New Cross
Template:Infobox London place New Cross is a district on the north tip of the London Borough of Lewisham. New Cross is covered by London postal district SE14.
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).
The area is served by two stations, New Cross station and New Cross Gate station. Both are on the East London Line of the London Underground network as well as being suburban railway stations.
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 by the architect John Shaw Junior (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 the Iceland store. 168 people were killed, ranging in age from Michael Glover, aged 1 month, to William Frank, aged 80.
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, led to the largest ever political mobilisation of black people seen in Britain.
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.
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.
Recently the area has become something of a property hot-spot on account of the so-called arts boom in neighbouring Deptford and the New Cross scene that has benefited local nightlife, although housing remains amongst the cheapest in Inner London.
Famous residents
- Poet Robert Browning lived in Telegraph Cottage near New Cross Road during the 1840s
- Music hall star Marie Lloyd lived in Lewisham Way from 1887 to 1893
- Sir Barnes Wallis educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School(blue plaque, on building on corner of New Cross Road and Nettleton Road)
- 1970s glam rocker Steve Harley grew up in Fairlawn Mansions, New Cross, going to Edmund Waller and Haberdashers' Aske's schools.
- 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.
- Artist Edward Henry Windred lived at 352 New Cross Road during the 1930s.
- 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.
Places Nearby
- Brockley
- Deptford
- Lewisham
- New Cross Gate (Part of New Cross)
- Peckham
- Telegraph Hill (Close to New Cross)
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).
Reference
- Gordon-Orr, Neil (2004). Deptford Fun City: a ramble through the history and music of New Cross and Deptford. London: Past Tense Publications.