1

The Battersea SocietyNewsletter

C H AI R M A N ’S M E S S A G E

Spring 2005Registered Charity no 1096322

The year ahead promises to be a challenging one for the Battersea Society. There are a number ofthreats and opportunities looming for the “betterment of Battersea”.We have set ourselves a target of increasing our membership by 25% in the course of 2005. Wehave done this not only because we want to be more representative of the views of Battersea resi-dents – but also because we want to do more and we want to try to achieve more.Just as our charitable status will be a launch pad for fundraising, so the efforts of our current man-agement team will be the springboard for increasing not only our total membership, but also ouractive membership.We can only ever achieve things if we have people to do them. We can only do some things if wehave the income from a large membership base to finance them. You can help. This Newsletter notonly has a membership application form on page 8, but should have a separate application forminserted. So do please ask a friend/neighbour to join. If you received this Newsletter, by way of amail-out or from a local shop or retail outlet, or just through your letterbox, do please look at theNewsletter and see what the Society is involved in. Do join with us. The more the merrier.

Tony Tuck Chairman of The Battersea Society

Members who have paid their subscription are requested to complete the gift aid section of themembership form, if they have not already done so. This will enable The Society to benefit furtherif they are British tax payers. Please return the form to Wendy Deakins, Membership Secretary,34 Albany Mansions, Albert Bridge Road, London SW11 4PG

Refuse collection in Batterseahas not been without its prob-lems, and the change in Sep-tember to new contractors hasbeen most unsatisfactory.Roads half swept, litter leftlying about for days makes onewonder if anyone is keeping an

eye on them. The presentsituation is that if one com-plains one’s road is maintainedwell, but the adjoining streetsare left uncared for, probablyuntil a resident there com-plains. Stanmer Street isparticularly grubby. Consider-ing this road is used continu-ously to access BatterseaPark, it is important that it isregularly cleaned up.It is hoped that WandsworthCouncil will be addressingresidents’ concerns and willgive better supervision to theproblems.Do you have any concernsabout litter and road sweeping

REFUSE COLLECTION – NEW CONTRACTORSin your area ? If so, please email The Editorat anita-focus@tiscali.co.ukand we will print these con-cerns in our next issue

Happy New Year ! We hope this year brings good fortune and happiness to all our members andreaders.The new newsletter has been warmly received and we are grateful for your feedback. Don’t forgetthis is your newsletter and we are always open to any new ideas and suggestions for improve-ment.We have received a few comments from members, which are included in the Letters column.Please continue to keep in touch with us this way. Thank you to those who took the trouble towrite. Contact email address for The Editor is anita-focus@tiscali.co.uk

2

Developers Circadian areseeking permission to buildtwo towers, of 37 storeys and25 storeys, in front of the oldLots Road Power Station,directly across the river fromSt Mary’s Church. The 37storey tower would be by farthe tallest building in south-west London (although thedecision is awaited on a pro-posed 50 storey tower atVauxhall).

A public inquiry opened atKensington Town Hall onFebruary 1st, and the BatterseaSociety will be appearing thereto express opposition to theproposals.

The historical importance ofLots Road Power Station isonly now being recognised.But it has long been a familiarlandmark, marking a majorbend in the Thames. Althoughthe power station would be

retained in the proposedscheme (converted into ashopping mall and flats), thearchitect, Sir Terry Farrell,wants to dwarf it with his mas-sive towers. To justify hisapproach, he has argued thereis no need to retain Lots Roadas a dominant feature be-cause, unlike the power sta-tions at Battersea andBankside (now Tate Modern), itwas not designed as a ‘riverpalace’. However, Kensington& Chelsea Council roundlyrejected this argument inrefusing planning permissionfor the part of the schemewhich lies in that borough (theother part lies in Hammersmith& Fulham).

Photographic mock-ups showthe two chimneys of the powerstation framed tastefully be-tween Terry Farrell’s two tow-ers; the model at the publicinquiry has been carefullyarranged to give the same

effect. That view, however,would be obtained only from ashort stretch of the Batterseabank. The reality is that, aswell as being far too large, thetwo towers would block viewsof the power station from mostangles, producing a very untidyoverall effect.

Over and above visual impact,the Society will be opposingthe scheme on grounds of theeffect on traffic conditions frombuilding a total of 800 newflats, given the excessivecongestion already experi-enced at Battersea Bridge. Inopposing the scheme, we areco-operating with the ChelseaHarbour Residents Associa-tion, the Chelsea Society and anumber of other amenity socie-ties on the north bank.

