2014 oh what a year!

A quick recap of our activities over 2014, and a thank you to all those who helped to make these projects happen.

We continue to enjoy unveiling aspects of London's hidden histories, exploring new or unknown architectural sites and opening people's eyes to the Built Environment and how they can have an impact upon how it is shaped in the future.

Revitalise Peckham Rye
- engaging local groups and consulting on plans for Peckham Rye Park & Common

My Haggerston
- a series of resources helping you to understand Haggerston and what happened to its built environment during WWII

Places of Worship
- a visit to Suleymaniye Mosque in East London and Sandys Row Synagogue with Year 8 from the Bridge Academy

Senior BEEs and Islington Heritage and Architecture Group Spring, Summer, Autumn terms

Wandle Treasure Hunt - visits to local archives with volunteers across Sutton, Merton, Croydon and Wandsworth

This is our East 20 - creating view finders with Mobile Studio, students from University of East London and Year 8 at Chobham Academy, the newest and only school on the Olympic Park site

Durning Library Options Appraisal - forging links with local institutions and individuals and assessing the needs and wants of user groups for this beautiful victorian Library. Working with Linda Florence to create a vinyl stained glass effect artwork for the windows - visit now!

Our thanks to our many collaborators and friends, volunteers and clients.

Durning Library Fun Day, Saturday 6th December 11am - 4pm

Join us on Saturday 6th December for a Fun Day at Durning Library, from 11am 'til 4pm

Come along and have your say about different design options for the Library.

See new artwork by Linda Florence, meet local artist Robin Whitmore and share your stories and facts about Kennington with him, view an exhibition by students from Year 4 of Archbishop Sumner Primary School.

Visit the upstairs flat!
Book now by calling the Library on 020 7926 8682
(viewings at 12pm and 2.30pm)

Free to all, tea and cakes a-plenty.

For more information please contact Marion Cable: MCable@lambeth.gov.uk

We-hey come to Apple Day this Sunday 5th October!

We will be popping up at Roots and Shoots' Apple Day this Sunday, 5th October, to ask you your views on Durning Library, its services and how it can link with local people's needs and aspirations. Come down and join in the fun, £1 for adults and free for children!

Event details:

Sunday 5th October
11am - 4pm
Roots and Shoots, Walnut Tree Walk, Lambeth SE11 6DN

Party time in De Beavoir Square - this Saturday, 2-5pm

Come along and join us for a Party in the Park at De Beauvoir Square tomorrow!

We will be populating a map of London with plasticine creations, and conducting a series of historical walks around the area.

Do pop by and say hello!

Thanks to De Beauvoir Square Association for inviting us along!

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.

Building a new Peckham Rye Playroom

The Building Exploratory has been appointed by Southwark Council to speak to local people about creating a new, fit for purpose building for Peckham Rye Playroom.

 Peckham Rye Playroom last Summer when the weather was much better than it is now!

The hut in which the Playroom is based was originally one of a group of huts built during WW2. They were originally built as barracks for anti-aircraft gunners based in Southwark Park and later were used to house Italian POW's. You can find out more about the history of the park here

The Playroom is housed in the last of these huts but is sadly becoming unfit for purpose, so the intention of Southwark Council is to build a new purpose built home for the Playroom.

This week we have been speaking to lots of parents, carers and staff about what they like about the current facilities and what their priorities would be when building the new Playroom.

If you attend sessions at the Peckham Rye Playroom, we would like to hear from you about how you use the facility and about any ideas you have that could improve the new Playroom.

Keep an eye out for upcoming events where we will be speaking to more park users and local people about the new plans. We will also be providing opportunities to find out a bit more about the history of the park and get involved in some creative activities.

To let us know your thoughts or to find out more please email us

Quality Badge Awarded

We are delighted that we have once again been awarded a Quality Badge by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (lOtC).

The badge is a nationally recognised indicator of good quality educational provision, helping  reduce the red tape associated with learning outside the classroom and thereby making it easier for teachers and other education providers to incorporate learning outside of the classroom into the everyday curriculum.

For more information on The lOtC and the Quality Badge, please click here. 

Discovering Dalston for the Barbican

On Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June the Building Exploratory encouraged visitors to the Barbican's Dalston House, to discover the secrets of their local environment in 2 family friendly workshops.

We looked at how terraced houses like Dalston House developed, and discovered the changes in the area using historic maps.

Visitors added houses and street maps to giant drawings, and had a go at creating their own mirrored houses and backwards messages. 

These workshops were commissioned by the Barbican for the opening weekend of Dalston House by Leandro Erlich.

Dalston House is free to visit, in Ashwin Street, E8 3DL until the 4th August. Please click here for more information.