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The Battersea SocietyNewsletter Summer 2008

Registered Charity no:1103560

Healthcare consultation:Battersea Society supports PCT

Changes to local health care orhospitals always generate strongopinions. When Wandsworth TeachingPrimary Care Trust (PCT) began itsconsultation exercise, first on the futureof the Bolingbroke Hospital and then onthe whole healthcare system inBattersea and North Wandsworth, theymust have expected controversy. Theywere indeed met with an impassionedcampaign from the Friends of theBolingbrokeHospital, whosevice-chairmanwrites on page 3.However, afterBattersea Society committee membersattended several consultationmeetings, the Society decided tosupport the PCT. This articlesummarises the Society’s response tothe consultation. For the response infull, see www.batterseasociety.org.uk

The PCT’s basic consultationquestion concerned the location of anew primary care centre, aiming toreduce attendance at large hospitalssuch as St George’s and Chelsea andWestminster. The four alternativevenues the PCT proposed were theDoddington Health Centre, Bridge LaneHealth Centre, Grant Road (nearClapham Junction) or BolingbrokeHospital. The PCT’s preferred option isGrant Road. It also proposes movingsome GP practices into PCT-ownedpremises.

Investment in primary careIn its response, the Battersea

Society welcomed the PCT’sconclusions. We appreciated theimplied investment in primary care,especially as a means of improving thehealth of people living in Latchmere,Queenstown and St Mary Park, someof Wandsworth’s most deprived wards.We welcomed the PCT’s concept of a“federated primary care model”. Thiswould mean GPs and other healthprofessionals, including therapists,nurses and health visitors, working in a

more joined-up way to providediagnostic and outpatient services inaddition to their current services. ThePCT envisages a number of servicesworking in the same building and beingable to interact easily. These couldinclude drug and alcohol advice andCitizens Advice Bureaux as well asschool nursing and minor surgery.

The Battersea Society also liked thePCT’s emphasis on health education.

We welcomed theintention to improveall four of theexisting healthcentres and to

enhance GPs’ working conditions. Inaddition the Society hoped thatconcentrating practices in centreswould lead to the end of the singledoctor practice.

We agreed with the PCT’s view thatGrant Road is the most accessiblevenue and, being in Latchmere ward,one of the closest to areas ofdeprivation. Well served by buses andtrains, it would serve people who workin Battersea as well as those who livehere.

Disability accessThe Doddington Health Centre on

Battersea Park Road could beextended to provide accommodation fora nearby GP practice and existingcommunity services in a building withfull disability access (many hospitalsand GP practices are difficult orimpossible for disabled people to usefully). The Society would like to seeboth the Doddington and Bridge Laneclinics enhanced.

While acknowledging theBolingbroke Hospital’s past contributionto Battersea’s health services, weagreed that it is no longer well servedby public transport or easily accessibleby the population in greatest need. Weapproved the aim of re-locating nearbyGP practices on the site if possible,alongside services for children andelderly people.

The Society made one major newcontribution to the PCT’s report: weproposed new health provision for theNine Elms Lane area. We noted thatthere is only one GP surgery here, abranch of the Battersea Fields practiceon the Doddington Estate, and nopharmacy. In nearby Lambeth there isa new health centre in the St George’sdevelopment at Vauxhall. We urgedWandsworth to work together withLambeth PCT to develop primary carein this area.

“The devil is in the detail”, weremarked, and asked the PCT toprovide a detailed document describingthe services and locations – and,importantly, costs and timing – ofcreating a federated primary caremodel in Battersea.

The consultation period closed on 12May. The next step is for the PCT toanalyse all the responses and tofinalise its decision, which will beannounced at a board meeting on 25June. Wandsworth Council’s healthscrutiny committee has the right toreview any decision and, if it disagrees,refer it to the Secretary of State forHealth. However, the committee haswelcomed the proposed Grant Roadoption, though it also supports asecond centre at the Bolingbroke.

Jenny Sheridan.

St John’s Therapy Centre, St Johns Hill

The Bolingbroke is noteasily accessible

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Editorial

A LOOK AT LIFEThe Man On The Battersea Omnibus

Down these mean streets a manmust go… and today I narrowlyavoided collision with a young womanwalking her dog and sending a textmessage at the same time. She (andthe dog) glared at me as if it was myfault! It’s an offence to use a mobilephone while driving and it is high timefor this principle to be applied totexting pedestrians. A phonecompany mounted a publicity stunt afew weeks ago where they padded afew lampposts on Brick Lane in a‘pilot’ scheme to save texters frominjury as they blundered blindly along.Never mind them! Perhaps we shouldgarb ourselves like Americanfootballers to save ourselves from thismodern menace. I dream of readingabout a multiple pile-up outsideDebenhams as a dozen textersenquiring about 2nite’s plans all meetin a tragic tangle of crushed Nokiasand bruised Blackberries.

Yes, my friends, we live in troublingtimes. On the one hand we’re

encouraged to re-use carrier bags,save water, turn down ourthermostats, and fill our orange sackswith unopened junk mail, carefullywashed baked bean cans and unreadSunday supplements (and how manytrees died so they could be thrownaway?). Then on the other hand I’mtold that every single day we throwaway 440,000 ready meals and 5,500whole chickens. It makes myrecycling efforts seem very puny. Andif we collected up all the red rubberbands dropped by Battersea postmanas they whistle on their merry way,we’d probably have enough red rubberbands to fill an orange bag. But Idon’t think you can recycle them.

It all makes me want to write afurious letter to the Borough News –in green ink and CAPITAL LETTERS.And then life comes up with apleasant surprise.

Last time I suggested that weshould try harder to interact more atsocial functions. It was gratifying to

find that several people at the springlunch at Thai on the River hadactually read my words and wereprepared to act upon them. Made fora very nice occasion, on one of therare sunny afternoons we enjoyed inan otherwise dismal April. Keep it up Isay. How about a spontaneous congaat the summer party…?

See you next time.Mike Roden

Number 19bus snappedat NiagaraFalls,Canada bysurprisedSocietymemberBrendaDavies.

I am puzzled. Why is there no gardening society in Battersea? Chelsea has one, sodoes Kensington. And Roehampton, though that is mostly about allotments. Walkingaround the area I see many pretty front gardens and colourful window boxes. It seemsodd that no-one has started up a gardening club to share knowledge, swap plants andseeds and perhaps even organise an Ambridge-style flower and produce show.

Gardens not only provide joy and pleasure (and frustration), they also make a hugecontribution to the environment. They help to cool London down by soaking up

rainwater and letting it evaporate slowly into the atmosphere. They also help to reduce the risk of the flashfloods we saw last summer, as the water sinks in rather than running off the surface. So if you are thinkingof changing your garden, don’t pave it. If there is really nowhere else to park your car, compensate a little byplanting green space somewhere else. Even on a small balcony you can grow a shrub or small tree in atub. Or how about a green roof on a shed or kitchen extension?

This issue of the newsletter has a focus on gardens, with articles on the Thrive horticultural charity, localgardens open to the public and on container gardening. And on our website you can find pictures of localgardens in glorious Technicolour. If you have a lovely front garden or patio, don’t forget that the deadline forentering the Wandsworth in Bloom competition is 20 June.

We also cover healthcare, with articles on the front page and page three. Some local GPs and thenational campaigning organisation Keep Our NHS Public believe that the government is intent on privatisingthe health service. The government just says that people want choice and this is what is offering. We willaim to keep you informed about what is happening locally.

We welcome contributions to the newsletter or suggestions for articles. Do get in touch.

Jenny Sheridannewsletter@batterseasociety.org.uk

020 7350 2749

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Will the post office be stampedout?

The anger over post office closures has been widely felt and widely publicised. AbbevilleRoad’s post office was even defended in the pages of the New Statesman by the veteran radical journalist John Pilger.

