London cinemas: luxury experience for the Everyman

The Everyman cinema was a really classic independent cinema. Cold, rickety seats, fantastic double bills, late night movies, disdainful box office staff who always looked as if they'd rather be making a piece of conceptual art than bothering to sell you a ticket, and great newspaper-style programmes. Unlike the Camden Plaza and the charming, tiny Minema in Knightsbridge, the Everyman is still there, but has adjusted to changing tastes by reinventing itself as a super-luxury experience, with premium prices paid for leather sofas and the like. It's great that it's survived... but it's different. An RIP personal opinion? It's a nice place to have a coffee - not sure about bothering to see a film there. Not everyone agrees - see Now grot, once not

London clubs: all change at the Jazz Cafe

You couldn't get much more different than the original Jazz Cafe and the current one. This venue started off in Newington Green and looked as if it had been a house. The bands played in the window, so you could stop to see the likes of Evan Parker parping away on his sax as you were walking past, if that was your wont. The Jazz Cafe moved to its far plusher Camden premises in 1990.

London record shops: Honest Jon's

Honest Jon's Records used to be in Camden High Street on the Rhythm Records site (now shut). A browse in Compendium followed by stroll across the road to Jon's was a favourite London-RIP passtime. Honest Jon's moved to Portobello Road in around 1982. It sold lots of jazz and the guys behind the counter were really helpful, including Honest Jon himself. In fact, it was a Nick Hornby-type record shop except that the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Honest Jon's is two shops now and it sells dance, urban and world music, on CD, of course. And it's fine... but the orginal HJ's was just a really classic record shop.

London cinemas: luxury experience for the Everyman

The Everyman cinema was a really classic independent cinema. Cold, rickety seats, fantastic double bills, late night movies, disdainful box office staff who always looked as if they'd rather be making a piece of conceptual art than bothering to sell you a ticket, and great newspaper-style programmes. Unlike the Camden Plaza and the charming, tiny Minema in Knightsbridge, the Everyman is still there, but has adjusted to changing tastes by reinventing itself as a super-luxury experience, with premium prices paid for leather sofas and the like. It's great that it's survived... but it's different. An RIP personal opinion? It's a nice place to have a coffee - not sure about bothering to see a film there. Not everyone agrees - see Now grot, once not

London clubs: all change at the Jazz Cafe

You couldn't get much more different than the original Jazz Cafe and the current one. This venue started off in Newington Green and looked as if it had been a house. The bands played in the window, so you could stop to see the likes of Evan Parker parping away on his sax as you were walking past, if that was your wont. The Jazz Cafe moved to its far plusher Camden premises in 1990.

London record shops: Honest Jon's

Honest Jon's Records used to be in Camden High Street on the Rhythm Records site (now shut). A browse in Compendium followed by stroll across the road to Jon's was a favourite London-RIP passtime. Honest Jon's moved to Portobello Road in around 1982. It sold lots of jazz and the guys behind the counter were really helpful, including Honest Jon himself. In fact, it was a Nick Hornby-type record shop except that the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Honest Jon's is two shops now and it sells dance, urban and world music, on CD, of course. And it's fine... but the orginal HJ's was just a really classic record shop.

London cinemas: luxury experience for the Everyman

The Everyman cinema was a really classic independent cinema. Cold, rickety seats, fantastic double bills, late night movies, disdainful box office staff who always looked as if they'd rather be making a piece of conceptual art than bothering to sell you a ticket, and great newspaper-style programmes. Unlike the Camden Plaza and the charming, tiny Minema in Knightsbridge, the Everyman is still there, but has adjusted to changing tastes by reinventing itself as a super-luxury experience, with premium prices paid for leather sofas and the like. It's great that it's survived... but it's different. An RIP personal opinion? It's a nice place to have a coffee - not sure about bothering to see a film there. Not everyone agrees - see Now grot, once not

London clubs: all change at the Jazz Cafe

You couldn't get much more different than the original Jazz Cafe and the current one. This venue started off in Newington Green and looked as if it had been a house. The bands played in the window, so you could stop to see the likes of Evan Parker parping away on his sax as you were walking past, if that was your wont. The Jazz Cafe moved to its far plusher Camden premises in 1990.

London record shops: Honest Jon's

Honest Jon's Records used to be in Camden High Street on the Rhythm Records site (now shut). A browse in Compendium followed by stroll across the road to Jon's was a favourite London-RIP passtime. Honest Jon's moved to Portobello Road in around 1982. It sold lots of jazz and the guys behind the counter were really helpful, including Honest Jon himself. In fact, it was a Nick Hornby-type record shop except that the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Honest Jon's is two shops now and it sells dance, urban and world music, on CD, of course. And it's fine... but the orginal HJ's was just a really classic record shop.

London cinemas: luxury experience for the Everyman

The Everyman cinema was a really classic independent cinema. Cold, rickety seats, fantastic double bills, late night movies, disdainful box office staff who always looked as if they'd rather be making a piece of conceptual art than bothering to sell you a ticket, and great newspaper-style programmes. Unlike the Camden Plaza and the charming, tiny Minema in Knightsbridge, the Everyman is still there, but has adjusted to changing tastes by reinventing itself as a super-luxury experience, with premium prices paid for leather sofas and the like. It's great that it's survived... but it's different. An RIP personal opinion? It's a nice place to have a coffee - not sure about bothering to see a film there. Not everyone agrees - see Now grot, once not

London clubs: all change at the Jazz Cafe

You couldn't get much more different than the original Jazz Cafe and the current one. This venue started off in Newington Green and looked as if it had been a house. The bands played in the window, so you could stop to see the likes of Evan Parker parping away on his sax as you were walking past, if that was your wont. The Jazz Cafe moved to its far plusher Camden premises in 1990.

London record shops: Honest Jon's

Honest Jon's Records used to be in Camden High Street on the Rhythm Records site (now shut). A browse in Compendium followed by stroll across the road to Jon's was a favourite London-RIP passtime. Honest Jon's moved to Portobello Road in around 1982. It sold lots of jazz and the guys behind the counter were really helpful, including Honest Jon himself. In fact, it was a Nick Hornby-type record shop except that the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Honest Jon's is two shops now and it sells dance, urban and world music, on CD, of course. And it's fine... but the orginal HJ's was just a really classic record shop.

