About New Cross
Where we sing
New Cross and Deptford Community Choir
The New Cross area has a rich musical history and tradition and the choirs songs and music reflects the different musical and cultural influences of the area. New Cross is categorised by the Office of National Statistics as Multicultural Metropolitan: Inner City. It has a very diverse population and the choir reflects, with people coming from a huge variety of different backgrounds. Singers in Deptford Community Choir are lawyers, students, artists, City Professionals, musicians, to name a few professions. Many black people settled in New Cross in the first half of the 20th century. The first migrants came from the Caribbean but over time, many people moved there from Africa. Deptford Community Choir’s members represent these demographics and we sing songs that these traditions have brought to the music scene in New Cross. Our members can trace their heritage to Ghana, Italy, Germany, wales, Holland, the USA, China, and many other countries in Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. The New Cross scene (or NXS) was a rock music vogue that flourished briefly here in the early 21st-century, primarily because several pubs in the area regularly hosted live music performances by unsigned artists, which in turn related to the local presence of Goldsmiths. Bloc Party and Art Brut were among the bands described as having emerged from the New Cross scene.
New Cross History
New Cross was at the crossroads of the Kent and Surrey border. A New Cross Heath was recorded in the 15th century, when the surrounding area was still heavily wooded. The New Cross area itself was once known as Hatcham. An ancient and important road from London to Dover and Canterbury, runs through the area and in the 18th century travellers using the road paid tolls at the junction of Queens Road and New Cross Road. The road is now called the A2. Two City guilds have had a defining influence on New Cross. The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers bought a lot of the land in 1614 as a way to support its charity worked. In the seventeen hundreds, the company allowed its members and other gentlemen to rent and lease large houses. In the middle of the 19th Century, the land was built on more heavily after the railway arrived. The Royal Naval School which opened in 1843 was subsequently taken over by the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Technical and Recreative Institute in 1891. The institute has now become the well-known arts college, Goldsmiths, University of London. Deptford Town Hall, dating back to 1907, has maritime sculptures and carvings that celebrate the former borough’s seafaring history. Another New Cross landmark, the Super Kinema, opened in 1925 and is now The Venue nightclub.
Twentieth Century and Music
During the Second World War, New Cross was bombed heavily, and a lot of 19th century housing was destroyed. The remaining Victorian housing has been subdivided into flats. The 1970s saw a new building boom with many council houses and new houses being built in the area and around the 15-acre Fordham Park. Former New Cross residents have included Sir Barnes Wallis, who designed the bouncing bomb used in the ‘Dambusters’ raid in the Second World War, and the actor Gary Oldman, who was born here in 1958. Carter USM’s ‘The Only Living Boy in New Cross’ was a top ten hit in 1992.
New Cross Fire
A dark chapter in New Cross’ history was the New Cross Fire that took place in 1981. Fourteen black young people died in a fire during a house party in New Cross Road. The police repeatedly disregarded the possibility of a racist arson attack which resulted in 15,000 people march through London to protest. In 2006 the families held a private remembrance and memorial service to commemorate the fire’s 25th anniversary. Goldsmith’s University and The mayor of Lewisham created a commemorative bursary scheme for students.
About Deptford
Where we sing
Deptford and Deptford Community Choir
Deptford Community Choir sings in Deptford, a former London Borough that was subsumed into Lewisham in 1965. The Deptford Area has maintained its unique character and tradition, with the historical Deptford High street at its heart. Deptford Market is a tri-weekly event where you can buy clothes, household goods and second hand items in its junk section. People from all over London and the world come here to experience Deptford’s unique culture. Deptford Community Choir brings people together from everywhere in the area, and the members represent Deptford’s diverse history and background, which has a large population of people African and Caribbean descent.
