Sun Wharf on Creekside – happening sooner than expected!

Click to enlarge

We touched on Sun Wharf as part of our coverage of the Kent Wharf redevelopment application. Public consultation for Kent Wharf in July 2014 was followed by submission of an application in December 2014 which was passed in March 2015 and work is now well under way. Included in the Bellway Homes' application was an "indicative masterplan" for the entire stretch of land bordering Deptford Creek and Creekside, going all the way down to the railway. It would add a further 242 homes. See Crossfields Estate shaded in red (our addition):

Indicative masterplan, Dec 2014

The Kent Wharf plans mainly showed the present development in context with Laban, as well as an untouched Jones Catering Supplies and Cockpit Arts.

Kent Wharf plans, Dec 2014

With Jones in possession of a lease till 2022, it seemed we might be spared the continuous onslaught of construction work on Creekside. There might be a bit of a breather before Sun Wharf began.

But it would appear from the above public consultation that all obstacles have been removed and Bellway Homes can plough ahead with their masterplan. Jones may have been offered an alternative site to continue their lease (or their lease has been bought out), and Cockpit Arts have been seduced into getting a new 'purpose-built facility'. The speed with which the Kent Wharf plans turned into reality suggests public consultation at this time means the rest of the masterplan could begin at Sun Wharf as early as 2018, around the time Faircharm and Kent Wharf are reaching completion.

As we predicted then, a tower of 14 storeys could easily rise to 18. Here's 2014's building heights:

Indicative masterplan, Dec 2014 (click to enlarge)

Indicative masterplan, Dec 2014

And here's the (only) picture on the front of the consultation leaflet (black biro is ours). My! How that tower has grown! And gone is the old Cockpit building with the Love Over Gold mural – now they're tucked into the development and overshadowed by a 9 (?) storey building! Looks like there will be a lot more than 242 homes now in the highly dense development...

Sun Wharf, Feb 2016 (click to enlarge)

Whilst these rapid changes on Creekside could be viewed with excitement by some, it's rather depressing for local residents – not everyone is out at work every day, and going by the noise and pollution already being created by demolition works at Faircharm (which we'll cover in another post) the prospect of another five years of being stuck in the middle of a building site is not a happy one. On one side is Thames Tunnel at their Deptford Church Street site, and on the other, five new developments on the Creek, plus more Thames Tunnel work across the Creek. There's also another potential Creekside development when No.3 Creekside is sold (quite possibly to Bluecroft who have already bought the MOT Centre).

The Faircharm development has recently generated convoys of HGVs queuing all the way up Creekside to take away demolition materials, but that is nothing compared to the 180 lorry trips per day planned for when construction begins. Whilst Workspace plc have cheated their way out of using the Creek to transport spoil and materials at Faircharm (not 'financially viable'), Bellway Homes at Sun Wharf should have less of an excuse – but they have not used the Creek at Kent Wharf, and there is also the little matter of Thames Tideway Tunnel's plans to use the Creek themselves. Oh, and did we mention the noise? And the floor shaking and the cracks appearing...

What can we get from all this redevelopment? New 'townscapes', a buzzing new street full of cafes and mini supermarkets perhaps? Even nearer gyms, a few galleries? More parking congestion? A one-way street? At least there might be a few more much needed homes for families at Sun Wharf, which is more than you can say for the Faircharm development. Will the Love Over Gold mural be preserved? Those who value it may have to put up a fight as it's unlikely that Cockpit Arts will argue for its retention. What will happen to Cockpit's craftspeople – will they be the first to be offered new creative spaces in Faircharm and Kent Wharf while their building is demolished? (We'll have to ask our designer friends*)...

View our Pollution Survey (May 2014) results here to get an idea of what's in store while this fantastic brand new environment is being created on our doorstep. Meanwhile find out more on Wednesday 24th Feb (3.30-7.30 at Creekside Centre) and on Saturday 27th Feb (11–3 at Laban).

* We asked a friend at Cockpit and she had no idea of the plans.
 

Christmas Fairs this weekend...and next...