London cinemas: luxury experience for the Everyman

The Everyman cinema was a really classic independent cinema. Cold, rickety seats, fantastic double bills, late night movies, disdainful box office staff who always looked as if they'd rather be making a piece of conceptual art than bothering to sell you a ticket, and great newspaper-style programmes. Unlike the Camden Plaza and the charming, tiny Minema in Knightsbridge, the Everyman is still there, but has adjusted to changing tastes by reinventing itself as a super-luxury experience, with premium prices paid for leather sofas and the like. It's great that it's survived... but it's different. An RIP personal opinion? It's a nice place to have a coffee - not sure about bothering to see a film there. Not everyone agrees - see Now grot, once not

London clubs: all change at the Jazz Cafe

You couldn't get much more different than the original Jazz Cafe and the current one. This venue started off in Newington Green and looked as if it had been a house. The bands played in the window, so you could stop to see the likes of Evan Parker parping away on his sax as you were walking past, if that was your wont. The Jazz Cafe moved to its far plusher Camden premises in 1990.

London record shops: Honest Jon's

Honest Jon's Records used to be in Camden High Street on the Rhythm Records site (now shut). A browse in Compendium followed by stroll across the road to Jon's was a favourite London-RIP passtime. Honest Jon's moved to Portobello Road in around 1982. It sold lots of jazz and the guys behind the counter were really helpful, including Honest Jon himself. In fact, it was a Nick Hornby-type record shop except that the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Honest Jon's is two shops now and it sells dance, urban and world music, on CD, of course. And it's fine... but the orginal HJ's was just a really classic record shop.

London cinemas: luxury experience for the Everyman

The Everyman cinema was a really classic independent cinema. Cold, rickety seats, fantastic double bills, late night movies, disdainful box office staff who always looked as if they'd rather be making a piece of conceptual art than bothering to sell you a ticket, and great newspaper-style programmes. Unlike the Camden Plaza and the charming, tiny Minema in Knightsbridge, the Everyman is still there, but has adjusted to changing tastes by reinventing itself as a super-luxury experience, with premium prices paid for leather sofas and the like. It's great that it's survived... but it's different. An RIP personal opinion? It's a nice place to have a coffee - not sure about bothering to see a film there. Not everyone agrees - see Now grot, once not

London clubs: all change at the Jazz Cafe

You couldn't get much more different than the original Jazz Cafe and the current one. This venue started off in Newington Green and looked as if it had been a house. The bands played in the window, so you could stop to see the likes of Evan Parker parping away on his sax as you were walking past, if that was your wont. The Jazz Cafe moved to its far plusher Camden premises in 1990.

London record shops: Honest Jon's

Honest Jon's Records used to be in Camden High Street on the Rhythm Records site (now shut). A browse in Compendium followed by stroll across the road to Jon's was a favourite London-RIP passtime. Honest Jon's moved to Portobello Road in around 1982. It sold lots of jazz and the guys behind the counter were really helpful, including Honest Jon himself. In fact, it was a Nick Hornby-type record shop except that the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Honest Jon's is two shops now and it sells dance, urban and world music, on CD, of course. And it's fine... but the orginal HJ's was just a really classic record shop.

London cinemas: luxury experience for the Everyman

The Everyman cinema was a really classic independent cinema. Cold, rickety seats, fantastic double bills, late night movies, disdainful box office staff who always looked as if they'd rather be making a piece of conceptual art than bothering to sell you a ticket, and great newspaper-style programmes. Unlike the Camden Plaza and the charming, tiny Minema in Knightsbridge, the Everyman is still there, but has adjusted to changing tastes by reinventing itself as a super-luxury experience, with premium prices paid for leather sofas and the like. It's great that it's survived... but it's different. An RIP personal opinion? It's a nice place to have a coffee - not sure about bothering to see a film there. Not everyone agrees - see Now grot, once not

London clubs: all change at the Jazz Cafe

You couldn't get much more different than the original Jazz Cafe and the current one. This venue started off in Newington Green and looked as if it had been a house. The bands played in the window, so you could stop to see the likes of Evan Parker parping away on his sax as you were walking past, if that was your wont. The Jazz Cafe moved to its far plusher Camden premises in 1990.

London record shops: Honest Jon's

Honest Jon's Records used to be in Camden High Street on the Rhythm Records site (now shut). A browse in Compendium followed by stroll across the road to Jon's was a favourite London-RIP passtime. Honest Jon's moved to Portobello Road in around 1982. It sold lots of jazz and the guys behind the counter were really helpful, including Honest Jon himself. In fact, it was a Nick Hornby-type record shop except that the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Honest Jon's is two shops now and it sells dance, urban and world music, on CD, of course. And it's fine... but the orginal HJ's was just a really classic record shop.

London cinemas: luxury experience for the Everyman

The Everyman cinema was a really classic independent cinema. Cold, rickety seats, fantastic double bills, late night movies, disdainful box office staff who always looked as if they'd rather be making a piece of conceptual art than bothering to sell you a ticket, and great newspaper-style programmes. Unlike the Camden Plaza and the charming, tiny Minema in Knightsbridge, the Everyman is still there, but has adjusted to changing tastes by reinventing itself as a super-luxury experience, with premium prices paid for leather sofas and the like. It's great that it's survived... but it's different. An RIP personal opinion? It's a nice place to have a coffee - not sure about bothering to see a film there. Not everyone agrees - see Now grot, once not

London clubs: all change at the Jazz Cafe

You couldn't get much more different than the original Jazz Cafe and the current one. This venue started off in Newington Green and looked as if it had been a house. The bands played in the window, so you could stop to see the likes of Evan Parker parping away on his sax as you were walking past, if that was your wont. The Jazz Cafe moved to its far plusher Camden premises in 1990.

London record shops: Honest Jon's

Honest Jon's Records used to be in Camden High Street on the Rhythm Records site (now shut). A browse in Compendium followed by stroll across the road to Jon's was a favourite London-RIP passtime. Honest Jon's moved to Portobello Road in around 1982. It sold lots of jazz and the guys behind the counter were really helpful, including Honest Jon himself. In fact, it was a Nick Hornby-type record shop except that the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Honest Jon's is two shops now and it sells dance, urban and world music, on CD, of course. And it's fine... but the orginal HJ's was just a really classic record shop.

