Comments for urban75 blog

Comment on So, goodbye Brixton Woolies… by The death of Our Price records, Brixton Road, Brixton | urban75 blog

The death of Our Price records, Brixton Road, Brixton | urban75 blog — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:24 +0000

[...] on offer by this time, I started buying most of my tunes from the (sadly) now-vamooshed branch of BrixtonWoolworths across the [...]

Comment on Federation Coffee, Brixton – London’s finest coffee? by Coffee Lover

Coffee Lover — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:38:24 +0000

I really cannot see what you guys are so excited about, sorry. I found the service at Federation languid, the coffee cold and unspectacular in taste, the food selection extremely limited – I had a piece of chocolate cake that must have been sitting in the damp air for 48 hours of more, and the environment very uncosy, with no comfy chairs or sofas in site! Whilst I am no big fan of Starbucks, at least it is comfortable ( though not particularly the Brixton one). Nero in Morley’s gets my vote any time – at least 200% better than anything else in Brixton in my humble opinion. Maybe Costa can do something, cannot do worse…..whereas Balham has lots of good places. Also very good Coffee at La Pattisserie in Streaham Hill, served by a friendly group of arabic gentelmen – again not comfy but the coffee and the food is exceptional. If thye were to take La Pattisserie and drop it into a lounge environment ( yes like the corporates, or the independents in Balham) then that would made for perfection. Is that too much to ask for?

@editor

Comment on Abandoned Victorian mansions, Windsor Walk, Denmark Hill SE5 by Sean Ambler

Sean Ambler — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:11:29 +0000

There was workmen inside removing the overgrowth over the buildings today, hopefully a good sign that something is going to be made of them (allow me to be optimistic!).

Comment on Brixton snow: more chilly scenes from south London by madshadow

madshadow — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:11:10 +0000

I’ve just realized that there have all over Tel Aviv exactly the same single benches as the ones on Windrush square… coincidence? Zionist’s lobby taking over Brixton? Something else?

Comment on Brixton: Guyana Roti, tree trousers and a little envelope by Brixton snow: more chilly scenes from south London | urban75 blog

Brixton snow: more chilly scenes from south London | urban75 blog — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:57:18 +0000

[...] Guyana Roti caravan on Brixton Station Road. [...]

Comment on A walk around the snowy streets of Brixton, south London, Feb 2012 by Brixton gets its first snowfall of 2012 – more to come? | urban75 blog

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:37:02 +0000

[...] more snow did indeed come! Check out the photos here. window.___gcfg = {lang: "en"}; (function() { var po = document.createElement("script"); po.type [...]

Comment on Offline Club mash up at the Brixton Albert, 30th Sept 2011 by The Sharks bring the heat to the Brixton Offline Club, 3rd Feb 2012 … | Night Clubs

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:01:44 +0000

[...] Offline Club mash up at the Brixton Albert, 30th Sept 2011 [...]

Comment on Brixton covered in snow – photos, Dec 18th 2010 by Brixton gets its first snowfall of 2012 – more to come? | urban75 blog

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:58:34 +0000

[...] far, it’s nothing like the fabulous snow blizzards of December 2010, and it feels more like rain than snow falling from the sky right now, but [...]

Comment on The singular beauty of Southwyck House, aka the Brixton Barrier Block by Brixton Costa Coffee reveals itself, while a squirrel scuttles about the Barrier Block | urban75 blog

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:25:50 +0000

[...] Elsewhere, I spotted this adventurous squirrel hopping around on the 9th floor of the Barrier Block in Brixton. [...]

Comment on Homelook/Sanders 460 Brixton Road – set to be a Costa Coffee by Brixton Costa Coffee reveals itself, while a squirrel scuttles about on Barrier Block | urban75 blog

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:06:38 +0000

[...] You can read the full story of Sanders in Brixton here. [...]

