The tale of retired pirate-turned-babysitter Orpheus Clinker, who descends on the unsuspecting Terrapin family with his mates for a riotous party, is clever, funny outlandish and overblown.
In some senses it’s a good metaphor for the whole topic of piracy.
We love the hyperbole in it.
Disney’s to blame, of course, for casting alcoholic rake Robert Newton to gurn his way through Treasure Island as the gravelly-voiced, one-legged Long John Silver in 1950.
It was such a popular turn he wound up getting the starring role in Blackbeard The Pirate in the film of the same name, before returning as Long John for another movie in 1952 and a miniseries.
Then you have the fierce passion and dashing acrobatic brilliance of Burt Lancaster in The Crimson Pirate, also in ‘52.
More recently there’s been the entertainment giant’s lucrative decision to employ a Keith Richards impersonator to carry a lacklustre franchise based on a theme park ride to financial success.
These glamorous portrayals are unsurprising.
Pirates have long been drawn as swashbuckling adventurers associated with lush islands, flamboyant dress and buried treasure.
But what’s the truth?
John Ryan’s cartoon Captain Pugwash first appeared in print in 1957 after 12 rejections – image by Isabel Ryan / Estate of John Ryan
Pirates promises to “deconstruct these myths and illuminate the realities” of life for the likes of Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, Anne Bonny, Mary Read and William Kidd – who ended his days at Execution Dock in Wapping and is immortalised in the name of a pub on the Thames.
Taking in stories from across the globe, the exhibition will look to the Caribbean and beyond with tales from the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean and the coast of North Africa.
Visitors will be able to see nearly 200 objects including loans from the National Archives, V&A and BFI.
The exhibition will be presented in sections with the first looking at the image of pirates in fiction and considering the impact of characters such as Captain Hook and Captain Jack Sparrow as well as Long John Silver.
This includes original illustrations from hapless cartoon pirate Captain Pugwash, by artist and writer John Ryan, who began life in a comic strip before starring in a children’s TV show.
Detail from Davy Jones’s Locker by William Lionel Wyllie – image by National Maritime Museum
dispelling the fiction
“Real Pirates” will go on to investigate tales of specific outlaws and their exploits on the high seas, inspired by A General History of the Pyrates by Captain Charles Johnson first published in 1724 as the golden age of piracy came to an end.
Then visitors will see “Global Pirates” with objects selected to showcase piracy around the world including the story of Chinese captain Shap Ng-tsai who was active in the mid-19th century.
Eventually Shap’s fleet of 27 junks was destroyed in a joint action by an Anglo-Chinese squadron under Captain John Charles Dalrymple Hay and Major General Hwáng in 1849.
There’s also a focus on Barbary piracy and the Bombardment Of Algiers in 1816, when a British-Dutch force attacked the city in an attempt to resolve the problem of naval crime in North Africa.
The action resulted in the release of 3,000 Christian captives, but came at a cost, as it was more deadly than the Battle Of Trafalgar.
While the exhibition might not rise to heights of a rumbustification, nor the need to pore through a dictionary to see which words are made up, it nevertheless promises to be a blockbuster.
Apt then that Orlando Bloom’s costume from the first Pirates Of The Caribbean flick will be on show.
The first edition of Treasure Island, which came out in 1883, featured a treasure map drawn by author Robert Louis Stevenson – image by National Maritime Museum
key details: Pirates at the National Maritime Museum
Pirates is set to open at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich on March 29, 2025, and will run until January 4, 2026.
Adult tickets cost £15 and £7.50 for children. Entry for Royal Museums Greenwich members is free.
The Silvertown Tunnel is set to open on April 7, 2025, assuming Riverlinx and TfL’s carefully laid plans come to fruition.
what’s that?
It’s a new road crossing under the Thames between Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula, named for the neighbourhood in the former where its twin bores pop up.
isn’t that the route of the Blackwall Tunnel?
Not quite. That one runs between the Peninsula and, well, Blackwall.
but there’s quite an impact on both isn’t there?
Correct. From April 7, tolls will apply for drivers in both tunnels.
This is to fund the construction of the new link and ongoing maintenance of the two crossings. It also avoids pushing drivers towards one tunnel.
go on, how much?
Charges will apply between 6am and 10pm. At peak times (6am-10am and 4pm-7pm on weekdays) cars and small vans will pay £4 for each crossing, large vans will pay £5.50 and lorries £6.50.
At weekends and from 10am-4pm and 7pm-10pm on weekdays, the charge is £1.50 per journey. There is no charge between 10pm and 6am for any vehicle.
In contrast to the Congestion Charge and the fee for the Dartford Crossing, motorcyclists and moped riders are not exempt with peak journeys charged at £2.50 and off-peak at £1.50.
how do I pay?
The best option is to sign up for TfL Auto Pay, which also administers the Congestion Charge and LEZ and ULEZ levies in the capital.
Users register their details online and can choose to pay by Direct Debit or card.
Those not using this system pay peak charges via phone or online at all times when using the tunnel.
are there any discounts?
There are. Drivers on low incomes can get 50% off if they live in the boroughs of Barking And Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, City of London, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest. This will be available for at least the first three years.
The link features a dedicated bus lane, with most road users charged to drive through it
what about businesses?
Small businesses and charities based in Greenwich, Newham, or Tower Hamlets can register up to three vehicles for a £1 discount per off-peak journey for at least the first year of the tunnel’s operation. This discount applies to Auto Pay only.
Vehicles with a disabled tax class, taxis licensed by TfL, Blue Badge holders and certain other exempt vehicles will be able to use the crossing for free.
what are the benefits?
TfL says the tunnel should help reduce congestion, delays and queues, help tackle pollution and improve the resilience of the road network by providing alternatives for drivers when either tunnel needs to close.
In addition to boosting road capacity, the opening of Silvertown Tunnel will provide new public transport routes.
so more buses?
Yes, at peak times, the crossings will see the number of buses rise from six to 21 per hour thanks to the introduction of Superloop SL4 between Grove Park and Canary Wharf and an extension to the 129 from Lewisham to London City Airport and Great Eastern Quay.
These join existing services on the 108 through Blackwall Tunnel.
