For Darcus Howe the day was black-organised, black-led and you felt that. EXCLUSIVE: On January 18, 1981, a fire - believed to have been started by racist thugs - claimed the lives of 13 teenagers with fury over the police investigation into one of the biggest tragedies in the UK. If youre having trouble using the form, click here. Paul Edward Ruddock was born on 19 November 1958 and in 1980 he married Sandra J. Lagey (b.1959) in the Camberwell registration district He died, aged 23 years, on 9 February 1981 as a result of injuries sustained in a fire at a birthday party being held at 439 New Cross Road, London, SE14 6TA on 18 January 1981. This is according to the current Zoopla estimates. Some 35 years later the origins of the fire are still unknown. For several years under the banner of the interim National Afrikan of Peoples Parliament anniversary marches took place to mark the events. 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. [5] Victims [ edit] Change). She was a three-months-pregnant teenager when she survived a notorious blaze in South London by jumping from a second-storey window. A white Austin Princess car was seen driving away from the fire. Smithyman was 14 at the time and is claimed to have made the confessions between 1991 and 1993 during police interviews. "That was the norm in the 70s and 80s. Local call rate, 020 3974 1664 Ensure you're up to date with our latest advice on how to avoid fraud or scams when looking for property online. in a house in New Cross, south London, a birthday party ended in a fire. 23,831 brave WW2 seamen remembered on the monument at Tower Hill. In 1978 Deptfords Albanys Empire community theatre was burned down, with the national front claiming responsibility. The demonstration was largely peaceful but there was some violence. This large three bedroom extended Victorian terraced house boasts original features throughout. The media were largely silent or supported the view that the black youngsters had caused the fire themselves. Added on 28/11/2022 by Urban Spaces, Loft Living & Unique Properties 020 3910 0873 Local call rate 1/5 1,100,000 St. Donatts Road, New Cross Terraced 3 1 Forty years on from the New Cross fire, what has changed for black Britons? 157 New Cross Road, London, SE14 5DG. The blaze killed 13 young black people aged between 14 and 22. Out of the ashes of the New Cross fire, we saw the spirit, determination and organisation of black communities across Britain. Self-help was key, building up education and community support to fill in the gaps left by the neglect of the state. Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. Tenure: LeaseholdLease Length: approx. 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). 4 bed, Semi-Detached 255,000 29 Jul 2011 Freehold No other historical records 15 23, New Cross Road, London, Greater London SE14 5DS 4 bed, Terraced 5 Flat D, Christopher Court, 9, New Cross Road, London, Greater London SE14 5DS Flat No other historical records Flat A, Christopher Court, 11, New Cross Road, London, Greater London SE14 5DS Flat The initial police suspicion was that the party had been fire-bombed, either as a revenge attack or in an attempt to stop the noise - there was also an alternative theory that a fight had broken out, from which the blaze emanated. It was a historic moment that was important to document, he says. Families were treated as suspects and they werent interested in finding the perpetrators. A bathroom is positioned off the hallway and employs bold colours against the same tiles. Build your dream home with lots of room to spare. What can be learned from the legacy of the outcry and activism that followed? View our online Press Pack. There was already a lack of trust among black communities in the official response and a general perception of the police as racist and discriminatory. 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. The hallway itself has a micro-cellar accessed by a hatch in the floor. Elegant Three Bedroom Townhouse With Garage, Terrace and Garden. The 16-year-old Yvonne Ruddock was having a joint birthday party at her family . Cork tiles have been hand-stained and run throughout the apartment. Police raids on parties and accusations of brutality were ever present. 439, New Cross Road. Smithyman had been jailed for killing his pregnant girlfriend 22-year-old April Sheridan and the contract killing of Terence Gayle. Flat 13, Crossleigh Court 407b, . . You can get in touch by filling in the form below, anonymously if you wish. I travelled down from Birmingham to speak at the 2014 march and remember how raw the emotion was about the fire and aftermath. Support was so widespread that 50 of the 19,000 raised for the families came from black prisoners at Wormwood Scrubs. This bright mid-terrace Victorian house offers versatile accommodation set over three floors. Although the route had been agreed, the police erected a cordon as the march approached. The house fire occurred during a party at a property on New Cross Road. This was a direct response to the far rights calls to keep Britain white and it became a launchpad for resistance in the 1980s. As one of the protesters insisted in Blood Ah Go Run, this is the beginning not the end. