The Dulwich Society Journal for Autumn 2023.
Welcome to the Autumn edition of the Journal. I am typing slowly with one hand as my left (luckily) hand is splinted after a fall. Let me start off with a couple of anniversaries. First, I want to thank the speakers, the organisers and the participants at the Society's Diamond Anniversary at the James Caird Hall. A great evening with a thrilling talk on Shackleton's exploits from Calista Lucy, Keeper of the Archives at Dulwich College. The second is the 30th anniversary of the Dulwich Festival. They are only half our age but their celebration of all things cultural filled 10 days. It seems a while ago now that the artists were opening their houses and the community halls were filled with sights and sounds, but I am talking about it now as the copy date for the Summer Journal was before the Festival took place. Dulwich is privileged to have the Festival and the team, led by Festival Director Annie Mitchell, did a wonderful job. Thanks also to the sponsors and Southwark Council without whose help such an event could not happen.
As you read this edition, please look out for the article on Vision Zero. This tells us about a concept new to the UK, to design our traffic network with a view to keeping users safe, particularly our children. Proven to work in Scandinavia, the challenge it poses of behavioural change is consistent with what we all face as we adapt to living our lives in an altered way, to save our descendants from climate change. Also on the topic of climate change, look out for the article on how heat pumps are powering Bell House in a sustainable way. How to use renewable energy and how to insulate better our homes is becoming a big topic for the Society and the unique circumstances of Dulwich (with an older housing stock, conservation area planning rules and the Estate Scheme of Management guidelines) call for a wider debate, which will necessarily involve Southwark and the Estate as well as the residents and amenity societies.
As usual, we have a wealth of interesting articles on other topics in this edition. We profile four East Dulwich shopkeepers and, for those interested in culture, look out for articles on Popchoir and another on the street art of Dulwich, its ‘Outdoor Gallery’.
The main topic I want to talk about is the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) that is being extended to cover all of Southwark. We have had a CPZ in the Herne Hill area, where I live, for many years now. It caused a stir when it went in, but now it is a non-controversial part of our lives. The rules allow free parking, for residents and visitors alike, in the retail areas, visitors and relatives can get vouchers and the annual charges encourage active travel and the use of public transport and disincentivise the most polluting types of cars. We understand that the political decision to extend the CPZ to the remaining parts of Southwark has already been taken and there is a consultation ongoing to get residents' views on the details, so that the rules fit with their local circumstances. In addition to the specific CPZ questions, there is the opportunity for residents to comment on other related streetscape issues (wider pavements, speed reduction measures, EV charging points, car club bays, cycle parking etc) in the scope of Southwark's recently adopted Streets for People policy. We encourage you all to participate in the consultation, to ensure that residents get the type of scheme that suits their area. The Society will also participate in the consultation, concentrating on the streetscape issues and the maintenance of parking availability for the disabled and for the customers and suppliers of the retailers. We will leave the local design of the CPZ itself to local residents.
Finally, if you want to participate in the consultation on the new rules of the Dulwich Society, remember that the closing date is 23 October. This is the last date for suggested amendments and the rules will be proposed for adoption at the 2024 AGM.
I hope that you enjoy this edition of the Journal.
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Dulwich Society Health and Safety Policy
The Executive Committee approved a new Health and Safety Policy at its meeting on 9th May and a Lone Volunteers Policy on 10th July. The policies and associated Risk Assessment Forms and Incident / Accident Report Form can be found in the Policies section of the website.
Any member organising an event for the Society should complete a Risk Assessment Form in advance. They should also check Fire Evacuation and First Aid arrangements at the venue. The Incident / Accident Report Form should be completed by anyone responding to an incident or accident occurring at a Society event or meeting. The purpose of the Lone Volunteers Policy is to reduce risks faced by those volunteering for the Society unaccompanied, such as Journal deliverers. Any questions about the Health and Safety Policy or Lone Volunteers Policy and all completed forms should be sent to
Society Rules Review Consultation
23rd October will be the last opportunity to propose amendments to the rules which will be put to a vote at
the 2024 AGM. See dulwichsociety.com/pdf/draft-charity-rules-20230402.pdf.
