wildcornerz

Started January 2010 [by Jack Thurgar]

This is a scrapbook dedicated to the study of London's weeds and the wild places where they grow. Wildcornerz also looks at the languages, cultures and mythologies that develop in these cracks.

What is a Wildcorner?

A Wildcorner is a term referring to a piece of land that has been left to grow wild in a man made landscape. To be a true Wildcorner, the land has to be restricted from public access. Many are hidden from public view altogether. A common type of wildcorner is referred to by govements and local authorities as a 'brownfield site'.

Wildcorners and corridors* are dotted all over the capital and vary in content, depending on their location and history. In this blog we focus particularly on the Wildcorners of south east London.

* Wildcorridors are networks of pathways that run through the city and facilitate the propagation and growth of weeds. Many are restricted from public access such as railway embankments and urban rivers. In the suburbs, footpaths such as the Green Chain connect public green areas by a network of alleyways and passages that skirt between houses and private land. It could be argued that these are also wild corridors.

Urban and Suburban Weeds

By the term 'weeds' we are of course referring to the cities wild plants and flowers. But their are also two other weeds that grow in the city.

'Graf' like its botanical relation, has many families and strains. Both of these weeds can often be found together, sharing many qualities including their adaptive nature and unregulated status. Both in many cases, originally entered and populated the city using the railway network.

Another 'weed' that historically flourishes in London is invisible and uses the tops of tower blocks to propagate. Pirate radio like its weed relatives, grows away from the public eye and is constantly adapting to exploit these same gaps across the cities FM radio spectrum, fighting and flourishing in-between the commercial stations.

Thursday, 5 March 2015

Catford Corner, Summer 2013

I finally managed to find my pictures of the 'Wild Walker' spirit taken in 2013.

The corner was originally one entrance to Catford dog track. It is cut off at either side by the train lines of Catford Station on the West and Catford Bridge Station and also the river Ravensbourne on the East.

Earlier that summer it was briefly home to a group of travelers before they were evicted by the owners of the land, the GLA. They sold the land to Barratt Homes who have since built luxury style apartments on the site.

The spirit of the Lewisham Natureman appears on an old container at the far end, standing tall, head back and howling.

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/10679388.Pictured__Traveller_caravans_leaving_Catford_near_former_Catford_Greyhound_stadium/

Friday, 13 February 2015

Lewisham's Wild Walker spotted again in Ladywell SE13

Spotted him early last week from the top deck of the 185 and managed to catch these pictures on my phone.

Lewisham's deer spirit appears at the back of a fresh gap of land, where Ladywell Leisure Centre used to be.

He stands between two Silver Birch trees in the wildest corner of this young wild corner, where the ground was spared from the bulldozer and vegetation grows.

His head is turned towards us.

Thursday, 15 January 2015

Spy-hole found, SE14

I spotted this spyhole last week into the wild corner on Besson St. in New Cross. This is the same Wildcorner where the Wild Walker himself appeared a few summers previous. Is he still visible inside? There is something there,.. but it is hard to make it out through the fish-eye lens of spy hole.

Wednesday, 15 October 2014

UK Graff Videos Doc's of the Past

'Tags' Graffiti vid doc, featuring 1980s/90s London Graff

'Graffiti Wars' [Sheffield Graff Doc]

'Bombing' 1987 Documentary about Graff and Hip Hop culture in Briton.

'Writers' London Graffiti 1990s

A few awkward moments there, in the meeting about the commission..
"Play it cool Rodders, .. play it cool son!"

'Colourful Barz' - Train writers Skam, Skream and Nois of FDC and JKS crews. Josh Piehl talks about his sentencing and prison experience.

Tuesday, 16 September 2014

Custom made blue borough record shelves

Monday, 15 September 2014

Lewisham's very own White Stag Spotted in Deptford.

The stag spectre can be glimpsed over the wall from Deptford Church St. The area is located in the north of the borough, just within the boundary line.

He appears to be sharpening his antlers on the grounds of an abandoned building. The building was originally a slaughter house and then in later years, a factory and mechanics. While lying empty it got used to house local squat parties.

Tags cover the walls, both younger and older strains here together.

'Ask' 'Dowt' 'Plank' 'Jets' 'Esko' 'Mood' 'Drape' 'Oie'.

The ground has been dug out and wooden structures are built against trees to form bike and board ramps.

Monday, 16 June 2014

New distant sighting of the Wild Walker

The deer shaped spirit was spotted from Fordmill Road in Catford. [Thanks go to Timbo for his eagle eye.] It is the last road bridge over the Ravensbourne before it is joined by the River Pool and flows into and partially under central Catford, running by the train line. He is virtually hidden at the end of the straight, walking out of sight.