This structure in Beckenham Place Park was created for the In Living Memory project, Tomorrow is Built Today and celebrates Lewisham’s pioneering Black-led community self-build for rent.
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The structure was designed and built by Yes Make and Tim Oshodi. Yes Make are based in south-east London who are committed to community empowerment through the construction of public spaces that both inspire and are inspired by nature.
The pavilion is both a striking reminder of the powerful legacy of Lewisham’s pioneering Black-led self-build initiatives and provides shelter for the users of Beckenham Place Park swimming lake.
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If for any reason you wish to withdraw your name or memory, contact us at engage@gold.ac.uk
Bar Phoenix was the new name for the rebranded Roebuck, which had closed a few years earlier.
Whilst researching the pubs Bijou Stories were surprised to find how few photographs there were of the Roebuck, (or Paradise Bar and Bar Phoenix as it was later known), despite it being a stalwart of the late-night gay scene.
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One of the best photos we could find was of the half-demolished pub with the sign for Bar Phoenix still intact.
For the exhibition artist Alexandros Xenophantos recreated the sign as evidence of its existence. The sign became one of the memory prompts used in the exhibition – seeing the sign reminded people not only of Bar Phoenix but of the older Roebuck too.
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If for any reason you wish to withdraw your name or memory, contact us at engage@gold.ac.uk
The spiritual heart of the Where to, now the sequins have gone? exhibition is the banner made by regulars at The Castle for the Pride march in 1991. Loaded with significance and memory the banner is a symbol of the fight for equality in a time blighted by AIDS and Section 28.
Of the people that made or marched with the banner; some are contributors to this exhibition; others have passed on but will be remembered by those whose lives they touched.
Image: Pride, 1992, courtesy of Geoff Murray (W11.2)
Image: Pride, 1992, courtesy of Geoff Murray (W11.3)
One of those we lost is David Morley aka. Sinders; long-time Lewisham resident and barman in The Castle and Sir John Morden. He was also the barman in the Admiral Duncan in Soho when it became the third target of the nail bomber who also targeted Brixton and Brick Lane.
Sinders survived the attack but was murdered five years later in a brutal attack on the South Bank.
The banner is also a testament to the shared laughter, to the chosen families formed in the long-lost pubs, to the resilience of a community and to the pubs where they found friendship and love.
The banner was made by regulars at The Castle pub in Lewisham High Street, to represent The Castle Trust at the 1991 Pride march. The Castle Trust was set up as a fundraiser for people living with HIV/AIDS to help them cope with the additional expenses.
The banner was kept by Geoff Murray, one of the contributors to the podcast, who donated it to Bijou Stories for the exhibition.
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If for any reason you wish to withdraw your name or memory, contact us at engage@gold.ac.uk