The glory days of the Black Lion Skatepark
Plus Rainham Poetry Festival returns, People of Medway book, we review Boeuf, news in brief, and more
Back in the 1980s, Gillingham had an international standard skatepark, and then suddenly, in 1987, it was filled in. Now, a new project is trying to celebrate its influence and legacy. Further down, we have news of the returning Rainham Poetry Festival, a new book about the people of Medway, we review Boeuf in Rochester, our news in brief roundup, and more.
The glory days of the Black Lion Skatepark
The Black Lion Skate Park was an international standard complex for skateboarders and BMXers that existed in Gillingham, until one day, when it didn’t. On Saturday 5 April, Medway photographer Rikard Österlund is hosting an event at MidKent College to look at the park's history and celebrate its legacy. We spoke to him to find out more.
The Black Lion Skatepark was “a real pillar of the skateboard and BMX community in the 70s and 80s,” says Rikard, who has been extensively researching the park since discovering it. Built in 1978 as a multi-component concrete park, it was one of several built in the UK at the time. “Gillingham one was the last one to be built. They'd really perfected their skills.” One of several features of the park was the ‘pool’, known by users to be one of the best in the country, “if not the best in the country.”
It was paid for by a private individual called Alfred Faccenda. At the time, skateboarding was hugely popular, with skateboards being the most popular Christmas present in 1977. Faccenda thought this would be a great business opportunity, but “skateboarding went underground in 1979, and his involvement was short-lived.” When the park opened, it was run as a commercial venture. You had to pay to enter, there were marshals, you had to wear pads and helmets, and there was a hut to buy boards and accessories. “It was a self-contained little unit, but when he closed the shop, all that stuff went.”
Soon after that, BMXing became popular, and the park was full of riders “absolutely thrashing the place on the BMX in the best possible way.” Skateboarding also became popular again. “It never really went away,” notes Rikard, and in 1985, work was agreed to concrete between the bowls to bring the site together rather than standalone pieces to make the transitions smoother. “In 1985, it seemed like things were good. People were again employed to marshal the site, though there were insurance concerns.”
Tensions subsequently escalated, and there were a couple of individuals who had real problems with the skate park being there. They also happened to be neighbours to the park, and they also happened to be councillors. Despite there being planning permission in 1987 for a brand-new park to be built on the site, with extensions to the existing park and a shop on the grounds, on 2 December, lorries turned up and backfilled the park with building rubble. “I spent a couple of days looking through the minutes of council meetings notes. There's nothing in there about it being backfilled, being permanently closed. There's nothing about a decision like that.”
Rikard has tried to avoid conversations about the closure. “It's not because that's not important and because it's not something that we need to get to the bottom of, but people just miss how bloody amazing this place was.” Rikard chose to focus on that for this project: “That this was a great place, that this place was important to the people who actually rode it.” For many, it was a safe haven from issues at home or school. A place to hang out, make new friends, and even fall in love. “That's the part of the story that I'm trying to focus on with this project.”
The event on 4 April at MidKent College will be part celebration of the park, and there will be a series of talks about this period of skateboarding history, particularly Gillingham’s place in that story. There will be videos and “lots” of photographs. There will be a small exhibition and display of vintage BMX bikes and skateboards from the period. The event will be attended by people who used to go to the park and Iain Borden, Professor of Architecture and Urban Culture at University College London, who will be talking about the 60-year history of skateboarding and skateparks, and showing how Black Lion played an important role in British skateboarding’s past, present and future.
“It doesn't matter what age you are. I think people are just interested in local history. They want to learn more about this place. They might remember the place but didn't go in or never knew the place was there.” Rikard became aware of the park when the algorithm showed him photos shared by Nigel Martin. “I just thought they were amazing. I had no idea who he was and had not heard about the skatepark.” Rikard initially thought somebody must be sharing photos of California on a Medway history page. “There were lots of bright neon colours and quite a lot of surfer aesthetic, and I couldn't believe that it was Gillingham.”
As a photographer, Rikard found the photographs captivating. “If you manage to catch a trick really well with the camera, it's just the most amazing thing.” He felt compelled to share and celebrate them. He organised a small exhibition of the images at Intra Arts in 2021. “I realised straight away that there was a community still bubbling under the surface.” There were also a lot of people like Rikard and this writer, who had never heard of the park. He secured Heritage Place funding. “People may think it’s recent, but it is very much heritage,” and this has enabled him to carry on his research, conduct oral history interviews and put on the event this weekend.
