Brockley

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For other uses, see Brockley (disambiguation).
Brockley
OS grid referenceTQ365745
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDON
Postcode districtSE4
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
The electoral ward of Brockley (red) within the London Borough of Lewisham (orange)

Brockley is an area and electoral ward of the London Borough of Lewisham in England. Situated about 5 miles (8 km) south east of London Charing Cross, it is covered by London postal district SE4.

Introduction

The name 'Brockley' is derived from either 'Broca's woodland clearing', or a wood where badgers are seen (broc is the Old English for badger). and lies on the old boundary between the Lewisham and Deptford parishes in the county of Kent, becoming a part of the county of London when the London County Council (LCC) was formed in 1889. In 1965 the LCC became the Greater London Council GLC and the old Metropolitan Borough of Deptford (including Brockley) was absorbed into the newly formed London Borough of Lewisham.

History

The oldest surviving house in the area is the 'Stone House' on Lewisham Way (opposite Lewisham College) built in 1773 by the architect George Gibson. Most of the area remained agricultural until the mid nineteenth century, the most notable building of the time being the 'Brockley Jack',(since rebuilt) a large Victorian public house which today houses the Brockley Jack Theatre. Brockley Hall (demolished 1931) stood nearby and this area formed the original small hamlet of Brockley. The name Crofton Park was invented by the railway company for its new station and has no historical significants. Brockley market gardens were famous for their enormous Victoria rhubarb which were fertilised by 'night soil' from London. There were orchards too and some ancient pear trees survive in local gardens. Until the late 19th century a small river flowed northward from Crofton Park and east of Malpas Rd to join the River Thames via Deptford Creek. It is now covered over.

Industrial development arrived in 1809 in the form of the Croydon Canal running fron Croydon to Bermondsey. This was later filled in and replaced by the London & Croydon railway line which runs through the original canal cutting between Brockley (opened in 1871) and New Cross Gate stations. The west side of the cutting now forms a woodland nature reserve managed by the London Wildlife Trust. Some of the oldest houses in Brockley are the tiny cottages and shops which form a small terrace on Coulgate street ajacent to Brockley station. These are believed to date from 1833 and were probably originally associated with the canal. From 1872 Until 1917 Brockley Lane railway station provided access to the Greenwich Park branch and the remains of the old station entrance are still visible at Brockley Cross.

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the Trywhitt- Drake family developed the north of Brockley with grand villas, large terraces and semi-detached houses. Development started south of Lewisham Way in the late 1840s with the modest cottages at 2-22 Upper Brockley Rd and spread south and east towards Hilly Fields. In 1900 Chalsey Rd was the last road to be completed within the current conservation area. However open farmland remained south of Brockley Grove into the early 1930's.

Many grand houses in Brockley were occupied by the owners and managers of factories in neighbouring industrial areas such as Deptford and Bermondsey. At 63 Breakespears Rd, lived Edwin Watts, owner of'ER Watts and Son', a mathematical instrument making company in Camberwell Rd. Charles Booth's Map of London Poverty (1900) describes the residents of Wickham Rd and Breakspears Rd as "well-to-do" or "wealthy".(The actress Lillie Langtry was one notable resident during this period ).The terraced streets west of Brockley Rd where more mixed: "comfortable and poor". The Artist/Poet David Jones; who's father was a printer, grew up in Howson Rd. (the very poor lived east of Deptford High Street,an area which Booth considered one of the poorest neighbourhoods in all London). (Godfrey 2002)

Brockley contains several fine churches: St Mary Magdalen's RC Church, Howson Road (Completed in 1901), St Peter's, Wickham Rd (Completed 1870) St Andrews, Brockley Rd (1882) originally a Presbyterian Church, which contains the modern stained glass New Cross Fire memorial window (2002) and St Hilda's, Crofton Park 1908. The latter was designed by J E Newberry in the Arts and Crafts movement style and still contains its original interior .[1]

After World War I Brockley began to lose its exclusivity as the wealthy moved away, to find fresher air in the outer suburbs. The typical inter-war houses on Upper Brockley Gardens and on Harefield Rd are clearly more modest than their Victorian neighbours.

The Rivoli Ballroom (originally a cinema) dates from 1913 but was remodeled as a dance hall in 1951. It has a unique and outstanding interior, which has featured in many films, videos and fashion shoots (see Guardian Magazine 10 Nov 07). In 2007 The White Stripes rock band played a secret gig here. The building has recently been listed (2007)and is now protected from demolition.

The area suffered significant V-2 rocket and other bomb damage in World War II and the post-war blocks of council flats at the south end of Wickham Rd and at the west end of Adelaide Ave are evidence of this. During the Second World War an anti-aircraft gun implacement was located on Hilly Fields.

After the Second World War, many of the big houses where sub-divided for multiple occupation. In the 1950s and 1960s these houses provided accommodation for the recently arrived African-Caribbean population, many of whom found employment in nearby Deptford. In 1948, five passengers bound for England from Jamaica on the ship Empire Windrush gave Wickham road as their intended destination on arrival in London.(Anim-Addo 1995)

Much of north Brockley was designated a Conservation Area in 1974 and in the same year the Brockley Society was formed with the aim of preserving and protecting the character of the area. Brockley is today one of the best preserved Victorian suburbs in Inner London and contains examples of almost every style of mid to late C19th domestic architecture from vast Gothic piles to modest workmens cottages, it is this contrast which makes the area unique.

