Why The Kentishtowner?
Simply because Kentish Town is proper ancient. It dates back further (1206) than Camden, or any of the surrounding areas.
Thriving by the 15th century, it’s pretty much seen it all: industry, wealth, poverty, fashionability (or otherwise) and a dictionary of architectural styles. And of course now, in 2012, it’s up and coming once more; en vogue even.
But whilst The Kentishtowner (est.2010) is dedicated to cultural affairs – art, food, film, booze, fashion, history, music – in this corner of central north London and beyond, we’re not bound by boroughs or geography. NW5 may at the heart of what we’re about, but we love the capital as a whole, and will happily cover anything of cultural interest, anywhere at all. We publish 5 days a week, from Monday to Friday. In March 2012 we were featured in The Guardian.
So contact us. We’re quite sociable and will consider hook-ups of all kinds, be they editorial, sponsored or whatever, and we’ll read well-written press releases or any relevant information about any of the above.
We’re also keen for contributions of any kind, so if you think you’ve got what it takes, drop us a line:
info@kentishtowner.co.uk
For a list of contributors see Us
As a newbie Kentish Towner (hubbster and I just bought a little cottage off Leighton), I was pleased to stumble across this site. We had enough faith in its charm to drop our entire life savings into a damp and needs-much-work cottage and are pleased to see how much is going on here. And, from walking around observing, I have to say that KTers seem pretty cool. Like, seriously cool, not in a tryhard, desperate-for-attention-fashion-student way, either. So far, Kentish Town rocks and we love it. Now please don’t let a junkie break into our house and rape our cat and shit in my handbag. Which, according to google results while researching KT, can easily happen.
Thanks for the great blog. I am subscribing. Totally.
I hope Kentish Town has changed for the good. I was bought up just off Queen’s Crescent in the 1970′s when junkies regularly broke in to steal whatever they could.
I’ve lived in Hackney most of my adult life as I couldn’t afford Kentish Town and so it goes, someone from Hackney can’t afford to live in Hackney etc. etc. good luck with the gentrification.
Susk: don’t fear, the Kentishtowner will protect you! Glad you like the site and welcome to da hood.
hi kentishtowner
we want to invite you and your readers to the private view of our exhibition in queen’s crescent this thursday. do you have an email address where we can send the press release?
thanks
I think this is self-expalanatory a very much a Kentish Town issue. Sent to all 100 on my mailing list 5.5.11. Nick
TALACRE URGENT
This email is being sent to all those we know who have expressed opposition to the development on top of Dalby Street, Talacre.
We last contacted the http://www.Savetalacre.co.uk list over a year ago. Since then we hoped that the massive contradictions faced by the developer, his funders and Camden had resulted in second thoughts. Perhaps the absence of campaigning and lack of visibility has been seen as a sign that local people and the large number of people from miles around have lost interest. That is far from the case.
THERE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT RECENT DEVELOPMENT
On 8th April, Dalby Street was legally “stopped up”. We were also informed that the developer (Findon Urban Lofts) was intending to restart work and had appointed a contractor for some early works.
The change in the status of Dalby Street is not as great as it might sound. Since the end of 2008 it has been legally owned by Findon. What will interest some people is that Camden no longer has responsibility for its maintenance, road sweeping and parking enforcement. It seems you can park with impunity there. However, those are details.
The important thing is for us to prevent the development being built.
Now is the time for action! The flats cannot be built without damaging the interests of the Sports Centre and creating danger for its users- see below “Why this development damages the Sports Centre, is dangerous and cannot conform to the legal agreement”. But if it is built, it may be impossible to have it demolished.
So please help us to campaign NOW
Hey there Mr Kentishtowner.
So we here at the land of Free Space Gallery would like to invite you along to our next opening. Thursday 4th August 5-8pm there will be a chance to meet with Emad Altaay. He is an artist who has lived in London for less than a year coming here as an Iraqi refugee. In Iraq and across the middle east he was a respected artist. This will be his first solo show of paintings which are influenced by his new life in London. At the same time as his paintings being exhibited at the Free Space Gallery in Kentish Town some of his work will also be in the Mall Galleries. So I think this one is someone to watch.