Rikard himself only took up skateboarding last October, “and I love it. It demands such a ridiculous amount of control that you just can't think of anything else. I need that.” There is also currently an exhibition of the photographs at Analogue Music in Rochester until Easter. Rikard has also produced a small booklet that will be available for free on Saturday. He hopes this is just the beginning of building something that will be more lasting and engage new skaters and riders with the history.
The Glory Days of the Black Lion Skatepark takes place tomorrow (Sat 5 Apr) at MidKent College in Gillingham between 2pm and 4.30pm. You can find more information and book a free place here.
In brief
🤣 The Funny Women Awards 2025, organised by Medway organisation Funny Women, are being sponsored by BBC Studios’ Funny Parts.
🌊 Chatham Maritime Watersports Centre are installing an inflatable obstacle course, which will be open by the end of May.
⚽ Chatham Town Women have won the Isthmian Women’s League cup, beating Billericay Town 5-0.
🎨 Nucleus Arts has launched a new Craft at Home webpage with a database of templates to try in your own home.
🏳️🌈 Nominations are open for the Medway LGBT+ Awards 2025 between now and 11 April.
🤍 Carers First Medway and Medway Foodbank have launched a campaign highlighting the 1.2 million unpaid carers living in poverty in the UK.
🍳 The slightly weird and very 1970s cafe at Hempstead Valley Sainsbury’s is set to close on 11 April.
Rainham Poetry Festival returns
Next weekend is the Rainham Poetry Festival 2025, once again at St Margaret’s Church in Rainham and organised by Goat Star Books. We caught up with two local poets, Nathaniel Oguns and Caroline Bird, to talk to them about poetry and the festival.
Nathaniel first started doing poetry nights in 2018 and hosted the Kent Dreams poetry events at the George Vaults in Rochester, with the most recent event being in November. “I never really went to events or anything like that, so I thought maybe host my own.” Conversely, Caroline has been involved with Medway poetry for years, taking part in Wordsmithery events She won her first poetry competition when she was 12. “It just absolutely blew my mind because I suddenly realised that poetry wasn't something that you had to do in secret.”
Nathaniel is going to be hosting the Rainham Poetry Festival across the two days, Friday 11 and Saturday 12 April, introducing the other poets, as well as running an open mic event. “I always normally get people to perform when they come to my event, I just encourage them to do it. It's a safe space. Come and do your thing.” Caroline now works as a professional poet and playwright and has published a number of books. “I love all the Medway events that I've done. First of all, everyone properly listens to every word, which is often rare. There's a reverence but also a warmth, and it’s fun.” “I like anything from the heart,” Nathaniel tells me. “You don't necessarily have to be off-book, but if you can be off-book, it's so cool to see.”
Medway has a vibrant poetry community. Nathaniel feels that is because of the connected nature of the towns. “If it was just one place like Gillingham or Rainham, it wouldn't be big enough. The connection of the towns, like a family, brings people together.” “Everyone's incredibly supportive of each other,” says Caroline. “There's a sense of community. People will take little risks, they'll read something fresh that they've just written. Live poetry is a unique experience because it's such a naked thing to do, to stand on a stage and read poetry.”
If coming to Nathaniel’s open mic event, and if it’s your first time taking part, have one good poem ready “that you really love and you want to get out there.” More seasoned poets are limited to no longer than 10 minutes “or under seven minutes if I want to be picky.” “The best poetry events,” says Caroline, “are when everyone's giving a bit of themselves.” Caroline describes her own poetry as “dark but funny. I'm interested in that spinning Venetian mask that goes from the grin to the misery and then back again. I write surreal poems that are translations of real experiences that I've been through.”
Nathaniel is looking forward to hosting a wider audience than usual. “It's going to be very interesting to host and meet some of the seasoned poets and hear what they have. It's going to be a whole collective.” “It is all about the people involved,” says Caroline, “and the sweat and blood of setting up events with what little money can be scraped together because every poetry event, even the festivals, there's always a feeling of everything being on a shoestring.”
You can follow Nathaniel Ogun on social media, and look forward to future Kent Dreams events coming this year. Caroline Bird has a wide range of her work available to purchase. Rainham Poetry Festival Tickets are available, with the main event featuring poet laureate Simon Armitage on Saturday 12 April.
The People of Medway have a book
People of Medway is a new book about… the people of Medway, with interviews by Katie Robinson and photographs by Tiffany Grant Riley. We spoke to Katie to find out more.
Disclaimer: Ed and Steven are featured in the book, though you can absolutely skip those pages if you like.