1990s onward

By the late 1990s SE London's 'best kept secret' was being 'discovered' (again!) This time by young professionals moving from cramped flats in north or west London and seeking more spacious accommodation and a greener, quiter environment. 'Boho' Cafes such as 'Moonbow Jakes' and 'Toads Mouth Too' have been followed by deli's, a whole food shop, a farmers market and a 'natural therapy centre'. The East London Overground line is encouraging new residential development around Brockley Cross. In 2002 the Brockley Cross Action Group was set up with the aim of influencing the regeneration of the Brockley Cross area and has been instrumental in the restoration of Brockley Common and the cleaning up of several derelict sites around Brockley.

Green space

Blythe Hill from Hilly Fields

Although mainly residential in character, there are several large green spaces in the area, amongst them Blythe Hill, Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries (opened in 1858 and now a nature reserve) and Hilly Fields. The latter was saved from development by the Commons Preservation Society and local groups in the 1880s and 1890s (including Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the National Trust). In 1896, after being bought with the proceeds of private donations and funding from the London County Council, the fields were transformed from old brickpits and ditches into a park. The park became a regular meeting place for the Suffragette movement between 1907 and 1914.

The old West Kent Grammar School (later renamed Brockley County Grammar School), now Prendergast School, a Grade II listed building, is situated at the top of the hill. The Schools (listed) murals, dating from the 1930s are by Charles Mahoney, Evelyn Dunbar and other students of the Royal College of Art, they are considered some of the best examples in the country of the Neo-Romantic style and illustrate the (then) local Kent countryside.

Close by, a stone circle was erected in 2000 as a millennium project by a group of local artists, which won a Civic Trust Award in 2004. The Hilly Fields Midsummer Fayre has been running for over 30 years and is a much celebrated annual community event. At 160ft above sea level, Hilly Fields has wide views from Shooters Hill to Crystal Palace and the North Downs in Kent.

The Arts in Brockley

Like its neighbour Telegraph Hill, Brockley has a reputation as a focus for the Arts in South London. The 1970s saw the beginning of a 'bohemian' influx of artists, musicians and hippies attracted by the neglected and (at the time very cheap) Victorian houses and vast rambling gardens and the close proximity to Goldsmiths College and Camberwell School of Art. Many artists have built studios in their gardens. In the 1990s, 68 Wickham Rd was the scene of many legendary parties and events hosted by musician and club promoter Simon Palmer.

The Lewisham Art House housed in a grand Edwardian building (which was formerly Deptford Library) on Lewisham Way, provides art classes, studio and exhibition space. The library building is a Carnegie Library made possible by the philanthropy of the indrustialist Andrew Carnegie. It opened in 1914 and is designed by Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas.[2] The Brockley Jack Theatre has recently been refurbished and has a high reputation for performances of new plays. There are also plans to show films. Each summer local artists host a thriving Brockley Open Studios weekend. Since 2004 Brockley has also hosted the Brockley Max performing arts festival involving many local musicians and singers.

Green politics

Combined with neighbouring Ladywell ward, Brockley has six Green Party councillors making it politically one of 'greenest' districts in the UK.

Famous residents

Nearest places

Nearest railway stations

Disused Stations

References in popular culture

Linton Kwesi Johnson mentions Brockley in his poem "Inglan Is A Bitch". He spells it "Brackly" as this is roughly how it sounds in Jamaican patois:

dem a have a lickle facktri up inna Brackly
inna disya facktri all dem dhu is pack crackry
fi di laas fifteen years dem get mi laybah
now awftah fifteen years mi fall out a fayvah

The musician Nick Nicely’s 1982 cult psychedelic track “Hilly Fields” was inspired by the park of the same name. Drum and bass artist Remarc made a record called "Sound Murderer (Loafin' in Brockley)" on Juno Records in the mid-1990s. Another drum and bass artist, Chris Inperspective has a track called "Brockley Central".

Two early novels by Henry Williamson (who lived on Eastern Road) describe the area in the early 1900's.

The Picture Goers The first novel by David Lodge is set in 1950's Brockley; thinly disguised as 'Brickley'.

In 2003 the BBC1 documetary Worlds Apart showed two Brockley families living within yards of each other one in a council flat the other in a large house.

External links

References

  1. ^ http://www.croftonpark.com/sainthildas/archive/1900-1919.htm
  2. ^ http://www.arthouse.dircon.co.uk/Arthouse/Arthouse%20NEW%20website/history.html
  3. ^ Guardian Film and Music Pages Film & Music: Pop: Beetle mania: Chris Salmon 29 June 2007
  4. ^ http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/9E839563-78A8-496E-8643-E0625BFC6181/0/BrockleyCAA4_112.pdf Lewisham Government Guide to the Conservation Area 2006
  5. ^ http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/9E839563-78A8-496E-8643-E0625BFC6181/0/BrockleyCAA4_112.pdf Lewisham Government Guide to the Conservation Area 2006
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