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69-458: Despite the fact that the group, described by author Val Wilmer in her 1977 book As Serious As Your Life as "one of the most satisfying of the younger bands playing in New York," existed for over four years, the album is their sole release, and was recorded shortly before their breakup. Parker appeared on the album in place of Ronnie Boykins , who was the group's primary bassist, but who left

138-741: A "Listed Londoner" on his BBC Radio London programme. In 2019, Wilmer received the Lona Foote / Bob Parent Award for Career Excellence in Photography at the 24th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards. In 2020, Wilmer became a Patron of the National Jazz Archive . In October 2023, Wilmer was interviewed by Cerys Matthews for The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2 , featuring musicians whom Wilmer met and photographed such as Muddy Waters , Buddy Moss and Aretha Franklin . Wilmer had previously appeared with Matthews on

207-427: A 2018 BBC Four television programme, Blues and Beyond , selecting their favourite blues musicians. In 2024, she was chosen to be featured as a "castaway" on BBC Radio 4 's Desert Island Discs on 4 February. Streatham Streatham ( / ˈ s t r ɛ t . əm / STRET -əm ) is a district in south London , England. Centred 5 miles (8 km) south of Charing Cross , it lies mostly within

276-478: A Victorian draper's shop to a department store operated since the 1940s by the John Lewis Partnership , coincided with the opening of a large Sainsbury's supermarket half a mile south of the town centre, replacing an existing, smaller Sainbury's store opposite Streatham Hill railway station . Several recent additions, such as Argos , Lidl and Peacocks , are located in new retail spaces on

345-429: A canonical and influential text in music criticism. Wilmer's book As Serious as Your Life , first published in 1977 by Allison and Busby, is now a classic of jazz writing, referencing in its title something said to her by McCoy Tyner : "Music's not a plaything; it's as serious as your life." The first account of the revolutionary "free jazz" and its practitioners, it also documents women's experiences in relation to

414-738: A collection of historic photos of black people in Britain, some of which have been on public display (including in Autograph ABP 's 2014 exhibition Black Chronicles II at Rivington Place ), and she is working on a project to research the lives of black British musicians, which she has been documenting for many years. Wilmer is as important a photographer as she is a writer, having worked with hundreds of singers, jazz musicians and writers, and she has taken noted photographs of artists such as Langston Hughes , Louis Armstrong , John Coltrane , and Duke Ellington . Her photographs were exhibited at

483-482: A combination of factors led to a gradual decline through the 1970s and a more rapid decline in the 1980s. These included long term population movements out to Croydon , Kingston and Sutton ; the growth of heavy traffic on the A23 (main road from central London to Gatwick Airport and Brighton ); and a lack of redevelopment sites in the town centre. This culminated in 1990 when the closure of Pratts , which had grown from

552-424: A contributor to a vast array of publications, including Melody Maker , Down Beat (she was its UK correspondent, 1966–1970), Jazz Journal , Musics , Double Bassist , Mojo , Jazzwise , The Wire , and regularly contributes obituaries of musicians to The Guardian . Wilmer's first book, Jazz People , was one of the first books published by Margaret Busby at Allison & Busby in 1970 and

621-403: A formal album; it's great that this disc exists, and too bad it's all that exists." In an article for The List , Stewart Smith wrote: "Blank is hugely engaging throughout, laying swinging tom grooves under Brackeen and Abdullah's spiralling exchanges and the young William Parker's urgent bowed bass." Ken Waxman, writing for The New York City Jazz Record , commented: "triumphant throughout,

690-494: A globular cluster of elements held by a common gravity and an extraordinary mass, out of proportion to the actual composition." The editors of Burning Ambulance included the album in their list of "Best Jazz Albums of 2013," stating that it combines "the folk melodies of Albert Ayler with the lightheartedness of the early Art Ensemble of Chicago, minus the postmodern pranksterism... The long tracks are actually medleys of concise, structured pieces that could easily have translated to

759-695: A history of jazz, and Jazz by Rex Harris. Wilmer became entranced by recordings by Bessie Smith ("Empty Bed Blues") and the singing of Fats Waller – going to the Swing Shop in Streatham , south London, at the age of 12, combing through the jazz records until she found something she wanted to hear. Three years after these explorations in sound, Wilmer began writing about Black music, encouraged and inspired by Max Jones , Paul Oliver and others. She attended concerts accompanied by her mother, who believed her too young to go on her own. Wilmer states that it

