When Grayson Perry produced his colourful and eccentric map of London, he marked Palmers Green with the words’ Joe Strummer lived here’. And indeed he did.
The days as a punk hero were long in the future when Joe Strummer, then simply John Mellor, public school educated diplomat’s son, moved into 18 Ash Grove with his friend Tymon Dogg. They christened the flat ‘vomit heights’ and proceeded to be riotous and not altogether considerate neighbours.
The writer Chris Salewicz knew Joe Strummer for over 25 years before his untimely death at the age of just 50 in 2002 and will be reading from his book Redemption Song, the definitive story of Joe Strummer and The Clash at the Big Green Bookshop next Tuesday, November 20th at 7pm. The event is free but donations are requested for refreshments. It’s a great opportunity to hear their fascinating story, and visit one of the best and most hardworking bookshops in North London.
For more about Joe Strummer in Palmers Green, click here
Did you encounter Joe Strummer when he lived in Palmers Green (or remember seeing evidence of his occupation in Ash Grove)? Tell us more!
Also coming soon at the Big Green Bookshop
Gavin Esler 4 December, Peter Serafinowicz 27 November. (we used to live next door to Peter Serafinowicz and can reveal he plays the Beatles and Elvis very loud at 3 in the morning….grrr)
Nominations open this week for North London and Herts Newspaper’s Gannets Restaurant of the year. Last year the award was won by Winchmore Hill/Bush Hill Park’s Masala Lounge. But is it really the best restaurant in Enfield.…..?
Is it better, for example, than Palmers Green’s Sole D’Oro, in new hands for a year now, friendly staff and wonderful bread that they will let you pre order to take away and pass off as your own creation if you ask nicely!
Or Rimini, not quite as cosy since they moved up the road, and often packed, but still a treat.
Or Bistro du Coin over on Southgate Green, delicious French food in a cosy atmosphere, and a great recipe for baked goat’s cheese that needs to be reinstated into the menu right now (not PG I admit, but it’s a lovely place to go for a bit of a treat).
Or Aladdin’s on Hoppers Road, unpretentious tasty curries, including a beautiful gingery Tarka Dall, or the more exotic Taste of Raj and Dipali on Alderman’s Hill.
Or Makun Minum, the fiery Malaysian on Winchmore Hill Broadway.
Or Simal’s fresh and plentiful Turkish food, cooked right in front of you by the genial chef, with staff who will give you the odd free lesson in Turkish pronunciation?
Surely it can’t be better than breakfast or afternoon cake with a view of the park, at Baskerville’s tea shop, now a proper Palmers Green Institution? It certainly isn’t better than the much missed Bombay Spice, which never won and is now gone……
The Gannets are asking for restaurant and eatery nominations now, and then the public will be asked to vote. After that the Gannets will visit the top three incognito and decide on the winners.
The Gannets don’t seem to make it south that often. But nominate one of our local restaurants and maybe they will venture this way again sometime soon, and give some of our great local eateries some publicity.
Nominations with your name, address, nominated restaurant and location, and reason for your nomination in not more than 20 words to Gannets Awards, North London and Herts Newspapers, 187 Baker Street, Enfield EN1 3JT. No email address given, and unfortunately they don’t mention a closing date for nominations, so do it soon eh?
Christmas officially began this afternoon with the formal switching on of the Christmas lights by the Mayoress of Enfield Kate Anolue and MP David Burrowes. We can exclusively reveal that Mr Burrowes is now sporting a 70s style Movember mustache. Unfortunately the photographic evidence came out all fuzzy, so you will just have to take our word for it.
The campaign against the waste incinerator at Pinkham Way has an unlikely new supporter. Sort of.
According to the latest communications from the Pinkham Way Alliance, a senior executive director of Veolia, one of the leading bidders for the contract, is reported to have remarked at a recent industry event, “I don’t think I’d want a waste facility near my home.” Apparently there is money to be made from putting one near ours though, eh?
This week, the Alliance published a new leaflet. If you are concerned about the plans for Pinkham Way, they ask you pass it on widely and “help us prevent what even the industry’s own leadership don’t want”.
If you would like to assist the Alliance with their campaign, we have loaded posted this article onto the Facebook page so that you can share it easily.
Ever wanted to be part of a real ghost investigation?
Lazy Hound Productions will be staking out Enfield’s Hop Poles tonight to see if George, the pub’s resident poltergeist, will put in an appearance. The ghost is said to be that of a pot boy who was killed on Lancaster Road over a hundred years ago. According to the site, the pub is scary enough for a Sky TV to have fled, leaving their equipment behind them.
