Your London bigotry exposed

[London_Calling]

I know some here live there and I’m not too far away myself but . . . Croydon. Whoa. If Canary Wharf is a “post-apocalyptic corporate hell” then Croydon was its early 70s forefather.

Have to second Woolwich – jesus h. crisps, you almost want to invite the Luftwaffe back. In fact, apart from Plumpstead that whole manner . . . Abbey Wood, Welling, Eltham, Crayford, Sidcup . . . scary, scary world.

In some ways it pretty neatly mirrors that NE hell hole also mentioned Cricklewood, Neasden, Willesden . . .

 

[Belushi]

In fact, apart from Plumpstead that whole manner . . . Abbey Wood, Welling, Eltham, Crayford, Sidcup . . . scary, scary world.

In what way is Plumstead better than the rest of those neighbourhoods?

 

[London_Calling]

I like the part with ye olde housing - and the views, and the green spaces. And it sounds nice plum . . . stead. Plum, plum, plum, plum, plum. Stead.

Okay, it's only decent in relative terms.

 

[hipipol]

The other side of the Hill

The ring of hills in south London, from Cristal Paliss (sic, hehe!) in the west to Telgraph Hill in the East is actually the boundary line between civilised life and endless identiket hell of the suburban sprawl that peters out in Surrey and kent
Within the sheild of those hills some pockets of heaven exists, intermingled with horror I admit, but beyond them........ The Vale of Mordor!!!!!
A finger of this hell approaches the river, reaching its zenith in Lewsiham - truly the City of Endless night, Starless and Bible black (did you like the way I got Kipling and Dylan Thomas in the same brief sentence!!!)
here on the cusp of this protecting ring of heights I lay awake at night, waiting for the hordes from Sidcup, Belligham, Cattford - the inbred Kentish rabble to scale the wall and lay waste to all...............

Its grim out here on the Nunhead Marches

 

[rennie]

Cristal Paliss is ace.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

I've always found Croydon and Sutton to be deeply depressing - aggressive and unpleasant, despite being apparently relatively well-provided for areas. Don't start me on places like Merton. That whole band on the southern fringe is not nice.

Apparently - and if I can find corroboration of this I will 'cos so far this info comes only from my friend Bob - Sutton is London's greenest and safest borough...though still a bit of a shit hole in places!

Am with you on Croydon and Mitcham but having lived in the London Borough of Sutton and the LB of Merton there is good and bad.

Carshalton is really nice, Wallington is a shit hole and Sutton is a bit of both.

Wimbledon is great, Merton Park has some beautiful areas but South Wimbledon and Colliers Wood are places I wouldn't really choose to spend my time in.

Other than that I find Finchley Road depressing - even though I lived there for 5 years - as I do Earls Court, Walthamstow, Elephant & Castle and Streatham High Road (though the latter is probably due to living near there with a cunt of an ex boyfriend)

Really liked living in Wimbledon, Tooting Broadway and - near though not in - Brixton

 

[Gavin Bl]

Really? I lived in Sutton in 1996 for several months - and there was so much aggro there, I saw a man half-beaten to death outside my flat by his 'friends', and a spanish restaurant and irish pub smashed up after England went out of Euro 96 - and just constant bad feeling (though I get that feel in most of south london - I might just be a shrinking violet...)

I suppose it might have low figures for robbery and stuff, just have lots of drunken brawling, which might not be reported.

 

[g force]

Anywhere outside Zone 3.

Anywhere West on Marble Arch.

 

[Manmasi]

I have only lived in Battersea and Brixton. I like them both for different reasons. Got a bit fed up with Brixton after 5 years though.

I also like Chelsea a lot - the architecture is really nice around Cheyne Walk, also love the views of Albert Bridge along the Embankment, it certainly is the place I think of when abroad. I also like lots of central London. I don't like Camberwell or Streatham much, just feels a bit depressing... I like the Jewish heartland of North London where I work, good houmus and nice quiet tree lined streets.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Really? I lived in Sutton in 1996 for several months - and there was so much aggro there, I saw a man half-beaten to death outside my flat by his 'friends', and a spanish restaurant and irish pub smashed up after England went out of Euro 96 - and just constant bad feeling (though I get that feel in most of south london - I might just be a shrinking violet...)

I suppose it might have low figures for robbery and stuff, just have lots of drunken brawling, which might not be reported.

I've only heard the greenest/safest report from a friend, another ex Sutton resident, who read it 'somewhere' so I can't vouch for it's authenticity I'm afraid

I think the drunken brawling may be valid there are a lot of drinking places in Sutton and it tends to get busy at the weekends, though luckily I've never experienced any violence, however some of the pubs can be quite intimidating and even Mr. QofG's, born and brought up around Sutton, would never venture into some

 

[ouchmonkey]

The ring of hills in south London, from Cristal Paliss (sic, hehe!) in the west to Telegraph Hill in the East is actually the boundary line between civilised life and endless identiket hell of the suburban sprawl

A finger of this hell approaches the river, reaching its zenith in Lewisham - truly the City of Endless night, Starless and Bible black

Jesus yes. I'm sure that the shopping centre is built over a plague grave or possibly the actual gaping maw of hell itself so depressing is it to spend more than about 15 mins in there.

 

[goldenecitrone]

I remember going for an interview in Canning Town about eight years ago and being really glad that I didn't get the job. Unnerving place.

 

[Brainaddict]

All of west London - I'm sorry but it should just go. Every time I'm forced by friends to go there I feel like I'm in some strange Shadow London - like Real London but with all the fun and joy sucked out of it.

Canary Wharf - though I do kind of like to pass through from time to time to remind myself what the triumph of capitalism looks like.