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828-432: A journalistic exercise and not a fan, yet eventually she "would come to admire Albert Ayler as the last major jazz visionary". Although Wilmer's forte is jazz and blues, she is versed in the larger movements in music history and reveals her versatility across genres when, for instance, she writes about how Jimi Hendrix 's visit to England in 1966 gave "the floundering local scene a much-needed injection". Wilmer has been

897-467: A key moment in the music's history." Colin Green of The Free Jazz Collective stated: "there's a real joy in the music making, full of telling details... The quartet is not aiming for the conclusive... but something that on occasion might be out of reach; which is why this music retains its vitality." Dusted Magazine' s Derek Taylor called the album a "loft jazz treasure," and commented: "the music echoes

966-472: A limited number of developments took place in the village in the second half of the nineteenth century, Streatham Vale sprung up to the South later still and the small parade of shops by Streatham Common Station has become known colloquially as Streatham Village. Wellfield Road, which had previously been known as Leigham Lane, was renamed to reflect its role as the main route from the centre of Streatham to one of

1035-843: A location for entertainment, with the Streatham Hill Theatre , three cinemas, the Locarno ballroom and Streatham Ice Rink all adding to its reputation as "the West End of South London". With the advent of electric tram services, it also grew as a shopping centre serving a wide area to the south. In the 1930s large numbers of blocks of flats were constructed along the High Road. These speculative developments were not initially successful. They were only filled when émigré communities began to arrive in London after leaving countries under

1104-435: A machete on Streatham High Street in what police declared a terrorist incident. Alongside the machete, Amman was also wearing a vest with components made to look like improvised explosive devices . He was pursued by armed police and was fatally shot outside a Boots pharmacy. Streatham High Road also was host to Cat's Whiskers which later became Caesar's nightclub in the early 1990s through to 2005, which closed to become

1173-560: A meeting and performance space. Streatham Skyline introduced new lighting to highlight some of Streatham's more attractive buildings and monuments with the aim of improving safety and the overall attractiveness of the area. In September 2002, Streatham High Road was voted the "Worst Street in Britain" in a poll organised by the BBC Today programme and CABE . This largely reflected the dominance of through traffic along High Road. Plans for investment and regeneration had begun before

1242-545: A really serious piece of work. ' " Wilmer's autobiography, Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This: My Life in the Jazz World ( Women's Press , 1989), details her development as an artist/journalist, and includes her coming out as a lesbian in a largely heterosexist musical milieu. In the Feminist Review , Robyn Archer wrote: "With this book Val has made the courageous decision to tell it like it was. The result

1311-611: A six-lane 25 m swimming pool, 13 m teaching pool, four-court sports hall and a gym with 100 stations. The jazz venue Hideaway continues Streatham's long entertainment tradition. It features live performances of jazz, funk, swing and soul music as well as stand-up comedy nights. It won the Jazz Venue/Promoter of the Year category in the 2011 Parliamentary Jazz Awards . On 2 February 2020 at around 14:00 GMT, Sudesh Mamoor Faraz Amman attacked and injured two people using

1380-416: A time when the jazz scene was virtually an all-male preserve...her awareness and knowledgeability were something that most younger commentators would be hard put to emulate". In her writing, she continuously keeps jazz history at the forefront, and presents herself as a devout listener, admirer and lover of music. Nevertheless, she admits to having interviewed the brothers Albert Ayler and Donald Ayler as

1449-402: Is a social history of music like no other, and a no-nonsense account of the development from birth to maturity of a dynamic woman whose documentary arts deserve to be reappraised as a whole in the light of this book." In addition, Wilmer has consistently over the years written biographical articles on Black British musicians from the 1940s and 1950s and about photography. She was a member of

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1518-425: Is her keen understanding and insightful expression of the disparity between male and female music writers. Entering this world in 1959, she understood that writing about music was “something that men did. There was a penalty to pay for being a woman in a man’s world…[and] for a white woman to be concerned with something that Black people did meant to experience additional pressure." Through African-American music Wilmer

1587-418: Is in every sense as important as the musicians and music she has documented." She is the subject of BBC Radio 3 's Sunday Feature: A Portrait of Val Wilmer , produced by Steve Urquhart (featuring contributions from Margaret Busby , Paul Gilroy , Richard Williams , Andrew Cyrille , and Clive Wilmer ), which was first broadcast on 4 March 2018. The following week, she was also featured by Robert Elms as

