Dulwich characters main section

[Louisa]

For almost my entire adult life I have grown up in a London filled with numerous colourful characters. Some of them may or may not have had mental health related issues, but nonetheless they stood out from the crowd and added to the spice of local life. Why do we now have dedicated threads talking about individuals as if they are somehow abnormal or not welcome around here? These people are becoming less and less apparent in a London where sameness is becoming the normal, and bland homogenisation is celebrated as 'gentrification' or 'up and coming'. Even the old accents are dying out in favour of a bland middle of the road standard English. I hear so many people on here moan about how bland the borough of Bromley is for its sameness and yet the very same things are happening right under our noses here in Southwark and not a single eyelid was raised! Cities attract all sorts of people. They aren't all acting suspiciously or trying to steal something from you, most of them are just going about their daily business in their own unique way, just as generations before them had done. Sick to death of individuals being pointed out of the crowd for no reason other than being different. Let's celebrate a bit of difference, this is inner London.

Louisa.

[uncleglen]

When there are large populations living in close proximity there seems to be a tendency for people to band together with others of the same ilk for a sense of security in identity. Unfortunately sometimes these people construct their own group idea of what is 'normal' and then they start singling out the characters who do not appear to belong to a particular 'group'. When I first moved to ED I met a few people who had actually paid for elocution lessons to get rid of regional and cockney accents as they felt they were a real drawback to success.....

[JohnL]

You don't usually lose your accent - I still sound Welsh after 10 years here. I remember someone telling me to take elocution lessons - but if people want received English they are a bit boring.

If accents change it's different people I'd think.

Lots of Americanisms coming into business mind - but I work for an American company so maybe thats why :)

[Seabag]

I must live in retro London Land here in Sydenham

My street alone has a noteable selection of accents and people, in fact so many odd bods it seems normal

Mind you we only just got a wine bar, so we are a bit behind

And on a good day in the Summer you can hear the Sydenham warbler calling her young in

" 'aaaaaaaaarrrveeeyyy, Shaaaaaaney, Mmmmmoooooollllyyyy-eeeee, Tillllllleeeeeeee-aa"

And the other old birds of the Lane going "Ooohcchh ...would you just lissssssten to that"

It's great Lou, you should visit sometime

[Louisa]

Seabag I am itching to join in the debate in the main section but thanks to Admin with their bigoted anti-working class stance against me for airing my views I'm stuck here. Anyway, breeeeeath. Right.

Sydenham is another zone out and yes many of the old inner London characters have been pushed out to those area which remain 'un-gentrified' or however you wish to term it. Give it another decade and Sydenham will be the next neighbourhood swept away in favour of incomer wealthy folk buying up homes and pushing prices through the roof (no pun intended).

The only accents I hear along lordship lane nowadays (especially weekends) are stereotypically polished Middle England ones. Everyone else seems to have gone elsewhere. This is why I spend so much of my time in Bromley because it has facilities and has a good variety of people and isn't all crappy gift shops and organic crap no one wants!

Louisa.

[Seabag]

I hear you Lou

Get a travel card and make your way up here, it's bracing indeed

[maxxi]

Louisa Wrote:

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

> Seabag I am itching to join in the debate in the

> main section but thanks to Admin with their

> bigoted anti-working class stance against me for

> airing my views I'm stuck here.

Yes. Yes that's what the problem is. You and your blessed working class values. Oh when will the toffs loosen their grip!? My Auntie is going to die at that mill if they don't let you speak again... *weeps*

[maxxi]

Seabag Wrote:

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

on a good day in the Summer you can hear the

> Sydenham warbler calling her young in

>

> " 'aaaaaaaaarrrveeeyyy, Shaaaaaaney,

> Mmmmmoooooollllyyyy-eeeee, Tillllllleeeeeeee-aa"

Reminds me of a holiday in Rhyl - a local accent shouting loudly from the front step of a caravan- "Elvis?... Elvis!.. Come and have your sandwiches!"

[Louisa]

If only it were the toffs that were the problem! We would then have a common enemy! It seems to me the university educated centre left urban elite are the biggest enemy of the working classes in London.

Louisa.