The investigation begins at 9pm and participants will be provided with including Infrared Cameras, Digital Voice Recorders and EMF Meters. Those with a nervous disposition should not attend.
For further information, advice on last minute ticket availability and future events, call 07920 875840, email bookings@lazyhound.biz or call into The Hop Poles. For more scary videos visit http://www.lazyhound.biz/
Hear a spooky voice (or a creaking door) recorded at the Hop Poles here.
Its been a busy October for us Palmers Greeners. A few of the things we learned this month …
Enfield Council, together with the Broomfield House Trust and Friends of Broomfield Park put in a £4 million bid to the Heritage lottery fund to restore Broomfield House. There is a new website to accompany the bid. We should find out whether it has been successful in February 2013 … David Burrowes MP could be getting his edges tweaked in the new constituency boundary changes prop0sed by the Boundary Commission. The changes are currently subject to consultation … Theresa May announced that Palmers Green hacker Gary McKinnon will not stand trial in the US after a long national campaign. David Burrowes threatened to resign as PPS if McKinnon was extradited … Well over one thousand people in people in Enfield had already signed up to the petition about local control of GP services as part of the campaign being run by 38 Degrees – sign and view the latest total visit http://action.38degrees.org.uk/ccg_postcode. A meeting was held at the Harvester in Arnos Grove to discuss how to ensure the Clinical Commissioning Group being established for Enfield takes into account the wishes of local people …
Worried about neighbours building a sky scraper in their back garden and overshadowing your dahlias? Enfield Council said no how, no way, were they going to implement the government’s changes to the planning system, while in another part of the forest, delegates at the recent conference of Civic Voice also called on the government to scrap the proposals … The North West London Waste Authority began a charm offensive, with a stall in Morrisons and local leafleting. There, a massive incinerator on your doorstep at Pinkham Way doesn’t seem nearly as bad now, does it? …..
If you are planning a Sunday trip up town, First Capital Connect provide some advice on how you can get there in only an hour and a half – pretty much no direct trains to Kings Cross until Christmas on a Sunday, unless you get up early. ……. heading the other way up the railway line, a new farmers market opened at Crews Hill. Good reports so far and we wish them wellbut it is a little bit naughty to say on their website that they are the first and only farmers market in the borough of Enfield. It would be lovely if a few more people could visit our long established farmers market in Palmers Green – Sundays, station car park. There have been a few new stalls recently, and with more footfall it could expand further.
This month we also learned that …
Image reproduced by kind permission of James Birtwistle
in the old days, you could crash your plane into a roof in Palmers Green, and calmly smoke a cigarette before even bothering to climb down …. Myddleton Road was once paved with wood …. Southgate Town Hall is featured in the new Morse prequel Endeavour … The Duke of Chandos may once have lived at Broomfield House, and the Lanscroon murals currently reputed to be languishing in the basement of the Town Hall could have been created to impress a monarch. We also heard about the charms of the long gone Broomfield House Museum… but could it live again?
And finally
David Waumsley of the wonderful Palmers Green based Art Cove cards (sold by Anita at PG station cafe) challenged us to a Smiths lyrics stand off a la Chris Packham, and got bored before we did. I am sure that a common experience among PGJITN’s readers. Without the Smiths bit.
Anyway, enough wittering. If there is a topic you would like to write about, why not get in touch, especially if its about history and people? We would love to hear from you. There is a huge knowledge about Palmers Green out there … lets try and put it all together.
May November bring you great good fortune.
Sue, Palmers Green Jewel in the North
Coming soon
Friday 2 November Bob Mills at the Electric Mouse Comedy Club at the Fox. Ricky Grover will also be performing in December.
Sunday 4 November Preparing the Garden of Remembrance in Broomfield Park for Remembrance Sunday. If you have some time to come and help park staff, please come to the Garden between 10 and 12
Friday 9 November Big Green Bookshop Bookswap featuring special guest the Rev Richard Coles Great Northern Hotel Hornsey (new bigger venue for this regular event from the fantastic independent Wood Green bookshop)
Sunday 18 November Herbs and their uses at the conservatory Broomfield Park
The days as a punk hero were long in the future when Joe Strummer, then simply John Mellor, public school educated diplomat’s son, moved into 18 Ash Grove with his friend Tymon Dogg. They christened the flat ‘vomit heights’ and proceeded to be riotous and not altogether considerate neighbours.