If you have any comments or thoughts, please get in touch with the Society’s Hon. Secretary at
Dulwich Park Rhododendrons
The rhododendrons in Dulwich Park’s famous American Garden have been a disappointment this year with relatively few flowers. It appears that the plants may have been adversely affected by a combination of the hot dry summer last year followed by a very cold and wet winter. There are several dead plants and the ongoing battle with brambles and bind-weed cannot have helped. There may of course be a more fundamental problem in climate change - interestingly, the RHS is in the process of planning to move its collection of rhododendrons from Wisley to Harlow Carr in Yorkshire as the plants were not doing well in the south east. It would be a great shame if this unique feature of the park were to be lost.
Reuniting Sydenham Hill Woods and Dulwich Woods - have your say!
London Wildlife Trust has announced plans to reunite Sydenham Hill Wood and Dulwich Wood, in partnership with Southwark Council and the Dulwich Estate which own them. There is a one-year development phase, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to develop plans for the woods, to be followed by a three-year delivery phase if the development phase is successful. This is expected to focus on major improvements to path conditions, conservation and woodland habitats, as well as creating programmes of community activities.
Public consultation on the plans will run towards the end of September. It is vital to the project being approved for the delivery phase - for details and to have your own say see wildlondon.org.uk/dulwich-woods
Southwark ‘Streets for People’
Southwark Council’s ‘Streets for People’ strategy document was approved by the full Council at a meeting on 10th July. It sets out a commitment to improve residents’ quality of life and act on climate change by changing how Southwark residents travel and use streets in the borough. It is a set of objectives and all future proposals and actions will align with it. The council is now embarking on a year-long engagement process with residents, businesses, and community groups. See southwark.gov.uk/transport-and-roads/streets-for-people
Controlled Parking Zone
One of the key planks of the ‘Streets for People’ strategy is to introduce a borough-wide Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) rather than the piecemeal implementation which has been the case up to now. Several local public engagement meetings were held with residents during July and August and the online consultation runs until 10th September. See consultations.southwark.gov.uk/environment-leisure/dulwich-village-streets-for-people-consultation/consultation/
Hire Bike and E-Scooter Parking
Since May, the Council has introduced over 200 metres of hire bike and e-scooter parking areas in around 30 locations in the Dulwich area. These are part of the Council’s participation in the pan-London e-scooter trial and their success will be monitored over the next 18 months. Hopefully this will mean that there is less likelihood of hire cycles being left randomly in the centre of the pavement. The Council has said they will remove dangerously parked hire bikes and e-scooters - report them to the Council at report.southwark.gov.uk/
‘Dulwich Square’ Consultation
Late in June, Southwark consulted a limited number of key stakeholders and residents’ associations on plans to seek permission from the Department for Transport to designate the highway and public realm of Dulwich Square for permitted public events rather than apply for individual events in turn.
Turney Road Closure Cancellation
Southwark has scrapped its plans to close the north-western end of Turney Road to motorised traffic. With over 600 comments opposing the scheme, the Council has confirmed that there was limited support for its key objectives. When asked what other objectives should be considered, the top three responses were ‘displaced traffic,’ ‘access for key workers,’ and ‘equality of access for disabled people.’ The consultation on the redesign of the junction is likely to commence in the Autumn and all approved changes will be implemented in 2024. For more information, see:
southwark.gov.uk/transport-and-roads/improving-our-streets/live-projects/street-improvements/dulwich-streets-for-people
Dulwich Picture Gallery ‘Open Art’
In July, Dulwich Picture Gallery secured planning consent for its biggest redevelopment in over 20 years. Under the banner ‘Open Art,’ the ambitious plans comprise a series of permanent enhancements across the site, including: innovative landscaping of the Gallery’s currently under-utilised field to transform it into a meadow, which will host a new biennial sculpture competition; a series of interactive artworks in the Gallery’s gardens; improved facilities for schools and families; and a new building to house creative play and activities for families. Construction is set to start in winter 2023 with the aim of all elements being completed by early 2025. The Gallery will remain open throughout.
Another Listening Post
Following the success of the listening post in the Old College Garden, the Society, working with the London Wildlife Trust, has installed a second post on Cox’s Walk at its junction with Dulwich Common, opposite the Grove Tavern. Members are welcome to join the Society’s Local History Group at the dedication ceremony on Sunday 24th September at 11.00am.