London cinemas: luxury experience for the Everyman

The Everyman cinema was a really classic independent cinema. Cold, rickety seats, fantastic double bills, late night movies, disdainful box office staff who always looked as if they'd rather be making a piece of conceptual art than bothering to sell you a ticket, and great newspaper-style programmes. Unlike the Camden Plaza and the charming, tiny Minema in Knightsbridge, the Everyman is still there, but has adjusted to changing tastes by reinventing itself as a super-luxury experience, with premium prices paid for leather sofas and the like. It's great that it's survived... but it's different. An RIP personal opinion? It's a nice place to have a coffee - not sure about bothering to see a film there. Not everyone agrees - see Now grot, once not

London clubs: all change at the Jazz Cafe

You couldn't get much more different than the original Jazz Cafe and the current one. This venue started off in Newington Green and looked as if it had been a house. The bands played in the window, so you could stop to see the likes of Evan Parker parping away on his sax as you were walking past, if that was your wont. The Jazz Cafe moved to its far plusher Camden premises in 1990.

London record shops: Honest Jon's

Honest Jon's Records used to be in Camden High Street on the Rhythm Records site (now shut). A browse in Compendium followed by stroll across the road to Jon's was a favourite London-RIP passtime. Honest Jon's moved to Portobello Road in around 1982. It sold lots of jazz and the guys behind the counter were really helpful, including Honest Jon himself. In fact, it was a Nick Hornby-type record shop except that the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Honest Jon's is two shops now and it sells dance, urban and world music, on CD, of course. And it's fine... but the orginal HJ's was just a really classic record shop.

London cinemas: luxury experience for the Everyman

The Everyman cinema was a really classic independent cinema. Cold, rickety seats, fantastic double bills, late night movies, disdainful box office staff who always looked as if they'd rather be making a piece of conceptual art than bothering to sell you a ticket, and great newspaper-style programmes. Unlike the Camden Plaza and the charming, tiny Minema in Knightsbridge, the Everyman is still there, but has adjusted to changing tastes by reinventing itself as a super-luxury experience, with premium prices paid for leather sofas and the like. It's great that it's survived... but it's different. An RIP personal opinion? It's a nice place to have a coffee - not sure about bothering to see a film there. Not everyone agrees - see Now grot, once not

London clubs: all change at the Jazz Cafe

You couldn't get much more different than the original Jazz Cafe and the current one. This venue started off in Newington Green and looked as if it had been a house. The bands played in the window, so you could stop to see the likes of Evan Parker parping away on his sax as you were walking past, if that was your wont. The Jazz Cafe moved to its far plusher Camden premises in 1990.

London record shops: Honest Jon's

Honest Jon's Records used to be in Camden High Street on the Rhythm Records site (now shut). A browse in Compendium followed by stroll across the road to Jon's was a favourite London-RIP passtime. Honest Jon's moved to Portobello Road in around 1982. It sold lots of jazz and the guys behind the counter were really helpful, including Honest Jon himself. In fact, it was a Nick Hornby-type record shop except that the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Honest Jon's is two shops now and it sells dance, urban and world music, on CD, of course. And it's fine... but the orginal HJ's was just a really classic record shop.

Sipson, the village earmarked for demolition to make way for Heathrow’s third runway, has a special place in my heart. As an apprentice reporter based in Uxbridge in the ‘80s, the Heathrow villages – Sipson and Harmondsworth – were my patch.

Just a few fields away from the airport, the villages then were bucolic dots on the very edge of London. Old (Harmondsworth boasts a 11^th century church and ancient barn) and surprisingly quiet (no detention centre there then), they coexisted uneasily with the airport – which was much resented by old-timers for apparently never having had planning permission in the first place. It started off as an airstrip in World War One and just growed and growed.

My job involved spending hours tramping around the villages to find news stories to fill the paper every week. This was a truly epic struggle. Cat up tree was big news in Sipson and Harmondsworth at the time – except, of course, when plans to raze them to the ground to expand the airport periodically popped up.

It's not over yet

Now the false alarms are over and Sipson is really fighting for its life. London-RIP would like to see it survive. Shouldn’t London treasure its real villages? Plus, it’s comforting to imagine future generations of local paper reporters sweating to get stories out of the place - and of course, there’s the small matter of the future of the planet. If you feel the same, check out the No Third Runway Action Group

Walthamstow dog stadium RIP

After 75 years, Walthamstow dog stadium closed its doors in August 2008. According to the owners, this iconic landmark was no longer sustainable. London-RIP reader Wendy McManus writes:

"Recently I treated my 9-year-old son to a night out at Walthamstow Dog track and what a fantastic night it was. On arrival - by public transport I might add, which was a lot easier than expected - we were both stunned by the amazing facade lit by the early evening sun. A fine example of of 30s' architecture, the likes of which we rarely see any more in this great city of ours. Once inside I took great delight at the interior - although now somewhat shabby, it's a great reminder of days gone by. The restaurant had me reminiscing about department stores in the early 70s, when prawn cocktail seemed posh.

Quids in

As it was a pleasant summer's evening we sat outside having placed our £1 bet. We found ourselves whooping and shouting, along with everyone else as the excited dogs tore around the track, chasing a rather bedraggled looking rabbit, I did wonder if any of them had ever actually caught it! Great fun was had by all, especially my rather excited son, and while not wanting to promote the joys of gambling, I did go home quids in - not often that can be said of a night out in London.

The evening was only marred by the devastating news that that it will not only be my first trip to the dog track but probably my last. The stadium  is due to close down in August, and in its place, yes, you've guessed it - a block of flats, another piece of our heritage to be replaced by, no doubt, tiny over-priced shoe boxes with acrylic windows. How is this allowed to happen? I for one do not believe that with good management this piece of history can not be viable business and major tourist attraction, especially with the 2012 Olympics about to arrive in the area."

London once had numerous dog tracks. Read about White City

Update: the last race was run at Walthamstow on August 16 2008. A consortium has been formed to try to preserve at least some dog racing on the site.

London front gardens RIP

Front gardens, once a defining feature of London's suburbs, are in increasingly short supply. Haringey, where I live, is falling over itself to follow in the concreted, crazy-paved footsteps of Brent, Barnet and Enfield with barely a whimper of protest from anyone.  This is a great shame, because there's something very appealing about front gardens.