TfL says cross river services will be free for the first year to encourage people to use public transport through the new links.
wait, free?
Yes, there’s more too.
For the first 12 months, those making journeys between Island Gardens and Cutty Sark or Woolwich Arsenal and King George V on the DLR will also find their journeys refunded as TfL works to tempt people to swap their cars for alternatives.
The discounts only apply to pay-as-you-go journeys between the stations listed, not longer trips.
anything else?
There’s good news for cyclists too.
The Silvertown Tunnel will have a Cycle Shuttle Service, free for the first year and operating for at least three years, running between Seagull Lane in Royal Docks and Millennium Way on the Peninsula.
This will run every 12 minutes every day from 6.30am to 9.30pm.
are the kids alright?
A puzzle. At the time of going to press, it looked like drivers under the age of 18 – moped riders aged 16+ and car drivers aged 17 – might have to pay the maximum peak toll for crossing through either tunnel at all times.
That’s because off-peak discounts on the charges are only available when using TfL Auto Pay, a service that says it’s only available to those aged 18 or over.
No discounts apply for payments made by phone or online, which are the only other options to make payment.
At off-peak times, that means mopeds riders and motorcyclists would pay an extra £1 per journey and car drivers an extra £2.50.
A TfL spokesperson told Wharf Life: “We are currently looking at how we can ensure that those aged 16 and 17 with a registered vehicle can access TfL Auto Pay to benefit from off-peak user charges for the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels and will provide an update in due course.”
It said vehicles registered with TfL Auto Pay under a parent or guardian’s account would benefit from the discounts.
It has now altered its web page to clarify that only vehicles registered via an adult’s account will get the discount.
Fine for those aged 17 and under with access to a willing parent or guardian…
key details: the Silvertown Tunnel
More updates and information on the Silvertown Tunnel, which is set to open on April 7, 2025, as well as all the services that are due to come into effect once it does can be found on TfL’s website here.
Greenwich Peninsula is set for a day of events to mark the arrival of the Year Of The Snake on February 1, 2025.
Celebrations for Lunar New Year will run from noon-4pm with a host of free and paid-for activities scheduled.
Those attending can expect workshops, cultural performances, a paper lantern installation and dishes from Asian street food vendors in addition to offerings from Canteen Food Hall And Bar.
“We’re excited to see Greenwich Peninsula once again transform into a hub of celebration for Lunar New Year,” said Greewnich Peninsula director, Laura Flanagan.
“Our riverside neighbourhood is the perfect destination to experience art and creativity, and this year’s programme has something for everyone.
“With themes of connection, prosperity and renewal, we’re delighted to collaborate with so many talented performers, artists and experts to bring these experiences to life.”
Highlights on the programme include the return of the traditional dragon that will once again weave its way through the area as well as lion dance performances – new for 2025.
Through acrobatics, puppetry and rhythmic drumming, these spectacles aim to chase away bad fortune and welcome good luck for the year ahead.
A range of workshops and activities will be on offer
celebrating on the Peninsula
“Greenwich Peninsula boasts an unrivalled offer for anyone looking for a London less ordinary,” said Visit Greenwich chief executive, Barrie Kelly.
“Its Lunar New Year festival is just one of the brilliant cultural offerings enjoyable year-round, bringing community together through creativity.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with them and can’t wait to get involved with all the amazing events on offer.”
The area’s Lunar New Year programme is part-funded by the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and supported by the Greenwich Council and the Mayor Of London and in partnership with Visit Greenwich.
Activities will include workshops from Yi Crafts, offering visitors the opportunity to try bamboo weaving, Chinese knot-making, woodblock printing and paper cutting.
There will also be an opportunity to learn or master Mahjong, guided by experts from Dear Asia language school.
Its free sessions at Bureau in Design District will also cover the game’s history and explore various strategies available to players.
Greenwich Peninsula is easily accessed from across east and south-east London thanks to North Greenwich Tube station, the London Cable Car and the Uber Boat By Thames Clippers river bus service.
The area boasts a wealth of attractions including the diverse architecture and creative businesses of Design District, the restaurants, shops and venues in The O2 and plentiful parks.
Visitors will find plenty of places for refreshment and entertainment including the independent street food traders at Canteen, Firepit Art Gallery And Studios and Oxygen Active Play and Hollywood Bowl at The O2 for kids.
There’s even the opportunity to try indoor skydiving with iFly’s 170mph vertical wind tunnel, for those seeking a thrill on their trip to the area.
Visitors will be able to try woodblock printing at Greenwich Peninsula
activities for Lunar New Year at Greenwich Peninsula
As Lunar New Year approaches, here’s a run down of Greenwich Peninsula’s activities and attractions on February 1, 2025, so you can plan your visit and avoid missing out…
>> when?Noon
Brut Tea Tasting – £5
Join Brut Tea founders Joyce and Raphael for an intimate tea-tasting session showcasing four blends from the company. Book online for this session at Design District’s Salon
>> when? Noon, 12.30pm, 1pm, 1.30pm
Chinese Knot-Making – £6
Yi Crafts will welcome visitor’s to Design District’s D4 building for a series of 30-minute interactive workshops exploring this intricate art form. Participants will create decorative ornaments. Pre-book online.
Dear Asia will be hosting two sessions of Mahjong
>> when?12.30pm, 2.45pm
Play Mahjong – FREE (book)
Dear Asia will lead two 90-minute sessions where participants will play and learn about this ancient game. Ideal for beginners. Book a spot in advance for a game at Design District’s Bureau restaurant.
>> when?1.30pm, 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm
Paper Cutting – FREE (book)
Take half an hour to immerse yourself in the delicate and festive art of paper cutting with Yi Crafts workshops. Participants will create decorative pieces during the sessions. Book ahead.
>> when?1.30pm, 2.15pm, 3pm
Lion Dance – FREE
Perhaps the heart of the celebrations will be a pair of dances performed one after the other in Peninsula Square. First up, a dynamic lion dance will chase away bad fortune with vibrant costumes and powerful drumbeats.
>> when?1.45pm, 2.15pm, 3.15pm
Dragon Dance – FREE
After the three lion dances, a traditional dragon dance will follow with the creature winding its way through the crowds under the careful guidance of the performers. The dragon is said to bring luck, prosperity and renewal for the year ahead.