Local History Talks Online
The popular online talks will return in October:
- 3 October: Joan Woodward: the good sweetheart and loving mouse (Calista Lucy)
- 7 November: The River Effra: a South London Vanishing Act (Jon Newman)
- 5 December: Labour Party politicians in Dulwich since WW1 (Duncan Bowie)
- 2 January; East Dulwich Pubs, 1860-1960 (Ian McInnes)
- 6 February: More Dulwich then and now (Brian Green)
Images of Dulwich Calendar 2024
The ever-popular ‘Images of Dulwich Calendar’, with photographs by Brian Green, is available from The Art Stationers & Green’s, Dulwich Village. Featuring 12 local scenes in full colour, the calendar has a spiral binding opening from A4 to A3 with space for notes. It is joined by ‘Images of Dulwich Past Calendar 2024’, with twelve vintage photographs depicting old Dulwich. The format is the same as its companion and both are priced at £11.95.
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By Alison Venn
Woodwarde Road was named after Joan Woodward, wife of Edward Alleyn. In June 2023, residents marked the 400th anniversary of her death and celebrated a special lady by arranging a talk, a walk, a party and a permanent local history sign on railings at the Calton Avenue end of the road. We are grateful for support from the Dulwich Estate, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Dulwich Festival, Calista Lucy, Keeper of the Archive at Dulwich College, Sharon O’Connor, Ian McInnes, Dulwich Society members and the Society for sponsorship of the sign.
At their street party Woodwarde residents were entertained with live music from resident Noel Tredinnick and brass instrumentalists from the Guildhall, launching the celebrations in style with a fanfare. Ruff making was popular, as was resident Renata Mair’s original play: The Extraordinary Life of Joan Woodward in 11 minutes and 23 seconds, premièred by the Woodwarde Players!
In front of Joan’s portrait in Dulwich Picture Gallery
I’m gazing at the lady in black. What a striking portrait of the young bride, Joan Alleyn, as she was by then in 1596. Four years into her marriage to Edward, she seems lost in thought, consciously still for the artist, though she doesn’t meet his gaze. Joan holds her prayer book delicately in one hand, her intricately detailed gloves in the other. The red splashes brilliantly against the theatricality of the stunning black dress and delicate ruff she wears. She’s definitely not in mourning; black was the height of elegance and expense, though Edward Alleyn was always keen to source black wool to save the expense of dyeing it, particularly for the twelve poor boy scholars who were clothed, fed and educated in his school. Think of the nursery rhyme ‘Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?’
There’s more to Joan than this 2D portrait, as I discovered from a visit to the archives at Dulwich College and from listening to an excellent talk from the Keeper of the Archive, Calista Lucy, during the Dulwich Festival. In front of the portrait, we got up close and personal to our Joan. More than a trophy wife, you can see from the journals, letters and account books that Joan was hugely engaged in the everyday life and businesses of her husband. She was important to the boy scholars, who regarded her as a mother figure. It’s painfully ironic that she and Edward could not produce the children they desired.
Joan Woodward, the daughter of Agnes and Henry Woodward, was born in 1573 and baptised in St Saviour’s Church, Bankside, now Southwark Cathedral. Her father died in 1578 and a year later her mother married Philip Henslowe, a young apprentice Henry had taken on. Desperate to get involved in the Guild system, to further his own career prospects, Philip was willing not only to marry Agnes but to take on her two children, Joan and Bess. His respect grew for Joan’s confidence and skills; his family even left a legacy to Joan. Philip himself died in 1616 and in the same year Joan was the sole executor of her mother’s will. A wealthy lady, Joan brought money as well as joy to the union with Alleyn.
Yes, they were a happy couple. In October 1592 they became Mr and Mrs Edward Alleyn, first of Bankside, where Alleyn and Henslowe were in partnership at The Rose Playhouse, then of Sussex, then Kennington and finally of Dulwich, where they were Lord and Lady of the Manor (a house in Court Lane, court being held twice a year.) A place providing cleaner air and an easy ride from Bankside, when Philip Henslowe needed his stepson-in-law for business at the Rose. We know when the plague hit London and the theatre company went on tours that Joan immediately stepped up to the plate and did her best to take over her husband’s business dealings, collecting rents and overseeing the refurbishment of their home, organizing a joiner, buying curtains and cushions, just like us. During these times Joan and Edward correspond and you can tell it’s a very loving relationship with affectionate endearments. Alleyn writes, ‘My good sweet harte and loving mouse. I send you a thousand commendations and wish you as well as well can be.’ He signs off ‘Thine ever. Nobody else’s, by God of Heaven.’
