Inside Out

London estate on film

It may not appear conspicuous, but the Brandon Estate in south London has been invaded by MI5 agents, the police, and aliens.

It may sound strange, but there's a simple explanation: the 1960s housing estate is a popular location for on-site filming for scenes set in urban London.  Many television programs, including Spooks, Silent Witness and The Bill, have been attracted by the estate's unique aesthetic and the welcoming residents' committee. 

Most exciting for the residents, though, was the visit of Doctor Who. The Brandon Estate stands in for the fictional Powell Estate, home of the Doctor’s previous assistant Rose Tyler. 

Opened in 1961, the estate was seen as a show piece for the London County Council as it captured the best of  20th century living and design.

Nell Dunn was one of the first residents to move into the estate in 1961.

“I had some architects from Bulgaria, a coach full of Japanese people and a woman who came to take some pictures for a senator in America.”

In the 1960s there was a strong sense of community on the estate and everyone “did their bit” to make sure the area remained a good place to live.

Harry Finney, resident. said: “When I was younger we used to patrol around the estate…and if we saw anything untoward we would go in and stop it.”

Ethel Frampton: “You do get a lot of gangs on the estate. It doesn’t stop me going out but I’m wary."

“Now, my people living upstairs. I know they are there but I never see them or hear from them,” says Harry Finney. “No-one wants to get involved.”

But residents have come up with a novel way of trying saving their estate. Using the location filming fees, the resident plan to rejuvenate the estate and reignite the community spirit.  The money gets spent on community events designed to bring neighbours closer together. They are re-investing in the estate.

“ I pray that through the work that we are doing, it’ll get back to being a great estate, ” says Ethel Frampton.

Did you know?

• London is the third busiest filming production centre in the world, behind only Los Angeles and New York
• In 2005 there were over 12,600 shooting days in London, on average almost 35 crews shooting in the capital every single day of the year; this was an increase of 18% from 2004
• Westminster is the capital's most filmed borough with 2,231 shooting days in 2005. The next most filmed boroughs are The Corporation of London, Lambeth, Camden and Southwark
• The BA London Eye is London's most popular filming location, followed by Battersea Park and the Millennium Bridge (2005)

(facts and figures from Film London http://www.filmlondon.org.uk/)

Purple Haze

Hidden away in the suburbs of south Surrey is a colourful surprise.  We join Matthew Wright, who grew up nearby, as he returns to his roots to explore this new development.

A little known fact about Surrey is that in Victorian times, it was the world’s supplier of lavender.  However, due to urban expansion in the 1920s and 30s, and competition from abroad, the lavender fields sadly died out.

But now lavender is undergoing a dramatic revival.

Matthew was astonished at the sight.  “It’s amazing to see.  I’m standing in what feels like a rural ideal, not far from Croydon, which I call home.”

Pooran Desai represents the charity.  “There were people here who remembered the original lavender fields.  It puts people back in touch with their local area.”

With help from the local prison’s horticultural unit, under the direction of prison officers Paul Westrup and Karl Ramsamy, allotment was cleared of bramble and planted with cuttings donated from local gardens.

Sadly Karl recently passed away after a long struggle with cancer.  The lavender fields are particularly special for his daughter, Shirley Durrant.  “It’s really moving, it’s touching, just being here and smelling it.”

Now run by volunteers from a group called Carshalton Lavender, the field has matured, and their organic lavender oil is available for purchase. 

Even in its short lifespan, the lavender field has faced difficulties – at the beginning of the year, Sutton Council announced the site as a possible location for a new school.  With help from the local newspapers and general public, Carshalton Lavender was able to fight off the plans and have the allotments removed as a potential location. 

BioRegional hopes that these small changes can influence and inspire others, helping to improve our eco-footprint in interesting new ways, and in the case of the Carshalton lavender field, there has been some success.

A bit further down the road, Mayfield Lavender has planted a 22 acre field of lavender for commercial produce.  The owner Lorna Maye said that the allotments gave her the idea.  “What inspired us was the project that had been set up at the Carshalton allotments.”  Mayfield Lavender aims to supply local organic lavender oil that is affordable and competitive with overseas competition from East Europe and China.

Get Involved!

Every July, Carshalton Lavender holds a ‘Harvest your own’ event, where you can visit the fields and pick your own lavender. 

For more information, or to buy Carshalton lavender oil, visit the website at http://www.carshaltonlavender.org/p_Home.ikml

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