Welcome

Hello and thanks for stopping by my blog. This will, as you've probably guessed, be about the Old Kent Road and especially what's happening at this important time for the area. The OKR of course has a rich history, has always been a culturally prominent place and now may be undergoing a change that will transform how the area is seen for many (many) years. Actually, scratch that – it's already been undergoing that change for a while.

This blog will take more than one view of the regeneration/land-grab (depending on your point-of-view). I've been here a few years now and of course like most here been aware of what a great part of the world we are in; the general depiction of hooligans, Del Boys and last place on the Monopoly board was something we had to sometimes fight, sometimes embrace and sometimes defend against during this time. Now we are apparently part of a 'destination' so can be proud of this – our - part of the Greatest City In The World ™ .

We are aware of course we're all supposed to post about only the good things: being here now, eating and buying. That will feature – it's not like there aren't many great things to do and this looks set only to increase in the near future. The improvement of an area will hopefully bring added benefits to quality of life in perhaps more substantive ways too. It would be dishonest however to ignore the problems that also inevitably come and if nothing else the one thing the posts will aim to be is honest. This is an area myself and others here have been a part of building up to this turning point in a part of the city we may however be increasingly distanced from. Let's hope not, but will the changes gentrify in the worst possible ways? Will people be forced out? Will we lose history and character, or keep it only for the sake of the most shallow image and as a cultural selling-point, rather than out of respect? There will certainly be some more changes, but most hope for the better and not only the super-rich.

There will also be posts about the surrounding areas. The OKR like much of SE15 is extremely well connected. Cycling, public transport or a walk can take you to an amazing variety of fantastic places and we shall also visit our neighbours, with their varying character; places like and including Greenwich, Peckham, Lewisham, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Bermondsey and Surrey Canal New Bermondsey...

Whatever is happening here, this is a blog about it, a part of the history of this historic part of London.

Thanks again for visiting, hope you enjoy it.