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Grand Tour

The Woolwich Grand Arts Cafeteria is Now Open
The Woolwich Grand Arts Cafeteria is Now Open

The Woolwich Grand Theatre is open for Grand Tours tomorrow (28th January) – providing an opportunity to see the parts of the theatre that the public rarely see. As Theatre Director Adrian Green explains in his Facebook message:

The Woolwich Grand Theatre will be holding an open day on the 28th of January from 10am to 4pm for everyone to come and have a grand tour of the building, boiler room, the upper circle projector room and other areas of interest to you. Come and join us and have a lovely cup of tea. We will be charging £6 per person.

This follows the musical fund raiser last Friday and the opening of the Arts Cafeteria on Wednesday.

The music last Friday was superb. An excellent  acoustic Candythief unplugged set, including songs from the Partisan CD was followed by a rumbustious Mr Ron Jetson on a very expensive piano accompanied by violin and saxophone. The evening concluded with the amazing voice of the Falsifiers’ Liam Ings-Reeves, whose deep, gravelly, bluesy versions of the chain gang song Another Man Done Gone and the spiritual Wade in the Water contrasted with a gentler Jess Hannar solo. The whole evening well lubricated by Adrian’s jokes.

Adrian said that he will invite these musicians back to the Grand in future. I’ll be looking out for that; they’re definitely worth seeing and hearing again.

Next at the Grand is a music and poetry evening on Friday 17th February:

The next event will be Friday 17th February, we will be holding a comedy and music evening featuring warm up comedians, two bands and a poet, details to follow. After being allowed to open this will be our last free performance evening for now.

It’s great to see the Grand getting going.

Inside the Woolwich Grand Theatre
Inside the Woolwich Grand Theatre
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Grand Opening on Friday

Vision of the Woolwich Grand Theatre

Some excellent news from the Woolwich Grand Theatre. Following a successful sound check by Greenwich Council last Wednesday evening, they will be opening this Friday (20th January) with a Music Fund Raiser Night. Here is the FaceBook invitation from the Grand’s Director, Adrian Green:

Dear friends,
As we warm up to what I hope will be our opening soon we are having another music fund raiser night on the 20th January at 7.30 Three different acts who have given their time to help are cause

Candythief: Drawing on alternative, folk, rock and indie influences, the songs are melody-driven and eclectic in style, lyrical and direct, coloured by the unusual song structures typical of Candythief arrangements. Thematically, it deals in an uplifting way with the possibility that modern culture has sold us a bit of a lemon.

The Falsifiers: Liam, Jess and Adam. Tom Waits, hill-billy edgy sweetness combining guitar, fiddle and washboard for not-so-rickety yet rickety song.

Mr Ron Jetson: A three piece version consisting of Ron as himself and this time on piano, with Luke Barlow providing saxophone and Jess Hannar on violin. Songs for all the ages strangely combining Waits with the Dan.

Please come down and support us and change Woolwich for the better.
Many thanks
Adrian

Candtyhief was started by singer-songwriter Diana de Cabarrus on vocals/guitar/sandwiches, and at full strength comprises Jem Doulton on drums, Jason Dickinson on fiddle and Jason Simpson on electric & double bass.Their latest, and third album is Partisan,  embedded below. Mr Ron Jetson‘s latest album is Danger Danger.

Sounds like it will be an amazing evening of music, at  a great venue!
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Colin Fifield and Ray Marshall Waterscapes Exhibition

Waterscapes ExhibitionThe Ripley Arts Centre in Bromley will host a joint exhibition by two local artists, Colin Fifield and Ray Marshall, starting on the evening of 31st January and running to 24th February. Ripley Arts Centre is located at 24 Sundridge Avenue, Bromley, Kent, BR1 2PX – not far from Bromley town centre.

The Bromley Arts Council description of the event  includes the following profiles of the two artists:

Colin Fifield – profile
Colin lives on Shooters Hill, South East London. He first studied art and design at Camberwell School of Art from 1958 to 1962 specialising in Painting, Lithography and Illustration. He was awarded the National Diploma in Design (NDD) in 1962. From 1962 to 1964 he completed a two year post graduate course in Painting and Engraving at the Slade School of Fine Art, University of London where was awarded the Slade Diploma in 1964. His art has always been very eclectic. His interests range from landscape paintings in oils, watercolours and acrylics. His main inspiration comes from the landscapes of the South East Coast especially the areas of Dungeness, Deal and Hastings.

