The Philanderer
Friday, November 16, 2007
Manuel meets Chantelle
I started my working career in an office near East Croydon Station. it was a good time in my life. I worked shifts, I still lived with my student mates in a flat in Balham, gateway to the South, and started playing rugby for Shirley Wanderers.
Croydon was/is a place of high rise offices dominating the skyline, and had the reputation as one of the easiest places to drive into and a little swine to drive out of!! It has one of the largest council estates in the country down the road in New Addington, and all the other inner city suburb planning blight which was synonymous with the sixties. That said, we had a few good runs ashore in the town, particularly after the end of our evening shift at work.
You will appreciate, then, why a smile crossed my face recently when it became known that Croydon was to re-invent itself as Britain's own equivalent of Barcelona. Now let me see, is Croydon by the sea? No. Is its architecture inspired by a classic designer like Gaudi? No. Does it have a footie team who qualifies for the Champions League every year? No. Does it have anything to inspire comparison with Barca? Well, I suspect crime might be comparable.
The architect behind the regeneration is Will Alsop. Previously he has tried to get Barnsley to reinvent itself as a walled Tuscan hill town! His plans for Croydon include a 30 storey high equivalent of the Eden Project, the reintroduction of the River Wandle, presumably with accompanying gondolas from Venice, no doubt to be followed by Croydon bidding for the World Rowing Championships.
Nice try Croydon, but stick to what you are best at, doling out visas to 3rd World refugees (well meaning Brazilians excluded of course) and the invention of the Croydon face lift.
Croydon was/is a place of high rise offices dominating the skyline, and had the reputation as one of the easiest places to drive into and a little swine to drive out of!! It has one of the largest council estates in the country down the road in New Addington, and all the other inner city suburb planning blight which was synonymous with the sixties. That said, we had a few good runs ashore in the town, particularly after the end of our evening shift at work.
You will appreciate, then, why a smile crossed my face recently when it became known that Croydon was to re-invent itself as Britain's own equivalent of Barcelona. Now let me see, is Croydon by the sea? No. Is its architecture inspired by a classic designer like Gaudi? No. Does it have a footie team who qualifies for the Champions League every year? No. Does it have anything to inspire comparison with Barca? Well, I suspect crime might be comparable.
The architect behind the regeneration is Will Alsop. Previously he has tried to get Barnsley to reinvent itself as a walled Tuscan hill town! His plans for Croydon include a 30 storey high equivalent of the Eden Project, the reintroduction of the River Wandle, presumably with accompanying gondolas from Venice, no doubt to be followed by Croydon bidding for the World Rowing Championships.
Nice try Croydon, but stick to what you are best at, doling out visas to 3rd World refugees (well meaning Brazilians excluded of course) and the invention of the Croydon face lift.
Labels: balham, Barclelona, croydon, eden project, Gaudi, new addington, river wandle, shirley wanderers, Will alsop
¶ 1:24 PM 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The Crystal Maze
Work took me on a magical mystery tour for South London yesterday, as I travelled by train to Crawley and Three Bridges. The Northcote Road area of Clapham Junction has changed out of all recognition. While the street market still exists, and the Northcote Arms is still on the corner, its clientele now consists of yummy mummies and City types rather than poor students and bed sit dwellers. The Bank was a bank in my day, its now a gastropub, and there are the obligatory coffee shops, cheese and butchers outlets. The bakery I used to live above is now a designer breadshop. I wonder if the cockroaches still live upstairs??
On then through Balham, gateway to the South, a picture of which sits on my lounge wall to remind me of the times. We had good fun in and around Bedford Hill, and Devonshire Road. We were not quite on first name terms with the working girls, but the fact that the Bedford Arms is now owned by the Soho House group shows how that area is well up market too now. That said, you did used to be able to buy Chocolate Oliver biscuits in the old fashioned Cullens store in Balham High Road.
