FOOTSTEPS TO SOUTHERN ROW
Across the road we could see the steps leading down into Southern Row and Kensal New Town. We did not have an old photo of this part of Ladbroke Grove but people spoke of a large tenement block called Victoria Dwellings that went from the steps to the corner with Kensal Road.
DARK DOORWAYS
Our walk around the Kensal area was fascinating, a collection of old and new sitting cheek by jowl; original, Victorian houses alongside modern day flats and businesses. Even those reflect the various designs and traits of their times and yet they all seemed to blend happily together.
As child I am certain that I never ventured into Kensal Road but we used to visit my parents’ friends in Harrow Road and in the Avenues and did so via Ladbroke Grove.
We would walk across the iron bridge and pass the “gas flats” but opposite there was Hamrax, the motorcyclists‘ emporium, and next the black painted tobacconists cum sweet shop. Beside this were, and still are, the Dickensian steps leading down to wherever they went. After that came some flats, high, dark, ominous buildings looking more like “dwellings” to me rather than homes.
These flats were entered through dim, arched door ways which lead on to stone stairways, heading both up and down to the flats beyond. The insides of these arched entrances were tiled in beautiful, dark coloured Victorian tiles each panel portraying a scene of working people. Despite being grubby they had a richness about them which was attractive.
It seemed a pity that they were destroyed when the flats were demolished but I doubt if anyone considered them worth preserving at the time.
J.G. 2008
Is this london?
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