But I am young enough to have missed the daily violence and could naively wonder whether the letters stood for New Flowers. Its just too raw and it is raw to this day.. New Cross is a thriving area of south-east London with a growing cultural profile that has a number of independent restaurants, bars and cafes, and is home to Goldsmiths University specialising in art and design. With a lovely wide and mature garden and potential to extend (STPP) this is a unique opportunity in a special and sought after location. He described how dozens of teenagers and young people trapped upstairs in the house after the stairs collapsed resorted to jumping out of the second floor windows, how it was so hot peoples skin was peeling back and how in the aftermath he had 140 skin grafts. Cork tiles have been hand-stained and run throughout the apartment. The demonstration was largely peaceful but there was some violence. Ten years before, in 1971, a Caribbean house party had been attacked by firebomb in Sunderland Road, in nearby Forest Hill, leaving 22 injured. In 1971 a Caribbean house party had been attacked by a firebomb in Sunderland road, in nearby forest hill, leaving 22 injured. The tragedy was an issue raised in Oscar-winning director Steve McQueens recent film Alex Wheatle, starring Sheyi Cole, about the writer who was sentenced to jail after the uprising. This property would make a superb family home with the potential to convert the basement to a self contained flat subject to planning permission. The cold silence of the white establishment conveyed a brutally simple message that the loss of young black lives was simply unimportant. I have never forgiven them. For other inquiries, Contact Us. The house fire occurred during a party at a property on New Cross Road. I remember thinking, God please dont forsake me when I jumped. Token PR gestures, diversity schemes and anti-bias training will not be our salvation. Read terms of service here. The Guardian is keen to speak to survivors or descendants of survivors of the blaze. (LogOut/ Died during the voyage bringing Cleopatra's Needle to London. An imposing, semi-detached, 1,487 square feet, freehold property located on Amersham Road moments away from Goldsmiths University of London and New Cross station. I travelled down from Birmingham to speak at the 2014 march and remember how raw the emotion was about the fire and aftermath. Paul Edward Ruddock was born on 19 November 1958 and in 1980 he married Sandra J. Lagey (b.1959) in the Camberwell registration district He died, aged 23 years, on 9 February 1981 as a result of injuries sustained in a fire at a birthday party being held at 439 New Cross Road, London, SE14 6TA on 18 January 1981. She said: I remember the New Cross Fire because I was quite friendly with the people who lost kids in that fire and I knew quite a few kids I felt that quite personally, I was really upset by that. He is also commemorated on theEngineers Memorial, Andrews East Park, Above B Hammersmith servicemen who were killed in both world wars. Last November it emerged that a double murderer confessed to being at the scene. Share. Marketed by Winkworth, Forest Hill and New Cross. 24. In those days, it was not unusual to attend two or three house parties in one night. The blaze killed 13 young black people aged between 14 and 22. David Reid lost school friend Owen Thompson in the tragedy and went to the march. Cork tile and bespoke birch-ply carpentry have been introduced to best utilise the apartments space through the creation of ingenious storage solutions and seating arrangements. Who died in the 1981 New Cross fire and what caused it? . Covering over 2,100 sq ft, this house also benefits from a 100 ft rear garden & lower ground floor basement. 2023 London Remembers, All Rights Reserved. Local call rate, 020 3834 8457 This year will mark the 40th anniversary of the New Cross Fire, which occurred during a birthday party at 439 New Cross Road for Yvonne Ruddick and Angela Jackson. The first bedroom has an original, marble Victorian fire place. You can get in touch by filling in the form below, anonymously if you wish. ", - How 'New Cross Massacre' became reference point to how little value British institutions placed on black young lives, by author Alex Wheatle. In the early morning on Sunday 18 January 1981, a fire broke out at 439 New Cross Road in the London Borough of Lewisham. The police and local and national government ignored the tragedy and tried to blame the victims. Relations between the black community and the police hit an all-time low and resulted in the 1981 Brixton uprising. 