For the wrecking ball? Historic pub, home to the legendary Flowerpot (and Verge, and Castle)

Late yesterday, we were pretty stunned to learn that the dominant black Heroes building – a site uniquely historic in Kentish Town – is earmarked for demolition. June 3rd, in fact. Less than a fortnight away. Yes, once again, developers and Camden Council appear to be working in tandem with little thought or consultation with [...]

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Pinboard: Amy singsong, art along the PoW – and a letter from Jay Gatsby?

1. Bank holiday shenanigans start here You could probably do worse than kickstart the bank holiday with a few beers and a croak at slightly unloveable Mornington Crescent venue the Purple Turtle. Why? It’s the Camden Singalong Ball, of course. And it’s for a good cause too, as new ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ new mayor Jonathan [...]

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The story behind Sian Pattenden’s Kentishtowner Cultural Map prints

For the third edition of Kentishtowner in print, (now all but vanished from the usual outlets), we wanted to celebrate the cultural richness of the area. And who better to help us than illustrator Sian Pattenden, creator of the North London Arts Map? An artist and former writer for the Guardian and much-missed titles The [...]

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Wednesday Picture: Spies in Kentish Town?

Kentish Town author Joe Craig pens the Jimmy Coates series, action-thrillers aimed mainly at the 8-13 crowd (or, as The Times called it, “The Bourne Identity for kids”.) And his tales are often set in prime NW5 locations – here are his Top 5 favourites My Jimmy Coates series is set in a slightly alternative [...]

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Why It Matters: Busting the delayed motherhood myth

Health journalist Charlotte MacNeil is riled by an irresponsible ad campaign The television presenter Kate Garraway is fronting a new campaign called Get Britain Fertile. It’s accompanied by a photograph of her made up to look like a pregnant 70-year-old, an image presumably designed to grab our attention, although it actually rather contradicts the campaign [...]

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Why It Matters: Kids Club Kampala

Did you take a gap year? Maybe worked in a bar in Spain or backpacked around Thailand? During hers, 18 year old Olivia Barker spent six months volunteering in Uganda. She then decided, along with her friend Corrie, to set up a charity called Kids Club Kampala (KCK), which they ran in their spare time. [...]

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Newsflash: two cinema chains seeking a K-Town venue

A week can be a long time in Kentish Town. Just seven days ago we reported on the closure of Pizza Express in the iconic old former poly on the corner of Prince Of Wales Road. Then on Wednesday we tried to galvanise our thousands of readers into acting together if we are all serious [...]

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Fan of graffiti legend Mr P? See his new mural on Crown Place

This week reader Mat Shreeve dropped us a line to say local graffiti legend Mr P has just finished an impressive new mural in Crown Place, off Kentish Town Road. “As residents and owners of Crown Place, there’s been a seven year long dispute about who owns the lane and should clear the bin store [...]

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Jonathan Simpson is the new Mayor of Camden. Here’s his Top 5

Yesterday saw Kentishtowner Jonathan Simpson become Camden’s “rock ‘n’ roll” mayor for the second time. And here he is, in all his finery, posing on what can only be called “the Spice Girls staircase” at the Town Hall. “Hopefully I will still be rock ‘n’ roll,” he told us this morning. And, suitably enough, the [...]

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Pinboard: a date set for Kentish Town Carnival – and other spring festivals

1. K-Town Carnival Date – now set for Sunday June 16 There’s been much talk recently about the cultural health of the area. So now, let’s celebrate the fact that exactly one month today is the first ever Kentish Town Carnival, which takes place on Talacre Road and Gardens on June 16, from 11am till [...]

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