The Balham housewife who transcribed compositions dictated to her by dead composers including Liszt, Chopin and Brahms. Mock mayoral elections held on Garratt Lane in the 18th century, accompanied by much debauchery. Donkey racing and pigeon shooting on the banks of the Thames, where Battersea Park now stands. These are some of the weird and wonderful …
Category: London
Hell of a Summer
For several weeks now, I've had a particular song going round in my head. It's by The Triffids, one of my favourite ever bands, and appropriately, the song is Hell of a Summer. You can listen to it here on YouTube, and maybe listen to the rest of their classic album Treeless Plain. It's certainly …
Despardmania
There was a flurry of local events in June highlighting and celebrating the life and work of Charlotte Despard, and her lasting impact on Nine Elms and Battersea. As I've written before, she's up there in my pantheon of great women, for her tireless campaigning, her commitment to social justice, and for her very practical …
By Our Own Hand – first outing
Last Friday was the preview of the very first showing of By Our Own Hand, a collaborative artwork devised by the artist Richard Grayson. It was also the first exhibition in Matt's Gallery's new space in Nine Elms - a double celebration! The finished artwork is made up of 42 panels designed and stitched primarily …
busy elsewhere
Three months to the day since my last blog post! What on earth have I been doing? My biggest news, in case you missed it, is that fellow poet Joolz Sparkes and I have been awarded Arts Council research & development funding for our London Undercurrents project. This has been my main focus since September, …
on the wireless, in print, reading
I have quite a bunch of garden-themed poems now, thanks to my recent residencies with Thrive in Battersea Park, as well as my ongoing involvement with my local community garden. And it's rewarding to see some of these poems emerging into the world, like seedlings planted months ago starting to bear fruit. During Thrive's week …
my favourite three things about being in London, revisited
I reached for my 1997 Time Out London Guide recently, and remembered why I have a copy of this edition, and why I have kept it. Twenty years ago, the guide's editor, Nicholas Royle, asked 20 or so Londoners, including me, our favourite three things about being in London. These were then compiled, anonymously, to …
Continue reading my favourite three things about being in London, revisited
walking to art
I'm lucky to live within walking distance of both Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Neither is a short walk - about 40 minutes to Tate Britain and closer to an hour to Tate Modern - but if the weather is fine it's great to combine mild exercise with some culture, and along the way take …
reading beneath the trees
On Friday, Chelsea Flower Shower was in full swing, and over the river in the much less frenetic environs of Battersea Park, I gave a poetry reading under the gum tree in Thrive’s main garden. This was part of Thrive's week of Chelsea Fringe events, and an opportunity for me to share some of the …
a week in the Thrive Hut
This hut, in Thrive’s main garden in Battersea Park, was my home for five days last week. Well, between around 10 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon. No sleeping over! In the run up to Thrive's Chelsea Fringe week of events at the end of May, invited local artists have had the opportunity …
Hilaire 