Kirkdale Village Late Night Shopping Event

[MabelsFiveandDime]

Hi All,

just to let you know, it's the "Kirkdale Village Late Night Christmas Shopping Event" tomorrow.

Thursday 7th December 6pm-8pm

Many shops, including:
Dulwich Reclamation
Mabel's Five & Dime
JH Skincare
Lindo's Wheels
Kitchen Skills
161
Freight
The Journey Cafe & More will be open till 8pm.

With special offers available on the night & festive treats too!

Why don't you come & eat & drink your way up Kirkdale & support your small local independent businesses while you do it, by getting started on your christmas shopping.

For more details either check out your free SEE3 leaflet or visit our Instagram page @kirkdalevillage

We look forward to seeing you.

Merry Christmas from all the Kirkdale Traders

[sugahill cafe]

No mention of Alhambra that run the Kirkdale village twitter page , bit confusing this village & who's in it and who's not.....we've been on Kirkdale for 10 years are we in the Village? or village borders possibly

[MabelsFiveandDime]

Hi Sugar Hill, didn't mean to leave you out.

I set up & run the Instagram page for Kirkdale Village, as the twitter page does not seem to be used very much & does not mention any of the new businesses that have opened in the last couple of years!

As I have never been able to find you on Instagram, I unfortunately can't promote you by reposting your pictures but I do try to pop in to different shops on Kirkdale & take my own photo's & promote that way (it has only been set up for a few weeks so not meet everybody yet)

I have spoken to Alhambra about the twitter page & she tell's me that she does not run or have access to the Twitter account. I am still trying to find out who actually does? Also she told me that she would not be opening for the late night event, which is why I did not mention them.

I was just using the info in the free SEE3 Christmas guide.

I am only trying to help promote the area & not upset anyone, or leave anybody out.

[marymck]

There isn't a Kirkdale Village in this part of the world, but I do commend what the Kirkdale traders are now trying to do in involving the community in regenerating the old high street. The unfortunate Kirkdale Village name was an attempt a few years back by an estate agent to rebrand the area. The name was divisive and inaccurate and the estate agent has since moved on anyway, having bought several high street properties: including The Woodman, which he has sub divided to the extent that it is highly unlikely to ever operate as a pub again, and 109-111 Kirkdale which he applied for planning permission to demolish. (109 has been boarded up pretty much since he bought it; 111 is leased as the much valued bicycle shop.)

The area the estate agent branded Kirkdale Village is Sydenham's original high street, which ran from Wells Park Road following the curve in the road round to the Bricklayer's arms. The name Kirkdale was adopted for this part of the road in 1936, when the upper part of Kirkdale, which continues up to Sydenham Hill was also given the Kirkdale name. Immediately prior to that the upper part had been called Sydenham Hill Road and the middle section that I described above was called The High Street - hence the lovely Historic England Listed High Street Buildings, which Lee has reflected in the lettering of the beautiful ghost signage, for which I'll (almost) forgive the sign writer for the grocer's apostrophe's.

Pre 1936 "Kirkdale" just ran from the railway bridge in Sydenham to the junction with Wells Park Road, which I'm sure has led to many a confused family historian when they've been trying to find the house their ancestor lived in.

In my opinion the Old High Street would be the most appropriate name, but I think we're stuck with Kirkdale.

Good luck tonight to the traders.

[Robin Orton]

'Kirk'? 'Dale'? Where are we, Bonnie Scotland or God's Own County?

And where's the kirk anyway? St Bart's is on Westwood Hill and the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lords wasn't built until the seventies.

[juliam2016]

It's great that the traders are joining forces to offer this late night shopping event, and well done to Mabel for setting up the instagram and helping to build some momentum behind this unique part of Sydenham. Personally it doesn't bother me what the area is called - the main thing is having thriving independent shops and sense of community. If Kirkdale Village is a helpful name for the purpose of drawing more folks into the area then that's great. It does have a different 'feel' from both Sydenham High Street, and Dartmouth Road shops, so having a unique identity seems to make sense, and I don't see why it needs to be based on historical street names or boundaries.

Well done to all involved and I hope to be there later. Kirkdale + Horniman Christmas Market seems like a good combo.

[marymck]

I don't think "Kirkdale Village" is a helpful name, Juliam. It comes with a lot of baggage for many that live here and its misleading. The old high street has never been a village. It used to be the history heart of Sydenham.