He teases her for getting arrested for being out during a curfew, suffering the indignity of being carted off with other miscreants. Alleyn plays little charades in his letters with her, purporting to be a boy actor. She encourages his pursuit of hawking and consoles him when he’s worn his apparel to shreds. ‘As welcome to me you are in your rags as in cloth of gold or velvet.’
Joan writes to Edward in his illness in 1603: ‘My entire well-beloved sweetheart. I crave God to hear of your health and welfare as you of ours.’ She agonises about whether or not to encourage him home, worrying about the damage the change of air might do to him. Yet, ‘I long and am very desirous to see you.’
What’s in an ‘e’? Professor Lucy Munro of King’s College London, comments: “It looks as if ‘Woodward’ is by far the more standard spelling of Joan’s surname, though of course both would have been available in Joan’s lifetime. I wonder if the Edwardian road-namers preferred ‘Woodwarde’ because the final ‘e’ mirrors ‘Henslowe’?”
Joan and Edward had vowed to love each other in sickness and in health. In health they lived their lives to the full, at fairs and social gatherings, going to Church at St Giles, Camberwell, to feast days and funerals; they were at Queen Anne’s lying in state. The Alleyns were the best hosts, ‘At Home’ for dinner every Sunday in Dulwich, with an enviable open house policy, open to everyone and every combination from the Bishop of Winchester to labourers, tenants, the pensioners from the almshouses and families of poor boy scholars. And everyone who came could bring others. The Alleyns must have been great fun and clearly relished the company continuing from their life on the South Bank. They frequently entertained surgeons, one of whom proved invaluable during a period of Joan’s illness. Dr William Harvey, an important physician of the day, who worked out how blood moved round the body, made a prescription and a poultice to help her. When Edward was taken ill in 1620, Joan is the first person to whom he turns, by letter, and she rushes to be at her husband’s bedside.
For richer or poorer. If we needed more evidence of how much Joan meant to Edward, the fact that he made an annuity to her in the event that he predeceased her provides it. Alleyn was granted Letters Patent from the King giving him permission to leave his considerable estate - over 1000 acres when he died in 1626 - to his foundation, Alleyn’s College of God’s Gift at Dulwich. He might have ignored her, but he provided for her. It was a marriage of two minds in tandem, a partnership. Finally separated in death, Joan lies buried somewhere in the chapel grounds. I realise we’ve been too discreet about her contribution in comparison to our acknowledgement of her husband’s gift to Dulwich. Together they started the journey to Dulwich as we know it today.
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By Maura Keane, Chairman of the Dulwich Folk Dance Club
The Dulwich Folk Dance Club is a friendly club that welcomes singles or couples, experienced dancers or the totally inexperienced. It meets at 8pm on Thursday evenings for two hours at St Barnabas Parish Hall, in the heart of Dulwich Village. Club Members come from all walks of life. All dances are first practised and then "called” as a reminder, while being danced. Everyone is happy to partner everyone else and it is lovely to see the smiles on people’s faces. If a dance goes wrong, the laughter is incredible! Dancing is fun. It is no wonder the Club has a long history.
The origins of The Dulwich Folk Dance Club date back to 1948 when several teachers at Dulwich Hamlet School started an evening class in English Country Dancing at the Southwark Evening Institute. In the mid-1970’s, Old Peoples' Homes, Hospitals and Churches started to ask the dancers to entertain their residents, patients and parishioners. In the 1980’s, “The Dulwich Dancers” raised £12,962 for charity by running Barn Dances. Eventually, the Club made its home in St Barnabas Parish Hall in the heart of Dulwich Village and it has been there ever since. Together with Dulwich Scottish Dancers, the Club provided a Millennium Clock and Weathervane, which can be seen on the cupola of the Parish Hall.
One new joiner commented: “After only the first dance, I was gripped! I had hoped to remember the names of the dances and the music. Six months on, I realise that there is such a variety of dance forms and of delightful ancient and modern music that I'm best just to do what the caller asks me to do and focus on enjoying the moment. It's easy, light-hearted and rewarding.”
Dance has the edge over many forms of exercise, even the gym! Not only is dancing good for your wellbeing - emotional and cognitive as well as physical - it is great fun and a place to meet friends. So, you have nothing to lose and much to gain by giving it a whirl! The Club resumes on Thursday 7th September.
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By Glynis Williams
As our climate has been warming in recent years, you may have noticed exotic trees appearing in our streets. One such tree is the crepe myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica (L. indica), a species which is said to flower only intermittently in our climate, as it needs a sunny position with at least six hours of sun daily. This crepe myrtle in East Dulwich has, so far, flowered reliably every year on Forest Hill Road (although this current wet summer may prove to be the exception!)
