Join us on Saturday, 16th September to celebrate Open House Festival 2023 with free family activities in The Blue Market. Everyone is welcome to join us for the family activity Build Your Own City, a hands-on workshop to create a city in the square using cardboard and your own imagination.
There will also be a workshop and a walk to explain the legacy of Made In Bermondsey project in The Blue organised by Assemble + Hayatsu Architects (booking required, see information below)
ABOUT THE EVENT
Following three years of research and development, the ‘Made in Bermondsey’ people powered regeneration project was created and driven by passionate local community partners who truly care about the place where they live or their business. This project is supported by the Mayor of London.
The Blue Market and High St has a history going back well over 150 years and is Bermondsey’s historic town centre. In its heyday 200 stalls lined Southwark Park Road and the area was thriving due to the close proximity of the Surrey Docks and the surrounding array of warehouses and factories, primarily based on food production. Famous brands such Peek Freans (Biscuits), Shuttleworth’s (Chocolate), Pearce and Duffs (Custard) Sarsons (Vinegar) and countless others provided mass employment and the ‘Blue’ as it is known locally, developed a proud working class heritage and became known as ‘the Larder of London.’
Following the closure of the docks and factories the Blue has undergone decades of industrial, economic, and commercial decline, negatively affecting its community and the market, which at one point had dwindled to a handful of stalls. Change was needed and in 2019 the ‘Made in Bermondsey’ people powered regeneration project was created and driven by several local passionate community partners. Funding was awarded by the GLA to support the partners aspirations with a core focus on improvements to the Market Place, which has transformed into an attractive and unique public space at the heart of the community. As a legacy of the Made in Bermondsey project Southwark Council granted the management of the Blue Market to Big Local Works who are developing a new community led market model with the potential to be the catalyst in beginning to turn the tide of decline in South Bermondsey and become a key driver to bring more prosperity and opportunity to the Blue and its people in the future.
SATURDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2023 / FREE FAMILY EVENTS
Build Your Own City
WORKSHOP / 13:00–14:30 / FREE / NO BOOKING REQUIRED
Family workshop using recycled cardboard to create a city full of buildings create by participants. This is a great opportunity to get together as a community and use the inspiration and imagination of the young ones in the family to create something unique.
This activity is funded by Big Local Works and Charterhouse Fund.
SATURDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2023 / EVENTS AT BIG LOCAL
To come to the Open House Festival events in The Blue Market, first register for a visitor account on Open House Website. This will enable you to book tickets to tours and events across the festival, manage your bookings and enter ballots for special tours where tickets may be in very high demand.
Made in Bermondsey Legacy
WORKSHOP / 13:00–14:30
BOOKING REQUIRED
Come to Big Local Works, located in Market Place and meet the people behind the Made in Bermondsey project and find out how it was done.
Made in Bermondsey Tour
GUIDED TOUR / 14:30–15:30
BOOKING REQUIRED
Join the people behind the Made in Bermondsey Project for a tour to discover the historic links interwoven into the design work
How to get there:
The Blue Market, Market Place, London SE16 3UQ
Buses: 1, 381, P12
Underground: Bermondsey
Train: South Bermondsey
Overground: Canada Water
Santander dock stations on Southwark Park Road and Clements Road
Bicycles parking available
