Latest news with #Blackheath
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Blackheath church could be yours for £450k as it goes under the hammer
A former church with 'potential for a wide variety of alternative uses' is going under the hammer next month. Kingdom Central Church, in Birmingham Road, Blackheath, will feature in Bond Wolfe's July auction. The vacant building, which has an "impressive spire" and is a "well-known local landmark", has a guide price of over £450,000. READ MORE: The noticeable changes that 'often' signal early dementia Ian Tudor, commercial auction director at Bond Wolfe, said: 'This is a substantial former church occupying a town centre location and considered suitable for a wide variety of alternative uses, subject to planning permission. 'The vacant freehold property extends to approximately 9,203sq ft, and with its impressive spire, the property is recognised as well-known local landmark building." He said the main entrance had a lobby either side, with stairs to the first floor leading into the main church area. There were also toilet facilities, a kitchen, offices and meeting rooms and a cleaning store. A galleried area also overlooks the main church hall, and there is another function/meeting room and office on the first floor. Mr Tudor continued: "With its spacious interior and attractive features the property is considered suitable for a continuation of religious uses or, alternatively, community use, a hospitality venue or educational use.' The church was originally built as Birmingham Road Methodist Chapel. According to records, its origins were as part of a New Connexion society, which first met at a cottage in Yew Tree Lane, Rowley Regis, in 1840. The congregation later moved to Siviters Lane, and the chapel in Birmingham Road was opened on October 23, 1906, having cost £8,000 to complete. In 1996 the Methodist churches of Blackheath amalgamated, meeting at Birmingham Road until the new Central premises were ready. The chapel was then closed until 2005, when it reopened as Kingsway International Church. It was most recently known as the Kingdom Central Church. The former church is among 196 lots appearing in Bond Wolfe's next auction which is due to start at 8.30am on Thursday, July 10. The auction will be livestreamed via Bond Wolfe's website with remote bidding by proxy, telephone or internet. For more details and to register to bid visit email auctions@ or call or call 0121 312 1212 or 01902 928 510.
The Guardian
21-06-2025
- The Guardian
Wildflowers, saunas and antiques: a local's guide to the Blue Mountains
My partner and I are both creatives. Six years ago we were living in a tiny apartment in Sydney's inner west, and I was paying extra for a studio. It wasn't sustainable so we decided to move to Katoomba, on the traditional lands of the Dharug and Gundungurra people. I read an article recently saying something like 'skip it, it's not at its best' but Katoomba has a beautiful authenticity, even if it's not quite polished. Our closest upper mountain towns are Leura and Blackheath. Katoomba is all old-world treasures and beautiful building facades. Blackheath has the incredible Victory Theatre Antique Centre, Gleebooks, Hat Hill Records & Audio and great rock climbing and hikes. Leura has an upscale main drag full of lifestyle and fashion stores, but it gets busy on weekends. I recommend walking the backstreets to see the cute cottages and gardens. Our favourite place to eat is the award-winning Ates in Blackheath. It serves delicious Mediterranean-style share plates and always feels like a special night out. Much of its food is cooked in its 150-year-old wood-fired oven and there's a greenery-filled courtyard. On weekends, Tempus Katoomba has a fine-dining menu with an incredible all-Australian drinks list. It's in the old bank and lots of historical parts remain but the interiors are fun and fresh. On weekday mornings it switches to the Tempest Up Early cafe, serving Little Marionette coffee. We're so lucky to have Black Cockatoo bakery here. It's run by a French expat, Alexandre Rivière, and uses organic Australian flour and Pepe Saya cultured butter. Savoury or sweet, it's all delicious. It's a cool space, too, with custom ply joinery and lots of plants. We just discovered The Laughing Elephant in Wentworth Falls. It's an Asian grocer but they make amazing banh mi and laksa at lunchtimes. Fidelity is a new cafe run by two super-warm and welcoming guys with a deep passion for coffee. The seating spills outside with lots of dogs and friendly vibes. I drink decaf and often feel self-conscious but the baristas at Fidelity are like, 'You've got to try this decaf!' The house-made chai is great too. Cassiopeia has great coffee and baked goods too; it roasts its beans in Leura. Lyrebird Dell walking track in Leura is magical. It's shaded and cool with waterfalls and tree ferns so