London in the 80s/90s

[Butts]

I worked for Ladbroke Entertainments / Top Rank Clubs in the early to mid-eighties.

We had Bingo Clubs in some of the most salubrious areas of London - Poplar, Peckham, Hackney, Islington, Shepherds Bush, Kilburn and East Ham amongst others.

My first club as a Manager was Ladbrokes in Mare Street Hackney long before that area had become gentrified.

Staff retention was a problem particularly after raids by HM Immigration which were a regular feature of life at the time.

East India Dock Road where the Poplar Club was situated was certainly different - the dogs wore crash helmets and milk floats had rear gunners.

Imagine going into a Café and asking for a double macchiato - you'd have been asked to "pick a window"

Being young I never felt frightened even getting a tube from Bethnal Green late at night.

 

[yorksrob]

I remember visiting in the 1980's, and there seemed to be an Angus Steakhouse on every corner.

 

[Pinza-C55]

I remember travelling down to London for a job interview in January 1980 near the Angel I think and I walked there from King's Cross after admiring my Deltic steed which had hauled me.
The area between King's Cross and Angel as far as I remember was a sort of post apocalyptic landscape and I had a pocket transistor radio with "Food For Thought" by UB40 playing which seemed to set the tone for the walk as Thatcher had started to cast a dark cloud over the UK. I didn't get the job.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Feb 2023 ==

Apart from the site in Ludgate Hill, reserved for Fleet Line tunnelling that never happened, bomb sites had gone from the central area.

My memory of railways in the early 80s was travelling from Broad Street to Highbury and Islington gor evening classes. Travelling out on a Watford service would be busy but coming back at about 21:30 seeing 2 other passengers would mark it as a busy night.

At weekends free on-street parking was widespread and easy to find. I recall driving to Liverpool Street to pick up my children.

I don't rember feeling unsafe anywhere.

I lived in Pimlico from 1991 to 2000 and there was a street of houses there which were just a facade held up by beams and totally destroyed behind and overgrown with years of weeds. I don't know whether it was a bomb site but eventually it was demolished and rebuilt in a similar but cheaper style.

 

[Cloud Strife]

One thing I can say about pubs and London: even in the early 2000s, there were still plenty of pubs with 'characters' around. Now it's very rare to come across a genuinely rough pub where kids aren't welcome and where fights are a regular part of Friday night entertainment.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

One thing I can say about pubs and London: even in the early 2000s, there were still plenty of pubs with 'characters' around. Now it's very rare to come across a genuinely rough pub where kids aren't welcome and where fights are a regular part of Friday night entertainment.

One thing I can say about pubs and London: even in the early 2000s, there were still plenty of pubs with 'characters' around. Now it's very rare to come across a genuinely rough pub where kids aren't welcome and where fights are a regular part of Friday night entertainment.

Indeed - many "proper" pubs in Wandsworth where I had a good mate , so a visit to to some of the local pubs was enjoyable , when the piano would be struck up and good alcohol fulled sing songs (past closing time) would be common. Good age mix as well. Good job there was a sparse, if reliable night bus service to get you home , or the direction of it.

Some of the old girls singing away , had probably been around not long after the Blitz. Would not get that today. Sundays were always a bit special -free snacks at lunchtime - none of your pretentious tapas - crusty bread and cheese , bit of "cockerney" seafood. Glad I witnessed this in the 1980's.

"Meat raffles .......some of it may not have been bought !!!!

 

[Butts]

Indeed - many "proper" pubs in Wandsworth where I had a good mate , so a visit to to some of the local pubs was enjoyable , when the piano would be struck up and good alcohol fulled sing songs (past closing time) would be common. Good age mix as well. Good job there was a sparse, if reliable night bus service to get you home , or the direction of it.

Some of the old girls singing away , had probably been around not long after the Blitz. Would not get that today. Sundays were always a bit special -free snacks at lunchtime - none of your pretentious tapas - crusty bread and cheese , bit of "cockerney" seafood. Glad I witnessed this in the 1980's.

And the aroma of Rothmans and Bensons added to the ambience

 

[Mag_seven]

For a feel of what London was like in the 80s, watch old episodes of "The Sweeney" or "Minder".

 

[ChiefPlanner]

And the aroma of Rothmans and Bensons added to the ambience

Bit posh that - well , maybe acquired fags from a "road accident"..........No 6 probably the norm.

 

[Butts]

For a feel of what London was like in the 80s, watch old episodes of "The Sweeney" or "Minder".

Made by Euston Films for Thames Television - all the main protagonists sadly passed on

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Made by Euston Films for Thames Television - all the main protagonists sadly passed on

Denis Waterman's Dad of course , was an RPI based at Clapham Junction , to restore some railway context to the thread.

