Carnival and Tottenham Family Funday

And the next day you can celebrate Tottenham's Sunday Summer Solstice in Bruce Castle Park with Family Funday fairs and rides.

BCN

War Medals Lead to Antwerp Arms

The medals of war hero James O'Brien who grew up in the Antwerp Arms

Bruce Castle News has received a very interesting letter from Anthony Taylor who very kindly shared his knowledge about the Antwerp Arms:

"I saw your site while I was researching the O'Brien family and the "Antwerp Arms".

In the 1901 Census the pub was headed by Joseph O'Brien described as a "beer retailer" assisted by his manager, Albert Tibberts. Joseph was a widower but lived in the pub with his 4 children - Joseph Jnr (age 16); Martha (15); James (14) and Frances (12).

My interest - I have a set of World War One medals to Warrant Officer James O'Brien of the Royal Army Service Corps. By 1919 he was living in Wood Green but I have no doubt it is the same man who lived his teenage years in the "Antwerp Arms".

He had originally joined up as a volunteer in 1914 into what became the 60th (2nd London) Division which served from 1916 in Salonika and Egypt. The 60th fought in many key battles and campaigns in what we now call the Middle-East. During his service James contracted Malaria and was invalided out of the Army in 1920.

In addition to his WW1 British War Medal and Victory Medal, in 1919 he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) for his services in Egypt, (see the attached photo). To put this award in context - of the 25,000 MSMs awarded in WW1, only 103 MSMs were awarded to members of the Royal Army Service Corps for their service in Egypt.

Please raise a glass to James O'Brien - a genuine World War One hero from the "Antwerp Arms"

Anthony Taylor"

BCN

Tate Britain Comes to Tottenham

A smiling Tudor?

Come and explore the art of Tudor portraiture at Bruce Castle Museum with Tate curator Karen Hearn tonight Wednesday 27th May at 7pm.

The Museum's gone Tudortastic this weeks with events for children too.

Today's workshop is Design Your Own Tudor Advertising Sign -

Thursday's all about The Theatre

Friday's all about The Rag Trade

and on Saturday Henry VIII pays a visit.



Check out Bruce Castle Museum for more info.

BCN

Family Fun in Bruce Castle Park

BCN

Euroart Studios Open Day Weekend

It's that time of year again

Artists working on Tottenham High Road are throwing open their doors and inviting us into their studios.

Last year was a blast

Visit the Euroart website to find out more - you'll also find info on all the upcoming shows the artists are in - like Euroart's co-founder Lorraine Clarke whose work's off to the Venice Biennale.

See you there


BCN

Tottenham Civic Society Annual General Meeting

The Tottenham Civic Society is holding its AGM tomorrow Sunday 29th March at the Kitap Evi Bookshop Cafe at 4pm.

They'll be talking about Spurs' new Stadium and plans to save all those lovely boarded up buildings on the High Road.

For more info visit the Tottenham Civic Society's new website.

BCN

Antwerp Re-Arms

The Antwerp

Good news for punters.

The Antwerp Arms - 'Best Local in Tottenham' - will be open for business again from Saturday 21st March.



BCN

No Smoking Day

Mount Etna's Gigantic Volcanic Smoke Ring, July 2000.

Bruce Castle News is celebrating National No Smoking Day today

for having quit

a week ago.



BCN

Best Local in Tottenham Up For Sale

The Antwerp Arms served its last pint last night.

The Antwerp's doors will remain closed until a new owner comes along.

BCN

Tottenham Wonderland

BCN

Tottenham Dreams Coming True

Good news for Tottenham...

Spurs are going to build their new 60,000 seat stadium right next to the old one.

Plans include a museum of sport, a hotel complex and shops, shops, shops.

But can all those lovely old boarded up buildings be saved?

Proper plans on show from the 14th November 2008.

BCN

Wheel of Life

Rumours of some forty million pounds of council money held in the collapsed Icelandic bank have got residents nervous that the nice new pavements being laid on Tottenham High Road might stop dead in their tracks along with exciting development plans for the whole area.



Will the milk be delivered in the morning?

Tottenham Cinema

Opportunity for nice new cinema on the High Road


Once upon a time Tottenham was spoilt for choice...