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor. Wed also like to hear from people who attended the Black Peoples Day of Action or who were involved in the campaign that followed, as well as those who took part in the inquest and appeal. 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. Full name | Length of occupancy | Telephone number* (*Where Available), Freehold If anybody wants to trace the roots of Black Lives Matter, January 18, 1981 should be written bold. 57 Hatcham Park Road. 2023 London Remembers, All Rights Reserved. Gutzmore dismisses the idea that the current moment is a time for optimism. The fire occurred in the early morning of 18 January 1981 during a birthday party for Yvonne Ruddock (aged 16) and Angela Jackson (aged 18). Sales: 020 7313 3660. His death was registered in the Greenwich registration district and he was buried in Lewisham on 11 February 1981. Zolo Realty (London, ON), Tower B, 6th Floor, 380 Wellington Street, London, ON, N6A 5B5, 416.898.8932 Speaking about the ordeal, the now 57-year-old grandmother says: Every time the anniversary comes around I dont feel good at all. Put it this way, 40 years ago I would not have been a university professor writing this piece for a national newspaper. 256 New Cross Road, New Cross, London, SE14 5PL. Token PR gestures, diversity schemes and anti-bias training will not be our salvation. New well installed with 20 GPM. That day of action after New Cross was supported by black university students, who were gaining their first significant foothold on campuses. . She begged me to go because it was her boyfriend that was playing at the party. I would spoil her fun if I didnt go.. Local call rate. Jerningham Road, Telegraph Hill, London, SE14. The film includes testimony from Armza Ruddock, whose children Yvonne and Paul both died: Every time I close my eyes I can only see the fire, and the children were screaming, and when they stopped screaming I said, oh God theyre dead. Shabazz describes his reaction as similar to the experience people felt at Grenfell. They chose a Monday to march from New Cross into central London to disrupt the working day. . by Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward - Sales, Peckham Rye. No one has ever been charged in connection with the fire. Which possibly could have been suicide. 020 8022 7092. It was a lovely party vibe. There have been two inquests in April 1981 and in February 2004 which both returned open verdicts. From the start, we believed the police didnt conduct the investigation with the utmost professionalism and urgency. House Prices in New Cross Road, New Cross Gate, South East London, SE14 Properties in New Cross Road had an overall average price of 327,667 over the last year. Officers eventually concluded that the fire broke out at 5.40am beside an armchair inside the front room of the terraced house at 439 New Cross Road where Yvonne Ruddock, 16, one of the victims of the fire, had been having a joint birthday party with Angela Jackson, who survived. The house was packed with around 200 people and the party was in full swing. ON January 18, 1981 tragedy struck in South London when a house full of people caught ablaze during a birthday party. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Map data OpenStreetMap 13 young people were killed, more than 50 injured and one guest Anthony Berbeck, actually escaped the fire but became mentally ill, Berbeck died after falling from a balcony of a block of council flats. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. The living room has bespoke bench seating running around its perimeter with incorporated storage space, power points and heating. Joseph feels this lack of education of black Britains past is intentional because it allows people to treat racism as a non-essential issue in society. 1. Magdalene, 16 at the time, recalls not feeling well when she popped over to visit Roseline. Hassan Howe has commented on how many young people she engages with at university have no knowledge of New Cross and the history of racial violence or activism in Britain. In the early morning on Sunday 18 January 1981, a fire broke out at 439 New Cross Road in the London Borough of Lewisham. 