One morning I bumped into the team filming at Euston - a good experience , enlivened by a brief chat and thanks to them , I got a free bacon sarnie off the catering team. Good stuff. Great TV - miss Thames TV a lot, - the Sweeney was the highlight discussion of our 6th form of a morning, - not just for the shots of Battersea Yard !

 

[yorksrob]

Indeed - many "proper" pubs in Wandsworth where I had a good mate , so a visit to to some of the local pubs was enjoyable , when the piano would be struck up and good alcohol fulled sing songs (past closing time) would be common. Good age mix as well. Good job there was a sparse, if reliable night bus service to get you home , or the direction of it.

Some of the old girls singing away , had probably been around not long after the Blitz. Would not get that today. Sundays were always a bit special -free snacks at lunchtime - none of your pretentious tapas - crusty bread and cheese , bit of "cockerney" seafood. Glad I witnessed this in the 1980's.

"Meat raffles .......some of it may not have been bought !!!!

I go to some non-league football games that still have a meat raffle !

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I go to some non-league football games that still have a meat raffle !

Indeed. Harrogate Town certainly used to so, in their pre EFL days.

 

[yorksrob]

Indeed. Harrogate Town certainly used to so, in their pre EFL days.

Atherton Collieries definitely still do.

 

[Pinza-C55]

Indeed - many "proper" pubs in Wandsworth where I had a good mate , so a visit to to some of the local pubs was enjoyable , when the piano would be struck up and good alcohol fulled sing songs (past closing time) would be common. Good age mix as well. Good job there was a sparse, if reliable night bus service to get you home , or the direction of it.

Some of the old girls singing away , had probably been around not long after the Blitz. Would not get that today. Sundays were always a bit special -free snacks at lunchtime - none of your pretentious tapas - crusty bread and cheese , bit of "cockerney" seafood. Glad I witnessed this in the 1980's.

"Meat raffles .......some of it may not have been bought !!!!

My favourite pub used to be the St James Tavern in Picadilly Circus. When I first started using it in 1980 it had sawdust on the floor, actual working gas lamps inside and ripped leather seats plus a live Irish band one day a week. Coupled with the the fact that "ladies of the night" used to lean on the fence outside the Windmill theatre opposite, it had quite a unique character to it.

 

[Springs Branch]

• Horrible, seedy 1980s tourist hotels in London.

As a slightly impecunious young bloke in the 1980s, from time-to-time I'd travel from Oop North for weekends in London visiting similarly financially-constrained friends who had recently started jobs there. These mates were invariably living in cramped, grotty bedsits run by Rigsby-style landlords, so me kipping at their place was not an option.

Being the days before you could find a reasonably-priced Premier Inn or Travelodge somewhere a couple of tube stops out in Zone 2 or 3, I'd check the 'small ads' at the back of our local newspaper for a certain type of London hotel which peddled their wares there, and book one of these.

Each one of these hotels was located in some crumbling former townhouse in some area like Bayswater. Previously large rooms had been shoddily sub-divided, with flimsy doors, paper-thin walls and equipped with noisy plumbing, threadbare sheets & towels. I'm not sure how they ever passed the local council's fire inspection. Other guests were mostly cost-conscious, strongly-accented 'provincials' (like me), or recent arrivals from every corner of the Commonwealth.

I never stayed at the same hotel twice - always moving on to another random selection from the small-ads, until the penny dropped that this was the standard I should expect for £20 or £25 a night in London*.

In light of the boom of consistent, branded chain hotels, I wonder if any of these places continue to trade as hotels today?


* I've now found out (via RUK Forums) that during this period it was possible to book very reasonably-priced British Rail Mini-Breaks in London, including accommodation at a 'proper' British Transport Hotel and return rail fares (sometimes with First Class travel). These would have been ideal, if I'd paid better attention to the publicity posters at Wigan Northwestern (I always thought those deals were only aimed at pensioners).

 

[yorksrob]

• Horrible, seedy 1980s tourist hotels in London.

As a slightly impecunious young bloke in the 1980s, from time-to-time I'd travel from Oop North for weekends in London visiting similarly financially-constrained friends who had recently started jobs there. These mates were invariably living in cramped, grotty bedsits run by Rigsby-style landlords, so me kipping at their place was not an option.

Being the days before you could find a reasonably-priced Premier Inn or Travelodge somewhere a couple of tube stops out in Zone 2 or 3, I'd check the 'small ads' at the back of our local newspaper for a certain type of London hotel which peddled their wares there, and book one of these.

Each one of these hotels was located in some crumbling former townhouse in some area like Bayswater. Previously large rooms had been shoddily sub-divided, with flimsy doors, paper-thin walls and equipped with noisy plumbing, threadbare sheets & towels. I'm not sure how they ever passed the local council's fire inspection. Other guests were mostly cost-conscious, strongly-accented 'provincials' (like me), or recent arrivals from every corner of the Commonwealth.