There will be lots to see and do to welcome the Year Of The Snake
>> when?2pm, 3pm
Bamboo Coaster Weaving – £10
These two workshops by Yi Crafts will see participants discover the techniques behind this traditional practice. Participants will use sustainably sourced bamboo strips to make their own coaster. The hour-long workshops, at Design District building D4, should be booked in advance.
>> when?2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm
Woodblock Printing – FREE (book)
Also run by Yi Crafts at D4, these half-hour sessions are intended for those seeking “a creative and meaningful” Lunar New Year experience with those taking part learning traditional techniques to create their own printed works.
key details: Lunar New Year at Greenwich Peninsula
Lunar New Year celebrations at Greenwich Peninsula are set to take place on February 1, 2025, from noon-4pm.
While much of the festival is free to attend, some activities require pre-booking, while others are paid.
In one important sense, or lack of it, In The Dark is a tough sell.
That’s because, despite positively fizzing with enthusiasm for the project, founder and director Andrea Cockerton can’t talk much about the actual content of its forthcoming performances in anything other than general terms.
To do so, would be to shatter the secrecy and ruin the experience.
What she can tell me is the basics.
In The Dark aims to do for music, what celebrated pitch black dining experience Dans Le Noir has been doing for food since the early noughties in Clerkenwell.
“In a way, watching people performing is a distraction,” said Andrea.
“You’re looking at them, at the other audience members, perhaps checking the time.
“I wondered what would happen if you took that away?
“When you can see, you’re processing a great deal of visual information.
“But, with sound surrounding you in the dark, your brain does all kinds of different things.”
Performers play in the dark, with audience members wearing eye masks to minimise distraction
the origins of In The Dark
Andrea, a pianist, composer, and arts entrepreneur, developed the idea initially for large-scale musical collective
We Are Sound, a group she founded in Cambridge that puts on “gloriously chaotic” gigs featuring more than 120 amateur performers.
“We’d done quite a few shows in London at Scala, Union Chapel, Bush Hall and loads in Cambridge,” she said.
“It was with that group that I was trying to think about what else we could do.
“So I told them we were going to do some shows in darkness.
“The idea was that it would be a really great experience both for learning music and for performing.
“I put the tickets on sale and they sold out within half an hour. We added extra shows and they just kept selling.
“Each performance was about 30 minutes and the feedback was phenomenal. Normally, with music you don’t get much but it came flowing back to us.
“People were saying it was the most extraordinary experience, that they would never forget it.
“Audiences found it profoundly moving.”
In The Dark’s 2025 season includes dates under the hull of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich
pushing forward In The Dark
Just as Andrea, who studied music at Cambridge before spending time in the world of business, and the project was getting into its stride, the pandemic arrived and upset things.
“I knew by our final performance that I wanted to try In The Dark with professional musicians because I thought it had the potential for a wider run, perhaps in the West End,” she said.
“It’s taken five years for two reasons.
“Firstly, I was very sick with Covid and Long Covid and secondly I was diagnosed with cancer.
“I’m OK now and I’m back up to full speed – I felt this needed to happen and I’ve never been someone who doesn’t follow my dreams.
“So then it was a case of finding some venues and a group of musicians.”
In The Dark, featuring Andrea’s Hush Collective, is set for a run of performances at St Bartholomew The Great in Smithfield, Trinity Buoy Wharf in Leamouth and a couple of shows under the hull of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich in celebration of Burns Night.
But why seek out characterful venues at all, if audiences can’t even see them?
“While the shows differ slightly in format depending on the venue, what’s common to all of them is that they are in beautiful buildings, beautiful settings,” said Andrea.
“People have a little bit of time to enjoy that before sitting down.
“It’s a calm, slightly visceral atmosphere.
“People are given masks and they put them on before the show begins.
“The acoustics are an important factor in the choice of venue too – it’s 99% unplugged so you need some kind of resonance.
“While the audience don’t see the performers, there’s quite a lot of movement too, which changes the sound and the experience for the listeners, so we need space for that to happen.
“There are no monitors, no metronome clicks for the musicians, no conductor – nothing – and that’s both risky and extraordinary for the performers.
“It’s all done through rehearsal – the players have to know the material well enough so they know exactly what’s going to happen and when.
“As an audience member you’re not seeing how you respond, and as a performer you’re not seeing how you perform – there’s this fantastic freedom and that’s why people have responded to it so well.
“It really is magical, I’d listen to a performance like this every night if I could.”
Audiences cannot see the musicians who are playing for them at an In The Dark performance
revealed at the end
Audiences only see members of the Hush Collective at the end of the performance, when details of the programme are also revealed.
Without endangering those precious secrets, we can at least say there might be elements of ambient, Scandi, nu-folk and experimental music with hints of electronic and classical thrown in for good measure.
Beyond the music itself, there’s another dimension to In The Dark, which Andrea hopes to develop and grow beyond this run of performances.
“If this goes well in London, the aim is to take it into Europe, especially the Scandinavian countries,” she said.
“Part of our ethos is to pay our musicians fairly – we want to do things right for people working on the project.
“Some years ago I set up The Dosoco Foundation to support music related projects and we’ve given out about £20,000 over the years to a variety of initiatives.
“We’ll be giving 5% of the profits from In The Dark to that organisation to help fund it.”
key details: In The Dark
In The Dark performances in east London are set to take place at St Bartholomew The Great in Smithfield on various dates and times from January 16, 2025, and at The Chain Store at Trinity Buoy Wharf in Leamouth from March 20.
Tickets start at £35.
The Cutty Sark will host two shows on January 25, 2025, at 7.15pm and 9.15pm.
Alistair has a long history with Laser Quest and there’s a sense he’s lost none of the enthusiasm he first felt for the game and its atmosphere.
Born in Bolton, he began playing aged 14 and started working part-time at his local branch while studying at college.
“Apart from the games it was also a bit of a social scene,” he said. “Inevitably I got a job and a foot in the door.
“I lived up there until my mid-20s when I hit a bit of a glass ceiling as one of the managers, so the next step was to own my own centre.
