East Side Sainsbury's opens tomorrow

The new Sainsbury's at 180 Brockley Road opens tomorrow. Not one to get excited about, but at least it means that this key site will cease to be a building site. We get our pavement back. There's also a free cash machine, but these days BCers can't move without tripping over the things.

Thanks to Kyle for the update and the photo.

The Beast of Brockley Cross beaten

After Lewisham Council rejected an attempt to convert a Brockley Road shop into an apartment, here's another welcome verdict from their planning department. The ugliest proposal ever to grace these pages, 1-1a Brockley Cross, has been rejected again. The refusal states:

"The scale, massing and design of the proposed building fails to respect or enhance character and appearance of the area and would be harmful to the Brockley Conservation Area [now go back and do it again properly, or better still, give it to someone that knows what they're doing]."

Brockley Cross is slowly dragging itself up by its bootstraps and this project would have been a disaster.

Thank you to Rhymer.

Noak to reopen

Noak, the Mantle Road bakery, which recently was forced to close, has announced that intends to reopen. A post on their website says:

Things will soon be cooking & happening at Mantle Court. Please watch this page and our social media accounts for dates and events. 

If you are a food/hospitality trader interested in appearing short-term here, please get in touch! It's hello@noak-bakehouse.co.uk

Celebrate Brockley's Rock Birthday today

The Brockley's Rock team celebrates

Kyriacos writes:

We, at Brockley’s Rock, are all very excited to celebrate our 5th Birthday on the 4th of July (where did the time go!). We owe a huge thanks for the ongoing support from our customers and the wider Brockley community.

 We have been feeling nostalgic remembering our first day, 4th of July 2011, when we were expecting a quiet day just getting used to our surroundings, but when it hit 5PM we had queues lining out of the door. We couldn’t have asked for a better start!

The support we've received has enabled us to develop new and exciting ideas, from Beer Batter Mondays, courtesy of Brockley Brewery and their delicious pale ale, to Gluten Free Tuesdays to make sure we have something for everyone. So from all of us at Brockley’s Rock we just want to say one last big thank you by having a big 5th birthday offer for all our customers with ‘fish & chips for a fiver’ and ‘kid’s fish and chips half price’ (valid for Monday 4th July, our birthday!).

We couldn’t have done it without you and can’t wait for what the next 5 years will bring!

The Royal Standard reopens

Having previously served as a common room for a hostel, The Royal Standard, on Tanners Hill, opened this weekend as a fully-fledged pub.

It's been given a pop-art makeover and a new food menu, which is a little thin in terms of veggie options but otherwise stacked with pub classics.

Gill writes:

"Went last night for the opening and had a great time. Food was delicious and the full menu looks good, friendly staff and a welcoming atmosphere - what more could you ask for?"

Hilly Fields picnic tomorrow

The Dove of Peace brings cocktail sausages

This event has been quickly organised as a response to the vote to Leave the EU and the anxiety it has provoked about rising hostility to immigrants.

One of the saddest consequences of the Brexit vote was the effect it had on EU citizens who have chosen to make the UK their home. 

My Spanish housemate suddenly worries whether the people she serves in a local pub want her gone. A European couple on the train this morning were wondering whether they would need to leave the country. And a smashed window at Donde in Honor Oak almost broke the local internet with speculation that it must have been a hate crime. It may have been. Or it may have been something else. We should avoid hysteria and guard against confirmation bias.

There were lots of reasons why people voted to Leave a European superstate. Immigration is a complex issue and those who worry about it are not simply racist. The result has not validated xenophobia, nor will it necessarily lead to a rise.

So this event, on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme should be a reminder that this is a strong community, largely at ease with itself (and one that was produced one of the top 20 majorities in favour of remain), rather than a shelter against the darkness. Plus, a picnic is always fun, even if God has sent heavy rains to punish us for our hubris. 

A Midsummer Night's Dream, July 5-23

Following a sellout run at the Catford-Upon-Avon festival, Wildcard bring their inaugural production of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays to the Brockley Jack Studio.

Set in The Dukes Oak, a magical woodland pub, this show explores the darker aspects of power, control and obsession, as well as the lightness that makes this such a successful comedy.

For tickets (£14 / £12 concessions), click here.