Old Dirty Blogger

When I wrote about parties
Someone always died
- Ice T, OG Original Gangster

Being called an OG of anything is the greatest accolade I could have dreamed of. So let me share with you this bit of puffery that appeared in today's Evening Standard, suggesting that hyperlocal blogs are the harbinger of house price rises and picking on this area among a handful of fast-risers:

Nick Barron, the OG of local bloggers, has been posting since February 2007 and what Brockley Central lacks in swishy web design [fair], it makes up for with comprehensive coverage of all things south-east [sometimes too comprehensive for some tastes]. 

It helps that there’s so much going on here to write about [it doesn't always feel like that]. Brockley’s charms in no particular order include: abundant parks, good rail links, the Grade II-listed Rivoli Ballroom and the tagliolini al ragú at neighbourhood Italian Le Querce. 

The paper notes that house price rises have risen by 8.44% in the last 12 months. I'm not sure if they are trying to pin that on BC.

For the full piece, click here.

Trombones, thugs and Harmony

Brockley Road shop saved

Some encouraging news for the future of our high street.

The restaurant space at St Cyprians is not the only stretch of Midtown Brockley Road that has been under threat. The former home of Gogi's off licence had been subject to an application to convert it into a studio flat, but BCer Jennifer has confirmed that this application has been rejected.

Vicky Foxcroft subject to death threats over refusal to back Corbyn

I was planning to run an article chiding Brockley MP Vicky Foxcroft for her reticence to declare her position in the unfolding Corbyn car-crash.

After fellow Lewisham MP Heidi Alexander spearheaded a mass revolt by the Parliamentary Labour Party the situation has become so farcical that it's untenable not to pick a side - she either remains a loyal whip or resigns the role. However, this article in The Telegraph perhaps explains her reluctance to speak out. The paper reports:

Labour MPs have been forced to call in the police over death threats in the last 48 hours after they refused to back Jeremy Corbyn, The Telegraph has learnt. 

Vicky Foxcroft, a Labour whip, received a call to her constituency office which said: “If she doesn’t support Corbyn I will come down to the office and kick the f*** out of you.” Police officers had to rush her office, close the shutters and attempt to trace the call after the man said he was on his way and hung up. 

It's time for well-meaning left wingers to stop enabling this kind of behaviour and admit that their support for Corbyn is lending legitimacy to some deeply unpleasant hardliners that have reattached themselves to the party. Anyone serious about Labour ever winning power again needs to bail on Corbyn now before the brand is completely destroyed. It may already be too late.

Antarma at the Ladywell Tavern, July 22nd

Noak closes

Noak Bakehouse & Brew, the Mantle Road cafe, has closed.

It wasn't the easiest of starts for the business, after the departure of their chef ahead of opening forced a rethink (from pizza place to pastries) and despite earning a loyal following during the daytime, they had struggled to establish themselves as an after-work destination.

The team tells me they are currently reviewing their options. It's a great pity to see it close, but during their short tenure, they established Mantle Road as a day-time hangout, which is progress for this stretch of SE4.

Brockley Open Studios 2016 - July 2-4

The 2016 Brockley Open Studios will feature 38 artists in 25 locations across the neighbourhood, including a large number of debutantes.

Saturday: 2 July 2-8pm
Sunday: 3 July 2-8pm
Monday: 4 July 5-8pm

For full details of this wonderful weekend, click here.