New Cross
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Cross is a district on the north tip of the London Borough of Lewisham. New Cross is covered by London postal district SE14.
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[edit] History
New Cross was originally known as Hatcham (the name persists in the title of the Anglican parish of St. James, Hatcham, and its school). The earliest reference to it is in the 11th century, in the Domesday Book, in which it is described as as a manor of six acres, with nine villagers and two smallholders. The manor was bought in the 17th century by the Haberdashers' Company, a wealthy livery company that was instrumental in the area's development in the 19th century. Until the creation of the London County Council in 1889, New Cross was a part of the county of Kent.
It is home to Goldsmiths College, Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College, Addey and Stanhope School and was once the home of Millwall F.C. for 83 years (they now play in Bermondsey SE16, in the London Borough of Southwark).
New Cross is near St John's, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich. Its proximity to the latter two, both of which have strong maritime connections, led to the establishment of the Royal Naval School in New Cross in 1843 (designed by architect John Shaw Jr, 1803-1870) to house "the sons of impecunious naval officers". The school relocated further south-east to Mottingham in 1889, and the former school building subsequently (from 1891) housed Goldsmiths College.
On 25 November 1944, a V-2 Rocket exploded at the Woolworth's store in New Cross Road (on the site later occupied by an Iceland supermarket). 168 people were killed, ranging in age from Michael Glover, aged 1 month, to William Frank, aged 80.
The last London tram, in July 1952, ran from Woolwich to New Cross. It was driven through enormous crowds, finally arriving at its destination in the early hours of 6 July.[1]
In January 1981, 13 young black people were killed in the New Cross Fire at a party at 439 New Cross Road. Suspicions that the fire was caused by a racist attack, and official indifference to the death[citation needed], led to the largest ever political mobilisation of black people seen in Britain.[citation needed]
[edit] Politics
In the mid 1970s New Cross and surrounding areas of south London became the focus of intense and sometimes violent political activity by neo-Nazis and racists in the form of the National Front (led by John Tyndall) and a Strasserite breakaway faction (the National Party led by John Kingsley Read). In 1976 these two fascist organisations between them polled more votes in a local ward election (to Lewisham Council) than the Labour Party - sending shockwaves through the local political establishment. This election result spurred the local Labour and trade union movement and other anti-fascists to establish broad-based anti-fascist Committees in Lewisham (ALCARAF) and in neighbouring Southwark (SCARF).
On Saturday 13 August 1977, New Cross was the scene of the largest and most violent confrontation between neo-Nazis and anti-fascists in London since the days of Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts in the 1930s. A National Front demonstration in New Cross, called to capitalise on the controversy over the arrests of local black youths on suspicion of street robbery, was confronted by several thousand anti-fascists. The Socialist Workers Party (operating under the title of the Anti-Nazi League) called a mobilisation to stop the fascists from marching but the London Anti-Fascist Co-ordinating Committee (ARAFCC -representing local anti-fascist committees, including ALCARAF and SCARF) refused to take orders from the SWP and mobilised separately. In the event the majority of the SWP/ANL counter-demonstration was trapped by police in a side street but the ARAFCC stewards succeeded in by-passing the police and leading some 2,000 supporters from the peaceful ALCARAF march earlier in the day onto New Cross Road as the National Front were trying to march through to Lewisham. The violent clashes in New Cross Road allowed police to try out their newly-acquired riot gear but their tactics were incompetent and poorly co-ordinated and the fascist marchers were eventually told by police to terminate their march early in the interests of safety.
These events marked the height of fascist street activity in this part of south London and the National Front, who cultivated a macho tough-guy image, never recovered from the spectacle of their leaders and members cowering under police protection as thousands of locals hurled abuse and bricks at them.
[edit] Culture
The Jehovah's Witness Hall was formerly a synagogue. For a time during the 1980s this was squatted and used by local influential performance artists, including Peri Mackintosh's Proj-X and Test Department, as a rehearsal venue.[1]
During this time, the Goldsmiths Tavern hosted what was then known as "alternative cabaret nights". These were organised by Nikky Smedley (later a Teletubby) into the Parrot Cafe. This played host to fledgling acts including Peri Mackintosh, The Cholmondelys, Julian Clary and Vic Reeves Big Night Out.
