We’ve moved! Our new blog can be found at www.ilovemypostcode.com/blog. All our archives will remain here but all new posts will go up there from this point.
Check out our new post: Laura Kidd’s guide to SE24.
Rachel x
June 23, 2009
June 21, 2009
New i love my postcode pics revealed!
Rohan getting excited about SE10
We’ve spent the day chained to the laptop, with just Spotify and food from the mister to keep us going and we have:
- looked at 655 files
- edited and tweaked every one
- come up with a shortlist of 130
So, before we cut it down again and do some cropping and popping, we thought we’d give you a sneak preview…
Check out our flickr page to see ‘em!
The pics proper will be up on the site in a few days time. We can barely wait! Thanks to our lovely models and our awesome photographer. The cheque’s in the mail…
Rachel x
June 7, 2009
Sneaky Soho Peek!
This weekend we got out there with our camera in prep for next week’s p/shoot – and scouted locations in London. We’re going to be shooting in Soho, and we found some great spots.
The idea is themes, textures, colours to suggest ‘London’ and some hot bods shot against them. A few sneaky pics here of our backdrops to whet your appetite!
Blogspot
The other big news this w/e is that we’re having a blog upgrade, so we’ll be having a new blog address and a better look to the site. This is going on behind the scenes this week, so expect a new blog in the next couple of weeks. Hurrah, and goodbye to this dusty old grey style…
That’s it for now!
Rachel x
June 4, 2009
Poems by Postcode
Hello,
We recently had our attention brought to the delightful Pen Pusher magazine, a literary magazine full of top qual writing. Better still, they are running a Poems by Postcode writing competition at the moment for, er, poems about your postcode. Brilliant – so brilliant, we wished we’d thought of it first.
So, check out the site and the contest – entries in by July 3rd.
The winner gets published in Pen Pusher, plus (and this is the best bit) 2 tickets to Latitude festival and the chance to read their poem in the poetry tent (which as everyone knows is the place to be..). We’re going to Latitude, so we’ll be up on the front row for sure. Unless it clashes with the Pet Shop Boys of course. Or Saint Etienne. Or Bat for Lashes. Or Sean Hughes. Or… No, really, we’ll be there with bells.
Bye for now,
Rachel (W12)
May 26, 2009
Acton market, Revampit & new products..
Hello!
We hope you enjoyed the bank holiday weekend.. we sure did. On Friday & Saturday we were at Acton market, flogging our wares and taking part in our Make Your Mark in Markets shortlist place. We met some lovely people, including Sarah who runs Revampit – a cool fashion and housewares business. She designs and makes some super cool stuff, using vintage or secondhand fabric that she picks up around the place. So it looks good, is uber creative and is environmentally friendly all at the same time.
We were inspired by Sarah and her lovely things, and are hoping to work with her on some exciting new products for our range. Sssh for now… but more coming soon!
Next Tuesday we find out if we got lucky with the Make your Mark contest, and we’re going for drinks down at Parliament to celebrate. Don’t call us, as they say…
Oh and we’ll still looking for hot & lovely models for our photoshoot on 13th June, so if you’d like to be part of it just let us know.
Cheerio for now!
Rachel (W12)
May 19, 2009
Qype us!
Qype. We love it!
Whose heard of Qype? Well, it’s a pretty awesome site for finding cool stuff to do and places to be around London. They run sites for other cities too, but London is all we really care about.
Anyway, we’ve added ourselves up there. We now exist!
So, if you like what we do, feel free to check out our entry and say some nice things about us…
Er, and that’s it for now! We’re busy, busy, busy!
Rachel, x
May 8, 2009
Lindsey Phillips guide to NW8
The famous Abbey Road crossing in NW8
Local London and Urban Mums Blogger Lindsey Phillips has a thing for NW8. Here’s her guide:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode?
That’s a tough one. I love the panini’s at Bruno’s Deli, the Thai food at Bhan Thai, the Poppy Seed Bread and Brownie Chocolate fingers at Gail’s. My husband would most likely say the lamb at The Rotissere.
What’s the best smell in your postcode?
Freshly cut grass at Violet Hill Gardens
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do?
Let’s start south and work our way up. Grab a hot chocolate and apricot pastry at Maison Blanc then head to Wellington Park, kick back and enjoy the picturesque setting. Walk up the high street, check out the Cecilia Coleman Gallery. Then walk over to Abbey Road studios, act like a tourist and cross the Abbey Road crosswalk, stop to read a few of the messages scrawled by adoring Beatles’ fans outside the studio (maybe add your own?), and carry on up to Violet Hill Gardens. You may want to stop in for a treatment at Violet Hill Skincare, or perhaps just head straight to Bruno’s Deli for a panini and gelato. Finish the day with a visit to local (and renowned galleries) Ben Uri and Boundary Gallery.