it's a great in summer. You can detour down to the Pool of Siloam waterhole for a swim. It has a sandy beach and doesn't get too crowded. Lockley Pylon is a three-hour walk (7.2km return) mostly along a ridge in north Leura. It's known for stunning wildflowers in spring, like boronia and waratah. It's very exposed, so walking on windy or super-hot days is not advised. At the end there's an incredible view over the Grose Valley. Wentworth Falls Lake Park has a new walkway and a viewing platform along the eastern edge that's pram- and wheelchair-friendly. The area still feels wild in places but there's also a big playground, a cute jetty and ducks. People kayak and canoe here; we like to swim on the north side in the shade of the gumtrees. It's busy on weekends with people barbecuing and picnicking. Minnehaha Falls in North Katoomba is 2.7km return with some stairs, but the waterhole at the end is a sublime swimming spot. The track follows Yosemite Creek which has loads of scribbly gums and banksia. I love native plants but I'm also a sucker for the lilacs, tulips and maples at Everglades House and Gardens. The art deco house is a wonderful glimpse into the past and you can do Devonshire tea in the tearoom. The 12-acre garden is manicured in some parts and bushy in others and you can picnic on the lawn. Down in the Lawson industrial area (15 minutes' drive east of Katoomba) is a quarterly experimental arts event run by SIRC_UIT. It's always a unique experience, with performance and installation, and there's a pop-up bar and food. Zoe's Blackheath has live music, Italian-influenced pub-style food and a great bar for a casual drink. Mountain Culture Brewpub in Katoomba is in a rambling 1900s building. The co-owner is originally from North Carolina; it has won many awards for its beers. There's great views and yummy burgers and fried pickles. Aqua Ignis is a new sauna and bathhouse in Blackheath that's open until 9pm. It has magnesium baths and a herbal steam room; it's such a restorative evening. Blue Mountains Sauna in Leura has been around longer; it's a more traditional Nordic-style space with regular 'clothing optional' sessions. Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba is a crucial stop for art lovers. It features touring shows, such as the Archibald prize and the Wynne prize, as well as exhibitions from renowned local artists such as Claire Healy, Sean Cordeiro and Nick Stathopoulos. There's also an immersive permanent video installation filmed in the national park. I'm a mural artist, and the encouragement of street art here is so nice. Me and four other female mural artists painted the Froma Lane walkway that connects Katoomba Street to the centre. Beverley Place was really dilapidated 10 years ago before it was transformed into the Katoomba Street Art Walk. When a wall mural fades a new artist is invited to paint it. It's a really cool space to walk through. The cultural centre runs short street art tours or you can use a self-guided map. Landslide Gallery in Wentworth Falls was once an old flour mill. It runs an Australia-wide and international artist-in-residency program and its exhibitions showcase the incredibly diverse mediums of Blue Mountains artists, from ceramics to sculpture, paintings and textile art. Day Gallery is a commercial gallery in Blackheath; the couple behind it, Helen and Vincent Day, are legends. Their roster of artists is truly inspiring. During Covid lockdowns, renowned local painter and musician Claire Nakazawa (from the band Haiku Hands) created a mural on the external wall as her response to the landscapes after the black summer fires. The area around the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba is getting so vibrant. Katoomba Civic Centre's gardens are re-landscaped with tree ferns and banksias, and it's a lovely stroll through the Carrington hotel's garden down to Katoomba Street. The Blue Mountains Co-op is near there and has a kiosk with the most amazing soups. The co-op market garden is next to the cultural centre and the Carrington hotel. It's run by Farm it Forward, which makes unused pieces of land productive. This patch was long abandoned and now it has a head farmer and the co-op sells its seasonal organic produce. I painted a produce-inspired mural on an adjoining heritage-listed wall to bring some joy and to revive the space. The Carrington (from $230 a night) is an old-world beauty and I love looking at the historical photographs of how Katoomba began, with just the Carrington at the top of the hill and this rickety train line. The Kyah (from $190 per night) is a very cool renovated motel in Blackheath. It has a great restaurant called Blaq, gardens, a tennis court and a hot tub. Chalets at Blackheath (from $1,300 a night; sleeps two) are very high end and dreamy. There are four freestanding chalets with bushland views. They have fireplaces, bathtubs and a sundeck; you're really immersed in the environment and birdsong. Cloud Parade (from $1,095 a night; sleeps 10) is an Airbnb in Leura with lovely interiors and stunning valley views. It's only a 15-minute walk to the town centre, which is impressive, because often places with views this good are a fair hike from the shops. Nastia Gladushchenko is a Ukrainian Australian artist and interior designer
