jonmassey, Author at Wharf Life

October 31, 2024October 31, 2024

The Pirates Of Penzance all-male show set for Wilton’s Music Hall

Gilbert and Sullivan classic gets a fresh revival at the Wapping venue, directed by Sasha Regan

The Pirates Of Penzance, complete with an all-male cast, is set to run at Wilton's Music Hall until November 23 — The Pirates Of Penzance, complete with an all-male cast, is set to run at Wilton’s Music Hall until November 23

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“Close your eyes in the darkened auditorium of Wilton’s Music Hall this autumn and you will truly believe there are virginal Victorian women on stage,” said Sasha Regan.

But, once you open them, you will actually see young men dashing about as swarthy swashbucklers one minute, then fluttering across the stage as petticoated ladies, the next.

We’re talking about Sasha’s all-male version of The Pirates Of Penzance, a reimagining of the beloved Gilbert and Sullivan operetta that debuted as a concept some 15 years ago.

Her new production is set to run at the Wapping venue until November 23, 2024, and challenges its cast to sing everything from falsetto to bass.

“When they become girls, there’s no drag, wigs or fake boobs,” she said.

“They have these little white corsets and skirts and it’s about trying to keep it very innocent and fresh.

“You have to steer them away from the RuPaul idea of what a woman is – really sexualised and quite overt.

“These women are good girls and when they meet these sexy pirates for the first time, that clashing with the innocence is a really lovely moment.

“We had to teach them to walk with books on their heads, like the old days of etiquette and be very dainty, which is where the humour comes from.”

an all-male The Pirates Of Penzance

She got the idea for the show as a 20-something running The Union Theatre in Southwark, a venue she set up in 1998 using a Prince’s Trust loan and that still exists today.

“I think it came from the fact I’d done an all-female version of HMS Pinafore at school when I was about eight,” said Sasha.

“I was trying to find interesting things to do and the beauty of Gilbert and Sullivan is there’s no rights to it any more, so you have freedom.

“I was thinking about how to take something a little bit dusty and refresh it, to bring out the humour. I imagined what it would be like if a boys school put on a production.”

That inaugural show, first performed to an audience of 50, drew gasps of horror from the traditionalists.

“We had Gilbert And Sullivan Society members coming in sitting with scores on their laps and there was a bit of an uproar,” said Sasha.

“But we won them all over and now we’re in their newsletter.

“I think if you respect something and do it well, people can’t complain too much.”

Acclaimed all-male productions of HMS Pinafore and The Mikado have followed and the 52-year-old was recently awarded the Special Achievement Award at the Off West End Awards for her contribution to musical theatre.

The Pirates Of Penzance, the show that started it all, still has a special place in her heart and cast members have returned again and again over the years to return it to the stage.

However, this new version by Regan De Wynter Williams Productions – the company Sasha has co-run since 2008 – will feature a line-up of fresh blood, including many recent graduates.

“This is the first cast with only one person that’s been in it before – David McKechnie who plays the Major General – so it’s a whole bunch of newbies,” said Sasha.

“We always do availability checks on previous cast members because it’s a bit of a family but they’re all working right now.

“It wasn’t a choice but it’s really refreshing, because we have almost started from the beginning and brought new ideas in.”

The production is currently running at the Wapping venue

casting the show

Finding actors who were up to the challenge was no easy task.

“They need to be able to play multiple characters – the pirates, the policemen and the sisters- and be able to sing in falsetto and bass and dance, because we treat it like a musical rather than an old fashioned operetta,” said Sasha.

“It means we have to search a little bit harder but casting director Adam Brown did the rounds of the performing arts schools and he had a list of agents it was advertised through.

“When we did the workshops we had them do quite simple things like: ‘You’re these Victorian girls and there’s a muddy puddle and you’ve got to get over from that side of the room to this one’.

“It was quite funny because they were all so high-pitched and I had to tell them we’re not all like that as woman.

“Falsetto was a lot less common when we started, but now it’s part of the voice that people do at drama school, probably for things like Jersey Boys.

“It is getting easier to find men who can do it.

“Sam Kipling, who played Mabel last time and is now in Les Mis, has been popping in and helping this cast and handing down his tools of the trade to the next generation.”

In these days of equality and equity and women fighting for more time on stage, why not stage an all-female version?

“With all-male we can get the full vocal range,” said Sasha.

“If you close your eyes, you wouldn’t know that they’re not girls, which is quite stunning. They are singing top Bs.

“Most of our creative team has been female and mums. We’ve got Lizzy Gee as a choreographer.

“Her baby was about six weeks old when we first created the show and the designer – Robyn Wilson Owen – is now a children’s illustrator and has got children.

“My little one was three when we started.

“So it is a female team looking after their own kids and dealing with childcare at the same time as creating something with a room full of men.

“It is a fun dynamic.”

Men play all the roles, including the women

evolving The Pirates Of Penzance

Sasha said the show had definitely evolved over the years and, this time around, Lee Greenaway from the original cast was working as associate choreographer to help avoid stereotypes.

“Back when we started it was just all a bit bonkers.” she said.

“Some of the boys were wearing pearls and earrings because that was their idea of what a woman should be.

“Now it’s much more refined and less ridiculous.

“The Pirates Of Penzance is already physically funny and then if you’re a male identify person in a white corset, long dress and ballet shoes, that is funny in itself.

“So then you don’t really have to pretend to be that gender or it becomes like Carry On and actually not funny.”

The set is also pared back, using just wooden blocks and imagination to create a pirate ship, with the auditorium as the passageway the sisters take through the Rocky Mountains into the spotlight – Sasha’s favourite moment of the show.

“You can hear them before you can see them,” she said.

“When they all arrive on the stage sometimes we have to stop for a moment to let the laughter finish because the vision of all these boys in skirts is so magical.”

The Pirates Of Penzance is by Gilbert and Sullivan

going against the grain

How does she imagine the late great writers themselves would react if they were in the audience?

“I think they would laugh,” she said. “We totally respect their score and script and they were satirical and poked fun at the government and went against the norm.

“I’ve definitely gone against their norm and I think they would respect that and enjoy it.”

This is by no means her first time at Wilton’s having toured there almost every year since 2010.

But Sasha hopes to attract a new generation to the “magical” theatre with this production.

“I would love to think that when people watch it, they don’t realize they’re watching a really old fashioned piece of theatre written in 1879 because it’s so fast-moving and physical,” she said.

“We do get a lot of return customers.

“People bring their kids or grandkids, because it’s very innocent, old fashioned fun.

“That, for me, is an achievement of knowing these shows aren’t going to die out.

“I haven’t become bored with them yet and our audiences haven’t either so I’m hoping this time we get more young people coming in because we have this younger cast and we can introduce them to Gilbert and Sullivan’s work.”

key details: The Pirates Of Penzance at Wilton’s Music Hall

The Pirates Of Penzance will be at Wiltons Music Hall until November 23, 2024, with shows at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

Tickets start at £10.50.

Find out more about the show here

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

October 15, 2024October 15, 2024

London Performance Studios hosts celebration of feminist theatre

Dr Susan Croft has curated Radical Rediscovery: Feminist Theatre In Britain 1969-1992

Associate artist at the London Performance Studios, Dr Susan Croft

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“How important it is to know whose shoulders we are standing on – to appreciate, critique, address and revisit the past – and to realise how much we lose if we don’t,” said Dr Susan Croft, associate artist at the London Performance Studios (LPS) and co-founder of Unfinished Histories, a project dedicated to preserving and celebrating alternative theatre in Britain from the 1960s to the 1990s.

You’ll forgive the lengthy description of Susan’s background.

Placing her, her work and its intent in context, is both vital to understanding the point of LPS’ forthcoming exhibition, and somewhat reflective of the wider project it’s part of.