It's known as crepe myrtle because the flowers are crinkled, resembling crepe paper, and because the leaves are similar to those of the myrtle, although it's not in the same family of plants.
Lagerstroemias were named by Linnaeus in honour of his compatriot Magnus von Lagerström (1696 - 1759), who gave him new botanical specimens from sea voyages, in this case from India (hence indica). Altogether, there are some 50 species of Lagerstroemia trees and shrubs, all originating from countries with warm or tropical climates.
L. indica grows naturally as a red blossoming multi-stemmed shrub or tree, but has been hybridised with other Lagerstroemia species to create a range of shrubs and trees of various sizes, all known as crepe myrtles. Similarly, cultivation has improved hardiness and created modern plants with flowers in a choice of colours - white or pink, red and purple of various shades. Young L. indicas in Goodrich and Dovercourt Roads still retain their nursery labels, which helpfully show that their flowers will be red.
It has proved popular and been widely introduced into countries with warm climates, such as the Mediterranean and Southern USA, where it has become naturalised. Life expectancy varies according to the suitability of the location - it is said to be 50 to 100 years or more in the right conditions.
The flowers, which grow in large panicles, are said to produce pollen and small amounts of nectar and to attract butterflies, but they have no or very little scent. The flowers mature into brown dehiscent fruits containing winged seeds. In the USA Lagerstroemia seeds have become an important food source for native birds, but there is no guarantee that seeds will be produced in our climate.
The leaves turn a good colour in autumn and the trunk is of interest throughout the year, changing appearance as it exfoliates. Shedding its outer layer, it reveals mottled grey, pink and white and feels pleasantly smooth to touch. This photo is of the one planted on the initiative of our Tree Committee in Dulwich Library Garden in 2019.
It will be interesting to see whether they are all in positions where they will thrive and flower, whether the flowers will attract pollinators and whether they set seed. For residents who have a preference for seeing pretty trees in our streets, this species provides a welcome alternative to the ubiquitous cherry trees. In contrast to only two weeks of blossom from flowering cherries, we can expect two months of colourful blooms from the crepe myrtles, and that at a time when few other trees are in flower.
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By Peter Roseveare
We have started the summer this year with the usual weather uncertainties. A cold spring delayed the hawthorn blossom to the middle of May and this was followed by a prolonged dry spell and some unexpectedly extra-hot weather in June. For our bird population, the critical moments are fledging times and whether there is enough food available for the feeding of young. There are certainly families of blue and great tits and also goldfinches, but the robins and blackbirds may need to rely on second broods.
No Mow May
The environmental message that was widely sent out was for a “No Mow May”. People were encouraged to look to see if anything unusual came up in their lawns. My expectation, after fifty years of gardening, was to see creeping buttercup and creeping cinquefoil, the usual occupants. Imagine my surprise when a bee orchid appeared in the middle of my lawn! I have never known of a bee orchid growing in Dulwich. How and when it arrived is a mystery, the lawn having been put down twenty years ago. Had it been introduced by a bird or had it lain dormant for all these years and been at the mercy of the mower? Having heard of my experience, Harry Rutherford spotted two pyramidal orchids growing in the village graveyard, which has also been unmown. It would be most interesting to hear if any readers have had unexpected wild flowers appearing in their gardens and particularly on their lawns.
The Welcome Wonder of Wildflowers
Remaining on a botanical theme, many will have noted that Southwark Council have purchased and planted areas of wild flower turf on verges in the village and at the four corners of the Burbage Road Circus (the central crossroads with Turney Road). “Of course, they’re all weeds!” was the comment I received as I was examining them, but I was able to point out oxeye daisies (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum), greater knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa), white and red campions (Lychnis alba and dioica), ragged robin (Lychnis floscuculi), bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), kidney vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) and yellow rattle (Rhinanthus crista-galli). Then in mid-June a small group of DS members took part in a wild flower walk in Green Dale, led by Roy Vickery of the South London Botanical Institute, who pointed out and described most of the same plants and many more. He demonstrated the immense variety of wild species that we have on any ground that is free for their growth, in or outside our gardens.
