Old Tidemill Garden 20th Anniversary event this Sunday

Campaigners for the retention of the Old Tidemill Garden intended to celebrate the garden's 20th birthday in July, but the event was postponed at the last minute due to a day of torrential rain! Join them instead this Sunday 17th from 2pm.

See our previous post for more information on the campaign and how the garden came to be created 20 years ago.

This event is scaled down in size and ambition from the original, but still offers the opportunity for young and old to enjoy this beautiful secret green space. There's an emphasis on participatory music making later in the day and you're invited to bring your own picnic and musical instruments – so join in or just enjoy the vibes. Rain, rain, stay away!

Old Tidemill Garden 20th Anniversary: 22 July 2017, 4-11pm

Campaigners hoping to save the Old Tidemill Garden from demolition and redevelopment are celebrating the garden's 20th birthday this Saturday 22nd July, 4-11pm.

20 years ago a group of local activists, the Deptford Discovery Team, began a project to create a nature garden in the playing fields at Tidemill Primary School. They worked with green space community developers Groundwork to co-ordinate the landscaping and create a nature space for the children at the school, to be shared with other kids and the general public, and all with proper and full consultation with stakeholders. Along with the local community, the company who were building the DLR at the time helped create the moat pond and bridge structure that forms the centrepiece of the garden. Parents at the time were not too keen on the moat idea for obvious reasons (and it always required an adult to supervise); the compromise was a very shallow water feature that still attracts newts and ducks (to this day).

Teachers and volunteers work on the garden moat, 1997

Children work on the garden moat, 1997

Over the years the garden has grown and matured. But Lewisham Council still refer to the Old Tidemill Garden as a "recent project" (referring to its recent meantime use) and disregard its origins as a project approved by themselves to create a valuable community resource for all.

When the school moved out of the old buildings and into Deptford Lounge, guardians were invited in to occupy the building and play areas on a meantime basis. The garden area was looked after by a group of gardeners called Assembly, who took a lease on the grounds and began to run Forest School activities for children and open the space up to locals.

Meanwhile, the Council worked up plans with developer Sherrygreen Homes and housing association Family Mosaic to build 209 new homes on the site – plans that involved demolishing the garden and removing all the mature trees. These plans were submitted to Planning last September, but permission was deferred by the Planning Committee (see our March post).

One of the issues for deferral was the lack of affordable housing (11%), but a year later and just now the GLA has just agreed to award the grant funding necessary for the development to meet the original target of 37%, if not more. While this is good news, there remains a problem with Lewisham's tendency in Deptford to pit the need for it to be seen to be creating more housing against all its grand policies about defending existing green space (which is ever decreasing). With the London tax-payer now subsidising the developer's profits to supply affordable housing (that the developer originally said they would meet the costs of), the case for keeping a mature greenfield site is reduced.

Meanwhile, the layout of the buildings remains unchanged in the plans and the 20 year old community garden still faces demolition. No attempt has been made to revisit the 2016 plans to revise and make room for retention of an existing mature green space. Loosely worded statements from Mayor & Cabinet in June 2017 remain open to interpretation – for instance “That (the developer) will work in collaboration with the community group to decide the design, use and management strategies for all of the public spaces on the site”. If the Council and developer actually meant and did this, they should be looking at reworking their plans to include as much retention of the garden as possible. Alas, they are not. Nothing has changed since the September 2016 application.

Garden moat 2017

Lewisham wants this development so much. It was supposed to pay for the award-winning bling-like Lounge development, selling off public land for private profit. Ironically, thanks to the dubious ambitions of the head teacher, Tidemill School became an Academy as soon as it moved, leaving the Council wondering how much it should charge the school for being there, outside its own local authority jurisdiction (no longer a peppercorn rent, hopefully). Regardless, the new school location has no green space, and has kept coming back to its old playing fields...

Meanwhile Lewisham insists there is replacement of green space like for like, but new (private) residents will have private gardens that take up what should be considered as public green space but which will reduce that space by half. They have even claimed they are increasing public space because the Tidemill green area was not open to the public – yet they have made sure it hasn't been ever since they decanted the school.

Lewisham have been planning this for so long that all the trees on the Tidemill site already don't exist according to a borough tree survey going back 10 years when they first decided to demolish the garden.

Coincidentally, the garden was an achievement that 'belonged' to the previous Mayor, Dave Sullivan. No love lost there (nor by us, as Sullivan went on to be a developer – including the small development Princess Louise House now affected by the Tidemill development – and was a founding member of Renewal, now renowned for its shady dealings at Millwall).