That exhibition is Radical Rediscovery: Feminist Theatre In Britain 1969-1992, which is set to run at the organisation’s Penarth Centre home in South Bermondsey from November 8, 2024.

For Susan, a performance she saw as a teenager by narrowboat-based touring company Mikron at the Boxmoor Arts Centre in Hemel Hempstead, was the spark that ignited a lifelong passion for alternative theatre.

The exhibition celebrates theatre made by women in the 20th century

something different

“This was different to the plays I’d been taken to such as Shakespeare for English A-Level, which I loved too,” she said.

“It was something else – working class, about building canals with lots of songs.

“That was my first experience but then I started to search for it.

“The other thing I was hunting for at the time were copies of feminist magazine Spare Rib – I’d describe myself as becoming a feminist from pretty early on.

“While I loved theatre, which was very transformative and I felt could be amazing and life-changing, I wondered where the work by women was.

“There wasn’t a lot of it about at the tail end of the 1970s and in the early 80s.

“So that became my mission – to find feminist theatre – which was a large part of the alternative theatre movement.”

As a writer, curator and archivist who has worked in the arts, academia and museums as well as independently, Susan has created an exhibition that aims to highlight women’s contribution to the dramatic arts in the UK.

Featuring organisations such as the Women’s Theatre Group, Monstrous Regiment, Bloomers Siren, Theatre of Black Women, Munirah, Hard Corps, Blood Group and many more, it paints a rich picture of a scene that flew in the face of convention.

A wide range of material will be on show at the London Performance Studios

fighting for access to the arts

“Directors and playwrights were assumed to be male, most roles, especially good ones, were for men, most companies male dominated,” said Susan, whose published work includes She Also Wrote Plays from 2001, which features more than 400 women playwrights going back to the 10th century.

“In 2024 Indhu Rubasingham is at the helm of the National Theatre and women writers and directors are everywhere.

“The change is huge, has been hard-won and should be celebrated.

“But we still need to work to keep hold of the progress we have made and fight to extend parental rights, especially when funding is tight and the arts are disappearing from the state sector.

“We must fight for access to the arts for all women, as makers and as audiences.”

Taking as its starting point the first Women’s Theatre Festival, held in late 1973 at the Almost Free Theatre in Soho, the exhibition charts progress made over the years and honours the campaigns and work of an earlier generation.

Visitors can expect to discover multiple links to east and south-east London including productions at The Albany and the Half Moon Young People’s Theatre.

Alongside the exhibition will be the publication of Radical Rediscoveries – a collection of rare and unpublished scripts with an introduction by Susan – as well as a two-day symposium bringing women theatre-makers together on November 29 and 30, 2024.

“We’ll look at what was gained then and what has been lost – how we can hold onto our history, and learn from the past and how we can explore, share and revisit some of the amazing work that’s been achieved and set an agenda for the future,” said Susan.

“Creating such an exhibition is a huge challenge.

“It’s about the wealth and variety we can show and planting seeds in people’s imaginations – bringing material back to life for them.”

The exhibition is part of a wider project to recognise key moments in alternative theatre

a wider project at London Performance Studios

That, in many ways, is also a distillation of the mission of FYFFI – Fifty Years Of The Fight For Inclusion – the umbrella project under which Radical Rediscoveries sits.

Over three years as part of Susan’s residency at LPS, she’s making use of Unfinished Histories’ extensive archives to mark three key anniversaries in the development of alternative theatre.

With the Women’s Theatre Festival in 1973 kicking things off, the first Gay Theatre Festival in Britain in 1975 and the publication of Naseem Khan’s report The Arts Britain Ignores, by the Commission for Racial Equality in 1976, will follow.

The plan is to research and revisit selected performances and companies relevant to those milestones via readings, workshops, this exhibition, symposium and publication.

“These were massively significant moments, but it’s not just what happened in those years, but all that has happened from them,” said Susan.

“We need to examine what’s happening now, what’s been achieved, what’s not been achieved, so it’s about both what are the priorities these days and how we remember that earlier work.”

The exhibition runs at the London Performance Studios from November 8 to December 1, 2024

key details: London Performance Studios’ exhibition

Radical Rediscovery: Feminist Theatre in Britain 1969-1992 is set to run at the London Performance Studios from November 8 to December 1, 2024, from noon-5pm. Entry is free.

The venue is located at the Penarth Centre on Penarth Street, within walking distance of South Bermondsey railway station and Surrey Quays and Canada Water for Tube and Overground connections.

Find our more about the exhibition here

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

October 15, 2024October 15, 2024

Forge Art Fair relocates to London Lighthouse Gallery And Studio

Isle Of Dogs showcase finds a new home at Sokai Higgwe’s London City Island space

Forge Art Fair founder Carolina Kollmann

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Anyone who visited the Forge Art Fair in 2023 will have felt the buzz.

Founder Carolina Kollmann and her team packed Craft Central’s Westferry Road base with art, artists and people to appreciate them and their work.

The charity may be no more – with its crafters, artists and tenants ejected from the Isle Of Dogs building following its unexpected collapse, earlier this year – but, nevertheless, Carolina’s vision lives on.

That’s in no small part thanks to artist and photographer Sokari Higgwe.

The founder of London Lighthouse Gallery And Studio at London City Island had visited the fair in 2023 on the advice of residents and neighbours.

So when Carolina and her co-curator Tammy Walters were looking for an alternative location to host this year’s event, he stepped in, allowing it to grow in scale and scope.

The Forge Art Fair 2024, is set to kick off at the gallery with a private view on November 1, before opening to the public on November 2 and 3.

The Forge Art Fair will take place at London Lighthouse Gallery And Studio

the Forge Art Fair: curated by artists

“The event is curated by artists to showcase talented creatives – it’s a unique, affordable opportunity for people to immerse themselves in and understand the world of contemporary art,” said Carolina.

“My idea when creating the fair was to bring art from across the UK to east London, but also that it should be connected to the local area.

“As a curator, for me, quality is the most important thing.

“As an artist, someone who is always creating, I want to showcase people who are serious in what they are doing.

“Yes, the work has to be affordable, but it has to be art that says something by an artist that can communicate properly.

“We were very lucky to have a lot of applications to show at the fair and so we had to make choices.

“Even though we are growing, I wanted to ensure the artists are all completely different so there is a real range for people to see.”

A piece by Venetta Nicole, who will be exhibition at the Forge Art Fair 2024

a multitude of artists

The Forge Art Fair is set to feature work by Kathy Miller, Venetta Nicole, Alexandra Moskalenko, Miguel Sopena, Dom Holmes, Abi Jameson, Jairo Nicola and Imogen Hogan as well as Carolina, Tammy and Sokari.

The fair has also teamed up with the Women In Art Prize to offer the winner of its Young Artist award space to exhibit.

As a result, Nancy Singh will be showing and selling her work at the event.

While works from all the artists will vary in price, pieces will be available from £50 with the structure of the fair contributing to its affordability, with no third parties placing charges on the artists.

Visitors can expect to see a wide variety of pieces, including Carolina’s 3D paintings and Sokari’s photography, meet the people that created the work and support creativity by purchasing art if they so choose.

“This will be an autumn art experience like no other – from traditional paintings to textiles, multi-disciplinary creations and abstract pieces – it’s perfect for art enthusiasts of all ages from the local area and further afield,” said Carolina.

Artwork by Forge Art Fair contributor Dom Holmes

key details: Forge Art Fair

The Forge Art Fair 2024 will run from November 2-3, 2024, at London Lighthouse Gallery And Studio in Lyell Street. Entry is free.

The gallery is located in the same building as English National Ballet at London City Island and is a short walk from Canning Town station.