Bruce Grove Cinema opened in 1921 and closed in 1963.


Tottenham Palace Theatre of Varieties opened 1912, once a cinema, then a Bingo Hall, now a church.

When will Tottenham shoppers get a chance to spend their money on the High Road?

When Spurs build their new stadium?

But when will that be?


BCN

Closed for Business?

Take a stroll down Tottenham High Road towards the hallowed ground at White Hart Lane and you'll find yourself walking into a ghost town.

Charming Edwardian buildings left derelict.

Burnt out flats with their windows smashed in.

No shops open for business.

Everything boarded up.

Word on the street has it that all those lovely buildings around the Stadium have been boarded up because the Club is mulling over an exciting and complex decision to build a new Emirates Style Stadium there.

Nail biting stuff because for visitors to the area it looks like that whole stretch of the High Road has been left abandoned when in fact big things are planned.


BCN

Small World

Britney's grandparents came from Tottenham.

Where did they live? What music did they like?

Where was their local?

How did they get to the States?

Why did they leave?

BCN

computer
system

Tottenham Shelter

Bruce Castle Museum invites you to discover the history of Tottenham's Air Raid Shelters.

Wednesday 24th September 7:30 pm.

BCN

Euroart Studios' Lorraine Clarke joins artists exploring art and insects in new exhibition

BCN

Tottenham Civic Society News

Tottenham Civic Society Newsletter:

1. The architectural tour of Tottenham Green conservation area on Sunday, which was part of the Open House London programme, went well with 50 people taking part. If you went on the walk and would like to give any feedback (general impressions, building(s) you liked best, thoughts on new developments, whatever) do let us have it. We could include some comments in the next issue of Civitas.

2. Community singing class Elizabeth Carola (who came on the walk) has just started a community singing class to be held every Tuesday from now until 2nd December, 6.30 - 8.30pm at St Bartholomew's Church, Craven Park Road, N15. Some of you will know that this is the beautiful Grade 11* listed Arts and Craft church which TCS members visited in August. Elizabeth says it has wonderful accoustics. The choir will be singing a mixture of jazz, gospel, pop, folk, etc. If you are interested contact Elizabeth on ecarolauk@yahoo.co.uk.

3. Haringey car free day is taking place this Sunday, 28th September. The whole of Wood Green High Road will be closed to traffic. In its place there will be entertainment, children's activities, farmers' market, stalls, etc. Come along. We will all be there, in one guise or the other. The TCS General Members' Meeting scheduled for that day has been cancelled and will be rescheduled.

4. Windsor Terrace (Nos 538-554 High Road) which was restored as part of the Bruce Grove regeneration programme (TCS had a tour of these buildings earlier in the year) was shortlisted as a finalist for the Regeneration and Renewal Awards 2008 in the "heritage-led project of the year"category. It didn't win - St Pancras International did - but it got "highly recommended". Well done to Yvette Chin and her regeneration and conservation colleagues.

5. Ideas for TCS 2009 Events programme We already have quite a few ideas for next year's programme but if you have any suggestions let us know.

6. And finally - we really hope that the TCS website www.tottenhamcivicsociety.org.uk will be up and running soon!

BCN

Tottenham Carnival and Summer Solstice

What's a little rain this morning on Tottenham's longest day?




Bruce Castle News is On Top of the World today looking forward to dancing in the street no matter the weather.



Keep the party going and head over to Seven Sisters for the Wards Corner Summer Sizzler and make the most of Tottenham's Summer Solstice.





And then a hero comes along...



BCN

Don't stay out too late

Tottenham Online

The Penny Black devised by Rowland Hill (1795-1879), father of the Penny Post, the modern affordable postal service and Tottenham resident.

This site hopes to give you a bit of a picture of all the fun and interesting places to go in and around Tottenham - with a few extras thrown in.

But we can't put it up here all at once and these things take a bit of time...so any reviews and exciting news is always very welcome...

A good place to start for online hints and tips is the haringey.gov website which provides lots of really useful info covering practically everything. And of course the papers carry listings too.

If you're strolling around Bruce Castle Park check out Marmalade's notice board or the handy flyers at the Museum.

Otherwise a scan of the links below shows that the area's already well covered on line- the new Tottenham Carnival website is brilliant and there's loads of interesting things to learn about Tottenham and more and more local businesses and groups are getting connected.

