New Cross is a district on the north tip of the London Borough of Lewisham. New Cross is covered by London postal district SE14.

It is home to Goldsmiths College, Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College, Addey and Stanhope School and Millwall F.C..

The area is served by two stations, New Cross station and New Cross Gate station. Both are on the East London Line of the London Underground network as well as being suburban railway stations.

New Cross is near St John’s, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich. Its proximity to the latter two, both of which have strong maritime connections, led to the establishment of the Royal Naval School in New Cross in 1843 to house "the sons of impecunious naval officers". The school relocated further south-east to Mottingham in 1889, and the former school building subsequently (from 1891) housed Goldsmiths College.

On 25 November 1944, a V2 rocket exploded at the Woolworth?s store in New Cross Road, on the site later occupied by the Iceland store. 168 people were killed, ranging in age from Michael Glover, aged 1 month, to William Frank, aged 80.

In January 1981, 13 young black people were killed in the New Cross Fire at a party at 439 New Cross Road. Suspicions that the fire was caused by a racist attack, and official indifference to the death, led to the largest ever political mobilisation of black people seen in Britain.

Recently the area has become something of a property hot-spot on account of the so-called arts boom in neighbouring Deptford and the New Cross scene that has benefited local nightlife.

Famous residents

Poet Robert Browning lived in Telegraph Cottage near New Cross Road during the 1840s

Political activist Jim Connell wrote the anthem The Red Flag en route to his home in New Cross in December 1889

Music hall star Marie Lloyd lived in Lewisham Way from 1887 to 1893

Sir Barnes Wallis (blue plaque on building on corner of New Cross Road and Nettleton Road)

1970s glam rocker Steve Harley grew up in Fairlawn Mansions, New Cross, going to Edmund Waller and Haberdashers’ Aske’s schools.

Actor Gary Oldman was born and raised in New Cross. His film ’Nil By Mouth’ is loosely based on his life growing up in South East London.



In song

Carter USM wrote a song called The Only Living Boy in New Cross (1992) (the title being a play on that of Simon and Garfunkel’s song The only living boy in New York).



Reference


Gordon-Orr, Neil (2004). Deptford Fun City: a ramble through the history and music of New Cross and Deptford. London: Past Tense Publications.