There will be a private view on November 1 from 5.30pm. Those wishing to attend should subscribe for updates from the fair organisers.

Find out more about the showcase here

Artist, photographer and gallerist Sokari Higgwe

meet the artist: Sokari Higgwe

“When people who are not your friends start buying your work, it’s scary,” said Sokari Higgwe, artist, photographer and gallerist.

The London City Island resident spent two decades working as a database engineer for the Bank Of New York and UBS before turning a passion for his hobby into a career.

“I mostly do abstract architectural photography but also portraiture,” said Sokari. “

I’ve loved both taking pictures and buildings since I was a child, so it was easy to put the two things together.

“In my pieces I want to show aspects of architecture you wouldn’t think about when you just look at a building.

“For years my day job was working in the City for UBS.

“Before that I was in east London, employed by the Bank Of New York, looking after 30% of electronic trading and making sure it was running smoothly – a big responsibility.

“The artist in me was always, there through my hobby. After 20 years I was getting bored and I wanted to express myself creatively.

“But, as a self-taught photographer, I always felt I was an imposter. I wasn’t confident. I’d joined the camera club at UBS and that was where my interest got stronger.

“Then I got a break when a gallery offered to show my work at an exhibition in Mile End.”

Successful solo shows followed and Sokari found himself much more absorbed by his creative work than by the databases he managed.

So he decided to take voluntary redundancy when it was offered and embarked on a new chapter in his life.

“I thought this was my chance to do photography full time,” he said.

“I started looking for a gallery and a studio where I could do portraiture and create art using models and props.

“I opened the London Lighthouse Gallery three years ago, after searching for quite some time.

“London City Island was one of the best places to do that because of the creative community locally and especially as I moved here eight years ago.

“I really love the history of this part of town, knowing it used to be the engine of the country when the docks were operating.

“One of the reasons for opening a gallery was to help promote artists like myself who haven’t gone the conventional route.

“I know it was a struggle for me to get myself out there because I wasn’t a professional. The idea is to have this as a space where creatives can feel free.”

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

October 15, 2024October 15, 2024

Bompas And Parr unveil Bioluminescent Flower Parlour in Canary Wharf

We sat down with Sam Bompas of creative studio Bompas And Parr to find out more about the installation at Jubilee Place mall

A buyable exhibit at the Bioluminescent Flower Parlour by Bompas And Parr in Canary Wharf

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In celebration of the launch of Eden Dock, Canary Wharf Group has commissioned creative studio Bompas And Parr to create an installation at Jubilee Place.

You can head over there right now and see it.

what’s going on?

Billed as the world’s first Bioluminescent Flower Parlour, visitors are invited to step inside to see photographic work from Maggie West’s Ultraviolet series as well as plants that have been specially prepared to respond to UV light and fluoresce.

Visitors can explore exhibits at the pop-up

tell us more, Bompas And Parr…

“Maggie’s one of my all-time heroes, photographers and artists,” said Sam Bompas, co-founder of Bompas And Parr.

“Her approach really is extraordinary.

“I find, with her artwork, it makes me look again at all plants, not just hers, to re-enchant the everyday.

“She was working over in London, and she came along to one of our future-food reports, which is about how we bring the future into the present – I was immediately scrabbling around for an opportunity to collaborate, and this is it.”

Her images use ultraviolet light and fluorescent ink to illuminate the process in which plants absorb water.

She photographed white flowers absorbing fluorescent ink under black lights, with her time lapse photography process revealing the hidden pathways that flowers use to sustain life.

no, about the glowing flowers?

Oh, right. Well there are a selection of flowers and plants on show. Visitors get given a UV torch to help them explore the exhibition.

“At Bompas, we do have a history of making things glow,” said Sam, whose studio is best known for its work in artistic edibles.

“We started with glow-in-the-dark jelly, but this is our first foray into glowing flowers.

“Some have a residual fluorescence, others are UV-reactive.

“We’ve never done this before and, as far as I can understand, it’s the world’s first glow-in-the-dark flower parlour, but, if you’re creating food and drink installations, flowers and floreography has a very important role to play, not least the table dressings.

“In Victorian times they would use paper flowers for the table dressings, because they wanted them to be completely odourless, so they would not interfere with your enjoyment and appreciation of the food.

“We have worked with flowers before – at Kew Gardens, for example, where we were making a giant golden pineapple on a boating lake.

“We’ve also make a bio-responsive garden, where flowers track people’s motions and mimic them.

“More recently in Melbourne, there’s a sentient forest, where you’ll recall the speaking forests of childhood, when plants know where you were and follow your footsteps and creep up on you.

“One of the things I love now is that we’re living in the science fiction world I read about and imagined in childhood.

“With this project, we’re drawing a little bit of a future, which you can come to in Canary Wharf and take home.”

Glowing flowers are available to purchase at Bioluminescent Flower Parlour by Bompas And Parr in Canary Wharf — Glowing flowers are available to purchase

how did it come about?

“We’ve been long time correspondents with and enthusiasts for Canary Wharf and we’re often asking what they’ve got coming down the line – important moments to celebrate on the estate,” said Sam.

“This sits within Canary Wharf’s wider partnership with The Eden Project – focussing very heavily on greening the site and the launch of Eden Dock.

“Every time I visit the estate, it looks more utopian.

“I’m really impressed with how the area’s developing– becoming energetic and blossoming. Hopefully, we’re a small contribution to that.

“The inspiration for the installation was Mental Health Awareness Day earlier this month. We know looking at nature can have an impact.

“When you look at a red or yellow plant, for instance, you’re immediately uplifted and feel more positive about the world.

“What we really want is to give people a sense of awe and wonder when they consider nature, the cosmos and their place in it.

“Then, through our installation, they can pay closer attention to that.”

where is it?

You’ll find the Bioluminescent Flower Parlour by Bompas And Parr in the back of the Wharf Farm pop-up, down the escalator from Obica in the West Wintergarden at Canary Wharf.

when’s it on?

You’ll need to be quick, the installation is already in place and will be open from 10am-2pm until October 19, 2024, and then again from October 22-23.

does it cost anything?

Entry is free, however visitors may wish to purchase glow-in-the-dark blooms with prices starting at £12.50.

“You can surprise your friends, your loved ones or just yourself with flowers that genuinely glow in the dark,” said Sam.

“My favourites are the tiny, freeze-stabilised roses that look almost like jewels.

“You can charge them up with any source of light and they glow and linger on and on.

“They’re hauntingly spectral.”

Bioluminescent Flower Parlour by Bompas And Parr in Canary Wharf is located in the back of Wharf Farm — Visit Wharf Farm in Jubilee Place to find the pop-up parlour

key details: Bompas And Parr Bioluminescent Flower Parlour

Catch the Bioluminescent Flower Parlour by Bompas And Parr from 10am-2pm until October 19, 2024, and then again from October 22-23.

Entry is free and UV torches are supplied as part of the experience.

Find the installation at Level -1 in Jubilee Place.

Find out more about the Bioluminescent Flower Parlour here

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

October 7, 2024October 7, 2024

CRA French Bar And Cafe brings rhum arrangé to Deptford

How Faziha Zed and Sam Stewart have created a venue with spirit in south-east London

Faziha Zed and Sam Stewart of CRA French Bar And Cafe in Deptford

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BY LAURA ENFIELD

Harvest time is drawing to a close in England and many of us may have dabbled in picking fruit and foraging nature’s bounty.

We may even have fermented a few things or made some sloe gin.

But for Faziha Zed and Sam Stewart, the business of finding ripe produce is the backbone of their Deptford bar.

From the outside CRA French Bar And Cafe is a pretty unassuming venue, nestled among a row of shops on Deptford Broadway.

But step inside and you will find the UK’s first bar serving homemade rhum arrangé – offering a taste of the exotic in south-east London.