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be?
The American School in London is based in NW8, so the area is a hot spot with Yanks. Our postcode would probably be somewhere on the East Coast of the USA.
What’s the best thing in your postcode?
It’s peaceful. It’s safe, and it’s very family-centred. It’s also home to some of the loveliest side streets and passages in London. Oh yes, and the Jubilee line stops here (which is one of the most reliable lines of the bunch!).
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say?
Hmm…my blogs are family-friendly…for fear of being blacklisted, I’ll have to pass! (We’ll let you off! Ed)
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you?
The 139 takes you from West Hampstead to Waterloo, via Baker Street, Bond Street, and Picadilly Circus.
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode?
None that I can think of, but it is home to several celebrities. And thanks to the Abbey Road Crosswalk and Abbey Road Studios, Beatles’ fans flock to pay homage.
Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv?
Due to celeb-stalking paparazzi, we see some of NW8 on gossip programmes/publications. Can’t recall a tv programme or film, however.
Trading up or trading down?
Depends on who you ask! Long-term residents will be up, as luxury property prices increased for the first time this month in over a year. Expats will most likely say trading down, as more firms are sending them home and stripping them of their once-generous expat packages.
Thanks Lindsey! Lindsey is an ex-pat American living in NW8, and she writes for Urban Mums and Your Local London.
Love where you live? Why not tell us about it! Email me: Rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
May 7, 2009
Where have we been hiding?
Hello people!
We’ve been so busy in the W12 studio that the blog has been a bit quiet the last few days, but fear not.. we have some great postcode guides on their way for you including a guide to NW8 and SE11. Just you wait!
So what’s been happening? Well, first off, we’ve been shortlisted for the Make Your Mark in Markets contest, which is brilliant news for us! We’ll be having a stall at Acton Market on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th of May, so come and say hello if you can.
We have also been busy running competitions with www.london-sel.co.uk and getting our mugs in The Hammersmith and Fulham Gazette.
We’re also planning a new photoshoot of the products for the website, which Jenny Lovel will be artfully directing and executing for us. We’re not too keen on the current ones, and we definitely need something better than this one of me flapping around. When I asked her if she’d do it she thought I said ‘nude photo shoot’ and she went very quiet. Understandably. But I definitely didn’t mean ‘nude’…
If you’d like to be involved and/or feature in our photos then please drop me a line. We’d love to have you!
There really will be some new products very soon too, so lots more to report shortly.
Hope everyone is well, and loving their postcode as usual!
Rachel (W12) rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
April 27, 2009
Krystal Coss’s guide to SE1
Krystal Coss has only gone and tackled the mammouth SE1. The jewel in the crown of our capital? You decide! Take it away Krystal…
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode?
For me it’s definitely the handmade Venison Tortelloni from the guy at the Fresh Pasta Company stall at Borough Market – yummy!
What’s the best smell in your postcode?
Either the bakery on Bermondsey Street or early lunch time at Borough Market on a Saturday when all the hot food stalls are pumping out a feast for the senses.
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do?
Three hours is simply not enough time to sample all the delights SE1 has to offer but if you move quickly you’ll get a decent taster. Assuming it’s a Friday or Saturday, start early and sample your way through Borough Market to fuel up and stock up on a few gourmet goodies – make sure you get some venison tortelloni from the Fresh Pasta Co and some Comte cheese from the Borough Cheese Co, if nothing else.
Pop in quickly to the Whisky Exchange inside nearby Vinopolis for a breathtaking selection of whisky (and rum & tequila) from around the world and grab a bottle for later- the expert guidance of the friendly staff and maybe even a sample or two will help you decide.
Then walk along the Thames to the Horniman Pub for a pint; make sure to get a plastic glass so you can take it with you. Stroll along the river past the HMS Belfast and see if there’s an art installation or any live music or theatre going on in the Scoop by City Hall.
Come back another day and have a lazy picnic and watch the world float past at the newly regenerated riverside park, Potters Fields, overlooking Tower Bridge (bring your own munchables or grab all you need from Borough Market or even the local M&S) but today you’re on a tight schedule so you’d best get a move on.
Pop over to Bermondsey Street for some quality, quirky clobber at Cockfighter and uber cool, ethical footwear from Terra Plana and then grab a quick refresher at either the Woolpack or the Garrison. Jump on the bus now and nip over to Borough High Street to check out a free film and some amazing Greek meatballs with tzatziki at Roxy Bar & Screen but be careful, if they have one of their locally famous events on (or you get started on the mojitos), you might just forget about whatever plans you had for the rest of the evening!
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be?
Definitely New York.
What’s the best thing in your postcode?