It's the sheer decorativeness of them that gives them their charm. There's something fanciful, even frivolous, about a little patch of  lawn in front of your house - and they can be marvellous (see the example above, not my garden, unfortunately).

But even if they're individually undistinguished, collectively front gardens can make an ordinary street quite beautiful – while the lack of them tends to do the reverse. Streets where every garden has been paved over look vile and, quite appart from the hideousness factor, this wholesale front garden deforestation is causing serious problems with flooding.

So why are so many people paving over like there's no tomorrow?  Would they honestly really rather look at their 4x4s squatting on a patch of concrete outside their front window than a front garden? By the look of it, and as councils introduce more dumb parking schemes, the answer seems to be 'yes'.

Sipson, the village earmarked for demolition to make way for Heathrow’s third runway, has a special place in my heart. As an apprentice reporter based in Uxbridge in the ‘80s, the Heathrow villages – Sipson and Harmondsworth – were my patch.

Just a few fields away from the airport, the villages then were bucolic dots on the very edge of London. Old (Harmondsworth boasts a 11^th century church and ancient barn) and surprisingly quiet (no detention centre there then), they coexisted uneasily with the airport – which was much resented by old-timers for apparently never having had planning permission in the first place. It started off as an airstrip in World War One and just growed and growed.

My job involved spending hours tramping around the villages to find news stories to fill the paper every week. This was a truly epic struggle. Cat up tree was big news in Sipson and Harmondsworth at the time – except, of course, when plans to raze them to the ground to expand the airport periodically popped up.

It's not over yet

Now the false alarms are over and Sipson is really fighting for its life. London-RIP would like to see it survive. Shouldn’t London treasure its real villages? Plus, it’s comforting to imagine future generations of local paper reporters sweating to get stories out of the place - and of course, there’s the small matter of the future of the planet. If you feel the same, check out the No Third Runway Action Group

Walthamstow dog stadium RIP

After 75 years, Walthamstow dog stadium closed its doors in August 2008. According to the owners, this iconic landmark was no longer sustainable. London-RIP reader Wendy McManus writes:

"Recently I treated my 9-year-old son to a night out at Walthamstow Dog track and what a fantastic night it was. On arrival - by public transport I might add, which was a lot easier than expected - we were both stunned by the amazing facade lit by the early evening sun. A fine example of of 30s' architecture, the likes of which we rarely see any more in this great city of ours. Once inside I took great delight at the interior - although now somewhat shabby, it's a great reminder of days gone by. The restaurant had me reminiscing about department stores in the early 70s, when prawn cocktail seemed posh.

Quids in

As it was a pleasant summer's evening we sat outside having placed our £1 bet. We found ourselves whooping and shouting, along with everyone else as the excited dogs tore around the track, chasing a rather bedraggled looking rabbit, I did wonder if any of them had ever actually caught it! Great fun was had by all, especially my rather excited son, and while not wanting to promote the joys of gambling, I did go home quids in - not often that can be said of a night out in London.

The evening was only marred by the devastating news that that it will not only be my first trip to the dog track but probably my last. The stadium  is due to close down in August, and in its place, yes, you've guessed it - a block of flats, another piece of our heritage to be replaced by, no doubt, tiny over-priced shoe boxes with acrylic windows. How is this allowed to happen? I for one do not believe that with good management this piece of history can not be viable business and major tourist attraction, especially with the 2012 Olympics about to arrive in the area."

London once had numerous dog tracks. Read about White City

Update: the last race was run at Walthamstow on August 16 2008. A consortium has been formed to try to preserve at least some dog racing on the site.

London front gardens RIP

Front gardens, once a defining feature of London's suburbs, are in increasingly short supply. Haringey, where I live, is falling over itself to follow in the concreted, crazy-paved footsteps of Brent, Barnet and Enfield with barely a whimper of protest from anyone.  This is a great shame, because there's something very appealing about front gardens.

It's the sheer decorativeness of them that gives them their charm. There's something fanciful, even frivolous, about a little patch of  lawn in front of your house - and they can be marvellous (see the example above, not my garden, unfortunately).

But even if they're individually undistinguished, collectively front gardens can make an ordinary street quite beautiful – while the lack of them tends to do the reverse. Streets where every garden has been paved over look vile and, quite appart from the hideousness factor, this wholesale front garden deforestation is causing serious problems with flooding.

So why are so many people paving over like there's no tomorrow?  Would they honestly really rather look at their 4x4s squatting on a patch of concrete outside their front window than a front garden? By the look of it, and as councils introduce more dumb parking schemes, the answer seems to be 'yes'.

Sipson, the village earmarked for demolition to make way for Heathrow’s third runway, has a special place in my heart. As an apprentice reporter based in Uxbridge in the ‘80s, the Heathrow villages – Sipson and Harmondsworth – were my patch.

Just a few fields away from the airport, the villages then were bucolic dots on the very edge of London. Old (Harmondsworth boasts a 11^th century church and ancient barn) and surprisingly quiet (no detention centre there then), they coexisted uneasily with the airport – which was much resented by old-timers for apparently never having had planning permission in the first place. It started off as an airstrip in World War One and just growed and growed.

My job involved spending hours tramping around the villages to find news stories to fill the paper every week. This was a truly epic struggle. Cat up tree was big news in Sipson and Harmondsworth at the time – except, of course, when plans to raze them to the ground to expand the airport periodically popped up.

It's not over yet

Now the false alarms are over and Sipson is really fighting for its life. London-RIP would like to see it survive. Shouldn’t London treasure its real villages? Plus, it’s comforting to imagine future generations of local paper reporters sweating to get stories out of the place - and of course, there’s the small matter of the future of the planet. If you feel the same, check out the No Third Runway Action Group

Walthamstow dog stadium RIP

After 75 years, Walthamstow dog stadium closed its doors in August 2008. According to the owners, this iconic landmark was no longer sustainable. London-RIP reader Wendy McManus writes:

"Recently I treated my 9-year-old son to a night out at Walthamstow Dog track and what a fantastic night it was. On arrival - by public transport I might add, which was a lot easier than expected - we were both stunned by the amazing facade lit by the early evening sun. A fine example of of 30s' architecture, the likes of which we rarely see any more in this great city of ours. Once inside I took great delight at the interior - although now somewhat shabby, it's a great reminder of days gone by. The restaurant had me reminiscing about department stores in the early 70s, when prawn cocktail seemed posh.

