Celebrating 21 Years of Paul Talling's Derelict London Website, 2003 - 2024
"From a labor of love to becoming a leader in the field..... Paul Talling has been inaugurated by the populace as the mayor of an enchanting derelict and abandoned London" New York Times
“For fans of the capital's hidden underbelly” EVENING STANDARD
“For fans of the capital's hidden underbelly” EVENING STANDARD
Rank Hovis Mills, Silvertown, E16 (2015)
I have spent much of my life pounding the streets of London often with no real reason apart from the fascination of always living a random wander discovering new things. Though we were always having too much of a good time when growing up to be taking photographs. Right?
Fast-forward to working on market stalls, promoting gigs in pubs, debt collecting in some edgy areas and running my own record company. On an early spring morning in 2003 after a heavy night of clubbing, I witnessed the demolition of an abandoned candle factory in south London and realised how much in London was quietly rotting away and not being recorded. I set off with my camera on all-day walks within the M25 area and set up the website, which to my surprise soon became popular due to media coverage beyond my wildest dreams. First it was a page in my then local paper, the Newham Recorder. Then the Evening Standard, a four-page feature in The Guardian magazine plus interviews on BBC London with Danny Baker, Jo Good and Robert Elms. The website even won a Yahoo! Finds of the Year award leading to more coverage in The Times, Metro, Daily Telegraph, ITV, CNN and Radio 4. And along came the book publishing deals with the first Derelict London becoming a bestseller in 2008 selling tens of thousands of copies resulting in numerous reprints until a brand-new edition was released in 2019. Many of my images have been licensed to other book publishers throughout the world.
Luck was constantly on my side as I was one of the first people to be continuously photographing ramshackle and abandoned London and putting it on the web before social media came along. Now there are legions of great photographers out there recording dereliction all around the world. This labour of love has resulted in becoming a full-time occupation for me recently supplemented by the guided walking tours that I started in 2011. I have averaged 2 or 3 tours a week and every single date since 2013 has sold out of tickets as I have built up an active mailing list of thousands of people many of whom are loyal regulars on the 25+ different routes which are built loosely around London's Lost Music Venues, Derelict London, London’s Lost Rivers. Lots of banter, tangents and a few drinks at the end. Quite different and longer in duration than the average guided walks offered elsewhere.
Out of the 8000 already published, below are a selection of photographs celebrating the 21 years of Derelict London website. It's hard to choose as my favourites change every day. By sorting through these, I realise that I have thousands of photographs that haven't even made it onto the website. If you see something that you like you will probably find more photographs of it on this website under the relevant section.
Fast-forward to working on market stalls, promoting gigs in pubs, debt collecting in some edgy areas and running my own record company. On an early spring morning in 2003 after a heavy night of clubbing, I witnessed the demolition of an abandoned candle factory in south London and realised how much in London was quietly rotting away and not being recorded. I set off with my camera on all-day walks within the M25 area and set up the website, which to my surprise soon became popular due to media coverage beyond my wildest dreams. First it was a page in my then local paper, the Newham Recorder. Then the Evening Standard, a four-page feature in The Guardian magazine plus interviews on BBC London with Danny Baker, Jo Good and Robert Elms. The website even won a Yahoo! Finds of the Year award leading to more coverage in The Times, Metro, Daily Telegraph, ITV, CNN and Radio 4. And along came the book publishing deals with the first Derelict London becoming a bestseller in 2008 selling tens of thousands of copies resulting in numerous reprints until a brand-new edition was released in 2019. Many of my images have been licensed to other book publishers throughout the world.
Luck was constantly on my side as I was one of the first people to be continuously photographing ramshackle and abandoned London and putting it on the web before social media came along. Now there are legions of great photographers out there recording dereliction all around the world. This labour of love has resulted in becoming a full-time occupation for me recently supplemented by the guided walking tours that I started in 2011. I have averaged 2 or 3 tours a week and every single date since 2013 has sold out of tickets as I have built up an active mailing list of thousands of people many of whom are loyal regulars on the 25+ different routes which are built loosely around London's Lost Music Venues, Derelict London, London’s Lost Rivers. Lots of banter, tangents and a few drinks at the end. Quite different and longer in duration than the average guided walks offered elsewhere.
Out of the 8000 already published, below are a selection of photographs celebrating the 21 years of Derelict London website. It's hard to choose as my favourites change every day. By sorting through these, I realise that I have thousands of photographs that haven't even made it onto the website. If you see something that you like you will probably find more photographs of it on this website under the relevant section.