REDEVELOPMENT OF LOTS ROAD POWER STATION

The Society’s Planning Sub-Committee aims to protect, and where possible enhance, the ameni-ties of Battersea by identifying significant proposals for redevelopment and making representa-tions about them. Our objective is to safeguard Battersea for the people who live here, and forfuture generations. The issues taken up over the last year include redevelopment of the RalphWest Hall of Residence in Albert Bridge Road, a proposal for increased density on the site of theSouth Bank Business Centre at 140 Battersea Park Road, the Lots Road scheme across the river[see separate article] and, of course, the revised proposals for Battersea Power Station.

This is a lively committee. But, because of his many other commitments in London and in Wales,David Lewis feels he must step down as convenor in May. If you are interested in planningissues, and think you might be able to take over that role, please contact Harvey Heath as soonas possible. Or, if you have not previously been involved with the committee, and would just liketo be notified of future meetings, let him know.

NEW CHAIRMAN OF PLANNING COMMITTEE WANTED

ADVERTISING RATESIf you would like to advertise in future issues, the rates are:£10 per issue£40 for all 4 issues (with a free insertion in the 5th issue.For more information or to place an advertisement,please contact the Editor on 020 7228 3502 or emailanita-focus@tiscali.co.ukOur distribution is approximately 1,000 per issue andconcentrates on the Battersea area.

ENewsletterMembers wishing to receivetheir copy of the newslettervia email should send an

email to battsoc@aol.com.They will then receive the

Newsletter as an Adobe PDFfile.

3

If you are becoming over-whelmed by the ever-increas-ing volume of junk mail comingthrough your letterbox, contactWandsworth Council for a ‘NoJunk Mail’ sticker to put onyour letterbox.

I did so, and it has made sucha difference and reduced my

Is anyone else concerned about the in-crease in cyclists using the pavements andcausing a dangerous hazard to pedestrians?Several people have been badly injured bycyclists who disregard the minute signs putup by the Council. If these signs arebrought to the attention of the cyclists onejust ends up on the receiving end of astream of abuse.

Local Councillors have been contacted about these concerns,but this is not a priority for them because they do not want todiscourage cyclists. What about the pedestrians who areinjured by these cyclists? It appears that the Council is notconcerned about them. The signs need to be much larger andlocal Councils and the GLA need to take a firm stand againstcyclists using the pavements.If you have a view on this, please contact The Editor anita-focus@tiscali.co.uk

Wandsworth Council is to becommended for initiating newproposals to controlprofessional dog walkers usingthe parks and open spaces.

They tend to congregate witheach other and this brings outthe pack instinct within some ofthe dogs, which is intimidatingto park users and dog ownersaccompanying their own dogs.

There have been severalincidents of these packsintimidating small children,attacking other dogs and otherpark users. Because of thislack of control on the part ofthe Dog Walkers, the Councilproposes to limit the amount ofdogs being taken into ourparks to just 4 per Dog Walker.

The Council also proposes thatthe Dog Walkers should notcongregate with colleagues toform a large pack. Theproposal awaits approval fromthe GLA, and it is hoped thatother London boroughs willfollow the Council’s initiative.

CYCLING ON PAVEMENTS

orange recycling sacks from 4to just 2 weekly. Telephone:020 7291 3310 The service isfree of charge !

RECYCLING – JUNK MAIL DELIVERY PROFESSIONAL DOGWALKERS

4

WINDOW CLEANING SERVICESEstd 1987

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

PAUL BALOGH

‘Serving the Battersea Area’Tel: 07969 535 994

The façade of WandsworthLibrary on Lavender Hill hasno very distinctive features.Walking past, one is unlikelyto give it a second glance.The Reference Library, how-ever, is quite a different ‘kettleof fish’. The entrance isaround the corner in AltenburgGardens and is quite easy tomiss as it is usually partlyobscured by parked 4X4s,motor bikes etc.

The feature of the building thatmakes it unusual is the factthat it was built in the English

Arts and Crafts style in 1924,much later than one wouldexpect. There seems to be norecord of who was responsiblefor the distinctive design, butthe circumstances of its con-struction are detailed in apaper by Local History Librar-ian, Tony Shaw, which is avail-able in the Reference Library.

The illustration shows theasymmetric façade of thebuilding, a mixture of fancifulmedieval detail with a touch ofcontinental Art Nouveau. Oneenters the building through the

doors on the left. The inscrip-tion on the porch reads “Nonmihi, non tibi, sed nobis” (“Notfor me, not for you but for allof us”). The Reading Room ismuch simpler; a splendid toplight space; unchanged sinceit was built; the only decora-tion some interesting carvedwooden panels.

