How do you percieve East Dulwich?

[dulwichmum]

So we are all agreed then? Peckham is vile!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Nobody loves me ...

[Michael Palaeologus]

Of couse we do. There are a number of fine Forumites that live on your very road - we love you all. In a sort of patronising pat-on-head sort of way you understand.

[Dez]

Since Jones & Higgins went out of business Peckham has declined

[honk]

Dez Wrote:

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> Since Jones & Higgins went out of business Peckham

> has declined

Surely the Old Kent Road retail parks / massive supermarkets are the reason all these old 'ma and pa' places have closed in South London.

ED filled the void with a bunch of useless gift shops and pus selling upmarket bangers and mash, Peckham is full of shops that 'real' people shop in. Just because you can't buy cave-aged Gruyere from an artesanal cheese shop doesn't make an area 'vile'

[microbite]

Honk,

Jones and Higgins (which later became Hounsditch) was closed down long long before all the huge retail parks appeared in Old Kent Road. I used to go Jones and Higgins to see father christmas when I was a kid ha! and it was a huge department store with like 4 floors (if I remember correctly) Peckham used to have Richard Shops, Sainsburys (but not as you know it), you had to queue at different counters to obtain different items of shopping which were all stacked up behind the counter and passed to you by a shop assistant! it was a pain queing at different counters. There was a huge C&A, (just before the railway bridge),Burtons and loads of big name shops, including the now extinct Woolies, in fact Peckham and the housing back in the days, was considered quite a posh area to live in, they had so many other really great shops down the lane, a fantastic huge furniture shop right at the bottom of the lane on the left hand side just before you got to Peckham Rye Park and we would often go to the Lido in Peckham Rye which was open regularly throughout the summer for swimming, to be honest Lordship Lane was an utter dump, and the only reason we used to go down there was because of Dulwich swimming pool at Goose Green, or if there were any country fayres on at the Green, which were really good too. Other than that there was nothing at all to Lordship Lane.

There were also tons more playing places for children, we had huge dumps that were converted into adventure playgrounds, back in the days when you were out all day as a kid playing tin-can-tommy with a whole street load of kids, (trying not to show my age) but we had a fantastic Silver Jubilee street party too, took up the whole of the street. Then one by one the shops all closed down. But that isn't to say that I don't like the way Peckham looks now I love the shops, markets (not sure if the Choumert Road one is still there) and they are alot more diverse, interesting and colourful, there is a life, soul and vibrancy about Peckham Rye Lane, which is not evident anywhere else, not even Lewisham or Bromley, I love it, and that is 6 days a week it is usually busy, not just on a Saturday! Ha I was wondering how many ED posters on this forum actually, whilst driving down Peckham Lane or anywhere in Peckham at all, wind up their windows and lock the doors of their cars!!

[microbite]

I really ought to read my actual posts before I actually post them, would save all the edited 200 times thingy!

[honk]

microbite Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Honk,

>

> Jones and Higgins (which later became Hounsditch)

> were closed down long long before all the huge

> retail parks appeared in Old Kent Road. I used to

> go Jones and Higgins to see father christmas when

> I was a kid ha! and it was a huge department store

> with like 4 floors (if I remember correctly)

> Peckham used to have Richard Shops, Sainsburys

> (but not as you know it), you had to queue at

> different counters to obtain different items of

> shopping which were all stacked up behind the

> counter and passed to you by a shop assistant! it

> was a pain queing at different counters. There

> was a huge C&A, (just before the railway

> bridge),Burtons and loads of big name shops,

> including the now extinct Woolies, in fact Peckham

> and the housing back in the days, was considered

> quite a posh area to live in, they had so many

> other really great shops down the lane, a

> fantastic huge furniture shop right at the bottom

> of the lane on the left hand side just before you

> got to Peckham Rye Park and we would often go to

> the Lido in Peckham Rye which was open regularly

> throughout the summer for swimming, to be honest

> Lordship Lane was an utter dump, and the only

> reason we used to go down there was because of

> Dulwich swimming pool at Goose Green, or if there

> were any country fayres on at the Green, which

> were really good too. Other than that there was

> nothing at all to Lordship Lane.

>

> There were also tons more playing places for

> children, we had huge dumps that were converted

> into adventure playgrounds, back in the days when

> you were out all day as a kid playing

> tin-can-tommy with a whole street load of kids,

> (trying not to show my age) but we had a fantastic

> Silver Jubilee street party too, took up the whole

> of the street. Then one by one the shops all

> closed down. But that isn't to say that I don't

> like the way Peckham looks now I love the shops,

> markets (not sure if the Choumert Road one is

> still there) and they are alot more diverse,

> interesting and colourful, there is a life, soul

> and vibrancy about Peckham Rye Lane, which is not

> evident anywhere else, not even Lewisham or

> Bromley, I love it, and that is 6 days a week it

> is usually busy, not just on a Saturday!

It does sound like it had a lot back then, it's a shame it's just impossible for anything like that to survive any more - it's a whole GSCE Social Geography project's worth of answer as to why but more efficient rapid transit / retail parks probably served the death knell for that kind of suburban shopping, not just in Peckham but all over the country.

Ha I was

> wondering how many ED posters on this forum

> actually, whilst driving down Peckham Lane or

> anywhere in Peckham at all, wind up their windows

> up and lock the doors of their cars!!

Answer: they probably don't drive through there in the first place, lest they get 'jacked', haha. Means I can get served in Khan's quicker ; )

[Cassius]

I like Peckham although I would have loved to have seen it as described so eloquently by Microbite. You can see from the lovely houses near the station and elsewhere in Peckham that this was once a rich area, whilst the Victorian terraces of East Dulwich are very different.

