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.

Saturday, 27 April 2019

Far from home

Rare spotting of Lewisham's illusive wild walker far from home.

Seen from the DLR, I did a triple take and then jumped off at the next stop to investigate.

Friday, 20 April 2018

A Portrait of Mr Pink [The Pink House, Lewisham]

Some of you may have seen this already but had to document it here for the archive. If you haven't, this is the beautiful short 'A Portrait of Mr Pink' by Helena Appio. Like the house itself, The film had a mythical status to me, as I had been trying to see it for years. For Lewisham residents The Pink house has been a local landmark for decades and a source of wonder and childhood myths.
The film is beautifully shot and uses the Mr Pink's own crackly recordings for a perfect natural soundtrack.
Mr Brenton Samuel Pink sadly passed away last year. Its so good that the film was made and gives us a glimpse into Mr Pink's world. For me, it has only added to the legend of the Pink House and its eccentric creative inhabitent.
The house is still there at present, standing in darkness at the top of Lonepit Vale.

Wednesday, 29 November 2017

New Tee from Wildcornerz out now!

I have a fresh new t-shirt out over on my merch label 'Cornerz'
available now.

We proudly present 'The Corner Weedz'.

The style of the design is inspired by uk comic books from the 1980's and 90's such as Acne, Braindead and Viz.

Each Corner Weed member is from a different species of 'weed' that grows in the wild places of London.
Meet Poppy 'Head', Levi the dandy Lion, Ragz [Ragwort] and Bud [Buddleia.]
More Road than the green cross code!

Cornerz

Monday, 13 November 2017

Propagation Power

From the marvellous 'Wonders of Creation' from Lion Publishing 1975 '
This spread shows the ingenious methods plants have evolved to disperse their seeds far and wide, increasing their chances of reproduction.

Sunday, 20 August 2017

New Lewisham Natureman Sighting 2017

Its been a few years since we at Wildcornerz have received any news of sightings of Lewisham's lone stag. He seemed to had vanished from the borough, along with the rapid decline of the wild places he inhabits.

Until yesterday. As we drove back south from the Blackwall tunnel I spotted a fleeting dash of white against an old wall, in a small wildcorner

just beyond the boroughs borders in Charlton.

It was him, the Wild Walker - deer spirit, aka the Lewisham Natureman,

moving quickly and silent across the nettles and creeping buttercup's.

Catch him before he's gone again.

Tuesday, 15 August 2017

Eastcombe Hill

Buddleia weed

Heres a link to a BBC news article reporting on how Buddleia is pollinating Britain's rail network.
Here.