This week 10, 20, 30 years ago
10 years ago
“Cheeky” thieves left homes and businesses without phone and internet connections after they stole cable wire near a police station.
The crooks made off with 100 metres of copper cable, damaging phone lines across South London.
One scrap merchant told the South London Press the haul was probably worth around £400.
The theft took place near East Dulwich police station, in Lordship Lane, on Wednesday last week.
Top author Will Self passionately argued that a South London bus garage is the most important building in the capital at an architecture festival.
Stockwell Bus Garage in Lansdowne Way, Stockwell, had the biggest unsupported area under one roof in Europe when it opened in 1952 and could fit 200 buses inside.
Speaking to the South London Press before hitting the stage, Mr Self said: “I picked the bus garage mainly because I live round the corner from it.
“I pass it several times a day and it’s a building that grows on you.”
A town hall employee who used council computers to cancel hefty parking fines he racked up has been sacked.
Labour-run Lambeth council said the staff member had been fired for “gross misconduct” after using his position to cancel parking tickets.
The South London Press revealed a whistleblower’s allegation last year that a staff member had been cancelling his fines.
20 years ago
A postcard sent during the First World War finally found its way to Brixton Hill – via New Zealand.
It was not clear from where the card was sent.
Its message, written in faded handwriting, simply said: “Dear Nelly, just a card to wish you many happy returns of the day, love Emily”.
It was addressed to Mrs Valentine, 43 Elm Park, Brixton Hill.
A post-stamp on the back said it had been delivered to New Zealand on March 7, 2001.
Since it was first sent, “United Kingdom” and “SW2” had been added to the address.
The front was a photograph of a middle-aged woman in a smart dress standing at a desk with an open book in her hands.
Prince Charles took to the record decks at a visit to a homeless shelter.
His Royal Highness tried mixing house and hip-hop tracks including I Don’t Smoke The Reefer, before joking with onlookers, “Dig that crazy rhythm.” He added that, “William is really into this.”
The heir to the throne was in Kennington to open Centrepoint’s Lambeth shelter for young rough sleepers, which is run with the Prince’s Trust.
He said: “I hope projects like this have been able to help some people’s dreams come true and bring out their abilities and restore self-confidence and self-esteem.” l
Yobs rode off on a disabled woman’s electric chair that was parked outside a restaurant.
The owner of the £4,000 machine was inside SW9 in Dorrell Place, Brixton, when the thieves struck.
Its furious owner said: “I put the wheelchair right by the door in full view of the restaurant.
“I parked up and had been inside for about a minute and then it was gone.
“It must have been someone who hadn’t thought what would be the impact of taking it. Do they think it’s a joke.”
30 years ago
The £1billion Jubilee line extension planned to link the East End with the West End through South London came a step closer when a major contract was awarded.
The link was due to be completed by 1996.
The detailed architectural design of the new Southwark station on the corner of The Cut and Blackfriars Road was awarded to MacCormac, Jamieson, Prichard Architects, of Spitalfields.
The civil engineering design of the tunnels from Waterloo to London Bridge railway station and the tunnelled station at Southwark were awarded to the joint company partnership Jubilee Design Team.
Suspected arsonists sent a slice of South London history up in smoke when they torched an 18th century building.
The Summerhouse was built in 1760 in the grounds of Streatham Park, then home of brewer Henry Thrale.
After the break-up of the estate at the end of the 19th century, the Summerhouse was dismantled and rebuilt in the grounds of Kenwood House, Hampstead.
John Cresswell, from The Streatham Society said: “All the great literati beat a path to the Thrales’s door, such as Joshua Reynolds, Oliver Goldsmith and Edmund Burke. It is a loss to everyone.”
Drugs and solvent-related deaths were increasing in Southwark.
A borough council’s survey revealed that between 1983 and 1990, 60 people died from drug-related causes and 11 from solvents, including fire extinguishers.
An accompanying report said: “There is a worrying increase in the number of drug and substance-related deaths in Southwark.
“There were 12 drug-related deaths in the first nine months of 1990. There were three substance-related deaths in 1990, compared to only three for the five-year period between 1985 and 1989.”
Do you have any memories of stories in the South London Press from the past 10, 20 or 30 years that you would like to see reprinted again? If so, drop Alexandra Warren a line with details. Email her at alexandra@slpmedia.co.uk