More on Seyi murder trial

This is Local London reports on the second day of the murder trial of brother Chrisdian Johnson, 22, and Shane Johnson, 20, both of Wyvil Road, Battersea, and Darcy Menezes, 18, of Studley Road for the murder of Seyi (Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi) and the attempted murder of his friend last year.

Stockwell runner covers London

Stockwell's Laura Tomlinson, who lost her grandfather to abestosis last year, is aiming to raise £1,000 for the British Lung Foundation by running the length of the Tube line (above ground). She had her running partner Tim Moss have so far visited 66 of 270 Tube stations and covered 41 miles, with only 209 miles to go. More at the Elmbridge Guardian.
Visit www.justgiving.com/runningthetube to donate.

Seyi Ogunyemi murder trial starts

The trial of two brothers and another man for the stabbing death of 16-year-old Seyi Ogunyemi and the attempted murder of his 17-year-old friend in April 2009 has started at the Old Bailey.

Chrisdian Johnson, 22, his brother Shane Johnson, 20, both of south Lambeth, south London, along with Darcy Menezes, 18, of Studley Road, Clapham, south London, deny murder and attempted murder. The attacks, which involved the use of dogs, took place in what has been described as a running gang fight in the Lansdowne Green Estate.

More at Evening Standard

More on South Lambeth Road pedestrian accident

Anonymous has sent in this comment:

I was by the bus stop on the other side of the road when it happened. I didn't see it happen but I did hear it and then saw the pedestrian lying in the road. I have been trying to find news of what has happend to them, there doesn't seem to be any information about it anywhere. It looked pretty bad so I really hope they were not too badly injured. There was a man in a motorcycle helmet who really took charge and was directing the traffic before the ambulance came. He did a really good job.

Planning schmanning

Read onionbagblog's post on Mukesh Andani's scaffold-clad eyesore on Clapham Road.

South Lambeth Road: pedestrian hit by car

Anne Perry (from The Carnivore Project blog) has emailed me this news:

There was an accident at the intersection of South Lambeth and Thorne Roads yesterday morning, about 9.15 am; it looked like a car hit a pedestrian in the crosswalk in front of the Canton Arms.  I haven't seen anything about it anywhere, though, and a Google search only turned this up:

 http://ukroadslondon.olduk.com/blog/2010/02/01/south-lambeth-road-a203-lambeth-south-2/

The accident looked pretty ugly and I have been hoping for news that the pedestrian wasn't injured too badly.

Northern Line woes (2)

From the Evening Standard:

The Northern line is to close early on weekdays for up to 18 months for a major upgrade of signals.

It will shut at 11.30pm — an hour earlier than normal — north of Kennington between Mondays and Thursdays from July. In addition, its southern section — from Stockwell to Morden — will be closed for 16 weekends from March because Transport for London has refused to allow it to close early during the week.
The early weekday closure will mean that there will be fewer trains in the evening, probably from around 8.30pm, as they have to be returned to their depots.

Northern Line agony - the worst is to come

From The Guardian:

Most of the Northern Line could be shut from 8.30pm on weekdays for more than a year to allow for engineering works, causing further disruption for passengers on one of the most congested lines on the London Underground. [...] Sources close to the talks say Tube Lines wants to do the work from 11.30pm between Sunday and Thursday for 16 months, starting next month. According to TfL, this would mean closing the line north of Stockwell from 8.30pm onwards to get trains back to depots.

Stockwell Bus Garage: Needs attention

Photo © TC

Stockwell War Memorial campaign

The South London Press published a piece on the War Memorial today (pages 12 and 13), featuring Sheila Dartnell, who has been pressing Lambeth Council for a solution to the deterioriation of the fabric of the monument and the damage to the names.

I guess my identity is safe for now (see my earlier post), as they binned the photos of me. Phew!

Stockwell children to appear in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner at QEH

Children from Stockwell and Wyvil Primary Schools will perform as part of a 150-strong community choir in an interpretation of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's classic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The poem, written in the early 19th century, is being staged as a 'people’s opera' with music, song and narration at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. It is part of the Imagine Children's Festival (11 February-1 March 2010). Lemn Sissay takes the part of the mariner. More information at Newborn to Teen.

Bathsheba breaks cover

Followers of this blog will know that I use the pseudonym Bathsheba. I like the protection of an assumed name. I can remain anonymous but also have an identity.

However, this is now at an end as I have, as they say, outed myself. If you saw the latest edition of Lambeth Life you will see a story on page 7 about Stockwell War Memorial, in which I am quoted as myself - Naomi Klein. (And no, I am not the well-known Canadian author of No Logo.)

You might want to know that there will be another piece featuring moi in tomorrow's South London Press (Friday 29 January). My friend Sheila Dartnell, whose great-uncle is on the memorial, and I were photographed yesterday in the freezing cold next to the memorial. Sheila has been pressing Lambeth Council to commit to the maintenance and restoration of the memorial and the SLP will be running a story on her efforts and on the research I have been doing for www.stockwellwarmemorial.co.uk. 

Albert Square pavement improvement: less mess?

I hope at the very least it will encourage dog owners to kerb (or do I mean curb?) their pets.