'Rowland! Rowland! Rowland! my new incisive and generous advertising form,' Brazilian envelope showing Rowland Hill Service stationer's logo 1920 .

The Tottenham Civic Society, devoted to promoting all things great and good in Tottenham, is also connecting ASAP. They publish a really interesting newsletter with pics called CIVITAS TOTTENHAM.

Just the other day the Society gave a tour of the High Road to share their knowledge of local history and exciting new developments. On Saturday 31st May they're giving a tour of Broadwater Farm. You can find their events at Bruce Castle Museum and the Hornsey Historical Society.

And also a new free local paper, available in print and online, is now doing the rounds.

With a circulation of 27,000, First Tottenham, is shining a little light through local views, reportage and advertising.





BCN

Take A Walk On The Farm

The Tottenham Civics Society are inviting us all for a tour of Broadwater Farm.

Broadwater Farm estate

Date: 11.00am Saturday 31st May

Walk leader: Sean Gardiner, Broadwater Farm Neighbourhood Officer, with member of Broadwater Farm Residents Association

Broadwater Farm Children's Centre, designed by Gollifer Langston Architects and winner of a Royal Institute of British Architects award 2007.

"Broadwater Farm is a remarkable place….Can this be the same place that I saw 20 years ago in the aftermath of the terrible riot…? The transformation is quite astonishing. Architecturally there have been big changes.

"The estate had been built on the principles established by Le Corbusier, with walkways in the sky that were designed to separate people from the traffic. But they also left the ground floor level entirely vulnerable and the estate quickly became rife with drug dealers while escaping burglars made good use of all the different passageways.

"After the riots the Tory government made the estate one of its priorities, pouring £33 million into demolishing the walkways and a series of other structural improvements. But the estate needed more than physical changes…

"Perhaps the single most important factor in changing the feel of the place was to get in a local management team on the estate. Installing a concierge system… was another major development… And, most important, was ensuring that the community was involved and that the views of local residents were listened to.”(Christian Wolmar, 20 Years Later at Broadwater Farm, 2005)

“Broadwater Farm…now thrives…Once again it is seen as a model public-housing project, but this time around, that seems genuinely to be the case.” (Lynsey Hanley, Estates: An Intimate History, 2007)

A view of the Farm from Gloucester Road.

Come and hear about the changes and improvements that have been made to this estate which Sean Gardiner will describe on his tour.

Meet at the Neighbourhood Office, 108c Gloucester Road, N17. This is on the left hand side just down the slope of Gloucester Road from the junction with The Avenue.

(apart from pics all text and quotes taken from Tottenham Civic Society walk update)

Broadwater United meets Gordie's wife and fly to Tokyo...

BCN

Some places to go around the High Road, Bruce Grove and Lordship Lane...

A bit of a critic? just have to tell the world about somewhere great in your neighbourhood? get scribbling and write our reviews for us!



Tottenham High Road, Bruce Grove and Lordship Lane have loads of places to go out for a bite to eat, a cup of coffee, or a fresh tub of halva.

We've drawn up a list of just some of them in the area.

(and also promise to add one's we can't quite remember the names of! Like that nice Thai place in the alley between the Butchers and McDonald's - you know the one! - and pubs of course)

You may have seen a few of these on the beeb's
'Bruce Grove - Our Street.'




Tottenham High Road

Bar Latina - life and soul of the party, Accoustic Vibe Nights on Tuesdays, otherwise Salsa food and fun - join them at the Carnival for Latin singing and boogie.



Bar Latina - What's On

(Music journos and budding directors get to work! send us your stuff! It's right on your doorstep!)

Shuggie - Bar Latina



Daniel Spiller - I Confess



Rosered - Bar Latina


Luke Paul Jackson's Absent Friends

Mauritian Dance Night


Salsa - sound's a bit rough on this one...


Grhymey Live On Stage


La Barca's - excellent cafe restaurant - lovely seaside themes- opposite Spurs - doors always open

Tottenham Star - give it three stars for delicious kebabs and more, go on! just by Spurs

TFC - a High Road giant, filled with lovely fresh veg and packed with goodies - it's a supermarket but anyways....