Deptford History
The name Deptford first appeared in 1293 – when it was known as Depeford. The name refers to the crossing at Deptford Creek at the mouth of the River Ravensbourne, and simply means ‘deep ford’. In 1513, Henry VIII founded a naval dockyard in 1513, and after a hundred years, Deptford was rapidly becoming one of the country’s leading ports and a major industrial and seafaring area. Deptford was the launch site of In 1577 of Sir Francis Drake’s voyage where he sailed, via Plymouth, for a three-year circumnavigation of the globe. On this journey he claimed a portion of present-day California for Elizabeth I. Sir Francis Drake invited Queen Elizabeth the First to dine as a guest on his ship the Golden Hind, where she knighted him. The dramatist and contemporary of Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe was killed in Deptford, reportedly in a bar brawl on Deptford High Street. John Evelyn a famous 17th Century Diarist came to Deptford in 1652 to live at Sayes Court, and the modern Road, Evelyn Street was named in rememberance. Evelyn rented Sayes Court to Peter the Great of Russia who he famously visited London in 1698 to study shipbuilding. A statue of Peter the Great and a dwarf of the court was erected in 1999 outside a new housing development on the site of the former Deptford Power Station. Evelyn was not the only diarist to inhabit Deptford. Samuel Pepys, best-known for his accounts of the fire of London worked in Deptford as an admiralty official.
St John’s
St John’s was the Southernmost part of the Deptford District. The area was originally known as Deptford New Town, but the church dedicated to St John, that was constructed in 1855, gave the area its contemporary name.
Maritime Decline
The Historic Deptford dockyard closed in 1869, and was replaced with a cattle market which lasted just over half a century, and closed in 1913. Deptford was extensively damaged by bombing during the Second World War and with the postwar industrial decline, Deptford underwent a long and harmful era of deterioration. The area finally saw a turn in fortunes in the final quarter of the 20th century, with a lot of new developments and extensive regenerative building, bringing new housing and business to the area, especially along the Thames where the dockyard and industrial buildings and wharfs used to stand.
About Lewisham
Where we sing
Lewisham and Deptford Community Choir
Deptford Community Choir sings in the London Borough of Lewisham. Although Deptford used to be its own district, it was amalgamated into the Borough of Lewisham in 1965. We have members from across the borough, including New Cross, St John’s, Brockley, Catford, Sydenham, and more. The borough of Lewisham is very diverse and its citizens come from all over the world. Deptford community choir brings together the residents of the Borough and creates a community and space for friendship and singing.
Lewisham History
The first records of Lewisham show that a manor existed there, the homestead of a man called Leof of Leofsa. It was granted to the Abbey of St Peter of Ghent by Elfrida, Alfred the Great’s daughter. The Domesday Book shows that there were about half a dozen mills were operating on the river in the Lewisham area. Over time, these mills performed a variety of industrial functions, including grinding corn, steel, and for tanning leather and weaving silk. A village began to stretch along an elm-lined central road, which is now known as Lewisham High Street, and the construction of St Mary’s church began at the end of the 15the Century. King James the First was so impressed by the beauty and expanse of the settlement that he declared “On my soul, I will be king of Lusen.” (The spelling of ‘Lusen’ is not found anywhere else but the ‘s’ sound was used for centuries, and the ‘sh’ in Lewisham is much more recent development). Lewisham was well-known for its ‘healthy air’ and in the 18th century merchants began to move to the area and build their residences, but it was the arrival of the railway that saw the beginning of the borough’s development.
Victorian Era
The first lines to run were South Eastern Railway’s North Kent line that came to Lewisham in 1849, and the site of the present station is where the Mid Kent line branch was built in 1857. The Upper Middle Classes built large residences in the area with a number of cheaper housing developments for their servants and workers up until the 1870s. As the area became more crowded, the wealthy classes started to move away from busy the streets, and clerks and artisans began to move into smaller and more tightly built together housing. Nearby Ladywell began to merge with the village of Lewisham as public services and civic amenities expanded across the river Ravensbourne. Towards the end of the 19th century, many of the more historical buildings had been demolished and replaced. Lewisham had become an important transport hub with its two railway lines, and a tram and bus system. It was rapidly becoming a destination for shopping and trade.