Maryon Grove Estate, Charlton (2023)
Royal Oak Canning Town (2003)
I was living down the road and was driving towards the flyover when I stuck my head out of the car and took this photograph. Terry Lawless ran a boxing gym here in the 1970s and 80s. Frank Bruno was one of the young fighters that Lawless and his team trained here. A video for "Rabbit" by Chas & Dave was filmed here according to local gossip. The facade has been retained, and the ground floor is currently a Turkish restaurant with flats above.
"The seedy underbelly of one of the world's most regal and outwardly pristine cities is exposed to all in this poignant depiction of London's decidedly unseemly parts. Londoner Paul Talling has created a record of his many walkabouts and fashioned a rare portrait of the posh city that can rarely be seen via public transport or guided tour. By foregoing the usual palatial pomp and circumstance and heading straight for the gutter shot, a grittier and more vivid (dare we say more interesting?) London emerges. Her abandoned cinemas and forgotten hospitals loom with quiet majesty, while her shoddy domiciles, unkempt corners, and pubs gone bust reveal an ageing grand dame's "liver spots." Yet, even at her worst, London retains a hint of the glory we're more accustomed to seeing" Yahoo! (Derelict London: Best Community Website award)
Heygate Estate, Elephant & Castle, SE13 (2013)
Towards the end when the Heygate's 1,300 homes were boarded up leaving just a handful of leaseholders this place was eerily quiet wandering around on a winter morning. It was designed to offer a utopian ideal where communal living provided a social hub for those who became the first to benefit from the post-war welfare state. Among allegations of neglect and corruption Southwark Council saw it as a redevelopment opportunity. The Heygate formed the backdrop to The Bill, Michael Caine film Harry Brown & other crime dramas which didn't help the image of the estate. Now all demolished and replaced with a new development called Elephant Park described as "a sublime selection of apartments" by the estate agent selling 3-bed flats for £1.5million each.
Click the mailbox icon at the bottom of this page to join the mailing list for occasional news on website updates, new book releases and Paul's guided walking tours
A40 Western Avenue, Acton, W3 (2003)
In the 1920s this was a tree lined boulevard on the outskirts of London, with farmers fields all around. The houses were large semi-detached villas with Tudor features on the gables above the many bay windows. The roadway was one lane in either direction, and the pavements were wide. Later the pavements were narrowed and the roadway at least 3 lanes in either direction Firstly the gardens were shortened by compulsory purchase as the road was widened. Then in the late 90s was a scheme to widen the road by so much that it would be necessary to demolish houses either side. After compulsory purchase, the old houses were brutally smashed up internally and made uninhabitable to stop squatters from taking them over. The vacant houses were left to decay in their overgrown (once cared for) gardens. The irony is that the road scheme was eventually scrapped. Most of these houses were eventually demolished and now replaced by new build houses and flats.
Ailsa Street, Poplar, E14 (2017)
This post-industrial wasteland beside Bow Creek has always been a staple for Derelict London. I tended to visit every month to photograph the dilapidated warehouses and salvage yards along the fly tipped street. It was purchased for £80m by a Chinese developer called Country Garden and all cleared away in 2018 ahead of a series of high-density waterside housing developments. Hoardings for Risland a Hong Kong-based multinational real estate conglomerate, have since been erected although as of January 2024 nothing has been built.
Battersea Power Station Crane, SW11 (2013)
The much photographed power station shut in 1983 is now described by the owners as "London’s most exciting new shopping and leisure destination!" What about these beautiful 1950s cranes that were on the riverside beside the Power Station in their own state of decay? Battersea Power Station had an annual coal consumption of over 1m tonnes. The jetty facilities used two cranes to offload the coal. They were removed in 2014 and we were led to believed that they would be reinstated on the Power Station jetty following completion of regeneration works to the area in 2022. The Port of London authority has confirmed to the C20 Society that the crane components are still in storage at Tilbury Docks in Essex, but that to their knowledge no restoration work had yet been undertaken.