Mayor Dave Sullivan opens Tidemill School's new wildlife garden in 1997,
with Jess Steele OBE (who helped create the Ha'Penny Hatch among other things,
and later went on to save Hastings Pier, among other achievements)

The green space that has existed since the garden was created and planted in 1997 is now mature and gorgeous, but is still considered a brownfield site by the Council. 20 years ago it was a playing field, and prior to that it was a car park, and a bombed out 2WW site before that. The Council, who you'd expect to keep a good archive and also protect community assets, keep getting it wrong. They don't even know what year the anchor was installed – they say 1990 when we know it was 1988.

Lewisham's plan also involves the demolition of an entire Council block. Lewisham Homes tenants and leaseholders will be rehoused in the new development and will become tenants of Family Mosaic housing association with consequent loss of council tenant rights (yet still with the Right To Buy, although the price they'd have to pay would be double). Leaseholders will retain their current value against the greater value of the new property but their service charges will triple. Currently only 3 out of 17 residents are leaseholders and so far only two tenants have supported the demolition (and subsequent rehousing on a building site, whilst living next to one whilst their new homes are built).

The financial aspects of the new funding arrangements were discussed in private when the proposals came up before Mayor & Cabinet this June, considered to be 'commercially sensitive'. When the decision then came before the scrutiny of the Business Panel in early July, Council officers were requested to make the figures available to the public. So far, they still remain a secret and all figures and sensitive detail redacted. Not just the financial figures to do with the grant funding and how many affordable homes there will be and what it costs us all, but what the tenants and leaseholders of Reginald House think about being rehoused as well.

Come and celebrate the achievements of the community against all odds! Saturday 22nd July at Tidemill Gardens from 4pm till late.

Click to enlarge

The Deptford Take Back

The sun is supposed to make an appearance on Sunday when Squeeze take the stage at On Blackheath – but the weather forecast is often wrong, so we're hoping the rain holds off for this local event on Saturday, which doesn't have Primal Scream playing (equally likely to get rained on up on Blackheath) but is free to get in. This may be the last chance to enjoy the beautiful Tidemill Garden before the Council and its developer partners finally close it down to build on it ! * 

THE DEPTFORD TAKE BACK
Saturday 10 September, 11am–9pm
Old Tidemill Wildlife Garden, Reginald Road SE8 4RS
A FREE family friendly afternoon and evening packed with activities for kids, live music from local artists, art workshops, local films and food. Come and explore the garden!

ALL DAY 11am–9m Food and drink, arts & crafts workshops, face painting and games
2pm–3pm Samba percussion workshop and carnival procession
2pm–6pm Live music from local bands
3pm–3.30pm Vietnamese Fan Dance
4pm–5pm Street Dance Workshop
6pm–9pm Open Mic DJ sets

The emphasis is on fun, but festivities will also contain a serious side and begin at midday with The Deptford Debates – discussing all the changes taking place in Deptford and how local people can have a voice. Deptford Neighbourhood Action (DNA), a group of locals who are developing a Neighbourhood Plan to benefit the community rather than the usual vested interests, will also be holding their AGM at some point between 12 and 3pm and welcome new members.

* The plans for the new Tidemill development propose to deliver only 6% affordable housing (with 176 out of 210 homes being luxury private housing) by demolishing a council block (2-30A Reginald Road for which there is little support from its 16 tenants) and the schoolkeeper's house next to the old school, as well as destroying the existing Tidemill Garden by removing 73 trees and building over it, and removing all green space in Reginald Road until construction is complete. The proposal is due to be decided by Lewisham's Strategic Planning Committee on 29 September. Use the search facility on this blog for previous posts on Tidemill and/or check out this post about the developer's Viability Assessment by the Deptford Dame.

A joint event organised by Deptford Neighbourhood Action, The Deptford People's Project, The Deptford Debates, Evelyn Community Revival in Deptford SE8 and Trade Deptford.

Trade Deptford – Saturday 16 April, 11am-5pm at Old Tidemill Wildlife Garden

Click to enlarge

If you're about in Deptford tomorrow (and not, for instance, up in town demonstrating against this awful government), why not pop along to this event – the first in an Arts Council supported programme of monthly Saturday happenings in Old Tidemill Wildlife Garden:

EAT Deptford

Trade stories, share a feast! Everything – including the kitchen sink – from Deptford Market.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EAT Deptford - Saturday 16 April 11:00-17:00

To launch TRADE Deptford we're starting with a feast of local produce and people.

