Brockley
Brockley | |
---|---|
Brockley railway station | |
Location within Greater London | |
Population | 17,156 (2011 Census. Ward)[1] |
OS grid reference | TQ365745 |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LONDON |
Postcode district | SE4 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
Brockley is a district and an
History
The name Brockley is derived from "Broca's woodland clearing", a wood where badgers are seen (broc is the Old English for badger) or Brook (Stream) by a wood (Ley).[3] In the late 12th century, a small Premonstratensian house was founded there, before being transferred to Bayham (Sussex) in 1208.
Formerly part of the county of Kent, Brockley became a part of the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham in the County of London in 1889, and subsequently was brought into the London Borough of Lewisham with the creation of Greater London in 1965.
Brockley has its origins in a small agricultural hamlet of the same name located in the area of the "
The oldest surviving house in the area of what is now considered to be the northern extent of Brockley is the "
.Brockley market gardens were famous for their enormous
Industrial development arrived in 1809 in the form of the
In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the
Many grand houses in Brockley were occupied by the owners and managers of factories in neighbouring industrial areas such as
Brockley contains several fine churches:
After World War I Brockley began to lose its exclusivity as the wealthy began to relocate to the outer suburbs and the big houses were increasingly sub-divided into multiple occupation. The typical inter-war houses on Upper Brockley Gardens and on Harefield Rd are clearly more modest than their Victorian neighbours. Small industrial workshops also became established in the mews behind the large houses.
The Grade II listed
Being under the bomber flight path to the London docks, the area suffered significant
Since World War II
After the Second World War, most of the big houses were sub-divided into multiple occupation. In the 1950s and 1960s these houses provided accommodation for the recently arrived
From the mid-1960s artists (some associated with nearby Goldsmiths College) started to move into the large and at the time neglected houses on Manor Avenue, beginning the process of 'gentrification' which continues today. Much of north Brockley was designated a
The extension of the
In 2000 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 greening of several other derelict sites.
Green space
Brockley contains several attractive open spaces, amongst them
The old West Kent Grammar School (later renamed Brockley County Grammar School), now
Close by, a
.West of the railway between Brockley and New Cross Gate railway stations lies the
The arts in Brockley
Like its neighbour
The
Politics
Brockley ward is represented by three Labour councillors as of the 2022 election.
All of Brockley Ward's three councillors were from the Green Party and combined with neighbouring Ladywell ward, Lewisham Council had six Green Party councillors; one of the highest number of Green party councillors in the UK. However, in the 2010 Local Elections, held at the same time as the 2010 General Election, the Green party lost all but one of their seats. The remaining seat was held by Darren Johnson in Brockley. In the 2014 Council elections the Green Party retained one of Brockley's council seats, which is held by Councillor John Coughlin.[17]
Notable residents
- Athlete (formed 1999), band consisting of lead singer Joel Pott, keyboard player Tim Wanstall and bassist Carey Willetts, who live in Brockley; used to rehearse at the Bear Cafe in Deptford High Street[18]
- Rosie Barnes OBE, MP for Greenwich (1987–1992), Chief Executive of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust (1996–2010), Patron of Child Health International (2011– ), lived on Tressillian Road 1998–2017[citation needed]
- Steve Bolton, guitarist with Atomic Rooster, Paul Young and The Who; lived on Geoffrey Road in the 1980s
- Brockley County School[19]
- Kate Bush, singer, lived on Wickham Road in the early 1980s[20]
- Velvet Underground; a student at Goldsmiths College; lived on Wickham Road in the student halls of residence[citation needed]
- Emily Davison, suffragette, born in Blackheath 1872, died at The Derby in 1913 after stepping in front of the King's horse; lived for a time in Brockley[citation needed]
- Alfred Drury, sculptor, lived in Tressillian Road and taught at Goldsmiths College[citation needed]
- Paul Drury, artist, born in Tressillian Road in 1903; taught at Goldsmiths College of Art[21]
- Kerry Ellis, singer and West End stage actress, lives in Brockley[22]
- Gabrielle, singer, lived in Brockley[23]
- John Galliano, fashion designer, grew up in Brockley and visits with his design team[24]
- Alberto Esteban Ignacio "G" Gispert, founder of the Hash House Harriers[25]
- David Haig, actor and writer, resides in Brockley[citation needed]
- Matt Hales, singer, songwriter of Aqualung[26]
- Bernard Hill, actor, lived in Wickam Gardens in the 1980s[citation needed]
- Green Party politician[27]
- Camberwell School of Artin 1909; his parents are buried in Brockley and Ladywell Cemetery where there is also a memorial to him.