Well worth a visit, if you arenot already familiar with thisbuilding.

Brian and Cynthia Newman

DO YOU KNOW …..

Cynthia Newmanannounces an exhibition

byBronwen Cunningham,

Elaine Nelson,Brian Newman,Charles Shearer

ofdrawings, paintings, prints

and pieced silks.from

Friday 6th to Monday 9th May.Phone 020 7228 3612

for details and invitation.

5

DID YOU KNOW?

The Irish in South LondonStrange to say, potatoes – orrather, the dearth of them –were the cause of a huge influxof people from Ireland to SouthLondon in the middle of thelast century. For it was whatbecame known as ‘the potatofamine’ that drove hordes ofpeople over here to seek theirfortune, or at any rate, a living.

This came about through asudden potato blight caused bya killer fungus, which onceestablished makes the potatoend up as a rotten pulp. Out ofa population of eight million,half of them subsisted onpotatoes alone, the effect ofthe famine was devastating,and it is reported that over amillion people perished, whileanother million emigrated.

Many of the famine refugeesmade their way to the UnitedStates, but a huge numbercame to Southern Englandwhere, in the first instance,they found work in the hopfields of Kent. When that

harvest was over, they madetheir way North to the Thameswhere they found immediateemployment in the LondonDocks, and on projects suchas the building of LondonBridge, and, much later, on theconstruction of Battersea Parkwhose contours were built upby soil which had been exca-vated from the Royal Docksand brought up river by barge.The huge expansion of therailways also provided a mas-sive source of employment.

All in all, the South Bank of theRiver Thames provided workwhich started the beginning ofa new prosperity for these Irishimmigrants. Factories andmany commercial enterprisessuch as granaries and oilrefineries sprang up in Batter-sea, whilst candle making,chemicals, gas making, loco-motive building, laundering andgeneral river work provided areliable source of work and aresultant rise in the fortunes ofthese people who had fledfrom conditions of utter pov-erty.

With this influx of people fromIreland, came the building ofboth Catholic churches andschools. When the first immi-grants arrived, Catholic serv-ices were conducted in com-munity rooms and even, in onecase, on the first floor of apublic house ! The Church ofOur Lady of Mount Carmel wasbuilt in Battersea Park Road in1868 and in 1893 the presentCatholic Church in Trott Streetreplaced an earlier iron build-ing, while two years later theSalesian Catholic College wasopened behind it.

A hundred and fifty years later,the Irish community still play avaluable part in the life ofLondon, and more especiallysouth of the river, in Vauxhall,Southwark, Bermondsey,Deptford and Battersea.

Researched and contributedby The Dowager, LadyCottesloe.

EVENTSMarch 16 TRANSPORT FORUM at6.30 pm at Battersea TechnologyCollege, Battersea Park Road.Free Admission. Update on currenttransport policies and funding.Speakers from Transport forLondon and others.

April 17 ANNUAL SPRING LUNCH12.30 for 1.00 pm at Chada Thai208, Battersea Park Road. BuffetLunch at £15 per head. ContactCynthia Newman on 020 72283612 to reserve a place.

May 7th VISIT TO THE ROYALOPERA HOUSE at 2.30 pm.Backstage conducted tour.Booking deadline beginning ofMarch. Sae (self addressedstamped envelope) and £10cheque made payable to The

Battersea Society to be sent toJohn Garvan, 1 Frere Street,London SW11 2JA. Tel: 77389350.

May 12th ANNUAL GENERALMEETING at 7.00pm at St Mary’sParish Church, Church Road,Battersea. To include a talk on‘The History of the Working Peopleof Battersea and their lives’, bynoted historian/lecturer SeanCreghton.

June 4th ‘PARK TOWN ANDARRIVAL OF THE RAILWAYSWALK’ (2 hours) led by DavidLewis. 11.00 am meet at QueensCircus Gate, Battersea Park. Free.Contact: David Lewis 7622 8017.Part of Wandsworth HeritageFortnight.

June 9th BI-PLANES INBATTERSEA TALK by PatrickLoobey, local historian and authorof Battersea Past. 7.30 pm atBattersea Dogs’ Home, BatterseaPark Road. Admission £5. Saeand cheque to be made payable toThe Battersea Society to be sent toJohn Garvan, 1 Frere Street,London SW11 2JA. Tel: 7738 9350

July 6th TOUR OF CROSBY HALL,CHEYNE WALK, CHELSEA from3.00-4.30 pm. £20 admission feeto include light refreshments. Partof the admission fee is to bedonated by the owner to hischosen charity. Sae and chequemade payable to The BatterseaSociety and sent to John Garvan, 1Frere Street, SW11 2JA. Tel: 77389350

6

A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS WHO HAVE JOINED SINCENOVEMBER 2004 !