The drink originated in the 18th century in the French West Indies – the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean.

Every drop served up in Deptford is handmade by Faziha based on an old family recipe that she has adapted and refined over the years.

Flavours on offer include pineapple, mango and passionfruit, plum hibiscus, vanilla honey cinnamon, banana, fig and grape, caramelised pear, lychee and summer fruits.

Faziha makes it using fresh-pressed sugar cane juice from Barbados, which has been slowly infused with fruits, herbs and spices.

And finding the different ingredients can be a fickle affair.

Faziha makes Catford Rhum Arrange, right, with sugar cane juice, fruits, herbs and spices

the right ingredients

“Recently, I made one with elderflower and nettle,” said Faziha.

“But you can only pick elderflower in the spring and I only use quality produce.

“So, if I don’t have enough quantity to last through the winter, I will have to wait until next spring to make more.”

The business started – as many do – by happy accident.

“I come from France and have family from Guadeloupe in the French West Indies, and I always used to bring back rhum arrangé when I visited,” said Faziha.

“Every family have their own recipes and think theirs is the best.

“It is a very old drink but is becoming extremely fashionable in France now and you will find it in bars and the supermarkets.

“But during lockdown I obviously couldn’t get any, so I had to make it for myself.”

The Deptford venue has a strong local following

born in Catford

She began in her kitchen in Catford using kilner jars and, when restrictions eased, she took it along to parties and found it was a hit.

“People started to ask us about it and to make orders for some,” said Faziha.

“We weren’t sure at first if the nice things they were saying were true, but then we started selling it in some markets such as Greenwich and it sold out very quickly.”

The couple soon realised they wanted more.

“We started talking a lot about opening a bar when we were sitting in the markets,” said Sam.

“They were great, but can be quite limiting with the amount of money you make and they are only at weekends.

“So we decided we needed a bar in order to continue doing this full time.”

They found a vacant unit in Deptford and renovated it themselves on a shoestring.

Sam, who used to teach at Camberwell College of Arts, handles the day-to-day running of the establishment.

CRA French Bar And Cafe serves a small selection of food

opening CRA French Bar And Cafe

“We wanted to create an intimate space inspired by the small bars of France – a place where people feel welcome and comfortable,” he said.

“Deptford has a very strong community and we feel quite honoured to have been accepted so quickly into it.

“We get a lot of regulars coming in.

“And this area has a long history of rum being imported into the docks so it feels very fitting.”

Customers can enjoy the rhum neat, with a mixer as a cocktail or choose from a menu of Belgian beers, French wines and pastis and a small selection of food.

In the mornings, there is coffee from Drury and viennoiserie from Boulangerie Jade.

For lunch during colder weather, the bar serves homemade vegan soup and a variety of toasties.

In the evenings there is a choice of charcuterie, cheese and vegan and seafood platters designed to complement the drinks menu.

Faziha, who was previously a social worker, has kept her day job in SEN education and makes the rhum in the evenings and weekends.

Today, this takes place at a unit in Catford where the varieties of drink are made in vast containers and refined over months of tasting.

“It is a bit like wine from one year to another, you can use the same recipe but it will never come out the same,” said Faziha.

“We will test after three months and see if something is missing – maybe it needs more vanilla.”

The bar serves a wide range of drinks including Catford Rhum Arrange

a secret recipe

Exactly what goes into the rhum is a closely guarded secret.

Even Sam isn’t permitted access.

“He doesn’t know the recipe and never will – if we get divorced he will still know nothing,” said Faziha.

If she did decide to share the making, because of her day job, the couple would love to employ people with learning difficulties.

But they are undecided about whether to rock the boat by increasing production.

“There’s the potential to upscale, expand and produce and sell that more, “said Sam. “But to do that we’d need a bigger place.

“At the moment what we’re doing is a success and no-one else is doing it.

“Opening another bar would be a lot of hard work.

“So, for now, what we want is to continue to enjoy it.

Faziha added: “We quite like having a small bar. It has its limitations – but do we really want to expand and make more money just for the sake of making more money?

“At the moment we are living our dream, enjoying the moment and following the flow.”

key details: CRA French Bar And Cafe

The bar is open Wed 10am-4pm, Thurs 10am-11.30pm, Fri 10am-12.30am, Sat 10am-12.30am, Sun 11am-10pm.

Find out more about the venue and the drink here

All images by James Perrin

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

October 6, 2024October 6, 2024

The Social Art Of Braided Hair is set to arrive at Art In The Docks

Exhibition forms part of Newham Black History Month with a focus on African and Caribbean culture

Image shows a woman with braided hair in a denim jacket — The Social Art Of Braided Hair will be on show from October 18-20 and 26-27

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BY LAURA ENFIELD

The practice of combining strands of hair has been around for thousands of years. But it is about much more than creating a neat appearance.

Exhibition The Social Art of Braided Hair will showcase it as an art form and the people who design it as artists.

The show has been produced by Royal Docks collective Art In The Docks with Stratford-based social enterprise Nurture Academy.

It will be open to the public on October 18-20 and 26-27 as part of Newham Black History Month.

Matilda Russell from Art In The Docks tells us more about the people and ideas behind it.

what can visitors expect?

The Social Art of Braided Hair is a photo essay positioning the cultural and social importance of braided hair.

All of the work being shown in the exhibition is contemporary to Newham Black History Month.

Rather than images of professional models with carefully manicured hair shot in soft focus, this show centres entirely on local east Londoners, shown as they really are.

the meaning behind it?

As well as portraying braided hair as an art form and the people who wear it as living artworks, the exhibition will show the powerful social impact of braided hair.

The time spent between a mother and child braiding hair is a deeply bonding moment.

The legacy hair design remains as a visual reminder of a time spent together.

what is Art In The Docks?

We are an artist-led social enterprise in east London, committed to making art and culture accessible to people who might otherwise feel excluded.

Regular events, activities and workshops are delivered to the local communities, as well as exhibitions, dance and theatre performances. These are free and open to everyone.

what is Nurture Academy?

It’s also a social enterprise based in east London working with individuals of all ages to promote and understand the significance of braided hair.

The organisation nurtures, mentors and teaches individuals lifelong skills while unlocking confidence.

As well as working with families and young children, Nurture Academy shines a pathway into new career directions for ex-offenders and the long term unemployed.

Image shows the back of a woman's head with braided hair in place — Art In The Docks has worked with Nurture Academy to create the exhibition

how have you worked together?

Nurture Academy promotes the understanding of braided hair, its cultural significance and the techniques used.

While braiding skills are often handed down from one generation to another and practised between siblings and friends, Nurture Academy teaches people how to optimise these techniques in workshop environments.

The exhibition will include images of these workshops, and the teaching methods used. Several of these workshops will accompany the exhibition on Saturday, October 19, 2024, and will be totally free to access.

what inspired the exhibition?

This project came about as the result of shared values between both Art In The Docks and Nurture Academy.

Both are committed to showing how the capacity for creativity fundamentally defines who we are as a civilisation.

The title of the exhibition reflects these values and highlights the importance of societal reference points.

why is it important?

Much has been said about braided hair and cultural appropriation. In the same way that tattoos are ‘not just for sailors’, exclusive title to the of art braided hair cannot today be claimed by any one section of society.

However, there is no doubt that it is deeply rooted in black African and black Caribbean culture and we have chosen this as the central theme to this exhibition.

This visual human story will be told in 22 frames, each the same size and dimension. It will centre on the people we see around us every day and invite us to stop and look, maybe to learn.

key details: The Social Art Of Braided Hair

The event runs October 18-20 and 26-27 at Art In The Docks in Royal Albert Dock, a short walk from Gallions Reach DLR station.

