During lockdown, Dulwich skaters built their own skatepark on the site of an abandoned pub and two years on it’s a hub for their community.
The Grove Pub, on Lordship Lane in Dulwich, closed in 2012 following a fire in the kitchen. It was out of use for years, until lockdown 2020 – when some local skaters saw an opportunity.
Skateparks were closed in the lockdown to limit the spaces where people could gather. In a film made by skater and filmmaker Nick Vieweg – a few of the group explained how they turned an old pub car park into a DIY skatepark, while on furlough.
“When we built our first ramp and it didn’t get knocked down, we saw there was a possibility for DIY there,” one skater said.
Theo Hughes, from Dulwich, is a skater and member of the core “design & build” group for the Grove DIY.
“DIY is a big deal in skate culture,” he said. “You’ve had a hand in making it, so everyone gets a sense of ownership.
They started coming back every day and it quickly became the place to be. They built lots of ramps and things to skate on and set up a communal garden.
Tilly Yoyo, 50, from West Dulwich, started donating things for them to build with.
Theo said: “She used to have an Instagram page where she would post things she found on Peckham Rye – which she then started donating to us. Then she started taking little roles in fixing things.”
“She was really helpful – started trimming all the undergrowth and doing general maintenance.
“She’s now the glue that holds it altogether,” he added.
Tilly has become the honorary caretaker and mother figure of the space: “I tell kids to be careful – I keep an eye on them,” she explained.
“I tell them, if you don’t respect the space or yourselves here, we could lose it.”
Tilly even got in the way of a fight that broke out between some kids that came after hours. “I got in the way because I needed to protect the young skaters. Afterwards the parents of the kids all pulled together and got me a deck as a thank you for protecting their child.”
WATCH: TV Chef Big Zuu shows his support for Peckham food pantry
Building on land owned by someone else has come with its share of challenges.
“In the summer of 2020, the skaters received an eviction notice from the land owners,” Tilly said. The land is still owned by Stonegate Pub company. She said on receiving the notice to leave, the skaters prepared themselves to lose the space.
“They organised a ‘farewell event’ in August 2020 and set up a petition to save it – which got a huge positive response.
“People were saying this is something that’s really needed in Dulwich.”
Two years on, The Grove is still going strong and growing.
At the time of going to press, the leaseholders did not respond to the News requests for comment, but Tilly said they have stopped actively trying to kick them out.
Phil Fisk, 53, is a photographer who lives in Crystal Palace. He is not a skater, but during lockdown, he became interested in the area when he saw kids building in a space that had been abandoned for years.
“I cycle past that area all the time – the car park’s not been used for years. I started seeing kids building things there and fixing the place up.
“I’ve got two teenage kids, so I know how frustrating the pandemic was for them when they couldn’t go out.
“So to see kids dedicating their time to doing up a space that clearly wasn’t being used – it inspired me.
“They’re learning how to run things for themselves, which is really important.”
“It really is a proper community,” he added.
Guy’s hospital do a week’s worth of surgery in a day to beat backlog