So come along and see what the Free Space has to offer, hidden away in the Kentish Town Health Centre we maybe but innovative and strong we sure are!
email me for more information or check out the blog
mel@weirdpixels.com
http://www.freespaceatthewigg.wordpress.com
hello the kentishtowner, thanks for the flaxon ptootch plug thing the other week,
i thought you might like to know about our show…
hi there art lovers!
this thursday (being as it’s the second one of the month) is art show thursday!
nick terry and robert penney (two brilliant local artists) are
exhibiting their graffiti and pixels for your perusal and delectation,
the amazing adeo and his imaginary friends will be performing live,
the visionary billy boyd cape will be showing some short films,
perfect punch preparer alex knight will prepare perfect punch for the
now legendary post alma street punch babes to serve up,
and disk jockey extraordinaire alice moxie will join residents
mark ratcliff ‘n’ dave vega to complete the creative circle, If you will…
drinks with the artists from seven, performance at nine and no sleep ‘til bedtime!
http://www.flaxonptootch.come on!
ps. a free cocktail for anyone who can provide proof that they scored more than
5000 points on the hair switch game on the website
mx
hold steady the kentishtowner, we’re loving your work x
As a lifelong resident of kentish town (since 1957) I am glad to see it move into the 21st century with such a stylish blog…..11/10 marks for class
From Grafton Road…
I have been following the Kentishtowner blog since it started and do enjoy reading each new blog post.
Although the food, restaurant, gallery, and market blogs are great, I would find it even more interesting and other people might like this too, if you talked about other features that are fab, original, quirky or fascinating about Kentish Town such as:
- Parks, great and more unusual walks
- Historical features, streets, houses?
- Local events for people other than food markets, what about book clubs? secret cinema? underground food club? knitting clubs? Sport? Things that might interest dog owners? Local orchestra? Chess club? Free experimental jazz?
- Features on local people? Would be wonderful to have a flavour of who makes up the community that is Kentish Town, like an informal interview?
- Buy of the week from Oxfam or one of the pound shops or from Natural Foods shop
- Beauty products from Kentish Town
- Best lunch on the hoof, best pastrami sandwich, take away soup? ready made meal?
- Handy amenities, where can you find a great dog groomer? violin teacher? pedicure? doctor? therapist? opera group? fishmonger?
- Things that families with children would find useful – lovely nursery, playground for under and over 4s, the fight to get children into the local primary, what about the Lycée?
- Churches, what’s going on who is the local vicar?
- Kentish town in different seasons, Xmas? Easter? Autumn?
All that kind of thing would really broaden the readership and be very useful information and fascinating for locals to read.
Thank you
Hello TC
Thanks for all the ideas. It sounds like you should write for us too! Get in touch on kentishtowner@gmail.com if you want to…
Thanks.
a great KT story…
http://spitalfieldslife.com/2011/11/12/an-afternoon-with-michael-albert/
hi there
so pleased to be joining in the fun in the virtual Kentish Town!
Kate
Great to have you kate…
Creative Health Lab is an organisation dedicated to promoting community well being through care for people and the environment. It runs weekly sessions in Art, Art Therapy, Film making, singing, creative writing. Now in its fourth year we have an exhibition planned for March 2012 at MAP cafe and are seeking an additional art space/gallery. There will also be a book of poetry and Art and online platform for all the work that has taken place over the last three years. All our sessions are free to people in the Camden Borough and are set up mainly to help people with a range of mental health issues, stress and social isolation find community and a means of self expression through the Arts in their community. We would love to hear from anyone who may be able to offer exhibition space and/or would like to join any of the sessions available in january 2012. Check out the website for more information.
Creative Health Lab is based at Kentish Town City Farm and also runs Horticultural sessions and yoga sessions at Expressions studios. Make a new choice in the New Year and join us! Free classes!!
Hello there,
I have lots of information about exercising around Kentish Town – the Health and Beauty section seems lacking. How can I send you information to populate this section?
As a starter for anyone interested in tennis – there is intermediate doubles drop-in sessions every Saturday morning at Parliament Hill School, Highgate Road from 10am to 1pm – cost is £4.00. No need to have a partner, just turn up – note it is not for beginners.
Why don’t you write us something on it?
Hi,
Did you see the new Blackfriars southern entrance?
http://www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk/news/news_items/view/121
We just went to Tate Modern on the thameslink – now very easy (during the week at least).
Maybe you could use it for a post sometime.
regards, David
Your recent aritcle on the street fairs was fab, as its always hard to centralise all that info. for local events. I’ve just tried seraching for a contact number (the organisers) for the Alma St fair and cannot find any info. online. If you can kindly pass on a contact name/number that would really kind – I want to set up a stall there if possible.
Many thanks!