The Mindsweeper

 

 

 

Text Box: The Mindsweeper is a project to renovate, equip and maintain a 110 foot wooden vessel moored in Greenwich as a floating and potentially mobile community creative space. The ethos of the project is to provide facilitate and promote  cultural, creative and ecological events and projects in the Deptford and Greenwich area with the broadest possible community inclusion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History of the Vessel

 

 

 

 

 

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Text Box: The Mindsweeper was built in Poole for the Royal Navy after World War II (completed in 1954) and did service on the Suez Canal. It is entirely wooden and is an excellent and rare surviving example of triple-carvel construction shipbuilding. It was subsequently decommissioned, passed around; lost its bridge and upper structure in a storm; was stripped of most of its remaining fittings - wiring, plumbing and copper sheath - and abandoned on the Greenwich Reach of the Thames, where it suffered considerable rain damage (rain in cities is acidic and very bad for wood.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History of the Project

 

Text Box: The vessel was salvaged in 1999 by a group of friends who saw it had possibilities as a venue, and got together to invest their time and money in it. The vessel was renamed The Mindsweeper, and moved to its present location on Deptford Creek

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: The front deck was plied over - to prevent further rain damage - and the main upper-deck/venue-space was constructed of steel and glass and roofed over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: The rear deck was temporarily roofed over, but suffered further damage during a fire in September 2007. In 2008, The Mindsweeper was accepted onto the Registry of Historic Ships as a vessel of historical significance to the nation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location

 

Text Box: For the past ten years The Mindsweeper has been allowed to moor on the Greenwich side of Deptford Creek on a council warf leased by Brookmarsh Industrial Estate (workshops, car repair and M.O.T. garages,) and opposite the Laban Dance Centre. This has made an ideal location for the rebuilding project. “Redevelopment” is approaching from the river.

 

 

 

 

The Community

 

Text Box: The Local community is very diverse, Although Deptford and Greenwich are port towns and have a long maritine history, there are very few community resources on the waterways. There's the yacht club on the river and the Creekside Centre on Deptford Creek and that's about it.

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Progress So Far

 

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Text Box: In 2005 two members of the project were awarded grants of £2000 each by Unltd. These enabled: 1) The development of the venue space – the purchase of lighting and sound equipment, a wind generator and batteries to power them, a piano, and a programme of events to promote the venue's possibilities; 2) The preservation of the stern deck, and a start on it's restoration with ply and new decking. Some basic plumbing including a flushing toilet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Events

 

Text Box: So far events have been on a small scale, due to access restrictions and public safety concerns, but they have been well attended and lots of fun!

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Gun Club

 

Live Music:

 

Flamenco Night

 

Ampersand

 

Film Screenings:

 

Georgie Girl

 

I Know Where I’m Going

 

Carnival of Souls

 

IGNATIUS STUDY FOR THE MURDER OF AN ALTER EGO - LONDON PREMIER‏

 

Deptford TV:

Peer-2-Peer - Screenings of short films and documentaries.

Premier of documentary

 

Flixation

 

 

Cabaret Nights:

 

 

Art exhibition

 

Art project

 

 

 

Further Development

 

Rebuilding

 

Facilities

 

Renewable energy