Stockwell War Memorial: anti-German feeling and name changes

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will know of my passion for researching the men whose names are on Stockwell War Memorial.

I am nearing the end of my revision of my original research, during which I have added data from the 1911 census and other sources. Today I looked at the story of Edward Ernest Winter, whose family changed their name from Weingartner in order to avoid the hostility those with German-sounding names were meeting. South London suffered a number of frightening riots against German-owned businesses. A German butcher's shop in the Old Kent Road and a greengrocer nearby were attacked.

The vestiges of a German business whose owners changed their name can still be seen in South Island Place on the corner of Brixton Road. Just below the street name sign you can make out the word SCHMIDT. The business was renamed Willson's - it was still there when I first moved to the area in the early 90s. The Di Lieto family, who own the building, have recently opened a bakery right next door (out of shot on the left).

You can read about Ernest Winter and his family - and many other biographies from Stockwell and other local war memorials - at my site www.stockwellwarmemorial.co.uk.

Sport Action Zone FREE activities in Stockwell

Sport Action Zone (SAZ) are running these FREE activities in Stockwell. NO NEED TO BOOK. Just turn up or contact SAZ on (020) 7202 6948.

Monday 5-7pm
Girls (8 -16) Football
Larkhall Park Astroturf (Courland Grove)

Tuesday 1.30-2.30pm
Ladies Keep Fit (coming soon - phone SAZ for details)
St John’s Community Project, Clapham Road
Contact SAZ on (020) 7202 6948 for details of crèche

Wednesday 10-11am
Ladies Aerobics
Stockwell Primary School, Stockwell Road

Wednesday 5-7pm
Boys (8-12) Football
Larkhall Park Astroturf (Courland Grove)

Thursday 9.45-10.45am
Ladies Running Club
Larkhall Park Changing Rooms
Contact SAZ on (020) 7202 6948 for details of crèche

Friday 5-6pm
Boys and Girls (8-12) Street Dance
Stockwell YMCA, Stockwell Road

Friday 6-7pm
Girls (12+) Street Dance
Stockwell YMCA, Stockwell Road

Friday 6-8 pm
Boys (12+) Football
Larkhall Park Astroturf (Courland Grove)

Hi5 weight management programme in South Lambeth

A new FREE 12-week programme supporting the people of South Lambeth to eat healthier, maintain a healthy weight, be more active and feel better starts TODAY Thursday 21 January 2010 (don't worry about being too late - it's still worth getting in touch). The programme aims to give you a healthy way of living that you can stick to for ever.

If you have any queries contact Emma Merrikin on 07910 996577 (mobile ) or 020 7188 7218 (landline) or emma.merrikin@nhs.net

Thursdays 10am - 12noon  
Stockwell Resource Centre  (behind Stockwell Tube station)

FREE cookery course at Larkhall

There's a FREE course to learn how to cook and how to share your skills with others starting TODAY (Thursday 21 January 2010) at Larkhall Children's Centre in Smedley Street. Get in touch with SAZ on 020 7202 6900.

Each week you will learn about healthy eating and will cook a meal to take home and share with your family. You will also plan and run a healthy eating/cooking activity and will gain the Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate. Creche available.

Topics include food and health; a balanced diet; energy and nutrients in food; food labelling; food hygiene; eating well on a budget; practical cooking skills; planning and running a healthy eating/cooking session; cooking with your family

Thursday 10am-1pm
Larkhall Children's Centre
Smedley Street
London SW4

Dispersal Zone campaign

Over at the Labour Party blog Stand Up for Stockwell local Labour councillors have started a campaign to establish Dispersal Zones in the Studley and Stockwell Gardens estates (DZs enable the police to instruct individuals to leave an area where they are making residents feel threatened etc). You can sign a petition at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/827FYXH

Royal Albert: further comment

"Anonymous" (not sure if it is the same Anonymous as quoted in the post below) says:

The agents are asking £45,000 p.a ex bills - and with regular rent reviews.
Biz Rates are £12,000. I guess interested parties need to think - Is this a reasonably competitive price or is the price set?
a) so that no one takes it up thereby "proving" to Lambeth Planning that it is unsustainable as a pub/restaurant and should get planning permission for change of use or
b)anyone who optimistically takes it on is unable to sustain a business with such overheads... and this then proves to Lambeth that the pub is unsustainable and needs to become flats.
If I were the owner/ developer I would attempt to price it so no one takes it on in the first place saving hassle and time to point of "proving" it unsustainable.

Royal Albert: What's going on?

"Anonymous" has commented on developments at the Royal Albert pub in Bolney Street:

I walked past the Royal Albert this morning (18th Jan 2010) and saw a 'Gastro Pub to let' sign outside. Does anyone know anything about this? Does it mean the planning application for flats definitely failed? A bit of googling has revealed a company called Selsian offering it as a pub let...

"Simon" has offered this theory:

The planning application did fail. My suspicion is that the owner is looking for an ingenue to try to make a go of the Albert in the hope that their eventual failure (which is pretty much assured) will support his case that a pub is no longer viable on that site.

Anyone know any more about it?

Vauxhall in the snow

Nice pictures of snow-clad Vauxhall, including the tiny houses in the park, and the Embankment on TYBLOGISAGOODBLOG, by Tyrone.