Dearly departed
Lost London landmarks we liked
Remember Stanely Green, the Passion Proteins man? He patrolled Oxford Street for years. He started his mission in the 60s, and he was there throughout the 70s and into the 80s with his placard and pamphlets explaining the evils of the Passion Proteins. I seem to remember that originally, there were seven proteins responsible for uncontrollable lust, then he decided to make it eight. And THEN he had a revelation and came to the conclusion that sitting down was an act to be avoided at all costs. So he began to campaign against the Eight Passion Proteins and Sitting Down. He took against motoring too, and London-RIP can remember receiving a few terse words from him after telling him that I couldn't stop driving and eating cheese. The sight of Green patrolling tirelessly with his placard was a seemingly indelible part of the West End landscape - it still seems odd that he isn't there any more. Maybe they just don't make eccentrics like they used to...
RIP Production Village - mine's a Hogs Grunt
A real North London oddity was the Production Village in Cricklewood Lane NW2. It was a phenomenon that leaves you utterly dumbstruck as to the reasons behind its creation. On a fairly unremarkable north west London suburban road was this bizarre country village with its own village green and a pond and a bar serving a ghastly beverage called a Hog's Grunt. This was the name of the pub in this strange rural idyll.
I believe it was originally the film studios of the Samuleson family who I think were pioneering filmmakers, hence its name. However, I have no idea if any films were made there. It seemed so peculiar that anybody would go to such lengths to create such an authentic rural recreation in the middle of suburban north west London. It was as if we were running out of real countryside and needed to build fake countryside in the most inappropriate setting.
At first, in the early 80s it was a big success, but in later years Production Village became seedy. It was the place where people went to score drugs. It ceased to be ludicrously camp and became a little more heavy. There was violence. The last time I went there, a gang of boys were giving grief to the local residents, shouting, fighting and running, and in the brawl a mate of mine had his earring ripped out. We never returned.
Not long after, Production Village closed and on the site are now a gym and a students' residential hall. Until recently, half of a garish blue sign for the Production Village hung over the road but now even this has gone. The Production Village was one of those weird artefacts that seem so of their time that you're sorry they've gone, but at the same time you're glad they're not around any more.
Mine's a Hog's Grunt!
RIP Bill Boakes
Whenever I went down to Brighton with the family as a youth, we would regularly come across a strange cycle covered by a wooden superstructure festooned with slogans and driven by a solidly-built, elderly gent. This was the legendary Commander Bill Boakes who was the sole candidate for the Air, Road and Public Safety Party. His strange contraption would be seen peddled around Brixton, Streatham and Norbury, fighting for the rights of the pedestrian. In fact, London-RIP believes that at the time Cdr Boakes contested more by-elections than Screaming Lord Sutch, on his platform of road safety. He also, I later discovered, had a reactionary white residents and pro-monarchist aspect to his political agenda, which tarnished the eco-appeal of this lost London eccentric somewhat. Bill Boakes was knocked off his cycle prior to registering for his 22nd by-election in Southwark and died in 1986.
London Restaurants RIP: Top nite spots
One of the things that inspired London-RIP was the recent closure of Calamity's in Hampstead's Heath Street. It's not that it was a particularly exceptional restaurant - London-RIP has vague memories of unremarkable burgers and a wild west theme - although it has to be said that we last visited said eatery about 25 years ago and it might have reached the gastronomic heights of the Fat Duck by the time it closed. No, it's more that Calamity's was a permenant fixture, a natural phenomenon almost. It was there for decades. And it's London-RIP's mission not to let the closures of such high street fixtures go undocumented and unmourned. So why did Calamity's survive for so long when so many others fell by the wayside? Perhaps it's that, like its fellow eatery Tricky Dick's in Finchley Road, it was open until the early hours when the rest of London shut at 10.30. And I guess that's a bit so what? now.