The Battersea Society has also spoken up. Tony Tuck wrote to the Post Office in April, voicing the Society’s strongobjection to the proposed closure of the post office at 268 Battersea Park Road. Tony made the point that there is a vitalcommunity role for such post offices, and that this one in particular is important both for the local shops and the nearbyresidential communities. He also commended the staff’s well-deserved reputation for helpful service and pointing out thatthe office is active and busy.

Wandsworth Council is putting its efforts into working in partnerships to try to save the post offices in New CoventGarden and Putney. In the first case it hopes to work with the market authority. In Putney, where two post offices arescheduled to close, the vicar of St Mary’s hopes to offer space in the Brewer building next to the church. Everythingdepends on the Post Office’s willingness to compromise its hard line.

Hope for the BolingbrokeFirst, I would like to thank the

many Battersea Society memberswho have supported the BolingbrokeFriends as we sought to keepservices at the hospital.

Although decisions by WandsworthPrimary Care Trust are awaited, wecontinue to campaign for the long-term use of the Bolingbroke. Recentlywe met with officials from the PCTand St George’s Hospital Trust todiscuss our ideas for a BolingbrokeCare Community. We believe thatproviding NHS primary care facilitieswill allow the upper floors to berefurbished for intermediate care,respite and elderly care facilities. Ouroutline ideas have been helped by anarchitect with experience of suchschemes.

Easier parkingDuring the PCT’s consultation we

attended their meetings anddiscussed their proposals withpatients and residents from all partsof Battersea and beyond. We remainconvinced that the Bolingbroke is thefirst and best location for primary care

facilities. It isthe only majorsite owned bythe NHS inBattersea, isreadilyaccessible toover 80,000residents andis well servedby local railstations andseveral busroutes. It alsohas easierparking thanother sites.

Werecognise thatadditional facilities are required innorth Battersea. However we haveserious doubts about the viability ofthe Grant Road site, both in terms ofaccess for many people and the rangeof services that could fit on such aconstrained site. We support calls fora walk-in centre for working people ina redeveloped Clapham Junction.

We welcome WandsworthCouncil’s health committee’s support

for the Bolingbroke continuingto provide significant primaryand community services,including elderly outpatientsand a day hospital.

FailureBy September the PCT

has been asked to providethe health committee with afeasibility study to see if theGrant Road site can providethe services required inBattersea. The PCT and St

George’s have also been asked to putforward joint proposals for theBolingbroke. Their failure to do so aspart of the consultation has causedgreat frustration and underminedconfidence in the process.

Whatever decision the PCT takesin June, we will keep lobbying theNHS trusts to ensure that healthcareservices continue at the Bolingbrokeas they have for 128 years. Localsupport for our efforts has beenoverwhelming. The Bolingbroke wasbuilt to serve the needs of the peopleof Battersea – together we mustensure it continues to do so.

Jenny EdwardsVice-chairman

Bolingbroke Friends.

The Bolingbroke Hospital in 18??

The Bolingbroke Hospital today.

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Diversions, dalliance and devilry on the South BankBy Penelope J. Corfield

Penelope Corfield launched her booklet history of Vauxhall and the Invention of the Urban Pleasure Gardens(2007) at a Battersea Society meeting on 3 April 2008.

The choice of Battersea Park forthe 1951 Festival of Britain Gardensmade a notable contribution toLondon’s South Bank leisure tradition.It came in indirect succession to themedieval brothels and fairs ofSouthwark – to the crowded theatresof Shakespeare’s day – to the famouseighteenth-century Pleasure Gardensat Vauxhall – and to the raffishcompany that frequented the old RedHouse tavern on the Battersea

riverside in the early and mid-nineteenth century.

Being at once close to the greatcapital city and yet free from its morerestrictive regulations, the South Bankprovided nothing as dramatic as analternative society. But it did offeralternative venues for diversions,dalliances, and some mild devilry. Sowhen the Duke of Wellington fought aduel with the Earl of Winchelsea, thedeed was done early one Marchmorning in 1829 by the riverside inBattersea Fields. It was anextraordinary event, as Britain’sforemost military hero was at thattime aged 60 and Prime Minister. Oneradical journalist waxed sarcastic,asking why the masses wereexpected to obey the laws when thenation’s leaders openly flouted them?But no constable was on hand toarrest the noble combatants.

Such shenanigans help to explainwhy there was local support totransform the marshy andinaccessible Battersea Fields into thelandscaped and respectableBattersea Park (built 1846-52). A newembankment lifted the land above thetidal floods, but the old and raffishlyalluring Red House on the Thames

river-bank was closed. Only its namesurvived, given to a down-at-heelplebeian pub on Battersea Park Road(now renamed, disappointingly, ThePavilion).

Romance and excitementAt the same time, another South

Bank venue for diversions and devilryran into trouble. The great exemplar ofthe leisure tradition was old Vauxhall,its Pleasure Gardens located by the

site of the modern road and railinterchange. After its commercialrebranding in 1732, it attracted botharistocrats and ‘ordinary’ Londoners.Everybody wanted to be seen there onthe long, light summer evenings. Thecrowds enjoyed the open-air musicalconcerts (precursors of the Proms) aswell as the ever-varied entertainments,lubricated by the famous Vauxhall rumpunch. All that, and the young peoplecame to meet and to court, strollingunder the trees in Vauxhall’s notoriousDark Walks. The combination ofcrowds,entertainmentsand sexualpossibilitiesgenerated anaura ofromance andexcitement. Such a formulawas hard tomaintain.VauxhallGardensactuallyremainedpopular for farlonger into the

nineteenth century than was oncerealised. But eventually the venue wasoverwhelmed by industrial might andblight. The end came in July 1859,with fireworks spelling out: ‘Farewellfor Ever’. Unkindly, The Timesremarked that it was like saying good-bye to ‘the ghost of a friend who hasbeen dead for some years’. Vauxhallwas competing with too many rivalleisure sites, including the newBattersea Park.

There were some resemblances,however, over time. Battersea’sFestival Gardens recreated in the1950s and 1960s some of the magicthat once belonged to Vauxhall. Notonly did it attract huge crowds but ittoo became known particularly as arendez-vous for young lovers. In tunewith the times, Petula Clark had a hitsong in 1954 on that theme - entitled‘Meet me in Battersea Park’. But theFestival Gardens faced much morecompetition from the start. Theybecame rather seedy, and wereclosed in 1974, never matching thelongevity of old Vauxhall. Both sites,however, are part of London history.They exemplify the unbuttoned SouthBank leisure tradition, complete withdevilry, diversions – and lovers’dalliance.

Copies of Penelope J. Corfield,Vauxhall and the Invention of theUrban Pleasure Gardens (2008), pp.51; price =£5.00 plus p+p; areavailable from History & Social ActionPublications, 18 Ridge Road,Mitcham, Surrey CR4 2ET.

The Vauxhall Fete (1814), celebrating Britain’s victory over France at Vittoria,with music, dancing, drink, debauchery and drunkenness.

The Old Red House, Battersea Fields, with customers arrivingby land and river.

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Freecycle: a virtuous circle

Tennis, trips and trapezesVanessa Wride, co-ordinator of the Battersea Summer Scheme,

describes its activities for young people.

Imagine... not ever having been tothe seaside

Imagine… you just don’t go onholiday (never, not even a little outof your area!)

Imagine... never having gone to azoo

Imagine... spending the holidaysbored, with nothing to do excepthanging around on street cornerswaiting for something tohappen……..

Imagine... being a parent and notbeing able to send or even go withyour children on an outing, as youdon’t have the means – throughlack of job, cash or car……..

