Upton Park revisited

It all felt a bit like being Charles Ryder returning to Brideshead... Had a good look around our old manor after the Tony Carr book signing at the Newham Bookshop on Saturday. The Boleyn Ground has now been replaced by a monstrous carbuncle of flats. Ken's Cafe, alas, is now Bad Boyz Diner, while our pub of (bad) dreams, the Central, is being refurbished as flats and retail (as my pal Lisa points out they always did have retail if you count the woman selling dodgy dvds). Better news is that the Boleyn has lost its sticky carpet and is now a splendid Victorian boozer with excellent beers.

Ken's Cafe is no more

This is a sad sight on Green Street, Ken's Cafe is now closed and has lost its famous sign. Carol and Ken have retired and the venue of legends is no more. It felt a bit like being Indiana Jones finding the ruins of a lost civilisation. Or as Wordsworth might have put it: "Where is it now the vision and the gleam, the egg chips and beans?"

My recent visit to the Newham Bookshop also allowed me to explore the new housing development on the site of the Boleyn Ground. Perhaps it will be slightly better when it's finished, but it's basically just a monolith block of flats dominating the road where the John Lyall Gates used to stand. Slightly better news is that the Boleyn pub is being restored by a Remarkable Pubs and its listed Victorian features will still be seen in all their glory. Though strangely enough the beer-soaked carpet isn't included in the renovation. 

Goodbye to Boleyn, hello Upton Gardens

Recently took a trip to Green Street and had a look at the site of the old Boleyn Ground. A sad moment. Upton Gardens is looking just like every other development around Stratford and Docklands, all a bit monolithic at the moment. At least there will be a Lyall House and Paynter House, but suffice to say I won't be rushing to buy a flat there…