Millenium Mills, Silvertown, E16 (2015)
Built in the 1930s to replace earlier granaries and mills, the Millennium Mills were one of the largest (flour) mill complexes ever to be built in London. Industry in the docklands area of London began to decline in the 1980s, however, and this complex of reinforced concrete granaries finally succumbed when Spillers Milling Limited transferring staff and production to their mill at Tilbury Docks. Since then, the building has made frequent appearances on television. Examples include the drama Silent Witness, and Spiderman:Far From Home and Paddington 2 films. Plus providing the backdrop for music videos by The Smiths, Orbital, Coldplay, Lamb, Arctic Monkeys to name but a few. The Mills are being restored to retain its art deco frontage & high ceilings and plans to offer space for businesses, start-ups, restaurants and bars. During 2019 and 2021 I conducted public tours inside (and on the roof) of the Mills during London Open House though contractors have now taken over the site and so no more tours are planned in its current state.There are plans to restore the Millennium Mills building and build 6,500 new homes on the surrounding site.
Cooper's Road Estate, Bermondsey, SE1 (2007)
When the residents of the Coopers Road Estate off the Old Kent Road moved out in around 2003, around 400 squatters moved in. They were well-organized and for a while were able to resist attempts by Southwark Council to remove them. When they were eventually evicted the outer walls were removed to render the flats uninhabitable, exposing the multi-coloured interiors of people’s old homes to passers-by. The whole of the Coopers Road Estate was demolished and rebuilt in four phases and all the new build flats were completed by 2015.
Click the mailbox icon at the bottom of this page to join the mailing list for occasional news on website updates, new book releases and Paul's guided walking tours
Southwark St, Borough,SE1 (2005)
This old warehouse dating back to the 1860s was derelict for years with a couple of upper floors missing. Work started slowly after scaffolding and hoardings were erected in 2014 and eventually by 2019 it became a Chinese restaurant with the missing floors rebuilt and in residential use.
St James Road, West Croydon, CR0
I took this photograph a couple of days after the Croydon riots while there was still soot in the air. This is a picture of Royal Mansions built in 1902 and burnt down by rioters in 2011. Demolition crews can be seen here clearing away what was left of the building. Since then, new flats and shops have been built on site and the London Road frontage is a sympathetic recreation of the original building.
‘[London has an] unusual (and deplorable) number of abandoned buildings. Paul Talling’s surprise bestseller, DERELICT LONDON, is their shabby Pevsner.’ DAILY TELEGRAPH
Paynes Wharf, Deptford, SE8 looking across to the Isle of Dogs (2010)
Paynes Wharf was built in 1860 as a boiler workshop for John Penn & Sons. Penn's supplied boilers for ships the most notable was HMS Warrior, the first iron warship, now preserved in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. In the 1980s the premises were used by London Egg Products. The Grade II listed façade of Paynes, with its Italianate arches, is the only part of the original building in the redevelopment with penthouse apartments in a glass box above it.
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Deptford Creek, SE8 (2009)
This knackered typewriter was found dumped in the Deptford Creek
Raleigh Hall, Brixton SW9 (2007)
Originally, a private house called Effra House, Raleigh Hall was built around 1840 and was later used by the Brixton Liberal Club. In the late nineteenth century it became a public meeting-hall, also let out for concerts and dances. Its fall from grace was all too apparent in the photograph taken in 2007.
The building featured as a crack house in the 2001 film SW9, which was set among the backstreets of Brixton over a 24-hour period. The film’s cast was a cross-section of twentysomethings with different agendas but united by drugs, money, a love of anarchy – and a gun. The building has now been renovated and transformed into the Black Cultural Archives dedicated to the study and understanding of black British history.
The building featured as a crack house in the 2001 film SW9, which was set among the backstreets of Brixton over a 24-hour period. The film’s cast was a cross-section of twentysomethings with different agendas but united by drugs, money, a love of anarchy – and a gun. The building has now been renovated and transformed into the Black Cultural Archives dedicated to the study and understanding of black British history.
Connaught Tunnel, E16 viewed from Silvertown (2011)
Built in 1878, this tunnel allowed the railway to be diverted under the Connaught passage, which connected the Victoria Dock and newly built Albert Dock. Crossrail is re-using the Connaught Tunnel after spending £50M on a renovation project.
This photograph was taken in 2011 when I saw it in all its tranquil glory before the Crossrail (Elisabeth Line) works. I used to love wandering around this area for hours on end. I still do but much has changed. Needless to say that you are forbidden to wander down the tunnel these days.
This photograph was taken in 2011 when I saw it in all its tranquil glory before the Crossrail (Elisabeth Line) works. I used to love wandering around this area for hours on end. I still do but much has changed. Needless to say that you are forbidden to wander down the tunnel these days.