Battersea Summer Scheme tries tochange this. We have been organisingtrips, outings and events for the past

15 summers. They are aimedprimarily at disadvantaged youngpeople in Battersea and Balham,particularly those from the moredeprived areas where unemployment,overcrowding and households lackingin amenities are some of the worst inthe country.

The trips are designed to be fun(after all, it’s the summer holidays),constructive and challenging. We takearound 2,000 young people (not all atonce!) on visits to the seaside,theatre, theme parks and outward-bound day courses, which includerock-climbing, team tasks, raft-building and survival skills. We alsoorganise residential trips which are anextension of these outward-bound daycourses. These adventures awayfrom home are extremely demandingbut a huge amount of fun.

We arrange a spectacular four-dayevent of sporting activities inBattersea Park, which is an

opportunity for the young people to trytheir hand at everything from a gameof tennis to the trapeze to even a highwire course. In the summer half term,we run a very popular five-a-sideFootball Tournament thoroughlyenjoyed by both boys and girls.

These are adventures, so the youngpeople do join in, they do benefit fromtheir experiences and, importantly,they are occupied and free fromboredom and all the troubles that thiscan lead to. Up to 2,500 young peopletake part in the sports days.

If you can give a local young personthe chance of experiencing anadventure, please send us a donation.We rely completely on our friends andneighbours to make a difference. It’sour neighbourhood and if we all do justa little, we can achieve a great deal!

Battersea Summer Scheme, PO Box37298, London SW11 4WF. 0207978 5865 bss@bcpp.co.uk

What can you do with thatoutlandish, outsize wardrobe youinherited from Auntie Sadie? Or thesecond television you no longer wantnow that your teenagers have lefthome? Have you had a cathartic de-junking session and need to get rid ofthe junk? Most charity shops won’taccept furniture or electrical goodsand many of us have not mastered theintricacies of e-bay.

There is an answer: Freecycle. Thisis an online network which linkspeople who want something but can’tafford it to others who have objectsthey don’t want. Its main aim is tosave useable goods from beingdumped in landfill sites, which give outpolluting liquids and gases andcontribute to climate change. Eightyper cent of Wandsworth’s rubbishgoes to landfill in Essex. Much of itwill take hundreds of years todecompose.

One of the ways we can combatthe throw-away culture we inhabit is torecycle things. Freecycle was startedin Arizona in 2003 and now has overfour million members all over theworld. There are groups in 37 Londonboroughs; Wandsworth, which only

started in October 2006, has one ofthe larger groups, with almost 6,000members.

To join the Wandsworth Freecyclegroup you have to join a Yahoo group.Go to www.freecycle.org then browsegroups, find Wandsworth and go tothe Yahoo group link. Then follow theinstructions. This is the onlycomplicated part of belonging toFreecycle. You will be giveninstructions on using the system; Isuggest that you elect to receive adaily digest of information, as this willprevent inundation with more frequentemails. Every day you will receive anemail detailing the items that are onoffer or are requested.

Knitting wool and concreteMost of the items offered on

freecycle are either electrical,awkward to carry or large. Recentdigests have offered a concretebreaker, several televisions and sixmetres of loft insulation, as well as abag of knitting wool. On the “wanted”wish list have been a treadmill and arabbit hutch. People ask for items thatthey cannot afford to buy, or that they

may use only for a short period andthen re-freecycle – before Christmasthere were several requests formattresses for visiting relatives.

Among the items we havefreecycled over the past few monthshave been a pair of old-fashioned skisand a bag of tinsel. In each case therecipient left with something theywanted and we were left with a bitmore space in the cupboard and arosy glow of satisfaction.

The only drawback is thatFreecycle is only a realistic option forpeople who have broadband access tothe internet or know someone whohas.

Jenny Sheridan

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Restaurant review - Chez Manny Barand Restaurant

145-149 Battersea High Street, SW11 3JS. 020 7223 4040. www.chezmanny.com

Battersea High Street is acharming cobbled road where afarmers’ market is held on everysecond Sunday. This is wherebrothers Guillaume and MannyLambelin opened their bar restaurant,five years ago, with Manny as therestaurant supremo and Guillaume aschef. Over this period the restauranthad been widely acknowledged to beexcellent by chefs and critics as wellas the local clientele.

Its contemporary interior andattentive service complement themenu. The restaurant is modern, lightand airy; bar stools and leather sofasin the window area help to create arelaxed, welcoming atmosphere.During warm weather all the front

glass windows and doors can beopened.

Guillaume and Manny haveintroduced to Battersea the interestedyet informal French approach todining. Their passion for good foodand expertise on wine are infectious.They respond with pleasure to diners’questions on various dishes and onthe qualities and appropriateness ofdifferent wines.

All the food is cooked with freshingredients, giving a modern spin toclassic dishes. In some restaurants,an overload of information and choicecan make things complicated. Here,with a choice of just five starters andfive main courses, making a choice issimple, especially with advice from

Planning Matters: An UpdateClapham Junction

The Society has sent a response tothe early proposals for a majorhousing and shopping development.This response includes comment onthe proposed scheme and, moreimportantly, calls for WandsworthCouncil to set out a coherent strategyto guide all development in the area,including the Grant Road area and thenorth side of the station. A number ofplanning applications have alreadybeen received, more are likely. Thecommunity will not be well served byplans being decided piecemeal. TheSociety’s comments can be read onour website:www.batterseasociety.org.uk.

St Peter with St Paul Churchand Vicarage

An application has been submittedto demolish the listed buildings inPlough Road and then develop thesite. We do not object to thedemolition of the buildings but will becommenting on aspects of the outlinedevelopment scheme submittedalongside the application to demolish.These appear to be at an early stageand we hope the church authoritieswill find our comments constructiveand helpful.

Redevelopment of Griffonand Lanner Houses (ref2008/0586)

The Society decided againstcommenting on this application fordemolition and rebuilding residentialunits, including affordable housing, onWinstanley Road.

Battersea Power StationIt has not yet been possible to

arrange a site visit alongside EnglishHeritage. We maintain regulardialogue both with the site’s ownersand with the senior officer at EnglishHeritage responsible for the powerstation.

Ransome’s Wharf: Land inParkgate Road and ElchoStreet. (ref 2008/0407)

This site contains an interestingchimney, a relic of the site’s formerindustrial use. The Society wrote toask that the developer preserve this.

Over-development, roofterraces and basements

Members will be well aware thathouse-owners are regularly applyingfor permission for extensions which

include roof terraces, for excavation toadd a basement and, on occasion, foradditional building in gardens or forconversions which increase thenumber of flats in a house. In manycases the Council has set aprecedent by agreeing to very similarapplications so there is little likelihoodthat an objection will be successful.We do try to check out anyapplication where no neighbours havebeen consulted or where thedevelopment looks excessive. Wewould appreciate members alerting usto any case which should be reviewedby the planning committee, as it isalways possible that an applicationslips past us. We are heartened byreports that the Council is taking afirm line over loss of garden space.

Note: the numbers in the headingsrefer to the planning applications onthe Council’s websitewww.wandsworth.gov.uk There is adirect link to the Council’s planningregister on our website.

Do you have any comments onthese or any other planning ortransport matters? If so pleasecontact David Lewis, the chair of theplanning sub-committee ondrlewis27@yahoo.com or by phone on020 7622 8017.

Manny. There is also a bar menu anda board of daily specials.

My personal recommendations aresautéed scallops (£7.50) and home-made foie gras with red wine andonion jam on toasted brioche(£10.50). Over numerous visits myfriends and I have also found thevarious main courses (around £13.50)consistently excellent. The dessertsat £4.25 to £6.50 are delicious. Thereis also a selection of French andEnglish cheeses at £5.50.

The many visits I’ve made revealthat many of the customers areregulars and keep coming back againand again. I can understand why!

Joan Brittain.