Ray Marshall – profile
Ray Marshall was born in Lambeth and moved to Plumstead, South East London, in 1975, where he has remained a local resident since. Having undertaken some formal study at Morley College, tutored by Lawrence Toynbee among others, Ray is mostly self-taught. His work covers an eclectic mix of subjects, taking inspiration from nature, architecture, historical references, dance and music and the general observation of the world around us.

Ray’s interests provide a wealth of stimulation as he enjoys walking in the countryside and urban settings, cross country running, motorcycling and bird watching, as a member of the RSPB. These activities afford the opportunity for collecting photos, sketches and notes which provide reference material for his work in watercolour, oils, pen and ink and pencil drawings.

This wide ranging body of work has been exhibited in a number of local shows and produced commissioned works for patrons both locally as well as in America, Canada and Australia.

Colin Fifield Pottery
Colin Fifield Pottery

Colin Fifield is also a potter, specialising in stoneware especially domestic pottery such as mugs and jugs. He  is one of the Eltham Art Group who have an exhibition at the Blackheath Halls in March which will include oil paintings, photography and contemporary images. Other members of the Eltham Art Group are Claire Rowlands, Peter Clark, Graham Redmayne and Graham Davies.

Ray Marshall painted the Shooters Hill montage that can be seen in the Bull and in the Oxlea Wood Café. This depicts many Shooters Hill landmarks, for example the Water Tower, the Bull, Severndroog Castle, Ypres milestone …. even one of the wrought-iron encased red balls that sit on top of the pillars outside Herbert Pavilions. Ray is a member of the Plumstead Painters and Potters group which regularly exhibits their paintings, watercolours and pottery.

There are many other artists associated with Shooters Hill – William Robert Earl, Colin Ashford, Jon Sullivan to name just a few. I hope  they will feature in future posts.

Photograph of Ray Marshall's Shooters Hill montage
Photograph of Ray Marshall's Shooters Hill montage

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Christmas Holiday Activities at Woodlands Farm

Winter at Woodlands Farm
Woodlands Farm poster about their winter activities

Woodlands Farm were in touch with details of  their activities for young people over the Christmas break. Their e-mail said:

Tuesday 20 December: Winter Woodlands
Take a trip into our woodlands to learn how to get by in the cold. Shelter-building, fire-making and cooking are just some of the activities which will be taking place.

FREE (donations welcome); no booking necessary, drop in between 10am and 2.30pm. Ages 6+.
Will take place whatever the conditions, so do wear appropriate clothes and footwear for the weather.

Wednesday 21 December: Making cards and gifts
Yet to sort out a card and present for your nearest and dearest? No worries, the farm offers a one-stop shop for both, with a chance to make Christmas cards and photo frames from natural and re-used items. Saves you money and is kind to the environment!
FREE (donations welcome); no booking necessary, drop in between 10am and 3pm. All ages.

Thursday 22 December: Toddler Club
It’s Christmas at Toddler Club!   £2 per adult; children FREE; no booking necessary, drop in between 10am and 12pm. For more information, see our website or contact David Hunter on david.hunter@thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org

The Woodlands Farm Trust
(registered charity no. 1051680)
331 Shooters Hill
Welling, Kent
DA16 3RP
Telephone & Fax: 020 8319 8900
Email: woodlandsft@aol.com
Website: www.thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org
Nearest tube: North Greenwich
Nearest BR: Welling
Buses: 486 & 89

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Clearing the rubbish in the woods

The Friends of Shrewsbury Park are looking for people to help clear the rubbish in the woods at the side of Dothill on Sunday 20th November. Their e-mail which was forwarded to me said:

Dear Friend of Shrewsbury Park,

we will be holding a “clearing up” session on Sunday, 20 November, at 12 noon. Please come along, with stout gloves, to help clear the rubbish in the woods at the side of Dothill.

We will meet at the Garland Road entrance to Dothill. If it is pouring with rain, please assume the event is cancelled and we will fix another day.

Help us keep the woods beautiful.

View up Dot Hill, Shrewsbury Park
View up Dot Hill, Shrewsbury Park
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Pitmaston Pineapples, Jambs’ Owls and Skinner’s Rats

Basket of autumn produce at Woodlands Farm stall
Autumnal basket at Woodlands Farm

The atmosphere at Woodlands Farm Apple Day on Sunday was brilliant. The combination of a large, happy crowd, a perfect crisp, clear autumn day, the folk music of Skinner’s Rats and an appealing set of stalls made for a great afternoon. Not to mention more than 15 varieties of apples to try; 15 different varieties of English-grown apples, supermarkets take note.