Traditionally an English ‘well-kept lawn’ is a uniform green sward of single species grass of limited interest to native wildlife. A lawn not treated with “weed and feed” dressing and frequent heavy mowing will soon be infiltrated by other grass species and wild flowers such as daisies, clover and buttercups, and the lawn will take on the features of a meadow with only light-touch management. With the clover in flower there may be more bees visiting, goldfinches will eat the grass seed and green woodpeckers will arrive to eat the colonising ants. The alternative, taken by Southwark, is to purchase products such as Meadowmat, square metre pieces of turf containing some thirty species of wildflower and three species of grass. If laid in the Autumn or early Spring this will yield results by the following summer. Some, but probably not all, of these plants will then naturalise and provide a basis for wildlife recolonisation.
Many of the insects that we are so catastrophically losing evolved and could continue to survive in partnership with our native wild plants, provided that their food plant exists in sufficient quantity for the nutrition of their larvae. Plant diversity matters and if we learn to value the plants we have called weeds, we may contribute to the conservation of all our wildlife, from invertebrates through food chains upwards.
At this time of year, swifts generally form part of the summer records and some have duly returned to their nesting sites in East Dulwich. Unfortunately, none have returned to their sites in Burbage Road and, together with our loss of house martins, this can probably be attributed to lack of aerial flying insects. We have, however, been seeing small swift parties overflying West Dulwich, mostly in the evenings, but have missed the loud swift screaming parties speeding round our houses. Our usual summer visitors, chiffchaffs and blackcaps have returned and a reed warbler singing in Dulwich Park was probably a hopeful unmated male. Reed warblers do breed in Burgess Park, so, with adequate planting of reeds, we may also sustain breeding territories. Migrating cuckoos were heard in May and one was for the first time included in Dave Clark’s regular Sydenham Hill Wood bird count on 18th May.
Great spotted woodpeckers have nested this year in the grounds of the Dulwich Picture Gallery, enabling Charles Newman to get this fine photograph. Great spotted woodpeckers are of course regular visitors to our garden nut feeders but this picture demonstrates the red cap of the juvenile which is no longer present in the adult, but can so often cause confusion with the red cap of our now sadly rare lesser spotted woodpeckers.
The Big Butterfly Count
Could those readers who have taken part in the Big Butterfly Count send me a duplicate of their submission? Please email
We continue to enjoy hearing of your wildlife experiences in Dulwich and seeing your photographs which can feature in this Journal and the eNews, so do keep them coming.
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Claire Richards reports on Southwark Council’s plans for Belair Park
In early July, a consultation was held in Belair Park on plans to create a woodmeadow at the northern end of the park. A woodmeadow sounds like a contradiction in terms, but is in fact a mixture of established trees and large open areas of species-rich grassland. We might expect to see small copses of deciduous trees and shrubs and patches of open meadows. Importantly, the habitat is actively managed. The consultation sought public comment on a variety of potential planting alternatives, including a wildflower meadow, a wetland meadow, an informal orchard, native hedgerow and native scrubland.
Martin Heath, of the Belair Park Ecology & Education Group, commented: “We hope that it will provide increased biodiversity in the Park, while adding a new feature of interest.” Given the current lack of biodiversity in this particular area of the park, this is an initiative to be welcomed. The consultation period has now closed and funding is in place. Once the final design has been agreed, Southwark intends to plant this autumn.
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Jane Jones describes her role as costumier for the Dulwich Players
The magic of theatre is as much about what you don’t see as what you do. You know when you’re watching a play and a character exits to reappear rapidly in a different time or place wearing a different outfit, I bet you don’t picture the scramble back-stage to get them out of one costume and into another so the transition is entirely believable. I say scramble, but ideally this is a smoothly choreographed move involving one or more dressers and a compliant actor. I have been costuming Dulwich Players’ productions (as well as acting and directing) for over two decades, having joined the group thinking my sewing skills might come in handy. Few of us in the Players have had any professional theatre training, so we’ve learnt on the job, given things a go and developed our skills through trial and error. We aim to as good a job as we can with our very limited resources. Sadly, many amateur theatre groups are disappearing, priced out of rehearsal and performance spaces and unable to afford storage costs for their props and costumes. The Dulwich Players are lucky enough to have a large wardrobe of costumes built up over fifty years and stored, at great expense, in a unit in West Norwood. This means we can dress our productions mainly from our own store. We also do occasional hires to other groups to bring in a little revenue.
