buildings of the southern part of Haggerston. The walk begins on the lawn just outside the main entrance at the Geffrye Museum and ends at Shoreditch Town Hall. The walk is approximately 1.5 - 2 miles long and will take around an hour and a half.

 

All walks are FREE but booking is essential.

Call the Geffrye Museum Booking Officer on 0207 749 6024

email: dpatten@geffrye-museum.org.uk

Find out more about the four spring walks on offer here