The diversity. We have such a mix of cultures and social groups here, it’s a microcosm of London all in one postcode. Oh and, because I’ve not been able to mention it yet, the Shunt Lounge, a private members’ art bar under London Bridge Station (but you can get in for free Wednesdays & Thursdays with a (free) London Bridge Deal Card. It’s everything you could want in a bar and so, SO much more. Don’t be surprised to see someone dangling from the ceiling or a mermaid flipping across the floor. Even the directions are fantastical: it’s the unmarked door between the two vending machines, near the entrance to the Vaults, underneath the station…
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say?
ooh, SE1, you’re just so, er, …big!
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you?
The RV1 is my favourite daytime bus route. It comes over Tower Bridge from the Tower of London and hits London Bridge, Borough Market, Tate Modern, Oxo Tower, the British Film Institute, the National Theatre, the London Eye, Waterloo station (for connections), the Strand & then finishes in Covent Garden. That’s a perfect day out right there!
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode?
Tons! Samuel Pepys’ diaries, Shakespeare, Dickens and about a million more, considerably more recent fiction and non-fiction are set in the area.
Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv?
All the time! Because we have so many major landmarks here – particularly London Bridge, Tower Bridge & the London Eye – there is always a film being shot somewhere in the area. London Studios is in the ITV Tower on Bankside too, which frequently films outside on its doorstep. Free audience tickets are an excellent and very cheap night out by the way- sometimes with free drinks too!
The ubiquitous aerial shot of any film set in London almost always includes at least part of SE1 and of course the shot of someone going over Tower Bridge is also very popular with location directors it seems. The following is just a random selection of films that have been shot in SE1 but the list really is endless:
- Bourne Ultimatum
Bridget Jones
Love Actually
First Knight
The Mummy Returns
Tomb Raider
Thunderbirds
Trading up or trading down?
Both! Whichever way you want to go – or sideways. Either way, once you’re here you won’t want to leave. We have incredibly high end, river view warehouse conversions that go for millions rubbing shoulders with quirky ex-local authority flats that can fit any budget and are still amazingly good value, particularly for zone 1. SE1 is definitely up, but still coming! (ooh er- should that have been in the ‘talk dirty’ section!)
Krystal Coss lives in a little flat on Tooley Street with her husband and mad cat. A self-proclaimed ‘recession redundancee’, until recently Krystal’s day job was an executive PA & event organiser for an asset management company (also in London Bridge) but now she is enjoying having more time to spend on freelance writing and seeking out the weird and wonderful. Originally from Canada she has lived here for over 11 years and in that time has seen smoking cut out tanks on Tower Bridge, and a number of odd things floating down the river including plastic polar bears and random foreign dignitaries.
Krystal? We salute you! You have distilled one of the awesomest (?) postcodes into a host of handy tips and hints – thank you.
Love your postcode? Email us and tell us why: rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
April 21, 2009
SE1 London Hoody Competition
We’ve teamed up with the lovely people at www.london-se1.co.uk to run a competition.
First prize wins a hoodie, Second prize wins a t-shirt.
Just visit this competition page, enter your details and answer the postcode related question. Hint: the answer is somewhere on our website!
We have SE1 answers to look forward to in but a couple of days… watch this space!
Rachel x
March 2, 2009
Jennifer Lovel’s SE3
We’re heading south now for Jenny Lovel’s guide to SE3:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode? Absolutely anything from the Farmers’ Market which is held every Sunday near the station. Local goats cheese on crispy black olive bread, washed down with an apple and beetroot juice. Amazing.
What’s the best smell in your postcode? The delicious smell of Thai food wafting from Laicram Thai at the top of my road.
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do? Ironically the best thing to do in my postcode is leave it… walking over the heath to Greenwich park and the Royal Observatory you see the most spectacular view of London laid out before you. It’s the kind of moment that reminds you why you love living here. You’d have to have breakfast at the Village Deli or Boulangerie Jade, browse in Sisters and Daughters and the secondhand book shops on your way to the heath.
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be? Yorkshire.
What’s the best thing in your postcode? The heath. It plays host to the most spectacular fireworks displays every year, the London Marathon starts here, and in the summer it’s the best place to go sunbathing.
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say? Ooh Blackheath baby you look so pretty and posh but I know deep down you’re as dirty as Lewisham.
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you? The 108 from North Greenwich to Stratford is quite edgy.
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode? Nathaniel Hawthorne lived here, and Isabel Wolff’s new book is set in Blackheath, so I’ve heard.Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv? The bookshop was in Spooks very briefly in a ‘wait.. is that…?’ then you’ve missed it kind of a way.
Trading up or trading down? Pardon?
Jenny Lovel has lived in Blackheath for eight years but still has no idea why the sign at the station says ‘htaehkcalB’. Find out more about SE3 at The Blackheath Bugle.