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. Paul Ruddock. The property has been extended to afford substantive that briefly comprises: 28' Open Plan Living/Kitchen/Diner with Bi-fold doors onto A fantastic four bedroom, two reception Victorian terrace house. Something went wrong, please try again later. Lovers Rock review Steve McQueen throws the best party ever, Transmissions: the Definitive Story: Lights Out: From the Ashes of New Cross - review, Top10 books about the Windrush generation, Lenny Henry on his Windrush series: 'We felt the sting of injustice sharply', Kadish Morris on culture inspired by the New Cross fire. She said, If you dont go my mum will not let me go. This large and imposing three-storey Victorian home boasts lavish entertaining space, And a beautiful landscaped garden with tree house and side access. He was based at theHyde Park Police Station when he was murdered. Tenancy info. Ten years before, in 1971, a Caribbean house party had been attacked by firebomb in Sunderland Road, in nearby Forest Hill, leaving 22 injured. The documentary series that invites a closer listen. Protesters out in force for the march that followed the New Cross fire, the Black Peoples Day of Action, on 2 March 1981. In terms of property types, flats in SE14 6TA sold for an average of 303,486 and terraced houses for 580,471. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. 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). It was a remarkably peaceful march until we neared Blackfriars Bridge when the police tried to separate us. It wasnt until she was checked over at a hospital that Magdalene was told she was pregnant with daughter Rosalyn, named after Roseline, and who is now 40. The racist far-right National Front was popular in parts of London at the time. In 1981, the British black power movement had been active for at least two decades. 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. 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. There is a bath, shower and further storage space. Properties sold Filter: This area only All years All property types All tenures 384 sold propert ies Date sold Being proximate to these events for white residents - like myself - was also a lessons in political humility and learning what it meant to be against racism but respectful of the true costs borne by its victims. Superbly located on a quiet residential road, it offers a large garden and lots of scope to extend subject to the usual planning con 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. If we take one lesson 40 years on it must be that black people united, will never be defeated. But early on January 18, 1981, 13 black partygoers including Magdalenes stepsister Roseline Henry were killed when the fire ripped through the three-storey Victorian house. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Saying nothing in the face of racism was - and is - complicity, whether it is the media at the time ignoring that the violence happened at all or police harassment and neglect or laughing at the jokes of racist comedians or agreeing with casual hatred conveyed over the kitchen table. In the final death toll 14 young black people between the ages of 14 to 22 had their futures stolen from them that night. 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. David Reid lost school friend Owen Thompson in the tragedy and went to the march. Both have large sash windows, with secondary glazing, bespoke built-in wardrobes and exposed-brick skirting. It wouldnt be the last time that black young people would encounter murderous racism on the streets of south London. Remembering a tragedy: culture inspired by the New Cross fire. Thatchers disrespect was summed up in her request to Phoenix to pass on her sympathies rather than making any effort to contact the families herself. 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. Spacious semi detached Victorian house located in the popular Telegraph Hill conservation area. 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. Fearing for her life, Magdalene jumped out of the second-storey window. Who lives here How much properties are worth Which businesses are based here Residents and Property Prices Browse residents of SE14 There are more than the 50 residential addresses shown above within this postcode. New Cross station is two minutes on foot and runs London Overground services direct to Shoreditch, Dalston and Highbury and Islington. In many ways, it was a culmination of years of organising in Britain, represented by one of the main slogans of the march: Come what may, we are here to stay. Caribbean house parties were a particular target. Home Office briefing documents seen by Mail on Sunday states: "It is suspected that Smithyman was the other person with [name removed for legal reasons] when the fire started and it is our belief he will admit his full complicity in the matter "He (the arsonist) describes the motive for the fire as a stupid prank purely to scare the partygoers because they had refused them entry to the party.". "If it was a group of white young people who had perished in a fire like this they would have found out who was behind it. The anger is evident in Gutzmores voice as he recalls the silence from those in authority and the New Cross campaigners 13 dead, nothing said slogan. 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