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A Battersea characterBased on a recent conversation, Cynthia Newman profiles Dr James (Jimmy) Winston, a retired GP

known and loved by many Battersea residents.Jimmy was born in Yokohama,

Japan, in 1912. He was educated inEngland and at first intended to studyEnglish after his matriculation (theprecursor of A-levels). However afriend persuaded him to apply tomedical school. “It was tremendouscheek to apply for a course like thiswithout any science, but things wereeasier then,” says Jimmy. He wasaccepted and started his studies tobecome a doctor.

Jimmy’s first year exam resultswere “a disaster”, he says. He failedphysics, chemistry and biology. Butthrough this failure he learnt animportant lesson. “I learnt the power ofwords to destroy or encourage. I hadto re-take all three exams andmanaged to get through physics. Thedean could have said, ‘Still pretty bad,you must either get on or get out.’Instead he said, ‘So much better thistime, I’m sure if you work hard you’llbe all right’. I’ve never forgotten thatand always try to remember it whenI’m talking to people.”

Sandbags and bombsJimmy was still a medical student

when war broke out in 1939. Heremembers seeing sandbags piled uparound St George’s Hospital at HydePark Corner (now the LanesboroughHotel). The hospital he worked in atIsleworth was partially destroyed by abomb, with miraculously only oneinjury.

Now a doctor, Jimmy was called upin 1943 and sent to India. One of hisroles was with Italian prisoners of war,

many of whom were suffering frommental illness. After a long trainjourney of seven months, eased onlyby the knowledge that they weregoing home, they arrived in Bombayonly to be told that their ship hadbeen cancelled and they had toreturn. Three of the prisonersattempted suicide on the returnjourney.

Jimmy’s next posting was toBurma, where the main problem wasnot the retreating Japanese army butmalaria and jungle sores. At last heheard that the war in Europe was over.“When I heard that the atom bombhad been dropped I was horrified, asthe Japanese were already asking forterms. I believe Nagasaki to be a warcrime, but of course victors never gettried, do they?”

In 1946 Jimmy met and married hiswife Lilli and in 1949 they arrived inBattersea. He began his peacetimecareer at the very beginning of theNational Health Service. Despiteopposition from the medicalprofession (many doctors were veryconservative in their outlook, heremembers) the NHS began in 1948.Jimmy found it an exciting time. Hewas taken on as an assistant to DrBertie Lovell, who had two surgeries,one in York Road and the other inBattersea Bridge Road. When thenurse in charge of the latter leftsuddenly, Jimmy and Lilli gatheredtogether a few things and drove fromtheir home in Earls Court to help outovernight. One night turned out to lasta little longer!

MurderDuring the 1950s Jimmy started to

work at Wandsworth Prison. Heremembers visiting two young menwho had been found guilty ofmurdering a café proprietor in southLondon. They were awaiting executionby hanging and were in a cell watchedover by prison officers “playing somestupid game. That first time washorrifying. I didn’t see them for whatthey had done but as two young menabout to be cut off in the prime of life.Perhaps almost as horrifying was thefact that after seeing a couple ofpeople on a capital charge onebecomes used to the situation. Youthink you’re civilized but you realizehow easily you can become callous.”

At the fine age of 96, after asuccessful career as a loved andrespected GP, Dr Winston – Jimmy –still lives in the house in BatterseaBridge Road that he moved into forthat one night fifty nine years ago.

Battersea to host art campusThe Royal College of Art (based in

Kensington next to the Royal AlbertHall) is well advanced with plans toestablish a major campus inBattersea. The Battersea Societywelcomes this move, subject toscrutiny of the detailed proposals.

The College’s SculptureDepartment moved some years ago toa former engineering works on thecorner of Battersea Bridge Road andHowie Street, which is now beingrefurbished. The Friends of BatterseaPark took the opportunity to create anannual award for a work by a student,which was then on display for a yearin Battersea Park. The most recent

winning sculpture can be seen on thepavilion wall at the Millennium Arena.

The RCA received planningpermission in January to convertanother former factory in Howie Streetto house the Painting Department.Work is scheduled to begin in Augustand to be complete by summer nextyear.

The Battersea campus willeventually house the Schools of FineArt and Applied Art, and include start-up units for new businesses in thefields of art and design, as well as agallery and lecture theatre. The mainphase north of Howie Street, designedby architects Haworth Tompkins, is

scheduled to start in autumn nextyear for completion in 2012. Whathappens to the present buildings inBattersea Bridge Road will be oneimportant issue – as an intrinsic partof a Victorian street scene they areincluded in the Westbridge RoadConservation Area.

The RCA will be presenting theirproposals to the public at aconsultation event on Wednesday 4June from 4 to 8pm at 33-35Battersea Bridge Road.

David LewisChair of Planning sub-committee

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Battersea and the MoviesMike Roden takes a sideways look at Battersea’s cinematic heritage.

Sadly, there is now no cinema inBattersea, although St Mary’s Churchdoes have the occasional film night.Longstanding Battersea residents willremember there used to be plenty ofchoice. The Grand on St John’s Hill,now a nightclub, was a cinema from1930 until 1963. Northcote Road’sCentury Cinema (where Somerfield isnow) closed in 1964.

The Grade I listed Granada on StJohn’s Hill still awaiting rescue fromdilapidation, opened in 1937 andshowed its final film in 1980. Our lastcinema disappeared in 1981 when theRuby shut down suddenly.Demolished shortly afterwards it isnow the St John’s Hill branch ofBarclays Bank.

But though there may not be acinema here filmmakers show no signof ending their long love affair withBattersea.

The Ealing comedy The LavenderHill Mob was greeted enthusiasticallyby local audiences in 1951. Ironically,although it may be the only featurefilm with a local name in its title, itwas filmed anywhere but Battersea,with locations in the City, Notting Hill,Ruislip, even Paris.

Perhaps one of the earliest featurefilms showing a prominent locallandmark was directed in 1936 by anold boy of Salesian College. AlfredHitchcock’s Sabotage depicts ananarchist blowing up Battersea PowerStation and reducing London todarkness. The iconic Power Stationfeatures on the opening credits ofITV’s earlier Poirot episodes; wasused in the 1984 version of GeorgeOrwell’s Nineteen Eighty-four, andsurreally stands in for Bosworth Fieldin the final battle scene in IanMcKellen’s Richard III. More recentlyit has appeared in Children of Menbased on the PD James novel. TV’sDoctor Who first used it in 1964, in a

story about the Daleks, and in 2006 itappeared in a story about theCybermen. Elsewhere in BatterseaTom Baker made his final appearanceas the Doctor in 1981, with some ofthe location filming taking place onUrsula Street.

Battersea Park is now the mostpopular location in London for film,television and commercial shoots, andWandsworth Council’s film office isbased there. There is no space to listevery film and TV series using thepark. But the nostalgic have a chanceto see again the long-gone funfair in atleast three films from the fifties andsixties: Doctor at Large with DirkBogarde, the Peter Sellers ComedyThe Wrong Arm of the Law, and TheDay the Earth Caught Fire.

Albert Bridge has appeared manytimes. In Love Actually Hugh Grant’slovesick PM drives over the bridge toWandsworth in search of MartineMcCutcheon. Unfortunately the car isshown heading towards Chelsea.Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastingscross the bridge on their way toStreatham in search of a missingcook. Naturally they are going in theright direction.

St Mary’s Church stood in as aCatholic church for the Joanna Lumleyseries Sensitive Skin, and The Billproduction team is often seen onneighbouring Old Swan Wharf. Thereis some fascinating detail in the 1965film of Alfie starring Michael Caine.There are several scenes within thechurch, on the wharf and in thechurchyard. We get some briefglimpses of the Somerset Estate andsee that one of the tower buildingsthere was still under construction.