Want to tell us about your postcode? Email me: rachel@ilovemypostcode.com We’ll post your answers!
March 4, 2009
Rob Langham’s NW4
Back up north again, this time for Publisher Rob Langham’s NW4:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode? Sri Lankan hoppers (a kind of pancake) from the Prince of Ceylon on the A41
What’s the best smell in your postcode?
The freshly chopped raita at the Lahore Kebab House
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do?
Go to Brent Cross – the original shopping centre and homely in feel compared to the new theme park megaliths like Bluewater and Westfield
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be? On the fringes of Chemnitz (ex Karl Marx Stadt) in the former East Germany
What’s the best thing in your postcode?
Check out the Caspian Food gallery on Vivian Avenue – a grocers with artistic pretensions
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say?
Too tongue tied I’m afraid
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you? The 83 – all day and all of the night to Wembley Stadium
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode?
The graveyard of St.Mary’s Church is the model for the one depicted in Dracula by Bram Stoker
Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv? The 1966 England World Cup Winners stayed in Hendon during the tournament
Trading up or trading down?
The area has received a new lease of life with an influx from Poland, Slovakia and other easterly parts. It remains unremarkable however.
Thanks Rob!
March 18, 2009
Terry Clague’s E3
Book man Terry Clague has claimed E3. Here’s what he’s got to say:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode?
Aside from Sticky Toffee Pudding at my house, you’d be hard pressed to beat The Orange Room Cafe (63 Burdett Road) which contrasts with Jarvis Cocker’s lament about the area on the Trainspotting Soundtrack. I’m yet to taste better Kofte in the UK
What’s the best smell in your postcode?
Certainly “George’s Plaice” day in, day out knocking out quality seafood on Roman Road adds tremendously to the armomatic competition on offer in the locale.
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do?
Naturally – go for a walk! You can wander along the regents canal, stopping for a pint at the wonderful Palm Tree pub which hasn’t really joined the social networking age. If you manage to tear yourself away then you can have a climb on Mile End climbing wall and then ponder the signifance of the various street names of Welsh origin in the area whilst you enjoy the Georgian magnificence of Tredegar Square.
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be?
On a t-shirt, or perhaps a natty pair of pants.
What’s the best thing in your postcode?
This depends upon the time the question is asked and answered, but I particularly like Aberavon Road. There’s also the well and truly saved Bancrofty Library:
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say?
Eeee Three, what I wouldn’t do to thee
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you?
277 – starting off in Canary Wharf – a location which is only worth looking at from a distance, the bus trundles along though Limehouse (you might hop off and enjoy Sunday lunch – if you can get a table! – at The Grapes, 76 Limehouse Street). If not, there’s the aforementioned Orange Room for some dinner. Sit on the top deck and enjoy views of Parks Mile End and Victoria. London’s trendy South Hackney awaits where you can sample a variety of shops selling things noone really needs – a sure sign of a gentrified area. You’ll make it to Hackney just in time to enjoy some of an area that has given Iain Sinclair enough material to write an entire volume about his postcode! Then there’s the seriously fashionable Dalson with the likes of Visions Video Bar in which you can quickly measure your own trendiness. Given you’re likely disappointment with the outcome, get back on board and wait until the end of the route at Highbury and Islington tube where a different world awaits.
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode?
This is where the internet facilitates my telling you that last year The Arts Council granted Peter Akinti £5K to write a novel – apparently set in Bow about the “relationship between a Nigerian father and his British-born son”.
Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv? The Palm Tree on Haverfield Road (but really in Mile End Park) has surely featured in a number of films (possibly Face starring Damon Albarn) but certainly featured in an advert for Channel 4 / More 4 which was a pub quiz compromising teams from both channels including John Snow and Tony Robinson. Tredegar Square was used in the BBC’s adaptation of The Line of Beauty but I didn;t see any of that.
Trading up or trading down?
Trading places
Thanks Terry. Want to tell us about your postcode? Email me: rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
March 6, 2009
Meg Pickard’s SW14
We’re venturing South again now for Meg Pickard’s SW14:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode? It’s a close-run thing between breakfast at one of the greasy spoons on Sheen Lane and Kaffe und Kuchen on Upper Richmond Road, but you just can’t go wrong with cake, can you? So basically, anything at the Viennese-style Cafe Strudel
What’s the best smell in your postcode? The most notable smell in the postcode is of hops: SW14 is the home (for now – it’s closing down after several centuries in operation) of the Stag Brewery, where they currently brew Budweiser (which provides the local joke: “Can you smell them brewing the beer at the Mortlake brewery from your house?” “No, but I can hear them squeezing the cats”). On still, warm days, the smell of hops lies stickily over the area, and taints clothes hanging outside to dry. So perhaps not the best smell, but certainly very characteristic.