Quids in

As it was a pleasant summer's evening we sat outside having placed our £1 bet. We found ourselves whooping and shouting, along with everyone else as the excited dogs tore around the track, chasing a rather bedraggled looking rabbit, I did wonder if any of them had ever actually caught it! Great fun was had by all, especially my rather excited son, and while not wanting to promote the joys of gambling, I did go home quids in - not often that can be said of a night out in London.

The evening was only marred by the devastating news that that it will not only be my first trip to the dog track but probably my last. The stadium  is due to close down in August, and in its place, yes, you've guessed it - a block of flats, another piece of our heritage to be replaced by, no doubt, tiny over-priced shoe boxes with acrylic windows. How is this allowed to happen? I for one do not believe that with good management this piece of history can not be viable business and major tourist attraction, especially with the 2012 Olympics about to arrive in the area."

London once had numerous dog tracks. Read about White City

Update: the last race was run at Walthamstow on August 16 2008. A consortium has been formed to try to preserve at least some dog racing on the site.

London front gardens RIP

Front gardens, once a defining feature of London's suburbs, are in increasingly short supply. Haringey, where I live, is falling over itself to follow in the concreted, crazy-paved footsteps of Brent, Barnet and Enfield with barely a whimper of protest from anyone.  This is a great shame, because there's something very appealing about front gardens.

It's the sheer decorativeness of them that gives them their charm. There's something fanciful, even frivolous, about a little patch of  lawn in front of your house - and they can be marvellous (see the example above, not my garden, unfortunately).

But even if they're individually undistinguished, collectively front gardens can make an ordinary street quite beautiful – while the lack of them tends to do the reverse. Streets where every garden has been paved over look vile and, quite appart from the hideousness factor, this wholesale front garden deforestation is causing serious problems with flooding.

So why are so many people paving over like there's no tomorrow?  Would they honestly really rather look at their 4x4s squatting on a patch of concrete outside their front window than a front garden? By the look of it, and as councils introduce more dumb parking schemes, the answer seems to be 'yes'.

Sipson, the village earmarked for demolition to make way for Heathrow’s third runway, has a special place in my heart. As an apprentice reporter based in Uxbridge in the ‘80s, the Heathrow villages – Sipson and Harmondsworth – were my patch.

Just a few fields away from the airport, the villages then were bucolic dots on the very edge of London. Old (Harmondsworth boasts a 11^th century church and ancient barn) and surprisingly quiet (no detention centre there then), they coexisted uneasily with the airport – which was much resented by old-timers for apparently never having had planning permission in the first place. It started off as an airstrip in World War One and just growed and growed.

My job involved spending hours tramping around the villages to find news stories to fill the paper every week. This was a truly epic struggle. Cat up tree was big news in Sipson and Harmondsworth at the time – except, of course, when plans to raze them to the ground to expand the airport periodically popped up.

It's not over yet

Now the false alarms are over and Sipson is really fighting for its life. London-RIP would like to see it survive. Shouldn’t London treasure its real villages? Plus, it’s comforting to imagine future generations of local paper reporters sweating to get stories out of the place - and of course, there’s the small matter of the future of the planet. If you feel the same, check out the No Third Runway Action Group

Walthamstow dog stadium RIP

After 75 years, Walthamstow dog stadium closed its doors in August 2008. According to the owners, this iconic landmark was no longer sustainable. London-RIP reader Wendy McManus writes:

"Recently I treated my 9-year-old son to a night out at Walthamstow Dog track and what a fantastic night it was. On arrival - by public transport I might add, which was a lot easier than expected - we were both stunned by the amazing facade lit by the early evening sun. A fine example of of 30s' architecture, the likes of which we rarely see any more in this great city of ours. Once inside I took great delight at the interior - although now somewhat shabby, it's a great reminder of days gone by. The restaurant had me reminiscing about department stores in the early 70s, when prawn cocktail seemed posh.

Quids in

As it was a pleasant summer's evening we sat outside having placed our £1 bet. We found ourselves whooping and shouting, along with everyone else as the excited dogs tore around the track, chasing a rather bedraggled looking rabbit, I did wonder if any of them had ever actually caught it! Great fun was had by all, especially my rather excited son, and while not wanting to promote the joys of gambling, I did go home quids in - not often that can be said of a night out in London.

The evening was only marred by the devastating news that that it will not only be my first trip to the dog track but probably my last. The stadium  is due to close down in August, and in its place, yes, you've guessed it - a block of flats, another piece of our heritage to be replaced by, no doubt, tiny over-priced shoe boxes with acrylic windows. How is this allowed to happen? I for one do not believe that with good management this piece of history can not be viable business and major tourist attraction, especially with the 2012 Olympics about to arrive in the area."

London once had numerous dog tracks. Read about White City

Update: the last race was run at Walthamstow on August 16 2008. A consortium has been formed to try to preserve at least some dog racing on the site.

London front gardens RIP

Front gardens, once a defining feature of London's suburbs, are in increasingly short supply. Haringey, where I live, is falling over itself to follow in the concreted, crazy-paved footsteps of Brent, Barnet and Enfield with barely a whimper of protest from anyone.  This is a great shame, because there's something very appealing about front gardens.

It's the sheer decorativeness of them that gives them their charm. There's something fanciful, even frivolous, about a little patch of  lawn in front of your house - and they can be marvellous (see the example above, not my garden, unfortunately).

But even if they're individually undistinguished, collectively front gardens can make an ordinary street quite beautiful – while the lack of them tends to do the reverse. Streets where every garden has been paved over look vile and, quite appart from the hideousness factor, this wholesale front garden deforestation is causing serious problems with flooding.

So why are so many people paving over like there's no tomorrow?  Would they honestly really rather look at their 4x4s squatting on a patch of concrete outside their front window than a front garden? By the look of it, and as councils introduce more dumb parking schemes, the answer seems to be 'yes'.

Sipson, the village earmarked for demolition to make way for Heathrow’s third runway, has a special place in my heart. As an apprentice reporter based in Uxbridge in the ‘80s, the Heathrow villages – Sipson and Harmondsworth – were my patch.

