Places to visit in the local area, Goldsmiths, University of London

Places to visit in the local area

Explore south east London

We meet some of the amazing people and visit some of the great places in the local area surrounding Goldsmiths in south east London.

Local theatres
Deptford is the home of the Albany, a leading arts centre. The Albany hosts productions and classes for a diverse range of activities, including salsa dancing and drama groups. The Birds Nest Theatre, which stages small productions can also be found in Deptford.

Greenwich Theatre hosts a variety of events, including shows from the Edinburgh fringe, local youth productions and professional productions en route to the West End. The Brockley Jack Pub in Brockley contains the small but highly recommended Jack Theatre. Blackheath Halls also puts on various events including productions, concerts and club nights.

The Broadway Theatre in nearby Catford stages a diverse range of light entertainment including pantos, concerts and comedy.

Shops and markets
There is a Sainsbury’s and an Iceland supermarket in New Cross but if you don’t mind jumping on a bus the local area boasts a number of excellent street markets. Lewisham, a short distance from the College, has a shopping centre with shops, supermarkets, vegetable, fruit and flower markets. Deptford holds a bustling street market three times a week in the High Street, while Greenwich and Blackheath offer a number of smaller, more exclusive shops. Brixton also has an outdoor market centred around Electric Avenue, and an indoor market in Granville Arcade, off Coldharbour Lane.

Greenwich has several popular weekend markets – selling bric-a-brac, clothing, furniture, crafts and other odds and ends – which attract crowds of visitors browsing for unusual objects. Further afield try the East End markets at Petticoat Lane, Spittalfields Market, Brick Lane or the Sunday morning market at Columbia Road, which is a
flower and plant lover’s paradise by making the short journey to Shoreditch.

Open spaces
Despite its location in an urban area, Goldsmiths is within easy reach of open spaces such as Telegraph Hill (with views stretching right across London), Greenwich Royal Park, Blackheath, Peckham Rye Common and Dulwich Park. Green with expanses of trees and grass, these are ideal for walking and jogging, tennis, picnicking, flying a kite, or simply lazing with a good book.

If you really want to get away, trains from New Cross or New Cross Gate will take you to the Kent, Surrey or Sussex countryside.

Cinemas
Cinemas in the local area include the Premier in Peckham, the UCI at Surrey Quays, the Ritzy, an independent cinema in Brixton, and the Picturehouse in Greenwich. Central London has both major mainstream cinemas and leading arts cinemas, such as the National Film Theatre, the ICA and Barbican. There are also film nights in the Students’ Union and in College. You can look up details of what’s on at local cinemas in one of the many listing magazines like Time Out, available from newsagents, or on the web.

Clubs
New Cross is the home of the renowned Venue club, which attracts people from a wide area and has bands on most nights. It specialises in cover bands. There are a number of ‘underground’ club nights happening in New Cross. Look out for posters or flyers advertising them.

A short journey on the London Overground will give you access to venues in Shoreditch and Hoxton. Renowned as much for cutting-edge fashions as the music scene, Shoreditch and Hoxton play host to a number of club nights boasting renowned and up-and-coming bands and DJs.

The Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley is one of the few remaining original dance halls and it is worth a visit just to have a look at the old style ballroom. The Rivoli holds various events from club nights to Latin and ballroom dancing.

Gigs
Many of the local clubs organise gigs, as do the local pubs in New Cross including the Amersham Arms (which is twinned with the infamous Lock Tavern in Camden), and the Crystal Palace Tavern (a few minutes walk away on Tanners Hill, just off Lewisham Way). They also tend to have late opening licences, especially at weekends.

If you want to see well-known bands, then the Brixton Academy (211 Stockwell Road) is not far away and is a great venue, attracting top acts and holding all-night events.

You can also use the University of London Union, which holds various club nights and gigs. A list of events can be found at www.ulu.lon.ac.uk

Museums and art galleries
Local museums include the Maritime Museum, the Fan Museum, the Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory and the Queen’s House in Greenwich. Or you could get a train to Forest Hill from New Cross Gate and visit the award-winning Horniman Museum and Gardens.

There are art exhibitions held by contemporary (mostly local) artists in the Lewisham ARThouse on Lewisham Way, and The Limelight in Lewisham Library. Other local art galleries include Brixton Art Gallery, Greenwich Village Gallery, Woodlands Art Gallery, East Greenwich, Dulwich Picture Gallery and the high-profile South London Gallery, Peckham.

London’s wide range of national museums and galleries can be easily reached by train, while the growing number of East London contemporary art galleries can be found in nearby Whitechapel.