Vivian RedheadDr N RobertsMr J Bryne DanielMr R BarkerMs JMD WilliamsRobert De Wynter

Elaine NasonMrs Ilinca BossyGill SutchAdele CassinMr Gilles CoustereDiana Margolis and AlistairJohnson

Erica Schuele GrossoRosemary Broke EvansMrs Helen SearingBeth RobsonTim MorrisJane SmithHazel James

The Open Spaces Committeecontinues to monitor the parkand report back any concernsto the Parks Officers. Refusefrom the Adventure Play-ground, Under 5s ToddlersPlayground has caused con-cern because of it not beingheld in closed containers.

Vermin open the bags andspread the refuse and dogowners complain that it is hardto keep their dogs away fromthe contents of the bags. Thesituation is made more unfortu-nate because the bags are notcollected early in the day.

The large skip that was placedoutside the Adventure Play-ground opposite the Prince ofWales exit for almost a yearhas now been removed andreplaced with a covered skip.

We are relieved that the Parkofficials agreed to do thisfollowing our concerns about it,because it was regularly full ofrefuse and nasty items andwas also a complete eyesoreas well as unhygienic.

Another area of concern is the

confusion over the signage inthe park with regard to cyclistsand motor -cycles using thepaths, some showing completeindifference to the children’splay areas and pedestrians.There is a jumble of signs,which add to the confusion.Somehave across,somehave abicyclewith a red

circle around them and anotice saying no cycling, oth-ers just have a N/C marked outroughly in yellow paint andhave been like this for nearly ayear. We have asked the ParksOfficer to look into the signageand to consider uniform signsas to where cyclists are al-lowed and not allowed. Thiswill greatly assist all parkusers.

The No skating sign is com-pletely obscured by shrubs.

A motorcycle going at greatspeed past the Toddler’s play-ground narrowly missed someof us. It does not bear thinking

about as how he could heavoided a small child runningout of the playground andacross his path ! There shouldbe no vehicles whatsoever inthis area where there are veryyoung children running about.

If you have other concernsabout Battersea Park or otherlocal parks and open spaces,please consider joining theOpen Spaces Committee orcontact The Editor anita-focus@tiscali.co.uk

BATTERSEA PARK

7

BATTERSEA PEOPLE - JOHN JOHNSON

Reader’s LettersFirst of all congratulations onthe newsletter; very interestingand informative; keep up thegood work! We were mostinterested to read the articleexplaining how a car clubwould work; and we wouldcertainly be interested in findout more with a view to gettingsomething like this off theground in Battersea. Pleasecount us in at this exploratorystage. Best regards. Angelaand Mike Roden 13 SunburyLane, SW11 3NP.Email angela@ladybarn.com ifyou would like to join them inthis.

Congratulations on the News-letter. I found it really interest-ing and it’s just the sort of thingthe Society should be produc-ing. I’m sure it was a lot ofwork, but it was worthwhile. Ihave a couple of suggestions1) Might it be a good idea toask if some members would be

happy to receive copies byemail, thus saving postage ?2) How about a series of arti-cles on each of the sub-com-mittees, so members knowwhat they do ? Best wishes,Jenny Sheridan

Christine Fremantle writes:‘Rubbish and litter are a con-tinuing concern, which showno improvement in spite ofregular reporting back to theWandsworth Council. Addedto this is fly tipping by resi-dents, which again the Councilis slow to act on’. Christine isalso concerned that the noisefrom the Exhibition/ConferenceCentre within Battersea Park isbecoming a problem for thezoo animals.

Sylvia Rushbrooke of theQuecumbar suggests: ‘Aproposal to have BatterseaHigh Street opened up againfrom the river right through to

Battersea Park Road. This isbecause there have beenseveral incidents of violencenear the bridge late at night,and her staff are vulnerable toattack. She would also like tosee the Battersea Park Roadend of Battersea High Streetimproved. Many shops nowempty and it has becomeseedy and unkempt. The areais crying out for regeneration,which would give it a newlease of life’. Sylvia also writesthat there is supposed to befunding for this area. ‘Where isit ? Who is getting it ?’ Sylviais also concerned that there isno bank in the area. We hopethat Wandsworth Council willlook into these concerns. Ifyou support Sylvia’s concerns,please contact WandsworthCouncil with your comments.