Come join us on Saturday 16th @ the Old Tidemill Wildlife Garden for an exploration of Deptford's incredible high street – sourcing everything from the food to the table settings. Collectively we'll cook a meal for Deptford.

Throughout the day we'll lead walks of the local area and high street. We'll haggle, exchange and barter for our lunch on the market and cook a feast for all those who take part.

More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/967313600011174/
https://www.facebook.com/Tradeptford/
Twitter: @tradeptford #tradeptford

Sunday 14 Dec : Deptford Fowlers Molly + London Pantomime Horse Race

Deptford Fowlers Troop do a kind of morris dancing as part of a tradition associated with Plough Monday, the first Monday after Epiphany. Molly dancing began with out of work ploughboys touring around villages offering the landowners the opportunity to pay them to dance instead of plough (since there would be no ploughing till Spring). If the landowners refused them money, they might find their garden lawns ploughed up, so the dancers would conceal their identities by blacking their faces with soot and dressing up in a variation of their Sunday best, with one of the members – the Molly – dressed up as a woman.

Basically it's a pub crawl with music and dance and a bit of dressing up! If you fancy joining the festivities, here's the schedule:

12.00: at the Royal Albert, 460 New Cross Road with dance commencing at 12.30. 
1.30: dance at the Little Crown, 495 New Cross Road
2.30: dance at the Job Centre, 120-122 Deptford High St
3.30: dance at the Dog and Bell, 116 Prince St

Deptford Fowlers Troop also celebrate Mayday when the Deptford Jack in the Green tours south London and the City. The video above is shot outside the Dog and Bell, their spiritual home. If the dancing starts a little too early for you, you can catch them at the Dog & Bell later, and meanwhile, head down the road to Greenwich for the annual Pantomime Horse Race...

Now in its fifth year, this Greenwich event has grown in size (though the contestants remain smallish in numbers – they're hoping for between 20 and 40 this year). Lots of comedians and showbiz personalities get involved.

This year the festivities begin with a science fiction themed opening ceremony at 11am. Stormtroopers (including Darth Vader) will march from the Cutty Sark to Devonport House where the race will start at 1pm. The panto nags then race to the Union Bar on Royal Hill. An after-race party hosted by comedian Stephen Frost starts at 2.30pm at the Greenwich Tavern next to Greenwich Park (£12 on the door). The event raises money for Demelza Children's Hospice – for more details and to see the route go the website!

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.

Deptford X continues + Fun Palace weekend

Lots happening this weekend in and around Deptford town centre. Exhibitions and open studios continue as part of Deptford X – apologies that we have not had time to pick out the best! It sounds like it's worth visiting both St Nick's and St Paul's churches, just two of the non-gallery spaces where artists are showing their work, but what else is going on?

We popped into the Deptford X HQ on Creekside (next to APT Gallery) earlier to find out what we've been missing. Co-ordinator Caz Underwood told us that Luis Rodriguez's "Dancing Builder" (see the short video above) has been very popular. Rodriguez has been dancing – like no one is watching – at regular intervals (peak travel times) on the roof of the Bird's Nest in full view of passing DLR trains. He's up there right now (singing to himself as well), and tomorrow he can be seen between 8-9am and 4-6pm. You can also watch him at these times on a live stream.

Caz also suggested we go see Jessica Voorsanger's show "It's about the hair" at the temporary gallery space on Brookmill Road. Jessica's large format photographs are self portraits of herself dressed as various celebrities, a project she embarked on after her hair grew back strangely curly following a period of baldness when she was undergoing chemotherapy recently. "Witty but dark" is how Caz describes the work.

There is far too much to see all over Deptford to list here, but to find out what else is going on, head to the HQ to pick up a map. You'll still need to refer to the website to find out about the artists and times and you can also check the map online – which Caz says is more up-to-date. Over the weekend at the HQ, lead artist Bob and Roberta Smith will be finishing his "Vote" painting, and you can try your hand at screen printing. There'll be live music here on Sunday (12-5pm) and banners are being made to carry on "a march" from the HQ to the Job Centre pub at around 5.30pm. Later, there's Fred's Art Quiz at the Dog and Bell (9pm), or if electronic music is your thing, spend the day at Vinyl cafe (2-11pm). Follow Deptford X on Twitter @DeptfordX.