20th Century and Post War
The High Street’s clock tower was built in honour of Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee and a street market began in 1906, which still continues to this day selling groceries and other items. The High Street saw continued development in the early 20th century, and St Saviour’s Catholic church was completed in 1909, its iconic tower and campanile was completed two decades later.
Like Deptford and New Cross, Lewisham was bombed heavily during the Second World War, and municipal and council estates were built along the edges of the Borough. Work began in 1963 on one of the largest was the London County Council’s Orchard estate (which now falls under the jurisdiction of the Royal Borough of Greenwich). Another of Lewisham’s most iconic buildings is the Riverdale shopping centre which was built in 1977. Nowadays it is known as the Lewisham shopping centre, and new developments are nearing completion around the historic high street.
Dave
Dave
Choir Leader
Dave is a community leader, drummer and musician, and is one of the founding members of Deptford Community Choir
Dave has been involved in music for his whole life, since he joined a music group when he was a child, to learning the drums and then studying for a degree in music, and recently picking up the piano.
“When I was seven I joined a singing group called modern music, which wasn’t choral. I would sit next to the drummer and listen and learn.”
Dave spent a year talking to and listening to people living in Deptford and Lewisham to find out what people were missing and what their community needed.
When the choir first started out there were three founding members, and Dave was just going to conduct.
But when the pianist had to leave, Dave took over that role too, and now he sings, plays the piano and conducts, sometimes all at once.
“I spoke to a lot of people in the area and from different backgrounds and I heard many stories about mental health and a loss of community spirit.”
“Someone suggested a choir, and that’s how we got started.”
Louise
Louise
Member of Sopranos
Louise is an in-house lawyer, a full time mum, and a school governor, among other things!
Louise first heard about the choir through her kids’ school, where she got to know Dave.
She has always sung in choirs but when her work choir came to an end, she found herself without a choir home.
“When I go to choir I can leave all my baggage at the door and let the music fill my soul! My family know that choir evenings are my time, so my husband knows he will be putting the kids to bed on Wednesdays.”
Louise’s love of singing began when she was little and she would go out with her sisters in Kennington and sing the songs from the musical Annie to unwitting members of the public (who loved it!)
“For me choir is about connecting and making great music, your level of experience doesn’t matter. To make good music we just need to sing together and feel connected.”
Louise started off as an alto, but realised that her voice could go deeper, and decided to join the lents (ladies and gents/tenor&bass) section for a challenge.
“I really love interacting with the guys, and I’ve made some lovely friendships, which are really growing.”
Louise loves singing all of the choir songs, but her favourite is Thina Siumnye.
“Thina Simunye is a call and response song that comes from a place of healing, something that a lot of people need these days.”
Maureen
Maureen
Member of Sopranos
Maureen works in the community with families and children. She heads the mothers’ union and teaches Sunday school at St Catherine’s church in New Cross.
Maureen came across the choir by chance. She was on her way to Lewisham shopping centre and saw a sign in a window.
“I just took the number down and went along, when I joined there were only two or three other people in the choir.”
“Dave just said ‘I’ve got some music if you want to sing’.”
The friendly atmosphere of Deptford Community Choir makes it special for Maureen who has been part of church and school choirs in the past.
“Singing in a group is very uplifting, the feeling of being together just raises your spirits, and from the first time you walk into a practice session everyone makes you feel welcome.”
“There’s no pressure to be there every single week, and the focus is on singing not sheet music or attendance.”
Maureen is a big fan of Bruno Mars, and loved singing one of his songs as part of the choir, but Thina Simunye is her current favourite.
“Thina Simunye is uplifting and spiritual with simple lyrics that say let’s come together and sing.”
“I didn’t know the history behind the song, but it felt very warm and everyone picked up on it really fast.”
As a regular church-goer, Maureen has discovered a spiritual dimension of singing together at Deptford Community Choir.