“There was an opportunity for me to get some premises in Croydon and open up.
“So I sold my house and raised some capital to get it up and running as a licensed operation, similar to a franchise.”
The Laser Quest Greenwich alien
opening his first
That first venture was a success, with Alistair getting stuck in to establish the business.
“Once that had happened, all I could think about was opening a second one,” he said.
“Being a northern lad, I was drawn to some opportunities in the north and so I opened the next one in Sheffield.
“That was next to a leisure complex and a cinema, so that worked very well too.
“From there it was a case of me, having understood how the business model worked, copying and pasting the next one and eventually I found myself with eight or nine sites.”
That trajectory may well have continued had the pandemic not arrived in 2020, which forced the closure of his businesses.
However, Alistair leaned into an opportunity.
“I had the chance to buy the whole of Laser Quest, which develops, supplies and licenses the equipment,” he said.
“The owner was coming up to retirement age and I got on with him quite well, so that opportunity was there.
“I figured that, if we didn’t recover from Covid, I was screwed anyway, so I put all my chips on the business.”
Laser Quest GB managing director Alistair Dawson at Laser Quest Greenwich
bouncing back
The man who’d fired his first laser at 14 now owned the company that was ultimately responsible for his first ever job.
“It was bizarre,” he said. “At first there was a lot of pressure and I did question whether I’d done the right thing.
“But then there was a bounce back after Covid – people had been starved of fun.
“When all the centres were open and trading again, there was renewed interest from other leisure operators too – such as Flip Out – so it’s proved to be quite a good decision and I hope it will continue.
“At the moment we’ve got about 60 centres in the UK and I own about 10 or 12 of those sites.
“The others are licensed operations.”
In response to renewed interest, the company has been increasing its operation in Greater London with branches in Bromley, Brent Cross, Kingston, Barking and Romford.
It has just opened Laser Quest Greenwich, tucked away in a basement at Merryweather Place just off the Deptford End of Greenwich High Road.
“We’ve realised there’s a big demand in the capital and we’re now getting round to fulfilling that,” said Alistair.
“Traditionally, the business has always been a venue for children’s birthday parties.
“We do packages that include food, drinks and everything people need for that.
“But it also appeals to all ages – for some there’s a nostalgic feel to it.
“Someone in their 40s, for example, might remember going to parties as kids.
“It’s a fun activity and people get excited just talking about it.
“We still do score sheets for each player so you can see who you zapped, who zapped you and what percentage of your shots were on target.
“Being just down the road from Canary Wharf, we’d love companies to use the facility – we do offer exclusive hire with unlimited games.
“We’ve got a 4,500sq ft arena that can accommodate up to 40 players.
“Catering can be arranged or groups can make their own arrangements – we like to be really flexible.
“We also intend to get the venue licensed so we will be able to serve alcohol to adult players.
“That means we’ll also be fitting into the competitive socialising market, which is really taking off.
“We’ve also introduced something completely new for Greenwich – an attraction called the Laser Maze.
“It’s like something out of Mission Impossible, where players have to navigate their way through a room filled with beams.
“Break one of them and you’ll get penalised.
“We hope it will become really competitive.
“Also on-site, we have an array of video games to keep people entertained.”
Party business: Laser Quest Greenwich is perfectly equipped for kids’ parties
looking to the future
As for the future, the fact that Alistair is now in charge of the wider business means he has oversight on the development of the brand, its equipment and what its future will be.
“As a business we own the trademark and produce the packs necessary to play the game,” he said.
“The great thing about owning the company is that I can help develop new equipment, features and systems to make it even better over the coming years.
“One of the things we want to do is to bring out a Laser Quest app, so photos and scorecards from the game can be downloaded.
“That would also allow us to do members’ leagues.
“We’ve got some really exciting things coming over the next couple of years.”
Will you take on the Laser Maze?
key details: Laser Quest Greenwich
Laser Quest Greenwich is open now from 4pm-9pm on weekdays and from 10am-9pm at weekends, for school holidays and on Bank Holidays.
The standard rate for a single, 20-minute game is £10.95. A go on the Laser Maze costs £3.
Party packages start at £29.95 per guest.
Exclusive hire of the whole venue starts at £350 with a capacity of 40 people.
Corporate hire starts at £795 for one hour with unlimited games included.
- 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
He’s been patron of music at the Cabot Place venue since it opened its doors way back in 2011.
But his musical connection to this part of London goes back even further.
“Growing up, I lived in Greenwich – just the other side of the Blackwall Tunnel – but nobody dared go through ‘the pipe’ as it was known,” said the band leader, pianist, presenter, singer and former member of Squeeze.
“It was another world, but we were teenagers so we went through and discovered the people on the other side of the river were just as nice as us.
“I even won a talent show in one at the age of 15.
“The prize was that you got to play there for four weeks.
“They sacked me after three, because I didn’t know any more songs.
“Pubs used to have piano players and then, once a week, maybe a band.
“There was one in Rotherhithe – The Prince Of Orange – which had trad jazz. It was open all night for a while and it was fantastic, although it’s closed now.”
That regularity of live performance was what first attracted Jools to Boisdale.
“I went to the restaurant in Belgravia a few times and got to know the owner, Ranald Macdonald,” said the musician.
“I just thought it was so great that they put on music, because there aren’t that many places doing that consistently.
“Boisdale does and that’s amazing because it’s a really hard thing to organise.
“Right from the first time I went in there, it had an atmosphere, something a bit glamorous – as though it was from another age like a 1940s American film.”
Jools performs with Gregory Porter and Nick Reynolds of the Alabama 3
patron of music: Jools Holland
As patron of music, Jools regularly hosts a Boogie-Woogie Spectacular at the Canary Wharf venue, featuring his favourite stride and boogie-woogie pianists such as Neville Dickie, German Axel Zwingenberger and Swiss Ladyva.
“Boisdale Of Canary Wharf is really a wonderful place,” said Jools.
“It has a magical atmosphere that’s like walking into another world.
“You have the joy of the music, the food and the buzz.
“The awards are really great because you get people from all different fields of performance at varied stages in their careers.”