Meanwhile, local theatre folk are taking part in and presenting "a weekend-long celebration of arts, science and culture" as part of the nationwide Fun Palace weekend (also see coverage in The Guardian). Pop-up performances, story-telling, food fights, circus, music – find out what's going on at the information point in the market square next to the Albany – or download the timetable and map.

We noticed this anchor last night and wondered if a new campaign to bring our anchor back had started, but it's part of the Fun Palace weekend... "Deptford's newest street theatre troop" The Red Anchors will be presenting pop-up theatre wherever you see a red anchor – "on the ground, in the trees, on lamp posts and on people" is where things might suddenly happen from midday on Saturday and Sunday...

Incidentally, last year's Deptford Is Forever art project are selling their tattoo-inspired Anchor T-shirts at the Deptford X HQ on Creekside on Saturday and Sunday (Unisex or Ladyfit – scooped neck, capped sleeves – all sizes @£10 with 10% going to Deptford X). Other Deptford X merchandise will be available at reduced prices, including silk screen prints of the festival poster "What is the value of art?" and limited edition signed prints of "Art makes people powerful" by Bob & Roberta Smith.

Deptford Gardens Festival + Open House London at the Shipwrights' Palace

Two local events this Saturday 20th September:

Deptford Gardens Festival at Old Tidemill Wildlife Garden, 12-6pm
Celebrating all things green in Deptford, a day of music, games, performances and creative workshops. Assembly who run the garden are joined by urban fete & fun providers Madcap Coalition, plus gardeners from the Wonky Prong (Crossfields), Deptford High Street Community Garden (Coffey Street) and Sayes Court Garden CIC, the team hoping to build a Horticultural Centre of Excellence at Convoys Wharf. And...The Purple Ladies, Hula Hoop Workshops, Treehouse Art Lab Workshops, Ping Pong with Serve & Return, art installations, and pizza direct from the Assembly oven!
Entrance to the garden at Reginald Road

Open House London at The Master Shipwrights House, 10am-5pm
If you haven't yet taken advantage of the annual opportunity to have a look round this famous Deptford building, now's your chance. See this post from the Deptford Dame to give you an idea. The Lenox Project CIC put on quite a big show here last year with firing cannon, re-enactors and art stalls. This year they'll be exhibiting their restored cannon, providing tea and cakes and talking up their project – an added bonus for Open House visitors who will also be able to view plans and images of the Royal Dockyard in the riverside residence. Watergate St SE8 3JF. See the listing here.

Other Open House buildings in and around Deptford include Lewisham Arthouse, the Richard Hoggart Building at Goldsmiths College, The Seager Distillery Tower, the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance, Deptford Green School, Deptford Lounge, and Fordham Park. 

Open House London gives public access to 800 fabulous buildings – both old and new – all over the city for one weekend only. Pick up a FREE brochure at Deptford Lounge.

Tall Ships Festival at Greenwich

The largest number of 'tall' ships to visit Greenwich in 25 years will be moored until Tuesday 9th September along the river between Greenwich and Woolwich. Most of the 50 ships gathering here will have sailed from Falmouth during the past week as part of the Falmouth-Greenwich Regatta.

The festival launch on Friday evening features Catalan street theatre group Sarruga who present "a stunning underwater spectacle" in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, followed by fireworks. Check out all the other festival events and activities (free and ticketed) here.

You can also board one or two of the ships at the various locations in Greenwich itself, at Enderby Wharf on the Greenwich Peninsula, at Royal Arsenal Woolwich, and at Wood Wharf, Canary Wharf. At Greenwich, you can visit the largest ship, Dar Mlodziezy (a Polish/Russian ship, pictured above) between 2pm and 6pm on Friday 5th and 10am – 6pm from Saturday to Monday. More info on Ship Visits here.

Many of these beautiful sailing ships are replicas of older ships and are crewed by novice young sailors "learning the ropes". The Tenacious (moored at Woolwich) is said to be the largest wooden tall ship of her kind in the world, and boasts full disabled access for wheelchair users, a speaking compass for its blind and partially sighted crew members, plus an induction loop and vibrator alarms for the hard-of-hearing.

Also at Woolwich, the Shtandart is a modern replica of a Russian navy flagship built for Peter the Great in 1703. It is a much smaller version of the sort of 17th century British naval ship that Deptford's own Lenox Project hopes to build at Convoys Wharf.