Moving further south, there is richdetail in many of the scenes in Up theJunction based on Nell Dunn’s novel,which were filmed locally, around thestation, and around the street market.This 1968 film – about a rich Chelsea

girl ‘slumming it’ - is shortly to bereleased on DVD.

The crew filming Morgan a SuitableCase for Treatment in 1964 nevercame south of the river but Batterseastill makes its mark. The final sceneswere clearly shot on a Sunday indeserted railway shunting yardsaround Lots Road Power Station. As astraitjacketed David Warner swingsgently from a crane (you need to seethe film!) we hear the distinct sound ofthe bells of St Mary’s floating acrossthe river…

Many of the films mentioned abovemay be purchased from the Society’swebsite atwww.batterseasociety.org.uk/dvdstore.php.

Information about Battersea cinemasfrom: Theatres and Halls in ClaphamJunction and Battersea:(www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/clapham.htm)and The Dark Screens – LostCinemas Database(www.darkscreens.co.uk)

Much of the location filminginformation comes from the mine ofinformation that is the InternationalMovie Database (www.imdb.com/)

Wandsworth Council’s Film Officegives more information, together witha chance for you to register your ownproperty as a possible location site:(www.wandsworth.gov.uk/Home/LeisureandTourism/Filmoffice).

The Granada before the hoardings went up

Scene from the art deco title sequence forITV’s Poirot

Michael Caine as Alfie stands on OldSwan wharf

9

Fix My StreetWelcome to the twenty first

century. In the late nineteenth centurythe lamplighters would walk thestreets at dusk to light the gas lamps.In the early to mid twentieth centurylocal authorities were proactive inseeking out local street problems, likeblown street lamp bulbs or fly tipping.Then the bean-counters moved in andlocal authorities moved into primarilypassive mode. It was up to the citizento report defects and registercomplaints. Services were out-sourced or carelessly drawn up withinadequate contracts. Pot-holesmultiplied, litter proliferated,carelessness took a firm hold. Theman and woman in the streetdespaired of getting anything put right.It was even a problem to try and workout who was actually responsible forany given area of complaint. Manypeople simply gave up trying.

But Battersea residents do careabout their surroundings and have forsome years been frustrated at trying

to get all the little things improved ormended.

At long last there is a workablesolution. Check outwww.fixmystreet.com This website willhelp you report to WandsworthCouncil all the small irritations in yourstreet or locality that need fixing.Simply enter your post code or streetnumber, click your mouse on a map ofthe problem area and describe yourcomplaint about graffiti, fly tipping,broken paving slabs, or street lighting,scooters parked on the pavements,abandoned vehicles, streets wronglyused to advertise cars for sale, etc.

Press ‘Send’ and, subject only toan email identity check, yourcomplaint is sent to the correctdepartment of Wandsworth Councilwithin minutes.

The site also informs about otherissues that have been raised in anygiven locality or street, other defectsreported to Wandsworth Council – orindeed any council in the country.

Of course the old paper system isstill operative. Local libraries keeppostcards that serve the samepurpose. But this web-based serviceis quick and effective. Try it.

Tony Tuck

Why are we here?“What is thepurpose of acivic amenitysociety, likethe BatterseaSociety?” I amsometimesasked.

I usually answer with a descriptionof what we do. In a Platonic type“Good Society” there would be noneed for people to get together in civicamenity societies. However, in thisimperfect world, people do need toband together to argue for thecommon good, to fight to protect whatis good from the past, to argue forwhat would be good for the future andto encourage others to think aboutwhat is the difference in our societybetween the good, the bad and theindifferent.

Here in Battersea we are a two-partvillage joined in the middle by thestraightish line of Falcon Road and StJohn’s Road. In image, rather like adumbbell. The old village of Battersealies around Battersea Square, thoughnot much is left of it. Victorian andEdwardian Battersea lies between theCommons and is divided by NorthcoteRoad. Railway lines also divide us andwe are used to accepting the ravagesthat nineteenth century railways have

made, carving their tendrils all throughBattersea. The final indignity is that inthe heart of Battersea the railwaysspawned the worst railway station inBritain – and then mis-named it“Clapham Junction”!

So, if we are to defend theBattersea corner, we do start with anumber of practical disadvantages,but also with many strengths.

The Battersea Society is like astool with three legs. Firstly we run aseries of events throughout the year.These are designed to increaseawareness of and pleasure in thefabric of Battersea and its environs, tocelebrate the sons and daughters ofBattersea now and in history, toeducate or illustrate current affairs orhappenings – or quite simply to havea good time in Battersea in enjoyablecompany.

Secondly, we aim to let peopleknow what is happening in Battersea.This is by way of newsletters andmail-outs to members and also, sincethe start of 2008, through our website.The process of ‘keeping in touch’ canbe a valuable way of helping people tomake sense of Battersea’s changingworlds.

Thirdly, we argue that change mustbe constructive rather than corrosivethough our system of committees.

These are all detailed on the web siteand each one provides a platform fromwhich we can make our case to localand national decision makers. This isan area where any member can maketheir case on a wider horizon than justa personal view. We have this yearamongst other things, for example,joined with other local bodies andresidents to argue for the retention ofa valued local post office, against afoolish licensing application byWandsworth Council for BatterseaPark, supported the local PrimaryCare Trust in its plans for developingPrimary Care in Battersea and set outa strategic overview for the proposeddevelopment of Nine Elms. (All ofthese are detailed on the web site aswell as on the back page of thisnewsletter). In many activities, we joinwith our neighbouring societies inChelsea, Wandsworth & Putney,Balham & Clapham to seekcollectively to argue our case.

So, if you care about the past,present & future of Battersea, comeand participate in one – or more – ofour committees and activities.

Tony TuckChair, Battersea Society

10

Clouds with silver linings – the De Morgan Centre

Civic irresponsibility and the proper workings of democracy.

The paintings ofEvelyn and theceramics of WilliamDe Morgan were formany years housedin Old BatterseaHouse, once owned

by Evelyn’s younger sister,Wilhelmina Stirling. In 2002 theartworks were moved to a new galleryat the West Hill Library buildingwhere, for the first time, they have hada purpose-built and appropriatesetting. Two years ago, as part of itsNew Philistine approach to arts andculture, Wandsworth Council decidedto close both the library and theWandsworth Museum. The privately-funded successors to the Museumhave prevaricated over whether or notto accept the ‘landlord’s terms’ forrent of the old West Hill Library for thenew Museum. So earlier this year theCouncil triggered a 2 year period ofnotice to the De Morgan Centre,without revealing any terms forpossible lease renewal. As a trusteemyself, I was and remain veryunhappy with this risk-laden scenario.

This is the bank of blackthunderclouds. The silver lining thoughis like an Indiana Jones type vision ofthe Holy Grail.

An unparalleled opportunity hasarisen to bring together the De

Morgan collection and a number ofimportant Arts and Crafts collectionsand their archive material. This wouldbe in a more central and accessiblelocation where such an importantcultural and educational amenitycould flourish. Together thesecollections would provide a museumand archive of national, and indeedinternational, importance. It wouldbecome a significant contribution tothe regeneration of the neighbourhood,as well as a focus for tourism.

The plan, which the trustees havenow unanimously endorsed, is toestablish an Arts & Crafts Museum inthe Beaufoy Institute building in BlackPrince Road, SE11. The building isitself of the Arts and Crafts period andwas built to provide craft-skilleducation in the area. The newmuseum will become the focal pointfor a new development of craft skilleducation by creating workshops forpractising craftspeople offering tuitionand apprenticeships. Artist craftsmencould help to establish a British GlassCentre there, while above the plannedcraft workshops, an Artisan AcademySchool is planned for 14-19 year oldsunder the Government’s new plans forvocational education.

