Welcome

This week Camden unveils a new musuem of Brutalist architecture (doubling as a school hall), and we check out an Olympic gold medallist Finchleyite.

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👷‍♀️ Concrete Culture Comes to Camden

Concrete lovers, rejoice: Camden’s Acland Burghley School Assembly Hall, a 1968, Grade II-listed Brutalist landmark, is being re-cast as London’s first Museum of Brutalist Architecture. Architects Reed Watts will peel back every layer of paint next year, letting the raw concrete sing once more.

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Fuelled by a £1 million National Lottery grant - plus pocket-money pledges from pupils, parents and Tufnell Park neighbours - the makeover doubles as a civic upgrade. Step-free access, climate tweaks and fresh gallery nooks will turn the ‘Hall for All’ into a concrete community hub stretching its welcome from Kentish Town to the Northern line’s leafy suburbs.

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There’s no opening date yet, but the project keeps North London firmly on the architectural map. If you’re up for travelling further afield, check out these Brutalist examples:

· Alexandra Road Estate in Rowley Way Camden is stunningly unique with its concrete block symmetry, fantastic facades and lush linear angles at every turn. The best example of a Brutalist London housing estate.

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· The Barbican Centre, between Moorgate and Barbican tube stops, is an epic landscape of mammoth concrete structures has been voted one of London’s ugliest buildings.

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· Trellick Tower in Kensal Town is a Grade II* listed tower block, designed in the Brutalist style by architect Ernő Goldfinger. You can also visit his Modernist house at 2 Willow Road Hampstead.

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Watch this space (and your weekend plans): soon there’ll be a new reason to head south of Finchley for a proper slice of Brutalist brilliance. 👷‍♀️

Events

ARTS

Monday 11th August

​Art And Clay Holiday Workshops | Mon, Aug. 11 and Fri, Aug. 13 | 10:00 am to 1:00 pm | Dollis Ave | £40 each day, each child | Create a clay animal or mask. Draw, paint and create. Small group. All materials provided including kiln firing. For 6-15 year olds.

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Friday 15th August

​Jill Tattersall Ceramics | Fri, Aug. 15 | artsdepot, N12 0GA | Free | An exhibition of work by ceramicist Jill Tattersall. Jill states: "My work is really about opposites – matt and shiny, black and white, the smooth whiteness of porcelain and the earthy texture of grogged stoneware clays. I am absorbed by the quiet process of throwing simple cylindrical forms with porcelain and the care and focus needed to finish and decorate it."

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Wednesday 27th August

​Evening At Highgate Cemetery | Wed, Aug. 27 | 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Highgate Cemetery, Swain's Lane, N6 6PJ | £16 | Join Dr Ian Dungavell, chief executive of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust, for a special walking tour through one of London’s most evocative historic landscapes. This tour will explore the exceptional design and planning of Highgate Cemetery’s West side – from its dignified Gothic chapels to the sinuous paths and ivy-clad mausolea that make it a masterpiece of Victorian funerary architecture.

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FOOD

Sunday 10th August

​The Big Sunday PikNik | Sun, Aug. 10 | 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm | 54 Cromwell Ave, N6 5HL | £40 | This is the kind of cooking that happens when a chef's heart has travelled widely but found its home in unexpected places. The Kerala curry might carry the memory of morning boats and coconut groves but it's finished with a technique learned in a Roman kitchen, plated with an aesthetic borrowed from Mexican street food culture.

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Thursday 14th August

Pasta Making | Thu, Aug. 14 | 4:00 pm to 6:15 pm | Ann Owens Centre, Oak Lane, N2 8LT | £8 | Why not join the new age uk pasta making class? Craft and shape your own pasta by hand - then enjoy the delicious results of your creation. Email Stacey or call her on 0208 129 7621.

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MUSIC

Sunday 10th August

​London Ukulele Band | Sun, Aug. 10 | 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Parliament Hill Bandstand, Hampstead Heath | Free | Overlooking sweeping views of Hampstead Heath, this historic bandstand hosts a variety of live performances, from brass bands and jazz ensembles to local favourites and contemporary acts.

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COMMUNITY

Wednesday 20th August

​The Psychology Of Dreams | Wed, Aug. 20 | 6:45 pm to 8:00 pm | The Ann Owens Centre - Age UK, Barnet Oak Lane, N2 8LT | Have you ever wondered what happens in our brains when we sleep? Or why we dream and what our dreams really mean? Neuroscientist Professor Catherine Loveday will reveal all in her latest fascinating talk. Discover what science can tell us about the sleeping brain, memory, and the hidden stories our dreams reveal.

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SHOPPING

Sunday 10th August

​Forty Hall Farmers Market | Sun, Aug. 10 | 11:00 am to 3:00 pm | Forty Hall Farm, EN2 9HA | Free | Feel the summer vibes forty hall farm as the community celebrates great local food, drink and community sprit at the Forty Hall Farmers Market.