See also 853 blog's take on the festival.

Deptford Cinema Debut Screening

The newly formed Deptford Cinema invite you to join them tomorrow Friday 5th September at 7pm for a "lively evening of 16mm and video works celebrating local film artists and community projects from near and far". 39 Deptford Broadway SE8 4PQ

Go to www.deptfordcinema.org for more info on other events and regular meetings and check out their Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to buy a digital projection system. Local supporters have already donated over £4,500...!

Deptford Garden Party and Press Call this evening 7pm

As reported in our previous post last Friday, the community garden which has a lease on the open land next to St Paul's Church planned to begin building their garden last weekend, but Thames Water's proposals to dig exploratory trenches in the area threatened to scupper their schedule.

They decided to go ahead and start building anyway, and on Sunday with eight volunteers in tow, they had managed to complete construction of six of the eight planned wooden containers that will become soil beds for vegetables and herbs that any locals who want to get involved may grow here. Two more containers will be built today, and in celebration...

'Deptford's Open Garden' will hold a Ceremonial Opening this evening at 7pm. 

Everyone is welcome to attend. It will be a lovely evening – bring a bottle and refreshments, a friend or two, blankets, musical instruments, outdoor games stuff, and enjoy this bit of open green space before it's gone! Arrive at 7pm sharp for a press photo call, if you can!

Since the news, the gardeners have negotiated with Thames Water to keep the willow circle space accessible during the works. TW's 5-week programme of digging exploratory trenches was postponed from Monday but will start tomorrow, so this is the last chance to see and use the space before it is fenced off and works start.

Locals have been opposed to Thames Tunnel's proposals to build a shaft for the super sewer on this site and wished it to be kept for communal use. The Secretary of State is still to decide on whether Thames Water (aka Thames Tideway Tunnel) can have permission to use the site.

In the meantime, with TW's full co-operation, the gardeners can start growing stuff alongside the company's trench digging.

Greenwich Festival in our back garden!

Tonight and tomorrow night only, Crossfields will be invaded by ghouls between 9.40 and 10pm. This is French theatre company Rara Woulib and their show Deblozay – an outdoor promenade performance and part of Greenwich + Docklands International Festival which kicks off today.

Local residents will have already heard or seen the rehearsals for Deblozay over the last few nights whilst the company has been camped out at the Creekside Centre. There's been a lot of singing and drums going on till late, and  – slightly annoying for those living closest – the all night hum of a generator.

Like all the festival events, the show is free, but reservations have now closed. However, Crossfields peeps will be able to watch the performance as it processes across the Ha'Penny Hatch into the estate from an unadvertised meeting point in Greenwich central (starts at 9.10pm).

The GDIF website says about the show:

"Haitian culture looks at death in a very different way to our own. It is not a hushed-up affair of coffins and closed doors but a loud celebration of all that life has to offer, in this world and the next.

As the sun sets, join French company Rara Woulib in conjuring the ghosts of the city’s departed for this joyous pilgrimage. See for yourself why the dead have so much more fun than the living."

Greenwich + Docklands International Festival runs 20 - 28 June. Check out the festival website for other events this weekend and next.

For one night only (tonight), there's Muaré by Spanish/Argentinian company Voala, at the Old Naval College, featuring aerial choreography, pyrotechnics and live music (starts 10pm).

Greenwich Fair starts today and is on all weekend with three days of free outdoor theatre, circus, dance, installations and sideshows, from lunchtime to 10.25pm Fri/Sat and till 7pm on Sunday, in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College and Cutty Sark Gardens.

With lots more on in between, the festival finale is, as usual, at Woolwich on 28th June. This year it's Polish theatre company Teatr Osmega Dnia with Arka – with 'strong physical performances, Balkan music and fire effects' in a performance which tells the story of a wedding party broken up by military invasion and commemorates the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914 which led to the First World War.

Photo © Photos Bushido

Kate Tempest new album launch at the Bird's Nest

Kate Tempest will preview her new album Everybody Down (due out on 19th May) live at the Birds Nest on Tuesday 13th May...7pm-11pm. Free entry!
  


www.bigdada.com/newsitem/kate-tempest-video-premiere-inch-the-beigeness-inch
katetempest.co.uk

Venice Preserv'd

Venice Preserv'd © Johan Perrson

Venice Preserv'd has got some terrible reviews from The Guardian and the Evening Standard and Time Out among others. The criticism is mostly to do with the rather time-wasting 'promenading' from the Cutty Sark to the play's location at Paynes & Borthwick wharf, and the failure to co-opt the audience into helping create a carnival atmosphere. Whilst some may be happy to get into the swing of things, others may find all the clutter surrounding this production a little too distracting.

