3. Vera

In May I was elected and then handed a Cabinet role that hasn't existed here in this form before the year 2000. So I now sit in an executive that is twenty-six years old, in a ward that traces the edge of a much older parish, in a borough named during an argument from 1963, in a district first organised for tax and justice by people who spoke Old English. The current workings of the council were essentially set in the Victorian era. Every part of it has been replaced since then, every officer, every desk, every form. And it is still, in every way that matters, the same machine. That's the Ship of Theseus, more or less: swap out every plank over the years and you may still have the same ship. There is, as it happens, a ship on the Lewisham coat of arms. A short explainer on Theseus, if you haven't come across it: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ship-of-Theseus-philosophy You can read about Mural Crowns here: Mural Crown - Livius

Some thoughts on doorsteps and a threshold on a leftover bit of Brookdale Road next to the Broadway.

I started off with a vague idea for an episode on staircases, based on what my toddler likes around the house, and ended up with this. A staircase is never just a staircase, because small steps, done properly, really can shift the mood of an entire neighbourhood. Here's an article about the missing Catford Green bridge - https://ladywell-live.org/2021/01/17/austen-steps-up-campaign-for-catfords-missing-bridge/ and another - https://www.salamandernews.org/is-catford-station-links-project-moving-at-last/ This is the book I mention by Jos Boys - https://disordinaryarchitecture.co.uk/start-learning/doing-disability-differently-book

Ciarán is a Lewisham based creative director and founder of Renegade Production, a digital media and content studio. He has over twenty years of experience spanning photography, videography, music production, digital strategy, editorial work and campaign development. He is also central to the Keystone initiative, helping to drive its community focused vision and direction. In general,and in this episode, Ciarán and I keep returning to Milford Towers for different reasons. Keystone will be launching through a special event on June 25th. Follow their progress here: https://www.instagram.com/keystone.selondon/ and here: https://www.renegadeproduction.co.uk/keystone Here's a video he made for Team Catford: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CKt0Dw1n-Mx Here's a music video he made in Catford for Sonny Green: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zxvQxepzMM&list= and here's the promo clip for the boxer he mentions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlEXZKr27SA You can find a more negative take on Milford Towers here, including a link to the 2011 report I mention - https://www.salamandernews.org/milford-towers-residents-voices/ However, you'll struggle to find many designers who can take the following statement seriously: 'Milford Towers has limited aesthetic merits and architectural interest, however it is not a fine example of brutalism, nor innovative in terms of its design or concept. It is considered that Milford Towers does not possess the architectural quality or historic interest to meet the listing criteria.' Catford deserves more imagination than the assumption that any change is automatically progress.

I am running for the Green Party in Catford (Rushey Green) in the local elections on May 7. You can follow me here - https://www.instagram.com/catfordreams