“I feel spiritual, as though the music has touched a nerve and I feel empowered to sing. I also love listening to the other singers when they sing solos. It takes a lot of courage to sing a solo!”
“I feel a long lost sense of community at Deptford Community Choir, and find it amazing it can create something like this.”
Fiona
Fiona
Member of Sopranos
Fiona is setting out on her DJ career, while trying to get her teenage daughter to move out and go to uni. She used to work in retail, and volunteers in her community.
Fiona joined the choir after a friend convinced her to come along. She had tried singing in other choirs, but they asked for knowledge of sheet music, and she always felt out of her depth.
“I just wanted to sing! I was nervous when I joined, but I loved hearing the choir’s sound, and I didn’t feel any pressure to join or come back the next week – but I did.”
“When I sing in the choir I feel like no one can touch me like I’m invincible, it’s very empowering.”
Fiona is on medication with some serious side-effects, and the choir makes up an important part of her weekly routine.
“I can move other commitments around, but not choir – it helps me get out of bed sometimes.”
“When I sing in the choir, a kinder side of me emerges, and I like to listen to the other singers. It’s just like talking to a friend, singing makes me feel so much lighter, like I can unburden myself.
“Choir makes me feel good, no matter what kind of day I’ve had.”
One Life One Love One Family is Fiona’s favourite song because it was written as a group exercise by the choir, and composed by Dave, the choir leader.
The first time the choir sang the song was in a garden between lockdowns during the covid-19 pandemic.
“I love the solo at the beginning, and how the rest of the choir joins in and raises the raises up the soloist’s energy.”
“The words were so poignant because the song reflected our experiences during the pandemic, and some of the challenges we were all facing. I will never forget the feeling we had in that garden when we sang it together for the first time.”
“It’s a rare experience being part of something so human-orientated.”
John
John
Tenor and member of lents
John has been making music in a un-tutored way since the 1970s – mainly in avant-garde ensembles and a rock band that is still going. He’s also an academic and is currently devising a new kind of art school that he calls ‘Art School Plus’.
John first heard about the choir from a friend in a pub, and although he felt a little nervous from previous singing experience, he loved the concept.
“I saw the idea of practice sessions taking place in a pub as a wonderful way of giving people a literal voice within their community.”
“I was really interested in the choir’s cultural approach to making music, professional standards are not that important to me when I play an instrument.”
John joined the Lents (Ladies & gents / tenor & base) and is glad to be learning to push his vocal range higher – thanks to Dave’s tuition and guidance.
“The people who sing solos are not just the experienced singers, Dave gives everyone a chance to sing and be heard.”
“Dave’s approach reminded me a bit of the Irish Pub music experience in which everyone is encouraged to contribute without being judged.
“There’s lots of encouragement from the community.”
John’s favourite song is You’re the Voice by John Farnham, and he loves how it raises self-esteem at the very personal level of one’s own voice, but also how this is what creates the voice of community.
“Dave picks songs with lyrics that resonate with individuals’ own experiences and their communities at the same time. This helps to create a social and democratic consciousness, in the choir and beyond.”
St John's Jubilee Street Party
St John's Jubilee Street Party
5th May 2022, 4PM
The choir went down to a small side street in St John’s (between Deptford and Lewisham) and sang some of our tunes for the local residents at a street party. There was a solo from John and a the crowd sang along too.
John
John
Tenor and member of lents
I wanted to bring music into my life, so I thought why not learn to sing. The idea of a community choir also appealed to me because the people who live in Deptford make it the best place to live in London by far.
I spent my 20s travelling the world, and I just found myself in Deptford when I finished my Masters. I now live in Woolwich.
Being part of the choir has not just taught me to sing, its also helped me gain a new confidence and understanding of music, which I never had before. The relaxed and friendly atmosphere is really what made this for me.
The choir has also helped me feel like Im part of something positive in my community, and I have made some really amazing connections with people I would have never met if it wasn’t for the choir.
It makes me feel like Im part of something bigger.