Moving to New Cross - what's good about it?
- Thread starter Brainaddict
- Start date
Deptford market on a Saturday is good. Lewisham market is good too. But these aren't in New Cross, just near it. There are some OK pubs and places to see bands. The New Cross Inn is bringing back its open blues jam sessions, which used to held on Tuesdays evenings and were great. This time round they'll be on Sunday afternoons/evenings. Other than that New Cross follows the standard grimy ugly traffic-clogged non-posh-area Inner London pattern.
Moronik
roughly humanoid
New Cross is brimming with culture and DIY attitude. It has a vast network of creative/interesting people, which only looks set to grow larger and more prominent with the ongoing urban regeneration. There is a strong music/promoting ethos in the are; the reslut of which means there is a lot of healthy competition between the various promoting groups - creating some fresh new nights out which i simply couldn't imagine happening anywhere else in London. There are also many many students in New Cross, but generally they keep to themselves and keep their heads down.
There is also the Sanford housing co-op which does the best partys in the area. There is a lot of opportunity in New Cross at the moment if you want it...
There is also the Sanford housing co-op which does the best partys in the area. There is a lot of opportunity in New Cross at the moment if you want it...
boohoo
No.
We had a wander round New Cross at the weekend. Quite liked it actually. There's a shop called Prangsta there that's quite fun if you're into that kind of thing.
Prangsta's a great shop.. Wish i had lots of money to spend there and places to go out dressed up in their clobber!
=gentrification.
Brainaddict
slight system overdrive
Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
The SLP reported that they and other shops in the row are being evicted or something
Guess 'interesting' is in the eye of the beholder, but can't exactly see New Cross turning into the new Camden or the new Shoreditch, even with the East London Line extension.
Trendoid areas in London tend to spring up where there are or have been large street/flea markets (Ladbroke Grove, Camden, Shoreditch), lots of small-scale shop units (Ladbroke Grove, Camden), or lots of warehouses which can be converted into flats/lofts or artists' studios (Shoreditch). New Cross has none of those things.
But Deptford ticks them all...
True enough Poi E, Deptford will certainly change faster and more visibly than New Cross.
Not sure on the warehouse bit though - are there really enough old warehouses fit for conversion? Look at what happened to the old ones to the east of Deptford Creek, they were just knocked down. Even the Seagrams distillery is scheduled for eventual demolition, or so I'm told. More new-build housing will probably sprout up there instead, so perhaps a different atmosphere because of that.
Not sure on the warehouse bit though - are there really enough old warehouses fit for conversion? Look at what happened to the old ones to the east of Deptford Creek, they were just knocked down. Even the Seagrams distillery is scheduled for eventual demolition, or so I'm told. More new-build housing will probably sprout up there instead, so perhaps a different atmosphere because of that.
A few warehouses down by the river were/are converted, but mostly new builds using existing facia and the like. The Seagrams work is underway, preserving the face. The rate of development is astonishing. From our roof terrace we can see cranes extending all the way down to the Olympic site.
Nixon
peanut butter n.w.o.
Goldsmiths do good cheap nights.Lots of places to drink or get fried chicken.Kinda arty.Used to be a fair few squats about,but not so much.I personally would move into a co-op esp if it's the Sanford,at the drop of a hat,if I had the oppurtunity.Gentrification happens everywhere,but at least there is some DIY folk still around there making things happen locally,because a lot of other places people have mentioned on this thread have lost that.
Moronik
roughly humanoid
Do you write for a music magazine?
errr my girlfriend is involved in all that regeneration program so perhaps i've been brainwashed.
I also read music mags all day so perhaps i've been brainwashed by them too..!
Moronik
roughly humanoid
not always - the majority of the developers are from Lewisham and Greenwich. i.e. locals
Andy the Don
Wise men say only fools..
Telegraph Hill is nice & produce local honey. Close to Brockley which has some decent pubs, the Wickham Arms for instance. There are lots of local artists who do yearly open studios but they are mainly in the Brockley area. To be honest the Old Kent Road area of New Cross, which is most of it is pretty tatty unless you have a love of halal fried chicken.