Cirrik - Time Out's been there - fancy Turkish cuisine, good atmosphere

Jack's cafe - good old traditional cafe just by Spurs - great food

Titanic Cafe - best named caff in the world

Still there. Best looking cafe in the world, the Titanic holds its course.

Nexus Point - almost the best name in the world?


Tony's Cafe, sadly no more.


Bruce Grove

Well established family run San Marco's opposite the station - everyone loves it

Well established Scorpio's Chicken - tasty eats

New Moroccan Menar Patisserie - great coffee, cakes and cuisine

New massive cafe next to the station in converted post office with function rooms.

Lordship Lane

New Portuguese Marina Cafe - very friendly family run cafe just opposite Bruce Castle Park stacked with treats and a few tipples

(a bit of a cop-out we know - but it's a start!)

BCN

Last Chance to See the Work of Local Artist John Godden at the Museum

If you haven't been already don't miss your last chance to see the work of local painter John Godden (1930-1999) at the Museum which finishes at the end of May.



An Oxford graduate, Godden worked as a librarian in the civil service and used to cycle around the area with camera in hand and paint the scenes that caught his eye.



The Royal Academy chose a few for their summer exhibition.


BCN

New Bookshop?

It looks like there's still a great chance to open a nice new bookshop right next to Marmalade Cafe on Lordship Lane.

Or maybe one of those lovely boarded up buildings on the High Road?

Or next to Bruce Grove Station?

Or Seven Sisters Tube just by Tesco?

Or the Bernie Grant Arts Centre?

Or The Hale Roundabout?

Or Bruce Castle Museum?

Until then you have lots of excuses to meet the almost local heroes who saved Wood Green at the Big Green Bookshop.


BCN

The Dream of Ossie Ardiles

As conceived by Chas and Dave (1981)...

Australian has a Buncha Great Old Tottenham Records

Ian Barton, a resident of a small suburb 10 miles north of Adelaide in Southern Australia, has a great collection of old Salvation Army records dating back to 1927.


The Tottenham Sally.

For anyone interested in brass it's a real treasure trove.

Among them you'll find the Tottenham Citadel Band.


Tottenham Citadel Band 1932, now the Enfield Citadel Band.

Listen to them online at www.regalzonophone.com

We rather liked 'Happy All The Day' but you might prefer By Love Compelled...




BCN

Dave Clark 5 Back in Tottenham Where it All Began

Dave Clark 5 at the 'Royal Theatre' Tottenham

Daddy, Daddy Cool

Mayor Sheik Thompson is playing jazz tonight in aid of talented young musicians at the Wood Green Social Club.

The mayor's bands have played alongside the likes of Georgie Fame, Long John Baldry and the Stones so you're in store for some serious music. Cool... Jazz... skiddlyap.

Doesn't it just chase the blues away to know he's our Mayor? The weather's fine too.

Earlier today he dropped by Marmalade to shine a little light there.

There's also Bollywood Dancing tonight and a few surprises.


(New Mayor of Haringey Egyptologist and Doctor Who fan Alan Dobbie)

BCN

skeedap

Hang On

The home of Spurs for 109 years the Stadium's future at White Hart Lane still hangs in the balance.

Exciting rumours of increased capacity from 36,000 to 50,000 were met with caution by the club yesterday who said they can't make a decision at the end of June as they had hoped to.

On the edge of your seat? Anxious about a Tottenham without Spurs? Hang on in there!

For a more detailed report check out the link below.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/05/07/sfntot107.xml

BCN

Art Opening on Tottenham High Road

Fertility Dolls by Lorraine Clarke.

From the 6th to the 8th of June you can enter into the world of the artists busying away in their garrets right next to Spurs Football Stadium on Tottenham High Road.

On show is a diverse collection covering everything from painting and sculpture to installation art, costume design, animation, SFX sculpture, video, photography and much more.

The broad palette reflects the size of the Euroart building which boasts 43 studios.

Founded in 2002 by the international artist Lorraine Clarke and Partner Nigel Young - an aerospace engineer - this year will be Euroart's sixth Open Studios weekend.

If you missed Lorraine's recent exhibition at the fashionable Old Truman Brewery now's your chance. 'A spiritual rollercoaster into the human psyche', said the Guardian.

