Kings Cross Local Environment

Nobody Lives Forever - local theatre must see!

20th - 24th May 2008
The Welcome Collection London

Nobody Lives Forever from the YTouring theatre company is a new play by award-winning playwright Judith Johnson, which aims to explore the social, moral, scientific and political questions raised by stem cell research. YTouring is Central YMCA’s award winning company based in right here at OneKX. YTouring tours throughout the UK and their artistic director is none other than our Nigel Townsend of Wharfdale Road.

"Y Touring has for many years, produced inspiring, beautifully written plays
focusing on science and ethics"
Sue Elkin, The Stage, February 2008.

It's not often that theatre is free, but on this occasion you don't have to pay a penny to see a show that comes so very highly recommended:

“All this scientific progress, but any one of us can still cop it at any moment, just like I did.  The story doesn’t end there though. Those embryos are still waiting, like millions of other ones all over the world. What’s going to happen them, eh?…What would you do?”

Don't miss it, book your tickets now!

Choral fund raiser for vulnerable young people - Wed 21 May St Mary's Church, near Euston Station

Emma at the Guardian reports a fund raiser for the New Horizons day centre for vulnerable young people next Wednesday.  The Guardian’s Angels choir will perform excerpts from The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins on Wednesday 21 May 2008 7.30pm St. Mary’s Church, Eversholt Street (near Euston station - map). 

The event is in support of the New Horizon Building Appeal.  There will be guest appearances including youngsters from the New Horizon Youth Centre and for media aficionados Jon Snow accompanied by Alan Rusbridger on piano.

New Horizon Youth Centre, on Chalton Street works with some very disadvantaged young people, many of whom have poor self esteem, low confidence, a history of rejection, harm and abuse and often profoundly negative experiences of organisations, structures and the helping professions generally.

New Horizon Youth Centre is a day centre working to ensure that every vulnerable young person finds a home and the necessary tools to progress in their lives. It works with young people who are vulnerable, homeless or at risk.  New Horizon Youth Centre aims to enable young people to gain skills and knowledge to improve their life chances and to help them move from adolescence into adulthood.

This week at Islington Farmers Market

Jenny, Meredith, Cheryl, Mark and Arthur of London Farmers Markets write: We hope you enjoyed our plant fair last weekend, and also the hog roast provided by David Wilkinson, of Downland Pigs. One thing you may not have realised was that very early on in the day (David starts his hog roast going at around 2.30AM!!), the crank on his spit-roast broke. With repairs impossible to find on a Sunday, and not wanting to waste an entire pig, David painstakingly hand-turned the spit-roast all the way up until 2PM! So don't be surprised if David's right arm is looking the worse for wear this weekend!

This weekend, fingers crossed, we will have a visit from the enigmatic Isle of Wight Garlic, with their range of different varieties of fresh garlic and garlic preserves, as well as their asparagus. Make sure you don't miss out, because we can't tell you when they'll be back just yet!

Also, you may be interested to know that Alham Wood Buffalo Farm have been working with an Italian artisan cheese maker and are now selling delicious, traditional hand made mozzarella. They're encouraging you to bring your own container to put it into!

So visit Islington Farmers Market this Sunday for a treat!

Sex Shop License Application - 8 Caledonian Road Withdrawn

The Bulletin Board is pleased to anounce that the subject Application has been withdrawn by the Applicant.

As part of the discussions leading up to this decision the Trading Standards department made it very clear that their were a great number of objections to the application - the most important of which was that there already was one licensed sex shop directly across the street.

Thanks to all who wrote in and especially to Councillor Convery who made the community's objections very clear.

Again, with concerted efforts the Community has made it's voice clear.  Job well done!

Wild In The City

Network Rail - where is our bridge into Kings Cross?

This Summer access to Kings Cross via the top end of platform one (from Wharfdale Road) will close for good.  In a hard fought planning process Network Rail promised to do a study into a bridge across the tracks at this spot into the station to perpetuate this vital safe, well lit access route:

‘we will commit to further pursue the creation of a bridge if in our view a practical, cost-effective and affordable solution emerges from the study’

You can read about it here.  Neighbour Sophie made a strong case at the time about how vital this route was for women, given the alternative of walking down the creepy side of the station.  She is trying to follow up on what has happened with this study into a bridge - there has been no further community consultation.  Now Sophie is being given the brush off by Network Rail, a publicly owned company.  She and neighbour John Ashwell have been trying to get a straight answer from Network Rail since January. 

It's pretty straightforward - we sat down with Network Rail and agreed face to face to a study proposal  and we haven't heard from them and they don't respond.  Does anyone have any suggestions how to get a response?  In the past I have found that they respond to lots of emails sent to their board members and phone calls to their offices - will harvest some addresses and post them here, along with phone numbers to ring.

Dogs Vs. Trees

For those of us who have grown up with dogs as pets, one of those fun passtimes has aways been having your dog fetch sticks. But now there seems to be a new activity for those dog owners that seem to be more "yobishly challanged." It is encouraging your dog to gnaw at young trees with the intent of destroying them. Yes, I do not lie.