1. The New Cross Massacre Action Committee [NCMAC] was formed on 20 January 1981 within two days of the alleged firebombing of the home of a West Indian family at 439 New Cross Road, Lewisham, South London. A great opportunity to purchase a mixed-use freehold building comprising of a ground floor commercial shop which ideally suits retail business, three bedroom split level flat, and a two bedroom coach house. His book The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World will be published by Allen Lane on 4 February, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Assistant Electrician on the RMS Titanic. Local call rate, 020 3974 1664 The burnt out three-storey house was a reminder of the nature of the offence like an open wound scorched in the body of the city. New Cross Estate Agents. Just over a month later Brixton erupted in uprisings against police abuse, which spread across the nation and the decade. As one of the protesters insisted in Blood Ah Go Run, this is the beginning not the end. Tenancy info. People were saying it was the National Front that started the fire, he says. He advises that you cant be optimistic, all you can do is organise to the best of your ability in whatever circumstances you find yourself. Collectively, we remember the event as the New Cross massacre, where there has been no justice for 14 black young people. Smithyman had been jailed for killing his pregnant girlfriend 22-year-old April Sheridan and the contract killing of Terence Gayle. From the start, we believed the police didnt conduct the investigation with the utmost professionalism and urgency. It is important to remember the shameful indifference to these deaths at the time within the media and the political establishment. Gutzmore remembers that they were keen not to rush into the march, we needed to give ourselves time to organise and mobilise properly. I got soaked to the skin That actually did a lot to bring the community around here together both black and white people.. Joseph warns that people need to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and that if we are heeding the lessons from New Cross, then that unease should remain palpable. It's 41 years on from the New Cross Fire and the memories haunt Magdalene, who says she is still suffering and searching for answers. Such a tragedy should have provoked national mourning but there was silence. Forty years on from the New Cross fire, what has changed for black Britons? Tenure: LeaseholdLease Length: approx. This bright mid-terrace Victorian house offers versatile accommodation set over three floors. The film includes testimony from Armza Ruddock, whose children Yvonne and Paul both died: Every time I close my eyes I can only see the fire, and the children were screaming, and when they stopped screaming I said, oh God theyre dead. Shabazz describes his reaction as similar to the experience people felt at Grenfell. Do you remember the events at the time? Although the route had been agreed, the police erected a cordon as the march approached. In the month after the New Cross fire, rightwing Tory MP Jill Knight raised the issue in parliament, calling for such noisy gatherings to be banned on the grounds of public safety, citing race relations legislation as a reason the polices hands were tied. . I am old enough to have walked to school and seen chalk directions to NF meetings. Wayne Hayes, who was 17 at. This bright and spacious one bedroom, top floor Victorian conversion flat with brand new kitchen, separate reception room and newly renovated bathroom. Cecil Gutzmore, the academic and activist who was active in the mobilisations after the fire, explained to me that almost immediately victims became suspects. Heres what you can try to find more properties: 020 3909 6764 The National Black Peoples Day of Action was the crest of a substantial wave of black power mobilisation, with ripple effects across the decade that crashed into the rocks of Thatcherism, individualism and the myth of equal opportunities. View our online Press Pack. Self-help was key, building up education and community support to fill in the gaps left by the neglect of the state. Officers eventually concluded that the fire broke out at 5.40am beside an armchair inside the front room of the terraced house at 439 New Cross Road where Yvonne Ruddock, 16, one of the victims of the fire, had been having a joint birthday party with Angela Jackson, who survived. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The Modern House has not tested any services, As the gravity of the situation sunk in, people started to panic. Front and rear gardens with large open plan kitchen and dinning area perfect for the whole family! I went on the march and things. Others have been very ill for a period of years." As someone who regularly engages in media debates I can certainly testify to this. 4 bed, Semi-Detached 255,000 29 Jul 2011 Freehold No other historical records 15 23, New Cross Road, London, Greater London SE14 5DS 4 bed, Terraced 5 Flat D, Christopher Court, 9, New Cross Road, London, Greater London SE14 5DS Flat No other historical records Flat A, Christopher Court, 11, New Cross Road, London, Greater London SE14 5DS Flat 020 8022 7092. A second inquest in 2004 accepted the fire was started deliberately, but rejected that it was a racist attack. Forty years on, recalling the events seems vital, especially in this moment of renewed optimism after the Black Lives Matter protests, because the legacies of New Cross still resonate. He told police that he watched the fire from a playground and saw people jumping out of windows. Host Yvonne died as did her brother Paul, 22. The apartment has been comprehensively redesigned by architect and designer Dominic Weil. She begged me to go because it was her boyfriend that was playing at the party. He shattered 163 bones and has been classed as disabled ever since. At just 11 years old, Gooding was subject to hours of questioning into the early morning and pressured to admit there was fighting at the party. New Cross massacre action committee demonstrators outside County Hall, London. 