Previous winners have included the likes of Alabama 3, PP Arnold, Snow, Tony Iommi, Kiki Dee, Suzi Quatro, Emeli Sande, Lemar, UB40, Lisa Stansfield, Mud Morganfield and Maxi Priest.
It’s also recognised emerging acts such as Errol Linton, Emily Capell and Charlie Pyne.
“Forget what they say in the media, there aren’t different sorts of music, these are just great players and singers,” said Jools, who often collaborates with winners on the night.
“It’s a bit like Later, my TV programme.
“The event is a real mix of things rather than just a load of pop music – although there’s nothing wrong with that.
“I’d use previous winners Gregory Porter and Albert Lee as examples.
“Albert is one of the greatest country guitarists the world has ever known and Gregory is one of the best jazz singers alive today.
“I love the fact that they’re in different spheres, but they can both fit into Boisdale and both receive awards from this venue in Canary Wharf – I think that’s wonderful.”
PP Arnold on stage at the Boisdale Music Awards
Boisdale Of Canary Wharf: home of the unexpected
One of the endearing things about nights out at Boisdale is that you never quite know what’s going to happen and its awards ceremonies are legend for their unexpected appearances and juxtapositions.
Where else might you spot Hugh Laurie swapping tales with a founder member of Black Sabbath or see a Sex Pistol perform with David Bowie’s sideman?
With going on a decade and a half of performances, its stage has hosted an unrelentingly diverse programme of acts, with Mel C, Rebecca Ferguson, Alexander Armstrong and Suspiciously Elvis giving it their all.
“My friend Rod Stewart did go in and perform one night and loved it,” said Jools. “He didn’t realise I could have been there playing with him.
“Boisdale Of Canary Wharf has become a great room. When these places are new, I think they’re harder. I do think rooms have a spirit – now it’s got a vibe in it.
“It’s a curious thing. I’m not a mumbo-jumbo person, but there is definitely something about a musical instrument that’s been played a lot, or a room that’s been inhabited and has had a lot of music played in it, with people enjoying it. That really adds to the atmosphere.
“You can’t put your finger on what it is, but the likelihood of something great happening is much increased.
“For me, that was playing with Gregory Porter at Boisdale.”
The event packs our Boisdale Of Canary Wharf
Jools Holland on Canary Wharf
It’s not just the venue itself for Jools, however.
Having grown up locally and formed Squeeze across the river in Deptford, he’s seen Canary Wharf emerge and grow and he’s a fan.
“Some people say that, years ago – when there was nothing there – it was really great,” he said.
“But I say what the great gurus say, which is that it’s now that’s the moment
“If you have a room with all those great people in it and great food too, then now is its pinnacle – paradise is now – and now is the time to go.
“When Canary Wharf was first built it was a big thing.
“You’d look over from Greenwich and you’d see it towering above everything else, but now everything’s around it – there’s a whole world here.
“When they said the piazza in Covent Garden was a great place after it was first built, others said they’d preferred it as a mediaeval village.
“The great thing about Canary Wharf is that it’s been very well built.
“Then with the live music you have here now at Boisdale it becomes a place.
“You’ve got to give places like the Wharf a chance sometimes, rather than saying it was better in the past or it will be better in the future.
“Now is the time that it’s actually good.”
Son of Muddy Waters, Mud Morganfield on stage at the awards
a burger for preference
While on duty Jools prefers a clear head and stomach, so he’ll be waiting until after the presenting is done to enjoy Boisdale’s hospitality on September 18, 2024.
But his dish of choice at the venue perhaps harks back to another memory from his personal relationship with Canary Wharf.
“Their cheeseburger is a delicious thing,” he said. “The food is always very consistent – you feel as though you’ve had a proper night out when you eat there.
“They have a great wine list there, and I quite like wine.
“You could take your aged aunt there and she’d think it was fantastic, or you could take some teenagers and they’d have a fantastic time.
“It has that personal touch, it’s not like a corporate chain, but it has the contents of Ranald’s brain all around the room and it’s a very nice brain to have a look at.
“I remember, back when One Canada Square was first built, I used to take my children through the Blackwall Tunnel and we’d pretend we’d driven all the way to the USA.
“There was an American diner at the foot of the tower serving burgers and that was great.
“There’s a lot more than that here today.”
Emerging artist Emily Capell performs at Boisdale Of Canary Wharf after receiving an award
key details: Boisdale-Xejoff Music Awards 2024
The Boisdale-Xerjoff Music Awards 2024, hosted by Jools Holland, are set to take place on September 18, 2024, with ticket prices starting at £149.
The evening starts at 6pm with a Champagne and cocktail reception followed by a three-course dinner.
The awards will then be presented by Jools Holland and YolanDa Brown alongside performances from the winners.
- 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
Deposits are typically the biggest hurdle for young people seeking to purchase a home in London.
The average house price in the capital (according to the latest figures from the Land Registry) currently stands at just over £500,000.
That means buyers on the open market would need at least £25,000 to purchase with a 5% mortgage and more likely £50,000 for a more affordable 90% loan-to-value deal.
While cheaper properties are, of course, available, the need to raise such sums remains a significant obstacle to getting on the ladder.
priced out – an NHG Homes survey
A recent survey of prospective first-time buyers by Opinium and affordable housing provder NHG Homes (part of housing association Notting Hill Genesis) found 81% of those aged 18-24 did not have access to a deposit of more than £40,000 – the 10% necessary to access many homes in the capital.
The study showed the average deposit buyers they had managed to put together was £22,963.
Kidbrooke Square will feature plenty of open space
income sources
It also revealed that, in a nation hit by a cost of living crisis, nearly half of 18-to-24-year-olds were looking at taking on second jobs to raise extra cash to put towards a home.
The survey also found 43% would be willing to hold off on having children to help them get on the ladder earlier in contrast to less than a quarter of those aged 25 or older.
The same did not apply with pets however, with a third of older buyers willing to go without an animal companion to save money as opposed to just under a fifth of adults aged 24 or younger.
family assistance
Opinium and NHG Homes’ study also showed that using cash from family was still a major source of funding for house purchases.
Around a quarter of those aged 35-44 said they were relying on money from parents to help them get a foot on the ladder, while 23% of people in relationships were looking to do the same to finance their first home.