Just a few fields away from the airport, the villages then were bucolic dots on the very edge of London. Old (Harmondsworth boasts a 11^th century church and ancient barn) and surprisingly quiet (no detention centre there then), they coexisted uneasily with the airport – which was much resented by old-timers for apparently never having had planning permission in the first place. It started off as an airstrip in World War One and just growed and growed.

My job involved spending hours tramping around the villages to find news stories to fill the paper every week. This was a truly epic struggle. Cat up tree was big news in Sipson and Harmondsworth at the time – except, of course, when plans to raze them to the ground to expand the airport periodically popped up.

It's not over yet

Now the false alarms are over and Sipson is really fighting for its life. London-RIP would like to see it survive. Shouldn’t London treasure its real villages? Plus, it’s comforting to imagine future generations of local paper reporters sweating to get stories out of the place - and of course, there’s the small matter of the future of the planet. If you feel the same, check out the No Third Runway Action Group

Walthamstow dog stadium RIP

After 75 years, Walthamstow dog stadium closed its doors in August 2008. According to the owners, this iconic landmark was no longer sustainable. London-RIP reader Wendy McManus writes:

"Recently I treated my 9-year-old son to a night out at Walthamstow Dog track and what a fantastic night it was. On arrival - by public transport I might add, which was a lot easier than expected - we were both stunned by the amazing facade lit by the early evening sun. A fine example of of 30s' architecture, the likes of which we rarely see any more in this great city of ours. Once inside I took great delight at the interior - although now somewhat shabby, it's a great reminder of days gone by. The restaurant had me reminiscing about department stores in the early 70s, when prawn cocktail seemed posh.

Quids in

As it was a pleasant summer's evening we sat outside having placed our £1 bet. We found ourselves whooping and shouting, along with everyone else as the excited dogs tore around the track, chasing a rather bedraggled looking rabbit, I did wonder if any of them had ever actually caught it! Great fun was had by all, especially my rather excited son, and while not wanting to promote the joys of gambling, I did go home quids in - not often that can be said of a night out in London.

The evening was only marred by the devastating news that that it will not only be my first trip to the dog track but probably my last. The stadium  is due to close down in August, and in its place, yes, you've guessed it - a block of flats, another piece of our heritage to be replaced by, no doubt, tiny over-priced shoe boxes with acrylic windows. How is this allowed to happen? I for one do not believe that with good management this piece of history can not be viable business and major tourist attraction, especially with the 2012 Olympics about to arrive in the area."

London once had numerous dog tracks. Read about White City

Update: the last race was run at Walthamstow on August 16 2008. A consortium has been formed to try to preserve at least some dog racing on the site.

London front gardens RIP

Front gardens, once a defining feature of London's suburbs, are in increasingly short supply. Haringey, where I live, is falling over itself to follow in the concreted, crazy-paved footsteps of Brent, Barnet and Enfield with barely a whimper of protest from anyone.  This is a great shame, because there's something very appealing about front gardens.

It's the sheer decorativeness of them that gives them their charm. There's something fanciful, even frivolous, about a little patch of  lawn in front of your house - and they can be marvellous (see the example above, not my garden, unfortunately).

But even if they're individually undistinguished, collectively front gardens can make an ordinary street quite beautiful – while the lack of them tends to do the reverse. Streets where every garden has been paved over look vile and, quite appart from the hideousness factor, this wholesale front garden deforestation is causing serious problems with flooding.

So why are so many people paving over like there's no tomorrow?  Would they honestly really rather look at their 4x4s squatting on a patch of concrete outside their front window than a front garden? By the look of it, and as councils introduce more dumb parking schemes, the answer seems to be 'yes'.

Sipson, the village earmarked for demolition to make way for Heathrow’s third runway, has a special place in my heart. As an apprentice reporter based in Uxbridge in the ‘80s, the Heathrow villages – Sipson and Harmondsworth – were my patch.

Just a few fields away from the airport, the villages then were bucolic dots on the very edge of London. Old (Harmondsworth boasts a 11^th century church and ancient barn) and surprisingly quiet (no detention centre there then), they coexisted uneasily with the airport – which was much resented by old-timers for apparently never having had planning permission in the first place. It started off as an airstrip in World War One and just growed and growed.

My job involved spending hours tramping around the villages to find news stories to fill the paper every week. This was a truly epic struggle. Cat up tree was big news in Sipson and Harmondsworth at the time – except, of course, when plans to raze them to the ground to expand the airport periodically popped up.

It's not over yet

Now the false alarms are over and Sipson is really fighting for its life. London-RIP would like to see it survive. Shouldn’t London treasure its real villages? Plus, it’s comforting to imagine future generations of local paper reporters sweating to get stories out of the place - and of course, there’s the small matter of the future of the planet. If you feel the same, check out the No Third Runway Action Group

Walthamstow dog stadium RIP

After 75 years, Walthamstow dog stadium closed its doors in August 2008. According to the owners, this iconic landmark was no longer sustainable. London-RIP reader Wendy McManus writes:

"Recently I treated my 9-year-old son to a night out at Walthamstow Dog track and what a fantastic night it was. On arrival - by public transport I might add, which was a lot easier than expected - we were both stunned by the amazing facade lit by the early evening sun. A fine example of of 30s' architecture, the likes of which we rarely see any more in this great city of ours. Once inside I took great delight at the interior - although now somewhat shabby, it's a great reminder of days gone by. The restaurant had me reminiscing about department stores in the early 70s, when prawn cocktail seemed posh.

Quids in

As it was a pleasant summer's evening we sat outside having placed our £1 bet. We found ourselves whooping and shouting, along with everyone else as the excited dogs tore around the track, chasing a rather bedraggled looking rabbit, I did wonder if any of them had ever actually caught it! Great fun was had by all, especially my rather excited son, and while not wanting to promote the joys of gambling, I did go home quids in - not often that can be said of a night out in London.

The evening was only marred by the devastating news that that it will not only be my first trip to the dog track but probably my last. The stadium  is due to close down in August, and in its place, yes, you've guessed it - a block of flats, another piece of our heritage to be replaced by, no doubt, tiny over-priced shoe boxes with acrylic windows. How is this allowed to happen? I for one do not believe that with good management this piece of history can not be viable business and major tourist attraction, especially with the 2012 Olympics about to arrive in the area."

