Worst Street in London

Giles · May 2008

<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Campbell-Bunk-Street-London-Between/dp/0712636250">Campbell Bunk: The Worst Street in London Between the Wars (Paperback)</a> is the book of the week that's going to be discussed on the Robert Elms radio programme next Friday.

I think it used to be near Fonthill Road.

David · May 2008

Hey Giles, Busby had a bit to say about how, just after the war, you simply didn't head that way. I guess in his generation _(feel free to correct me, Busby)_ the worst was over by then, but probably a hangover from this little part of history. here: <http://www.stroudgreen.org/discussion/516>;

Billy Bookcase · May 2008

Jerry White's book is great. Campbell Bunk was Campbell road and was parallel to Fonthill just a short distance to the west. The old road sign was still visible until quite recently high up on the corner building. I think the residual dead end was renamed no long ago. Bunk residents' reunion parties were being held up until very recently in the railwayman's club. I noticed the invitations but I never attended any of them though. The traditional criminal community was erased and dispersed by the construction of the Andover Estate--recently immortalised by Anne Widdecombe, you may recall.

sophie · May 2008

was it what is now playford road? which is cut in half by the estate?
i like fonthill road. especially brothers supermarket.

flembo · May 2008

What's left of it is Whadcoat Street and the bunk is supposed to be where Haden Court is.

hooofck · May 2008

Thanks Giles - I used to live on Fonthill Road and I'll enjoy that book.
Campbell Bunk sounds pretty close to where I think John Lydon grew up but I guess it had changed quite a bit when he grew up from the inter war time.
By the way, Busby, I loved your comments from yesteryear so any more posts would be great...

Mike from London · May 2008

I have a copy of this book. The author (Jerry White) was chief executive of Hackney Council once. God knows how he found the time to write it. He came to supper at my house once at the Mrs's behest and turned out to be a Jolly Good Chap. The book is quite hard going I recall. He's written another book called <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_/026-8637637-2313224?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=jerry+white&x=0&y=0">London in the Nineteenth Century: A Human Awful Wonder of God</a> which my mate Dugg says is v. good. But then he is much better read than me.

Busby1 · May 2008

During the post-war years of the 40s, we (children of about 7-10 years of age) went every Saturday to 'Saturday Morning Pictures'. In our case this was a Saturday morning spent in the Rank Cinema on the corner - more or less - of Stroud Green Road and Seven Sisters Road - just opposite the Silver Bullet pub if it's still there. For sixpence (which our parents could barely afford) we could watch a main film and a back-up, we loved it. But what we loved most of all was the singsong that started at 9am. An organ came up out of the stage with the organist already seated and on the screen the words appeared and the organist played the music and we all sang like mad for 30 minutes.

On the corner of Tollington Park and Stroud Green Road, opposite a menswear outfitters called Elkins, on the Islington side, there was a brick built water reservoir. These reservoirs were all over London and had been built for keeping water available when fires caused by bombs had to be extinguished.

I had a lovely little model of a rowing boat, made out of bakelite or some sort of early plastic. One Saturday morning on the way back from the cinema we climbed over the wall of this reservoir and played with my boat on the water. Then some 'louts' from the Fonthill Road area came along, punched us about and stole my lovely boat. I'll never forget that.

Mike from London · May 2008

Plus ca change. When my 11 year old son went down to skateboard with his friends at Finsbury Park, his phone was nicked. He'll never forget that either.

Giles · May 2008

Campbell Road sticks out like a sore thumb on the <a href="http://booth.lse.ac.uk/cgi-bin/do.pl?sub=view_booth_and_barth&m.l=0&m.d.l=0&m.p.x=8055&m.p.y=2508&m.p.w=500&m.p.h=309&m.p.l=0&m.t.w=128&m.t.h=80&b.v.x=362&b.v.y=199&b.p.x=13567&b.p.y=554&b.p.w=500&b.p.h=309&b.p.l=1">Poverty Map</a> from the discussion on <a href="http://www.stroudgreen.org/discussion/781/old-maps/">old maps</a>

dion · June 2008

Moray Road may be going for the title.

Mike from London · June 2008

Does anybody have reports on the N19 pub in Sussex Way, just over the border the other side of Hornsey Road. Going there soon.

Or is that a bit close to Moray Road? :-)

poxy · June 2008

It was probably the nearest pub - as the crow flies - to my previous home. It was as rough as fuck. Lots of shouty young men with lots of barky blinged-up bull terrier dogs. We never went in, we always ventured over to The Landseer or The Swimmer (two cracking pubs). At the time it was known as The Enterprise.

The Enterprise closed down a couple of years ago and it re-opened - in one of the most bizarre business ventures ever - as a gay bar called The Pink Chameleon. It was never busier than almost empty and it looked to be only occupied by friends of the landlord, who - if memory serves me correctly - was called Genny Talia. The Pink Chameleon lasted for only a couple of months of the wet summer of 2006.