Comment on Federation Coffee, Brixton – London’s finest coffee? by Brixton Costa Coffee reveals itself, while a squirrel scuttles about on Barrier Block | urban75 blog

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:44:28 +0000

[...] fans of Costa (we’d rather direct coffee lovers to independent local coffee shops like Federation Coffee) [...]

Comment on Costa Coffee gets ready to open in Brixton by Brixton Costa Coffee reveals itself, while a squirrel scuttles about on Barrier Block | urban75 blog

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:39:01 +0000

[...] The hoardings are slowly coming down in readiness for the opening of a Costa Coffee shop. [...]

Comment on The Brixton Evangelist, Brixton tube, 2000 by Brixton tube station back in the day – Travelcard hustlers, drinkers and shouty types | urban75 blog

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:01:04 +0000

[...] Even when you were clear of the station, there was inevitably some bellowing religious types to contend with, including the notorious Brixton Evangelist. [...]

Comment on Southbank at dusk: Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery and QE Hall by loppy

loppy — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:44:17 +0000

The market opens on Friday for your info

Comment on A Sunday selection of six London photos by Anna

Anna — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:19:26 +0000

I like your selection – such a different photos but connect in “red” way
Waiting for new posts!
greetings from Poland

Comment on Southbank at dusk: Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery and QE Hall by Anna

Anna — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:17:18 +0000

We love London, even if we are very seldom there, so with pleasure we’ll follow your blog! Thank you for sharing this photos!

Comment on The weirdness of the Lower Mill Estate: a gated, second-home Cotswold ‘community’ by Cordelia Hope

Cordelia Hope — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:06:54 +0000

Lower Mill Estate (where I have stayed twice, and recently bought my own holiday home there) is a wonderful place – beautiful, relaxing, stunning buildings. How can anyone object to such a lovely place? True, not everyone can afford a second home there, but then not everyone can afford a lot of things – are we really going to say that no one should treat themselves to anything unless everyone in the world can also afford it?

Comment on Brixton Flea Market, Saturdays on Brixton Station Road, SW9 by 2012 predictions week: the top five up-and-coming car boot sales in London « carbooted

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:30:19 +0000

[...] Photo via Urban 75 [...]

Comment on The tragedy of Brighton’s West Pier by rat infestation

rat infestation — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:30:50 +0000

What about the theory that the fires were intential due to the pier being a breeding ground for rats and other vermin which have the safety of the ocean between them and their palace of a nest… Only one way to get rid of them cheaply for the council…?

Comment on Remembering Broad Street railway station, London by E.Costelloe

E.Costelloe — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:48:42 +0000

Started work in the city in 1969 and used to commute from Headstone lane to Broad Street. My Mother had done the same in the 1930′s from Watford Junction. Once used the goods yard platform beyond the overall roof just before BR closed it. All the goods yard tracks were still in place then.All the non electric tracks were too and used by DMU’s to places north of Finsbury Park. A friend from college used these and our evening trains left at the same time and the drivers would see who could get to Dalston Junction first!We used to sit in the front left and right compartments and gesticulate to each other if one train was ahead or behind the other! I alternated work with years in the west end too but always used Broad St. when working in the City. The service was much better including semi-fasts to Broad St via the Hampstead loop and stopping at principal stations only. At the end the service was quite dreadful with a lot of cancellations but I was on the last train out of Broad St. on a class 303 with the driver leaving his door to the carriage open so all could get a last look. A lot of detonators went off there and at Dalston Junction and at the junction with the North London line proper the track gang were all waiting to lock the points and remove the connection to Broad St. Very sad. The following Monday I was on the first train into Liverpool St which replaced the Broad St service but this was a disaster as a service due to signal delays and congestion on the approach to Liverpool St as well as frequent cancellations.It did not last long. My son now uses the Overground service on the old North London formation though the view is a bit different as the old electric lines were at the western side of the formation whilst the new lines are central. At least we can all be pleased that such a useful link is in use again.