BBC News
17-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
'Rediscovered' mural to be restored and moved to primary school
A mural by a leading 20th Century London artist installed in a now-disused community centre in south London is to be moved to a local primary Mitchell, who was born in Maida Vale in 1925, has a body of work that ranges from a zoo in Qatar to the Egyptian escalator at who died in 2020 aged 94, was known for his public art in the UK, including Grade II listed works across London, as well as significant installations in the United a mural by the artist, "rediscovered" in Blackheath during preparatory work for the construction of new council homes, is to be restored. Greenwich Council said it worked with local residents, ward councillors and the Blackheath and Twentieth Century Societies to get funding from the Heritage of London Trust to pay for conservation and restoration of the the mural is thoroughly cleaned and restored it will be moved to Brooklands Primary School, close to the original council said pupils at the school will be taught about the techniques and technology used to restore artwork during the mural is currently in storage and will be installed at the school this Mitchell has more artworks listed on the National Heritage List for England than any other post-war include the fibreglass reliefs on the doors of Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral, a 1,000 ft (320m) long decorative cast concrete work on a wall at Kidderminster ring road and Clifton Cathedral's concrete Stations of the Cross.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- The Sun
Key tunnel used by thousands of commuters every week to close for 10 weeks for £10m upgrade after ‘repeated faults'
COMMUTERS are being warned to plan ahead as a major tunnel is set to close for 10 weeks due to repair works. Train journeys are expected to be disrupted from this Sunday May 18 until Sunday July 27, as work begins on the £10 million upgrade. The Blackheath tunnel's planned closure will affect passengers in south-east London travelling between Blackheath and Charlton. From Sunday, train services will be diverted via Greenwich and Bexleyheath for Network Rail to carry out their "essential repairs" on the 175-year-old Victorian structure. The closure comes on the same day as timetable changes are set for the Southeastern rail, so passengers are reminded to keep up to date with different services. Tunnel repair work will include replacing thousands of bricks and installing a new tunnel lining to stop water leaks, rebuilding the drainage systems, removal of 'wet beds' and waterlogged sections of the track. This work on the one-mile tunnel is said to mean less faults and delays for passengers in the long-term, as well as improve bumpy sections that passengers experience on the track. Around 1,000 minutes of delays are reported to have occurred for Southeastern passengers last year. Speaking for the Southeastern-Network Rail Alliance, Network Rail's Kent route director David Davidson said: "We know there's never a good time to close the railway, and that changes to services for a 10-week period is a long time. "These essential repairs will improve the safety and operation of the tunnel. 'We are carrying out the repairs over a series of 10-week closures because working in cramped and narrow tunnels is incredibly difficult." Extra routes will also run on the Woolwich line for connections to the Docklands Light Railway and Elizabeth line, as well as extra services on the Bexleyheath line. Around 3,500 passengers per week are estimated to travel between Lewisham and Abbey Wood through the Blackheath tunnel. This closure follows another 10-week shut down which occurred last year, where engineers cleaned soot from the tunnel lining, conducted detailed surveys, and replaced thousands of bricks. It also comes just days after a power outage struck London underground passengers in the south-west on Monday. Passengers on the Bakerloo, Waterloo and City lines were impacted as the lines were suspended, and no trains between London Bridge and Finchley Road on the Jubilee line were in operation. 1
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Nick Ferrari falls victim to gang of 'keyless' car thieves as his brand new £60,000 Jeep Wrangler is stolen from his driveway