1656-530: Is not necessarily any simpler. What he is doing is as engaging and profound as ever, though seeming to be less provocative than when he was upsetting rules." Her essays and obituaries are notable for their ability to subtly reveal the underlying inequities that Black artists and women faced in the music industry, often using their own words. In a 15 July 1960 obituary in Jazz News , Wilmer quotes Memphis Slim : "I also wanted to get my own publishing company, but

1725-486: Is now often referred to as one of the "three or four finest books ever written on jazz" (subsequently issued in the US by Da Capo Press ). It features interviews with American musicians who include Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis , Art Farmer , Babs Gonzales , Jimmy Heath , Billy Higgins , Thelonious Monk , Archie Shepp , Cecil Taylor , Clark Terry , Big Joe Turner and Randy Weston , and as Kirkus Reviews noted: "The emphasis

1794-405: Is on the people in these fourteen interviews, the personalities behind the jazz, their moods, ambitions, influences....The author observes well and the profiles are short and sharp with high notes for the buff." Rated "as important a photographer as she is a writer", Wilmer is the author of the photograph-led The Face of Black Music ( Da Capo Press , 1976), which like Jazz People is considered

1863-608: The Fairfield Halls in 1964, Archie Shepp sitting beneath a Jimi Hendrix poster in his New York apartment, or a joyful couple whose names we'll never know at a blues dance in Bentonia, Mississippi half a century ago, she finds the essence of the human spirit." The photobook published to acompany the exhibition, entitled Deep Blues 1960–1988 , is "a striking collection showing African American blues musicians and their communities". Photographic works by Wilmer are held by

1932-591: The Labour Party . In the 2011 census , Streatham, comprising the wards of Streatham Hill , Streatham South and Streatham Wells , was White or White British (55.3%), Black or Black British (24.1%), Asian or Asian British (10%), Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (7.5%), and Other ethnic group (2.2%). The largest single ethnicity is White British (35.5%). Among the people who were born, lived or worked in Streatham, or are otherwise associated with

2001-764: The London Borough of Lambeth , with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth . Streatham was in Surrey before becoming part of the County of London in 1889, and then Greater London in 1965. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Streatham means "the hamlet on the street". The street in question, the London to Brighton Way ,

2070-603: The Peace Treaty of 1783 . Streatham Park was demolished in 1863. One large house that survives is Park Hill, on the north side of Streatham Common , rebuilt in the early 19th century for the Leaf family. It was latterly the home of Sir Henry Tate , sugar refiner, benefactor of local libraries across south London, including Streatham Library , and founder of the Tate Gallery at Millbank . Development accelerated after

2139-722: The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in the 1973 exhibition Jazz Seen: The Face of Black Music , and form part of the V&;A's photographic collection. Her photographs are also held in the National Portrait Gallery collection. She has written about photography and interviewed practitioners including Eve Arnold , Anthony Barboza , Roy DeCarava , Terry Cryer , Milt Hinton , John Hopkins , Danny Lyon , Raissa Page (of Greenham Common fame), Coreen Simpson , Beuford Smith and James Van Der Zee . In

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2208-488: The "new jazz" in African-American communities, and deviates from the "masculinist rule of exclusion". Presenting sexual politics in the world of jazz, Wilmer unearthed sexual politics in music criticism itself. In her work, she presents a "superb descriptive journey that moves the reader through a number of seemingly incommensurable communities simultaneously.... This is the vision and possibility of community when

2277-435: The 1960s and '70s 'counterculture', much of which became a massive cash register, Val Wilmer fixed her strobe lights onto a musical and political landscape that really did in fact run counter to the culture. A shame so few — blacks and whites — were paying attention at the time. But her book, and the work it documented, remains as serious, and necessary, as ever." The name of the music production company Serious, established in

2346-466: The 1980s, Wilmer compiled and edited the "Evidence" issue of Ten.8 magazine devoted to the work of African-American photographers. Wilmer's work has often been used in conjunction with music albums, as in the digipak booklet for Honest Jon 's London is the Place for Me no. 4 CD, which includes photographs by her that "are full of warmth and immediacy". With Maggie Murray, Wilmer founded Format ,

2415-775: The Arts Council of Great Britain Collection ; the National Portrait Gallery ; Victoria and Albert Museum ; Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris ; Fotografiska Museet , Stockholm ; Smithsonian Institution , Washington DC ; and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York Public Library) . In 2009, Val Wilmer was honoured with a Parliamentary Jazz Award for Services to Jazz. In July 2017, she featured in "The Wire Salon: An Audience with Val Wilmer" at Cafe Oto . It has been said that "Wilmer