We attended 'the carnival' last week on a bleak looking Friday evening. At the end of the day we found ourselves enthusiastically applauding the tremendously talented multi-racial cast and some fabulous indoor stage settings.

Surely it is worth shouting about TWO brilliant black actors in the lead roles (Ayesha Antione and Ashley Zhangazha), supported by a brilliant cast and every reviewer notes Jessie Buckley. On the sidelines, Dwane Walcott is surely worth a shout. Great design (Helen Scarlett O'Neill) and production support these actors, and all involved should be proud.

These are the people that make Venice Preserv'd worth seeing.

BUT...

If you're local you might want to miss the early start in Greenwich, which seems designed purely to lure West End theatre goers down to the far-flung site on Watergate Street via a boat trip to Greenwich. Considering the poor transport links at P&B Wharf, it might also be seen as a vehicle for illustrating the nearness of Greenwich to new luxury home buyers.

As the Standard says, the blurb "conjures an image of flamboyant spectacle" but "the reality is less thrilling" with "a few actors capering around in masks" in a "good-natured yet not exactly atmospheric preamble that's far removed from the gorgeous excess of Venice's famous carnival".

But the walk from Greenwich is not helped by the company leading the audience along a filthy and polluted Creek Road (see our previous post) for much longer than they need to rather than use the river walk through the Millenium Quay estate. (Perhaps the riverside residents who own the road refused them access. There could be a bridge there but they've probably stopped that too).

Both reviews also question whether the entire show might be an elaborate advertising ruse to sell luxury apartments. "It's a bit like being stuck inside a property advertisement", says the Standard. "An hour has passed before the show even gets underway, and then every time the drama threatens to gain any momentum everything stops as we are moved to another location. It begins to resemble an extended property viewing rather than a piece of theatre", says The Guardian.

It was a chilly evening and threatening to rain when we went last week, which made the walk from Greenwich utterly dismal, and the lingering on the brand new terrace at Paynes & Borthwick less enjoyable than it might have been had it been warm and sunny.

The week before we'd been to see our local actor friend in Othello (in the smallest theatre in the world at Leicester Square – the only staging of Shakespeare during the week of the great bard's birthday). That excellent little production helped us get over the culture-shock of period costume and text and prepared us for the similarly passionate and blood thirsty story of love and friendship in Otway's 1682 tragedy.

But we had to wait ages for it to start. When it finally got going, the audience was moved through four different locations within the P&B development as the action unfolded – two indoors and two outdoors. In one of the indoor locations, we sat rather uncomfortably with a restricted view of the action on the floor. Luckily many of the scenes took place on a raised stage with three very clever set changes.

Venice Preserv'd © Johan Perrson

The backdrop to the play is one of revolution, the citizens of Venice uprising against a corrupt government, but the government wins and the revolutionaries are doomed – a rather depressing outcome, considering our present times and the location of this production. As this reviewer notes, "What we are left with at the end of the night...is a restoration revival draped across a symbol of London's insurmountable wealth gap".

If you're going, get the cheaper tickets, wait for warmer weather, perhaps skip the promenade from Greenwich, make sure you're not allergic to Shakespearean-style plays, and you may find yourself 'immersed' quite agreeably...

Plus you'll get a preview of what will hopefully (though don't count on it) become an attractive and freely accessible terraced Deptford waterfront.

Spring Fair at Surrey Docks Farm

Hopefully the rain will stay away for the annual Spring Fair at this working city farm down by the river in Rotherhithe. More about the fair here, and how to get there here – cycling along the river looks favourite!

Watch the London Marathon at the bottom of our road...

This is the interactive map of the race provided by virginmoneylondonmarathon.com (click to go to the interactive map). It appears Virgin Money don't actually have enough MONEY to update the map to 2014. Presently, many of the captions refer to the Olympics 2012 and apparently the Cutty Sark is still undergoing reconstruction.

But the times will probably be the same. So if you're thinking of not going any further than joining your neighbours at the bottom of Creekside just after the 7-mile stage, you'll need to be there roughly between 9.45 and 10am to see the Elite Women, Wheelchair and Paralympic (IPC) athletes; followed by the Elite Men at 10.30, and the first runners in the Mass Race at 11am.

