Bruce Grove
Bruce
Grove is the area that most people will have seen of Tottenham. For
the wrong reasons. You remember the big building on the corner that
was set fire to for the Tottenham Riots? That was in Bruce Grove. As
was the bus that was set alight. So it's a bad area, yes? Well, no,
I actually quite like it!!! There are a lot of good aspects about
the area. The main area is centered around Tottenham High Rd. This
road runs North-South, with a spur coming off it in the very centre
of Bruce Grove, which comes off it in a North-West direction, towards
Lordship Lane.
On
this road, there are a few types of shops. You have the usual chain
stores: Asda, Greggs, McDonald's, KFC, the usual banks, etc. And
then you have the independent shops, many of which are fantastic, and
99% of them owned and run by immigrants. There is a Reggae record
stall right near the station, African shops that sell indigenous food
(Snail on a stick, anyone?), a shop that sells some great Turkish
pizza, and some great restaurants, including an Italian, Thai,
Chinese, Vietnamese, Caribbean, Turkish and African restaurant. On
this road, I have had some of the greatest ever Caribbean Chicken
ever, (super fiery hot with amazing quality chicken and soaked in
tangy sauce, served with Caribbean rice) which was at a Caribbean
takeaway which was briefly based next door to The Elbow Room, and I
have been able to track down some great Cypriot food from some of the
Eastern European speciality shops that operate there. You only have
to take a stroll down the road to see exactly how multicultural
Tottenham is, and how much the richer it is for it. More details are
in this BBC piece on the area, and its diversity.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1044_ourstreet/index.shtml (Ironically enough, though, my love for many of the shops was thrown
into a bit of a quandary one day, by the BBC themselves, as I have
explained in an after note....)
However,
there are two shops that dominate the road. The worst offender
being betting shops. Even the local MP, David Lammy, has been on his
soapbox about it. Quite rightly too. There are too many of them.
"How many is too many?" you might say?" 4? Is 5 too
many? "People like to bet don't they, what's wrong with
betting shops?" Well, there are 38 of them in Tottenham. Within
a 6 mins walk, you can pass about 6 or 7 of them. And if I am being
honest, I have seen a deterioration of the area since they opened.
Local pub? Good place for a betting shop!! Local family business?
Ladbrokes will love that site!! I think this is the one factor
that is holding the area back the most. I have personally spoken to
about 6 bands who have come to Tottenham Hale to use the studios,
really liked it, and then decided to check out rental property in
Bruce Grove, as it seemed close to the studios, and they were
surprised by the quick transport links to the area. Sadly, all of
them, with no exceptions, said that the betting shops were an
eyesore. And you know what? They are! How many were interested in
renting in the area? 6. How many ended up renting? 0. All of
them had jobs, were nice people, and would redoubtably have spent
money in the local area. Such a shame.
The
other shop that is plentiful in the area are hairdressers, and
barbers. Tottenham, in general seems to be full of them. 30 or so,
at least. I think that they are really great, and add to the area a
lot. (Which I guess is ironic for a man who hasn't been to one in
nearly 15 years). Now, when looking at the effect that any shop can
have on an area, you can look at it from one of two different points
of view. The first one being from a cultural and community point of
view, i.e. a non economic point of view, which is just counting the
value that they add to the area, apart from a value that can be
measured in pound-sterling. For example, an Art gallery, as well as
giving people a chance to spend money in an area, and employing
people in it, are nice for an area. They give you something to look
at while passing, and can bring a bit of vibrancy to an area. I
believe that the betting shops detract from the culture and community
of the area, and take both money and the soul out of the community.
However, the barber shops, I think do the exact opposite. Walk past,
and, especially on a Friday and Saturday night, they seem to be
crammed, almost like they are a social club! I guess that, in a way,
they are. After all, if you don't drink, and don't want to be in a
drinking atmosphere, as many of the social clubs seem to have shut
down, there are not too many places where people can gather for
social reasons.
shit hole, was iok in the 60s
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