Nostalgia – Southwark News

New play celebrating local boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper opens next month

News Desk — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:22:20 +0000

A new play celebrating the boxing legend, Sir Henry Cooper, will open at Lewisham’s The Fellowship Inn in May, writes Tom Appleby… “Dancing In The Mirror” follows the life of the young boxer, and will be performed in the icon’s former training ground. His nephew, opera singer, Neal Cooper, will play his uncle in the […]

Southbank Centre appeals for Festival of Britain memories in 75th anniversary year

Evie Flynn — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 19:17:25 +0000

The Southbank Centre has launched a nationwide appeal for memories of the Festival of Britain, which took place on London’s South Bank and at events across the country in 1951. The Festival of Britain was a four-month national exhibition and fair intended to be a “tonic for the nation” following years of war and hardship. […]

‘A true Bermondsey diamond’ social club owner and community leader Mick Hannon passes away aged 67 after short battle with cancer

Issy Clarke — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:05:26 +0000

Bermondsey and Rotherhithe are mourning the loss of a much-loved character who entertained local families at his church social club and worked hard to represent his community on the council. Michael Hannon, better known to his friends and family as Mick – sadly passed away on 15 February aged just 67, after a short four-month […]

Bermondsey and proud, but it Steve’s fight for Rotherhithe’s Russia Dock Woodlands that has been his biggest accompaniment

Michael Holland — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 12:44:48 +0000

Steve Cornish spent the first half of his life on the Dickens Estate; it was where his deep love for Bermondsey flourished. The second half was spent Downtown when he moved there after Surrey Docks closed; it was there he became a campaigner against developers with big money who wouldn’t be seen dead in SE16 […]

Looking back at Christmas in Southwark from yesteryear

Debra Gosling — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 16:56:02 +0000

I am so thankful for the internet but oh my, has it changed our shopping habits! The markets down The Blue, Tower Bridge Road and East Street are just shadows of their former glory. It’s all very well sitting with an iPad having the pick of the world’s goods at your fingertips but it kind […]

Pensioner who walked the London Bridges to fundraise for Peckham community centre, shares his experience

Evie Flynn — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 11:46:54 +0000

The 71-year-old walked 13 London Bridges, from Battersea to Bermondsey, to raise a vital £3,000 so he can continue to help older people in Peckham write down their life stories. Michael Holland runs a weekly Life Writing class at the Copleston Community Centre, teaching locals of all ages how to put memorable moments down on […]

Tributes pour in for ‘legendary’ Only Fools and Horses actor Patrick Murray aka Mickey Pearce

Issy Clarke — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 17:54:08 +0000

Tributes have begun pouring in for Patrick Murray, best known for starring as Mickey Pearce in Only Fools and Horses, who died last week at the age of 68. Last week Thursday (October 2) the Only Fools and Horses Appreciation Society shared the tragic news that Murray had passed away in Rochester where he lived […]

Memory lane: Ann Smith’s family have lived in the area for 400 years – she tells us of times past

Michael Holland — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 13:42:19 +0000

Because the Hatch family lived in just 3 rooms with no bathroom in Camilla Road, Mary Hatch demanded her baby was born in a hospital. With no room in Guy’s, Ann was born in St Giles’ Hospital in Camberwell, not what this family with roots in Bermondsey going back to the 17th century wanted. Nevertheless, […]

Pensioner will be walking the London bridges to raise money so he can continue to help people write down their life stories

Evie Flynn — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 16:58:26 +0000

A pensioner who is helping local Peckham people write their life stories is now walking ten miles over 13 London Bridges on Friday October 10 to help keep his sessions alive. Michael Holland, 70, runs a weekly Life Writing class at the Copleston Community Centre, teaching locals of all ages how to put memorable moments […]

Back to Peckham: Former pupils of Thomas Calton School will reunite this September

Evie Flynn — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 10:50:38 +0000

Former pupils of Thomas Calton School in Peckham will gather for a special reunion on Saturday 20 September, from 2pm to 6pm, at the old upper school on Choumert Road near Rye Lane. The event is being organised by Barry Winters and fellow ex-Caltonians, who came together last year to host their first reunion. The […]