I never stayed at the same hotel twice - always moving on to another random selection from the small-ads, until the penny dropped that this was the standard I should expect for £20 or £25 a night in London*.

In light of the boom of consistent, branded chain hotels, I wonder if any of these places continue to trade as hotels today?


* I've now found out (via RUK Forums) that during this period it was possible to book very reasonably-priced British Rail Mini-Breaks in London, including accommodation at a 'proper' British Transport Hotel and return rail fares (sometimes with First Class travel). These would have been ideal, if I'd paid better attention to the publicity posters at Wigan Northwestern (I always thought those deals were only aimed at pensioners).

I stayed in one of these in the late noughties. My travelling companion wasn't impressed.

 

[scarby]

Obviously "80s to 90s" covers a lengthy period from 1980 to 1999, by the end of which a lot of improvements had taken place. Also as others have mentioned London is a huge city so it depends where you were and what you were doing.

I lived there from around 1988 to 1993, right out in south London, living around Streatham/Balham and working in Raynes Park, where the London postcodes finish a few minutes further down the road.

The biggest change for me when I visit London today is the sheer number of people on the move at all hours. When I lived there the trains, and in some parts the tube, still went quiet after the morning peak ended. Myself and a friend often went up to the West End on the tube and caught the last train back - we would have a carriage to ourselves and the platform was practically deserted getting on at Tottenham Court Road. As others have noted, time was called in pubs at 10.30 on Sundays, much to my annoyance as I often worked on Sundays with Mondays and Tuesdays off.

I would get that last tube out to Balham or the night bus even at 2am and I always felt perfectly safe.

Another big change is of course the railways. At that time much of the railways was still being operated as per the modernisation of the 1960s. You could easily ride slam-door stock and 1959 stock was in operation on the Northern Line (one which was re-painted in red livery) - I am sure with a trip back in a time machine the line would feel very old and run-down.

Unfortunately like many people in their 20s my railway enthusiasm took a bit of a lull at this time. I still observed of course but with hindsight I realise so much was disappearing which I should have made use of - but at the time you just think this stuff will be around forever or are occupied with other things.

I do remember on some days off I went on what I think was the West Croydon to Wimbledon line, getting on at Morden Road. They were still using some decrepit EMUs which had individual compartments with no corridor - in the daytime you could easily get a compartment to yourself. The whole line felt like something out of the 1970s.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I've now found out... ...it was possible to book very reasonably-priced British Rail Mini-Breaks in London, including accommodation at a 'proper' British Transport Hotel and return rail fares (sometimes with First Class travel). These would have been ideal...

These deals could be remarkably good value, particularly so at weekends when there weren't many business folk around in the hotels, and you could travel down 1st class to/from London for a relatively modest supplement.

 

[Butts]

These deals could be remarkably good value, particularly so at weekends when there weren't many business folk around in the hotels, and you could travel down 1st class to/from London for a relatively modest supplement.

It also carried on in the guise of Superbreaks (I think) for quite a while after until they went bust.

 

[Halwynd]

For a feel of what London was like in the 80s, watch old episodes of "The Sweeney" or "Minder".

You might know already, but there's an episode of Minder called 'Sorry Pal, Wrong Number' which features South Acton station quite a bit, complete with vintage BR rolling stock and uniforms:

Great stuff was Minder. Denholm Elliot was first choice to play Arthur Daley but he turned it down. Probably a good thing - nothing at all against Denholm Elliot - a good actor - but I can't imagine anyone being nearly as good as George Cole was.

 

[nw1]

The need for journalists . not all obviously , to remain "refreshed" was clearly an important factor - some one reported a man of that character passing the bleak pub closure hours by travelling on a season ticket twixt Victoria and East Croydon where BR gin and tonics and scotches could be expensively procured. There were certainly well known characters (I am told) , on the Bournemouth fast services when they had 4-REP's and buffet cars with loose seating. Waterloo to Woking was just right for a drink each way !

Apparently there used to be an informal social group called the "W Club" on the Portsmouth Direct, who would frequent the Portsmouth fasts, at that time operated with CIG-BEP-CIG combos, hence a buffet. They would have a drink every time the train called at, or passed through, a station beginning with "W". They would presumably be just a little bit far gone by the time the train drew up in Guildford - and a bit annoyed if the train had to divert via Cobham for some reason.

 

[Jamesrob637]

I wonder whether, in 2042, there will be a thread entitled "London in the 00s/10s"

I remember London being grittier and not as cosmopolitan as nowadays, however my experience was relatively limited and I can only really speak for the late-90s being a mid-80s kid myself.