Find full details of the exhibition here

Image shows traders at a Black Pound Market — Black Pound Markets are set to take place on October 12 and 19

more to do during Black History Month

Newham Black History Month is here offering free talks, workshops, markets, and musical performances.

The programme runs from October 4 to November 4, 2024, with the theme Reclaiming Narratives, dedicated to addressing historical inaccuracies and seizing control of stories, allegories, and histories.

It has been organised by Newham Council as part of its 15-year Building Newham’s Creative Future Cultural Strategy, launched in March 2022.

Mayor Of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz said: “Black History Month provides a crucial opportunity for us to recognise and celebrate the immense contributions of black African and Caribbean communities to our borough and beyond.

“This celebration is not only a reflection on the past, but also a source of empowerment for our present and future.”

Councillor Rohit Dasgupta, deputy cabinet member for equalities, social justice and culture said: “Through this celebration, we aim to challenge ignorance, prejudice, and racial hatred, and to build a more inclusive and harmonious society.”

Black Pound Markets

A celebration of Newham’s black businesses and entrepreneurs featuring music and entertainment for the whole family.

Saturday, October 12, 9am to 3pm at Woodgrange Market

Saturday, October 19, from noon to 4pm at Rathbone Market

My Story Is Of Healing

Two workshops produced by East London-based mixed-media artist Marilyn J Fontaine.

The first is Rewriting the Health Narrative Of Black Women on Tuesday October, 15. It will explore the link between emotional healing, black women’s activism and care provided for black women, referencing Dr Angela Davis and Dr Melba Wilson.

Participants will create an “emotional genogram” using coloured pens, fabric and self-portraits followed by reflections and discussions.

The second is Women’s Rest is Resilience on Thursday, October 17. It will be an exploration of language around black women (sacrifice, resilience, endurance) and community organisations in the 1980s and 1990s in Newham who delivered art workshops for the black community to support mental wellbeing.

Creative activities will be used to craft a new narrative to reflect the relationship between self-care, community empowerment and wellbeing. Participants are required to bring a picture of themselves.

October 15 and 17, 6-8.30pm, Applecart Arts, The Passmore Edwards Library, 207 Plashet Grove, E6 1BX

Improving Black Health

An event focused on enhancing the health and well-being of Londoners within the black community.

It will include discussions on various health topics affecting the Black population.

The aim is to hear and understand the health experiences of individuals from black communities in order to initiate a discussion on addressing long-standing health and wellbeing inequities, explore culturally appropriate public health strategies for combating chronic conditions such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes and discuss and develop strategies to improve health outcomes for patients from the black community at a local level.

Friday, October 18, 6-7.30pm, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE

Art Workshop Inspired By Professor Sonia Boyce

Part of a series of events to reclaim narratives by exploring the political innovations, artistic achievements and cuisine of black residents and how they have contributed to life in Newham and further afield.

This event will focus on the trail-blazing career of Dame Sonia Boyce. The British Afro-Caribbean artist and educator is a Professor of Black Art and Design at University of the Arts London. She explores art as a social practice and has been closely collaborating with other artists since 1990.

In 2016, she became the first black female to be elected to the Royal Academy Of Arts in London.

Wednesday, October 23 (time TBC), Custom House Bookshop, 3 Freemasons Road, E16 3AR

Finale: From Beats to Legacy – 30 Years of Black British Influence

A showcase of grime music, film, poetry and a special guest Q&A. More details TBC.

Saturday, October 26, 6-9pm, Stratford Old Town Hall

Find full details of Newham Black History Month here

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

October 5, 2024October 5, 2024

The Eleventh Hour finds its niche serving coffee on the Isle Of Dogs

Entrepreneur Daniel Bull on opening The Lockdown Room and The Eleventh Hour in east London

Image shows Daniel Bull, the man behind The Eleventh Hour and The Lockdown Room, drinking a cup of coffee — Daniel Bull, the man behind The Eleventh Hour and The Lockdown Room

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BY LAURA ENFIELD

He is the kind of guy who runs a spontaneous marathon on New Year’s Day and goes on to clock 3hrs15 for the London event.

The kind of guy who sold sweets in the playground aged 13 to make money and, by 17, was the top salesman in a car dealership.

The guy who can lead a failing coffee shop business through the pandemic and emerge with venues The Eleventh Hour on the Isle Of Dogs and The Lockdown Room at London City Island.

“I remember my sister went on a ski trip with school and I said ‘Can I take the cash option?’ and bought DJ gear with it,”said Daniel Bull on his first move as a teen entrepreneur.

“I was into my music and saw the business opportunity, because what else can you do at that age?

“So I put an advert in the Yellow Pages and off I went.”

This seemingly innate entrepreneurial drive has always been matched by an attitude of never giving up – which emerged when he wrote off his first car after two weeks.

“I thought I would never get insured again so I emailed a few car dealerships and said I would work for commission only,” said the Isle Of Dogs resident.

“I was back in a car within a week.

“At 17 I was a top salesman and within two years I was managing the dealership.”

It was also this mindset that saw him land a spot on an MBA course aged 26 with almost no formal qualifications.

“So many business schools turned me down because I didn’t have an undergraduate degree, but I managed to get a fairly decent GMAT score and ended up going to Cass, which is now Bayes Business School,” he said.

“I was the only person without an undergraduate degree, but they liked that because they were trying to diversify the class and not just have a cohort full of investment bankers.”

It was while studying that he crossed paths with floundering company The Espresso Room.

It opened one of London’s first speciality coffee shops in 2009 on Great Ormond Street but by 2019 the owners were considering cutting and running.

Daniel picked up the baton as part of his final project and ended up taking it over.

The cafe is located on the ground floor of Wardian off Marsh Wall

turning things round

“There were two investors at the time and they said it was losing money and wanted to know if they should sell it or if it could be turned around? The product was amazing, but behind the scenes, it was a mess,” said Daniel.

“So I did a whole turnaround plan and decided to invest in it.

“I ended up opening two more shops with them and then the pandemic hit.

“Three of the four coffee shops had to be closed and most of the staff furloughed.

“We were basically bankrupt, but I decided to take it on fully and to fight to keep it going.”

The Bloomsbury branch had survived and Daniel and his team landed a gig handing out subsidised coffees to NHS workers battling Covid.

“I didn’t really know what I was doing and it was a whirlwind, but we kept busy. I think that’s why we survived,” he said.

“A lot of people threw the towel in during that time. I didn’t.

“I took a £50,000 bounce back loan and worked around the clock to make something happen.

“I kind of wish we’d gone online now like Grind did but I’m not complaining, because we managed to keep half our team.”

Instead of turning to the internet, he focussed on the community in Leamouth where he was living at the time.

His venue at English National Ballet had shut down and so he began offering a grocery delivery service to residents.

Through the various restrictions, it evolved into what is now known as The Lockdown Room.

The Eleventh Hour serves up a wide array of pastries and food

launching Lockdown

“When everyone realized how bad things were and supermarkets and shops were staying closed, we asked the developer Ballymore if it had an empty space,” he said.

“They threw me the keys for one of their biggest retail units on the island.

“It was an empty shell with no water, no lights – nothing – and was full of old desks and chairs all covered in dust.

“We put a table out at the front and became a grocery pop-up.

“A few weeks later we put in a coffee machine and after a month a pint machine and ended up with loads of east London craft beer.

“Then, around June 2020, we bought a PA system and started doing live music outside and theme nights.

“We were building this community as we went along.

“We got a lot of residents involved and some friends set up a kitchen, and started doing Vietnamese street food and some other friends started doing a bottle cocktail business.

“It was an interesting time. I would never have thought to open a bar there, but it was definitely a fun project.