Twyford Abbey, Ealing, NW10 (2016)
Never actually an abbey..... Situated near Hangar Lane gyratory in the only corner of Ealing with a NW postcode this was the site of the West Twyford manor house. The manor house was partially demolished around 1715 and in 1806 the manor house a stagecoach proprietor turned the house into a Gothic-style mansion with an extension around the original house infilled a genuine medieval moat and renamed it Twyford Abbey and being the only building in the area, the name Twyford Abbey was applied to the whole of West Twyford.
In 1902, the Abbey was bought by a Roman Catholic order who set up a nursing home there. In 1988, the home closed due to changes in rules and regulations of running nursing homes and the costs associated with adaptations. By the time I visited the interior was in an extremely dangerous condition and casual entering was not advised with much water damage, rotten floors, etc. Since then, the building has been restored and permission granted to reopen it as an educational establishment. As of January 2022, the building is still vacant and for sale for £30 million offered as a "rare West London Educational Development Opportunity."
In 1902, the Abbey was bought by a Roman Catholic order who set up a nursing home there. In 1988, the home closed due to changes in rules and regulations of running nursing homes and the costs associated with adaptations. By the time I visited the interior was in an extremely dangerous condition and casual entering was not advised with much water damage, rotten floors, etc. Since then, the building has been restored and permission granted to reopen it as an educational establishment. As of January 2022, the building is still vacant and for sale for £30 million offered as a "rare West London Educational Development Opportunity."
Railway lands at rear of Kings Cross Station (2003)
This area consists of approximately 67 acres of former railway lands to the north of King's Cross and St Pancras stations. Around here were coal yards, warehouses and gas works. The coal arrived by rail and was distributed around London via the adjacent Regents Canal. There were also some Victorian blocks of living accommodation for the workers. More information about these residential blocks is covered in the Derelict London book.
After World War II the area declined and became an abandoned post-industrial district and until the early 2000s it was well known for prostitution and drug abuse. Since then, King's Cross Central, a multi-billion pound mixed-use development, has entirely changed the area. The facade of one of the Stanley Buildings (to the right of the photograph) has been incorporated into some modern buildings.
After World War II the area declined and became an abandoned post-industrial district and until the early 2000s it was well known for prostitution and drug abuse. Since then, King's Cross Central, a multi-billion pound mixed-use development, has entirely changed the area. The facade of one of the Stanley Buildings (to the right of the photograph) has been incorporated into some modern buildings.
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Fridge Freezers, Carpenters Road, Stratford. E15 (2003)
This local landmark was the fridge freezer mountain of European Metal Recycling Ltd. Situated along the Waterworks River this was another early inspiration for Derelict London and getting to do walkabouts with a basic camera around the Bow Backs Rivers long before all that Olympics talk.... Needless to say these white goods are long gone. This stretch is now named Stratford Waterfront.
Woodgrange Park Cemetery, Manor Park E7 (2004)
The Chapel suffered at the hands of arsonists since I took these pictures and was demolished in 2006. The privately owned Woodgrange Park Cemetery, founded in 1890 and covering 28 acres, is regarded as the least known of the Victorian Cemeteries in London today. Due to legal battles of campaigners against the owners selling of part of the land the burial ground is the only one in the country to have an Act of Parliament devoted to it - the Woodgrange Park Cemetery Act 1993.
Caird & Rayner (aka VIP Garage) 777, Commercial Rd, Limehouse, E14 (2014)
This workshop was built in 1869 as a sail-makers’ and ship-chandlers’ warehouse. It was occupied by Caird & Rayner from 1889 to 1972 and was never substantially altered, so the building retains its original cast-iron window frames and two double loading doors that open on to the Limehouse Cut. Caird & Rayner were engineers and coppersmiths who specialized in the design and manufacture of seawater distilling plant for supplying boilers and drinking water on Royal Navy vessels and Cunard liners. Its final use was as a vehicle repair workshop. Some years ago a housing association attempted to demolish this building to build flats and even attempted to overturn the listed status of the property, but this was blocked by English Heritage.
After doing my walking tours in this area I got to know many old school locals in the cafes and pubs getting all the gossip along the way. I was lucky enough to befriend a security guard and spend many happy hours wandering around every inch of this building.
After doing my walking tours in this area I got to know many old school locals in the cafes and pubs getting all the gossip along the way. I was lucky enough to befriend a security guard and spend many happy hours wandering around every inch of this building.
