Magdalene and Roseline danced on the second floor, others partied on the third floor and people spilled out to chat on the narrow staircase. When I interviewed Leila Hassan Howe, who in 1981 was deputy editor of Race Today, for a profile last year in the Guardian Black Lives series, she explained that by the time of New Cross there was a militancy in the black population and we had to take a stand. The result is this, that in the case of each and every one of the deaths, I must return an open verdict. He said he was satisfied that the fire was not started by a petrol bomb or any other incendiary device, either thrown from outside or inside the house in New Cross Road.) (LogOut/ Joseph is frustrated that we are still stuck on the question does racism exist in Britain?, adding that if this is where we still find ourselves in the debate, were not making it out of the ghetto any time soon. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. 24. An imposing, semi-detached, 1,487 square feet, freehold property located on Amersham Road moments away from Goldsmiths University of London and New Cross station. We pay respect by giving voice to social justice, acknowledging our shared history and valuing the cultures of First Nations. "A raw aesthetic has been born of this outlook; Weil has exposed sections of plaster, wallpaper and brickwork, and used these textures and tones to influence the broader design.". Greece train crash: Inside 10 seconds of terror after worst ever head-on smash sparks derailment blaze leaving 38 dead, Man, 43, died after being held down by security guards at Sainsbury's, Woman, 37, found dead in posh flat near racecourse as man charged with murder, Full list of school closures today as tens of thousands of teachers walk out how to check latest advice for parents, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). In 1978 Deptfords Albanys Empire community theatre was burned down, with the national front claiming responsibility. 230,000. It is important to remember the shameful indifference to these deaths at the time within the media and the political establishment. Wayne Hayes who was 17 at the time, recalled the carnage in an interview from the HuffPost last year. More properties from this agent. Oleander was supposed to go to the party but it clashed with a family bash. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Shabazz says it was a racist attack and it is a widely held assumption in black communities that the fire was started by fascists, most likely using a petrol bomb. No one has ever been charged in connection with the fire and the case remains unsolved, leading to a complete lack of faith in the official investigations. Although it happened before I was born, the New Cross fire in 1981 and the National Black Peoples Day of Action that followed are landmarks in my identity; growing up in a Caribbean family in the 1980s, they are part of our collective memory. Hassan Howe explained they were eager to make sure it was not a traditional leftwing demonstration where they marched, had no impact and then went back to their lives. On 18th January 1981, Yvonne Ruddock was celebrating her 16th birthday party in the family home at 439 New Cross Road in south east London. Taking on the police and winning was a key source of pride in the folklore of the march. She said: I remember the New Cross Fire because I was quite friendly with the people who lost kids in that fire and I knew quite a few kids I felt that quite personally, I was really upset by that. In the aftermath of the fire, as my friends and I gazed at those precious lost lives, their images now adorned on placards and posters, we recognised their joy, aspiration and better tomorrows. From the start, we believed the police didnt conduct the investigation with the utmost professionalism and urgency. The party had started the night before on January 17, 1981 but the fire started around 5.40am the following morning. If we take one lesson 40 years on it must be that black people united, will never be defeated. It was a historic moment that was important to document, he says. 443 New Cross Road New Cross, London, SE14 6TA We have occupancy information for 3 people based at this address from 2005 to 2014 from Edited Electoral Roll : Full name | Length of occupancy | Telephone number* (*Where Available) Find Who Lives Here Property Information Neighbouring Addresses He described how dozens of teenagers and young people, trapped upstairs in the house after the stairs collapsed, resorted to jumping out of second-floor windows, how it was so hot peoples skin was peeling back and how in the aftermath he had 140 skin grafts. 439, New Cross Road. The night was a birthday celebration for 16-year-old Yvonne Ruddock and 18-year-old Angela Jackson at the Ruddock family home 439 New Cross Road in South London. Survivors are suffering from PTSD but weve been told to move on and get over it.. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. Cold Blow Lane was originally a lane leading to Cold Blow Farm. Call agent: 020 3856 4168. The Modern House has not tested any services, Violent scenes during the protest march that followed the fire in March 1981. This property would make a superb family home with the potential to convert the basement to a self contained flat subject to planning permission. The house fire occurred during a party at a property on New Cross Road. 1,350 pcm (312 pw) 2 bedroom flat to rent Clifton Rise, New Cross, London, 2 Bedrooms. As Paul Gilroy commented recently, photographs of the young people who lost their lives were carried as a demonstration that their humanity mattered. The youngest victim was Andrew Gooding who was 14. Remembering a tragedy: culture inspired by the New Cross fire. Despite the eight-page briefing there have been no charges. Smithyman was 14 at the time and is claimed to have made the confessions between 1991 and 1993 during police interviews. