We have another oral history to share with you as Brian Frampton recalls growing up in Walworth in the 50s (and his memories of Baldwins too, of course!). A great listen.
Thank you to Brian Frampton and interviewer Kitty Corish for a lovely interview.
Local resident Anne Critchley shares her memories of Baldwins and how it has changed over the years in this new oral history.
Thank you to Anne Critchley and interviewer Bibi Saffina Zafar for a great interview.
Wow! We’ve been having such wonderful feedback from the lovely people on the Now and Then Walworth Facebook group. Thank you to everyone who has been sharing and “liking” our work – it makes us very happy to know there are so many people enjoying it :)
Even Baldwins have been sharing the our blog!
We have another oral history of Elephant and Castle and Baldwins to share with you. This one comes from Eunice Edwards who takes us back to her time growing up in Peacock Street and her visits to Baldwins as a child.
Thank you for sharing your memories Eunice!
We have another wonderful oral history to share with you, Michael Holland interviewed by Cynthia Smith. Hear about Michael’s memories of Walworth and Baldwins…. and an unexpected surprise he found in Mexico!
Bermondsey to Baldwins
Baldwins to Mexico
Thank you Michael and Cynthia for another great interview!
Students from Walworth have been taking part in art activities relating to The Roots Story with artists at Art in the Park studios. Initially they listened to some of the interviews that had been recorded and we discussed these and whether the students and their families had any particular anecdotes about herbal tonics and remedies. Whilst from a variety of cultures, many of the students had used Aloe Vera for their skin, either raw or in lotions and had also enjoyed Aloe Vera drinks.
We looked at images of the forms of the plants that had come up most frequently in interviews eg Aloe Vera, Sarsparilla, Banana Leaf and Cerassie and also cross-sections and microscopic details of these plants, which gave a different perspective and interesting textures. From these images the students began to draw designs, which would be the starting point of their work on metal.
From their drawn designs they made embossed copper artworks in thin copper sheet, to prepare them for working in much thicker, heavier copper later on in the project.
The final artwork that the students are creating for the exhibition was discussed by the group. The students decided that using the Aloe Vera plant as inspiration was most appropriate, as it was the one that they had most personal experience of and interest in. It was also one that many of the interviewees mentioned. Thus, the final artwork will be in etched and embossed copper in the relief form of a very large Aloe Vera plant! The students worked together to create a large template of an Aloe Vera plant.
The students started work on the final artwork, referring to their initial designs on form and the microscopic textures. Their first pieces were made with etching onto thicker copper sheet in the form of Aloe Vera leaves. This process involves painting a resist varnish onto the copper then scratching the designs into the varnish with special tools. The finished pieces are then put into ferric chloride, with the resulting designs etched permanently into the surface.
During the Easter Holidays we ran a special session for the students, where they could come and create personalised t-shirts; silk-screen-printing their own designs (based on the plants) onto them. They students created lovely designs to wear.
The next phase of the artwork is creating heavily textured, embossed copper, on thick sheets, in the form of Aloe Vera leaves. These will go with the etched leaves. The students have to work outside, as they have to use heating on the copper and heavy tools such as hammers and punches, which make too much noise inside the studio. They also have to wear cumbersome but essential safety equipment such as goggles and gloves. They have really enjoyed this part of the project; bashing metal outside!
The final part of the project will be to put the artwork together for hanging.
As part of The Roots Project we have been training volunteers from Southwark Pensioners Centre to conduct and record interviews with local residents. These oral histories of local people are a wonderful view into their lives and the history of Walworth and Baldwins.
We’re really excited to share the first of these interviews now, Mr Rudolph Francois who was interviewed by Bibi Saffina Zafar in November of last year. Mr Francois shares some of his memories of Guyana, Baldwins and his aloe vera remedies… Enjoy!
Guyana and Arrival in the UK
Baldwins
Guyanese traditions
Aloe Vera
In December last year we held a blogging workshop with some of the members of The Roots. It was a lovely opportunity to introduce some of those taking part to this website and the world of blogging. Everyone had the chance to explore this blog, revisit some of the other events they had taken part in, browse the photographs and make comments on the posts. We even got to listen to a sneak peek of some of the recorded oral histories – they’re sounding great!!
The workshop was run by the designer of this site, Eliza Bott, and was held at InSpire in Walworth. It was a really great day, thank you to everyone involved!
On August 14th, as part of our programme of events The Roots held a series of talks at the InSpire community space in Walworth. These talks spanned the history of the local area, the history of G. Baldwin & Co and herbs and home remedies. We also had a poetry reading, quizzes, hand massages, sarsaparilla tasting and even some plants for people to take home with them at the end of the day!
It was an interesting and informative day, and thank you so much to the speakers (and masseuse!) who made it possible. Thank you Steve Dagnall, Professor Patricia Dark, Lucreta La Pierre, Mala Bissoon, Paula Appleton and Marva Donaldson.
