place

The Bookplace

1977 establishments in EnglandBookshops in LondonBookstores established in the 20th centuryDefunct retail companies of the United KingdomIncomplete lists from March 2021
Independent bookshops of the United KingdomPeckhamRetail companies established in 1977Use British English from March 2021

The Bookplace was a radical community bookshop at 13 Peckham High Street, Peckham, south east London which was open 1977–1996.The shop sold black literature, women's writing, children's books, local press as well as mainstream publications. Aside from selling books the building acted as radical community space; the upper floor providing meeting space and adult education classes.The Peckham Literacy Centre which took the upstairs floor also provided space for the Peckham Publishing Project and Peckham People's History group. These projects together gave (often black, working class and/or female) local residents resources, platforms and the ability to publish and share their stories.The Bookplace would provide services to local schools, providing them with books and booklists, running anti-racist audits on their existing book stock, giving talks to students and would invite them to their regular book fairs. Their newsletter highlighted to schools that many of their children's books "offer alternatives to the standard white middle-class characters".Book sales would go towards the Peckham Literacy Centre's educational programmes but The Bookplace was otherwise funded by Southwark Council, Greater London Arts Association, the Inner London Education Authority at various points.The Bookplace was considered the "daughter of Centerprise bookshop" in East London which opened shortly before and shared similar values and purpose to other radical community bookshops across London at the time such as New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park, the Walter Rodney bookshop in Ealing and THAP in Whitechapel.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article The Bookplace (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

The Bookplace
Peckham High Street, London Peckham (London Borough of Southwark)

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N 51.4738 ° E -0.0729 °
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Peckham High Street 11
SE15 5EB London, Peckham (London Borough of Southwark)
England, United Kingdom
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Peckham Arch
Peckham Arch

Peckham Arch is a unique 35m span structure at the north end of Rye Lane in the London Borough of Southwark. The Arch was constructed in 1994 and was designed by architects Troughton McAslan as monument to and as instigator of regeneration in a borough which had suffered from years of decline. The Arch was the first of three capital projects around Peckham Square and was followed by construction of Peckham Library, completed in 2000. The Arch is home to a public art light sculpture conceived by the artist Ron Haselden. In November 2016 it was announced that the Arch would be demolished to make way for new blocks of flats. A 2015 plan for the site included a total of 100 flats across nine sites surrounding the square, were the arch to be removed. Removal of the arch will allow for the construction of two new four and six-storey buildings, containing 19 flats, six of which will be social housing two of these will be within existing buildings at 91-93 Peckham High Street. Community campaigners have criticised the Southwark scheme for occupying and selling off rare covered public space for private development. The scheme has been further criticised for failing to demonstrate public support for removal of the Arch. Mature trees and green link connecting Rye Lane to Burgess Park is also to be lost if the Arch were to be demolished. Local architect Benedict O'Looney said it would be a "great tragedy" if the arch were removed, branding Southwark's proposal as "insane" and describing it as "an iconic symbol of Peckham". In 2016 the London borough of Southwark turned down an application placed by 21 Southwark residents to list Peckham arch as an 'Asset of Community Value' https://www.southwark.gov.uk/assets/attach/5982/Unsuccessful-nominations-List-of-community-land-nominations-.xlsx Planning permission for Southwark Council's proposal was granted in November 2016 and expired in November 2019.