DEPTFORDWIVES VINTAGE
CHRISTMAS & CRAFTS MARKET
Sat 5th Dec 10.30am–4pm
Free entry
Unique handcrafted presents including ceramics, vintage clothes, classy items, jewellery, decorations, art keepsakes, Deptford 'Sunshine State' t-shirts, Deptford Is Forever anchor shirts & bags, The Lenox Project and Deptford X merchandise.
Albany Theatre, Douglas Way
SE8 4AG (Disabled access)
thealbany.org.uk/event

COCKPIT ARTS
CHRISTMAS OPEN STUDIOS
Thurs 3rd Dec 6-9pm
Fri–Sun 4th–6th Dec 11am-6pm 
£3 entry, FREE to Lewisham residents on Friday 4 Dec
Meet makers and buy direct from designers in their studios. Quality textiles, homewares, jewellery, chocolates, Prize Draw for handmade Xmas decorations, Hand Made Food Café.
Cockpit Arts, 18-22 Creekside 
SE8 3DZ (Disabled access)
cockpitarts.com/open-studios/

ARTHUB
XMAS DESIGN FAIR
Fri 4th Dec 6-9pm
Sat & Sun 5th & 6th Dec 1-5pm
Free entry
Original hand-made gifts: prints, ceramics, glassware, sculpture, homeware, jewellery, paintings, silk screened cards from Arthub's studio artists. Vinyl DJing, Brockley Brewery and The Cocktail Gardener on the opening night...
5-9 Creekside SE8 4SA
arthub.org.uk/shows/xmas-art-design-fair/

GIFT : APT GALLERY
Fri 4th Dec 5-8pm
Sat & Sun 5 & 6th Dec 1-5pm
Free entry
Large selection of drawings, prints, paintings, ceramics and sculpture by APT members and guests. Refreshments served!
6 Creekside SE8 4SA (Disabled access) 
aptstudios.org/
 

BIRDS NEST MAKERS MARKET
Sat 5th Dec 3-6pm 
Free entry
Shop for hand-made Xmas presents in the comfort of your local pub...
Birds Nest Pub, 
32 Deptford Church St SE8 4RZ
(Disabled access)
www.facebook.com/events/





Next week...

LEWISHAM ARTHOUSE
WINTER FAIR
Sat 12th Dec 11am–6pm
Free entry
Original artworks, hand-made crafts and seasonal gifts by studio artists plus flowers, resident DJ, mulled wine, soup, cakes and mince pies...
140 Lewisham Way SE14 6PD
(Disabled access)
www.lewishamarthouse.org.uk/



Apologies to any other Deptford fairs we've missed out!

Busy weekend of Creekside music and art starting tonight

Starting with Number3London...

We've slagged off her landlord in the previous post, but we wish only the best to Caffy St Luce and her latest Rocklands project Number3Live Sessions launching at Number 3 Creekside this evening (and continuing 12th and 19th December). The bill tonight is Rhiannon The Nightmare, Jean Genie's Massive Hugs, James Fisher and DJ Gavin Black. It's free entry, doors are 7pm.

Despite the planning application being unresolved, the licensing is in place, so it's likely to be a late one, and a good opportunity for the nearby Crossfields residents to test the sound and noise barriers! Here's hoping their evenings won't be disturbed, and everyone has a great time.

Artwise, it's Christmas Open Studios at Cockpit Arts  – lots of visitors expected as usual as people come from far and wide to pick up classy and crafty Chrismas presents at studio prices at Numbers 18-22 Creekside. It's free entry from 11am till 9pm today but a £3 ticket price over the weekend (which allows entry both days, Sat & Sun 11am-6pm).

APT Gallery at Number 6 Creekside and Arthub Studios at Numbers 5-9 Creekside hope to attract some of these visitors to their own Christmas sales – though of course it might be the other way round! APT were open late for 'SLAM Last Fridays' last weekend and the traffic on Creekside was terrible! Tonight they'll be open from 6–8pm and 1-5pm on Sat & Sun.

Arthub Studios & Gallery's 'Snap it up!' offers a free glass of mulled wine this evening (6-9pm), a DJ and some 'screen printing' (not sure what that means!). Then they're open 1-5pm on the weekend.