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do? Start at Ye White Hart, on The Terrace by the river Thames, and have a drink before wandering along the towpath to The Ship, another pub, at the finishing line for the Oxford & Cambridge boat race every year. Then cut inland through the brewery alley, and walk up Sheen Lane, taking time to browse in the shops on Upper Richmond Road and grab a coffee at Strudel (or any of the other dozen cafes) on the way. As you walk past the million pound houses at Parkside (the top of Sheen Lane), see if you can spot any celebrities – then emerge into Richmond Park (Sheen Gate entrance), where there are usually deer in the field immediately on your right.
(NB: if you come, do so by train to Mortlake or Barnes Bridge stations, or by bus from Hammersmith, Richmond or Putney – parking is impossible and the South Circular is a nightmare)
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be?Neighbouring postcodes would probably talk about themselves as being villages in genteel rural areas, but not SW14. It reminds me of nicer bits of medium-sized cities or big towns – Bristol, Edinburgh, Harrogate – being fairly well-mannered and busy, but mostly residential and with a wide range of house prices and sizes, though all of a similar vintage (mostly early 20th century).
What’s the best thing in your postcode? Richard Burton, famed explorer, translator and all-round victorian eccentric adventurer is buried in St Mary’s churchyard – this in itself is not remarkable, but the fact that he’s buried in a stone mausoleum crafted in the shape of a big bedouin tent is quite bonkers and most unexpected in leafy SW London
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say? We’re not like that round here. We’d be more likely to wax lyrical about how Marvellous Mortlake nestles snugly in the cleavage between the proud bosoms of Kew and Barnes, lightly caressed every day by the river and tickled on the underside by the dirty south circular. Most unlike all those boatrace-watching oxbridge oiks who only manage to come once a year.
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you? There are quite a few buses which run up and down Upper Richmond Rd (the south circular), but the best bus in the area – and, indeed, in London – is the mighty 209, which goes from Mortlake Bus Station (= patch of concrete on which two buses can park) at the end of Avondale Rd, through Barnes and up Castelnau to Hammersmith Bus Station. And back again. And because it’s got such a short route, it’s never late, rarely delayed, there are loads of buses on the route and it becomes the defacto Mortlake Shuttle service, ferrying people to the tube at Hammersmith.
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode? Not as far as I know, though the area is home to loads of writers and people who work in media (my lovely neighbour Dan is a BAFTA winner, for example), so I wouldn’t be too surprised if it showed up in something sooner or later. It may also show up in a biopic of various minor celebs at some point – there are quite a few around, though I think they’d prefer to think of themselves as actors, journalists and presenters rather than celebs.
Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv? Every time the bloody boatrace is on? Does that count? Actually, much cooler then mere telly is the fact that SW14 is on the flight path into Heathrow, about 2 minutes from landing. That means that residents flying into London get a great view of the area just before landing – if you’re picking your seat, it’s usually best to sit on the left side for the optimum view of Mortlake, East Sheen and Richmond Park. It’s like your own personal episode of Coast.
Trading up or trading down? Cheaper than both Barnes and Kew/Richmond. The Mortlake end is like a holding area for people on their way up to bigger and better properties – none of the houses are very big, so it tends towards singles and couples. East Sheen, on the other hand, is much more family-friendly, and the houses get bigger and more expensive as you crawl away from the river.
Meg Pickard is a longtime west Londoner, but has been living in SW14 with husband (Paul) and cat (Pickle) for six years since she realised that it didn’t really count as south London if cabs were still happy to take you there after midnight. She works for a national newspaper, blogs at meish.org, takes a lot of pictures and only occasionally gets woken up these days by the planes when they start going over at 4.30am
Thanks Meg. We love your blog at postcode HQ.
Love your postcode? Email me: rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
March 12, 2009
Hannah Cooper’s W6
Hannah Cooper takes us westside, for her take on W6:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode? Tapas from Los Moulinos next to Brook Green
What’s the best smell in your postcode? Daffodils on Brook Green in spring; my housemate’s baking the rest of the year
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do? Go on a Sunday – start with a quick look round the vintage clothing fair at Hammersmith Town Hall, then depending on weather, head down King Street for a walk by the river or try and catch a short matinee at the Lyric. Finish with a pit stop at Brook’s cafe on Shepherd’s Bush Road before crossing the border for an evening in W12
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be? In reality, a village of faded Victorian grandeur somewhere in the south of England, cut up by a flyover. But in spirit, eastern Europe.
What’s the best thing in your postcode? The range of decent eateries
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say? Come on Hammersmith, ditch that yummy mummy facade – you know you love straddling Shepherd’s Bush…
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you? 295 – Ladbroke Grove to Clapham Junction. Think there are also some that go norf via Kensington, which could show you a good time
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode? Hmm, not that I can think of – but I’m sure a lot of Austen characters had fast weekends around Chiswick and Hammersmith
Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv? Only in the boat race coverage.
