Author: Darryl Chamberlain

This Saturday: Charlton Society plus Pound Park table sale

Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment

Here’s a note from Charlton Society chairman David Gardner…

Trees in our local parks is the focus of the talk at the Charlton Society this Saturday 20 July starting at 2.30pm at Charlton House. Local tree expert Jim Hedges will speak and there’s much more than you would think!

Good to shade us from the sun, great for the environment and very much part of Charlton’s look and feel as a green village. We will also have time for local news and discussion and, of course, a refreshing cup of tea.

On the subject of trees, we are making strong representations for the new Charlton Sainsbury’s/M&S landscaping. We have also been trying to urge quick resolution to widening the pavement by the new Sainsbury’s local store going in opposite the station. And on shops, you may have noticed Charlton Village has a brand new green grocers by The Baguette. Good quality and value with a wise range, give it a try.

There’s also a table sale earlier in the day at Pound Park Nursery, with painting and other fun for kids.

table_sale

Charlton Park footballers get Run to the Beat reprieve

Darryl Chamberlain

Run to the Beat final route, July 2013
Sunday footballers at Charlton Park and Meridian Sports Club won’t be cut off by September’s Run To The Beat half-marathon, organisers have revealed two months before the race.

Earlier this year, The Charlton Champion revealed plans for the controversial race to be diverted via Canberra Road and Charlton Park Lane, dividing the two green spaces which are packed with sports players every weekend.

But those plans have now been dropped, with the race now running via Charlton Village instead. To make up the lost mileage, the route will run alongside the Thames between Anchor & Hope Lane and Peartree Way, Greenwich, passing the Anchor & Hope pub and Angerstein Wharf.

Details are still sketchy, although some residents have received leaflets warning them of the new route. There’s a more general discussion about Run To The Beat over at 853, but if you’ve any views on how the route will specifically affect Charlton, feel free to share them here.

Greenwich Council plans to give Charlton House a boost

Darryl Chamberlain3 Comments

Charlton House flowers

There’s change afoot at Charlton House, with Greenwich Council planning to spin it off into a borough-wide heritage trust. The house has been owned by the council and its predecessors for nearly 90 years, but has always been overshadowed by higher-profile attractions, particularly since the push to rebrand the borough as “Royal Greenwich”.

The idea’s to make its future more sustainable with a new business plan, and a wider range of events during the year. A paper delivered to a council scrutiny panel last night reveals:

A new business plan has being drawn up for Charlton House, ahead of plans for it to be included in the borough-wide Heritage Trust. This focuses on new ways to maximise use, particularly wedding and conference/training business and will be done primarily through an increased presence in the market and coverage in the press.

Ways in which to engage the local community are being explored through ‘Sharing Heritage’, a Heritage Lottery Fund open programme, in partnership with the Friends of Charlton House and local schools.

In addition to providing meeting space for community groups, a series of evening and weekend social events will run throughout 2013, aimed at reaching new and more diverse audiences. This will be achieved through seeking and encouraging partnerships with local groups and businesses.

The lack of proper publicity for Charlton House events has caused some furrowing of brows here at the Charlton Champion for some time – it recently gained a woefully fiddly website (see a bit here) which has since been taken down. Enquiries to the council as to how much the now-pulled website cost have so far drawn a blank.

Otherwise, it seems to be relying on a Facebook page, and a Twitter feed which now doesn’t do anything much but redirect to the Facebook page. Oh, and a recently-installed street sign at the top of Charlton Church Lane, from where you can see Charlton House, pointing to Charlton House.

Which is a shame, because “new and diverse audiences” is what Charlton House badly needs to reach – classical recitals scheduled for when most locals are at work simply aren’t going to be enough.

Global Fusion Music and Arts has been putting on shows (see more on its Facebook page) including a folk night with Martin Carthy, but this can only be a start.

It’ll be interesting to see what this business plan for Charlton House entails – and if Charlton House want people to spread the word, we’re only too happy to help.

Charlton Toy Library nearly new sale this Saturday

Darryl Chamberlain

nearly new saleJanine from Charlton Toy Library‘s been in touch…

We realise that we’ve perhaps left this a little late but… we were wondering whether you might be able to help us advertise our Nearly New sale this Saturday 15th June at 10.30-12.30 in Charlton Assembly Rooms.

We’ll be selling quality secondhand and new children’s clothes, equipment, books and toys, along with maternity stuff too. There will be tea, coffee and cakes provided by the Old Cottage Coffee Shop as well as facepainting. There will be a £1 entry fee which all goes to help raise funds for the Toy Library.

Consider it done. And if you’re around in the afternoon, Carol Kenna from the Charlton Parks Reminiscence Project will be talking to the Charlton Society about her work at 2.30pm.

Not everyone’s a fan of a Charlton station Sainsbury’s…

Darryl Chamberlain10 Comments

Sainsburys

While work is now taking place to bring a large Sainsbury’s store to Woolwich Road, there’s a lot less work taking place on bringing a smaller Sainsbury’s to Charlton Church Lane, where an extension is needed before the chain can move in.

Yet this graffiti’s appeared recently. While a small supermarket will bring a bit of life to the parade by Charlton station, clearly not everyone’s happy to see Sainsbury’s arrive.

The Guardian on ‘defiantly unfashionable’ Charlton

Darryl Chamberlain7 Comments

Cherry Orchard Estate

“Estate agents have started calling it Charlton Village.”

Hmmm. But for a series that’s usually written without ever setting foot into the place in question, the Guardian weekend magazine’s Let’s Move To… Charlton is unusually bang on the money.

Charlton has fine schools, magnificent views from its rolling hillside, great transport links to central London, leafy parks such as Maryon Wilson and, at its heart, what was once a Kentish village, with old church, ye olde pubbe, village green and a Jacobean stately home, Charlton House. Its little high street contains useful shops that in other, posher spots might have been turned into candle purveyors and poodle parlours. There is no Starbucks. Its homes are well built and affordable. Plus it has an (almost) restored lido. Heated water, too. Beat that, Blackheath.

Indeed, who needs Starbucks now there’s The Old Cottage Cafe and Brew & Choo? But what did the Guardian miss out? Share your thoughts…

Singer/songwriter Peter Swaffield at St Thomas Church

Darryl Chamberlain

Did you know there are concerts at St Thomas Church, tucked away on Maryon Road? I didn’t, but I do now. Coming up on Friday 7 June (7.30pm, £4 admission)….

Peter Swaffield1970s BBC singer songwriter Peter Swaffield will be performing Folk, Country and Gospel music.

Peter was featured at the recent ‘Keynotes 50th Anniversary Concert’ at Tommy’s and returns to perform solo by popular demand.

Peter’s vocal and guitar style has been compared to the USA superstar James Taylor.

When a student at Oxford University Peter became a BBC songwriter, performing “The Song of the Week” spot for BBC Radio Oxford. For the Tommy’s concert Peter will be performing a solo set and playing the second half with his band

Peter will play some of his own songs, country music hits and some well-known gospel songs plus a few James Taylor favourites.

Peter’s band includes blues guitarist Richard Chambers OBE and Tim Anderson who has played the drums for Peter Green, Cliff Richard, and Country star George Hamilton IV.

The proceeds from the evening will go to WaterAid, the charity dedicated to helping people escape the poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation.

This concert is one of a series of musical events being held at St. Thomas, Old Charlton, SE7 under the banner Music at Tommy’s.

Musicians and audiences have discovered that the church has wonderful acoustic properties commenting that the music whether opera, folk, gospel or jazz sounds great.