 

[Lampshade]

I saw this video a few years ago:

Borough Market is shown from 00:35 onwards, I think I prefer it as it is now

 

[Roger1973]

It's interesting to see just how much Kings Cross has changed in the past 20 years though.

Not just Kings Cross - from visits to some London terminus stations (with an older relative) in the mid 80s, it was amazing how much railway infrastructure had just been abandoned.

I can't remember all the detail, and wasn't really taking photographs then, but think there was a chunk of goods yard at street level at Broad Street that you could just walk in to. And there were more suburban platforms at Kings Cross (outside and to the west of the bit that's now platforms 9 to 11) that were still there, complete with boards showing (presumably) the last peak hour train departures - would I be right in thinking those platforms were abandoned when some suburban services started using the Finsbury Park - Moorgate line?

or the night bus even at 2am

as long as it wasn't a Saturday night...

Most 'nighters' didn't run on Saturday night / Sunday morning until about 1983 (there were a few exceptions before that) as the network was aimed largely at the night print workers, and early morning cleaners and wholesale market workers until then, and it was a much smaller network than now.

 

[Cloud Strife]

And there were more suburban platforms at Kings Cross (outside and to the west of the bit that's now platforms 9 to 11) that were still there, complete with boards showing (presumably) the last peak hour train departures - would I be right in thinking those platforms were abandoned when some suburban services started using the Finsbury Park - Moorgate line?

I found this very fascinating forum thread on this topic: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/127688-kings-cross-york-road-suburban-platforms

I had no idea that the area had changed so much!

On page 5, there's a discussion there about the suburban platforms that you mention: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/127688-kings-cross-york-road-suburban-platforms/page/5/ - it seems that the whole area was very much derelict and run down by the 1980s. I can't even imagine how they managed to cram a Motorail terminal in there as well!

 

[Magdalia]

I worked in London throughout this period, living in dodgy parts of South London at the beginning of it but mostly travelling in and out through Kings Cross and Liverpool Street.

Liverpool Street and surrounding area were transformed in the 1980s by the impact of the Financial Services Act 1986, the consequent huge amounts of property development including Broadgate, and "all day opening" for pubs in 1988. In particular the City of London was dead after 2100 on weekdays and at weekends until the pub hours changed. One lingering after effect of this was Moorgate-Finsbury Park and Cannon Street-London Bridge shutting down mid evening.

The rejuvenation of Kings Cross and surroundings only came much later, outside the date range set by the OP. Throughout the 1980s/1990s the area around Kings Cross was very dodgy. The station itself wasn't a particularly nice place to hang around in either, though in the 1980s it was still a hive of activity at night with sleeper, mail and news trains.

The Kings Cross track layout changes predate the range set by the OP, having been done in 1977 between the inner and outer suburban electrifications. The only change during the 1980s/90s was the reinstatement of platform 11.

One thing that did make a bit of a difference during this period was Thameslink opening in 1988. This made the walking route between the Thameslink station and the main station slightly less dodgy than the other streets in the area. It was probably around this time that I discovered Eddie's Chip Shop in the Grays Inn Road as an alternative to Casey Jones, which for a long while had been the only safe place to get anything to eat on late evening journeys home via Kings Cross.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Throughout the 1980s/1990s the area around Kings Cross was very dodgy.

It was still fairly sketchy in the early 2000s. A friend lived upstairs from a brothel there, and while the proprietor was a very friendly middle aged lady who took no nonsense from clients, you could still see plenty of prostitutes around in the evening outside. She would always invite us down for a cup of tea, and she was always saying that she couldn't wait for the redevelopment of the area so that she could sell up and retire to the seaside.

 

[Trackman]

Denis Waterman's Dad of course , was an RPI based at Clapham Junction , to restore some railway context to the thread.

One morning I bumped into the team filming at Euston - a good experience , enlivened by a brief chat and thanks to them , I got a free bacon sarnie off the catering team. Good stuff. Great TV - miss Thames TV a lot, - the Sweeney was the highlight discussion of our 6th form of a morning, - not just for the shots of Battersea Yard !

Was this the one? (Edit - Changed the start time so you dont have to watch the whole thing)

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Was this the one? (Edit - Changed the start time so you dont have to watch the whole thing)

Thanks - not so sure , I thought there was one episode when a Glasgow officer was despatched south to do some work. Probably wanted to get away from Taggart for a while ! Thanks.

 

[birchesgreen]

This is a highly recommended book on this period

The East End in Colour 1980-1990 (Book 5: Vintage Britain)

FREE UK SHIPPING 'The East End in Colour 1980-1990', 128pp, cloth spine, 156mm x 196mm. Edited by Chris Dorley-Brown. Book 5 in the series 'Vintage Britain' This book is also available in a special book + limited edi

www.hoxtonminipress.com