Wood Lane Underground Station, Shepherds Bush, W12 (2003)
This station opened in 1908 to coincide with the Franco-British exhibition and the Olympic Games in White City. The station was initially the western terminus of the Central line's precursor, the Central London Railway (CLR). By 1920 the line had been extended to Ealing Broadway. A distinctive feature of the White City exhibition was an elevated enclosed walkway (demolished many decades ago) incorporated into the station structure leading to exhibition halls.
As it proved impossible to modify Wood Lane station to take 8-car trains it closed in 1947 following the opening of the nearby White City station. The building survived until 2005 when it was demolished to make way for the new Westfield Shopping Centre development. The location of the former station is currently a bus interchange at the corner of Wood Lane and Ariel Way. Part of the old station facade has been dismantled has been preserved at London Transport's Depot museum at Acton Town. In 2008, a new Wood Lane station was opened nearby on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines.
As it proved impossible to modify Wood Lane station to take 8-car trains it closed in 1947 following the opening of the nearby White City station. The building survived until 2005 when it was demolished to make way for the new Westfield Shopping Centre development. The location of the former station is currently a bus interchange at the corner of Wood Lane and Ariel Way. Part of the old station facade has been dismantled has been preserved at London Transport's Depot museum at Acton Town. In 2008, a new Wood Lane station was opened nearby on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines.
Tower House, Whitechapel, E1 (2003)
Opened in 1902 as a Rowton House, a chain of hostels built to provide decent accommodation for working men in place of the squalid lodging houses of the time.
Writer Jack London called Tower the "Monster Doss House" in People of the Abyss, his 1902 journey through the poverty of London. He said it was packed with "life that is degrading and unwholesome". Joseph Stalin spent a fortnight in a sixpence-a-night cubicle in Tower House in 1907, when he attended the Fifth Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party across the road, which consolidated the supremacy of the Bolshevik Party.
After two decades of dereliction the building was converted into pricey flats in 2007.
Writer Jack London called Tower the "Monster Doss House" in People of the Abyss, his 1902 journey through the poverty of London. He said it was packed with "life that is degrading and unwholesome". Joseph Stalin spent a fortnight in a sixpence-a-night cubicle in Tower House in 1907, when he attended the Fifth Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party across the road, which consolidated the supremacy of the Bolshevik Party.
After two decades of dereliction the building was converted into pricey flats in 2007.
Tate Institute, Silvertown, E16 (2011)
Abandoned mattresses always seem to figure in Derelict London. This ginger cat enjoying the sun around the back of the closed down Tate Institute which was founded by Sir Henry Tate in 1887 for workers in his nearby sugar factory, to serve as a non-sectarian and apolitical meeting-place. This photograph was used by a US Psychobilly band The Bone Snatchers for "the cover of The Mattressback EP" which includes a song called "Pussy Wrangler."
Dole Office, Palmers Green, N13 (2013)
Copious amounts of super strength cider bottles in the private office.
This Department of Health and Social Security (commonly known as the DHSS) opened between the two world wars and closed in the late 1980s. The derelict building was totally obscured by advertising hoardings on the A406 North Circular road between a filling station and the Clock House crossroads. In one of my reader's words: "It was a real 'old school' dole office as well, all the chairs were nailed down and there were security screens up at the counter. This was back when people who signed on were 'unemployed' rather than 'jobseekers'!" Demolished in 2016 and the plot remains vacant.
This Department of Health and Social Security (commonly known as the DHSS) opened between the two world wars and closed in the late 1980s. The derelict building was totally obscured by advertising hoardings on the A406 North Circular road between a filling station and the Clock House crossroads. In one of my reader's words: "It was a real 'old school' dole office as well, all the chairs were nailed down and there were security screens up at the counter. This was back when people who signed on were 'unemployed' rather than 'jobseekers'!" Demolished in 2016 and the plot remains vacant.
First Class Pool at the Ladywell Baths aka The Playtower, Ladywell, SE13 (2020)
The red-brick gothic building just outside Lewisham opened in 1885. They are one of the earliest surviving public baths in the capital. The Ladywell Baths were built on a site procured by the vicar of the adjacent St Mary's Church. At the time, a local paper commented on the juxtaposition of church and baths that 'cleanliness was next to Godliness'.
It had two public swimming-pools – one for first-class and one for second-class users. The swimming baths were closed in 1965 and the pools were floored over and last occupied by Ladywell Gymnastics Club who left in 2004. Going forwards, proposals for conversion include a 3-screen cinema, complete public events foyer, café & bar.