Streatham - I don't feel I need to give reasons for this.

Dalston - controversial among many of my friends, but it's shit, so they are wrong.

 

[ohmyliver]

I loathe Fulham. Every time I'm there my brain screams 'Gilford is an unacceptable cultural role model' .

Putney also, the braying rich, amid a high street which has been so genericised that there isn't a single non chain store there.

 

[kyser_soze]

I remember going for an interview in Canning Town about eight years ago and being really glad that I didn't get the job. Unnerving place.

Nowhere with a major road running through the middle of it is a good place. Hence the reason for West London being almost universally derided.

BA - agreed on Dalston. Had some good nights out there, but it's a dump.

I loathe Fulham. Every time I'm there my brain screams 'Gilford is an unacceptable cultural role model' .

Putney also, the braying rich, amid a high street which has been so genericised that there isn't a single non chain store there.

Yeah, but you can always rest easy in the knowledge that people in Putney are too poor for Fulham, and people in Fulham are too poor for K&C, but it doens't stop them being dreadful little social climbers...

 

[harpo]

The old Kent road is a bloody soul destroying road if ever there was one.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Seven Sisters / Tottenham Hale is shit. I'm trying to think of some good bits, but all I can think of is bits which are, objectively, still shit, just not quite as shit as everything else there.

 

[nino_savatte]

Seven Sisters / Tottenham Hale is shit. I'm trying to think of some good bits, but all I can think of is bits which are, objectively, still shit, just not quite as shit as everything else there.

An irredeemably bad place to be sure. Just a transport interchange, not a place to hang around. There's also Angel Road up the line from there: what a hell hole.

 

[Brainaddict]

The old Kent road is a bloody soul destroying road if ever there was one.

Yes. I live quite near it. One of the main purposes of the cycling map on the wall of my room is to plot routes that do not go along the Old Kent Road even though it should in theory be the most convenient road into town. The high street in hell will be something like the OKR.

I agree on Fulham too, though it is west london so its shitness should be non-controversial.

 

[chico enrico]

Seven Sisters / Tottenham Hale is shit. I'm trying to think of some good bits, but all I can think of is bits which are, objectively, still shit, just not quite as shit as everything else there.

yes. utterly, and totally hideous places. like if you were 'given' a house in either you would just say 'thanks, but no thanks'.

i used to work in seven sisters and there was a fridge left - in the middle of the road - for about three days.

a fucking fridge. in the middle of the road.

actually it reminded me of some places in edinburgh only without the burnt out cars and packs of menacing eight year old kids with old man faces walking about with golf clubs like some post-apocalyptic lord of the flies.

 

[oryx]

I have to say, I don't think Tottenham or Croydon are that bad. Although I have only worked there & never lived there.

They may be a bit rough about the edges & downmarket but at least they are not filled with hideous, self-important snobs like inner west London. The people who live there are ordinary mortals going about their business, & there are some decent small businesses.

(Can you tell I really, really don't like Kensington & Chelsea?!)

 

[goldenecitrone]

Dalston - controversial among many of my friends, but it's shit, so they are wrong.

Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie used to live there. It's alright for restaurants and there's a good little theatre although I did take a date to watch the most depressing Sarah Kane play ever. And I've seen some great fights round there.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I have to say, I don't think Tottenham or Croydon are that bad. Although I have only worked there & never lived there.

They may be a bit rough about the edges & downmarket but at least they are not filled with hideous, self-important snobs like inner west London. The people who live there are ordinary mortals going about their business, & there are some decent small businesses.

(Can you tell I really, really don't like Kensington & Chelsea?!)

Oh, I forgot Croydon! Yeah, that's shit too. I've not actually lived there but I did go down quite a lot when I was a teenager, shopping or going out. Miserable hole. Some friends moved down there last year and whenever you'd mention it they'd start a whole defensive spiel, "well yes it's shit but..." until they got drunk, whereupon the lady of the pair would admit that it was horrible and she wanted to get out as soon as she could.

I don't know about K&C, I used to work there, but it's not a real place is it? It's hard to put it in the same category. I suppose it's good if you like Starbuckses, "art" furniture and "urban spas".

 

[lights.out.london]

((old kent road))

 

[d.a.s.h]

I quite like Croydon. It's good for shopping and there's plenty of places to eat and drink.

Croydon seems to be a test-bed for interesting new fast food franchise concepts plus it's got Electric Dreams, the 1980s-themed nightclub.

 

[Andy the Don]

Okay being honest here, Camden is a shithole full of vermin, goths and eurobrats. North London is a traffic ridden hell hole. West London is up its own arse. Croydon is not even in London proper, nor is Sutton, Richmond or Kingston. East London is just beyond the pale and I would leave it to the Krays and the cockneys. That just leaves South London, God's own..

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Bromley by Bow. A true middle-of-nowhere wasteland...

 

[Wolveryeti]

I pretty much hate all of West London. Overpriced yuppy hell with shit overpriced pubs and nightlife... I would struggle for reasons to go further west than the Albert Hall, being honest.

 

[d.a.s.h]

I pretty much hate all of West London. Overpriced yuppy hell with shit overpriced pubs and nightlife... I would struggle for reasons to go further west than the Albert Hall, being honest.

But if you had to choose between a night out in Old Street/Shoreditch and a night out in Ladbroke Grove/Portobello Road, which would you pick?

Bit like asking to choose between having measles and chickenpox but I would go for Ladbroke Grove/Portobello: nicer-looking place and less aggravation.

 

[8den]

Bromley by Bow. A true middle-of-nowhere wasteland...

Oh christ yes. I was stuck out there for a month two years ago on a job, there is nothing there aside from traffic and overpasses.