Next week on Saturday 13 December, there's a Winterfair at the Arthouse and a Vintage Christmas & Craft market at The Albany.

Local Christmas markets, Friday 6th – Saturday 8th

Art Hub Studios Art & Design Fair

Friday 6th December, 4-9pm

Saturday & Sunday 7th & 8th December, 12-5pm

Art Hub Gallery, 5-9 Creekside, SE8 4SA

Buy direct from the artists and designers: Textiles, Jewellery, Glassware, Furniture, Art, Ceramics, Prints, Hand-crafted gifts, T-shirts – plus mulled wine and music! 

FREE ENTRY

If, on a Winter's Day – Deptford Society Christmas Market

Saturday 7th December, 10am-4.30pm

Deptford Lounge, Giffin Square, Deptford High Street

The recently formed Deptford Society (sign up to their mailing list here) hosts its first event in collaboration with The Albany and Deptford Lounge. Featuring the monthly Giffin Square Food Fair, live music from Heart of Steel and Tidemill Academy school choir, performance art from Something Human, cooking demos outside Codfathers (11am-2pm) and interactive art installations along the high street.  

Plus local heritage project Build The Lenox will be showing off their restored 17th century ship's cannon, along with displays about Deptford's Royal Dockyard, 

the Deptford Shanty Crew will sing bawdy songs at 2pm, 

followed by talks about Deptford Dockyard from maritime historian  

Richard Endsor and children's novelist and black history expert S I Martin.

Also pick up a free glass of mulled wine when you join the Deptford Society!

Cockpit Arts Christmas Open Studios

Friday 6th December, 11am-9pm (FREE ENTRY), 

Saturday & Sunday 7th & 8th December, 11-6pm (£3 entry)

Cockpit Arts, 18-22 Creekside SE8 3DZ

165+ designer-makers, gifts, kids workshops, demonstrations, 

live music, mulled wine & festive fare.

More details at www.cockpitarts.com/shopping-events

APT Christmas Parlour

Friday 6th December, 6-8pm

Saturday & Sunday 7th & 8th December, 1-5pm

APT Gallery, 6 Creekside SE8 4SA

Drawings, paintings, prints & sculptures by APT artists + cards and jewellery

Little Nan's Christmas Market with Cocktails

Saturday 7th December, 12-6pm

Little Nan's Bar, Deptford Broadway

Featuring gifts, textiles, home objects, bags, clothes, vintage garb, hoodies & Ts, 

Little Nan's Hampers, plus cocktails & treats in the bar.

Coming up...

Deptford Wives Vintage Christmas & Craft Market

Saturday & Sunday 14th & 15th December, 10.30am-4pm

Albany, Douglas Way SE8 4AG

Ceramics, classy vintage items, jewellery, decorations, arts & crafts, leatherwork, T-shirts

Xmas Extravganza at New Cross Learning
Sunday 15th December, 1–7.30pm
Puppets, stories, Santa, jazz + surprise guests...and the NXL AGM somewhere in it all...

Cockpit Arts, Enclave, Deptford Film Club and APT

A weekend of arty events coming up in Deptford...

Cockpit Arts Open Studios
Deptford's craftspeople and designers open their studios.
Friday 14th June 6-9pm
Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th 11am–6pm
Free entry. Download the event guide.
www.cockpitarts.com
18-22 Creekside SE8 3DZ

Block Party at Enclave
Enclave are celebrating their first birthday with an open weekend of art, performance, live music and exhibitions, featuring an art flea market with a host of artists, and a fundraising Art Raffle with the chance to win an artwork by five prestigious artists. 
Friday 14th June 7-11pm: DJ sets and performances
Saturday 15th June 1-10pm: Cash&Carry Market till 6pm, performances, exhibitions
Sunday 16th June 1-4pm: Cash&Carry Market, BBQ, Bloody Marys, Art Raffle
Check the website for full details www.Enclave Projects.com
Enclave, Resolution Way SE8 4NT

