The Newington Green Meeting House is delighted to be hosting a selection of screenings from the London Community Video Archive (the LCVA).
We’re partnering with the LCVA for this event: the LCVA is based at Goldsmiths, University of London and its aim is to preserve, archive and share community videos made in the 1970s/80s in London and the South East. A portion of ticket revenue from this event will go to the LCVA.
Please see more info on the LCVA here.
We’ll be showing three short films on the topic of housing:
1. Downham, A Home in the Country
The Downham estate was built between 1924 to 1930, it housed 29,000 people in 6071 homes over 522 acres of farmland, with each house costing £450 to build. This community video interviews elderly residents who moved to the estate as children, with many coming from slum buildings in Deptford where there was no running water. Residents happily reminisce about the move and how they felt. One resident describes the estate as ‘Utopian’, another stating Downham was ‘space and light.’ One lady remarks the happiness she felt to have a flushing toilet, a bath and garden. The council imposed strict guidelines on the tenants, they were required to keep the gardens tidy and were not allowed to paint their house a different colour. Residents felt that the council thought they were not ‘civilised’ but the advent of World War Two changed that when the authorities witnessed how intelligent the working-class were, becoming pilots and officers in the Navy. The video ends with residents talking about the local cinema and the happy childhood they enjoyed on the Downham estate.
2. Pepys Estate Repairs Campaign
Members of the newly formed Pepys Estate Community Association document on camera outstanding repairs and maintenance needed on the estate, as well as interviewing about other about badly needed facilities, eg nursery provision, playscheme facilities. This material was edited for a community association public meeting attended by representatives of the GLC.
3. A Netful of Holes
A Netful of Holes is about female homelessness, looking at young women’s experiences of living at home, leaving home and the problems of finding somewhere to live, especially if you are single and unemployed. “…Even if you do find a place to live, it’s not necessarily what you’d call a home…” Taken from the theatre production of Netful of Holes, which was devised and performed by Second Wave Young Women’s Group, the tape intercuts discussions and workshops with actual scenes from the show. This structure gives the audience an idea of the working process leading up to the finish performance and is ideal for further discussion purposes.
There’ll be a short interval and a bar, and afterwards there will be an opportunity for discussion together.
The Newington Green Meeting House is the perfect location for a screening such as this. One of the birthplaces of modern Western feminism, it’s been at the heart of the Dissenting movement since it was built in 1708. The Meeting House’s congregation, which welcomes non-religious and religious people of all backgrounds, has many historic and ongoing social justice projects. The housing theme of these films is a relevant one: the congregation here recently campaigned, for example, for the introduction of tougher rules to combat rogue landlords (in conjunction with Citizens UK). So it’s a fitting place to explore the impact that housing and housing policy have on the lives of London communities.
The building has recently been renovated thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, a project that included the installation of a high-tech audio-visual system that allows us to screen films, including at our monthly film club (see this page for more info). The high ceilings and beautiful acoustics make it a gorgeous space to explore this important cinematic archive.
Tickets are £8, and we offer free unwaged tickets. Please contact Nick to arrange a free unwaged ticket - to pay for a ticket, please book here.