It re-opened (last summer?) as The N19. It doesn't seem to be as busy as it was as The Enterprise. The dogs certainly seem to be drinking elsewhere, possibly The Prince Alfred (200m up the road). It appears to be attempting in its current incarnation to be a gastro-pub-lite. Looking in through the big clear windows it certainly give that impression. It'll never work, being so close to The Landseer and The Swimmer.

Ansio · July 2014

Hi <div>I am interested to know if anyone on here lived in Campbell Bunk as a child. My Dad lived there (John Clay) and my Nan's name is Mary Ann Clay and Grandad William John Clay.</div><div><br></div><div>Siobhan</div>

krappyrubsnif · July 2014

Give us your recollections - did you live there too?

Ansio · July 2014

Only my Nan & Grandad with their 11 children. My Dad died last March but I was very fortunate to hear his personal recollections of living there. I also read the book called `Boysie' by Tom McCarthy and he mentioned my Nan in his book. What a fantastic read it was. His recollections of life on Campbell Bunk and many of the people he wrote about my Dad knew as a child.

WiltshireCourtBoy · July 2014

<p>Ansio, My father was born at 15 Playford Road (formerly Palmerston and I was brought up in the flats off Strough Green Rd, on the Hornsey side. The strangest thing is that although we knew that Dad lived off Liverpool Rd, he never mentioned his life there except for going to Pooles Park School, which for some reason I alwas thought it was the Essex Rd side of Islington. Then by shear coincidence I discovered this fact when I was doing my family tree. My Nanny was born in Alsen Rd and I started to study the area and my fathers family who originally came from Pirton (Nr Hitchen) move to FP in 1887 on his fathers side and Leckhampton (nr Cheltenham). Checking the census's in the surrounding years I was then amazed to discover that the area apart from being populated by the normal waifes and strays also contained people from specific mass migrationions of a villages. Most came to work on or near the railroads as their agricultural lifestyle died a deal because of cheaper foreign imports and the industrialisation of farming practices. The land where the 'Bunk' area was orignally was bought in the 1850 by property speculators hopping to make a killing as the middle classes left inner London. This explains why there are some major large houses and more cottage style 'a la Chartris Rd'. Unfortunately the expansion of the railways made areas further outside made a far better 'cleaner lifestyle' in areas more accessable and cheaper land to buy. Basically Campbell Bunk (technically only people living in Campbell Rd qualified as 'Bunkites' however that was only within the area) came to be for exactly the same reason Harlem existed. Large middle class houses that could not be sold and so they were rented out to the new transcient population. </p><p>My grandparents raised 8 of their 14 children in the area in a variety of addresses (normally they would move when they could not afford the rent.) I can actually trace them living in 13 different adresses in the area. In 1919 when grandfather came home from WW1 with a hole in his shoulder that my aunt can remember putting her little fist inside, her sister who lived 2 doors down died from Spanish Flu leaving 8 children (her husband was killed). The twins my grandmother waas carrying were still born (would have made 16 kids if they lived) and 6 of my grandfathers cousins who were living within 2 streets of their home died from either war wounds (manily gas) or Spanish Flu. My family were not alone in their suffering so perhaps gven the unemployment that his the 20's and the streets bad reputation perhaps it is no wonder that the area struggled.</p><p>As for me just like another member mentioned I used to walk to the Astoria for Saturday Morning pictures in the 60's but we would never walk down Fonthill Road as if you were not a local you would not leave with either you film money or your nose unbloodedd. When in 1965 a football programme shop opened in Fonthill (near to Seven Sisters) I would walk down Chartris to the station but then make a quick dash if clear to Fonthill Rd. So even then it was dangerous.</p><p>I you want to know what a small world we live in, at I now live in Australia and last year I met a woman who grew up in Avnall Rd and was married to a man from Campbell Rd!</p>

Arkady · July 2014

Excellent stuff WCB - keep the historical memories coming.

Idoru · July 2014

It would be fantastic to collect all these stories up and publish them.

Ansio · July 2014

WCB My Mum is very interested to know what your Nan's name was as she lived at 79 Alsen Road all of her single life. My Mum is Sheila Clay nee Sheila Stevenson and had a brother called Peter.<div><br></div>

WiltshireCourtBoy · July 2014

Ansio My Nanny lived at # 34, she was Nellie Barrett, her father was Charles and her mother was Hannah and her nearest sister (Charles had 3 daughters from a previous marriage, Hannah had 2 children from previous marriages, both parties partners had died) the oldest was Jessie, who lived 2 doors down from my gran in Playford Rd when she dies of Spanish flu 1919. In 1911 Charles was living at 19 Andover. Nanny married my gf William Pearce who was living and working in In 1899 he was living at 99 Campbell, in 1891 15 Hanley, in 1903 at 90 Hornsey Rd and in 1911 prior to moving to Playford at 53 Pooles Park. I believe that in those days 90 Hornsey Rd was a men's hostel. Hope this helps.

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