Comment on Brixton Roller Skating Rink – memories from the late 1950s by Chris North

Chris North — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:52:30 +0000

ALAN JINX RAYNER : @Chris north HI CHRIS SORRY DELAY BUT MY PS IS VERY DODGY AT TIMES.I VERY PLEASED TO KNOW YOU ARE FIT AND WELL.I LIVE IN WORTHING SUSSEX RETIRED,I MARRIED A GIRL FROM THE RINK,40 YEARS.HER MUM WORKED IN THE CO OP. I HAD PROBS. WITH FRIENDS REUNITED AND IM NOT ON THE SLRSC SITE AND CANT GET BACK ON TO IT.IF YOU HAVE PICTURES MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS ALRAYNER@BTINTERNET.COM I HAVE SOME TO SHOW YOU IF I CAN FIND EM PERHAPS SLRSC COULD HAVE REUNION SO DAY? KIND REGARDS ALAN JINX RAYNER

I have sent three photos to your email. It would good if you can get them On this site. Cheers. C

Comment on Brixton Roller Skating Rink – memories from the late 1950s by Chris North

Chris North — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:45:29 +0000

@Fred Street
Hello Fred

Not me and probably not my dad Cliff North. Back then in Bruxtin water lane. Dad didn’t have parties and I was just a young lad

Good to see this site up and running. I sent some photos to Alan Rayner hopefully he will post them to the site

Cheers

Comment on The weirdness of the Lower Mill Estate: a gated, second-home Cotswold ‘community’ by Richard

Richard — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 09:33:39 +0000

Editor says:What’s wrong with staying at good old fashioned B&Bs and supporting the local community rather than ..

The users of these estates (and there are lots of “holiday home” type estates) do directly support the local community. Think of the people employed on the estate to run the facilities, build these houses, clean these houses, cut the grass etc – they are all locals. Almost all visitors to the estate go to the local villages, shops, pubs etc. All owners of the properties pay council tax or business rates in the local area AND don’t use local schools, GPs, rubbish collection etc.

On all of these estates including LME, many houses are rented out for holidays, so in fact anyone can visit if they are in the lucky position they can afford a foreign holiday (which for some reason people beleive is a god given right) they could save money by visting such an estate and support the UK economy. (Google “lower mill estate holiday” and look at the tariffs)

In fact, the many people with holiday homes abroad are the ones that are not supporting the UK communities. Recent estimates say there are about 120000 british nationals resident in Spain but there are about 600000 properties owned in Spain by brits. So thats 480000 holiday homes, just in Spain.

Richard

PS, if you raze it and all the other holiday home estates in the area, nature will return it to being a gravel pit, and there will be a huge increase in local unemployment.

Comment on Kingsway old tram tunnel by puddy_tat

puddy_tat — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:24:17 +0000

Slight pedantic point about the linked article – it states the tunnel was re-opened for double deck trams in Feb 39 – think this is a typo, it closed Feb 1930, and re-opened (in double deck mode) Jan 1931 following rebuilding by the London County Council.

By 1939, London Transport was well into the process of replacing London’s trams with trolleybuses (had WW2 not intervened, London’s last tram would probably have run in 1942-3) – there was one prototype trolleybus built with an offside door for use in the Subway, http://www.flickr.com/photos/44996480@N02/4795558257/ – although clearances were very tight, and it would also have involved trolleybuses having to tow a trailer to take power from the conduit slot – at least through the subway. There was some discussion about them doing so over Westminster Bridge and round the Embankment also, to avoid the need for overhead wires.

Comment on Brixton Roller Skating Rink – memories from the late 1950s by Fred Street

Fred Street — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:43:47 +0000

Hi’ Chris,
I am not sure if I am thinking of the right person but if I am you will remember me. I was the one who went to the ocassional party that you had at your house and always set out to get drunk as quickly as possible. I think it was after the third party you banned me from going. That last one really taught me a lesson. I was so ill when I got home that I did not touch alcohol for many years.
I apologise for all the problems I gave you and Will. The last time I saw you was at the police building on the Albert Embankment. I was driving my London black cab after completing the knowledge. You said then that you were still skating at the Convent garden market.