The artist Lorraine Clarke in her Tottenham studio.

You can also see the work of an ex-BBC news correspondent and TV presenter Triona Palmer whose art explores the famine, war and disasters she witnessed first hand.

There's just so many interesting artists involved you'll have to go along to Euroart Studios to find out more. Opening Night is Friday 6th June 6pm to 10pm...


BCN

Tottenham Civic Society Reviews Marmalade Cafe

Janet Harris a local resident of Bruce Grove and active member of the Tottenham Civic Society has been to visit the cafe everyone's talking about and sent in her review:

" Daiana, the proprietress of this new venture, used to do
the weekend cafe in Bruce Castle Museum until opening
Marmalade, so I know her from there.

Paying my first visit to her new establishment today, Daiana
was very pleased to see me. There were three customers
in there already (about 11.15am) plus another seven
came in while I was munching, one to order a take-away
snack and the others to eat on the premises. One of the
seven was a Mum with a little girl, dropping in after coming from the park.
So, steady business for a Thursday morning.

The whole ambiance and decoration is reminiscent of
Crouch End or Muswell Hill eateries, even down to the 'distressed'
wooden tables and dining chairs.

Now for the food! There was a wide choice of sandwiches
and rolls. Had a 'half-baguette' filled with egg mayo
and lashings of cress, accompanied by a green salad
(no sign of iceberg lettuce!) and dressing. Also had
one of Daiana's famous cakes and a pot of tea.

The 'half baguette' was so huge and filling that I
brought half home with me. Daiana and her assistant
were happy to supply me with a doggy bag. The pot of
tea provided one-and-a-half generous cups. My meal
came to £5.70:

Tea 95p per pot
Cake £1.75
Baguette £3.00

Today's 'special' was lasagna at £6.50 per portion.
On my taking some leaflets for distribution, Daiana apologised
that she'd had to raise the prices by 5% since the
leaflets were published. See from the leaflets that
Marmalade also does Kids' Parties Saturdays and
Sundays, plus there is a Kids' Menu from around £2.50.

Marmalade is open 8-6 Mon-Fri and 9-5 on Saturdays. Closed Sunday.
The location is 40 Lordship Lane, N17 8NS
next door but one to Bruce Castle Park gates and
almost opposite the Magistrates' Court.

Marmalade's number is 020 8808 9111 end e-mail:
info@marmaladecafe.co.uk

Not only does Marmalade sell herbal teas and provides
an English Breakfast for just over a fiver but also
sells marmalade! Yes!! And made by Daiana herself.
She told me this was her first venture at making
marmalade and it's turned out a bit runny. She
recommends that after spreading your toast, that the
slice is held absolutely level. A small jar (no
weight printed on the label but should imagine about
1/2 lb) costs £1.50.

Janet Harris
Tottenham Civic Society "

Boris Visits London Boxing Academy

Boris Johnson and boxing star Chavez Campbell at the London Boxing Academy on Tottenham High Road.

Boris Johnson dropped by last week to drum up support for his Mayorial campaign and shone a little light on Tottenham's very successful London Boxing Academy and the work it does in the community.


BCN

People's World Carnival Band at the Old Brewery Tottenham High Road

People's World Carnival Band, some of its younger members at the Carnival last year.

"People’s World Carnival Band (formerly People’s War) has been making Carnival in Haringey for the past 26 years. Their HQs have been in a variety of places; volunteer’s front rooms and lock ups, a room above a book shop in Stroud Green Road, a room in Station House Ferme Park Road, at Bruce Grove Youth Project Number 10 Bruce Grove and now at the Old Brewery in Tottenham High Road.

The band works across generations in the community and produces artistic costumes to take onto the streets of Notting Hill as well as many other events through out the year a few of which are international. They have a policy of ensuring that the themes they portray have something to say about the world around us and there is always a historically educational element.

People’s World has performed in the Tottenham Carnival Parade since its inception in 1999, and has an information stall in Bruce Castle Park at the Festival.

The Band has a wide membership with people from all ethnic backgrounds, cultures, ages and abilities. They also try to ensure that costumes are well made and affordable as many band members are on low incomes and the Band has no regular funding. They also recycle wherever possible to save on costs and protect the environment.