Trading up or trading down? Shepherd’s Bush is both in terms of trendiness and streets respectively
Hannah Cooper lives on the W6/W12 borders and spends her working life in SE1.
Thanks Hannah! Love your postcode? Email me your answers to rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
March 9, 2009
Laura Porter’s E17
Laura Porter has snaffled the infamous E17 – hurrah! Here’s what she has to say:
1. What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode? Cinar on St. James’s Street does a yummy Turkish pizza.
2. What’s the best smell in your postcode? Zuma smoothies in Selbourne Mall smell fruity and fresh. The scented garden in Lloyd Park smells lovely at some times of the year.
3. I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do? It’s Lloyd Park all the way. Visit the William Morris Gallery to start, then nip into the back garden (Lloyd Park) to see an aviary, a moat full of swimming birds, bowling greens, tennis… Yes, more than you thought, isn’t there? Plus the Changing Rooms Gallery and the Aveling Park skate park down the back.
4. If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be?I don’t think you can find this kind of diverse mix outside of London.
5. What’s the best thing in your postcode?>After my house, Lloyd Park. And the community feel.
6. Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say? I don’t think that kind of thing should be encouraged. It’s dirty enough around here. 7. Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you? ‘Best’ may be taking it a bit far, but the 158 takes me between Stratford and Chingford and I used it in both directions last week. 8. Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode? All books about William Morris give Walthamstow a credit.
9. Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv? I saw “It was an Accident” at the old cinema before it closed down then had a drink in the Cock Tavern on the High Street afterwards as it was in the film. Then a fight broke out so we left
10. Trading up or trading down? Constantly changing but happy as it is.
Laura has lived in Walthamstow since the band East 17 got famous (so that’s a long time now) and writes the About.com London Travel website and blog. Find her at: http://golondon.about.com
Thanks Laura! If you love your postcode, email us: rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
March 16, 2009
Zoe Botterill’s N16
Legal Eagle Zoe Botterill spills her secrets on the hallowed N16:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode?
Thai food at Yum Yums. Truly yum yum!
What’s the best smell in your postcode?
Coffee and kebab! There are loads of great Turkish coffee shops, restaurants and kebab houses. Something on offer for every hour of the day.
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do?
Mooch along church street, walk through clissold park and get yourself down to Dalston market.
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be?
Somewhere hot preferably with a beach.
What’s the best thing in your postcode?
The people – it’s the real mix that makes N16 so loveable. I think that we also believe that because we don’t have a tube it is our own little secret hideaway.
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say?
Ooo N16 you tease you, hovering between your Hackney roots and your close border with Islington. You don’t have to choose: you can be everything and anything you want to be baby.
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you?
Would have to be the 73. It takes an age but goes from Stokie through to Victoria station taking in Angel, Bloomsbury and Oxford Street. There is even a shop named after it on Church St.
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode?
Not to my knowledge although I know Mary Wollstonecraft hailed from Newington Green and could well have written a Vindication of the Rights of Women while resident.
Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv? On a few murky-for-TV-only cop dramas and I think Amy Winehouse filmed one of her videos in Abney Park Cemetry.
Trading up or trading down?
Up if you believe the “Olympic effect” hype.
Thanks Zoe! Love N16? Check out our t-shirts and babygrow just for the N16 crowd which you can buy online or at the Of Cabbages & Kings shop in N16.
Love your postcode? Email us your answers to: rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
March 29, 2009
Helen Mahoney’s W5
W5: 
History teacher Helen Mahoney lets us in on the highlights of W5:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode?
Pizzas at Pizza on the Green – family run, fabulous Italian on Haven Green.
What’s the best smell in your postcode?
Daffodils on Ealing Green in March.
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do?
Well, I would start by taking a walk through Walpole Park, sampling a guest ale at the Red Lion and then perhaps a long lunch at Joie de Vivre on St Mary’s Road.
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be?
The moon. (eh? Ed)
What’s the best thing in your postcode?
Well it was the comedy night at Ealing Studios until the studios decided that they needed their studio back!
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say?
I’m a teacher! (well, you’ll be even dirtier then! Ed)
What’s the best bus route in your postcode?
The 65 to deliver me to Kew Gardens or sunny Richmond.
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode?
We get a mention in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, no less!Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv? But of course! Ealing comedies so lots of cameos for the old place.
Trading up or trading down? I used to live in Roehampton….. This is heaven.
Thanks Helen! Love your postcode? Email us and tell us why: rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
March 26, 2009
New products: sneak preview
There are plans afoot for some new items… so we got some samples, got out the camera and here are the results. We’ve mocked up some different items, so take a look at them and let us know what you think!