2484-484: The Jazz World , was published in 1989. Val Wilmer was born in Harrogate , Yorkshire , England, on 7 December 1941. She is the sister of the poet and writer Clive Wilmer . As soon as World War II was over, her family returned to living in London. She began her life in the jazz world by listening to prewar recordings of jazz classics, being led to many important recordings through Rudi Blesh 's Shining Trumpets ,

2553-630: The advisory board for The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2nd edition), edited by Barry Kernfeld , and the author of 63 entries. Wilmer provided the foreword to John Gray's Fire Music: A Bibliography of the New Jazz, 1959-1990 . She has written more than 35 articles for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . The British Library Sound Archive contains 35 of Wilmer's interviews with black British musicians and women musicians in its Oral History of Jazz in Britain. Wilmer has amassed

2622-600: The autumn of 2011 on the Streatham Hub - a major redevelopment next to Streatham railway station . The project was a joint development by Lambeth Council and Tesco . The project involved the demolition of Streatham Ice Arena , Streatham Leisure Centre and the former Streatham Bus Garage, and their replacement with a new leisure centre and a Tesco store with 250 flats above it. Streatham Leisure Centre closed in November 2009 due to health and safety concerns when part of

2691-461: The band moniker in giving melody equal weight with freer leaning improvisations." Writing for Point of Departure , Brian Morton noted that the music is characterized by "strong binary melodies, elemental rhythms, all the root sugars and enzymes that go to the making of jazz and a survivalist urgency," and remarked: "One doesn't notice the usual alternation of theme statement of soloing. Much like Sun Ra's music, it seems to orbit round its own centre,

2760-455: The blue. Woe betide any American musician who was foolish enough to have a contact address published somewhere — I'd find it and fire off a letter. The amazing thing was really, I mean really, that so many would reply! These great musicians and characters from a black culture on the other side of the world writing back to this young suburban white girl in England." Fundamental to Wilmer's work

2829-475: The capital. The poll was a catalyst for Lambeth London Borough Council and Transport for London 's Street Management to co-operate on a joint funding arrangement for further streetscape improvements, which benefited the section of the High Road between St Leonard's and Streatham station, and the stretch north of the Odeon as far as Woodbourne Avenue. The section between Woodbourne Avenue and Streatham Hill station

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2898-710: The domination of Hitler's Germany . In 1932 the parish church of the Holy Redeemer was built in Streatham Vale to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce . In the 1950s Streatham had the longest and busiest shopping street in south London. Streatham became the site of the UK's first supermarket , when Express Dairies Premier Supermarkets opened its first 2,500 square feet (230 m ) store in 1951; Waitrose subsequently opened its first supermarket in Streatham in 1955, but it closed down in 1963. However,

2967-562: The earliest records of jazz and blues, Wilmer began to write about jazz and other African-American music, focusing on the political and social messages of the music. Her first article (a biography of Jesse Fuller ) appeared in Jazz Journal in May 1959 when she was still only 17. Reflecting on how this piece originated, Wilmer states: "I was an inveterate letter writer, that's how the break with Jesse Fuller came about, me writing to him out of

3036-572: The first all-women photographers' agency in Britain, in 1983. In September 2013, while Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Frith Street , Soho , was undergoing redecoration, a twelve-square-metre (130 sq ft) hoarding was erected on the façade with a tribute to its eponymous founder in the form of a massive photograph by Wilmer of him smoking a cigarette outside the club, and one of his legendary one-liners: "I love this place, it's just like home, filthy and full of strangers." Wilmer's work

3105-472: The group shortly before the recording was made. Brackeen and Abdullah would later appear together on the 1987 album Liquid Magic , along with bassist Malachi Favors and drummer Alvin Fielder . In a review for All About Jazz , John Sharpe wrote: "while the band's style may not be as distinctive as others from the period, it nonetheless allows further valuable insight into the diversity on offer during

3174-686: The late seventh century, land in Streatham and Tooting Graveney was granted by Erkenwald and Frithwald to Chertsey Abbey , a grant which was later confirmed in the time of Athelstan in 933. Streatham appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Estreham . It was held by Bec-Hellouin Abbey (in Normandy ) from Richard de Tonbrige . Its domesday assets were: 2 hides , 1 virgate and 6½ ploughlands of cultivated land and 4 acres (1.6 ha) of meadow and herbage (mixed grass and bracken). Annually it