In the 1990s New Cross club, The Venue was central to the Indie Rock and Brit Pop scenes and played host to gigs by many of their finest purveyors including Oasis, Shed Seven and Sonic Youth. Urban music magazine, Touch is now based in New Cross.
In the 2000s New Cross placed host to three separate but inter-related scenes. The original New Cross scene was kickstarted by the Angular Records compilation, The New Cross: An Angular Sampler in 2003. This compilation included tracks by the soon-to-be famous Bloc Party, Art Brut, Ladyfuzz and The Vichy Government, and was championed by the NME. Later New Cross was noted as the birth place of New rave (also known as nu rave, neu rave), and is fast gaining ground with London's fashionistas and music journos. Some even coming to regard it as South London's answer to Shoreditch in the wake of its commercialisation. The New rave scene began with a tightly connected movement of artists, DJ’s, bands and squatters called !WOWOW! who have staged parties since 2003 onwards in New Cross. New rave champions, Klaxons, spent their formative years in New Cross and released their debut single, Gravity's Rainbow in April 2006 on Angular Recording Corporation, a label set up by two ex-Goldsmith's College students.
[edit] Transport
The area is served by two stations, New Cross station and New Cross Gate station. Both act as termini of the East London Line of the London Underground network as well as being suburban railway stations.
[edit] Famous residents
- Broadcaster and commentator Danny Baker was born in Deptford
- British hip hop legend Blade did most of his recording in the area, selling his records personally on the streets there and often name checking it in his songs.
- Poet Robert Browning lived in Telegraph Cottage near New Cross Road during the 1840s
- Musician Danger Mouse of the group Gnarls Barkley lived in New Cross while working at a pub in London Bridge during the early 2000s.
- Playwright and author Terence Frisby of the 60's play and movie "There's a Girl in My Soup" was born in New Cross in 1932 but spent the majority of his childhood in Welling.
- 1970s glam rocker Steve Harley grew up in Fairlawn Mansions, New Cross, going to Edmund Waller and Haberdashers' Aske's schools.
- Chartist George Julian Harney lived in Deptford
- Politician Sir Isaac Hayward, leader of the London County Council, represented the Deptford division
- Music hall star Marie Lloyd lived in Lewisham Way from 1887 to 1893
- Actor Gary Oldman was born and raised in New Cross. His film Nil By Mouth is loosely based on his life growing up in South East London.
- Fr. Arthur Tooth SSC, an Anglican priest, was the Vicar of St. James', Hatcham in the 1870s and, whilst he was there, was prosecuted for ritualist practices — an event which became nationally famous at the time.
- Sir Barnes Wallis was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School (blue plaque, on building on corner of New Cross Road and Nettleton Road)
- Artist Edward Henry Windred lived at 352 New Cross Road during the 1930s.
- Nathan Cooper & Chi-Tudor Hart, out of the Electro group Matinée Club grew up in New Cross.
- Indie / Nu Rave bands Klaxons and Pull Tiger Tail shared a house in New Cross during their bands' infancies.
- The band indigo Moss are known to have resided at some point in New Cross.
[edit] Places Nearby
- Brockley
- Deptford
- Lewisham
- New Cross Gate (Part of New Cross)
- Peckham
- Telegraph Hill (Close to New Cross)
[edit] In song
- Carter USM wrote a song called The Only Living Boy in New Cross (1992) (the title being a play on that of Simon and Garfunkel's song The only living boy in New York).
[edit] Reference
- Gordon-Orr, Neil (2004). Deptford Fun City: a ramble through the history and music of New Cross and Deptford. London: Past Tense Publications.
- ^ http://www.greenwich-guide.org.uk/july.htm Greenwich Guide, day by day
[edit] Related Links
- New Cross Photographs
- New Cross Online (includes history)
- New Cross Guide (includes history)