There are currently approximately 150 members and another 200 friends of the Band who support events, but do not take part in Carnival.

The Band welcomes new members. Workshops for young people are held from April onwards each year (Saturdays from 12 noon, Thursday evening Dance Classes, Workshops throughout the Summer 6-9.30pm daily). Why not come along and see the work that we do?"

Everyone's getting ready for Tottenham Carnival

Come along to the official press launch and find out what's happening on the day and how you can get involved!

Over 60,000 people last year...

People's World Carnival Band -some of its younger members at the Carnival last year with the Mayor of Haringey Cllr Sheik Thompson

The Carnival Parade Bouncy Castles Latin Stage and Dancing

Youth Entertainment Sound System - Spurs sponsored fun - events for kids and old folk

- promotion opportunities in the Business Village and much more...

But what's happening on the Main Stage?


Starts 6pm sharp Thursday 24th April, at the Platinum Banqueting Suite, The Black Boy Hotel, 268 West Green Road.

RSVP info@tottenhamcarnival.co.uk 020 8801 4824



BCN

Tottenham Vicar with a Love for Eastern Tongues

The latest 'Munch & Listen' lunchtime talk at Bruce Castle took us from King Alfred to King James and shed light on Tottenham's great scholar, mathematician and linguist the Vicar William Bedwell.

William Bedwell, the vicar of Tottenham from 1607 to 1632, was one of the scholars commissioned to translate a new version of the Bible into English by King James I.

What with deciphering Aramaic, Hebrew and Ancient Greek this was no small feat and he was one of 50 men entrusted with the mammoth task.

Bedwell was engaged in the 'First Company of Westminster' responsible for the first bit: Genesis up to Two Kings. The Vicar also wrote a history of Tottenham which included an 'ancient poem' called 'The Tournament of Tottenham' - you can see them both at Bruce Castle Museum.

Carved on his tomb were the following words:

"Here lyes interred in this chancel Mr. William Bedwell, sometime vicar of this church, and one of King James's translators of the Bible, and for the Easterne tongues as learned a man as most lived in these moderne times. Aged 70. Dyed May the 5th, 1632."

It was Peter Brown, a local amateur historian, writer and illustrator who gave the talk at the Castle and vividly brought to life the great religious debates which led to the new King James version. He also brought a very rare Bible of his own for us to look at and his own illustrated history of the Augustinians of Aldgate, Tottenham and Palmers Green.

Spring's family events kick off at the Castle from Sunday April 6th.

BCN

Coombes Croft Library Looks Great After Lottery Funding

David Lammy MP with members of the local community outside Coombes Croft Library.

Blockbusting videos, how-to books on business and the latest bestsellers meet you in the entrance to Tottenham High Road's re-vamped Coombes Croft Library.

Clean, friendly and safe - Coombes Croft offers events from poetry nights to storytelling for children.

You can also brush up your IT skills with classes in computing.

Especially for children 'stories read from the big book' has been very well received and is always packed. Let's hope it continues.

At the toy library you can get everything from books and puzzles to videos and games.

But the Toy Bus takes the library all over Tottenham. On Fridays you'll find it by the playground in Bruce Castle Park.

A new colourful mural outside Coombes Croft makes it hard to miss.

BCN

Perfect Pub on the Park

Perfectly situated just by Bruce Castle Park, The Antwerp Arms continues to offer a very warm welcome after a hard day's work or a day in the sun.

With a lovely beer garden at the back you can also take the kids after a runaround.

It's always packed on match days and whenever the sun's shining.

Great place for a birthday bevvy or two.



BCN

New Cafe Opening on Bruce Castle Park

Marmalade - a friendly new cafe is opening on Lordship Lane just by Bruce Castle Park.

Fans of Bruce Castle Museum may have met the owner when she served up her delicious home-made cooking there on weekends.


Daiana - as seen in the Tottenham Journal.

Each day specials will be chalked up on the board with a select menu so you'll only be served the freshest finest food.

Juicy fry-ups are also on offer so you can satisfy that craving for a Full English.

Bright and friendly with a warm wooden counter to match homely floorboards and rustic shelves brimming with goodies Marmalade is the cafe we've all been dreaming of.

We wish it a very happy future and the greatest success.

BCN