Nick Ferrari has had his brand new £60,000 Jeep stolen from outside his gated home in London. It is feared keyless car thieves may have used a device to unlock the LBC presenter's plush 4x4 before driving away without leaving a trace of evidence. Mr Ferrari, 66, told MailOnline it felt 'strangely personal' before praising Scotland Yard's response to the brazen theft. He said: 'While this in no way compares with being a victim of a personal or violent crime, and I'm not for a moment suggesting that, to open my gates, gain entry to the car without any smashing of glass or anything that left the slightest trace of evidence, is disturbing. 'The police have been hugely supportive and I've had both a phone call and an email. 'In this instance they couldn't be doing more. I just wish the bloody criminals were doing considerably less.' Mr Ferrari had left his home in Blackheath at 5pm on May 12 but to his horror found his black Jeep Wrangler Overland was gone from the driveway when he returned the next day. Has YOUR keyless car been stolen? Email 'As someone once sang, I love driving in my car… I really did. I'd be immensely grateful if anyone who has information could help,' he said. A spokesperson for the Met told MailOnline: 'On Tuesday, 13 May we received a report that a car had been stolen from outside a residential property in Blackheath. 'We are carrying out CCTV checks and house-to-house enquiries in the area. The investigation is ongoing.' Car thefts have spiralled to a 15-year high with experts blaming 'smart keys' that allow keyless access to a wide range of high-end vehicles. Armed with iPad-sized devices to emulate electronic fobs, thieves can open newer vehicles and drive away within seconds. New laws are set to ban electronic devices used to steal cars - with the people who make or sell signal jammers facing as much as five years in prison or an unlimited fine. Close to 130,000 car thefts were reported to the police in 2023/24, official statistics show, while more than 700,000 vehicles were broken into. This marked the highest toll since 2008/09, when criminals were more likely to pick locks or smash windows before hotwiring cars and speeding off. Although not all will have been by thieves using 'emulators', insurers say the trend is increasing. Official data shows an offender manipulates a signal from a remote locking device in 40 per cent of vehicles thefts. Admiral, the UK's largest motor insurer, said around two-thirds of cars stolen in 2023 were keyless. Terrifying CCTV footage has shown masked crooks, hidden by the cover of darkness, 'hacking' cars sat on their own driveway. Earlier this year, a man had his £25,000 Ford Ranger stolen after two keyless car thieves made off with it in the dead of night. Footage of the culprits revealed how they managed to steal the vehicle from the family driveway in less than 60 seconds. One thief swiftly made his way towards the car door while the other runs over to the front of the house, holding what appears to be a signal-scanning device. More shocking CCTV footage from March last year showed how thugs unlocked a Bentley Bentayga, which was parked in a gated driveway, using a 'master device' to copy the signals of the vehicle's keys and transmit them to a second device to open the car. After successfully gaining access to the vehicle, worth £169,000, one of the criminals then reverses the motor through two sets of fences in order to escape off the property. Perry Lovejoy, 29, Luke Jackson, 28, Billy Harrison, 30, and Harry Sales, 28, all admitted charges of conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to acquire criminal property. They were sentenced collectively to 12-and-a-half years behind bars. In December an organised crime gang which plundered luxury vehicles worth more than £215,000 were jailed for a total of more than 27 years. The gang targeted high value cars parked at luxury homes in multiple burglaries across Surrey. In 2023, police identified a series of residential burglaries which could be linked via a distinctive Audi A8 car, which was one of just 15 in the country. The gang would scope out a target vehicle and either commit a burglary to steal the keys or use illegal devices to gain keyless entry. Minister for Policing, Crime and Fire Prevention, Dame Diana Johnson said in March: 'These thefts have a devastating effect on victims, who need their vehicles to go about their everyday lives. 'We are aware of the real concerns people feel with the use of these electronic devices being so prolific. 'This is why we are introducing new laws focused on tackling this issue at source, which is what our Safer Streets mission and Plan for Change are all about. 'These new laws will prevent these devices from getting into the hands of thieves and organised crime groups. 'We will also continue to work closely with the National Police Chiefs' Council, which includes supporting their National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership, which brings together the police and manufacturers to clamp down on vehicle crime.'
