Peter J Carroll (RIP) , Speedwell House sorcerer & co-creator of Chaos Magic in 1970s Deptford

The occultist Peter J Carroll has died, best known as one of the founders of the Chaos Magic current. As he reflected last year:'As I turned 72 in January it occurred to me that Chaos Magic really began fifty years ago in a squat in insalubrious Deptford, London, where certain insights emerged during intense study, furious ...

Deptford May Day Festival and Jack in the Green 2026

Deptford is bringing in the May this year with Full Bloom, a weekend music and beer festival: 'Led by Villages Brewery and a network of local venues, Deptford in Full Bloom brings together live music, folk sessions, DJs, zine fairs, art exhibitions, and pop-ups across the neighbourhood. Expect everything from open mic nights and jazz ...

Pagemasters Zine Fair 2025

Coming up next weekend (6/7 September 2025), the Pagemasters Zine Fair at ArtHub Studios, Stanley Street SE8 4BL (near New Cross station). More than 40 publishers stalls plus lots more. Look out for some local history from Past Tense and South London Landscape History. More details here 

The Torch of Anarchy: 1890s meetings in Southwark Park

The Torch - sometimes known as The Torch of Anarchy - was an 1890s anarchist communist journal started by Olivia, Arthur and Helen Rossetti,  three young siblings from an artistic family (the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti was their uncle and the poet Christina Rossetti their aunt)An issue from 1895 (April 18th) mentions that 'An Anarchist-Communist ...

Music Monday: Haim in Deptford

Haim are the quintessential Los Angeles band, so I wasn't expecting to be able to write them into the South London Hall of Fame any time soon. But they are over in Europe on tour and seemingly found time for a trip down to Deptford to film their latest video 'All over me'. If you're ...

Music Monday: Haim in Deptford

Haim are the quintessential Los Angeles band, so I wasn't expecting to be able to write them into the South London Hall of Fame any time soon. But they are over in Europe on tour and seemingly found time for a trip down to Deptford to film their latest video 'All over me'. If you're ...

Deptford Owls

'The owls are not what they seem' - spotted on former bank in Deptford Broadway 

May Day 2025: Deptford and Camberwell

'A Salute to May Day' at St Giles Church in Camberwell on Tuesday April 30th was a lovely night promoted by Broadside Hacks and Dash the Henge. It started off with the Belles of London City morris dancing in front of the church, followed by Daisy Rickman, Goblin Band and Tealeaf playing inside. Loved Goblin ...

May Day 2025: Deptford and Camberwell

'A Salute to May Day' at St Giles Church in Camberwell on Tuesday April 30th was a lovely night promoted by Broadside Hacks and Dash the Henge. It started off with the Belles of London City morris dancing in front of the church, followed by Daisy Rickman, Goblin Band and Tealeaf playing inside. Loved Goblin ...

Swedenborg Churches in Deptford and Camberwell

 The visionary Christianity of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) had a big impact on the more mystically inclined believers in the 18th and 19th centuries, famously including William Blake (though never somebody to bow to another's doctrine he had his criticisms of the Swedish thinker). To this day the Swedenborg Society still maintain a centre in Covent Garden ...