First up is a new girls over-the-head hoodie in kelly green, which we’ve sourced from Continental Clothing. What do you think? We’ve got a men’s one in chocolate brown and olive green too, which we’ll post up in a few days time.
We’ve also got this new vest, also from Continental, in black. It’s not ribbed, like the one we currently offer, and so the screenprint works better. I screenprinted N4 on the sample below. Let us know what you think: rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
March 31, 2009
Jane’s N7
Jane's London
London blogger Jane gives us her version of N7:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode?
I think a lot of people would agree that is has to be anything from Crystal’s on Holloway Road. It’s open 22 hours a day and no-one has a bad word to say about the place. My personal favourite dishes are the shish kebabs and the really good value for money kleftico. It is never without a queue for take-aways and there’s always a steady stream of cars and cabs stopping. And the no-frills restaurant at the back is always busy.
What’s the best smell in your postcode?
Nothing special comes to mind that would be particular to the postcode.
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do?
3 hours? Is that all?! OK, let’s assume it’s a Saturday morning. You could get sporty at the Sobell Centre and perhaps have a game of squash or a trampolining class. Then you could bag some great bargains at Nag’s Head market and surrounding shops – if you can’t buy it in Holloway then you really don’t need it. If shopping’s not your thing you could go to Freightliner’s Farm in Paradise Park, or just sit and people watch at one of the many cafés and pubs. And then, if you really must leave the area then it’s quick and easy to walk or get a bus to to other good areas in North London such as Upper Street, Camden, Crouch End, Stoke Newington, Highgate, or Crouch End.
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be?
It’s so cosmopolitan, it really could only be in North London; there is a stretch of cafés and restaurants opposite the university buildings Holloway Road where you can find the cuisines of countries as diverse as Colombia, Russia, India, China, Mexico, Chile, Thailand and Georgia
What’s the best thing in your postcode?
It’s lack of pretense and all the down-to-earth friends I have made.
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say?
Lower Holloway, lower. Further down. Yeah, just there, in your hollow way. Take me to Paradise Park. Show me your animal side.
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you? There are too many good bus routes, radiating in all directions. The little 153 that runs between Liverpool Street to Finsbury Park has to be the most quirky. The drivers think they are in charge of a fairground ride.
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode?
Nick Hornby’s wonderful High Fidelity is about a Holloway record shop owner and his relationship problems. I always think of it when I see DOC Records shop in Cardwell Road.
The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith has to be one of my all-time favourite books. Mr Pooter and his family live at “The Laurels,” Brickfield Terrace, Holloway. There has been much speculation over the years as to exactly which part of Holloway Road Brickfield Terrace might have been set in. There is mention of “a flight of ten steps up to the front door” and “a nice little back garden which runs down to the railway”. I think this description of the house is an amalgam of many houses in the area. Personally, I like to imagine it to be at the southern end of the road, near the library. And, seeing as 75% of the Holloway Road is in N7 and there are no places where any house along the Holloway Road could possible back onto a railway line, I would therefore like to claim “Diary of a Nobody” as a Holloway N7 book. This means I am probably upsetting some N19 residents who would claim that the Pooter house was further up the hill, nearer Wedmore Street, Upper Holloway.
Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv?
In ‘Fiction Corner’ representing excellent comedy, the ‘Spaced’ house can be found in Carleton Road. 
I trawled the streets for months trying to spot that castellated roof and was so pleased when I found it. It’s a very distinctive façade.
And in the ‘Fact Corner’ ITV recently began as series about Holloway women’s prison on Parkhurst Road. Perhaps they’ll cover Pentonville Prison for men next, as that’s only 5 minutes away, down Caledonian Road.
Trading up or trading down? Neither. Holloway seems to have always occupied a middle ground. Happy to be an average, dependable little island, hemmed in by other self-promoting postcodes. Long may it last.
Thanks Jane! Catch up with her blog at www.janeslondon.com and see her pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/janepbr/sets/
Love your postcode? Email us: rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
April 3, 2009
New men’s hoodie.. preview
Check out Pete modelling a couple of samples for us. Here is the vintage over-the-head hoodie from Continental in chocolate brown, and the khaki green regular over-the-head. The jury is out on whether we’ll order these in, so let us know what you think!
April 15, 2009
E5 by the Shopfront blogger
London shopfront blogger Emily Webber bagsys E5. Here’s what she has to say:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode?
It has to be breakfast in Springfield Park Cafe. A great breakfast in (or outside
depending on the weather) a listed building in this lovely park that
overlooks Walthamstow Marshes.
What’s the best smell in your postcode?
Fresh cut grass in Hackney marshes in the summer
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do?