At the heart of such a communitywill be the first Arts and CraftsMuseum dedicated to the whole

country’scontributions tothis importantepoch.Furthermore,the spread ofthe movementabroad will alsobe shown,albeit in audio-visual form.

The wholeproject is verymuch in tunewith the aims and philosophy of theArts and Crafts movement itself, andis wholly relevant today in a number ofeducational, social and economicareas. Its potential benefits to thearea and indeed to London cannot beoverstated. If realised it will make asignificant contribution to the 2012Cultural Olympics and become amajor asset for the capital.

As the poet Robert Frost put it, “Ihave miles to go before I sleep” andthere is much to do. But with the verypositive support of Lambeth Council,the Beaufoy Trust and other keypartners, the De Morgan collectionshould become a central feature of thenew Arts and Crafts Museum. Watchthis space!

Tony Tuck

Three loud cheers for thecouncillors in Wandsworth whoconstitute the Licensing Sub-Committee.

People often say that councillorsonly do as they are told by theirpolitical masters. Well, the case ofthe “Licence Folly in Battersea Park”proves such Jeremiahs wrong.

Earlier this year WandsworthBorough Council made a grotesqueapplication to license the whole ofBattersea Park for the sale of alcohol,dancing , entertainment, etc. for 365days a year and 12 hours a day. Thiswould have licensed the children’splayground for the sale of alcohol fromnoon to midnight! The BatterseaSociety joined forces with six of themansion blocks along Prince ofWales Drive and other residents tomake a forceful objection to thisapplication. Luckily the mansionblocks were able to invest in theservices of a first rate barrister and theapplication was soundly rejected by

the Council’s own Licensing Sub-Committee.

The text of the full decision,together with supporting papers, is onthe web site of the Battersea Society,together with supporting papers atwww.batterseasociety.org.uk in theLatest News section.

The key text is the statementthat:-

“The Sub-Committee took intoaccount that granting the Licencewould in their view unacceptablyexacerbate the current level of noisedisturbance that local residentsexperience and would undermine thelicensing objective relating to theprevention of public nuisance. It wasnot, in the view of the Sub-Committee, possible to imposeconditions, which would overcomethese concerns.”

Not only was this a significantvictory for common sense but it wasalso a useful exercise in getting agroup of organised local residents

together to combine in commonpurpose.

So, well done the mansion blocksand their residents for seeing throughthe foolish bid by Wandsworth officialsand for funding the objections. Welldone to the members of the LicensingSub-Committee for making anindependent decision. Together wehave helped to protect Battersea Parkfrom a truly foolish licensingapplication.

Tony Tuck

11

Nine Elms: Property hotspot or area of opportunity?Yet again we are waiting for yet

another developer to reveal plans forthe Power Station site. But that isonly part of a much larger area ofBattersea which could seefundamental changes over the nextfew years. This includes New CoventGarden Market, which hascommissioned Norman Foster todesign a smaller, more efficientmarket, and will be looking for adeveloper to partner it in findingprofitable uses for the rest of its site,including the Flower Market. Alsobeing eyed by hungry developers arethe low-rise commercial buildings inNine Elms Lane, such as theStationery Office and the Royal Mailsorting office.

In 2004 the Mayor of Londonidentified ‘Vauxhall/Nine Elms/Battersea’ (an area of 78 hectares) asone of a number of ‘Opportunity Areas’across Greater London and gaveindicative figures for extra houses andjobs to be provided there up to 2016.He also brought it within the CentralActivities Zone (the designated areafor characteristic Central Londonuses). Earlier this year anamendment to the London Planextended the planning horizon to

2026. It also expanded theOpportunity Area to 195 hectares bybringing in the Patmore, Savona andCarey Gardens estates and a noman’s land of industrial uses betweenand around the railway lines.

Little progressThere has been little progress so

far towards producing the promisedFramework for developing theOpportunity Area. Indeed it was notclear whose responsibility that was.According to the Greater LondonAuthority, however, Wandsworth andLambeth councils are now expectedto produce a draft Framework byabout the end of this year.

The Battersea Society has beenconcerned that, by the time an officialFramework is produced, it will be toolate to provide much effectiveguidance or co-ordination. ThePlanning Sub-Committee hastherefore been working on preparingour own planning brief for Nine Elms.

We want to see the Nine Elms areaoffering an exciting and attractivepublic realm and being very efficient inusing energy and water. We want tosee redevelopment bring maximumbenefit to the local community, by

retaining existing major employers aswell as bringing in new ones. Wesketched out exciting possibilities forthe Power Station, which we havealready submitted to TreasuryHoldings. We want the localcommunity to benefit from transportimprovements, especially improvedbus services and upgrading ofBattersea Park station (now thatParkview’s scheme has beendropped), but also possibly riverbuses and a tram.

We don’t want to see the wholearea covered in high-rise speculativehousing, displacing all existingriverside uses. And we stronglyoppose the idea that the PowerStation might become a major car-dependent shopping centre,threatening the future of Battersea’stown centre at Clapham Junction.

Our planning brief will be finalisedshortly and sent to the planningauthorities, other public bodies andkey landowners. It will also be placedon the Society’s website. We shallinvite reactions to it, and we shall beseeking a meeting to discuss it withWandsworth Council’s head ofplanning.

David Lewis

Sign up for Open HouseEvery autumn, buildings across

London are open free of charge to thepublic for the Open House LondonWeekend. They range from thesplendour of the Durbar Court in theForeign Office to a small minimalistflat in Earls Court. Many are notusually open to visitors and some offerthe irresistible enjoyment of snoopingaround someone else’s house oroffice. At some sites it is possible tomeet the architects or inhabitants.This year over 600 buildings will beopen all over London., includingchurches, laboratories and theatresas well as domestic and commercialbuildings.

Open House is looking forvolunteers to take part in the event inand around Battersea, or further afield.Volunteers will give a morning orafternoon of their time acting asguides or stewards. They will bebriefed but will be expected to dosome research on ‘their’ builidng. As aperk, they will be given a badgeenabling them to go to the front of thequeue at many buildings and so see

more open houses. If you areinterested in offering your services,phone Jeni Hoskin on 020 7383 2131.

Open House weekend will be on20-21 September. The buildingsbooklet will be available from mid-August on www.openhouse.org.uk orat local libraries.

Don’t take your holidays on theweekend of 6-7 June: there’s a lot goingon. For a start there’s the Open GardenSquares Weekend. Thrive’s gardens inBattersea Park are included (see page14). Other nearby gardens open to thepublic that weekend include NightingaleSquare in Balham, the Beatrix Potterallotments in Earlsfield, St Paul’sCommunity Gardens, Clapham and theShare Community Horticulture Project atSpringfield Hospital. Seewww.opensquares.org

As an alternative – or you could try tofit in both - the Wandle Valley Festival willoffer a chance to experience the river’sjoys and explore its history and wildlife.There will be guided walks, craftsworkshops and a riverbank clear-up aswell as fascinating wildlife events for bothchildren and adults.www.wandlevalleyfestival.org.uk 08707140750.

Then the following weekend, onSaturday 14 June, we can celebrate the150th birthday of Battersea Park. There willbe a history exhibition, yoga and tai chiclasses, boules lessons and even operain the sub-tropical garden.

Weekend of wonders

12

Bowers of blossomJenny Sheridan sneaks a preview of two local gardens opening shortly to the public

Crammed into a small garden inBalham – room to swing a cat, butonly a little one – you will, on 15 Juneand 20 July, be able to see over 2000plants, including 400 clematis and 80camellias. It’s an extraordinary sight:a jungle of blossom and colour.

