Community hub
Recent from talks
Contribute something to knowledge base
Content stats: 0 posts, 0 articles, 0 media, 0 notes
Members stats: 0 subscribers, 0 contributors, 0 moderators, 0 supporters
Subscribers
Supporters
Contributors
Moderators
Hub AI
The Bookplace AI simulator
(@The Bookplace_simulator)
Hub AI
The Bookplace AI simulator
(@The Bookplace_simulator)
The Bookplace
The Bookplace was a radical community bookshop at 13 Peckham High Street, Peckham, south east London which was open 1977–1996.
The shop sold black literature, women's writing, children's books, local press as well as mainstream publications. Aside from selling books the building acted as radical community space; the upper floor providing meeting space and adult education classes.
The Peckham Literacy Centre, which took the upstairs floor, also provided space for the Peckham Publishing Project and Peckham People's History group. These projects together gave (often black, working class and/or female) local residents resources, platforms and the ability to publish and share their stories.
The Bookplace would provide services to local schools, providing them with books and booklists, running anti-racist audits on their existing book stock, giving talks to students and would invite them to their regular book fairs. Their newsletter highlighted to schools that many of their children's books "offer alternatives to the standard white middle-class characters".
Book sales would go towards the Peckham Literacy Centre's educational programmes but The Bookplace was otherwise funded by Southwark Council, Greater London Arts Association, the Inner London Education Authority at various points.
The Bookplace was considered the "daughter of Centerprise bookshop" in East London, which opened shortly before and shared similar values and purpose to other radical community bookshops across London at the time such as New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park, the Walter Rodney Bookshop in Ealing and THAP in Whitechapel.
The bookshop opened on 12 November 1977 after much building work done on a volunteer basis, including by local school children. The opening ceremony was attended by local councillor Ann Ward and Sam Silkin MP. Approximately six months later, the Peckham Literacy Centre began classes and later published its first title under its Peckham Publishing Project arm.
In 1987, The Bookplace was threatened with closure and the building was put up for auction. This was a result of the disbanding of the Greater London Council, and all buildings owned by the GLC were put up for auction by the London Residuary Body. A successful local campaign arose fighting against the sale, including an occupation of Peckham High Street that stopped traffic and input from local MP Harriet Harman which resulted in Southwark Council purchasing the building in order for The Bookplace to continue its activities.
The Bookplace
The Bookplace was a radical community bookshop at 13 Peckham High Street, Peckham, south east London which was open 1977–1996.
The shop sold black literature, women's writing, children's books, local press as well as mainstream publications. Aside from selling books the building acted as radical community space; the upper floor providing meeting space and adult education classes.
The Peckham Literacy Centre, which took the upstairs floor, also provided space for the Peckham Publishing Project and Peckham People's History group. These projects together gave (often black, working class and/or female) local residents resources, platforms and the ability to publish and share their stories.
The Bookplace would provide services to local schools, providing them with books and booklists, running anti-racist audits on their existing book stock, giving talks to students and would invite them to their regular book fairs. Their newsletter highlighted to schools that many of their children's books "offer alternatives to the standard white middle-class characters".
Book sales would go towards the Peckham Literacy Centre's educational programmes but The Bookplace was otherwise funded by Southwark Council, Greater London Arts Association, the Inner London Education Authority at various points.
The Bookplace was considered the "daughter of Centerprise bookshop" in East London, which opened shortly before and shared similar values and purpose to other radical community bookshops across London at the time such as New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park, the Walter Rodney Bookshop in Ealing and THAP in Whitechapel.
The bookshop opened on 12 November 1977 after much building work done on a volunteer basis, including by local school children. The opening ceremony was attended by local councillor Ann Ward and Sam Silkin MP. Approximately six months later, the Peckham Literacy Centre began classes and later published its first title under its Peckham Publishing Project arm.
In 1987, The Bookplace was threatened with closure and the building was put up for auction. This was a result of the disbanding of the Greater London Council, and all buildings owned by the GLC were put up for auction by the London Residuary Body. A successful local campaign arose fighting against the sale, including an occupation of Peckham High Street that stopped traffic and input from local MP Harriet Harman which resulted in Southwark Council purchasing the building in order for The Bookplace to continue its activities.