Life in Northern Towns

Whenever we are in London we always pay a visit to Soho .   After battering through the hateful shopping hell that is Oxford Street we take a left down Berwick Street , our favourite street in Soho.   It’s really an unassuming street, but it has a few record shops for Neil and arts and craft shops for me. I absolutely love Soho.   I could spend hours round Soho people watching as I find it endlessly fascinating.   Most people think of Soho in seedy terms, but over the years it has scrubbed up well.   I no longer feel terrified wandering round Soho as I did in the 90s, although remain cautious about venturing into the local pubs.     Old Compton Street is the main focus for the gay community and pubs can be   very male and unwelcoming to women.   However with the advent of smartphones I managed to Google a recommended pub with a vinyl jukebox.   We found Bradley’s Spanish Bar on the edge of Soho.   It’s a dinky little place...

Neil had a particular reason for visiting Chalk Farm – Madness .   You do find there are men aged in their late 30s and 40s who were mad for the band Madness when they were kids.   Neil and my brother Pete were both devotees of the Nutty Boys.   So a photo had to be taken outside Chalk Farm Tube station as that had been the location for the ‘Absolutely’ album cover – obviously that went straight onto Facebook. Across the road from the station was the music venue TheRoundhouse .   I had checked what was on at The Roundhouse but unfortunately there was nothing of interest to see.   It’s a shame as I would love to watch bands at this venue.   We walked along Chalk Farm Road towards Camden Town .   After visiting Hampstead and Belsize Park , Chalk Farm was definitely a more working class and culturally diverse area.   There were plenty of pubs, bars and cafes dotted along the street, so I can imagine this place has a lively nightlife on the w...

After a fractious night at Ibis, I can never sleep well in hotels, we headed out on the Northern line to Hampstead. There is something rather beastly about the Tube.   You have to keep your wits about you; otherwise you get pushed out of the way or end up on the wrong train.   At least it wasn’t rush hour so we managed to get a seat. Hampstead is a rather well-healed neighbourhood.   It’s the sort of neighbourhood where you need to have serious money in the bank to live here.    As a result there are some rather posh shops in this neck of the woods.   However, sod that, we came here to browse the charity shops.   There was a nice Oxfam bookshop with friendly staff.   There were some records for Neil to browse, however nothing caught his eye.   On the other hand I found a book.   This Oxfam was definitely cheaper than the Oxfam on Gower Street, which was extortionate. Hampstead is built on a hill and whilst most of the shops are...