East Dulwich's cobbled streets

[Muttley]

The tarmac on Pellatt Road has worn away in a few places, revealing a cobbled surface underneath. How many of the roads in East Dulwich used to be cobbled? Could any of them be restored? A couple of cobbled streets would be a nice local feature - hasn't done Edinburgh any harm.

[????]

Especially goodfor cyclists and Buggy Boos

[macroban]

Before Goose Green roundabout was installed the road junction was cobbled. I think this was to accomodate the tram point rails, switchs, and electricity supply conduits.

Other than that I can only remember a few cobbled areas.

The entrance to the Canada Dry factory yard in East Dulwich Road.

A few side streets off the main roads where the only the first 10 yards or so were cobbled. This may have been something to do with horse and carts turning.

A few alley-ways.

[smith]

St Aidan's Road is cobbled under it's tarmac.

[bob]

All the roads in ED and london were cobbled it use to make your whole body viobrate when you went over them on roller skates but some did have tarry blocks

Bob S

[mlteenie]

As bob says, I reckon you'll find almost all streets in Lndon were cobbled. I noticed a little patch on Herne Hill that was visible about 2 inches down. Would be lovely, although I am from Edinburgh and they are a bitch to ride a bike on and damn slippery in the wet. Sound nice, though.

[Muttley]

Can't believe the big roads like Crystal Palace Road were ever cobbled, not least because 'cobbling' must be a far more labour intensive exercise than slapping down some tarmac...or whatever they surfaced the local roads with in late Victorian times.

(Was there a time when you'd bump into a guy in the EDT and he'd tell you he was a cobbler, and you'd have to ask if he was the shoe type or the road type?)

[giggirl]

I'm a high heels girl so a big NO to cobbles.

Bob - I would pay actual money to see you roller skating over cobbles. Ouch - that's got to hurt.

[Alan Dale]

removed

[Asset]

cobbles came before tarmac so yes, most big thoroughfares would have been cobbled, smaller routes would be left as dirt tracks. Then tarmac was invented and cobbled roads were covered.

[bob]

As Asset said ashfelt, tarmac was'nt invented when the roads were put down with cobbs, back in the late fifty's most of all the side roads were cobbs,some with the tarry wooden blocks. Giggirl it would now take a very large shed load of money to get me on a pair of skates ( do they still make them ) where I can assure you in my yoof I did it for the Fun, lot's of knee and elbow damage and the most hilarious site you could ever behold was when a wheel or two came off and they did, as every one I knew had second hand or (hand me downs) as we called them then, you would instantly loose all controle over direction or any form of stopping the unfortunate individule would start to vioently change direction two or three times a second and if you had a good head of speed up this seemed to carry on for many minuets or so it seemed, the inevitable out come was a forgone conclusion, yes inpact, the only veriable was with what, mostly the kerb the next thing was an unprecedented display of acrobatics, as your feet came to an immediate stop the forward momentem of your upper body sent you strait in to base over apex mode once if lucky or two or three times if unlucky but the latter two displays gained huge respect from all the rest of us watching we could then bet on how many broken bones would be sustained one guaranteed normally the upper arm but some time much worse. Health and safety never heard of it.

Bob S !!!!!!Ouch

[kilmore]

Cobbled streets are a great idea and very regenerative, widely adopted in urban centres in continental Europe. It also means that there is no need for speed humps (unless you drive a Citroen). Also when the road is dug up it is easier to knit back together again, rather than create yet another ridge or rut in the road. Cobbles are not so great for cyclist nor for disabled people (or users of high heels) but so are ramps and broken pavements in general, not to mention those bumpy bits at pedestrian crossings.

[bob]

Kilmore they are also pretty hard to stop on when wet.

[Nero]

Cobbles are nice to look at, but not nice to 'hear' when being driven over. I remember them from my childhood but would only appreciate them now in places where they wouldn't be too loud, such as in tourist areas or places with no traffic.

[snorky]

yes

lets go back in time and reintroduce cobbles, just to raise the twee-ometer a bit for us middle classes

I also nominate rickets & polio for reintroduction, but only to the proles

[SimonM]

Cobbles are great in riots too.....you can rip them up and hurl them at police, through plate-glass windows etc etc>:D

[????]

On the Prole side of cobbles they are good for prising up and throwing at the agents of the capitalist state (sans coulettes naturellement)