21 years of urban change in Deptford

Has the Tide Turned? 'Regeneration' Then and Now
Friday 25th April, 3.30–8pm, Deptford Town Hall Council Chamber

It is almost 21 years since Deptford's most popular history book "Turning The Tide – A History of Everyday Deptford" was published, and this event hopes to explore what has happened in the intervening two decades.

The Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR) at Goldsmiths College would like to invite local activists, local organisations, academics, residents, and government officials to this free event where you can share stories of the “regeneration” of Deptford.

The publication coincided with the start of CUCR’s evaluation of the Deptford City Challenge programme which began the now seemingly endless initiatives to 'regenerate' our town (often with negligible benefits for the residents and increasing profits for developers).

The aim is to discuss the recent changes in Deptford, but also to think about the possible futures for the area. The programme includes a seminar on "the changing face of regeneration in London" with several speakers as well as Turning the Tide author Jess Steele (3.30-5.30pm); screenings, sound interventions & "creative responses" + refreshments (5.30-6pm); followed by workshops on subjects such as Arts & Culture, Housing, DIY Deptford and Convoys Wharf (6-8pm).

For more information and to register to take part, please click on the image below for contact details.

Chinese New Year – The Year of the Horse

Deptford will be celebrating Chinese New Year this Saturday 1st February. We're told that from 12-1pm there will be Dragon Dancing outside the many oriental shops in the high street, organised by the shops themselves. Head for the north end of the street.

There'll also be a traditional Chinese Lion Dance in Giffin Square from 2.10pm. The dancers will then process with live music to arrive at the Albany at 2.30pm.

This short spectacle will end an extended lunchtime period of events in and around the Albany and Deptford Lounge (from 11am to 3pm), with Eastern cookery demonstrations, arts workshops and more. All part of the Albany's Yam Yam Festival – more details on the Albany's website.

Meanwhile, Chinese New Year festivities will take place in Trafalgar Square, Chinatown and Shaftesbury Avenue on Sunday 2nd February, 10am-6pm. See www.chinatownlondon.org

Thanks to blog.deparz.com for the illustration!

Free event in Giffin Square, Saturday 2pm: Emergency Exit Arts presents Spin Cycle

After a morning by the river (see previous post) come back to Deptford High Street, grab some lunch (outdoors in Douglas Square, indoors at the Waiting Room, Deli X, Selecta, etc), and watch some street arts in Giffin Square. But not just any old outdoor arts, mind – this has something of the "spectacular" ring about it. Albany Outdoors presents Emergency Exit Arts (based in Greenwich) with their new show Spin Cycle.

Starting at 3pm (assemble at 2.30), The Albany describes the show as "combining clowning with stand-up comedy, incorporating the essence of competitive TV game shows"...Not a lot to go on, but gonna have to take a look! It's not every day there's a free show in your backyard.

The Emergency Exit Arts website tells us a lot more:

"Throughout the show the audience is guided by the Spinners, forty young people trained by EEA’s Street Arts Academy practitioners. Through audience interaction anyone can be invited to become a Spin Cycle contestant. They will be joined by members of our cast of dance and physical theatre practitioners on a journey through the streets to meet the ultimate Games Show hosted by our Spin Cycle Supremo. He will lead us in the irresistible Spin Cycle communal dance that we guarantee will be all over You Tube in an instant.

"Spin Cycle takes the form of a musical on the move that is performed on inventive mobile structures that transform and, yes, Spin Cycle does feature at least one washing machine. Our Games Show is full of humour and wit combining physical clowning from the top of a 30 foot mobile tower. Through its dark humour some difficult questions are asked of us. Inspired by the book Affluenza, the All Consuming Epidemic by John de Graaf, we’ve created a fable about waste and recovery..."

Greenwich Street Party Charity Drag Race this Saturday evening

The Greenwich Street Party features the Michael Joyce Charity Drag Race, in which runners don the most outlandish costumes (usually involving impossibly high heels) and sprint around a circuit of Greenwich town centre, all in aid of charity.

The Rose and Crown pub will be hosting a Cabaret Stage from 6pm, featuring a host of cabaret drag artistes until 10pm when coaches will be available to take party-goers to the after-party at the George & Dragon. The drag race will start around 7pm from the Rose & Crown.

More info (and how to take part – more runners needed!) at greenwichstreetparty.com