Thornton Heath has two great Youngs pubs, The Fountains Head and the Lord Napier, the latter is a big band and jazz pub in the Glenn Miller style. I must schedule a trip back there when Argyle play Crystal Palace.
I brought my first house in Norbury, and Tim was born in Mayday hospital just outside Croydon. I always thought it a strange name for an A & E department!
The train then swept in and out of Croydon giving me just a glimpse of the old IBM office that I first worked in and the Porter and Sorter featured previously in this blog. Croydon is still one of those places which is easy to get into but a nightmare to find your way out of. Just as well then that I was on the train.
Croydon has not changed much since I worked there thirty years ago, although it does have a tram now which goes from Wimbledon to various locations in South London. I took it once from there to Addington and walked on to Shirley Wanderers RFC for their 50th anniversary celebrations. The clubhouse was a bit like Croydon, in as much as there were the same old faces there from the mid '70s when I played regularly for them.
Rugby was a great game to play in those days, but watching the two matches at the weekend, I am beginning to think that its days are numbered. Their big chap runs into our big chap, then we do the same. Flair and enterprise seem to have disappeared.
I don't enjoy rugby league as Ii feel I am watching the same game every week, and with a few exceptions union seems to be going the same way. I do hope the rugby world cup will revitalise my enthusiasm for the game, or once again during a crackingly good social weekend, the match will become the low point.
On then through Balham, gateway to the South, a picture of which sits on my lounge wall to remind me of the times. We had good fun in and around Bedford Hill, and Devonshire Road. We were not quite on first name terms with the working girls, but the fact that the Bedford Arms is now owned by the Soho House group shows how that area is well up market too now. That said, you did used to be able to buy Chocolate Oliver biscuits in the old fashioned Cullens store in Balham High Road.
Thornton Heath has two great Youngs pubs, The Fountains Head and the Lord Napier, the latter is a big band and jazz pub in the Glenn Miller style. I must schedule a trip back there when Argyle play Crystal Palace.
I brought my first house in Norbury, and Tim was born in Mayday hospital just outside Croydon. I always thought it a strange name for an A & E department!
The train then swept in and out of Croydon giving me just a glimpse of the old IBM office that I first worked in and the Porter and Sorter featured previously in this blog. Croydon is still one of those places which is easy to get into but a nightmare to find your way out of. Just as well then that I was on the train.
Croydon has not changed much since I worked there thirty years ago, although it does have a tram now which goes from Wimbledon to various locations in South London. I took it once from there to Addington and walked on to Shirley Wanderers RFC for their 50th anniversary celebrations. The clubhouse was a bit like Croydon, in as much as there were the same old faces there from the mid '70s when I played regularly for them.
Rugby was a great game to play in those days, but watching the two matches at the weekend, I am beginning to think that its days are numbered. Their big chap runs into our big chap, then we do the same. Flair and enterprise seem to have disappeared.
I don't enjoy rugby league as Ii feel I am watching the same game every week, and with a few exceptions union seems to be going the same way. I do hope the rugby world cup will revitalise my enthusiasm for the game, or once again during a crackingly good social weekend, the match will become the low point.
Labels: argyle, balham, chocolate oliver, croydon, mayday hospital, norbury, northcote road, rugby world cup, the lord napier
¶ 3:02 PM 0 Comments
Monday, July 23, 2007
"The batsmans Holding, the bowlers Willey"
The third Saturday in July always means a day at the Lords test match, that's cricket for anybody viewing this from abroad. Its an institution I have been a part of, for almost as long as I can remember.
I first went with my dad in 1962, to see the famous West Indies side captained by Gary Sobers, and including the mighty fast bowlers Wes Hall and Charlie Griffiths. England's Ted Dexter stood firm against them to score 86 runs and it was an innings widely regarded as worth more than the hundred which eluded him.