Usually, when costuming a production, the bulk of the work happens in advance of the performance: researching the right look for the period or character, thinking how it can be achieved, scouring the wardrobe to find suitable costumes that might fit, doing alterations, sometimes making from scratch, but more often adapting existing items. Bit by bit, you get all the actors sorted in time for the dress rehearsal; then, if needed, you wait in the dressing room to do any changes. But some plays call for rather more involvement in the performance itself. A few years ago, we staged a play called Compleat Female Stage Beauty about the last male actor to play female roles before Charles II allowed women onto the stage. The lead actor was over six foot tall and of athletic build, so dressing him as an actress wasn’t easy. I had to do seven quick costume changes in the wings during the play, from female to male and vice versa including a very rapid dress-to-underwear change involving a merkin (look it up!). He and I got to work quite closely on that one and there was a lot of silent laughter in the wings as I laced and buttoned and unbuttoned and pinned.
But my biggest challenge so far came with this year’s Spring production of The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow. This parody of the famous 1935 Hitchcock film of John Buchan’s novel has a small cast, six actors in our case, playing dozens of characters, some of whom appear in the same scene. In this case, the dressers were a crucial part of the rehearsal process, as the rapid costume changes had to be practised again and again until they were as slick as possible. Rather than lounging in the dressing room, we spent the whole play in the wings. The initial costuming task was to find clothes that looked right for the 1930s but would also instantly identify a character and, more importantly, be quick and easy to remove (Velcro came in very handy). This narrowed things down a lot and hats became a useful instant character signifier. With women playing men and men playing women, fit was another issue and I had to scour charity shops for some small men’s/large women’s clothing. I put the male characters in basic white shirt/black trousers and added capes, helmets, caps, macs, jackets, ties, bowler hats, smocks and kilts. The changes were so complicated, I had to put up spreadsheets in the wings listing the actors and scenes and which items were taken off and put on each time so we didn’t get lost. With a dresser on each side of the stage, we had to stay focused and follow the play to the letter so we had the next change of clothing lined up and could leap into action as the actor came off stage. At one point an actress had to exit and reappear in less than ten seconds with a dagger in her back. After much thought, I came up with a solution using a cut-down plastic dagger, wire, sports bra and heavy-duty Velcro. It gave me a great deal of satisfaction, even though it was only seen for a short time. The fastest change involved getting the same actress out of a long dress, heels and said dagger and into trousers, shirt, tie, shoes, jacket and hat in a matter of seconds. It all seemed fairly straightforward in rehearsal with plenty of space and light, but it was a different matter with two of us working in semi-darkness in a cramped space with props being moved around us, and all in complete silence of course.
In 2016, the National Theatre staged a revival of Amadeus by Peter Shaffer and I attended a talk on the elaborate costumes featured in the production, given by two of the dressers. I learnt that their secret of a fast costume change is to sew magnets into the structure of the garments when they are made, so closures snap into place without having to fiddle with buttons and fasteners. A neat solution when every costume is tailor-made and you have the resources of the National Theatre at your disposal. But at whatever level, the theatre can work its magic and we suspend our disbelief and focus on the story.
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by William Shakespeare
1st to 4th November 2023, the Great Hall, Kingswood Arts, Seeley Drive, Dulwich SE21 8QN
Adults: £14 / 18 years and under: £10
On sale via Ticketsource www.dulwichplayers.ticketsource.co.uk (small booking fee payable)
How does a war hero become a tyrant? Shakespeare’s powerful drama charts the rise and fall of a couple, driven by a prophecy, who, becoming intoxicated by the possibilities of power, find themselves crossing a line from which there is no turning back. Join the Dulwich Players in the Great Hall at Kingswood Arts, which will provide both an atmospheric and intimate setting for this gripping tale of grief, greed, superstition and murder.
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Amanda Greatorex reviews the history and value of our local Street Art
Ten years ago, in 2013, Ingrid Beazley took over a soon-to-be-demolished house at 265 Lordship Lane and invited international artists to paint every surface available. It was only open to the public one weekend during the Dulwich Festival, with Hip Hop DJs, a bar and live painting. Many artists over 6 weeks (some actually living there for the duration) painted every wall inside and out in their own unique styles.
No nook or cranny was spared - staircases, kitchen sinks and even the bathroom. Ingrid arranged the eclectic artists, hailing from all over the globe, with the help of gallery owner Richard Howard-Griffin (Street Art London) and thanks to Lightbox, property developers, allowing the one-off art project prior to turning this old house into flats.