A walk along the canal to Springfield Park for a laid back brunch and
a smoothie – or pasta in Parioli Italian Store, a browse around Pages of Hackney independent bookshop and a pint in Biddle Bros pub.
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be?
That’s a bit hard because I have always lived in London, and it has a
big place in my heart; but I have a soft spot for Berlin.
What’s the best thing in your postcode?
The great sense of community and the love that people have for the
area, people that live in Clapton love it (like local Guardian
journalist Dave Hill) the local community also come together under the banner of the Clapton Pond Neighbourhood Action Group and make the place safer and generally prettier (they were responsible for the pond renovation).
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say?
Clapton is filthy enough without me adding to it.
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it
take you?
The one with the biggest iconic status is the 38, which used to be a
routemaster and terminates it’s route behind Clapton Pond, it is now a
bendy bus and ends on the Lea Vally Roundabout. It goes from Clapton
Pond to Victoria station, via Angel and the west end.
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode?
Iain sinclair’s Latest book That Red Rose Empire is set around Hackney
and features Clapton, I’m not sure if there are any specific to just
E5 itself.
Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv?
A quick google tells me:
Sixty Six (Paul Weiland, 2006) Kings Hall Leisure Centre, Lower
Clapton Road (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0493450/) and a couple of music videos:
Bryan McFadden ‘Real to Me’ The Roundchapel, Lower Clapton Road: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDJXUNiPVqs
Oasis ‘Hey Lyla’ The Roundchapel, Lower Clapton Road
Trading up or trading down?
Well E5 is no longer living up to it’s nickname of ‘Murder Mile’ so
things are on the up!
Thanks Emily. Check out Emily’s Shop Front blog: www.LondonShopFronts.com and you can follow her on twitter at www.twitter.com/ewebber
April 19, 2009
What’s gone & what’s left…
Our little postcode Q&A has been going for a few weeks now, so it seemed like a good time to check where we’ve covered.
Ok, so for the north we’ve had N6 and N7, N10 and NW4 for those northwesters.
Eastside, we’ve had E3, E5 and E17, and in the South we’ve had SE3 and SW14.
Westside we’ve had W6 and W12.
So, plenty more postcodes to cover – in fact nearly 110 of the things. Love your postcode? Get in touch and tell us why! Rachel@ilovemypostcode.com
April 17, 2009
Eric Gordy’s N10
Eric Gordy takes us way up high to N10, otherwise known as Muswell Hill:
What’s the best thing to eat in your postcode?
I think Muswell Hill has a reputation as something of what we Americans would call a “gourmet ghetto.” But I am not sure this distinguishes it from other areas of London, and in any case when we feel like wonderful cheap cuisine we will usually head over to another post code, to Green Lanes for delicious and cheap Turkish. But top of the list of favourites here would have to be Toff’s fish and chips on Muswell Hill Broadway.
What’s the best smell in your postcode?
No contest: the coffee roasting on Sundays at W Martyn.
I have 3 hours in your postcode. What do I do?
Stroll the parks — if you are in Alexandra Park on Sunday you can stock up at the farmers market too. Keep your head lowered on Muswell Hill Broadway and on Fortis Green for a view of the massive collection of miniature masterpieces by Ben Wilson (aka the Chewing Gum Man). Swallow your pride and have a coffee at Starbucks, where if you sit on the balcony you have one of the best London views there is.
If your postcode wasn’t in London, where would it be?
I always compare it to Seattle. Just imagine that the trees are a lot bigger and that there are mountains and ocean around. This works best if you stand near the fishmongers.
What’s the best thing in your postcode?
Many species in the family enjoy the very dog-friendly Famous Royal Oak pub. Beer and samosas for the bipedal, water and scraps of ham for the quatropedal.
Talk dirty to your postcode. Go on… what would you say?
Oh, for heaven’s sake. I have spent the last half hour thinking of different comic turns on “Crouch End.” Which is N8, piffle. (Ed: Good effort, we applaud you!)
Best bus route in your postcode. Where does it start and where does it take you?
The W7 runs between Muswell Hill Broadway and Finsbury Park, passing as many places where you would like to stop to eat as can be imagined.
Has anyone written a book about/set in your postcode?
Most loved: the Kinks’ album “Muswell Hillbillies.”
Most horrifying: the (banned) memoir by local serial killer Dennis Nilsen.
Have you seen your postcode in a film or on tv?
Muswell Hill was the site of RW Paul’s British Film Studio, which produced silent films, mostly comic, from 1898 to 1910.
Trading up or trading down?
There’s nowhere to go but down.
Thanks Eric! When Eric is not munching his away around Muswell Hill, he’s teaching South East European Politics at UCL. Makes a man hungry, I bet.
Love your postcode? Tell us why! Rachel@ilovemypostcode.com