Other relations were also listed as an important source of funds, with nearly a fifth of respondents aged 18-34 saying they were expecting to use contributions from family members who weren’t their parents.
Deposits on shared ownership homes can start from as little as four figures
an alternative from NHG Homes
Nearly half of respondents said they would consider shared ownership, if it meant they could purchase a property in the capital.
The scheme offers buyers the option to purchase a portion of a home while paying rent on the remainder.
It often works out cheaper than renting – especially given recent increases across London – and deposits start at 5% of typically a quarter of an apartment.
That means buyers with as little as £5,000 saved can potentially buy into a home worth more than £370,000 and live there as though they owned the whole thing.
NHG Homes sales and marketing director, Diana Alam, said: “Getting on the property ladder in London is a real challenge for first-time buyers, and it’s not surprising to us that many are having to look beyond their main source of income to save the amount needed for a deposit.
“Whether it be getting a second job or asking family members for a helping hand, this research has shown that buying through the open market in the capital requires more than simply setting money aside every month – particularly for younger buyers.
“The proportion of first-time buyers who would consider using shared ownership to purchase in London shows just how important it is to offer more affordable routes to home ownership.
“We’re proud at NHG Homes to offer properties across the capital that require deposits as low as four figures, meaning first time-buyers don’t have to choose between staying in London and getting on the property ladder.”
NHG Homes offers a wide range of shared ownership properties including this one at Kidbrooke Square
key details
NHG Homes offers a wide range of shared ownership options across London.
For example, one, two and three-bedroom homes are available to buy at Kidbrooke Square via shared ownership, with prices starting at £93,125 for a 25% share and a minimum 5% deposit of £4,594. This is based on a full market value of £372,500.
Average monthly costs for a one-bedroom are estimated at £1,386, including mortgage payments, service charge and rent on the un-owned portion of the property.
- 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
Marsha Powell grew up in Brockley with the flashing light on top One Canada Square visible from her bedroom window.
Despite starting her career with only GCSEs on her CV, she made it to the estate, working in HR for the Financial Services Authority (now the Financial Conduct Authority) for more than 13 years.
“I’d done work experience in human resources and it was my dream to work in that sector,” she said.
“When I joined the FSA aged 19, I decided that was what I wanted to do and, through hard work, I was afforded that opportunity.
“I made sure I had good mentors and cheerleaders and I went back to college, did my degree and a masters, and that put me in a good place educationally on the career path.
“I also had two children at that time.
“I became an HR business partner, living my dream, and supporting people like Andrew Bailey – who’s now the governor of the Bank Of England.
“I was working at 25 North Colonnade in Canary Wharf and it was at the time when the FSA was being separated from the Bank.
“I had to decide whether I wanted to stay or go as my role was moving to the City.”
It was also a period of great tragedy in Marsha’s personal life.
BelEve, inspired by a tragedy
“My mother, Delores Diana Hay, had been diagnosed with gall bladder cancer and, about 10 weeks later, she passed,” said Marsha.
“My sisters, Chyloe, Rochelle and me had been talking about developing a mentoring programme for girls before my mum died, and her death gave me the opportunity to be bold.
“I had a bit of money to try something and two children – a daughter aged 10 and a son aged five.
“For me, it was either do this now or never.
“That’s how BelEve was born, on my dining room table – I just used all my transferable skills and started it with the help of my sisters.
Working with girls and young women aged eight to 22, the charity has supported more than 20,000 people, offering support, education, guidance and positive solutions.
It aims to offer opportunities to those it works with, intending to boost their confidence, self-esteem and skill sets as well as giving them access to inspirational role models to help unlock their full potential.
Marsha grew up with the light from One Canada Square blinking in her window
core values
“We founded the charity because we wanted to use all the core values our mum taught us such as sisterhood and love,” said Chyloe, BelEve’s chief finance officer.
“We teach the girls that if they can lead themselves first, then they can have confidence and have all the attributes which they need to lead others around them.
“I worked in fashion for 12 years.
“Then, like Marsha, when we found out mum was ill, it changed my perspective on things.
“When she passed away, I realised that what I was doing was not meaningful – anyone can buy clothes.
“I felt I needed a bit of a break to process what had happened.
“We were all really young and it was challenging to navigate life without someone who had been our anchor.
“It got to a point where I wasn’t really enjoying work any more, so Marsha suggested I should just leave and join her.
“We grew up in south-east London and we work mostly in Lewisham, Southwark and Greenwich.
“We know that deprivation is high in these areas, so we wanted to offer something that wasn’t a cost to the parents – that young people could get free of charge.
“Our programmes are free to young people and we get funding through sponsorship or donations.
“BelEve is about feeding back into the local ecosystem of our community.
“We wanted to make sure that young people were not stuck because of their beginnings, to give them options and opportunities.
“About 80% of the girls we work with are black or from ethnic minorities and we want them to see role models that look like them – you can’t be what you can’t see.
“In Brockley where we grew up there’s an affluent part and an area with an estate.
“We want to assure the girls and young women we work with that starting on the estate side doesn’t mean you can’t cross over to the area with the coffee shops.
“Often those we work with are the first in their families to go to university and get high paid jobs – which has an impact on everyone. We want that effect to be systemic in those families.”
from HR to CEO at BelEve
For Marsha, who runs the charity as CEO, BelEve is about generating those opportunities as well as helping those it works with see themselves in roles at large firms and organisations.
She said: “I worked in HR for a long time and diversity and inclusion has long been a thing.
“But for some organisations it was a quota – a top-down, rather than bottom-up approach to that commitment.
“I do think the George Floyd situation and the emergence of Black Lives Matter was a big shift in that space.
“I think a lot of white execs were suddenly thinking they had a lot of responsibility – that they couldn’t say they were supporting diversity when they weren’t actually doing much about it.
“Has it changed the way that organisations recruit? I think younger people are very committed to it.
“For example, I’ve been to so many panels where people openly say they are autistic or have ADHD.
“People would never have talked about that in a workplace before, but now it’s accepted and we’re working in a diverse space where we can employ anyone and can get the best from them.
“Ultimately it’s always about the bottom line and difference always brings profit.
“At BelEve, everything we do is centred around love because, when you have a sense of belonging, then anything is possible.