- The June Brides, proto UK indie pop group including singer Phil Wilson; shared a house in Chudleigh Road; viola player Frank Sweeney still lives not far from there.[citation needed]
- Brian Keaney, children's author, lives in Brockley[28]
- Alan King, Massurreal artist; born in Manor Avenue in 1952 and spent his teenage years developing his art style while living in Wickham Road[citation needed]
- Edward VII of the United Kingdom; lived at 42 Wickham Road[29]
- Marie Lloyd, music hall singer; lived at 196 Wickham Terrace in 1891-2[29]
- David Lodge, his family home was at 81 Millmark Grove, Brockley; he writes about the neighbourhood, focusing on the rundown local cinema (now demolished) in his firstnovel The Picturegoers (1960) and inTherapy[30][31]
- Keeping up Appearances
- Spike Milligan (1918–2002), comedian; lived at 50 Riseldine Road (on the cusp of Crofton Park and Honor Oak) after coming to England from India in the 1930s[32]
- Brian Molko, musician, lived in Brockley for a number of years while forming the band Placebo[citation needed]
- Hilly Fields" was inspired by the park of the same name[33]
- Pagan Altar, metal band who recorded a song entitled "The Devil Came Down to Brockley"[citation needed]
- Mica Paris, singer[23]
- Novelist, English Grime MC, producer, and rapper; was nominated for MOBO Awards in 2014[citation needed]
- Ed Petrie, TV presenter and stand-up comedian[citation needed]
- Sybil Phoenix, former Mayoress of Lewisham; first black woman to receive the M.B.E., to become a Freeman of the City of London and Freeman of the Borough of Lewisham; local resident[citation needed]
- Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College[37]
- Philip Quast, Australian actor, lived in Brockley for over a decade[citation needed]
- John Alan Quinton, flight lieutenant in the RAF; awarded a posthumous George Cross; born in Brockley[38]
- David Rocastle, professional footballer, playing midfield for Arsenal and England[39]
- John Stainer (1840–1901), composer and organist at St Pauls Cathedral; possibly lived in Wickham Road, Brockley and is said to have played the organ in St Peters Church; a local primary school is named after him
- Montague Summers, eccentric writer, taught at Brockley County School[40]
- Chris Tarrant, TV presenter; taught at a school in Brockley in the late 1960s/early '70s; for some time lived in his car near the school[41]
- Kae Tempest, poet, performance artist, recording artist, and playwright[42]
- Paul Theroux, his 1976 novel The Family Arsenal is set in Cliff Terrace off St Johns Vale[citation needed]
- Bobby Valentino, singer, songwriter, musician and actor; has lived in Brockley for the past 30 years; best known as the co-writer and violinist of the Bluebells hit single "Young at Heart"[43]
- Edgar Wallace, author and original screenwriter of King Kong; lived at 6 Tresillian Crescent, Brockley, 1900–1932; his fictional detective character J G Reeder lived in Brockley Road; his book The Duke in the Suburbs is also based in Brockley
- Baron Warner, Norman Warner, Baron Warner of Brockley PC, politician; grew up on Drakefell Road[44]
- Sir Willard White (C.B.E.), opera singer; born in Jamaica in 1946; once lived in Wickham Gardens and later Montague Avenue, Brockley[citation needed]
- Henry Williamson, writer and author of Tarka the Otter; born in 1895 at 66 Braxfield Road and lived at 21 Eastern Road, Brockley, during his childhood in the late 19th and early 20th century; describes turn-of-the-century Brockley in great detail in his semi-autobiographical novels, The Dark Lantern and Donkey Boy[45]
- Denny Wright, jazz guitarist; grew up in Brockley before the second world war and served with the Auxiliary Fire Service there
- Ian Wright, professional footballer, playing striker for Arsenal and England; latterly sports pundit and TV presenter[46]
- Bradley Wright-Phillips, professional footballer for Charlton Athletic F.C.[47]
- Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College.[48]
Nearest places
- Crofton Park
- Catford
- Deptford
- Forest Hill
- Greenwich
- Honor Oak
- Ladywell
- Lewisham
- New Cross
- Nunhead
- Peckham
- Telegraph Hill, Lewisham
Nearest railway stations
- Brockley railway station
- Crofton Park railway station
- Ladywell railway station
- Nunhead railway station
- St Johns railway station
- Forest Hill railway station
- Brockley Lane railway station (closed in 1917)
In popular culture
Linton Kwesi Johnson mentions Brockley in his poem "Inglan Is A Bitch" (1980). 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
Two early novels by Henry Williamson (who lived on Eastern Road) describe Brockley in great detail, as it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The Picturegoers, the first novel by David Lodge, is set in and around a rundown cinema in 1950s Brockley; thinly disguised as 'Brickley'.
Blake Morrison's novel South of the River (2007) is set in Brockley.
Colin Wilson's book
In 2003, the BBC1 documentary Worlds Apart showed two contrasting Brockley families living within yards of each other; one in a small council flat, the other in a large house.
The Rivoli Ballroom has featured in numerous films, TV shows and fashion shoots, and was used for the debut album launch for Florence and the Machine,[49] the video for Tina Turner's Private Dancer and a secret gig[50] by The White Stripes.
The Metros' song "Last of the Lookers" from their 2008 album More Money Less Grief mentions meeting a girl who is later found out not to be from their native Brockley.