I have to say I feel safer in Peckham at night now than I did 15 years ago - whether that is because Peckham has changed or I have I couldn't say

[Keef]

Microbite, I'm guessing you're a few years older than me (only a few) but you have just brought back so many memories! Cheers :))

[MrsClive3300]

Dulwichmum worked? Oh my goodness, i need to sit down

[microbite]

it's a whole GSCE Social Geography project's worth of answer as to why but more efficient rapid transit / retail parks probably served the death knell for that kind of suburban shopping, not just in Peckham but all over the country.

I actually blame Del boy and Rodney Trotter of Fools and Horses! >:D<

Although on a serious note, as the huge rapid transit/ retail parks in Old Kent Road did'nt really appear until 15-20 years after the shops in Peckham Rye Lane closed down, (Jumbos up on Peckham High Street near North Peckham Estate I remember their huge boxes of broken bickies well!!!) I don't feel it was so much pressure from bigger stores that closed them down as much as I had the feeling that Peckham had just been abandoned.

[honk]

microbite Wrote:

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I don't feel it was so much pressure from

> bigger stores that closed them down as much as I

> had the feeling that Peckham had just been

> abandoned.

I'd put it down to 'white flight', see Detroit for an example of how this happened to an extreme

[microbite]

I think when all the big shops started closing down and moving enmasse, a lot of people left the area, of all colours, but I feel the local council and government didn't put half the work into the place as they did before and just abandoned it, the parks all had keepers, and there were activities for everyone, the streets were cleaner, there were more recreational grounds around but these have all been pulled down now to make way for cheaper affordable housing, (i.e. the "Yellow Brick" estate), I just feel as though the government earmarked the area (especially the North Peckham and Sumner Estates) to create crammed, cheap to build and badly erected housing estates for the poorer and not so well to do people of society, (of every colour) and basically left everyone to their own devices and didn't bother putting in any time or effort to try and create pride within the community and made no effort to maintain the area.

[bigbadwolf]

Peckham - Refugee camp where bush meat is abundant.

Nundead - Cemetary.

East Dulwich - Alright for a pay day piss up and the forumites have a sense of humour not found in it's neighbour.

Camberwell - Has a reputation.

Forest hill - Awesome but we have the most care in the community and drunks

I think that sums it up pretty well even if I do say so myself.

[Michael Palaeologus]

"Dulwichmum worked? Oh my goodness, i need to sit down"

Oh Lordy yes. Ever so hard, mostly at night.

It was through her profession that she met her Sugar Da..., sorry, Husband.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Tsk, tsk, the spelling in Forest Hill is shocking!

[bigbadwolf]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> Tsk, tsk, the spelling in Forest Hill is shocking!

As I explained PGC we have the most drunks in Fozzy hill and I'm one of them.

[dulwichmum]

Michael Palaeologus Wrote:

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> "Dulwichmum worked? Oh my goodness, i need to sit

> down"

>

> Oh Lordy yes. Ever so hard, mostly at night.

>

> It was through her profession that she met her

> Sugar Da..., sorry, Husband.

How very dare you Michael! Of course I worked dear friends. I have always dabbled in charity work. Not everywhere is as fabulous as SE21 you know.

[Louisa]

Honk if these types of traditional High Street have disappeared, why is it that Lewisham, Bromley, Croydon, Clapham, Putney.. and the list goes on, continue to have traditional shopping centres that have pretty much stayed the same over the previous two to three decades, whilst Peckham has been allowed to fall into disrepair equal only to the analogy of the concrete house at Dulwich Common. It seems that some places are worth looking after and maintaining, whilst others can be allowed to go to the dogs.

I am sure if had a thing for wigs, bush meat and pound shop items I would be more than happy to do a weekly shop along Rye Lane, but oddly enough I want more than that.

DM, charity work? I knew that times were rough for fired city brokers, but is it really that bad that you are rattling a tin to collect cash for HM Revenue and Customs on their behalf?

Louisa.

[Mikecg]

Youve got to laugh really, some of the posts on here have been very entertaining. I am starting to really like this place. there are quite a few characters peppered over this forum, im glad I googled east dulwich.(tu)

[microbite]

Peckham - Refugee camp where bush meat is abundant.

Erm...am surprised that everyone chose to just completely ignore that "slightly" racist remark in favour of Dulwichmum's ability to work!

if these types of traditional High Street have disappeared

Depends on what you mean by "traditional" Louisa? There are other shops apart from what you refer to as "wigs, bush meat and pound shops", there is a huge Morrisons, but probably waaaay to scary for you, there is a huge Primarks, and there are tons and tons of clothing shops along with WHSmiths, sports shops, Dixons, or are they not "traditional" enough for you?

Jeez!

[microbite]

.

(Post removed due to my probably just wanting to create an unnecessary reaction, the precluding posts say it all!!!)

[Louisa]

Microbite, Primark as an example, was once known as Bhs in Peckham, and before that going way back was a Dorothy Perkins/Burtons/Richards. The decline in the number of High Street stores along Rye Lane, coupled with the 'downgrading' of those remaining High Street stores, and in such a short space of time (comparable to say Lewisham, Brixton, Bromley eg) is my main reason for being so particularly angered by this decline. The likes of M&S moved out along with C&A between 1988 and 1993 and were not replaced by any equally as famous High Street standards. I want to know why this is?

Louisa.

[Brendan]

Market forces? If the people in an area aren?t using a store it stops being profitable and will close down.