Brockley History

‘Made in Lewisham (or very near)’: a talk by David Perrett

On Tuesday April 20 2021, for our regular Open Meeeting we were very fortunate to be able to host ‘Made in Lewisham (or very near)’ – a talk by the esteemed industrial archaeologist and local resident Prof David Perrett. Owing to its proximity to Deptford and the River Thames, throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Lewisham had a thriving industrial base. Sadly now almost entirely gone, this included heavy industrial manufacturers of warships, ship propellers and railway locomotives; lighter industrial manufacturers of instruments and cameras, and the wide range of food- and drink-related businesses that formed a vital part of a rapidly growing suburb of London. Vestiges of this heritage remain in the form of street names and a handful of original buildings. David has kindly allowed us to host a PDF (56 pages) of his presentation. Although it lacks much of the detail of his discussion, it does include […]

"London and Croydon Railway, From New Cross, Deptford". Engraving looking NW towards central London

Open Meeting: “Travel to Brockley: The Croydon Canal and the London and Croydon railway”

An illustrated talk by Malcolm Bacchus, local historian and chair of the Telegraph Hill Society. Location: Brockley Social Club, 240 Brockley Rd, Brockley, London SE4 2SU (next to the Esso garage at Foxberry Rd) Time: 7.30pm, Wednesday 17th April 2019 Find out more about Brockley’s transport from days gone by … Opened in 1809, the Croydon Canal ran for 9 miles from Croydon to the Grand Surrey Canal at New Cross, and passed through Brockley (hence the ‘Brockley Barge’ pub name’!) at a long flight of locks. The London and Croydon Railway opened in 1839, and trains through Brockley still follow the route of this Victorian engineering marvel. Rescheduled from last summer, Malcolm will finally share his extensive knowledge of these transport megaprojects of their day….   Free and open to all!  

Heritage Hack. Goldsmiths, ‘Being Human’ Festival, 10am Sat 17th – 5pm Sun 18th November

Brockley Society is one of four local Heritage Partners who have been invited to partner with Goldsmiths’ Hacksmiths in Heritage Hack – a ‘Hackathon’ as part of the ‘Being Human’ Humanities festival. The event will take place this weekend, between 10am Saturday 17th and 5pm Sunday 18th November 2018, at Goldsmiths in New Cross. “Join Hacksmiths for a two-day invention marathon to create novel, impactful tech solutions that breathe new life into Lewisham’s past. People of all abilities are invited to collaborate and build awesome projects addressing the tech and digital challenges of four London heritage organisations. Framed by the research of Goldsmiths historian Dr John Price and anthropologist Dr Charlotte Joy, help shape how the public engage with the Horniman Museum’s new World Gallery, the Lewisham Local History Society Museum Collection, the work of the Brockley Society, and a public artwork commemorating the 1977 Battle of Lewisham.” ‘Hacksmiths’ is […]

Camera's eye view of the throng

2015 Mass Photo collection 11 November 2015

To get your copy of the photograph taken on Hilly Fields on Sunday 19 July 2015, join us at the Brockley Social Club to collect the print you have pre-ordered, or browse and purchase on the day! Collection of prints (with no charge for postage & packaging): Wednesday 11 November 2015, 6.00 – 7.30pm Brockley Social Club, 240 Brockley Road, SE4 2SU.

In Search of David Jones: Artist, Soldier, Poet

Director Derk Shiel will introduce his Film about David Jones’ early years on Monday 1 June 2015, 7.30pm to 9.30pm, St Peter’s Church, Wickham Road, corner of Cranfield Road, Brockley, SE4 1LT. FREE event as part of Brockley Max Festival, with Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries. David Jones was both a painter and one of the first generation British modernist poets. He was born in 1895 in Arabin Road, Brockley, and lived in Vesta Road and Howson Road. His drawings and delicate paintings are in Tate Britain and Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge. In Brockley Cemetery, to the west of the Chapel, is his circular grave stone, at his parents’ grave, a cross, carved by Eric Gill.

Historical Mews Walk

Led by Gillian Heywood MBE Sunday 10 May 2015, 11am – 12.30pm Meet at the corner of Harefield and Wickham Roads (outside the Red House), to explore some of Brockley’s Mews, including Garsington, Wickham and Breakspears.

Build the Lenox – Julian Kingston – Thursday 5 June, 8pm

Build the Lenox – Julian Kingston – Thursday 5 June, 8pm Hear about this exciting project to build a 17th-century warship at Convoys Wharf, the site of King Henry VIII’s Royal Dockyard at Deptford. www.buildthelenox.org St John’s Church, Lewisham Way, cnr St John’s Vale, London SE8 4EA This event is part of the Brockley Max Festival http://brockleymax.co.uk

The Life and Times of a Brockley Dolls House

In autumn of last year, the Brockley Society received an interesting email from Anita Barry. She had been given a doll’s house by a friend which was made by her friend’s grandfather, Edward S. Hough a mechanical engineer from Brockley over a century ago. The model house is a depiction of 2 Adelaide Avenue where the family lived, which was destroyed during a V1 attack in 1944. The following is an extract of Anita’s journal of her project to restore the doll’s house and find out more about its history:   “When Brenda asked me if I would like to have the dolls house built by her Grandfather, it did not take me long to give her a positive answer. Feeling really honoured that she would trust me with this treasured possession, but also aware of the responsibility of acting as curator to the ageing model, I felt excited and […]

A Small Boy in Brockley: memories of living in Sprules Road

By David Lefever I lived in 67 Sprules Road from when I was born in 1943 until 1954 when my parents moved to Biggin Hill. My Mother and Father bought the house before the war; unusual for a working class couple from Peckham. I have been looking through my Fathers old letters and I believe it would have cost them around £500. My Aunt Daisy and Uncle Fred Wilson lived in the upper part of the house. When my parents moved, they bought it and continued to live there until the late 1960’s. They then followed my Father to Norfolk.   You entered 67 through a wooden gate. Next to the pavement was a low golden-private hedge to your left and three small, pleached lime trees. At sometime during the war, the iron fence between 67 and 69 had been taken away to be melted down for the “war effort”. […]