13 young people were killed, more than 50 injured and one guest Anthony Berbeck, actually escaped the fire but became mentally ill, Berbeck died after falling from a balcony of a block of council flats. The party had started the night before on January 17, 1981 but the fire started around 5.40am the following morning. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The Scene comprises a collection of beautiful three bedroom homes with direct access to Charlottenburg Park via Wycombe Street, by Felicity J Lord Land New Homes, Canary Wharf. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 23,831 brave WW2 seamen remembered on the monument at Tower Hill. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. On 18 January 1981, a fire tore through 439 New Cross Road in south-east London, where Yvonne Ruddock was celebrating her 16th birthday with about 60 guests. National Rail services run to London Bridge in ten minutes. Hassan Howe has commented on how many young people she engages with at university have no knowledge of New Cross and the history of racial violence or activism in Britain. The victims, aged between 14 and 22, were celebrating a 16th birthday when the fire. They neglected to follow up leads of an arson attack by white racist perpetrators. Shardeloes Road, London, Greater London, SE14. She remembers that they were expecting 70-80 people but more than 300 turned up and she realised that this was a movement of change something different has happened. There is a bath, shower and further storage space. Some abandoned work for the day and thousands of school-age children took part. It was that sense of shock that this is where racism leads - to a massacre, not of what the media grudgingly referred to as West Indian youngsters, but to the murder of your neighbours, classmates and friends. New Cross demonstrated the value placed on black lives in Britain. Violent scenes during the protest march that followed the fire in March 1981. Thatchers disrespect was summed up in her request to Phoenix to pass on her sympathies rather than making any effort to contact the families herself. This space drops down, offering a significant amount of additional storage space and is perfect for concealing bikes and luggage. If youre having trouble using the form, click here. 375,000. The march was the biggest gathering of black people we had seen besides the Notting Hill Carnival. Let us know in the comments section. Although it happened before I was born, the New Cross fire in 1981 and the National Black Peoples Day of Action that followed are landmarks in my identity; growing up in a Caribbean family in the 1980s, they are part of our collective memory. She said, If you dont go my mum will not let me go. . But early on January 18, 1981, 13 black partygoers including Magdalenes stepsister Roseline Henry were killed when the fire ripped through the three-storey Victorian house. His death was registered in the Greenwich registration district and he was buried in Lewisham on 11 February 1981. The lack of an official response to New Cross demonstrated the value placed on black lives in Britain. Gutzmore remembered thinking that it would go no further but a whole heap of young men much braver them me were saying onward, forward and we just went through their line. A bathroom is positioned off the hallway and employs bold colours against the same tiles. and was held at No. New Cross and the day of action remained in the peoples consciousness for decades. The racist far-right National Front was popular in parts of London at the time. David Michael, the first black police officer to serve in Lewisham in the 1970s (New Cross is part of the borough), described the force as behaving like an occupying army. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 1,350 pcm (312 pw) 2 bedroom flat to rent Clifton Rise, New Cross, London, 2 Bedrooms. The initial police suspicion was that the party had been fire-bombed, either as a revenge attack or in an attempt to stop the noise - there was also an alternative theory that a fight had broken out, from which the blaze emanated. ft. Property photos. As a teenager I remember passing the ruined house at 439 New Cross regularly on my way to college at Goldsmiths. At the Black Peoples Day of Action on March 2, 1981 to protest against the indifferent police inquiry and the lack of empathy from civic authorities, I cannot remember a single MP marching with us. Deptford Market is less than ten minutes walk away and has a thriving local market, joined in recent years by a new wave of establishments including Buster Mantis, a local bar renowned for its infamous Steam Down jazz nights; Winemakers Deptford, an exceptional natural wine bar and shop, serving outstanding European cooking from its small kitchen; Forest for all houseplant related needs and Marcella (sister restaurant to Artusi in Peckham) for excellent homemade pasta and seasonal Italian cuisine. His death was registered in the Greenwich registration district and he was buried . As always you can unsubscribe at any time. He was knifed by Frank Stephen Cobbett, a tramp who was rec 12,210 brave WW1 seamen remembered on the monument at Tower Hill. