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Windrush Square

BrixtonSquares in the London Borough of Lambeth
Windrush 1
Windrush 1

Windrush Square is an open public space in the centre of Brixton, South London, occupying an area in front of the Brixton Tate Library that was originally known as the Brixton Oval, and then Tate Gardens. In 1998, the square was renamed to recognise the important contribution of the African Caribbean community to the area, marking the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush. It was the Windrush that in 1948 brought to the United Kingdom from Jamaica the first large group of post-war West Indian migrants (almost 500), who on arrival were temporarily housed less than a mile away from Coldharbour Lane in Brixton.The organization Black Cultural Archives is now housed at 1 Windrush Square in a Grade II-listed Georgian building, the former Raleigh Hall.On 22 June 2017, the African and Caribbean War Memorial – devised by the Nubian Jak Community Trust as the United Kingdom's first national memorial to African and Caribbean service personnel who fought in the First and Second World Wars – was unveiled in Windrush Square.Windrush Square is a pedestrianised open space. The land is protected from development as it was formerly part of Rush Common.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Windrush Square (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Windrush Square
Rushcroft Road, London Stockwell (London Borough of Lambeth)

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.4606 ° E -0.1152 °
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Rushcroft Road

Rushcroft Road
SW2 1JQ London, Stockwell (London Borough of Lambeth)
England, United Kingdom
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Cherry Groce Memorial Pavilion
Cherry Groce Memorial Pavilion

The Cherry Groce Memorial Pavilion is a memorial to Dorothy "Cherry" Groce in Windrush Square, Brixton. It was designed by David Adjaye and unveiled in 2021. The memorial was unveiled at Windrush Square on 25 April 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions the unveiling was broadcast online with 15 official guests. Groce was shot by a police officer in a raid in September 1985 which left her paralysed from the waist down. Police had been looking for her son in connection with an armed robbery but he was never subsequently charged. Groce's shooting led to the 1985 Brixton riot. She died in 2011. The Metropolitan Police apologised for her wrongful shooting in 2014 with a previous inquest jury concluding that eight police failures had directly led to her death. It was designed by David Adjaye of Adjaye Associates. It was funded by Lambeth Council who worked in partnership with Adjaye Associates and Groce's family. The structural engineering firm of the memorial was AKTII. The memorial is in the form of a pavilion with a single column that supports a triangular roof. Flowers are planted upon the roof. The column is intended to be symbolic of Groce's strength and the support of her local community. The memorial has benches and is intended to be a gathering place. Adjaye was inspired by the angular forms of the landscaping of Windrush Square and the nearby Memorial to African and Caribbean Soldiers. Groce's son, Lee Lawrence, described the memorial as "... a fitting tribute to my mother and to our community. The injustice done to my mother on 28 September 1985 and its aftermath, catalysed our community to act together relentlessly and persistently in the pursuit of justice for more than three decades. Our achievements together in that effort can inspire us to continue to work together to make justice a reality across our society".

Ritzy Cinema
Ritzy Cinema

The Ritzy is a cinema in Brixton, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building. It is managed by Picturehouse Cinemas, who were bought by Cineworld in 2012. The cinema opened on 11 March 1911 as "the Electric Pavilion". It was built by E.C. Homer and Lucas for Israel Davis, one of a noted family of cinema developers, and was one of England's earliest purpose-built cinemas, seating over 750 seats in the single auditorium. Like many cinemas of the period, it was fitted with an organ. It was seen as a 'scruffy relation' to the nearby Palladium, and was known as the 'flea pit'. Sound films began showing in 1929.The neighbouring Brixton Theatre was completely destroyed by bombing in 1940, which allowed the Ritzy to expand into the vacant space.In 1954, it was renovated by noted cinema architect George Coles, who installed CinemaScope: the cinema was renamed "the Pullman" and the organ was removed. It was later renamed "the Classic", before closure in 1976. After this, it was re-invented as "The Little Bit Ritzy", run in collaboration with London Cinema Collective. A collaboration between Lambeth Council and the management of the time ensured the cinema's survival, with the facade being rebuilt and restored to near-original condition.During the 1980s, the cinema developed a reputation as having a left-wing agenda, so much so that the incumbent manager was motivated to place an advert in the local press advising potential patrons that not every film that the cinema screened was "left-wing or gay".Today, the cinema is owned by Picturehouse Cinemas, and operates as a multi-screen complex with bar and café facilities. Its official name is now "Ritzy Picturehouse" although it is still commonly known as the Ritzy Cinema. In 1999, Albion Ventures invested £8million in Picturehouse to help fund the development of several of their cinemas, including the Ritzy. In 2009, the decor and colour scheme was restored from its original style and a live music venue was added, called Upstairs.

Empress Theatre (Brixton)
Empress Theatre (Brixton)

The Empress Theatre (variously later known as: The Empress Theatre of Varieties; Empress Music Hall; and, from 1957, Granada Cinema) was an entertainment venue located on the corner of Bernay's Grove and Brighton Terrace in Brixton from 1898 to 1992 when the building was demolished and the site redeveloped for housing.The Empress Theatre was built for Messrs W. H. Burney and W. J. Grimes and was designed by Wylson & Long and built by the contractor T. L. Green. The Empress could seat 1,260 on three levels, stalls and pit, Dress Circle and Gallery, and had a large stage 60 foot wide by 40 deep with a proscenium opening 30 foot wide. The electric lighting and heating was installed by Messrs Strode and Co.. The box-office hall was decorated with marble mosaic by Messrs Diespeker and Co., and was fitted with Japanese leather decorations. The auditorium, decorated in the French Renaissance style, was fitted with 'chaste embellishments' of nine panels 'each ornamented by a heraldic dive of griffins.. clawing a shield in delicate pink' measured 75 foot by 64 foot in the clear over which was a "lofty saucer-shaped dome". Over the proscenium, on each top corner, were positioned reclining female figures of Euterpe and Terpsichore, while over the two boxes, placed on each side of the proscenium on the dress circle level, were paintings, again in the French Renaissance style. The Empress opened on Boxing Day 1898 with a variety show. The Music and Theatre Review of 30 December 1898 recorded that on the theatre's opening night hundreds of patrons were turned away. On the 'bill' that night were Brixton's Kate Carney as well as a display of the Thomas Edison moving pictures. The singer and comedian Arthur Lloyd appeared here in 1900, 1901 and 1902. Other performers to appear at the Empress at this time included Joe Elvin, Vera Lynn, Tommy Fields, Wilson, Keppel and Betty, Marie Lloyd and Harry Lauder. During the 1950s and 1960s various well-known performers appeared at the Empress, including Tony Hancock, Dorothy Squires, Alma Cogan, Joe Brown, Shirley Abicair, Hughie Green, Charlie Chester, Max Miller, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and Bruce Forsyth. The Empress Theatre was variously known as the Empress Theatre of Varieties and the Empress Music Hall. In 1930 it was taken over by Variety Theatre Consolidated as a variety theatre and the auditorium was remodelled in the Art Deco Style to seat 2,000. It was the Granada Cinema from 1957 until the 1970s when it was repurposed as a bingo hall. The Empress eventually became a furniture warehouse before being demolished in 1992. A small housing development now stands on the site.