Deptford Film Club at St Nicholas' Church
Saturday 15th June 1pm and 3pm Free entry
As part of St Nick's annual community festival Deptford Film Club will be showing short films by Russian animator, Yuri Nostein, in the crypt.
Check the Deptford Film Club website for details.
St Nicholas Church, Deptford Green SE8 3DQ

Creekside Open 2013 at APT Gallery
Work from artists all over the UK selected by Ceri Hand
Thursday to Sunday 12noon- 5pm Free entry
Exhibition runs till 30 June.
www.creeksideopen.org
www.aptstudios.org
APT Gallery, 6 Creekside SE8 4SA

The Deptford artists advent calendar

The countdown to Christmas wouldn't be the same around these parts without local artists and crafts people popping up to sell you their wares and work, along with an offering of mulled wine and mince pies. This coming weekend it's the turn of Cockpit Arts and Arthub in Creekside, both opening on Friday 7th (Cockpit 11am-9pm, Arthub 5-9pm, both free entry) and from 11am-6pm on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th (£3 admission to Cockpit includes entry in a prize draw, no charge at Arthub).

South London Art Map has a tour on Saturday 8th (2-4pm) that will visit these and other open studios (Creekside Artists and Hatch Space). See here.

Deptford artists kicked off the season last Friday evening with lots of gallery openings as part of SLAM Last Fridays. Over the weekend, APT opened their Christmas Parlour, to raise money for their new studio block (a new show opens at APT on Thursday). Utrophia held music events on Saturday afternoon and evening, and have events and shows running up to Christmas (look out for Crossfield's own Merlin Hayward curating a performance on Friday 14 December, 9am-3pm).

Meanwhile, St Paul's House Project Space in the high street held a most unusual Charity Auction Event on Saturday evening which raised an amazing £1782 for Cooltan Arts, the art and mental health charity based in Walworth Road.

Artworks were donated by St Paul's House artists and friends, with starting bids set at £20. The auction featured a commanding performance by artist Julia Bardsley as auctioneer, dressed as a 'fallen angel' in an elaborate close fitting black outfit which included a rather large and protruding codpiece from which she occasionally dispensed gold chocolate coins. Her gavel was a cloven hoof, and she was assisted by a stylish and professional salesroom staff who ensured the auction ran smoothly. Some of the works for sale achieved a price of over £100 and one or two up to almost £200, with bidding wars breaking out for some coveted pieces. A £2 Lucky Dip meant attendees with smaller pockets could go home with a small postcard sized artwork.  

Barry Sykes, Julia Bardsley, Kira O'Rielly and Bernadette Russell, the auction team at St Paul's House

APT + Cockpit Arts + Core : Openings

APT OPEN STUDIOS & EXHIBITION
Friday 22 June  5pm to 8pm
Licensed Bar | Curry from Tandoori Express Deptford
Piano - Joe Gatley

Saturday 23 June  12noon to 5pm
Licensed Bar | Refreshments
Music by L'arc de Mars Trio
+ artists talks
6 Creekside SE8 4SA
www.aptstudios.org/

COCKPIT ARTS 
Summer Open Studios 2012
Deptford: 22-24 June
Fri 6pm-9pm, Sat – Sun 11am-6pm
Free Entry – Donations Welcome
18-22 Creekside SE8 3DZ
www.cockpitarts.com/

CORE OPEN STUDIOS
Friday 22 June 6pm to 10pm
Live Music & DJ, drinks & performances
The Animal Cave, 3 Creekside SE8 4SA

Cockpit remove part of Love Over Gold mural

We posted back in August that Cockpit Arts had contacted Crossfields Tenants & Residents Association (TRA) to tell them that they intended to replace the doors in the centre of the Love Over Gold mural.

The TRA Chair said he would write to Cockpit's Studio Manager, Beckie Kingman, to request that the mural be reinstated on the new metal doors in whatever way possible. He was also going to provide Cockpit Arts with the contact details of the artist responsible for the mural, Gary Drostle.

The doors were removed prior to Deptford X and replaced with a metal grill, as part of artist Adrian Lee's piece Survival Instinct (which wasn't part of the official festival). Now that Deptford X has finished, the grill has been replaced with new powder coated grey doors.

