Monday 5 April 2010

Bits of faded London and Preachers

It wouldn't be Easter without going out for a little ride, so I wandered off for a turn around Danson Park today.  On the way there, I spotted this on Lee High Road....WITALLS Motor Agents.  I've no recollection of ever seeing it before, but my newly-developed habit of keeping an eye out for them while cycling seems to catch a few of them.  And, as part of my cycle every road routine, I popped up into some of the side roads along there.  It was uphill, and my hill technique can be summarised in this basic principle: keep it slow.  And keeping it slow gives you less to worry about what's up ahead and lots more time to look around for things to stop and take a photo.  But this retake of the omnipresent NO BALL GAMES sign made me smile.
And on the way back I managed to combine ball games and a wall advert.  Yes it's Welling United, a team I never knew existed until this afternoon.
As the ground's sign shows, it's Park View Road, Welling.  The advert isn't actually painted, it's in the plasterwork.  Anyhow, whether you want to get alabastered or plastered, the building is now an Off Licence.

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As if we haven't heard enough about the church just recently, a friend told me that someone who played a notorious part in New Cross history, Gilbert Deya, nay, self-declared Archbishop Gilbert Deya, was still going through appeals and has not yet been deported.  You may remember a story about kidnapped babies from a few years ago.  The BBC's article will give the background.  But I prefer to think the reason he's so reluctant to leave this country is because it's a rock....

And, while I'm on the church theme, has there ever been a stranger place for, or a denser combination of ministries, than at the end of Brookmill Road, SE8?  I've-seen-the-light industrial units.

Next to Rhema Chapel (2 units) there is the Grace Christian Centre
And next to the Grace Christian Centre there is Winners House of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.  And verily, they went forth and multiplied.  There's also the Spirit and Live Bible Church and the Victory Life Bible Church just further along.  Looking completely out of place, these last two are separated by DMC Kitchen Installers.  
So that new kitchen must be fulfilling some kind of spiritual need, just like you always suspected.
(logo by SE8 signs)

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In case all this seems a little anti-evangelical, here's an article from the Times about the Vienna Boys Choir, penned by what must be one of the most appropriately-named journalists ever.





3 comments:

Deptford Dame said...

I'm quite taken by the Pillars of Fire Ministry, which has taken up residence in Childers Street and has sent out a flyer stating 'Enough is enough!'.

I couldn't agree more!

Sue said...

There was a programme on telly a little while ago about Evangelical Ministries setting up shop in Industrial Units (all over London). The story was that they go here because no one wants them in more populated areas cos they make too much noise (loud singing and miked up preaching etc)...However, they don't have Planning Permission for public gatherings since the units are supposed to contain light industry, but Councils are not chasing it up, perhaps because the units would otherwise remain empty and maybe they can still collect business rates...

Marmoset said...

Actually, Sue, I think that religious bodies are exempt from business rates, so that may be a factor in their spread. I'm not sure whether they get let off VAT though.

I'd guess that councils think better let than empty. But I've never really had a clue why councils do what they do.