Lewisham Council currently invests close to £1M in grants for arts and culture, supporting some of the most dynamic organisations in the capital, ranging from Trinity Laban to The Midi Music Company and Heart ‘n’ Soul to Lewisham Youth Theatre. The Festivals Fund encourages the growth of grass roots events such as the Catford Arts Trail, New Cross Free Film Festival and the Brockley Street Art Festival.

NATIONALLY LISTED HERITAGE ENTRIES

GREEN FLAG AWARDS

PEOPLE ATTENDING THE BLACKHEATH FIREWORKS

SPORTS AND FITNESS FACILITIES

Night time economy

There is a lively evening economy with bars and entertainment venues in New Cross; Little Nans in Deptford, set up in memory of the owner’s grandmother, Jam Circus in Brockley which serves cocktails in jam jars and Ignition Brewery, a social enterprise employing people with learning disabilities and brewing great beer in Sydenham.

Cultural funding

Lewisham was awarded £216,000 from Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan’s London Borough of Culture scheme. The funding will support a Festival of Creative Ageing to include films; exhibitions; events at the Broadway Theatre and Beckenham Place Mansion curated by residents; a two-day international conference about creative ageing and pop-up choirs.

The festival will give older residents the chance to take an active part in civic life. It will reach hundreds of older residents and will target deprived wards where life expectancy is lowest. The events will involve artists from the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. The centrepiece to the Festival will be Christopher Green’s spectacular 48-hour immersive theatre production The Home, which will be made with older residents at The Home from Beckenham Place Mansion. The Mayor’s funding will give thousands of people in Lewisham the chance to take part in cutting-edge arts and culture on their doorstep.

Heritage

The borough’s rich heritage includes 364 nationally listed entries, 301 locally listed buildings, areas of archaeological priority, scheduled ancient monuments, registered parks and gardens and, at Blackheath, part of the buffer zone for the UNESCO Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Ladywell Playtower is a Grade II-listed Victorian bathhouse located near Ladywell village. It was one of the first public swimming pools in the country and has been placed on Historic England’s at risk register, as well as the Victorian Society’s top ten endangered buildings. Lewisham Council has appointed Guildmore and Curzon Cinema as the preferred provider to restore the building and bring it back into public use.

Green space

More than one fifth of the borough is green space and this includes an 8km long network along the Rivers Thames, Ravensbourne, Quaggy and Deptford Creek. Lewisham parks are among the best in the United Kingdom as 15 green spaces have been recognised by the Green Flag Award Scheme. They include Blackheath, Brookmill Park, Deptford Park and Ladywell Fields. Lewisham Council has been awarded £4.9 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund to improve Beckenham Place Park. Work began at the park early this year and is expected to be completed by Spring 2019. Plans include an education centre, restored lake and new sports facilities.

Art & Museums

A.P.T Gallery, Peter Von Kant, Deptford X, MMX Gallery, Art Hub Gallery, BEARSPACE, Castor, Cockpit Arts, Could be Good, Vinyl, news of the world, Res, Enclave, Gossamer Fog and Lewisham Arthouse are among the many art galleries in the borough. Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art is opening soon. The Horniman Museum in Forest Hill is world-renowned.

Public art

Embracing the concept that public art enhances our collective sense of place, Lewisham is home to a vibrant collection, from the ‘Catford Cat’ which marks Catford Shopping Centre’s entrance, to Lewisham Hospital’s ‘Striped Panels’ and ‘Blue Well’.

Theatres

The Broadway Theatre in Catford is an Art Deco grade II listed building. Its programme includes a pantomime season featuring star names, stand-up comedy, nostalgia shows, drama and children’s theatre. The Albany in Deptford is a new type of arts venue involving thecommunity through participation and partnerships. Blackheath Halls presents a diverse programme of concerts and events throughout the year. And Filmfixer has a contract with Lewisham Council to promote filming around the borough. They have used theatres and a disused mortuary for crime dramas.

Eating out

Popular places to dine include Lewisham Town Centre’s Model Market Street Feast as well as Sparrow which was positively reviewed in the Evening Standard last year. Brockley’s Masala Wala Cafe was acclaimed in Time Out’s Top 100 Restaurants in 2017 and Brockley Market Street Feast was featured in the Evening Standard Reviews. Winemakers Deptford and Marcella, an Italian, were also praised in London’s daily newspaper. Catford’s La Pizzeria Italiana and Honor Oak/Brockley’s Babur Indian are popular London restaurants as is Italian, family-owned favourite Le Querce on Brockley Rise.

Events

Lewisham has an exciting calendar of cultural and community events. They include Lewisham People’s Day, a celebration of music, art, craft and community, which is south east London’s biggest and longest running free community festival. Each November Lewisham Council presents London’s largest free fireworks display at Blackheath attracting 100,000 people from all over London and beyond. Both events are run by Lewisham Council. Community-run events include Telegraph Hill Festival, an arts programme across many venues, the Brockley Max nine-day community arts festival, Catford Film Festival, Deptford Heritage Festival and the Deptford X Contemporary Art Festival. Downham Celebrates runs two successful festivals per year

Sport & physical activity

Lewisham has 275 sports and fitness facilities including cricket and football pitches, tennis courts and swimming pools. Ladywell Arena boasts a long/triple jump pit and a 400m running track which is open to the public. Millwall FC are based in the borough and The Millwall Community Trust has offered community sports’ and fitness programmes, educational workshops, disability activities and soccer schools.