Across the road from the RUSS flats in Church Grove there is an intriguing red brick building with Gothic windows and a round tower. The Playtower has been boarded up for many years, with pigeons flying in and out, but many local residents remember it as a building at the heart of the local community.
The Ladywell Baths, opened in 1885, provided public baths and two swimming pools. The very fabric of the building records local history: the hollows in the wall by the entrance were carved out by people twisting coins into the soft brick as they queued. When a new leisure centre was built nearby in 1965, the pools were boarded over and the building continued to offer a home for community activities, including a council play centre and Ladywell Gynmastics Club. It became known as the Ladywell Playtower.
But this local landmark has been left to deteriorate for more than 20 years. After the failure of the most recent commercial development scheme, the Playtower is now at risk of ruin.
RUSS is determined to keep community at the beating heart of Ladywell Playtower. Lewisham Council is calling for new proposals for the site, and we feel that it’s time for the future of the Playtower to be put into the hands of the people who know it best – our community.
RUSS has brought together a group of social enterprises, local businesses and community partners to submit an Expression of Interest to Lewisham for renovating the Playtower and surrounding site.
Our ambition is simple but powerful. We want to transform the Playtower into a thriving, creative, mixed-use centre and truly affordable living complex for our community — and to ensure it remains under local control in perpetuity.
A Playtower for the community — by the community.
Submitting a high-quality Expression of Interest isn’t free. Unlike commercial developers with large tendering budgets, we are local people, social enterprises and community organisations. To put forward a serious, professional proposal, we need to raise at least £8,000 to cover:
· Architectural and design input
· Community-led consultation and modelling
· Technical and financial feasibility work
· Coordination and submission costs
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/a-playtower-for-the-community-by-the-community
We don’t just want your donation, we want your participation too.
We are running two weekends of playful, hands-on community design and consultation:
Saturday 31 Jan 11am-1pm and
Sunday 1 Feb 2-4pm
&
Saturday 7 Feb 11am-1pm and
Sunday 8 Feb 2-4pm
All at the Hub, 12 Church Grove SE13 7UU.
Please come along to:
· Work creatively with designers and a physical model of the site
· Share ideas for how the Playtower could be used
· Help shape a future space that truly serves the community
By backing this crowdfunder, you’re helping to:
· Keep a cherished local building in community hands
· Prove that local people can lead regeneration responsibly
· Lay the groundwork for long-term social, cultural and economic benefit
Together, we can do this. Please donate, share, and help co-create the future.
For more info contact: Playtower@theruss.org