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Next page [2/2] »| Message: | 20/20 |
| Date and time: | 02/07/2009 at 20:15:47 |
| Sender: | Peter Taylor |
| There were many eccentrics in the West End in the 60s, including the man who walked up and down Oxford Street with a bottle on the end of a piece of string. He told a friend of mine that this was a defensive weapon - in an emergency he would let the bottle fall and be left with the jagged neck to defend himself with. | |
| Message: | 19/20 |
| Date and time: | 16/06/2009 at 18:54:34 |
| Sender: | Peter Yorke |
| I remember those day with fond memories, Eddies Pizza (the lord eddies special) with the chilli base and his garlic bread were bliss, never have I tasted better. I kept out of the disco bit, perfering to watch the bands, a bigger mercedes, antz avenue. Many a wobbley walk home to Willesden from those black gates. there was for a whilr a scale model of a ship, 5 feet long. Good BBQs in the summer. A pre-theme theme pub. | |
| Message: | 18/20 |
| Date and time: | 27/05/2009 at 15:16:03 |
| Sender: | pepesax |
| I used to stay in London and work there during my summer holidays in the 80's. I went to the Production Village several times and enjoyed the athmosphere of the Hog's Grunt. Last times I was in London I didn't have the opportunity to go to Cricklewood Lane, but wondered if that nice pub was still in its place. Pity it has all gone. I still keep a printed paper, a scroll of honour, which you could fill in at the Hog's Grunt to certify who consumed the most booze, who told the worst jokes and so on... Sorry it has all gone with those days... | |
| Message: | 17/20 |
| Date and time: | 14/03/2009 at 21:45:57 |
| Sender: | harvey harris |
| re hogs grunt. i was the singer in a band called SOULCOMMOTION who appeared there at least a couple of dozen times at weekends. totally enjoyable night out. shame the venue got painted light blue! they had a manager with ginger hair called Ray. he was ex-army. i met him again in 2006 at another club. he now promotes concerts in russia. great place but just good memories now. | |
| Message: | 16/20 |
| Date and time: | 20/10/2008 at 20:33:15 |
| Sender: | spotty dog |
| Ah the Production Village. I will alway remember the heated loo seats located in the outside loos. The first time I encountered them it was a shock because using them in the cold I had an unnerving suspicion who may have gone before - as it were - well I was only young!! | |
| Message: | 15/20 |
| Date and time: | 19/10/2008 at 20:40:44 |
| Sender: | I am Me! |
| I played the Village as a solo act called 'Me'- white face, tailcoat, ski pants, chelsea boots - poems and songs with backing tracks. Often played as support - to bands such as The Fan Club. it was a great venue with a good crowd who'd be out for a good night and I'd try and give 'em one! (well the attractive ones of course). Sorry to hear it has gone - all things must pass.... | |
| Message: | 14/20 |
| Date and time: | 18/10/2008 at 16:51:27 |
| Sender: | Debbie N |
| Hello all Sammies folks that have found this website. Remember that fantastic Xmas party held at PV and the great family day held there? If you do contact me, there's a reunion being organised in 2009 debbie@samuelsonfilmservice.co.uk | |
| Message: | 13/20 |
| Date and time: | 06/07/2008 at 11:15:31 |
| Sender: | marco |
| wasn't the parrot at p.v. called bilbo, must look up some old memorabilia i have from that place! | |
| Message: | 12/20 |
| Date and time: | 05/07/2008 at 14:46:36 |
| Sender: | Naomi |
| Hi London RIP'ers...just thought I'd let you know that YES a movie was filmed at the Production Village...Breaking Glass with Hazel O'Connor! Back in the early 80's it was a great place to go...it was always packed. I used to live in Cricklewood, and am saddened to read that it has closed down. Sorry your experience wasn't so great, but I have years of memories, good ones, from visiting the "Village". | |
| Message: | 11/20 |
| Date and time: | 19/06/2008 at 18:34:19 |
| Sender: | Ann Sharkey |
| The Production Village and its pub was in the beginning only for the use of the staff of Samuelson Film Service Group of companies and only became seedy when the brewery bought it and opened it to the public. | |
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