SE13 Lewisham Model Market

Hello People

This week my journey around my hometown of South East London takes me to Lewisham. In the past there have been people who have cruelly referred to Lewisham as the ugly sister of South East London, and being the ugly sister of South East London makes for one ugly sister, think Wayne Rooney in one of Colleen’s dresses.

When I reminisce on the four years I spent at Lewisham college in the early noughties the only thing I can remember about my time there, is a guy we used to call 'Car-Hating Karl' who would stand in the middle of Lewisham Way and shout abuse at motorists as they drove past him.

Car-Hating Karl was something of a local celebrity back in the day. We would pour out of class at about 7.30 at night and there he would be, as regular to the landscape as the 136 bus and the Morley’s chicken shop. We would casually stroll past him as if his foul mouthed rants were no more offensive then the song of a distant bird, and in fairness he was never bad to any of us, we were on foot and therefore free to go about our business as we pleased.

The only time things got hairy would be if someone, usually a new guy, tried to make a smart comment about Karl, or worse still, object to his unreasonable behaviour. Whenever this happened Karl would stop his screaming, spin around on the spot, and stare dead-eyed and silent at us, through us, and straight into our souls. We would lower our eyes to the floor and move past quietly and quickly, not daring to speak until we reached Lewisham Station at the bottom of the hill. You didn't have to agree with, or even understand what Karl stood for, but you had to respect the passion and commitment he had for his cause.

On reflection Car-Hating Karl needed help. Also on reflection Lewisham has a lot more going for it then I had previously thought. Because tucked away behind Lewisham shopping centre in the old Model Market* the famous street feast has come to town, and its brilliant!

The model market is an abandoned indoor and outdoor market which started in the 1950’s. South East Londoners would go to buy the latest vinyl records, get their TV’s fixed or buy some threads.

But for this summer all of the old abandoned shops and stalls have been filled with talented cooks making dishes inspired from across the world. There's so much choice my advice is to grab a drink on your way in and eat a little from everywhere until you're sick. My favourites were the Plantain and the St Louis Ribs, but everything I ate was delicious.

I couldn't tell a Mojito from a Malibu and coke but my other half was very pleased with her slushy-inspired cocktails. And there were lots of beers and ales for me to cleanse my pallet with before moving on to the next course, just like the pro's do.

Every generation from too young to walk to too old to care were there and loving it, and it made for a really fun and friendly atmosphere. I knew I'd have fun but I was surprised how much I loved Lewisham Street Feast, but my biggest surprise came at the end of the night as we made for the exit. I casually looked back over my shoulder, and to my absolute amazement, there in the middle of the crowd with a Margarita in one hand and a Spicy Chicken Taco in the other, swaying to Bob Marley's 'Is this Love' and wearing a white top with the words 'I'm too sexy for this shirt' printed on it, was none other than Car-Hating Karl!

He was grey and old now but still unmistakable. At first I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, maybe it was a hallucination from too much Booze and Meat? But no, it was him, he had abandoned his post in the middle of Lewisham Way, and not only that, but he had abandoned his hate as well. He was happy now.

Maybe it was down to the Docklands Light Railway easing traffic congestion through Lewisham.  Maybe Lewisham council had put more parking restrictions in place. Who knows? But one thing was certain, old Car-Hating Karl had changed forever, and so had my opinion of Lewisham.

This Summer Lewisham, and South East London, is definitely the place to be.

*No living models were ever sold at Lewisham Model Market, I checked on Wikipedia.

http://www.streetfeastlondon.com/#!model-market/c38f

The beginning

Hello people,

Have you ever been out with friends having a meal or a drink when out of nowhere the conversation turns to the subject of figs? Your friends, who, to your surprise, all know that there was a fig factory in Rotherhithe in the early 60’s, make witty banter and tell their amusing fig antidotes while you fall silent and try to sink into the background hoping to conceal your fig ignorance.

Have you ever been at an office party talking to your boss struggling for conversation? You ask him if he likes football, he shrugs and says, ‘Not really.’ You ask him about his holidays, he says, ‘I doubt I’ll have time for one this year.’ You say, ‘Any pets?’ He says, ‘All dead.’ Then Sam, who started at the company 5 years after you did, walks over and says, ‘Did you know the famous architect John Sloan had a house in Bexley?’ and your boss replies ‘I wrote my dissertation on John Sloan’s influence on modern furniture making. Have a cigar Sam, it’s Cuban.’

Or have ever had your heart broken by a woman you were madly in love with? It’s your 3^rd date, you’re walking along the South Bank hand in hand when she says, ‘What’s your take on the treatment of the women who worked as prostitutes around Borough Market in the 1800’s?’ Caught off guard you admit that you had never really thought about it and she says, ‘God, I can’t imagine growing old with you anymore, it’s over.’

Have you ever wondered why it’s never you that gets the girl? Or the promotion? Or has any good stories about figs? Well let me tell you that the answer isn’t anything to do with how rich you are, or how funny you are, or how interesting your job is. No, the key to going from Billy No Mates to Trevor Popular is quite simply down to having a sound understanding of the history of your local area.

There is nothing in this world more impressive then the moments when you’re walking down the road with a friend, or travelling on the bus with a lover and they casually point at a Nando’s restaurant and say, ‘See that building? They used to blow glass in there.’

But how does someone acquire all this local knowledge? Where do you begin? Well don’t despair, because  I used to be just like you (well actually I guess I still am) but not for long, because I ‘m on a mission to learn all about my local area. I pledge to find out something interesting about all the different districts of South East London from SE1 to SE28. I do all this not only because it will make me a more interesting, more attractive, and more successful man, but also because it will give me a chance to share some of the gems of South East London, the place I love, with you good people.

But I’ve babbled on long enough, it’s the 26^th of August 2014 (week 1). Let’s begin…