In my opinion, it would be best to move on from the temporary "Kirkdale Village" branding attempt and if the area needs a name then either start completely afresh or have something with a bit of meaning. The Old High Street is historically accurate and its meaningful nowadays - especially given the lovely old buildings we have in this part of Sydenham and the retro nature of many of the shops on the street. Nothing about that name would be misleading, whereas if I didn't know the area I might be thinking I'd get something else when responding to the advert for tonight's event that states: "Free entertainment while you explore Kirkdale Village". When I explore a village, I expect a village. When I visit an old high street I get what Kirkdale has. I think we should celebrate what we are; not try to be something we're not.

[juliam2016]

Sydenham Old High Street sounds nice. The only problem is that there's no street called 'Old High Street', so how would people know where it is? At least with 'Kirkdale' you can put it in googlemaps and you know vaguely where it is.

Just trying to think of a practical way forward...!

[marymck]

Sydenham Old High Street sounds nice. The only problem is that there's no street called 'Old High Street', so how would people know where it is? At least with 'Kirkdale' you can put it in googlemaps and you know vaguely where it is.

Just trying to think of a practical way forward...!

Trouble is there's a Kirkdale that used to be a village, now in Liverpool. There's also a Kirkdale Village in Yorkshire.

Kirkdale is a meaningless name as far as our part of Sydenham goes, but we've been stuck with it since 1936. What about Kirkdale High Street? As Lee did with the ghost signs ...

http://agoodblog.designedbygoodpeople.c ... gn-murals/

[Sideofham]

How about Kirkdale Barrio? I guarantee the renaming will revitalise the whole area and within months fashionistas from Hoxton and the like will flood the area.

[leenewham]

It was supposed to change from 'Village' to 'High Street' as per the traders meetings during the Portas pilot. That's why the painted signs say 'Kirkdale High street' and not Village.

The village part was set up by the local estate agent, much to many peoples scorn.

Kirkdale is the original high street of Sydenham.
The 'high street' buildings are in Kirkdale (which the painted signs type and logo are based on the cast signage of these buildings).

[marymck]

It was supposed to change from 'Village' to 'High Street' as per the traders meetings during the Portas pilot. That's why the painted signs say 'Kirkdale High street' and not Village.

The village part was set up by the local estate agent, much to many peoples scorn.

Kirkdale is the original high street of Sydenham.
The 'high street' buildings are in Kirkdale (which the painted signs type and logo are based on the cast signage of these buildings).

Very beautiful signs too, thanks to Lee. They can be seen on Lee's website (link in my post above) and of course on the Halifax Street wall of the piano shop and the Willow Way wall of J H Skincare, which you can check out TONIGHT at the LATE NIGHT SHOPPING EVENT!! I'd love to see them incorporated into any branding or advertisements for the area.

[juliam2016]

Yes the signage is lovely.
Does anyone know if there are any plans to renovate the pavement in this area? The Dartmouth Road paving looks good, and once you get down to Sydenham station etc it also looks nice, but the Kirkdale area by Costcutter etc looks pretty scruffy now in comparison.

[sherlomi]

Kirkdale Village? We call it "down by Costcutters"

[marymck]

Yes the signage is lovely.
Does anyone know if there are any plans to renovate the pavement in this area? The Dartmouth Road paving looks good, and once you get down to Sydenham station etc it also looks nice, but the Kirkdale area by Costcutter etc looks pretty scruffy now in comparison.

There was a proposal by the consultants hired to design the ongoing works at Dartmouth Road, to "do" Kirkdale high street. There was an initial draft design, which included narrowing the road to slow the traffic down!!! People in the area were asked to to give feedback on the draft and we were promised there will be further consultation on the design. Nothing's happened, so I guess it's a question of money and maybe waiting now till after the council elections.

The pavements on the stretch between Halifax Street and Fransfield Grove are dangerous and a disgrace, due to cars and vans parking on them and the fact that CostCutter store their rubbish there rather than in their car park to the rear.

The Council say they can't do anything about cars on the pavement unless they catch someone in the act of driving across it, because traders can do what they like in their own curtilage, they just aren't allowed to drive across the pavement to get there. Duh?

All the shops on that stretch have a small curtilage to the front, except the Woodman, which has none.

I did request bollards be installed, or even that the existing bike stands be repositioned so that cars can't drive onto the pavement, but because of the long term proposals I mentioned in my first paragraph, this won't happen.