“We deliver workshops in primary and secondary schools. We also deliver mentoring and what is important to us is that girls get an opportunity to experience true role models.
“If you want to work in the city, then you need to meet the women who work there.
“I have got a good network and a lot of that has come from my time working in Canary Wharf.
“It’s about creating opportunities and experiences for girls to see how they can create career prospects, which can ultimately improve their life chances.
“That is all very big, but it is doable with the right support, the right network, the right opportunities and experiences. I use myself as a blueprint.”
transformative possibilities
“We are selling hope, possibility and transformation,” added Marsha.
“We’re always looking for women who are prepared to give time and share their experiences.
“Luckily for us we have a good array of people who want to give back to the next generation.
“The most beautiful thing is when you see a young girl who is displaying low confidence coming to a workshop and blossoming like a flower or a butterfly.
“That change is so rewarding.
“I’m not even thinking about the business side, I’m thinking about the lives that we’ve touched – the girls whose prospects have altered dramatically through our intervention.
“We had an event in March and one of the girls stood up and spoke on stage.
“She said that she’d joined BelEve at 14, was very shy and not even thinking about university.
“Now, at 19, she’s going to Cambridge, and that’s because she had a mentor through our organisation.
“She’d had so much opportunity because people around her made her believe she could do it.”
seeing the results
Chyloe added: “One of our success stories is partnering with the Civil Service who contacted us because they’d seen women from black and ethnic minorities weren’t getting through their assessment centres.
“We built a programme and have seen six girls find roles that way and that’s when I think we’ve done a good job.”
As a charity, BelEve is always looking for fresh support and partnerships to expand and grow its activities.
“The support we get from our donors and partners is very much appreciated,” added Chyloe.
“We have a campaign at the moment where we want to support at least 50 girls aged eight-15 on a summer programme and offer it for free.
“It’s called the Summer Of Love and we ran it last year. It was a huge success, with workshops, activities and trips for three weeks.
“A lot of those on last year’s programme are now a part of our community so it’s something we want to do again.
“We’re asking people to donate £25 and £250 gets each girl three weeks of non-stop summer activities.”
key details: BelEve
You can find out more about BelEve’s programmes and workshops here including ways to donate or get involved as a company.
- 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
The senior sales executive is on something of a personal mission to spread the word about what’s available to prospective buyers, having seen the benefits for himself.
He said: “Before my current role, I was a sales account manager for big tech companies in America.
“I did very well, winning awards and becoming the firm’s top salesperson worldwide.
“About four-and-a-half years ago, my now wife and I bought a shared ownership property from an affordable housing provider.
“That was a three-bed in the Beckenham area, with underground parking.
“I’m from west London, so I came all the way over to the south-east of the city, where the value for money is amazing – there’s the greenery, the parks and it’s away from the hustle and bustle.
“I realised how much not having that had affected me, so I wanted us to live where we could walk around and feel the fresh air.
“We couldn’t believe that a three-bed was affordable – it was a dream to us.
“Buying a home that’s 1,000sq ft in London gave me an appreciation for shared ownership as a product.
“We were planning to get married, wanted to start a family and so we moved into the three-bed. But then the pandemic happened and I got made redundant straight away.
“We’d moved in December 2019 and I can remember thinking how lucky we were to have lockdown in this beautiful property.
“I decided I wanted a role where I could make a difference.”
NHG Homes senior sales executive Daniel Jennings
working for NHG Homes
“I wanted to help other people feel like I had, so I thought I’d try to get my feet wet, joined NHG Homes and sold seven properties in my first two weeks,” said Daniel.
“Since then, I’ve been promoted and now, when I talk to buyers, I don’t really have to sell.
“I just show them what we have, talk about my experiences with shared ownership and how I felt when I bought into it.
“Then we talk about pros and cons options and what makes sense for them, what their goals are and what’s right.
“We really try to focus on them as people and try to find something that works.
“This includes thinking about location, commutes to work, the safety of the neighbourhood and whether there’s enough light and space.
“We even look at which way a property faces and whether the buyer is a morning or an evening person.”
A show home at Kidbrooke Square’s Borsberry House
what’s on offer at Kidbrooke Square
Kidbrooke Square itself isn’t exactly without attractions.
The development, which includes a mix of tenures, is located on the doorstep of Kidbrooke station.
This is ideal for rapid connections to Lewisham (for Canary Wharf and the DLR) or direct trains into the City.
The scheme features a concierge service, residents’ gym facilities and private podium gardens.
It also boasts landscaped grounds, plans for a cafe in what’s currently the marketing suite and its own dedicated bus route.
Further benefits include being close to Berkeley Homes’ extensive regeneration of the Ferrier Estate, which has seen many local amenities arrive in the area.
These include shops, a pub, a cafe and the playgrounds and the extensive spaces of Cator Park.
Greenery nearby is something of a theme.
Kidbrooke Green Park, Manor House And Gardens, Blackheath Common, Greenwich Park and Charlton Park are all within a 15-minute bike ride or half-hour walk of NHG Homes’ new properties.
Then there are the homes themselves.
These feature balconies or winter gardens, open-plan living areas with wood effect flooring, fitted kitchens with Zanussi appliances and porcelain tiling in the bathrooms.
All come with high quality sound proofing, air filter technology plus communal heating and hot water systems.
They make for a compelling proposition in comparison to the prospect of renting privately.
A kitchen in a show home at Borsberry House
security in shared ownership
“Shared ownership means buying a home for life,” said Daniel.
“You can do what you want, no-one’s going to kick you out.
“You can put your pictures up, paint your walls and there won’t be any difficult conversations with landlords about rents going up.
“Being a tenant can be tough.
“By the time you see a property and call, it can be let, or you have to make a decision on the spot when you see it.
“With shared ownership there are so many options.
“Take someone earning £40,000 or £45,000.
“If they put down a £9,000 deposit, 10%, they can get a one-bed and then feel comfortable with their income and paying their bills each month.”
An artist’s impression of open space at Kidbrooke Square
escaping tenancy with a home at Kidbrooke Square
“Most people who are renting are sick of sinking their money into paying someone else’s mortgage,” said Daniel.