“Now we’ve had to diversify and scale it back a little bit, but we’ve also brought in our own Mexican street food concept called Taco Hut and get events with 400 people being booked in.

“We’re not just a standard venue. We’ve sort of found our niche and we get a lot of repeat bookings and repeat customers.

“So yeah, we’ve learned.

“It’s the hub of the community there and people are now recognising what we do as a business with all our venues.

“We’re not just the place you go to grab a product and leave. It’s about much more than that.”

A staff member makes a coffee at The Eleventh Hour

opening The Eleventh Hour

Today Daniel has 35 staff and manages his brands and venues under The Bull Group.

They include The Barre at the English National Ballet and the Lockdown Room, both on London City Island and The Eleventh Hour on the ground floor of Wardian.

Despite the fact he speaks roughly 12,000 words in our 70 minute interview (that’s almost three words a second) Daniel is not fuelled by free caffeine from his shops.

Instead, he starts every day with a glass of water and a ginger shot, followed swiftly by a healthy juice or shake.

These are consumed in his Wardian flat before he descends a few hundred feet to his coffee shop below to check it is all running smoothly.

The Eleventh Hour opened last November and, like all Daniel’s venues, has found a niche.

“Before we opened a lot of people didn’t really know each other – no one really spoke to each other in the lobby,” he said.

“Now everyone feels they can talk and get to know each other and it’s amazing the difference it made even within a month.

“That’s what makes it fun and not feel like work.”

different designs

The space was created with interior designer Anna Moller, who also worked on The Lockdown Room and the penthouse at London City Island.

“She’d never done commercial,” said Daniel.

“Her background was high-end residential stuff, so it has created an interesting mix.

“We wanted it to be a neighbourhood coffee shop – a place that is warm and a home-from-home, where people just want to hang out.

“We’re not a big chain where we’re just trying to do them cheap and roll them out.

“Every venue we open has personality.”

The coffee it serves is a house blend made by a roastery in Winchester, but Daniel has also started introducing coffees discovered on his travels around Europe.

About 70% of the food menu is made at a central production kitchen, with items such as brownies, cookies, sausage rolls and energy balls made by a long-standing pastry chef and pastries supplied by a local bakery.

Having got the coffee crew rolling in, Daniel is now about to launch a cocktail menu with a party on October 31 to entice in an evening crowd.

“We thought we’d go big for Halloween,” he said.

“I think there is demand for this here. Even in Canary Wharf, there’s not many quirky neighbourhood bars.

“We wanted to crack the daytimes first, because the quality can slip if you’re trying to do everything at once.

“Now that we’ve nailed that, this is like a second phase.”

The cocktail menu will be served Tuesday to Saturday from 3pm to midnight and includes five different espresso martinis and a menu of gourmet bar snacks.

Not content just tackling the evening scene Daniel is also about to enter the health food market with Supershakes, due to launch on the Isle Of Dogs and as a pop-up at Royal Wharf later this year.

It will be a step away from coffee towards a more health conscious offering – driven by Daniel’s own fitness makeover.

He ran his first marathon on a whim four years ago and now regularly competes in Ironman events, mostly without any training. He also gave up alcohol two years ago.

Takeaway cups stand ready at The Eleventh Hour

more of a challenge

“I do like the fact of proving the impossible in a way,” he said.

“People who train for six months or a year, I’ve got a lot respect for them, because that’s what you’re supposed to do.

“But part of me likes to give myself even more of a challenge.

“I’m an all or nothing person – I used to get a buzz from partying and drinking and now I get it from this.

“I have learned not to be like that in business though, to not sacrifice everything for it.

“I know a lot of people who have done that and they’re not happy.

“For me it is about keeping a balance.

“I almost burnt out two years ago, because I didn’t have that and was using going out and drinking as stress relief – it was a recipe for disaster.

“But I found that if I keep nutrition, sleep and exercise in check, everything else seems to fall into place and be a bit more manageable.”

Keeping the balance in work is also a constant challenge but one Daniel is more than up for.

“The coffee scene is definitely saturated,” he said. “People’s attitudes have changed, with more supporting local and wanting to know about sustainability and that employers are paying the right wage.

“The pandemic was survival of the fittest and the coffee industry is definitely a lot tougher now. I wouldn’t go into it again because – with increased rents, wages, the cost of coffee, packaging – it’s not an easy win.

“We’re surviving because we’ve diversified.

“It’s like an Ironman – you just keep fighting.

“Nothing really fazes me anymore and I’m never short of ideas. If we were sat here twiddling our thumbs, then I’d be worried.”

key details: The Eleventh Hour

The Eleventh Hour is open Mon-Fri from 7.30am-5pm and Sat-Sun 8am-5pm.

Find out more about the cafe here

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

October 5, 2024October 5, 2024

Newbie launches east London store at Canary Wharf’s Cabot Place

Tallulah Hug and Heidi Pathiaki talk trends and design as the new shop welcomes customers

Image shows Newbie's dark grey store front and products within in Canary Wharf — Newbie has opened a store in Canary Wharf at Cabot Place – image Matt Flynn

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Newbie has spotted a niche.

The Swedish lifestyle brand, which sells clothes and products for babies and kids aged 0-8, recently opened a new store in Canary Wharf’s Cabot Place as it expands its presence in the UK.

Founded in 2010, when a child-focused company would likely have avoided the estate with extreme prejudice, its growth comes at a time of change for the malls.

The arrival of Flip Out – the first attraction solely aimed at children in Canary Wharf – has already met with success and with schools and an increasing population of young families living locally both on and near the estate, Newbie’s opening makes sense.

“There’s a huge gap in the market and we’re seeing a huge change in the area,” said Tallulah Hug, store manager at Newbie in Canary Wharf.

“It’s become a more residential area and there are a lot of international visitors to the estate as well, so it’s a lovely opportunity for us to open in east London and explore the market here.

“Newbie is a timeless brand focussed on classic pieces in muted colours.

“For girls, we do a lot of florals and, for the boys, we do animal prints.

“We want kids to have fun with fashion, too.

“What we do is aimed at inspiring the next generation to get involved and to be creative – to explore for themselves.

“We’re also here to make everyone feel special, and we want everyone who comes into the stores to have a really fantastic experience.

“We’re here for their child’s first Christmas outfit, their first coming home outfit or simply something that will be loved and cherished time and time again.”

Newbie is packed with clothing for kids aged 0-8 - image Matt Flynn — Newbie is packed with clothing for kids aged 0-8 – image Matt Flynn

dedicated to ages 0-8

While online the brand also sells gifts, homeware and womenswear (including matching outfits to its kids’ range), the Canary Wharf store is dedicated exclusively to clothes for babies and children as well as toys.

It’s a range intended to appeal both to parents and those shopping for gifts.

“Our range for babies is the most popular, because our products are so beautiful,” said Heidi Pathiaki, UK country manager for Newbie.

“We have an artistic department in Sweden and it’s the best gift you can give parents who are expecting.

“Our designs are sustainable too.

“They’re designed to be passed on and will look as beautiful as the day they were made.

“That’s why we’ve introduced our pre-loved range where customers can get a discount off a new product when they trade in pieces that have been outgrown.

“Then we sell those at our Northcote Road store and that can be an affordable option, especially for new families.”

durable and long-lasting

Tallulah added: “Our pieces really are made to last.

“They use really high quality fabrics, with garments made from 100% organic cotton, for example.

“Our new wool range is made to the highest quality, with true craftsmanship too.

“Wash after wash, the colour won’t fade and the stitching doesn’t come loose, so the garments are built to last, to be passed down.

“In a society where fast fashion is at hand, we don’t want to create something which can’t be used again after a couple of months.”

While the store’s muted colours and carefully arranged shelves are clearly aimed at adult shoppers, make no mistake – Newbie enthusiastically welcomes younger customers too.