Katie Robinson is not an author by trade, though she has written for community projects. Tiffany Grant Riley is a photographer of interiors and a design writer. Neither seem like likely candidates to put together a book, but here they are. Having been friends for a few years, they “both really enjoy going out and exploring parts of Medway, and we give each other tips about nice local things.”
Katie had read ‘On The Marshes’ by Carol Donaldson, who features in the book, about Carol’s walks locally, “and I thought wouldn't it be great to write a book about the people of Medway. And Tiff, working in photography, I put it to her, and she said yes, and then we got started.”
The book is intended as a celebration of lots of different people in Medway and it’s “really rich culture and its heritage. We've really tried to speak to a real mix of people that we really feel reflects Medway.” There are 32 people in the book, which out of a population of a quarter of a million, is a small number. Katie says they tried to represent different industries, cultures and ages. “We're both quite curious people. We both really tried to find out about what's going on locally. We’ve tried to cover all the areas.”
Katie clearly enjoyed the process of putting the book together. “It's just fascinating listening to people's stories. People talked about their hobbies, their memories of growing up and of moving here. It's been fascinating learning all about the history.” The book is completed by illustrations by John Seru and was designed by Mark Barnes, with the book's printing supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
People of Medway is now available for free, with limited copies of the book available from all Medway libraries, Rochester Cathedral, Nucleus Arts in Chatham, and the Guildhall Museum in Rochester.
Out to Dinner: Boeuf
In which Steven Keevil assesses the dinner options available in our towns. This week, he’s been down to Boeuf in Rochester…
As the hottest new restaurant in these fair towns, we wrote about Boeuf before they opened, and now it was time to try the goods. Talking of time, in the aim of full transparency, due to scheduling availability, I actually went there during their lunch hours. But no matter, the menu, as we shall soon discuss, is the same.
Boeuf is situated in the part of Intra that some people will fight you to the death that it is not part of Intra. And they would be right, or wrong, or whatever. It is a slightly odd location for an ultimate dining experience, next to a train bridge, but it is next to two car parks, and when you are taking over the former Flippin’ Frog micropub to provide a French dish, you must take the venues you have. They have done a fine job of decorating the establishment to a high standard, maximising the limited space. That said, this writer would have preferred not being sat next to the drafty door when other tables were available.
The ‘ultimate steak frites experience’ is what is advertised. To say the menu is limited misses the point. There is only one option: steak and chips, twice. Steak and chips once is not an option. There is nothing here for vegetarians or those who culturally don’t eat beef. Nibbles are available, and I ordered a portion of olives to ensure some greenery. While waiting, you are served sourdough bread and house-made butter, which appears to be made with Bovril or some beef extract. The steak is sirloin pave, a premium cut of beef, and the frites are presumably cooked in beef dripping and have an unusual curve to them. Once you have finished, whether you are ready or not, the second portion will be cooked and served. All the food is served on very stylish plates and bowls. Once you reach the end, there is a dessert menu. I did not order from there, though it sounded delightful.
As you would expect from an ultimate experience, the price point is to match, though the food is well priced for what you received and would expect to pay for a special occasion, even if that special occasion is really wanting steak frites.
The food is exceptional. The steak is an excellent cut of meat and cooked perfectly both times. The butter for the bread was very tasty. The steak comes with ‘house sauce’, essentially a recipe of beef, mustard and magic. It complimented to steak, as you would expect. All of this leads to the chips, undoubtedly the best I have ever eaten in Medway, for these reviews or, as I mentioned, ever. To upstage a steak of that quality with frites is an absolute delight. I almost didn’t finish my second portion, having foolishly filled up on olives, but I refused to let them go to waste.
More Authority
Charities and community organisations do so much in our towns. But who helps these organisations get off the ground and run well? Enter Medway Voluntary Action. For our midweek feature, Steven went to find out more about their work.
Earlier this week, we also launched our second title, the Kent Current. We’ve been thrilled by the response to our first edition. Tomorrow, we’ll be publishing our first Kent Current interview, where we talk to legendary illustrator Ralph Steadman about his recent INKling exhibition at Chatham Historic Dockyard, his life, his extensive work with gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson, and much more. You can receive that and our early editions for free by subscribing to the Kent Current today.
Footnotes
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Music that soundtracked the creation of this edition: Implicit Narrative by Stuart Turner & The Flat Earth Society and Meanwhile back in Medieval Britain with Groovy Uncle.
Boeuf is absolutely in Intra. Even before Intra became what Intra is today, the building the Boeuf is in was in Intra. Chatham Intra.