It had two public swimming-pools – one for first-class and one for second-class users. The swimming baths were closed in 1965 and the pools were floored over and last occupied by Ladywell Gymnastics Club who left in 2004. Going forwards, proposals for conversion include a 3-screen cinema, complete public events foyer, café & bar.
Wheelchair on the Roof, Elephant & Castle, SE17 (2013)
As far as I know, this was the roof of a community hall/estate office that held day centre facilities for elderly people from the adjacent Heygate Estate. I guess that we shall never get to know the story behind this wheelchair on the roof.... This 1980s building was demolished to make way for more flats as part of the Elephant Park development.
Sewage Works,Friern Barnet, N10 (2007)
The municipal sewage works here closed in 1963 and the relinquished site was then used as a landfill site until 1980 when nature was allowed to take over. Years of fly-tipping have led to claims that the land is contaminated and so unsuitable for residential development. The vehicles shown here were most likely stolen before they were torched.
Smithfield General Market - Farringdon, EC1 (2019)
Shown here is the General Market, originally built in 1883 to the designs of Sir Horace Jones. Bombed during the Blitz, causing 110 deaths, it was repaired in the 1950s plus construction of the dome pictured above, but most of it has been vacant since the 1980s. Positive news is that work has commenced to transform the buildings and the extensive basement areas into a museum for the Museum of London as part of a £337 million move here from their Barbican site.
"Those of us who like to explore the capital's hidden corners and forgotten byways can only applaud Paul Talling for compiling derelictlondon.com, an often uncomfortable record of the capital's underbelly. We see them every day: the disused cinemas, boarded-up shops, vermin and even human derelicts that society would rather turn a blind eye to. They may be less picturesque than Big Ben, Beefeaters and the London Eye, but they are no less part of London. Once you start noticing them, you just can't stop" THE GUARDIAN
St Mary’s Lodge, Stoke Newington N16 (2018)
Poor old St Mary’s Lodge. Designed and constructed in 1843 by one of the leading architects of the day, John Young (who also designed the Royal Marsden Hospital), it was built for himself, his wife, their nine children and two servants and incorporates some wonderful architectural flourishes, such as arched windows and terracotta brickwork details. Young enlarged the house in the 1860s and also added an elegant garden at the rear. The Youngs remained at St Mary’s Lodge until John Young’s death in 1877, after which it remained a family home until 1959.
From the early 1960s, the local authority used St Mary’s Lodge as a women’s hostel, offering refuge to up to nine women at a time. The hostel was closed in the mid-1990s and the building and grounds were left unmaintained and unsecured. Vandals, squatters and the elements have left the house and grounds in a poor state, particularly following a major fire in 2005. Continued decay has ensued since the first edition of Derelict London since years of wrangling between the council and different owners over its future use.
St Mary’s Lodge’s future still remains uncertain although recently the council has outlined proposals for restoring the building and redeveloping it’s grounds for housing.
From the early 1960s, the local authority used St Mary’s Lodge as a women’s hostel, offering refuge to up to nine women at a time. The hostel was closed in the mid-1990s and the building and grounds were left unmaintained and unsecured. Vandals, squatters and the elements have left the house and grounds in a poor state, particularly following a major fire in 2005. Continued decay has ensued since the first edition of Derelict London since years of wrangling between the council and different owners over its future use.
St Mary’s Lodge’s future still remains uncertain although recently the council has outlined proposals for restoring the building and redeveloping it’s grounds for housing.
George Moore Menswear - Bowes Park, N22 (2014)
This one of the first shops ever featured on this website when I noticed it in 2004, and I have watched the underpants slowly deteriorated as you can see by my photograph taken 10 years later.
George Moore was the original proprietor from 1942 and his son, Brian took over in the late 1960s when his dad passed away. Trade slowed down and Brian retired around 1999, and he simply just left all the stock in the window. A gesture of defiance or just sentimentality? He lived in the property until around 2012 and the mould really set in on the fading window display along with a few spider webs. The window above the shop was boarded up after the original window and its frame fell out onto the street. Now the window display is long gone, and the shop is now a community space called Spark 99.
George Moore was the original proprietor from 1942 and his son, Brian took over in the late 1960s when his dad passed away. Trade slowed down and Brian retired around 1999, and he simply just left all the stock in the window. A gesture of defiance or just sentimentality? He lived in the property until around 2012 and the mould really set in on the fading window display along with a few spider webs. The window above the shop was boarded up after the original window and its frame fell out onto the street. Now the window display is long gone, and the shop is now a community space called Spark 99.
You can buy the Derelict London book HERE