We have now had a number of reports of someone allowing their dog to attack some of the trees planted on Railway Street with the effect of destroying them. When this problem was raised with the folks from Greenspace, they had this to say:

The kind of dog damage you describe is unfortunately becoming more and more common, though not quite as blatant as Railway Street. It seems to be one of the more recent trends to have a Staffordshire type terrier and train them (to what end???) by getting them to chew on trees. Obviously, the implication must be that if you own a "hard" dog, then you yourself are "hard". Perhaps it's a sign of my old age, but I find such behaviour risible and very, very frustrating.

At first thought, my simple solution to the problem would be to coat the base of the trees with RAT POISON, but on second thought, that would simply punish the dog and the dog is not the problem (but then how could we apply the Rat Poison to the owner). So short of having a vigilante committee to "sort" these people out and "re-educate" them, I'm now stumped. What do you think we should do. Please post your comments here. We can send the good ones to Boris for immediate action.

Free Music at St Pancras Parish Church

Not quite a free lunch, but free lunchtime music at the Church on Euston Road as part of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music. It's a lovely building and they are trying to raise £3.2m to restore it - there is an appeal here.  Thanks to Sian for very good CreateKX Newsletter on Arts in Kings Cross.

May 2008 LUNCHTIME RECITALS 1.15pm  ADMISSION FREE

Monday 12th
The London Festival of Contemporary Church Music (see Festival leaflet for more details) The Choir of St Pancras Church

Tuesday 13th 
The London Festival of Contemporary Church Music (see Festival leaflet for more details) London College of Music String Ensemble

Thursday 15th
The London Festival of Contemporary Church Music (see Festival leaflet for more details) Stephen Disley - organ

Friday 16th
The London Festival of Contemporary Church Music (see Festival leaflet for more details) The music of Diana Burrell - The Choir of St Pancras Church

22nd
Duetto Capriccio: Joseph Hughes - guitar and Drew Cyster – flute perform Tedesco's Sonatina, Takemitsu's Towards the Sea and Piazzolla's Histoire du Tango

29th
Felicity Vincent – cello and Dominic Saunders – piano perform music by Faure, Elgar and Mendelssohn

Official - Post Office at 100 Cally Road to CLOSE

I just received notice from Roger Corbett:

'The result has been announced today 07/05/08 - the closure will take place!...What a whitewash - what a sham of consultation. What a clueless business in disarray. I have asked Postwatch to intervene to force The Post Office to reply on individual points raised in my consultation submission. Whether they have the statutory teeth or the organisational stomach for a fight we shall have to wait and see.'

See previous post and comments here

Decision paper announces: Post Office® Caledonian Road (100) branch The main concerns expressed by respondents during local public consultation in relation to our proposal for this branch related to the potential impact the proposed closure might have on the community, with many respondents commenting that this branch is important for vulnerable people and as a social hub. Respondents also commented that Post Office® Caledonian Road (100) branch has easy access and a wide range of products and praised the staff for their efficient service. Respondents also noted that several major developments are planned for the King's Cross area, including student housing, offices and restaurants.

Post Office Limited received a petition in relation to this branch during the local public consultation, opposing the proposed closure. Post Office Limited has considered all responses received and a review of this proposal has been undertaken. The nearest alternative branch, Post Office® Kings Cross branch, is less than half a mile away. It offers extended opening hours and a wider range of products than Post Office® Caledonian Road (100) branch. It also has level access into the branch for customers with mobility constraints, including disabled and elderly customers, and is on a bus route. The next nearest branch, Post Office® Caledonian Road (320) branch, is approximately half a mile away. This branch also has level access for customers with mobility constraints, and is also on a bus route.

Taking these and all other relevant factors into account, including the needs of more vulnerable customers, Post Office Limited has decided to proceed with the closure of Post Office® Caledonian Road (100) branch.

Rimbaud and Verlaine in Kings Cross at 8 Royal College Street

We haven't covered much poetry on this site (to be fair there isn't much demand) but i was astonished to find that the enfants terrible of French poetry lived round the back of St Pancras in the 1870s at 8 Royal College Street.  It was a pretty grubby place then, but Rimbaud and Verlaine were a pretty grubby pair, according to Wikipedia:

'During their time together they led a wild, vagabond-like life spiced by absinthe and hashish.They scandalized the Parisian literary coterie on account of the outrageous behaviour of Rimbaud, the archetypical enfant terrible, who throughout this period continued to write strikingly visionary verse. Rimbaud's and Verlaine's stormy relationship took them to London in September 1872, Verlaine abandoning his wife and infant son (both of whom he had abused in his alcoholic rages). Rimbaud and Verlaine lived in considerable poverty, in Bloomsbury and in Camden Town, scraping a living from teaching and an allowance from Verlaine's mother. Rimbaud spent his days in the Reading Room of the British Museum where "heating, lighting, pens and ink were free."

Graham Henderson of Poet in the City is running a campaign to turn 8 Royal College Street into a cultural venue - especially given the huge numbers of French people one now bumps into in cafes in the area (mainly looking disappointedly at their coffee cup i find) Read about it here at 3am,  here at Poet in the City or drop Graham an email here if you feel you can help. 

We are always interested in other bits of Kings Cross literary history (non harry Potter) - drop me a line