“With shared ownership, you’ve got equity that you can build on and what you’re paying in rent, which is capped, is going to a good cause – it supports communities by building more affordable housing.
“Then, if you want to sell your share, you’ll get support from us and the fees will be cheaper than an estate agency.
“Most people – I’d say around 80% or 90% – who buy a shared ownership home are first-time buyers although you don’t have to be.
“That means we exercise patience – we know they will want us to talk them through everything and really break down all the elements of how it works.
“People have a lot of questions about how rent increases happen and why service charges can change.
“But these things can seem scarier than they actually are.
“I’m able to use my personal experience to show them that my rent, for example, might have risen £60 a month but a property in the private market might have gone up £300 or £400.
“That helps calm people when they have that understanding.”
One, two and three-bedroom homes are available at the scheme
key details
Shared ownership homes at Kidbrooke Square start at £91,875, £113,125 or £158,750 for 25% shares in a one, two or three-bedroom apartment respectively.
Monthly costs for the above are estimated to be £1,344, £1,550 and £2,042 including mortgage payments, rent and service charge.
- 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
As we stand beside the head of Boris Johnson on Blackheath, a young spaniel scampers up and urinates on it.
After I mention to the four-legged critic’s owners that I’m with the artist who created the sculpture, they’re immediately full of apologies and dash off with the same nervous energy as their canine charge.
He’s already set fire to it at Speaker’s Corner and, having been made, run its course and suffered symbolic destruction, it has now returned to the streets of Greenwich like the discarded newspaper it started life as.
He’s not sentimental about it – surprising, perhaps, given the effort that went into creating it.
“I built my own machines so that I can physically sculpt things,” said Mohamed.
“I’ve been an industrial designer since the age of 14 and, after graduating from the London College Of Communication, I’ve worked for large format fabrication companies in their research and development departments.
“When the pandemic struck I’d just signed a lease on a workshop in Greenwich and then I was furloughed.
“With Old News, I had been developing slicing capabilities – how to accurately cut an object at higher and higher resolutions.
Old News shortly after completion – 6,277 pages of newspaper
“3D printing uses this technique and it’s similar to the idea of pixels in an image.
“The first thing I made was using sheets of cardboard, then sheets of metal and then newspaper at 0.3mm per slice.
“The first Covid lockdown was kicking off and I collected newspapers.
“I had to remove the staples from every copy and iron each sheet. While I was doing that, I was thinking about what to make and Boris’ face was everywhere.
“I produced a digital version of him using photogammetry, which uses images from many different angles to create a 3D map.”
Mohamed used this to cut some 6,277 newspaper pages, working in layers of five to precisely reproduce the former prime minister’s head in three dimensions – stacking them on a steel base plate with precisely calibrated bars holding them in place.
Artist and designer Mohamed Mohamed
“To iron the newspaper took a week, to cut it was three weeks, and to assemble it was me in a dark room for another three,” said Mohamed.
“There’s a level of dedication – of sacrifice to be able to make something honestly like that. Before I made my own pieces, I made work for lots of other people.
“If an artist uses a 3D printer or wields a violin themselves, that’s one thing. If you’re paying someone to do it for you, to me, that’s something else.
“I’m not qualified to judge whether it’s better or worse, but for me personally, I have to physically feel the sweat on my brow, and that links me with my work – that I have physically done it.”
During our conversation, the topics of truth and process come up consistently. Both sit very much at the heart of what Mohamed does.
“I have been making art as a way to sharpen my skill-set for as long as I can remember,” he said.
“It’s a gymnasium for my brain – you create geometry or a thing that doesn’t have to solve a problem – I just have to challenge myself to do it.
“In an art setting, you’re just expressing what’s inside you.
Detail from Penny for Your Thoughts – Heads, 2023 – made with found pennies by Mohamed
“While I work, I pick up litter and that’s what my sculptures are made from. I’ve always been very much into environmental causes and we’ve got a lot of stuff going into landfill.
“If you’re creative, you can turn those objects into something else.
“So I collect lots of things – I’ve picked up coins, a toothbrush and gambling pens on the way here – I have thousands of them in a bucket and I have lots of buckets of different things.
“I listen a lot to the Quran and I see the fineness of art in the world around me.
“The purest art would be the sunrise itself – then a painting of it, a scan of that printed out and so on.
“I know I’m not going to be at the top of that hierarchy, but I can take secondary creations like empty bottles of beer and turn them into something else.
“For me, it’s about taking objects which have been discarded – that someone felt were worthless – and giving them worth.
“I gather things then ask what skill level I’m at and what physics and technology will allow me to do.
Mohamed’s Cleave, 2020 -made with playing cards and a #7 clamp
“I use things like CNC machines or 3D scanners, but I’m not deluding myself – they are just tools, no different than a pencil.
“They allow me to produce what I want to create better.
“The beauty of it, for me, is the engineering element. Anthony Gormley is one of my favourite artists and I like how his pieces are made, how the magic is done, which no-one ever looks at.
“People might appreciate the message of a piece, but if an artist concentrates too much on that, they end up trying to sell you a message.
“Then what’s created is no longer art, it’s just decoration.
“When I work, I am trying to distil my skill level – my entire life’s work – into a physical object and then move on.
“I’m not then sentimental about that piece – it’s made.”
Mohamed, who has Palestinian roots and lives and works in Lewisham, uses the example of a tree.
While its trunk, branches, leaves and blossoms might appear impressive at any one time, he says he sees the whole growing process – the complete history of the entity.
He said people looking at his art were often considering the fruit of the tree, rather than seeing this story.
It’s one reason why those viewing his work may wish to be wary of interpreting his pieces as overtly political.
“The fact Old News features Covid and Boris is irrelevant to me, but significant to others,” he said.
“The beauty of art is that it doesn’t have to mean anything to me – I’m just the vessel for the thing and other people analyse it.
“If I was making Old News today, it would be about the Palestine conflict – 10 years ago, it would have been about weapons of mass destruction.”
Detail from Rock Paper Scissors, 2021 – made with marble, dagger and money
need to know
Old News can currently be found at the Old Donkey Pit, also known as Millennium Circle, at 0º longitude on Blackheath.
- 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
