Golden Lane Gazette: September 2017

Things that go bump...

‘Bumping’ sounds like a nightclub dance craze from the 1970s. In fact, it is a theory of social cohesion. The citizens of small, tightly-packed communities get on far better if they bump into one another regularly. And the places they do this are held by social scientists and community-engagement experts to be sacred, fertile grounds for a better society.

Golden Laners have their chosen spots. Fusion gym, Waitrose and Fortune Street Park are all well established 'bumping’ places. Lesser known ones are the undercover pavement on Golden Lane alongside Stanley Cohen House and, my favourite, the short tunnel of trees behind the Cripplegate Council noticeboard at the back of the Shakespeare pub.

But bumping also happens outside the confines of our bright and colourful concrete paradise. Often I will see neighbours at the open meetings organised by Healthwatch City of London. These are round-table talking shops at which City residents, workers and service users chew the fat with healthcare professionals in an effort to shape future policy. Issues such as medication passports, community pharmacy, dementia and social care come under intense scrutiny. These talks are important because the City of London shares some health and social services provision with neighbouring boroughs, notably Hackney, so policy needs to embrace a wide range of needs.

The Healthwatch gatherings take place in various locations, but often at the Dutch Centre in Austin Friars, EC2. They are always a great success, and I think I know why: the free buffet lunches they serve to fuel the conversation are mouthwateringly good, so good that I have even spotted some of my Golden Lane neighbours stuffing their faces with free food at lunchtime then disappearing quietly before the serious topical talking starts. This is obviously unethical and I never hesitate to remind them of their poor conduct. And in my experience, all the best ideas come with a full stomach, so ‘Let’s do lunch with Healthwatch’ could be the start of a new trend. It’s good to talk...and eat.

‘Recovery After Heart Surgery’, an examination of patient experiences and priorities, is at St Bartholomew’s Hospital on 5 October.

Healthwatch City of London’s fourth Annual Conference is at the Dutch Centre, 7 Austin Friars on 20 October.

A crystal-ball moment

I predicted in last month’s Golden Lane Gazette that objections to the development proposed for the former Richard Cloudesley site would start rolling in. I wasn’t wrong, and even more piled in on deadline day last week. I also mentioned that a “clever resident from Bayer House” had circulated his own alternative to the existing Hawkins\Brown blueprint. This is the ‘Fred Plan’, a scheme more compatible with the estate’s existing architecture, and its author, Fred Scott, is so clever that to advance his rival idea he has created an artistic photo-composition of what looks like an awayday of 1950s British intellectuals loitering ghostlike over a model of Fred’s insurgent 21st-century Golden Lane redesign. They look to be contemplating, with deadly seriousness, a time in the future when our prize-winning estate will be enlarged in a way sympathetic to the original post-war vision of its architects, Chamberlin, Powell & Bon. In the light of how the Richard Cloudesley project has been managed so far, in which residents’ views have been barely registered, let alone considered, it is tempting to remark “pigs might fly”, but stranger things have happened.

Culture vultures

The reinvention of the City as a cauldron of creativity under the title Culture Mile might not be as far-fetched as it sounds. Getting the heritage architecture of Golden Lane and the Barbican to be included in this hot new idea might be a fantasy too far, but at a recent party to mark the closure of our community centre for refurbishment, I learned about Joe Mitchell. Back in the 1960s, Joe was the “Cameron Mackintosh of Cripplegate”, rallying residents of all ages to perform on the Golden Lane Community Centre stage in his famous 'Follies’. Some of Joe's protégés even went on to attend the Italia Conti Academy of Theatrical Arts. Italia Conti has been an incubator of top talent for many years, so don’t be surprised if the next Doctor Who hailed first from the Golden Lane Estate.

Behind the scenes

And if your life is not already dramatic enough, take time to check out the absorbing ‘Life on the London Stage’ exhibition at the London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) around the corner in Clerkenwell.

An edited version of this column appeared in the City Matters newspaper, edition number 048 in September 2017

Golden Lane Gazette: May 2017

Soccer special
There is a feeling on Golden Lane that after years of frustration and failed dialogue between residents and the Corporation, something new is happening. 

Neighbours are talking to each other, swapping points of view in good spirit and looking to hold out the hand of friendship.

This might just be blind optimism on my part, but I hope not. I like the idea that people who live together closely can find common ground.

The Corporation's residents have for centuries been the poor relations of business, finance and the great god of Profit. The City has around 7,500 residents, but they are overshadowed by 450,000 workers who toil daily in offices across the Square Mile. 

Nevertheless, we residents are determined to be heard. A shake-up in the local elections in April was like an electric shock for the old guard of councillors as new faces marched through the ceremonial doors and into the seats of power.

Residents now expect change, but I warn them not to expect it instantly. This is just a window of opportunity. It is a chance to start a new relationship with City officials.

Here on Golden Lane, our new councillors made a good start by holding surgeries at which residents can share their concerns and ideas. 
It was at one of these sessions that I pitched my idea for an annual Barbican vs Golden Lane charity football match. 

The two estates have in the past been rivals. In architecture, one is brutalist, the other is modernist. In ownership, one is private, the other is public. But we also share a lot - a love of plants and gardening, conversations about concrete, and marathon moaning about the state of Waitrose's frozen food stock.

So a footie match is the obvious next step. I was even cheeky enough to suggest to Cllr William Pimlott the date (on or around the August anniversary of the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre) and the venue (Bunhill Artillery Ground). 

So let's see if anything kicks off. It will be a test of the trust that can be forged between voters and politicians, not to mention a fantastic day of fun for families, friends and footie fans… even if a handsome victory for Golden Lane is a betting cert.


Frankly, my dear
Frank Godsmark is a local character here on the Golden Lane Estate, and he is not yet seven years old. He can often be seen in his Hull City football shirt running rings round his dad, Tim.

I got to know Frank best when he became an Elf’s Assistant at our indoor Christmas market last year. I was his Elf, his boss, and we jointly handed out Christmas goody bags to local children. Frank was a dream to work with. Santa was very pleased with us both.

There is a picture of Frank in the shed at the Golden Baggers allotment. It was taken by his mum, Anna, and won a judges award at the Corporation’s 2015 Residents’ Celebration Day at the Guildhall. Whenever I see it I think Frank is hiding in the shed. It is a cracking picture, and perfectly sums up Frank’s sense of fun and joy.


A hardware act to follow
Just looking in the window of City Hardware is scary. What are all those tools and measuring instruments for? Peer through the always-open door and the full horror smacks you in the face...a sinister huddle of grown men muttering secretively about fixings and flanges. Stick around long enough and you will soon get to hear the City Hardware brand of earthy banter. It’s not for the faint hearted. Still, for Golden Lane residents, City Hardware is the shop that sells everything a well maintained home needs - a sort of Tiger for the DIY enthusiast. The staff are eternally helpful and masterminds in their chosen subject (grout and bathroom sealant). If they haven’t got what you want, they know a shop that does. Fifty-six different types of glue? No problem.

And before you go…
The first Sunday of every month is Social Sunday at the Golden Baggers allotment yard. Tea, cake and horticultural chat are always on the menu. All welcome. Squirrels were a topic at the last one, as one unhappy Hatfield House resident had seen his freshly planted courgettes decimated. Feel free to pass on any tips.

Billy Mann has lived in Basterfield House on the Golden Lane Estate for more than 20 years. He is Membership Secretary of the Golden Baggers allotment group and earlier this year was made a Housing Hero by the City of London Corporation. He writes a blog about neighbourhood happenings at basterfieldbilly.blogspot.com.

An edited version of this column appeared in the City Matters newspaper in May 2017.