London once had numerous dog tracks. Read about White City

Update: the last race was run at Walthamstow on August 16 2008. A consortium has been formed to try to preserve at least some dog racing on the site.

London front gardens RIP

Front gardens, once a defining feature of London's suburbs, are in increasingly short supply. Haringey, where I live, is falling over itself to follow in the concreted, crazy-paved footsteps of Brent, Barnet and Enfield with barely a whimper of protest from anyone.  This is a great shame, because there's something very appealing about front gardens.

It's the sheer decorativeness of them that gives them their charm. There's something fanciful, even frivolous, about a little patch of  lawn in front of your house - and they can be marvellous (see the example above, not my garden, unfortunately).

But even if they're individually undistinguished, collectively front gardens can make an ordinary street quite beautiful – while the lack of them tends to do the reverse. Streets where every garden has been paved over look vile and, quite appart from the hideousness factor, this wholesale front garden deforestation is causing serious problems with flooding.

So why are so many people paving over like there's no tomorrow?  Would they honestly really rather look at their 4x4s squatting on a patch of concrete outside their front window than a front garden? By the look of it, and as councils introduce more dumb parking schemes, the answer seems to be 'yes'.

Sipson, the village earmarked for demolition to make way for Heathrow’s third runway, has a special place in my heart. As an apprentice reporter based in Uxbridge in the ‘80s, the Heathrow villages – Sipson and Harmondsworth – were my patch.

Just a few fields away from the airport, the villages then were bucolic dots on the very edge of London. Old (Harmondsworth boasts a 11^th century church and ancient barn) and surprisingly quiet (no detention centre there then), they coexisted uneasily with the airport – which was much resented by old-timers for apparently never having had planning permission in the first place. It started off as an airstrip in World War One and just growed and growed.

My job involved spending hours tramping around the villages to find news stories to fill the paper every week. This was a truly epic struggle. Cat up tree was big news in Sipson and Harmondsworth at the time – except, of course, when plans to raze them to the ground to expand the airport periodically popped up.

It's not over yet

Now the false alarms are over and Sipson is really fighting for its life. London-RIP would like to see it survive. Shouldn’t London treasure its real villages? Plus, it’s comforting to imagine future generations of local paper reporters sweating to get stories out of the place - and of course, there’s the small matter of the future of the planet. If you feel the same, check out the No Third Runway Action Group

Walthamstow dog stadium RIP

After 75 years, Walthamstow dog stadium closed its doors in August 2008. According to the owners, this iconic landmark was no longer sustainable. London-RIP reader Wendy McManus writes:

"Recently I treated my 9-year-old son to a night out at Walthamstow Dog track and what a fantastic night it was. On arrival - by public transport I might add, which was a lot easier than expected - we were both stunned by the amazing facade lit by the early evening sun. A fine example of of 30s' architecture, the likes of which we rarely see any more in this great city of ours. Once inside I took great delight at the interior - although now somewhat shabby, it's a great reminder of days gone by. The restaurant had me reminiscing about department stores in the early 70s, when prawn cocktail seemed posh.

Quids in

As it was a pleasant summer's evening we sat outside having placed our £1 bet. We found ourselves whooping and shouting, along with everyone else as the excited dogs tore around the track, chasing a rather bedraggled looking rabbit, I did wonder if any of them had ever actually caught it! Great fun was had by all, especially my rather excited son, and while not wanting to promote the joys of gambling, I did go home quids in - not often that can be said of a night out in London.

The evening was only marred by the devastating news that that it will not only be my first trip to the dog track but probably my last. The stadium  is due to close down in August, and in its place, yes, you've guessed it - a block of flats, another piece of our heritage to be replaced by, no doubt, tiny over-priced shoe boxes with acrylic windows. How is this allowed to happen? I for one do not believe that with good management this piece of history can not be viable business and major tourist attraction, especially with the 2012 Olympics about to arrive in the area."

London once had numerous dog tracks. Read about White City

Update: the last race was run at Walthamstow on August 16 2008. A consortium has been formed to try to preserve at least some dog racing on the site.

London front gardens RIP

Front gardens, once a defining feature of London's suburbs, are in increasingly short supply. Haringey, where I live, is falling over itself to follow in the concreted, crazy-paved footsteps of Brent, Barnet and Enfield with barely a whimper of protest from anyone.  This is a great shame, because there's something very appealing about front gardens.

It's the sheer decorativeness of them that gives them their charm. There's something fanciful, even frivolous, about a little patch of  lawn in front of your house - and they can be marvellous (see the example above, not my garden, unfortunately).

But even if they're individually undistinguished, collectively front gardens can make an ordinary street quite beautiful – while the lack of them tends to do the reverse. Streets where every garden has been paved over look vile and, quite appart from the hideousness factor, this wholesale front garden deforestation is causing serious problems with flooding.

So why are so many people paving over like there's no tomorrow?  Would they honestly really rather look at their 4x4s squatting on a patch of concrete outside their front window than a front garden? By the look of it, and as councils introduce more dumb parking schemes, the answer seems to be 'yes'.

This double-fronted lingerie emporium was more an institution than a shop, with every counter presided over by slightly vulture-like, but immaculately groomed ladies of a certain age, all possessed with an unerring instinct for knowing your bra size. And if they didn’t, they’d have you measured and underwired before you could say “34 B”.

Brilliant for bras

Unused to this no-nonsense, hands-on approach, some more timid shoppers accustomed to buying ill-fitting, chain store bras found the Franks experience a bit of an ordeal. But the slight sense of trepidation I felt when shopping there seemed somehow right to me. I also liked the handwritten receipts and the “Are you being Served?” feel of having lots of different counters, but just one main till.

Lingerie shops, albeit infinitely inferior ones, have also been closing down left, right and centre where I live in Crouch End. I guess there’s always M&S (yawn), or La Senza (all that padding!), but for the discerning bra-buyer Leibergs in Temple Fortune is a good bet …

London restuarants: Maxwell's hammered

Another landmark of my youth has disappeared. Maxwell’s in Hampstead was a survivor of the first flush of enthusiasm for burgers in the ‘70s. It was an airy cavern of a place, which seemed to stretch forever into the recesses of NW3. The tables were covered in gingham tablecloths and melted wax candles in bottles that passed for chic in those days.

