Arty Peckham has become so well connected
Peckham has been discovered by artists and actors. Now a new rail link is opening the gates of opportunity even wider, says Liz Hoggard 6 Dec 2012, Evening Standard + Independent
Peckham Library won the Stirling Prize for architecture in 2000
From December 2012, once-humble Peckham will gain a direct link to the Docklands, thanks to the opening of a new Overground spur. Peckham Rye, a Victorian Grade II-listed station, is on the new "Ginger line" extension from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction and will become within a 60-minute commute of two million jobs in the capital. The station is undergoing a £10 million facelift that will include a new square and shops.
"It will be fascinating to see historic buildings emerge from centuries of grime and it will make it easy for us to see how London has evolved from a rural village to the cosmopolitan inner city it is today," says Eileen Conn, co-ordinator of residents group www.peckhamvision.org.
For generations this part of south-east London has fought a reputation for poverty, crime and high unemployment, but now Peckham — one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the UK — has begun to flourish. read more...