[numbers]

maxxi Wrote:

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

> Seabag Wrote:

> ----------------------------------------------

> on a good day in the Summer you can hear the

> > Sydenham warbler calling her young in

> >

> > " 'aaaaaaaaarrrveeeyyy, Shaaaaaaney,

> > Mmmmmoooooollllyyyy-eeeee,

> Tillllllleeeeeeee-aa"

>

> Reminds me of a holiday in Rhyl - a local accent

> shouting loudly from the front step of a caravan-

> "Elvis?... Elvis!.. Come and have your

> sandwiches!"

Peanut butter?

[jacks09]

Criticise Bromley for sameness in one message and then say you spend most of your time there?

[Louisa]

Maybe you should re-read my opening post jacks09. I was commenting on others who complain about the blandness of Bromley, when in fact I find this area far more homogenous and dull than Bromley could ever be. Bromley has become more cosmopolitan in the last few decades, ED has gone full pelt in the opposite direction. Selective reading on your part?

Louisa.

[jacks09]

Just how I read it......nothing selective but happy to admit I may have read it wrong.

[Otta]

Doesn't change the fact that Bromley always has and always will be shit though.

Although agree Bromley South is useful.

[Louisa]

Otta I used to be anti-Bromley when younger too, you will soon change your tune when you get to my age. Most of the debate about cockneys is laughable, because many of the white working classes are now living in the wider borough of Bromley anyway, as increasingly the ethnic diversity in the area around the town centre is significantly more noticeable than around here. It has shops, useable chain shops, rather than pokey little gift shops no bugger uses!

Louisa.

[Otta]

Indeed, I actually live in the borough now (just). Rubbish council.

I've always preferred Croydon for shopping (and that's saying something).

Bromley always felt fur coat and no knickers, whereas Croydon is crotchless panties and proud of it.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

You should write straplines for Local Authorities Otta.

Otta Wrote:

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

> Indeed, I actually live in the borough now (just).

> Rubbish council.

>

> I've always preferred Croydon for shopping (and

> that's saying something).

>

> Bromley always felt fur coat and no knickers,

> whereas Croydon is crotchless panties and proud of

> it.

[Jeremy]

The tables will be turned when the Whitgift becomes a Westfield...

[Louisa]

Otta Wrote:

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

> Indeed, I actually live in the borough now (just).

> Rubbish council.

>

> I've always preferred Croydon for shopping (and

> that's saying something).

>

> Bromley always felt fur coat and no knickers,

> whereas Croydon is crotchless panties and proud of

> it.

Haha that made me laugh. Well neither of them has an Allders now so that's one less reason for me to visit either. As a kid Croydon felt so far away, my mum always called it Surrey. Not been for a while, but yes it does have a decent useable shopping experience, similar to how I hoped Rye Lane would evolve in the 80's, sadly never realised.

Louisa.

[DulwichFox]

At one time.. the south side of Peckham Rye / One Tree Hill was Surrey borders.

I lived in East Surrey Grove (Peckham) when I was born.. Then there was the Surrey Canal. Peckham.

It all ties up..

Historically Croydon is in Surrey...

DulwichFox

[Otta]

Surrey's cricket ground is The Oval. Basically south of the river used to be Surrey.

[Louisa]

In historical terms, is Peckham/Dulwich still part of the 'Brixton Hundred' (historic Surrey district), or are we no longer historically part of the county either? Seeing as Croydon is a London Borough and yet people still refer to it as Surrey not London etc

Louisa.

[Loz]

People still referred to Croydon, Kingston and Mitcham as being in Surrey. Indeed, Surrey County Council offices are still located in Kingston, even though it is no longer inside the county. It's a like people saying Harrow, Uxbridge etc is in Middlesex, Bromley is in Kent and Romford is in Essex.

You can see it in the postcodes of the area - none of them have the usual W, SW, SE, etc. But they are actually London boroughs.

[????]

Otta Wrote:

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

> Surrey's cricket ground is The Oval. Basically

> south of the river used to be Surrey.

You sure? I think East of OKR was Kent (Blackheath/Beckenham and all down that way was for sure)Bromley too I think

[LondonMix]

Bromley was Kent. Chislehurst (in Bromely) still thinks of itself as Kent.