GarfieldLeChat
fucking awesome but wrong
you're moving to samford...
don't paint your room red don't go mad don't develope a smack habit, and above all else don't become a juggler and you'll be fine
I helped dig some of the pond when my sisiter was living there.
don't paint your room red don't go mad don't develope a smack habit, and above all else don't become a juggler and you'll be fine
I helped dig some of the pond when my sisiter was living there.
Brainaddict
slight system overdrive
errr my girlfriend is involved in all that regeneration program so perhaps i've been brainwashed.
I also read music mags all day so perhaps i've been brainwashed by them too..!
The phrases just seemed a bit music journo. It is also strange to suggest that a DIY attitude will be encouraged by regeneration. Regeneration is exactly what pushes it out - the demands for returns on investments increase, pushing out non-commercial stuff. Not that regeneration is entirely bad, but methinks you have been brainwashed... 
Moronik
roughly humanoid
okay this is a long one...
mmmmmm i understand what you're saying, but my experience from living in New Cross is that it is quite easy to actually affect the local area and community.
If you want to start something new, then it is usually welcomed.
Theres a strong network of influential people who have lived in the area for a long time - some work for the council, some own business, some are promoters, some sell drugs and some are simply local characters. As such, all have a vested interest in the area and are taking a keen interest in the regeneration process.
Regeneration of the area is inevitable - it is one of the last areas close to the Thames which hasn't been developed and a lot of people want a slice of the pie.
There are many interest groups in the area who have pointed out that it is simply not economically sound for all the developers to put up tower blocks - loads of places to live, nowhere to go, kind of thing.
New Cross/Deptford has a very vibrant and individual vibe, and so it is this that is being pushed as its selling point.
Great pains are being taken to include the views and wishes of the local inhabitants – if the local vibe was pushed out, why would anyone want to go there?
So rather then trying to push out local business/enterprises, the objective is to promote them further and encourage them, therefore making the area more attractive for everyone.
The DIY attitude you that you think will be pushed out is actively encouraging the regeneration because it has such a large input into it.
Small, rapidly disintegrating planning notices appear prior to demolition and subsequent construction of another poorly-built apartment block. It may be the legal minimum, but it is a far cry from including the wishes and views of local inhabitants.
We regularly submit opposition to the appearance of further gambling shops in our area and even those views rarely elicit any sort of response from the council.
We have never had a notice asking if I wished to attend Lewisham BC meetings concerning general development in the area. Perhaps we are alone. I suspect not.
i'mnotsofast
Well-Known Member
I went to Meze Mangal for the first time last night. I ordered lamb chops, with a skewer of lamb-shish as well. When my plate arrived it took me a while to identify the four lamb chops, since they were absolutely tiny. They must have come from a very small sheep indeed, and they weren't especially juicy or tasty or anything special. The bread wasn't particularly good. And I had a shock when I got the bill - they charged me £19 for this plate of food, which was much less in quantity than if I'd gone for a mixed grill, and yet was more expensive. I felt distinctly ripped off.
Maybe I made a bad choice with the menu, but I don't think I'll be going back. FM Mangal in Camberwell and Mangal 1 on Arcola Street in Dalston are far superior, if further away.
oryx
Sitting on the bok of the day
We went again much more recently (old thread is old) and it wasn't fantastic. I had what I'm convinced was tinned spinach on my pide! The bread there was fantastic though. I've just come back from Istanbul and didn't get anything like Meze Mangal's bread there, though the rest of the food was much better - no tinned spinach! The only problem with Meze Mangal's bread was that I ate about 18 slices.
New X has the tube since this thread was started.
i'mnotsofast
Well-Known Member
The bread there was fantastic though. I've just come back from Istanbul and didn't get anything like Meze Mangal's bread there, though the rest of the food was much better - no tinned spinach! The only problem with Meze Mangal's bread was that I ate about 18 slices.
New X has the tube since this thread was started.
Okay but have you tried the bread at FM Mangal? I promise you it is worlds better!
I went in there once and asked for a lasagne, and went it came in the dish it looked like someone had been sick in it. It didn't taste very good either but that's the only time I've ever been in there so should maybe give it a second chance.
The New Cross Inn used to have a blues open session on Tuesday or Wednesday nights, and that was good, but they stopped doing it ages ago.
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