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Bench Tales: The Postmen’s bench, Kentish Town Delivery Office

By on March 26, 2012 in Bench Tales

‘In Memory Of Postman Edward “Teddy” Hutton, Friend and Colleague Died May 2005′ and ‘In Memory Of Postman Steve Abbott Rest in Peace’ Russell Burke, (Colleague, 49): ‘They were both workmates. The smaller plaque relates to a young lad called Steve Abbott, who came here from another office but sadly died from a brain tumour [...]

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(Valentine’s) Bench Tales: Memorial To The Unknown Husband

By on February 14, 2012 in Bench Tales

Even when the sky’s grey, and the rain’s falling in spikes, this inscription, on the South Bank, still sparkles. Seeing it for the first time, questions trouble the mind: who would go to such effort (and expense)? What must be their backstory? At what age did they decide to commemorate something that had never actually [...]

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Free Weekend? Contemplate A Park Bench

By on January 27, 2012 in Bench Tales, Free Weekend?

Like many addicts, it started with a single line. Except, in my case, it was on a bench, a little way off the main path on Hampstead Heath. I suppose I’d dabbled before, often glancing at a name – an Ethel Campbell or a Dorothy Rather – and spending a moment creating a backstory. Sometimes [...]

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Local Hero?

By on March 2, 2011 in Bench Tales, Film, Film &Theatre, Random, Walks

Gospel Oak boy Benjamin Garfield dropped us a line the other day about ‘Benches’, a three minute flick he’s entered into this year’s Reed Short Film competition. Rather wisely, it’s inspired by a 2006 feature yours truly wrote for the Times Magazine. Flattery will, of course, get you everywhere. ‘I was thinking about jobs that [...]

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Bench Tales: ‘They Could Do With A Bench Here’: Lewis Greifer (1915-2003)

By on November 10, 2010 in Bench Tales

A renowned TV scriptwriter, whose work included The Prisoner, Dr Who and Crossroads, Lewis Greifer was a true lover of Hampstead Heath, not just because of its beauty, but also because, according to his son Josh, it belongs to the people. ‘My father was municipally minded, a committed socialist.’ For the last fifteen years of [...]

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Talacre Bench Project

By on November 10, 2010 in Bench Tales, Culture, Walks

The Talacre Bench is a nice example of a community-led project. Sitting in Talacre Gardens, now rather a pleasant, leafy park rubbing up against Kentish Town West Overground, the bench is worth a detour. Says Celine La Freniere (Friends Of Talacre): ‘The Talacre Benches is an ambitious community project inspired by the work of Gaudi [...]

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