3243-495: The leading literary and artistic characters of the day, most notably the lexicographer Samuel Johnson . The dining room contained 12 portraits of Henry's guests painted by his friend Joshua Reynolds . These pictures were wittily labelled by Fanny Burney as the Streatham Worthies . Streatham Park was later leased to Prime Minister Lord Shelburne , and was the venue for early negotiations with France that led to

3312-561: The main London-Chichester road at Kennington . Streatham's first parish church, St Leonard's, was founded in Saxon times but an early Tudor tower is the only remaining structure pre-dating 1831 when the body of the church was rebuilt. The medieval parish covered a wider area including Balham and Tooting Bec . The southern portion of what is now Streatham formed part of Tooting Graveney ancient parish. A charter states that in

3381-434: The mid-1980s and organizers of the annual London Jazz Festival , is partly inspired by Wilmer's book, according to founder John Cumming: "I recommend that book to anybody interested in the evolution of jazz in the late 20th century. ...that was a book that really made me think. It was a mixture of Val's book, and also that in the eighties 'serious' had become a piece of contemporary slang. People used to come up and say, 'That's

3450-454: The modern A23 . This road (and its traffic) have shaped Streatham's development. The village remained largely unchanged until the 18th century, when its natural springs, known as Streatham Wells, were first celebrated for their health-giving properties. The reputation of the spa, and improved turnpike roads, attracted wealthy City of London merchants and others to build their country residences in Streatham. In spite of London's expansion,

3519-570: The opening of Streatham Hill railway station on the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway in 1856. The other two railway stations followed within fifteen years. Some estates, such as Telford Park to the west of Streatham Hill, were spaciously planned with facilities like tennis clubs. Despite the local connections to the Dukes of Bedford, there is no link to the contemporary Bedford Park in west London. Another generously sized development

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3588-686: The poll, with local amenity group the Streatham Society leading a successful partnership bid for funding from central government for environmental improvements. Work started in winter 2003–04 with the refurbishment of Streatham Green and repaving and relighting of the High Road between St Leonard's Church and the Odeon Cinema. In 2005 Streatham Green won the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association 'London Spade' award for best public open space scheme in

3657-460: The pool hall ceiling collapsed. Streatham Ice Arena closed on 18 December 2011, having celebrated eighty years of operation in February 2011. For two years a temporary ice rink was provided at Popes Road, Brixton. In November 2013, the new Streatham Ice and Leisure Centre opened to the public. The leisure centre houses a 60 m x 30 m indoor ice rink with 1,000 rink-side seats on the upper floors,

3726-653: The quartet forges an imaginative fusion. It mixes nimble heads with frenetic soloing and Africanized polyrhythmic drumming without neglecting tune structure." "Time and Money" by Ahmed Abdullah. Remaining compositions by Charles Brackeen. Val Wilmer Valerie Sybil Wilmer (born 7 December 1941) is a British photographer and writer specialising in jazz , gospel , blues , and British African-Caribbean music and culture. Her notable books include Jazz People (1970) and As Serious As Your Life (1977), both first published by Allison and Busby . Wilmer's autobiography , Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This: My Life in

3795-407: The record men don't want to hire a guy who's got his own publishing company," revealing the difficulty he faced as a black artist. Speaking of her friendship with the influential lyricist, music critic, interviewer and singer Kitty Grime , Wilmer demonstrates her love, respect and admiration, while also revealing the masculine bias in the world of music: "It was during this heady period that we met, at

3864-532: The site of Pratt's but, in common with other high streets, retail recovery has been slow, and a substantial proportion of vacant space has been taken by a growing number of restaurants, bars and coffee shops. In August 2011, Streatham was selected as one of the areas to benefit from Round 1 of the Mayor of London's Outer London Fund , gaining £300,000. Later, Streatham was awarded a further £1.6 million, matched by another £1 million by Lambeth. The money from this fund

3933-412: The site of the newly developed block of flats with a Marks and Spencer supermarket and Starbucks. Streatham is covered by Lambeth London Borough Council . Until 2024, it was part of the parliamentary constituency of Streatham . However, since the 2024 general election , it has been part of the constituency of Streatham and Croydon North , currently represented by environment secretary Steve Reed of

4002-522: The struggle toward freedom recognizes the intersections of sexual difference, gender, and sexuality in addition to race and class, as the basis for improvisational practices". As Serious As Your Life was reprinted by Serpent's Tail in March 2018 (endorsed on the cover by Nat Hentoff as "An exceptionally illuminating book on jazz"), and Michael J. Agovino wrote in The Village Voice : "During