“You’ll certainly see children running around in this store,” said Heidi.

“We sell teddy bears and bunny rabbits, but we don’t mind kids coming in and having a chit-chat with them .

“We also have a colouring table so the children can be occupied with the drawings in sight while their parent focuses on what they’re interested in buying.”

Heidi Pathiaki, UK country manager for Newbie

further expansion for Newbie

As for the future, Newbie is already set to open further stores in Brent Cross and Guildford over the autumn, having been buoyed by the response from British consumers to its first six stores.

“We’re doing both online and in-store shopping,” said Heidi, whose career in retail has seen her work for brands such as Mamas And Papas and Clark’s.

“Of course people buy online – it’s easy and fast – but customers also enjoy coming out, and touching and feeling the products.

“We’re constantly talking about how we can expand and we will be putting womenswear into our stores in due course.

“We’re also looking at putting homeware into our Bluewater store.”

Until then, Wharfers can look forward to the more immediate launch of Newbie’s collection, launching in time for Christmas over the coming weeks.

The shop features a wealth of products and toys

key details: Newbie in Canary Wharf

Newbie is located in Canary Wharf’s Cabot Place mall on the lower level.

The store is open from 10am-8pm on weekdays, from 10am-7pm on Saturdays and from noon-6pm on Sundays

Find our more about the brand or shop online here

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

October 4, 2024October 6, 2024

Lyle Park centenary celebrated as Riverscape unveils The Latham

Ballymore set for programme of activities drawing attention to its Royal Docks schemes

Maud Milton's celebratory mosaic, commissioned for Lyle Park's centenary — Maud Milton’s celebratory mosaic, commissioned for Lyle Park’s centenary

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The 100th birthday of Lyle Park in Royal Docks is a reminder, perhaps, that we are simply custodians of the land – morally obliged to leave it better than we found it.

Created originally on land donated by Sir Leonard Lyle (of Tate & Lyle) to West Ham Council, it was initially intended as a vital strip of green open space to improve the lives of residents and workers living in cramped conditions around the factories during the docks’ heyday.

It rapidly became an essential lung in a sea of grimy, polluting industry – a place where at least people could find an escape from their toil for a few hours and enjoy a stroll by the Thames.

But with the factories’ decline and departure (Tate & Lyle being a notable exception), this parcel of grass and trees became a somewhat overlooked anomaly, at least until plans for regeneration arrived.

For now, 100 years after its creation, Lyle Park is once again centre-stage – a valuable and treasured asset for the emerging communities at Royal Wharf and, more recently, Riverscape.

A new building – The Latham – is set to launch later this month at the latter and developer Ballymore is eager to emphasise its proximity to the open space.

To that end, it’s spent time and money sprucing up the park for its 100th birthday and creating a series of attractions to help bring more people to the area.

Driving visitors to the space is also part of the company’s ongoing regeneration plans as Lyle Park should – if planning permission is granted – soon be bordered on its far side by the developer’s scheme for Knights Road.

This will see a further 1,300 homes created along the Thames alongside light industrial units, open spaces and shops.

Lyle Park has been cleaned up for its 100th birthday

marking the anniversary of Lyle Park

“The park had been surrounded by industrial land, so we’ve been working on how we could get people back there and celebrate its 100th birthday,” said James Boyce, associate regional sales director at Ballymore.

“Given we’re just completing the construction of Riverscape, we’ve been thinking about the best way to activate it, to pull people in from all the surrounding developments to come and enjoy the park.

“We’ve been making improvements in partnership with Newham Parks such as pruning some of the larger trees, tidying up the paths and works to the steps – we’re really excited to share them with people.”

Should planning permission be granted for Knights Road, Ballymore will further update and polish the park’s offering.

But in the meantime it’s celebrating the space’s centenary with a pair of installations.

The first has seen east London artist Maud Milton and her team at Trinity Buoy Wharf-based Artyface cement a series of four mosaic artworks into the fabric of the Lyle Park marking its 100th birthday and highlighting some of the birds found on the Thames and its tributaries.

Lyle Park sits beside Riverscape right on the Thames

The second will see SuperShakes operate a pop-up at the park.

The new health-focused drinks brand has been created by owner of The Lockdown Room and The Eleventh Hour, Dan Bull, (find out more about him here) and it will be the lynch pin of a series of fitness events in partnership with Royal Wharf Club House and One Element Docklands.

All of these activities officially launch on October 5, when interested parties can also get a sneak peek at homes in The Latham.

James said: “It’s a fine building, housing 52 apartments split into one, two and three-beds. It’s also the last opportunity to buy a home facing over Lyle Park.

“For nature-lovers, these properties are ideal.

“The apartments all have big balconies or terraces and you can see the grass and trees – some of which are 100 years old – stretching out in front of you.

“If you walk down the steps from The Latham, you’re literally in the park, it’s a real selling point.

“What’s also a little more unusual is that on the ground floor, we have four apartments – two one-beds and two-three beds – that have almost double-height ceilings and they’re really special.

“The three-beds, especially, are spectacular if you’re a family looking for lots of space and easy access to the outdoors”

In addition, residents at The Latham will enjoy all the amenities of both Riverscape and Royal Wharf as well as excellent transport links via the DLR.

Homes at The Latham are set to go on sale on October 26

key details: The Latham at Riverscape

Homes in The Latham at Riverscape are set to officially launch on October 26, 2024.

Prices start at £430,000.

Those seeking an early preview can take a tour of the building on October 5, 2024, at 11am, 1pm or 3pm departing from the Riverscape Sales Gallery at Royal Wharf.

For more information about Riverscape and SuperShakes’ fitness events over the coming months, follow @supershakes and @riverscapeldn on Instagram

Find out more about homes at the scheme here

Artist Maud Milton, hard at work in her studio at Trinity Buoy Wharf

meeting Maud Milton

Artist Maud Milton set up Artyface Community Art in 1999 in Tower Hamlets and has been making public works ever since.

Based at Trinity Buoy Wharf, a neighbour to Ballymore’s Goodluck Hope scheme in Leamouth, she and her team were commissioned by the developer to create a mosaic mural trail in celebration of Lyle Park’s centenary.

The four works are set to be officially unveiled on October 5, 2024.

“I got a degree in ceramics from Cardiff and then did a residency in North Wales for a year,” said Maud.

“But my mum was from east London and moved back here and I joined her in Stepney Green to set up the business.

“I got an office job in London to pay the bills, but had repetitive strain injury from long hours working as a web editor and copywriter, so I was forced to leave work with no idea what I could do.

“I showed my portfolio around to lots of people and got a commission with one council.

vThen I met graphic designer Catherine Clark through another job and she’s been working with me ever since.”

With Catherine creating the designs and Maud using ceramics and mosaic techniques to bring them into reality, Artyface has made a name for itself across London and beyond with its colourful, community driven works including roundel signs for stations.

Maud with one of the mosaic's she and her team have created for the project — Maud with one of the mosaic’s she and her team have created for the project

“We’ve been doing it for 25 years and Catherine is incredible,” said Maud.

“The nice thing about these pieces is that they’re there 24/7 and they’re free for people to look at.

“For the Lyle Park pieces, as is often the case, we’ve worked with residents and children at a local primary school to make the blue tiles that form the borders.

“The mosaics we’ve created are a celebration of the wildlife on the Thames.

“There’s a swan, an oyster catcher, a mallard duck and a kingfisher.

“The idea is that the pieces also serve as an educational tool, because they’re labelled with the name of the species in English and Latin.

“It’s about literacy too – a lot of our projects have got words in, so you’ve got words woven into the pieces via the tiles people have created.”

Fired to 1,280ºC the ceramics used to make the works should survive anything the UK weather can throw at them and remain durable enough to last another 100 years.