Artworks by some of the artists were for sale. If only I could have rustled up a few hundred quid, I could have bought myself an original Thierry Noir (Berlin/France) signed on the spot by the man himself. His work regularly sells in Sotheby’s today for around £20,000, as does work by Stik.
Ingrid had actually started off the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery the year before with Stik in 2012, when she invited him to Dulwich and the Picture Gallery. He started sketching some of the figurative paintings in his style. That was a lightbulb moment for both of them - to bring the Gallery’s Old Masters, re-interpreted by contemporary artists and freely accessible, outside, to a whole new audience. Ingrid knocked on doors in the area and found walls, including her own, for Stik to realise these interpretations of works by Franceschini, Gainsborough, Tilly Kettle, Van Aelst, and Murillo.
From 2013 Ingrid reached out to other artists globally and locally and documented the project in her book Street Art/Fine Art. Unlike the temporary arthouse, these walls remain within the community for us all to see. It’s unusual for an artist to have a brief to reinterpret some Baroque painting, but they all rose to the challenge, picking out a particular element (a trumpeter, a dog) or interpreting the whole painting literally or in abstract (Girl at a Window / Triumph of David).
The project expands beyond the Dulwich borders to Herne Hill, Forest Hill, Nunhead and Peckham. There are really some ‘stop in your tracks’ Wow moments. And, when I guide the street art walks, it’s amazing to hear local residents who have not noticed what’s just round the corner, with comments like “hidden in plain sight!”
One such dramatic wall, by the East Dulwich roundabout, is by Conor Harrington. Conor obviously planned the artwork beforehand, and the scaffold tower was booked, but actually he painted and sprayed this artwork in just one day! The East Dulwich Tavern would pop out to offer food and drink. Back then, street artists relished the opportunity to paint safely on a grand scale. Conor is a fine artist and paints canvases. He recently had a few shown in the “Beyond the Streets” Saatchi exhibition earlier this year in Chelsea.
People often ask me about permissions, ownership and funding. So, Ingrid would contact the actual wall owner - and, in Conor’s case, a landlord living outside London, so they never actually met in person. This wall was often subject to graffiti scrawled on it, so he was accepting of maybe something more considered. He didn’t have to pay for anything though. There was no funding, just Ingrid and her vision. The current tenants of the flats I spoke to love living with this artwork and follow Conor on social media. I managed to obtain a Southwark repairs grant the other year, whereby I organised for the two male characters to have a breathable matt varnish coating applied, which should preserve the artwork for a good few years more. Obviously, the wall is owned by the landlord, whom I corresponded with at the time about preserving this iconic mural, so it was great to see, when this exterior wall needed a renovation this summer, that the painters worked around the characters with their white masonry paint.
By its very nature, street art comes and goes. I sourced a new wall in East Dulwich for Mad C’s version of Van Huysum’s flowers, as the original in Belair Park was unfortunately totally vandalised. Some murals elsewhere in this collection have sadly been erased permanently, where new owners prefer a plain wall to a unique artpiece. You may remember RUN’s hoardings outside the Crown & Greyhound during the pub’s renovations or Remi Rough’s dazzling “Fall of the Rebel Angels” in the former Audi garage, Dulwich Village, before that wall was knocked down for the residential property development there now.
“Tagging” and graffiti is part of the scene and to be expected. However, by and large our murals are respected and I do go around with a pot and brush and clean up from time to time, especially when it’s Dulwich Festival time in May, as I know my walking tour participants like to take lots of photos!
The unique angle about many of the murals we still see today around Dulwich is that they are curated with a theme. I’ve met new residents to the area who say the murals, suggesting the creative community we really are, were a key reason to move here.
Children too are noticing all these murals and I’m enjoying leading groups on inspiring and educational ‘Stop and Sketch’ walks, where they can really observe, engage and draw what particular aspect appeals to them.
Ingrid sadly passed away in April 2017 and the pressing question was who could guide the popular Street Art walks for the upcoming Dulwich Festival? She had suggested I do it! I had met many of the artists and, having worked in the education department at Dulwich Picture Gallery, I had knowledge of the artists and artworks old and new. I continue to tell the story of this unique collection, the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery, which we can treasure and enjoy as Ingrid’s legacy within our community.
For further information, to book guided walks with Amanda, or to offer your wall for painting, visit Dulwichoutdoorgallery.co.uk. Instagram: @dulwichstreetart
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