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, The New Cross Fire caused devastation in January 1981, Families were left in mourning after 13 people died in the fire. The story of Denise Gooding is recounted by Carol Pierre in Black British History: New Perspectives. Police confront protesters in Blackfriars Bridge Road in London in 1981. A few years later I interviewed a white young woman called Debbie. The party was a joint birthday celebration for Yvonne Ruddock (one of the victims of the fire) and Angela Jackson (who survived) and was held at No. Ill stay at home and Ill say a prayer. Chant Joseph summed up this unease when she told me: Forty years since this huge protest that brought London to a halt, not one thing has changed its tiring thinking about all the work that needs to be done to fix racism in this country. She stresses the importance of remembering the day, saying that these memorials need to be treated with way more respect. This cleverly conceived two-bedroom apartment is positioned on the second floor of a former Victorian residence on New Cross Road in south-east London. A unique opportunity to acquire this beautifully designed brand-new town house in the vibrant location of South East London, which is a showpiece on this historic residential street. Magdalene was too poorly to attend but Oleander Agbetu, a friend of Roselines, went along. The media were largely silent or supported the view that the black youngsters had caused the fire themselves. Flat 13, Crossleigh Court 407b, . This delightful end terrace Victorian property is packed with charm and has been extended into the side return to create a spacious family home. Hassan Howe explained they were eager to make sure it was not a traditional leftwing demonstration where they marched, had no impact and then went back to their lives. Our young are still treated like suspects even when they are the victims and they are continuously having to prove their innocence., Whenever the anniversary comes around Magdalene admits: Im not in the best place on that day. Black people came from all over the country to ensure our voices were heard.. Its a shock to our system to know that 13 young people ended up dead during a birthday party. There were no-go areas for black people in London. This is one of the most tragic, unsolved mysteries of all time, the 58-year-old says. Weekly meetings were held and momentum built up for the National Black Peoples Day of Action, which was to be an eight-hour event on 2 March 1981. Build your dream home with lots of room to spare. Fury over the police investigation when partygoers began to be treated as arson suspects, led to a 20,000-strong protest through London and is also thought to be one of the catalysts for the Brixton uprising in April 1981. A full rsum of his life can be found on theEncyclopedia Titanica website. Spread Four Bedrooms | Two Bathrooms | Semi-Detached | Period | Garden | Central Location | New Cross | Zone 2. Linton Kwesi Johnsons New Crass Massahkah conveyed in dub poetry perhaps the most enduring and powerful form of historical witness. "If it was a group of white young people who had perished in a fire like this they would have found out who was behind it. Over the years, a number of reviews and follow-up enquiries have been conducted. Some 35 years later the origins of the fire are still unknown. 18th May 2022. The weeks of planning paid off and more than 20,000 almost exclusively black protesters marched across London. Overall, more than 70,000 leaflets and 10,000 posters were distributed nationally and John arranged for more than six busloads of protesters from Manchester alone. Fire had been a staple weapon of racist violence and there had been other arson attacks on black community centres and youth clubs. More properties from this agent. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Chant Joseph, who is writing a book on British black power, stresses the need to remind people that in recent history white people in this country made bombs and threw them at us. Brockley, SE4. Joseph is frustrated that we are still stuck on the question does racism exist in Britain?, adding that if this is where we still find ourselves in the debate, were not making it out of the ghetto any time soon. Map data OpenStreetMap The line of inquiry into a firebombing was quickly dropped in favour of a theory that a fight had broken out and that the unruly black youth had caused their own deaths. The response from the police at the time sparked frustration and anger within the community, which resulted in a flurry of political activity, including the march the Black Peoples Day of Action. The media were a key target and Gutzmore remembers marching up Fleet Street, with high-rise buildings on both sides funnelling the sound we were making. But early on January 18 . In a way this is my lasting memory. Save. Delightful bay-fronted three double bedroom Victorian house of 1107 square feet (excluding the very big basement and loft spaces), with an east-facing lawned garden of circa 50 feet, side space plus access, and a substantial shed. Sales: 020 7313 3660. He died, aged 23 years, on 9 February 1981 as a result of injuries sustained in a fire at a birthday party being held at 439 New Cross Road, London, SE14 6TA on 18 January 1981. 2019. 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