Blue-collar aesthetics and intermittent hipsterism

If you bump into some American tourists in Deptford High Street asking you the way to the Amersham Arms, you can thank the travel section of the New York Times.

No, unlike Brockley Central's story about anarchist barricades in Wickham Road (untrue I'm afraid) this isn't an April Fools prank - that was Wednesday. In an article 'New Cross and Deptford Attract the Hip' (22 March), NYT really does tells its readers 'The coming of New Cross and Deptford has been predicted for some time. It won’t be an easy ride. The area lies in an inglorious corner of southeast London; those with well-cushioned sensibilities need not make the journey. But with the unpolished location comes that most heady of urban ingredients: an edge. For now, these neighboring districts still feel more like eccentric outposts than uncut diamonds'.

Priceless. Along the way the Amersham Arms, Goddard's pie and mash, Bar Alchemy, the Bunker Club, The Deptford Project and the Royal Albert all get mentioned. I must take issue with the claim that the latter 'has been salvaged from the remains of one of the area’s most notorious dives'. That was The Paradise Bar, birthplace of the New Cross musical explosion way back in the early 21st century!

The article concludes 'Until the well-washed masses start arriving in larger numbers, this still feels a bit like London’s Wild West (southeast, actually), a boisterous concoction of blue-collar aesthetics and intermittent hipsterism. Perhaps some of the chaos will make it to the other side'.

Hmmm. Actually I think you'll find that we are already familiar with soap and hot water thank you very much. As for 'the coming of New Cross and Deptford', they have actually been around for quite a few hundred years already. (see also New Cross - New Shoreditch).