Brockley Society Open Meeting, July 13th, 8pm

The Brockley Society will be holding an open meeting at the Brockley Social Club to discuss "the built environment: good design and conservation," issues that they play a major role in in the area.

All welcome.

What's so funny about Ladywell?

Woman: You don't know my name, do you?

Jerry: Yes I do.

Woman: What is it?

Jerry: It, uh, rhymes with a female body part.

Woman: What is it?

Jerry: Mulva...

Jerry: Er, er, Gipple?

Jerry: Loleola?

Jerry: Oh! Oh! *Delores*!

- Seinfeld, The Junior Mints

We regularly trawl Twitter for stories about Brockley and Ladywell, searching for references to both locations. It occasionally throws up some interesting stuff, but despite the best efforts of Ladywell tweeters like Sue Luxton, the main thing anyone has to say about Ladywell on Twitter is how suggestive it sounds. “I’m stuck on a train, just outside Ladywell, haha,” is a typical comment.

We usually have a good nose for sexual innuendo, but it had never occurred to us that there’s anything funny about “Ladywell”. Is it that it sounds like a female body part or are we missing something?

Lewisham schools unaffected by central cuts

The Government has revealed which schools will be affected by cuts to the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, which was designed to create hundreds of new school buildings across the country.

According to this list from the BBC, none of the Lewisham projects is affected. The controversial rebuild of Gordonbrock, which many feared could be jeopardised by the delays in the project caused by a legal challenge by the Brockley Society, is not part of this review.

A total of 715 school building projects across the country will be cancelled.

Thanks to Monkeyboy (for the story, not the swingeing cuts).

The East London Line reappraised

In Brockley for the first time and its so nice !! Thanks @eastlondonline
- margotbowman on Twitter, yesterday

It's time for another East London Line article. Not just out of nostalgia for the good old days, when the question of whether it would or wouldn't be any good could keep Brockley Centrallers going for days, but because the service is now thoroughly bedded in and we'd like to know how you're all using it.

We surveyed readers a few months back and asked them which they would use, Southern or ELL trains, for their regular morning commute. Back then, about a third of you chose the ELL or whichever train arrived first, with the majority claiming that the London Bridge service would still be your usual choice. That tallied fairly closely with TfL projections too, which forecast a gradual shift in commuting patterns in favour of the ELL over the next couple of years.

But whenever we've used Brockley Station recently, we've noticed that the train service is relatively quiet, whereas the tube is pretty packed. Not uncomfortably so, like the pre-ELL days, when trains were like cattle trucks, but very busy, with more people seeming to board them than the Southern service.

So pleasant and hassle-free is the interchange at Canada Water that we've found ourselves letting trains go past so we can use the tube - and only paying half what we used to spend in the process.

So, have your travel plans changed since the ELL's introduction? Have you been surprised by your desire to switch. We're starting a new poll, please share your thoughts.

Shedwatch

Bea reports that three sheds on Tyrwhitt Road, including her own, have been broken in to in the last few days, meaning anyone who lives nearby might want to invest in a sturdy lock and move anything that's both valuable and portable inside their homes.

Black Books

Lewisham Council is consulting on its plans to close a substantial proportion of its libraries. Sydenham, Blackheath, Crofton Park, Grove Park and New Cross are all on the closure list. That's 5 - Lewisham has 12 in total. Therefore just under HALF of the council's libraries are set to be closed.

The council calls this 're-shaping service delivery'.

BC remains to be convinced of the rationale for this move. We look forward to hearing from the council in more detail about this proposal.

Many thanks to Transpontine and Blackheath Bugle for picking up on this story and bringing it to our attention.

Brockley Bites: Local Heroes

The Sybil Pheonix Story at the Museum of London

Sunday 4th July, 2-2.30pm

This documentary is made by a local film maker about the life of Sybil Phoenix, a Brockley resident who became the first black woman to receive an MBE. Including interviews with Phoenix, her family and her friends, Lucia Tambini's film looks at her achievements in setting up the first black youth club in Britain and, later, the Marsha Phoenix Trust for homeless young women. Following the film there will be an opportunity to join in a discussion with director Tambini chaired by Tony Warner, founder and director of Black History Walks.

Objects, Space & Place at Tank Gallery, Ladywell

6th - 11th July

Local artist Sam Kirk has curated her first exhibition, which opens next week at Tank gallery, tucked underneath the Ladywell Tavern.

Objects, Space, & Place will feature work inspired by natural elements, from her and two other artists - Fiona Donald and Jane Draper.