Month: July 2022

A community hub at the Barbican Kitchen door could catalyse neighbourhood connections

Posted on by David Wilcox

Updates: my column in the EC1 Echo promotes these ideas for a community hub. However, staff changes at the Communities and Neighbourhoods team mean any developments on the hub are delayed until 2023. Further updates here on the idea of a hub, and a community room. Just inside the Barbican Centre’s terrace entrance, on the … Continue reading “A community hub at the Barbican Kitchen door could catalyse neighbourhood connections”

London Starts Here could develop it’s own Destination City to engage supporters

Posted on by David Wilcox

London Starts Here is such a good name I hope that Barbican Quarter Action won’t mind if I suggest something that would benefit the campaign by picking up ideas from the City’s new recovery plan. The campaign points out that the City’s London Wall West office development seems out of line with its new Destination … Continue reading “London Starts Here could develop it’s own Destination City to engage supporters”

How radical story walks could help us engage with EC1/2

Posted on by David Wilcox

At the weekend I met up with Danny Budzak, who organises fascinating Radical Walks … about which more later, with ideas for walks in EC1 and EC2. The occasion on Saturday was a celebration of Richard Stubbs’ and Ruth Wareing’s 40th anniversary of their relationship and their recent civil partnership. It was an amazing event, … Continue reading “How radical story walks could help us engage with EC1/2”

Keep up to date on the new Museum of London

Posted on by David Wilcox

The debate about London Wall West – current home of the Museum of London – has highlighted the Museum’s closure in December 2022. There’s pages about that on the Museum website, and a more detailed history and vision for the future here. Ian Mansfield, who runs the excellent IanVisits site about What’s on in London, … Continue reading “Keep up to date on the new Museum of London”

£50,000 Smithfield design competition might take inspiration from Bartholomew Fair

Posted on by David Wilcox

Update: Winners have been announced with a proposal for ‘Seats at the table’. “The team will work with local disabled and non-disabled youth to co-design spaces of sharing, making, learning, nourishment and socialising”. More here. A new competition ‘Co-designing Equity in the Public Realm’ aims to deliver “temporary public realm interventions in Smithfield and East … Continue reading “£50,000 Smithfield design competition might take inspiration from Bartholomew Fair”

Revive Bartholomew Fair? Maybe it’s already happening in Culture Mile

Posted on by David Wilcox

Articles in the EC1Echo about reviving Bartholomew Fair in 2023 have attracted support. However, in lots of ways we already have an all-year Fair taking place in the many venues along the City of London’s Culture Mile. Here’s a discussion paper on how we might combine a new Fair with promotion of those very varied … Continue reading “Revive Bartholomew Fair? Maybe it’s already happening in Culture Mile”

Curating coverage of the London Wall West debate

Posted on by David Wilcox

Proposals to develop the site currently occupied by the Museum of London have provoked strong opposition. I’ve used Wakelet to curate the first week’s campaign coverage and tweets. More in this earlier post about the Cash versus Culture discussion that has echoes from 50 years ago, when the Barbican Arts Centre was the focus. View … Continue reading “Curating coverage of the London Wall West debate”

Categories LWW

Restaging Bartholomew Fair on the ground and online

Posted on by David Wilcox

Update April 2023: The City Corporation are planning a spectacular City-wide Bartholomew Fair in September. Next year Barts Hospital and St Bartholomew the Great celebrate 900 years of service. The Fair that was started to help fund their work became a huge success – but was eventually closed down for encouraging debauchery and public disorder. … Continue reading “Restaging Bartholomew Fair on the ground and online”