“I hope people are curious, happy and surprised when they see them,” said Maud.

“They become part of people’s daily lives and some go and visit them specially. That makes us so proud.

“Public commissions should become part of the streetscape.

“I know with some of our works, there are children who want to go and see the animals on their way to the nursery, so the mosaics wind up becoming a loved part of their daily commute.

“It’s not just children – I’ve got a photograph of a family – three generations – leaning up against the wall and touching one of our pieces.

“It makes them proud of their area and that someone cared enough to make something like this.

“I love getting photographs from people on Instagram, because I forget how many are out there getting that appreciation.

“We’re always up for new commissions and I’d love to do a DLR station or a roundel with a rainbow for Pride in Soho. We want all the challenges.”

Artyface also makes work for sale including private commissions for pieces such as door numbers or signs.

Find out more about Artyface here

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

October 2, 2024October 5, 2024

Eden Dock project at Canary Wharf welcomes its first visitors

We sit down with Canary Wharf Group’s Sophie Goddard and the Eden Project’s Sir Tim Smit to talk ecology, life and nature at the heart of the estate

Image shows Eden Dock at Canary Wharf — Eden Dock officially opened to the public on October 2, 2024

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Eden Dock, which officially opened on October 2, 2024, is a project with multiple layers, both literal and philosophical.

Wharfers will doubtless soon festoon its golden-lit benches.

It will become a meeting place for passengers pouring out of the Jubilee line station, a spot for a coffee, lunch or simply to read a book during a break.

Visitors to the estate both during the day and at night will be drawn in by its rich foliage and subtly illuminated boardwalks.

At face value, it is a physical extension of the Canary Wharf estate – a new amenity.

Many will use it as such, probably not thinking too much more about it.

That’s absolutely fine – it’s one of the project’s aims.

But to view it as just a new park a would be to miss much of the detailed thinking and ambition behind its creation and, crucially, the statement of intent it represents.

Sure, it’s a pretty place to sit, a decent backdrop for a few selfies.

But it’s about much more than floating planters and smart wooden benches.

Canary Wharf Group has worked in partnership with ecological heavyweight the Eden Project in Cornwall to create “an urban oasis” with the stated aim of boosting flora and fauna on the estate.

It’s also intended to foster greater connection between us humans and the rest of the animals and organisms we share it with.

Image shows Canary Wharf Group's Sophie Goddard with two of the figures from Nature Rising at Eden Dock — Canary Wharf Group’s Sophie Goddard with two of the figures from Nature Rising

a different measure of success

“Typically, real estate companies take projects forward and work out the leasing income as a measure of success,” said Sophie Goddard, director of environment, social and governance at Canary Wharf Group.

“But that isn’t the case with Eden Dock, which is like no other project in Canary Wharf.

“Success will be judged on whether people are connecting with the space.

“We’re hitting a biodiversity net gain of 55%, which is phenomenal and we’re improving air quality but we want people to come here and use this space.”

Eden Dock is now officially open to the public.

Comprising a series of gardens and waterside spaces, the waters of Middle Dock have further been transformed by the presence of 20 living figures made from flowering shrub ligustrum – a lush art installation entitled Nature Rising that will become part of the estate’s permanent public sculpture collection and help to draw attention to the new walkways, seating areas and bridges.

Three years in the making, its launch on the estate is being supported by a programme of events including night kayaking (from Oct 2, see Page 6) dockside Yoga with Third Space (9am on October 10), the arrival of Square Mile Farm’s hydroponic agriculture at Jubilee Place (open until November 1) and a Glow In The Dark Flower Shop from Bompas And Parr, which is set to open on World Mental Health Day (October 10, also in Jubilee Place).

Image shows Eden Dock from above with seating areas and waterside boardwalks — The project has seen a series of boardwalks, seating areas and floating gardens installed at Middle Dock

Eden Dock: coming to life

However, for the Eden Project’s co-founder, Sir Tim Smit, Eden Dock is part of a wider message about how we view all of life in the context of the places we inhabit.

“One way of looking at what’s happening in the dock is to see it as a body coming to life,” he said.

“We want to create a sense that the more bugs there are, the healthier the area is likely to be

“I think we’ve got to look at Canary Wharf as an incredibly powerful, moral story of people wanting to create a place, where they’ve established a habitat to live and now want to start sharing that with other things to make us all healthier.

“What is happening in cities, which is very interesting, is that there are so many different niches where creatures can develop.

“For example, in Canary Wharf, you will find these under each window ledge, beneath every rock or stone and every different material that’s been used.

“There is already greater biodiversity in the suburbs and the centre of our cities than there is in the average field in Britain, which has been nuked with pesticides and nitrates.

“One of the really exciting things I would wish to champion with the team at Canary Wharf would be a grown-up look at who is sharing this place with us and how we can encourage the maximum amount of life to thrive here.

“The estate is a great location in which to ground the lightning of innovation around enhancing biodiversity.

“It is also our belief that the varied surfaces, textures and environments found at Eden Dock will encourage a greater diversity of life than much of the open farmland in this country.

“Moreover, the attention to life and beauty, plus the softer edges that characterise the natural worlds, will directly influence the happiness and sense of belonging of all who work, live and visit the estate.”

Image shows Eden Dock at night — Eden Dock has been created in partnership between the Eden Project and Canary Wharf Group

an injection of wellbeing

That focus on wellbeing and mental health has provided vital impetus as Canary Wharf continues to change and grow.

“As we’re evolving the estate, we need to look to what we believe will have value in the future, said Sophie.

“This is the first of many projects and it is ultimately about creating paths at multiple levels, whether that’s on rooftops or at the ground level, with all these interconnecting spaces to allow green space to flow through Canary Wharf.

“We had 67million people visit the estate last year and we have 3,500 living here, but we need to constantly be asking: ‘Do they feel they belong? Are we having a positive influence on their wellbeing?’.

“Projects like this are an example of how we’re trying to not just attract a greater number of people here, but also to have a beneficial effect on our residents, workers, visitors and neighbours.”

Image shows a couple looking at a series of living, mossy figures at Eden Dock — The living figures that adorn Eden Dock are part of an art installation called Nature Rising

beautifully realised

Tim added: “If the brief is to create a sense of life and livelihood, the colour, vibrancy and shape of everything that’s required needs to suggest life to the people who live and work here. Eden Dock is very much a valid first step towards doing that.

“It’s beautiful. You can see from the way the planting has been done that, very soon, it’s going to have soft lines everywhere – people are going to want to have picnics there – and that’s something you can build on.

“Nature is pretty cool at doing the biodiversity thing, it’s been doing it a long time.

“It’s important to realise we are all part of nature – it’s not a third party that we interact with.

“When I talk to children, I talk about opening up their guts, which always gets their interest.

“I ask them whether they are aware that there are around 3trillion things living inside them and that our bodies are the most brilliant hosts.

“It’s really important to remember we are a part of nature, not apart from it.

“And nature is so resilient.

“As we go, we need to proceed, not by planting trees along walkways, but doing a little bit here, a little bit there and then watching what happens.

“We really need to think about the environment we live in and the spaces where we gather.”

The suggestion is that spending time surrounded by living things is not just a desirable way to spend some time, but perhaps a more primal need that is as vital to our mental health as the oxygen we rely on plants and trees to create for us.

As Tim puts it, Canary Wharf going “punk rogue” on ecology at the heart of the estate generates excitement for the future and exhilaration in the present.

You can feel it now, for free at Eden Dock.

The installation is free to visit at Canary Wharf

key details: Eden Dock

Eden Dock can be found right outside the main exit of Canary Wharf’s Jubilee line station.

The area is completely free to visit.

Full details of the project and the activities in celebration of its launch can be found online.

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com