Perhaps one of the mostfamiliar faces in Battersea isJohn Johnson, the WardOfficer for Latchmere and StMary’s Park Wards. It is rareto see John cycling down anystreet in Battersea withoutpeople stopping him for a chat.His reassuring presence andmanner makes him an ex-tremely popular Batterseaperson. Also the fact that helives in Battersea, really makeshim one of us ! He knows hiscommunity well and has beendoing this job for 19 years andhas lived here for 9 years.John joined the MetropolitanPolice in 1980, was awardedMetropolitan Police CommunityConstable of the Year by theMetropolitan Police in 1994and 2001.

John is also involved withNeighbourhood Watch inBattersea and edits the News-letter. He is Vice-Chair of

Governors at Chestnut GroveSchool. He is also a studentmentor at Chestnut GroveSchool and at the SalesianCollege. He is a past Presi-dent and active member of theRotary Club of Battersea Park.

John’s other involvements withour community are too long tolist, but he is actively involvedwith St Mary’s Parish Churchas a Server, and is theFounder of Battersea CrimePrevention Panel’s BatterseaPolice Ball, which for the last 9years has raised money forCrime Prevention. John’shuge contribution to Battersealife is much appreciated.

8

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

Battersea Society CommitteeMembership Secretary : WendyDeakinsPhone: 0207 223 5999Email : deakins@zoo.co.uk

Minutes Secretary: Cynthia NewmanPhone: 0207 228 3612Email : briancynthia@waitrose.com

Newsletter Editor: Anita JacksonPhone: 020 7228 3502Email : anita-focus@tiscali.co.uk

Chair: Tony TuckPhone: 0207 622 0485Email : tony.tuck@tesco.netCo-chair Open Spaces s/c

Secretary: Harvey HeathPhone: 0207 585 3788Email : harvey.heath@virgin.net

Treasurer : John GarvanPhone: 0207 738 9350Email : john.garvan1@btinternet.com

T H E B A T T E R S E A S O C I E T Yregistered Charity Number 1103560

Patrons: Dido, Lady Berkeley John Bowis OBE MEP Lord Dubs of Battersea

I/we should like to join THE BATTERSEA SOCIETY (Please use block capitals)Name ............................................................................. Date ...............................Address ........................................................................................................................... Post Code ........................Home phone ............................................. Work phone ......................................... Mobile ..................................Email ....................................................... Special interests .......................................................................................................

Type of membership: Individual £7.00 Family (up to 4 members) £10.00 Voluntary Groups £10.00Businesses £10.00 Life membership £70.00Donation .............. Total ....................

The annual Membership Subscription covers the period from the 1st. January to the 31st. December. However, new membersjoining after the 31st. October will not be expected to renew their subscription until 1st. January up to 14 months later.

Standing order: Membership subscription paid by standing order simplifies administration and means the Society saves the cost ofsending ‘reminder’ letters. A standing order is simple to set up and can be cancelled at any time by instructing your bank.

Standing Order (please use block capitals)

Bank Name ......................................................................... Address .........................................................................................Post code ....................................

Account Name .................................................................... Account Number ................................................Please pay to: Barclays Bank (20.80.14) 349 Kings Road London, SW3 5UTFor Account: THE BATTERSEA SOCIETY (A/C No. 30563285)The sum of £..................... to be paid now and thereafter annually until further notice.Name: ....................................................................................................................... Date ......................................Address ........................................................................................................................... Post code ..............................

Signature ....................................................................

Gift Aid Declaration (Please use block capitals)

If you are a U.K. taxpayer you can make your donation worth more by signing the declaration below. For every pound you give,THE BATTERSEA SOCIETY is able to reclaim the tax paid on your donation, substantially increasing the value.

I, the undersigned, confirm that I am a U.K. taxpayer and that the income tax and/or capital gains tax I pay, will be at least equal tothe tax that the charity will reclaim on this gift. Please treat all payments I make to THE BATTERSEA SOCIETY , on or after thedate of this declaration as Gift Aid donations, until I notify you otherwise.

Signature ................................................................................... Date .......................................................

Please make cheques payable to: THE BATTERSEA SOCIETY and send with the completed form to:Membership Secretary, THE BATTERSEA SOCIETY, 34 Albany Mansions, Albert Bridge Road, SW11 4PG.If you would like a receipt, please enclose a stamped and addressed envelope.

Co-chair of Open Spaces s/c: ChristineFremantlePhone: 0207 622 4757Email : christine@fremantle.org

Chair Urban Design & Transport s/c:David LewisPhone: 0207 622 8017Email : drlewis27@yahoo.com

Chair Exhibitions & Design s/c: BrianNewmanPhone: 0207 228 3612Email : briancynthia@waitrose.com