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. This cleverly conceived two-bedroom apartment is positioned on the second floor of a former Victorian residence on New Cross Road in south-east London. The blaze killed 13 young black people aged between 14 and 22. We knew their fate could have visited any of us. Cork tiles have been hand-stained and run throughout the apartment. It is ironic that the very gains the black power movement created in access to education, employment and society are the same factors that led many of us to look for alternatives to mass grassroots political activism. Linton Kwesi Johnsons New Crass Massahkah conveyed in dub poetry perhaps the most enduring and powerful form of historical witness. Toyin Agbetu, of Ligali, a human rights organisation that challenges the misrepresentation of black people, culture and history in the British media, believes the Black Lives Matter protests show grievances felt by black people are still current today. The press the following day focused on pictures from Blackfriars Bridge with headlines such as When the black tide met the thin blue line (the Daily Mail), the Day the blacks ran riot in London (the Sun) and Rampage of a mob (Daily Express). In the doorway was a makeshift memorial stating thirteen of our children murdered and beneath these words was a list of their names. Cold Blow Farm was situated on the site of the Sanford Housing Cooperative and even after the Croydon Railway came in 1854 with its brick tunnel, most of this area of New Cross remained agricultural. Trinidadian intellectual CLR James had an important impact on the black power movement in Britain and Hassan Howe recalled his advice to not assume that London is Britain. Local call rate, 020 3834 8457 Thinking back now perhaps the most appropriate way to remember those lives cut short so cruelly is to renew a commitment and vigilance to challenging contemporary racism in all its forms. Out of the ashes of this terrible tragedy came an unprecedented political mobilisation led by the families, the New Cross Massacre Action Committee and the wider black community. Deptford, Deptford Bridge and St Johns stations are all within walking distance. Forty years on from the New Cross fire, what has changed for black Britons? It resulted in the historic Black Peoples Day of Action on Monday 2 March, 1981, where 15,000 people from all over the country filed by 439 New Cross Road bound for the Houses of Parliament and Fleet Street. Some 35 years later the origins of the fire are still unknown. Heres what you can try to find more properties: 020 3909 6764 Michael Smithyman said he had gatecrashed the party with an accomplice who started the fire after they were refused entry. On 18 January 1981, a fire tore through 439 New Cross Road in South East London, where Yvonne Ruddock was celebrating her 16th birthday with about 60 guests. He told police that he watched the fire from a playground and saw people jumping out of windows. New Cross massacre action committee demonstrators outside County Hall, London. You could hear the screams and scrambling, she says. New Cross Estate Agents. lthough it happened before I was born, the New Cross fire in 1981 and the National Black Peoples Day of Action that followed are landmarks in my identity; growing up in a Caribbean family in the 1980s, they are part of our collective memory. Located on a prime residential road is this Four bedroom Victorian family home. Local media claimed his date of birth to be 19 November 1960, but the England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index held at the General Register Office, London, shows his birth date as 19 November 1958. It took Thatcher five weeks to reply to Sybil Phoenix, who had written on behalf of the New Cross families and community, condemning the failure of government to reflect the outrage of the black community. A raw aesthetic has been born of this outlook; Weil has exposed sections of plaster, wallpaper and brickwork, and used these textures and tones to influence the broader design. The apartment has been comprehensively redesigned by architect and designer Dominic Weil. Local call rate, 020 3909 0407 Properties sold Filter: This area only All years All property types All tenures 384 sold propert ies Date sold In the early morning on Sunday 18 January 1981, a fire broke out at 439 New Cross Road in the London Borough of Lewisham. Im not saying its a racist attack but the way the police handled it was racist. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Gutzmore remains struck by the memory of the march going under the bridges in south London, the echo of the voices coming back from the crowd, describing the scene as really quite extraordinary. There was a party atmosphere, it was filled with young people laughing and dancing. Endwell Road. Rarely seen, this 6/7 BEDROOM PERIOD PROPERTY with SELF CONTAINED ANNEXE, is superbly located being just moments away from New Cross Rail and Overground Station. appliances or specific fittings prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. I survived because I managed to jump out of the window and I am still haunted at the scene of all these young people panicking when we realised we were going to die. At just 11 years old, Gooding was subject to hours of questioning into the early morning and pressured to admit there was fighting at the party. For several years under the banner of the interim National Afrikan of Peoples Parliament anniversary marches took place to mark the events. . They chose a Monday to march from New Cross into central London to disrupt the working day. The response from the police at the time sparked frustration and anger within the community, which resulted in a flurry of political activity, including the march the Black Peoples Day of Action. Hundreds marched with more joining in spontaneously just like in 1981, venting the same anger and frustration. This bright and spacious one bedroom, top floor Victorian conversion flat with brand new kitchen, separate reception room and newly renovated bathroom. He was one of more than 100 youngsters who had gathered at 439 New Cross Road to celebrate 16-year-old Yvonne Ruddock's birthday. That day of action after New Cross was supported by black university students, who were gaining their first significant foothold on campuses. Host Yvonne died as did her brother Paul, 22. The police and local and national government ignored the tragedy and tried to blame the victims. There is a bath, shower and further storage space. Token PR gestures, diversity schemes and anti-bias training will not be our salvation. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Tenancy info. George Francis, Gerry's father and chair of the New Cross Parents' Committee, told BBC London: "Some people have gone mental through this fire. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The first bedroom has an original, marble Victorian fire place. She was a three-months-pregnant teenager when she survived a notorious blaze in South London by jumping from a second-storey window. The meeting concluded with a march to the scene of the fire and a demonstration there, which blocked New Cross Road for several hours. The victims, aged between 14 and 22, were celebrating a 16th birthday when the fire. Weil has sought to retain and celebrate the buildings Victorian flourishes while developing a set of living spaces which offer the light, space and generosity that have come to define contemporary living. Local call rate, 020 3909 6611 This was a direct response to the far rights calls to keep Britain white and it became a launchpad for resistance in the 1980s. Fury over the police investigation when partygoers began to be treated as arson suspects, led to a 20,000-strong protest through London and is also thought to be one of the catalysts for the Brixton uprising in April 1981. The house fire occurred during a party at a property on New Cross Road. The line of inquiry into a firebombing was quickly dropped in favour of a theory that a fight had broken out and that the unruly black youth had caused their own deaths. 265,000. The kitchen is positioned at the end of the hallway, down a short flight of stairs, and is configured as a galley; an arrangement accentuated by a pair of linear hobs. Known as the New Cross Fire, those affected have had to live with the tragic events of that fateful night. As a teenager I remember passing the ruined house at 439 New Cross regularly on my way to college at Goldsmiths. (LogOut/ Spread Four Bedrooms | Two Bathrooms | Semi-Detached | Period | Garden | Central Location | New Cross | Zone 2. He closed the door but when we opened the door to leave all we could see was thick black smoke and we realised we needed to get out.. and was held at No. National Rail services run to London Bridge in ten minutes. Let us know in the comments section. Magdalene Edwards remembers the sound of the screams and the smell of the thick smoke as it billowed through the house. Zolo Realty (London, ON), Tower B, 6th Floor, 380 Wellington Street, London, ON, N6A 5B5, 416.898.8932 Share. He shattered 163 bones and has been classed as disabled ever since. 1 Reception. It was not only the police response that fed into community anger. I would spoil her fun if I didnt go.. Out of the ashes of the New Cross fire, we saw the spirit, determination and organisation of black communities across Britain. Smithyman had been jailed for killing his pregnant girlfriend 22-year-old April Sheridan and the contract killing of Terence Gayle. The march was the biggest gathering of black people we had seen besides the Notting Hill Carnival. The racist far-right National Front was popular in parts of London at the time. Forty years on, recalling the events seems vital, especially in this moment of renewed optimism after the Black Lives Matter protests, because the legacies of New Cross still resonate. I went on the march and things. Armza Ruddock whose children Yvonne and Paul both died, it was a racist attack and it is a widely held assumption in the black communities that the fire was started by fascists most likely using a petrol bomb. The 16-year-old Yvonne Ruddock was having a joint birthday party at her family . Delightful bay-fronted three double bedroom Victorian house of 1107 square feet (excluding the very big basement and loft spaces), with an east-facing lawned garden of circa 50 feet, side space plus access, and a substantial shed. A mural has been revealed in honour of 14 young black people killed by a fire in south London 41 years ago. New Cross is fundamental because it contains all the features of racism that black people in Britain have long suffered: the racial violence, police abuse, neglect by the state; in turn, it tells us of the communitys resistance. The living room has bespoke bench seating running around its perimeter with incorporated storage space, power points and heating. Paul Ruddock. A white Austin Princess car was seen driving away from the fire. Roseline said she was going back for her boyfriend. . My faith has carried me through whatever I have experienced in life.. On 18 January 1981, a fire tore through 439 New Cross Road in south-east London, where Yvonne Ruddock was celebrating her 16th birthday with about 60 guests. The blaze, believed to have been set by racist thugs, is one of the biggest tragedies the black British community has faced. We will carefully consider any new information. The burnt out three-storey house was a reminder of the nature of the offence like an open wound scorched in the body of the city. Just over a month later Brixton erupted in uprisings against police abuse, which spread across the nation and the decade. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, The New Cross Fire caused devastation in January 1981, Families were left in mourning after 13 people died in the fire. In 1981, the British black power movement had been active for at least two decades. . The party was a joint birthday celebration for Yvonne Ruddock (one of the victims of the fire) and Angela Jackson (who survived) and was held at No. His death was registered in the Greenwich registration district and he was buried in Lewisham on 11 February 1981. Speaking about the ordeal, the now 57-year-old grandmother says: Every time the anniversary comes around I dont feel good at all. It presents excellent refurbishment potential, featuring a large garden, spacious accommodation, a study and a cellar. Although the route had been agreed, the police erected a cordon as the march approached. Shardeloes Road, London, Greater London, SE14. 439, New Cross Road. Enquire Map Book a Viewing Video Tour. It's up to you if you choose Nationwide, or a different lender, to suit your mortgage needs and circumstances. Notwithstanding the press coverage the protest was a major moment in British history. 2. In the month after the New Cross fire, rightwing Tory MP Jill Knight raised the issue in parliament, calling for such noisy gatherings to be banned on the grounds of public safety, citing race relations legislation as a reason the polices hands were tied. At 439 New Cross regularly on my way to college at Goldsmiths in honour 14. Zone 2 the youngest victim was Andrew Gooding who was 14 at the time, the... 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