Anne Birnhak, a journalist, saysher garden is “not just a passion, it’sa totally consuming activity, what withgoing to plant fairs and garden centresand studying catalogues and takingphotographs.” Anne particularly lovesclematis – “They are all so different,and they don’t take up much groundspace, which I haven’t got”. Theyflower for her virtually all year round,apart from January and February. Oneof her favourites is Frederic Chopin,with wavy-edged pale blue flowers.She also loves climbing roses, suchas the lushly-scented pink MadameIsaac Pereire which weaves between

lilac clematis andhydrangeas on herexternal wall.

Anne’s secret forher tiny garden is togrow most plants inpots. “I wanted mygarden to be full ofscents andexcitement, but theoriginal designerwasn’t really a plantperson, and the plantswere dull. A friendgave me a rose and Ihad nowhere to put it,then it occurred to me

I could use pots, and the rest ishistory. When I ran out of space forpots, I started building shelves, sonow there are tiers of them. It’sdesigned to be seen from indoors,especially from the kitchen sink.”

Squirrel perilAs well as the profusion of

plants, Anne’s garden containsa small but potent waterfall. Itlooks and sounds impressivebut she points out that waterfeatures are not easy, as ifthere are problems it is difficultto get at the built-inmechanism. Another difficultyis watering; she had anirrigation system, but thesquirrels chewed through theleads. She insists thatalthough the garden is anengrossing passion, it is notendless work. She waters everythingevery other day and feeds plants“when I remember.” However, shedoes not go away on holiday exceptin the winter, both because the plantsneed to be watered and dead-headedand because she can’t bear to missanything.

A short walk away from AnneBirnhak’s house, another Balhamgarden will also be open for theNational Garden Scheme on 15 June.Georgina Ivor’s front garden gets sunall day and has a Mediterranean feel,while her back garden is moreEnglish, centred on an old pear tree.

In the front, the white flowers andsilvery leaves of convolvulus cneorumspill onto the paving. Scent is

supplied by choisya ternata (Mexicanorange blossom), honeysuckle andlavender, and colour by blueagapanthus and giant alliums as wellas blue and black grasses. “In 2006 itcame second in the Wandsworth inBloom competition – that was a greatthrill,” says Georgina.

The back garden is about 45 ft by35ft, bigger than Anne Birnhak’s buthardly a landscaped park. There is asmall curving lawn surrounded byflower-filled beds beyond the deckingand pear tree, which in summer isunder-planted with white busy lizziesand a froth of blue lobelia. The backwall is painted a soft but bright blueand supports a yellow-and-redabutilon as well as offering a flatteringbackdrop to shrubs and perennials.On the sage-green left wall aparticularly handsome Virginia creepermingles happily with the pink-tippedleaves of actinidia.

Georgina, like Anne, manages toachieve the difficult objective of all-year-round interest. In the spring thereis a rhododendron, columbines andforget-me-nots as well as an unusualpale pink vinca. Then the roses takeoff; bravely, she has Rambling Rector,often considered too vigorous for asmall London garden. There areseveral fennel plants – “so decorative,and so delicious” – and day lilies infront of the hibiscus. Come autumnshe has dahlias, pink and whitecosmos and several salvias includingthe scarlet pineapple sage.

On the wooden balcony outside herkitchen Georgina has pots full of over20 herbs and edible flowers, such asnasturtiums. She has just retired fromher very involving business managing

Anne Birnhak’s garden

Rose Mme Isaac Periere

Georgina Ivor’s back garden

13

Northcote fights the clonesAs one Clonetown merges seamlessly into the next, South Battersea battles on against the

chain stores. Jenny Sheridan reports.

classical musicians and is also chairof the Balham Town CentrePartnership. “I find gardening

Gardening tips

If you have just a small balcony, geraniums aregood if it’s sunny, or fuchsias if it’s shady.

Go to the garden centre every month, see what’sflowering and buy it. That way you’ll havesomething in flower all year.

Whenever you cut a bit off a plant, stick it in theearth and see what happens. A lot of them willroot.

Anne Birnhak

On a patio or balcony, do grow herbs in pots; it’svery satisfying to grow something you can eat.

Even in the smallest space you can grow plantsup walls, like morning glory.

Garden to please yourself, not for effect. It’s pottyto follow fashion!

Georgina Ivor

Following the consultants’ report onNorthcote Road (Spring newsletter),the Council produced its own report,based on the Urbed consultation. TheNorthcote Road Action Group (NRAG)responded to this. The groupexpressed its disappointment that thereport paid little attention to theplanning process, unlike a similarexercise by Kensington andChelsea’s retail commission. NRAGwas also disappointed that theopportunity was not taken to includeWebbs Road, which runs parallel toNorthcote Road.

At present, some landlords aredoubling or even trebling rents, forcingsmall shops to move or close. It is ofcourse possible that the credit crunchwill force the rents down. TheCouncil’s view seems to be that thefree market should rule supreme.However, their report does come outstrongly for the street market as acore element of Northcote Road’ssuccess. Although a shadow of itsformer self, NRAG agrees that thestreet market makes shopping on aSaturday a lively and colourfulexperience. The Council’s report

proposes extending the market toSundays.

One of the issues which NRAGtook issue with strongly was theCouncil’s emphasis on reforming thestreetscape. Although Urbedacknowledged that nobody theyspoke to saw this as a cause forconcern, they made this area a majorfocus, for no good reason that NRAGcould see. The group pointed out anumber of inconsistencies, such as adesire to de-clutter while increasingsignage.

Overall, NRAG saw this report asan opportunity missed. Food tourismis an established phenomenon andNorthcote Road could, they believe,become one of London’s food hubs,boosting local employment andentrepreneurship as well as satisfyingresidents’ wishes.

The Council is at present preparinga consultation exercise with aquestionnaire for residents andbusinesses, based on the report’sfindings. NRAG looks forward totaking part in the consultation.

In late March, Martin Linton,Battersea’s MP, secured aparliamentary debate on planning law

affecting high street shops. He usedthis to address the problems faced byindependent shops in streets likeNorthcote Road, which he describedas “one of the nicest shopping streetsin London”. Among Mr Linton’ssuggestions were for shops to berequired to have planning permissionto expand. Another was for coffeeshops and internet cafes to be placedin a separate planning category, sothat food shops could not change soeasily into cafes. He also proposed anextension of the small business raterebate scheme. According to MrLinton, “the fundamental problem isthat the planning system leaves toomuch to the whim of the market andgives too few powers to the localcommunity to defend its own highstreet.”

In his reply, the ministerresponsible for planning, Iain Wright,suggested that councils already havemost of the powers they need, andthat they should use developmentplans such as the Local DevelopmentFramework to regulate their highstreets. In NRAG’s view, that could betoo late for Northcote Road.

fantastically therapeutic. Ifyou’ve got a million thingswhizzing round your head,it’s a wonderful way toswitch off.”

Georgina enjoysopening her garden for theNational Garden Scheme.“People are really lovely.In the evening opening,with Pimms andprosecco, everyone talksto each other.”

Georgina Ivor’s gardenis at 28 Old DevonshireRoad, SW12. It is openon Sunday 15 June from2-5.30pm and onWednesday 18 June from6-8.30pm.

Anne Birnhak’s gardenis at 2 Western Lane,SW12 (round the corner

from the Nightingale pub). It is openon Sunday 15 June and Sunday 20July from 3-4.30pm.

The National Garden Schemeraises millions of pounds for charities,including Macmillan and Marie Curiecancer charities, Crossroads and Helpthe Hospices.

A corner of Georgina Ivor’s garden

14

Thriving in the Park

Many of you will have visitedThrive’s garden project in BatterseaPark but I wonder if you knew thatthere’s far more to Thrive than that. Asa small national charity, Thrive usesgardening to change the lives ofdisabled people. It is our vision thatgardening should become asainstream as art or music therapy.