Laura Wilson, the series' narrator and protagonist of ongoing comic book series
References
- ^ "Lewisham Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- ^ "Brockley". Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ Mills, AD (2010). A Dictionary of London Place Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Brockley Conservation Area". lewisham.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ "Brockley Ward Map" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ Historic England (5 July 1950). "Stone House (1193368)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "Stone House (Grade II*) (1193368)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ Brockley Central http://brockleycentral.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-history-of-brockley-part-two-got-to.html
- ^ Good Stuff IT Services (12 March 1973). "Church of St Andrew (presbyterian) – Lewisham – Greater London – England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ Good Stuff IT Services. "Church of St Hilda, Crofton Park – Lewisham – Greater London – England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ see The Guardian magazine 10 November 07
- ^ Good Stuff IT Services (2 March 1957). "Rivoli Ballroom 346–350 – Lewisham – Greater London – England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ Joan Anim-Addo, The Longest Journey, 1995.
- ^ Gayle, Damien (28 January 2023). "Brockley residents raise £100,000 to save patch of ancient London woodland". the Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ Good Stuff IT Services (12 March 1973). "Public Library – Deptford – Greater London – England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ [1] Archived 30 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Lewisham Council. "Councillor John Coughlin". Lewisham Council. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ "Tim's Top Tables", London Evening Standard, 29 January 2004.
- ^ Lidia Vianu, Alan Brownjohn and the Desperado Age, LiterNet Publishing House, 2005.
- ^ Thomson, Graeme. Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush. Omnibus Press, 2010, p. 57.
- ^ "Royal Academy of Arts Collections – Person". Racollection.org.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ "Kerry Ellis – Stars on Stage | LondonTheatre.co.uk". londontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ a b 60 SECONDS: Gabrielle By ANDREW WILLIAMS – Tuesday, 25 September 2007, Metro, London.
- ^ Interview with John Galliano by Paula Reed, Grazia Magazine, London, 21 September 2010.
- ^ "HASH HOUSE HARRIERS – THE ORIGINAL CHAPTER SINCE 1938". motherhash.com. 2005. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ Guardian Film and Music Pages Film & Music: Pop: Beetle mania: Chris Salmon 29 June 2007.
- ^ "Lewisham Council – Councillors and wards". Lewisham.gov.uk. 28 June 2012. Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ "Travel: Homing instincts – Trader Horn's Competition Results". The Guardian. London. 30 October 1993. p. 53 – via Business Insights: Essentials.
The embarrassments typical of tensions between parents and children in public places were neatly exemplified by Brian Keaney of Brockley...
- ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Lewisham Government Guide to the Conservation Area 2006. - ^ David Lodge, Autobiography 2014.
- ^ "Lewisham Council – Local history and heritage". Lewisham.gov.uk. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ This is revealed in his war memoir, Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall
- ^ "House prices soar on new rail route; East London line opens up 'isolated' areas of the capital". Evening Standard. London. 23 August 2010. p. 12 – via General OneFile.
Why live there: The area is not short of green spaces with Blythe Hill, Brockley and Hilly Fields. Who lives there: actor David Haig and musician Nick Nicely.
- ^ Reynold's Newspaper, Sunday 16 November 1890 issue 2101.
- ^ Daily News, 17 November 1890, issue 13921.
- ^ Birmingham Daily Post, 17 November 1890, issue 10109.
- ^ Harry Price, Biography of a Ghost Hunter by Paul Tabori, Athenaem Press, 1950.
- ^ "John A Quinton GC - victoriacross". www.vconline.org.uk. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Tyers, Alan (2 April 2017). "Story of David Rocastle and Ian Wright shows there's much to be explored in films about football off the pitch". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Jerome, Joseph. Montague Summers: A Memoir. London: Cecil and Amelia Woolf, 1965.
- ^ "BBC News | ENTERTAINMENT | TV Tarrant in the spotlight". news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Jury, Louise (27 April 2015). "Tempest cover gets gallery slot". Evening Standard. London. p. 31 – via General OneFile.
Young people chose the award-winning performance poet [Kate Tempest], 29, who grew up in Brockley, to feature in the gallery's Picture The Poet exhibition.
- ^ The Electric Bluebirds Sleeve Notes September 1996.
- ^ [2] [dead link]
- ^ Williamson, Anne, Henry Williamson: Tarka and the Last Romantic, Sutton Publishing, 1995.
- ^ Thomas, Rhys (30 September 2019). "Ian Wright: 'We Had to Run a Lot When I Was Young, to Avoid the Skinheads'".
- ^ Koczwara, Kevin (18 July 2018). "Bradley Wright-Phillips has reached the peak of MLS, rising from depths of English game". ESPN. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ Sam Wallace, "Shaun Wright-Phillips: Size ceases to matter for the Wright stuff", The Independent, London, 1 January 2005.
- ^ "Florence and the Machine releases new album | InStyle UK". Instyle.co.uk. 10 July 2009. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ NME (12 June 2007). "The White Stripes make full UK return with Ballroom gig". NME. Retrieved 9 January 2024.