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NATURE

Tuesday 19th August

​Guided Walk - Moth ID Evening | Tue, Aug. 19 | 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm | Highgate Wood, Muswell Hill Rd, N10 3JN | Free | Learn to identify the moths of Highgate Wood on this guided walk, led by knowledgeable Highgate Wood staff and volunteers. Including information on the wildlife within this unique ancient woodland.

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KIDS

Saturday 16th August

​Just InCarnival: Kiddies Carnival & Family Picnic | Sat, Aug. 16 | 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm | Claremont Way, Brent Cross, NW2 1AJ | Free | Established in 2022, Just INCarnival Arts + Culture brings the best traditions of Caribbean Carnival to life on the streets of London. Enjoy carnival costume-making, steel pan workshops, carnival-themed dance and fitness classes, carnival games, face painting, henna tattoos and more.

Events - Book Ahead

Friday 10th October

​DRUM | Fri, Oct. 10 | 7:30 pm to 8:40 pm | artsdepot, N12 0GA | From £19 | DRUM is a new play from award-nominated writer Jacob Roberts Mensah that follows two rising Ghanaian creatives as they grapple with perceptions of success and identity.

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​VeggieFest | Fri, Oct. 10 | 11:30 am to 5:00 pm | 25 Cricklewood Lane, NW2 1HP | Free | Sadhu Vaswani Centre UK invites you and your family to join us for a fun filled day of the finest vegetarian and vegan cuisines prepared by the local community.

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Saturday 8th November

​Revenge: After the Levoyah | Sat, Nov. 8 | 7:30 pm to 8:35 pm | artsdepot, N12 0GA | From £19 | Nick Cassenbaum’s two-hander comedy heist, directed by Emma Jude Harris, romps through 2019 Jewish Essex. Through madcap comedy and biting satire, this explosive tale blows the roof off what it means to be Jewish in the UK.

Local Lowdown

Egging on

• Mega munchies alert: Enfield’s Oliver Paterson and Phoenix Ross just smashed a Guinness World Record by whipping up a whopper 7.81kg scotch egg. Think: 10kg of sausage, a Scottish ostrich egg (90-minute boil), and a crispy coat. The Scotch Egg had to be cut with the yolk still in tact. And it was.

Refurbing

• Fields facelift incoming. This autumn, West Hendon Playing Fields kicks off a £3.65 million upgrade. Expect brand-new tennis courts, a shiny playground, smoother paths, and eco-friendly drainage. It’s a win for families, future-proofing, and fun, aking the park safer, greener, and more welcoming for everyone.

Batting

• Wicket wizardry at Park Road. North Middlesex and Hampstead both boasted six-wicket hauls in a nail-biting cricket clash, but Max Harris’ fiery 6-16 stole the show. North Midd’s 90-run win - fuelled by gritty batting and top bowling - means they’re striding back to the top of the Middlesex County League.

Demolishing

• Towering changes incoming. West Kentish Town estate is getting a full reboot. Over the next 20 years, every one of its low-rise blocks is set to go. Up go 11 taller towers, including a 15-storey biggie. Tenants will see 326 brand-new social rent homes, plus 530 shiny private flats joining the mix.

Winning

• Winning stamps. Angelina Theophanous, 20, from North Finchley, has won Royal Mail’s first Apprentice of the Year award, outshining thousands across the country. Her knack for recruiting top posties and sparking improvements hasn’t gone unnoticed. Her team praised her drive and impact. Local talent, posted straight to the top.

The Finchleyite: Anthony Joshua

Remember the buzz of the Olympics 2012 and Watford’s gold postbox?

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Boxing champion Anthony Joshua MBE brought home a gold medal for England. He trained at Finchley ABC club in Barnet, also home to professional heavyweight Derek Chisora.

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Anthony joined Kings Langley Secondary School in Year 7, on his return from Nigeria. He excelled at football and athletics and broke his school’s Year 9 100 m record with a time of 11.6 seconds.

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Starting late in the sport, he began boxing at 18 in 2007, when his cousin suggested he take it up. He went on to win championships and a place on the GB Boxing team. In 2010 he became the British amateur boxing champion at the GB Championships.

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When offered money to turn professional, he said, “turning down that £50,000 was easy. I didn’t take up the sport for money, I want to win medals.” We’re glad he did.

Editors' Note - From Sasha

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Just back from a city-break to Lisbon: a few days of culture, museums, galleries and pastel del nata.​

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Brilliant afternoon at the MAAT Museum of Art and Technology - saw Jeff Wall's solo show. Incredible building - in true Portugese style, it's all about the tiles - located on the banks of the Tagus in Belém. We enjoyed the perfect architecture and views over a light lunch on a sunny day.

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Tessa Davis Sasha Frieze