The Battersea gardenproject has come a long wayfrom its origins. It was createdin 1978 as the UK’s firstdemonstration garden fordisabled people but in thosedays this meant a piece oftarmac with plants growing inpiles of tyres. Today we gardenfrom three gardens inBattersea Park and work witharound 50 local disabledpeople. The basis of our workis to use gardening to helpdisabled people to helpthemselves.

Many disabled people leadisolated, institutionalised lives andhave little opportunity to expressthemselves or pursue their ambitions.Thrive believes strongly in the rights ofdisabled people to freedom of choiceand opportunity and recognises thefact that disabled people want to be incharge of their own lives and have thesame choices and opportunities asnon-disabled people. At the gardenproject, Thrive’s horticulturaltherapists work in partnership withdisabled gardeners to find out whatthey want in life and to establish aseries of goals and aims. These form

the basis for a garden activityprogramme which will involve therapyand training aimed at personaldevelopment, managing disability,coping and recovery, buildingconfidence and self esteem,independent living, gardening,volunteering and work skills.

A life transformedThe disabled gardeners attending

Thrive may have a learning disability, amental health problem or berecovering from a stroke, a heartattack or a head injury. Brian was asub-editor on the Times before hesuffered extensive brain injury in a caraccident in 2003. Brian’s personalitychanged; he found it difficult to controlhis fury and felt isolated from otherpeople. His memory and speech werealso affected. Brian says, “Coming to

Thive in Battersea has transformedmy life – finally I have some of my oldconfidence back. I don’t feel ashamedto start a conversation with people.”

What I find really inspiring is towatch the change in people asgardening ‘takes its hold’. One of thefantastic benefits from being in such aglorious public park is that thegardeners attending the project feel apart of the park community anddevelop a real sense of contributing toit. And the park community can seeand appreciate the skills whichdisabled people have to contribute.That’s what I love about ourgroundbreaking partnership withBattersea Park to renovate the OldEnglish Garden, it’s a real opportunityto give something back to thecommunity.

New glasshouseWe may have moved on a lot since

1978 but it’s time to move the projecton again. The motley collection ofbuildings at our Main Garden is nolonger adequate for our needs and is aserious constraint to the number ofpeople able to attend the project. Wehave embarked on a £750,000redevelopment project which will result

in brand new buildings and a re-design of our Main Garden anda wonderful glasshouse as wellas a new training room in theHerb Garden. This will meanthat we can launch newvolunteering and work traningprogrammes and increase from50 to over 220 the numbers ofdisabled people able to attendthe project. It’s really exciting,the glasshouse is going up as Iwrite and the Herb Garden ismid-transformation. There’s along way to go though. For astart, we still have nearly

£500,000 left to raise!

Come and see what we’re doing.On 7th and 8th June the Herb Gardenis holding a garden fete as part of theLondon Open Garden Squaresweekend. Our gorgeous newglasshouse will be open and we’llhave fantastic plants for sale donatedfrom the Chelsea Flower Show.

www.thrive.org.ukSusan Stuart

Garden manager, Thrive BatterseaPark.

15

In May and June we cannot helpbut notice the profusion of growth andcolour in the garden. There is still timeto get gardening and reap wonderfulrewards before we depart for oursummer holidays. But don’t just thinkforward to the months ahead; gardensmust look pleasant all year round. Thegarden should complement thearchitecture of the house, soremember to take into account anyspecial features of your house whenconsidering container gardening.

The finishing touches to any gardenare made by the strategic positioningof containers and ornaments: a pieceof garden furniture, a water feature, acolumn or an urn. They can be placedanywhere on the balcony, roof garden,patio, flowerbed, or can be used as astrategic focal point. Containers andpots also enable you to experiment.Don’t stop at annuals; combineperennials and annuals, plants thatare all silver, plants that are all foliageand offer no flowers, the same plant indifferent colours, or plants withwonderful fragrance. Although pots inall their shapes and colours are themost common items on the patio, youcan use any kind of container, as longas it drains well and won’t fall apartwhen it’s wet. You can even pot up oldgolf bags, suitcases, handbags,boots, and baby prams; even the seatof a chair. You can move pots aroundto add colour or interest to areas thatneed it, or foliage to a part of thegarden that looks bare.

The choice of plants is of coursethe most important decision. Taketime to research all the options andthen enjoy the visits you make to thegarden centre. Vary the form of theplants you choose; use tall linearspecies to add height; mounded

species to add mass; andlow growing, cascadingspecies to fill in, adddepth, and soften theedges of the container.Add coarse, medium, andfine textured plantstogether. Three to fivespecies will achieve anassortment of forms andtextures. Use variationand gradation of form andtexture. It’s a good ideato repeat colour at regularintervals around theoutside of a roundcontainer or along thelength of a longrectangular container. Andrepeat colour in severalcontainers to ‘tie’ themtogether. The gracefullines of plant leaves addflow and rhythm. Rule ofthumb is that the heightof the tallest plant shouldnot exceed one or twotimes the height of the containerexcluding pedestals and ‘air-fairy’sprigs. It is best to use odd numbers:one, three, five or seven plants of eachcultivar.

Good potting soil should be usedas the growing medium with agenerous sprinkling of slow releasefertilizer. This will supplement theregular weekly plant food that annualsrequire during their growing period. Asa rule, larger containers dry out lessquickly than small ones. Wateringcontainers can be tedious but you canbuy simple irrigation systems for avery reasonable price. Returning fromholiday can be very depressing if therehas been a drought. Plants reallysuffer from stress if the containers are

Gardening in a small spaceEddie Babbage of Martin Summers Gardens outlines the joys and pitfalls of container

gardening

dry and will eventually wilt and die. Ifyou mix water retention crystals intothe soil medium when you plant thiswill help to overcome the perennialproblem of regular watering.

Even the smallest patch can host aspectacular display if yourhorticultural enthusiasm is inspired.You can pack a lot of plants into asmall space and it will provide awonderful environment. Creating yourown mini garden will always besatisfying and will give you enduringpleasure.

Martin Summers Gardens is inCranleigh Mews, under the railway

arches.

Martin Summers’ roof garden in Chelsea

Beyond our shoresJust beyond our boundaries – not

far if you are a car-owner or car-clubber – lies Dulwich Park. Designedin part by Lt-Col JJ Selby, London’sfirst superintendent of parks andhistorian of Wandsworth and TootingCommons, it is a small Victorian parkof great charm. Unlike Battersea, itwas previously farmland, and amongits most attractive features are huge

oaks which previously formed parts offield boundaries. In early May thesegreat trees with their almost blacktrunks were clothed lightly in brilliantlyvivid green.

There is also an American garden,showcasing rhododendrons, and aboating lake, partly preserved forwildlife with reedbeds, as onWandsworth Common.

Not least, the Pavilion Café servesall-day breakfasts and bakes its owndelicious-looking home-made cakes.

16

TheBattersea

SocietyChair: Tony Tuck

tony@tonytuck.eu020 7622 0485

Secretary: Harvey Heath

Membership secretary: Maureen Larkinmembership@batterseasociety.org.uk

020 7228 4873

Committees

CommunityChair: Harvey Heath

community@batterseasociety.org.uk020 7585 3788

PlanningChair: David Lewis

planning@batterseasociety.org.uk020 7622 8017

Open Spacesopenspaces@batterseasociety.org.uk

MarketingChair: Sara Milne

marketing@batterseasociety.org.uk

EventsChair: Wendy Deakins

events@batterseasociety.org.uk

Displays and exhibitionsChair: Brian Newman

displays@batterseasociety.org.ukApology

We believe some members may have beenasked to pay extra postage on Chelsea

Festival Programme/Events Programmewhich was circulated recently. If so, we

sincerely apologise.

For allBattersea

Society Events -please go to the

websitewww.batterseasociety.org.uk