When the West Indies batted, Conrad Hunte, Roland Kanhai and best of all, Basil Butcher stroked the ball to all parts of the ground. I was fortunate to meet Sir Gary at a golf event in St Lucia a few years ago, and found him a pleasant, approachable and humble man. Struggling now with arthritic knees, he was still able to swing a golf club in the same relaxed manner with which he batted and bowled. He and Botham, who was also playing golf, still have it in all rounder terms for me, well ahead of Freddie Flintoff.
And in my 45 years (groan) of going to Lords, I must have seen them all. Great batsmen from all countries pitting their wits against equally great fast bowlers. Catches, sixes and subtle cricket have all been a joy to behold.
I have been privileged to watch several times from the boxes in the old grandstand and be treated to lunch and tea in relative luxury, but more generally I have been there in the company of good friends, both male and female.
This weekend my wife was there as she has been for neigh on 17 years. It was our first date then, and the first date in the diary now, ahh, and we joined with Figs and Goodwin for our traditional lunchtime going into teatime session. I met Figs about 30 years ago when we were both working in Croydon, and although he has been 'our man at Wimbledon' for a long time now, we still try to do the Lords gig as we have always done. I met Goodwin through Figs when he kindly put me and Neil Brown up in Singapore when we were doing the Far East in about 1982. That though is a story for another day.
The cricket is still the focal point , but the whole social event which surrounds it is equally important these days. Test matches are the ultimate test of skill and courage as epitomised in the past by Brian Close and David Steele, and the crowd are made up of true aficionados of the game.
While it is good that 20/20 cricket has wafted a breath of fresh air through the game, and embraced the younger generation, the fifty over side of things seems to be struggling to keep pace. The recent home Ashes series has shown how equally exciting the five day game can be and good cricket, good banter and above all good friends will keep it top of our Summer social calender for many years to come.
I first went with my dad in 1962, to see the famous West Indies side captained by Gary Sobers, and including the mighty fast bowlers Wes Hall and Charlie Griffiths. England's Ted Dexter stood firm against them to score 86 runs and it was an innings widely regarded as worth more than the hundred which eluded him.
When the West Indies batted, Conrad Hunte, Roland Kanhai and best of all, Basil Butcher stroked the ball to all parts of the ground. I was fortunate to meet Sir Gary at a golf event in St Lucia a few years ago, and found him a pleasant, approachable and humble man. Struggling now with arthritic knees, he was still able to swing a golf club in the same relaxed manner with which he batted and bowled. He and Botham, who was also playing golf, still have it in all rounder terms for me, well ahead of Freddie Flintoff.
And in my 45 years (groan) of going to Lords, I must have seen them all. Great batsmen from all countries pitting their wits against equally great fast bowlers. Catches, sixes and subtle cricket have all been a joy to behold.
I have been privileged to watch several times from the boxes in the old grandstand and be treated to lunch and tea in relative luxury, but more generally I have been there in the company of good friends, both male and female.
This weekend my wife was there as she has been for neigh on 17 years. It was our first date then, and the first date in the diary now, ahh, and we joined with Figs and Goodwin for our traditional lunchtime going into teatime session. I met Figs about 30 years ago when we were both working in Croydon, and although he has been 'our man at Wimbledon' for a long time now, we still try to do the Lords gig as we have always done. I met Goodwin through Figs when he kindly put me and Neil Brown up in Singapore when we were doing the Far East in about 1982. That though is a story for another day.
The cricket is still the focal point , but the whole social event which surrounds it is equally important these days. Test matches are the ultimate test of skill and courage as epitomised in the past by Brian Close and David Steele, and the crowd are made up of true aficionados of the game.
While it is good that 20/20 cricket has wafted a breath of fresh air through the game, and embraced the younger generation, the fifty over side of things seems to be struggling to keep pace. The recent home Ashes series has shown how equally exciting the five day game can be and good cricket, good banter and above all good friends will keep it top of our Summer social calender for many years to come.
Labels: croydon, Gary sobers, Ian Botham, lords, singapore, ted dexter
¶ 10:36 AM 0 Comments