We spoke to Beckie today and she said she had not received any communication at all from Crossfields TRA.

We asked her what research had been done to find out the history of the mural, for instance, had the artist been contacted? Although his name is painted on the mural, Beckie said she had contacted Lewisham Council to find out who to get in touch with about her plans, and Lewisham had directed her to Crossfields TRA.

The old doors are presently standing outside in the wilderness garden behind the new doors, unprotected from the elements. We stressed the heritage of the doors to her, and she offered to bring them inside. We also talked about the possibility of reinstating the missing part of the mural on the new doors, rather than worry about preserving the old doors. We've now spoken to Gary Drostle and he'd like to do this, but ideally as part of a project that restores the entire mural to its previous splendour.

We wonder if Lewisham can find some funding for this? Or perhaps the London Mural Preservation Society can help us...If you feel strongly about this, please write to the londonmuralpreservationsociety@yahoo.com and drop a line to Lewisham Arts Service.

Cockpit Arts threaten Love Over Gold mural

 

With the Deptford Dame and Transpontine highlighting an up-coming mural walk by the Mural Preservation Society, we thought we'd chip in with our pennyworth.

 
Crossfields TRA recently received a letter dated 22 July from Beckie Kingman, Studio Manager of Cockpit Arts, Deptford:

Re: Replacement of doors in ‘Love over gold’ mural

I am writing to inform you about the work that is needed to the doors that form part of the ‘Love over gold’ mural.

We are aware of the importance of the mural to the local community.  However the situation is that the doors and frame are rotting and need replacing. The current doors are also braced from the inside (no viable lock) meaning there is no access to the garden area behind the wall. Our proposal is to replace the frame and doors with metal security doors – powder coated mid grey to match in with that part of the mural. This will ensure the security of the building, whilst also giving us limited access, both for events and maintenance works.  We plan to eventually clear the garden so that the doors can be opened up at certain occasions (i.e. Open Studios) for the community to enjoy. We would hope to display the original doors in the garden area.

Before installing the new doors, we are very happy to be involved with the Deptford X Project.  From 23 September to 2 October we will be featuring an installation by the artist Adrian Lee called Survival Instinct.  The doors to the overgrown garden will be removed and replaced temporarily with a study mesh panel. Please see the attached document describing the event. Following this, the metal security doors will be put in place.

We do appreciate the importance of the mural but we do have to replace the doors and frame as each year they worsen resulting in an ongoing security problem. We feel this plan is sympathetic to the mural as a whole.

I look forward to hearing back from you. If you have any other queries or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.
 
Knowing that the rules of Deptford X are that artists may not make contact with a venue prior to being selected, and also that the selected artists for this year's festival had not yet been announced, we called Deptford X to verify Ms Kingman's statement. Not wishing to pre-empt any announcements by Deptford X (due at the end of this week) or jeopardise the working partnership between Cockpit Arts and Deptford X, we can only suggest that Ms Kingman may have been a little presumptious in her schedule for door replacement.

Meanwhile the TRA will be writing to Ms Kingman to request that if the doors are to be replaced, then this part of the mural should be reinstated on the new metal doors. An alternative might be to mount the old doors on the new ones. But there appears to be no proposal in the letter above to reinstate what is in effect the very epicentre of the mural – the queen in her counting house counting out her money.

To help them in this, the TRA will provide the contact details for Gary Drostle, the artist responsible for the mural's design and installation back in 1989. Mr Drostle is more than happy to be involved in the maintenance of the mural, supervising the cleaning and reinstating of the areas of the mural that have been filled in with render (by Cockpit), and to reinstate the image on the doors that Cockpit want to replace. Perhaps funding can be found for a youth arts project to carry out the work under Mr Drostle's supervision. Needless to say, no attempt had been made by Cockpit Arts to contact Mr Drostle.

This is not the first time Cockpit have wanted to get rid of this much loved mural. Gary says, "You'd think an organisation like Cockpit would be supportive..."

See this post to read the part played by the mural in the history of Crossfields' Estate.