Sophisticated relish

The hamburgers were good quality but I never developed a deep love of the burger and so my visits there whilst enjoyable were intermittent. However, the pickle tray was fabulous with the ubiquitous Bick’s Canadian relish consisting of a trinity of sweet red tomato relish, a sweet corn pickle coloured the most lurid irradiated yellow and an equally garish cucumber relish tasting of spearmint toothpaste. Divine! Notice how the American credentials of the place were reinforced by the use of the word “relish” for pickle. They also served filter coffee at a time when Nescafe was class.

Red and dead

Well, alas no more and the familiar red-fronted restaurant is bereft of signage or any signs of the existence of the burger bar. Maxwell’s was caught between McDonald’s or Burger King and the new chains of “The Really Posh Burger Company” and “The Incredibly Exclusive, Overpriced Burger Bar”. A landmark goes and local distinctiveness takes another body blow.

London colleges: Kingsway College crushed

Alan Dein says goodbye to a pre-slacker monument

That brutalist slab of concrete which was the original Kingsway College on the corner of Grays Inn Road and Sidmouth Street WC1 is being smashed down as I write this. Only the facade on Grays Inn Road remains, and that's hidden behind tarpaulin.

Let's face it, no great loss to most lovers of urban architecture, but the place is historically very important. I never went there, but friends and their friends did, and particularly during the 70s and early 80s it became a hotbed for artistic, unruly and creative pre-slacker lifeforms.

English Heritage reject

And just for the record, the site was formerly a Victorian School called Prospect Terrace which was destroyed during WW2.  Apparently, the concrete ediface of the post-white heat of education that was the Kingsway College building nearly achieved an English Heritage listing - but obviously even those posh berks were unimpressed.

So stick Kingsway College in London-RIP, even though the institution lives on, but in name only...
 

This site has shed tears in the passing of some of London's best-loved erstwhile record shops. Recently, I experienced the same sense of loss when I passed Stern's record shop in Warren Street to discover that it had closed down.

Stern's was the epicentre of the African music scene in London, where helpful staff guided you through the byways of recent African releases. There was always a real spirit of enthusiasm for the music. They started off in smaller premises in Whitfield Street, later moving to former bank premises at 74/5 Warren Street.

They opened a cafe and expanded the range of records sold. If I was being honest, I always felt it was a missed opportunity with too much wasted space and the cafe being consitently mediocre with dull food and unpleasant coffee. But it was still the best place to hear the latest West African music that I have always loved and to mingle with devotees.

A combination of rising property costs, online business and falling cafe trade eventually killed off the shop. I believe they still trade on the net, but a shop has a heartbeat and is a meeting place for different cultures. Now Stern's has gone to be replaced by a bookie's. Instead of the glorious tones of Baaba Maal and Salif Keita, you can hear the 3.15 from Haydock Park. Such is progress.

RIP Mole Jazz

Trevor Barre mourns a lost jazz emporim

1983, the year I moved to London, one of the first things I did being a (relatively) neophyte jazz listener, was to track down the 'pure' jazz emporiums that sold both new and second-hand LPs.

Probably the outlet I miss, for reasons geographical as much as anything, is Mole Jazz, situated over several years at first one, then another, shop in central Kings Cross. From my very first weeks in London, it provided a bolthole to the unadulterated world of all periods and styles of jazz.

Overweight blokes of indeterminate age

Indeed briefly, its distinctive logo (of the mammal concerned, wearing braces and check trousers and blowing an alto saxophone) not only graced the shop frontage, but also a series of records produced (briefly) on the Mole Jazz label. This released useful LPs by Art Pepper and Tubby Hayes before going under.

Compared to other jazz shops, the staff at Mole were initially less friendly. However, having run a record shop in the 1970s, this didn't phase me. It might have been a bit off-putting for some though, as perhaps was the general essence de muso atmosphere. The staff seemed mostly overwieght blokes of indeterminate age, with long hair, who were joined in version two by a woman who tended to work in the upstairs of the shop with the surviving vinyl.

Moles grow on you

Mole would grow on you though. It offered a self-contained, hands-on, unhurried experience of expanding your jazz horizons, with like-minded people (mostly men, I'm afraid), many with the equivalent of supermarket shopping lists to help them along.

At some point, Mole closed (completely, as far as I can ascertain)

• was it the rates?
• Is it one more victim of online shopping (effective, but lacking a certain je ne sais quoi)?
• Is it a sign that classic jazz (say, arbitrarily, Armstrong to Braxton, 1925 to 1990) has lost its popularity? It wouldn't be the first time.

Answers on an inner sleeve, please...

I was recently at a folk and acoustic music club in Central London, the Lantern Society at the Betsy Trotwood pub in Clerkenwell, when one of the acts performing sang a song about Concorde. I was reminded about the demise of an iconic plane and a symbol of a time of technological hope.

I can always remember looking up into an azure summer sky and hearing the throaty roar and seeing the undeniably elegant contours of Concorde. The beautiful curvaceous wingspan and pencil-shaped body graced the London sky. There was even a post punk oddity single by the Native Hipsters entitled, “Ooh look, there goes Concorde again”  

 Supersonic cool

Concorde was a product of an age when air travel appeared destined to become this super-quick, super-stylish hop across the Atlantic for the ultra-cool. The supersonic plane cut the journey time in half. There were only 20 Concordes in all, including various prototypes, with seven Concordes in service with British Airways and  a further five owned by Air France, but they summed up an era’s aspirations. Their major routes were London and Paris to New York. There were endless photos of celebrities seated on the plane or embarking and disembarking. This really was the jet set.

 The thrill has gone

They first flew in the early 70s but after a terrible crash just outside Paris on the 25th July, 2000 when 109 people were killed, they were takenout of service. They were briefly reinstated, but their lack of economy and environmental concerns meant that they ceased flying in May 2003.  Anyway, the lustre had gone and air travel had entered a new era.

The style and élan were replaced by Ryan Air’s cattletrucks in the sky and the white heat of technology was superseded by £6 flights to a military airfield in the middle of nowhere and being charged for a pee.The thrill has gone. Concorde RIP.  

Photo from FreeFoto.com