4071-645: The use of Wilmer's early interviews include "Texas Trombone: Henry Coker " in Dave Oliphant's books Texan Jazz and Jazz Mavericks of the Lone Star State . She was later to gain recognition for her interviews of saxophonists Joe Harriott and Ornette Coleman , and become a writer, music critic and photographer. Writing in 1965 of the changes in Monk's style, she says: "For the last 10 years or so, Monk's music has become easier to listen to, though it

4140-599: The well locations. Another mineral well was located on the south side of Streatham Common, in an area that now forms part of The Rookery, where it can still be seen and visited within the formal gardens. In the 1730s, Streatham Park , a Georgian country mansion, was built by the brewer Ralph Thrale on land he bought from the Lord of the Manor - the fourth Duke of Bedford . Streatham Park later passed to Ralph's son Henry Thrale , who with his wife Hester Thrale entertained many of

4209-627: Was Roupell Park, the area near Christchurch Road promoted by the Roupell family. Other streets adopted more conventional suburban layouts. Three more parish churches were built to serve the growing area, including Immanuel and St Andrew's (1854), St Peter's (1870) and St Margaret the Queen's (1889). There is now a mixture of buildings from all architectural eras of the past 200 years. After the First World War Streatham developed as

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4278-494: Was a “tribute to [her] mother's tolerance" being allowed to explore her interests so freely, especially during a time when little girls were often informed of the limitations of their own future options: "Little girls, we are often told, want to grow up to be ballet dancers ... I don’t think it ever crossed my mind to consider the usual female options, resolutely opposed as I was to anything that smacked of feminine pursuits and did not involve going places, being and doing." Aware of

4347-451: Was able to immerse herself in realities that would have stayed undiscovered had she remained within the margins of her comfort-zone. For her, these experiences were fundamental and life-changing. Her perseverance in this difficult sphere and her devotion to the music led her to a path of self-discovery and personal growth, and the understanding of "the potential for personal change that exists in us all." Through her writing about music, Wilmer

4416-799: Was able to provide a voice to a transatlantic, multicultural, and multiracial dialogue, delving into a "part of history, or [what] might very soon be." Since 1959, she has interviewed hundreds of musicians, written previews and criticism. Her work has been cited and used in research for many books, articles and films, including several biographies of major musicians. Her early interviews with Earle Warren , Lee Young , and Paul "Polo" Barnes are cited in Douglas Henry Daniels's biography of Lester Young . Interviews with Thelonious Monk , Nellie Monk and Billy Higgins are cited in Robin D. G. Kelley 's biography of Thelonious Monk. Other examples of

4485-461: Was assessed to render £4 5s 0d to its overlords . After the departure of the Romans, the main road through Streatham remained an important trackway. From the 17th century it was adopted as the main coach road to Croydon and East Grinstead , and then on to Newhaven and Lewes . In 1780 it then became the route of the turnpike road from London to Brighton , and subsequently became the basis for

4554-802: Was featured in the Esquire Cover Club , the London Jazz Festival 's digital exhibition for 2020. On 2 November 2023, a solo exhibition of her work, entitled Blue Moments, Black Sounds – A Retrospective , opened at the Worldly, Wicked and Wise Gallery in North London, on show until 30 November. Reviewing the exhibition, Richard Williams wrote: "Val Wilmer is one of the most remarkable people I know, and you'll know that too if you've seen her photographs. Whether it's Muddy Waters playing cards with Brownie McGhee backstage at

4623-423: Was not completed until 2015. Any further improvements north of Streatham Hill have been halted because of TfL's budgetary shortfall. Streatham Festival was established in 2002. It has grown to a festival with over 50 events held in an array of locations, from bars to churches and parks to youth centres, attracting over 3,000 people. After several years of delay and controversy over phasing, construction started in

4692-446: Was spent on improving streets and public spaces in Streatham. This includes the smartening up of shop fronts through painting and cleaning, replacing shutters and signage as well as helping to reveal facilities behind the high street such as The Stables Community Centre. Streatham Library has also undergone a £1.2 million refurbishment. The Tudor Hall behind the library was brought back into public use as The Mark Bennett Centre providing

4761-564: Was the Roman road from the capital Londinium to the south coast near Portslade , today within Brighton and Hove . It is likely that the destination was a Roman port now lost to coastal erosion , which has been tentatively identified with 'Novus Portus' mentioned in Ptolemy 's Geographia . The road is confusingly referred to as Stane Street (Stone Street) in some sources and diverges from

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