The apples were obtained from Pippins Farm in Pembury who grow about 50 varieties of apple, and they included a few that I hadn’t tasted before. The most unusual was the Pitmaston Pineapple, much smaller than most apples and looking like a miniature Egremont Russet. It’s an apple that was first bred in the 1780’s but was presented to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1845 by a Mr Williams of Pitmaston. They tasted sweet and nutty, a little like a Russet, and I could only just about taste the pineapple flavour claimed in the farm’s description. It could be that the name refers to the warm yellow colour and shape, rather than the flavour. I added some to my bag to take home, together with some stripy red and yellow Cameos, some Cox-like Jupiters and some of my favourite apples, Egremont Russets.

One of Jambs Owls, possibly Eastern Screech Owl
One of Jambs Owls

Jambs’ Owls have become quite a regular participant at woodlands Farm events recently, but they still draw a queue. The well-trained birds sit patiently on their perches, or allow youngsters to pose with them for photographs, and accept gentle stroking. There was also a crowd sitting in the sunshine listening to Kent-based folk band Skinners Rats, who also play and call the steps at the Farm’s energetic and slightly chaotic barn dances. There were opportunities to join in on the (rather complicated) choruses, but most seemed happy to enjoy the music.

The Farm is right next door to the area where it is proposed that the controversial Equestrian Centre will be built. The problematic planning process for the Centre is covered very well in the 853 blog, but it was interesting to learn that before the Equestrian Center was announced the Farm had been negotiating with the Council for some time to lease the field, with the aim of using it for a locally-grown food project. This seems like a much better use for land that is designated as Metropolitan Open Land, and which is also part of the South East Green Chain described in the 2011 London Plan. This Plan gives such land the same level of protection as the Green Belt. Meanwhile the Blackheath donkeys who currently live on the land drew a small crowd as well, presenting themselves for grooming across the fence

Blackheath Donkey Foal 23rd October 2011
Blackheath donkey, may be moving home soon to make way for the Equestrian Cantre

The next Woodland Farm event is the Christmas Fair on Sunday 27th November.

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The End of an Era

The title of Frances Ward’s next talk is “The End of an Era”, and it takes place at the Heritage Center, and also her last talk for the Centre before she retires at the end of the year. It really will be the end of an era for those of us who have been entertained and educated by Frances’ talks on the history of Greenwich, and her excellent walking tour of the Woolwich Arsenal site.

The latest Activities and Events Listing from the Greenwich Heritage Centre announces the talk and Frances’ retirement:

The End of an Era

Saturday 3rd December 2pm at the Greenwich Heritage Centre
A talk by Frances Ward on Greenwich in old postcards. £3 including light refreshments. Booking recommended.
Call 020 8854 2452 to reserve a place.

This will be the last talk by Frances for the heritage Centre, as she will retire on 31st December 2011. She will be sorely missed by everyone who enjoyed her talks, sessions for schools, or visited the search room as well as her colleagues in the council.

There are seldom any spare seats at Frances’ talks, so I suspect this will fill very quickly.

Frances mentioned at her last talk, The Peopling of Greenwich, that she plans to continue her historical research in retirement, and also to return to the Heritage Centre to talk about it. I’ll certainly look forward to that, and would like to wish Frances a long and happy retirement.

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Friends of Shrewsbury Park AGM on Saturday

The Friends of Shrewsbury Park Annual General Meeting will be held this Saturday, 22nd October from 2.00 to 4.00pm at the Slade Community Hall, Pendrell Street, Plumstead, SE19 2RU which is off Garland Road. We are all invited to find out what the Friends have been doing and how we can be involved in Shrewsbury Park. The Friends’ website has all the details and a link to a map showing the location of the meeting.

There will also be a talk by David Waugh, an amateur astronomer and member of the Flamsteed Astronomy Society, about “Stargazing”. His talk will cover what can be seen in the skies of south-east London, what you can observe with binoculars and small telescopes and how stargazing relates to the broader subject of astronomy. The Flamsteed is an amateur astronomy society named after the first Astronomer Royal John Flamsteed, who laid the foundation stone for the Royal Observatory in 1675. The Society is based at the Greenwich Royal Observatory and National Maritime Museum.