Going, going...
This is where London-RIP turns its attentions to places you love that aren't long for this world. If your favourite place is on the brink of closure, email London-RIP and tell us about it.
Hornsey Town Hall: good old knees-ups
Look at this old building, for example. Nice, isn't it? This is Hornsey Town Hall in Crouch End. It's a listed Art Deco building, built in 1936 for the now-defunct Hornsey Council. It's something of a focal point for the area and a meeting place for kids who skateboard outside. You can read about the municipal stuff in most local history books on the area if you're interested. What's not often mentioned, however, is that Hornsey Town Hall was, for many years, the scene of lots of good old knees ups. The place has a massive theatre inside it, now fallen into rack and ruin, which in the 70s played host to the likes of Queen and Toots and the Maytals.
Now the last council offices are moving out and the town hall is being fought over by residents who want to turn it into a theatre, art gallery, piazza-type thing, and councillors who blah, blah, blah... let's face it, what's the betting it's going to be turned into flats like its near neighbour the delightful Friern Barnet Town Hall? That was another of those rhetorical questions, by the way. We don't actually take bets at London-RIP. But we may start.
The London Planetarium: another planet
I hadn't visited the London Planetarium since Uranus was pronounced 'your anus', so on a recent trip it was good to see that this soon-to-close attraction is still exuding it's special brand of charm. After the parade of celebs and serial killers that make up most of the Madame Tussaud's experience, it's something of a relief to sit under the dome and gaze at the (considerably more attractive) stars, contemplating the insignificance of humankind and wondering what the hell the universe is expanding into. Apparently, Tussaud's is closing the Planetarium because lots of visitors don't bother to go into it. I find this incredible. At Tussaud's astronomical (ha!) prices - £70 for four of us - this is one tourist trap where you really want to get your money's worth down to going to the loo as many times as you can just to use their toilet paper, never mind missing out on the best thing there.
Arsenal: goodbye, and please buy something
As all of London and beyond knows, Arsenal has moved from Highbury into the new state-of-the-art Emirates stadium in Holloway. The old ground is obviously not long for this world, and therefore a fit London-RIP subject. No doubt many heartfelt words will be written on this historic event - by other people. London-RIP is feeling the closure, not in the heart, but in the wallet. In our home, which contains an Arsenal fan, we have already got, courtesy of a membership scheme, the Final Salute tin, consisting of a commemorative edition of Fever Pitch, a commemorative DVD, a 'collection of images' and a Highbury 1913-2006 badge. However, that is not enough. Pester power is now being invoked for a Farewell to Highbury commemorative strip. It has a hundred years of history and achievement woven into every fibre, you know - oh yes, and you get a limited edition Farewell to Highbury free wristband with that. Guess our Arsenal fan can wear it in lieu of getting a ticket to a decent football match next season, if this one was anything to go by. Arsenal, eh? so many moves and closures may go unremarked in this great city, but they don't miss a trick when it comes to merchandising.
