No.8

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Dominic
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No.8

Post by Dominic »

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No.8 was a nice little house. Apart from No.7 it was the only other detached house. I didn't live there but I did renovate my 2cv van under a polythene tent at the side of the house in the early days. And near the end, after it had been flattened Jan and I lived on that plot in our caravan.

I never understood why No.8 was demolished so early on, as it was in good condition.

Who lived there?. There must be more to tell about No.8.
No.8.jpg
Last edited by Dominic on Mon Feb 02, 2009 3:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Chris S-S
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Re: No.8

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While removing some shelves yesterday I unearthed a Whole Earth Catalogue and Epilogue and a copy of The Richmond & Twickenham Times with the attached picture of Dominic and John and this accompanying article on the front page.It is dated June 11 1976.
(clicking on the image wiil open it full size)

no 8 caravan.jpg
A caravan colony on the Grosvenor Road site — under the shadow of Regal House, where the Council has offices

COUNCIL IN THREAT TO BUY LAND
Unless Bovis. Ltd., owners of a large site in Twickenham, submit a planning appiication re-development in the next few months, the land will be acquired compulsorily by Richmond upon Thames Council.

Steps to effect this were taken at Wednesday night's meeting of the borough housing committee, when members were told that plans for the development of the site and adjoining land, for residential and office use, had made little progress and that the Grosvenor Road site should be acquired by the Council.

The committee also agreed that the acquisition of No. 8 Grosvenor Road and 7a Railway Approach should be made if possible by negotiation, otherwise by compulsory purchase.
Since the demolition of houses in Grosvenor Road, a number of caravans, and even a "tree house" have appeared there, and the Council will consider taking legal action about these under the Public Health Act.

Cllr. Harry Hall, Tory leader of the Council, said he had been "appalled" when he examined Gros¬venor Road recently.
Bovis, he said, had acquired the site in good faith a long time ago, but great pressure had had to be exerted by the Council to get some of the houses demolished, and so far, no plans had been put in for its re-development.
Any scheme would have to conform to a new road pattern, devised by the Council.
No longer . . .
"We've made up our minds that Twickenham cannot suffer any longer by the lack of development in Grosvenor Road, said Cllr. Hall. If no plans are submitted soon, the Council will acquire the site and develop it.
Cllr. Hall said this did not necessarily mean that Council houses would go up in Grosvenor Road. The details of possible future development had yet to be settled.
"It might be suitable to provide homes for young couples with children," said Cllr. Hall.
A complaint about the caravans and other un¬authorised dwellings which have gone up in Grosvenor Road, once the centre of a 'hippy" commune, was made at the general purposes committee on Tues-day, and Tory Cllr. Ken Warren said the caravans were there "illegally."
There are about a dozen caravans in Grosvenor Road, each housing an average of three people. They occupied derelict houses in the road until the buildings were de¬molished.
The caravan-dwellers say they have always been resi¬dents of Twickenham and want to be re-housed should they lose their homes. But they have not cut their names on the Council's housing list because, they say, they wish to remain together..

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Joviale
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Re: No.8

Post by Joviale »

That photo is in a bit of a state, i might have a go at trying to better it, unless you've already done everyhting photoshop could do for it?
And a bit of synchronicity. I went back to switzerland for a week around Xmas, and had a look at my bookshelve there and came accross... "the whole earth catalogue" (75)! But no old newspaperclips in it unfortuantly.
If i can't dance to it, it's not my revolution

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Dominic
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Re: No.8

Post by Dominic »

What a coincidence, two 'Whole Earth Catalogues' found on shelves.

I knew nothing of that newspaper article. I don't remember talking to any reporter or being photographed.

I've cropped it and attempted to clean it a bit.
no-8-caravan-crop.jpg
Last edited by Dominic on Mon Feb 02, 2009 3:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Chris S-S
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Re: No.8

Post by Chris S-S »

The Whole Earth Catalogue I have felt was the 70's equivalent of the Word Wide Web.and capable of frittering away just as much time with.

The picture was pretty poor to start with , it has been through Photoshop but do do what you can with it. (you have clicked on it and seen the enlarged version I assume )
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Joviale
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Re: No.8

Post by Joviale »

yes it was what we had before the web, and often much better!
Dominic has been quicker than me, and done a pretty goofd job too.
If i can't dance to it, it's not my revolution

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Dominic
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Re: No.8

Post by Dominic »

I've been playing with that picture again.
no-8-caravan-ph-sh.jpg
Last edited by Dominic on Sat Mar 28, 2009 3:46 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Joviale
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Re: No.8

Post by Joviale »

Dom, you're a boss! :wave:
If i can't dance to it, it's not my revolution

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Dominic
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Re: No.8

Post by Dominic »

Thanks Jo, - I will presume that you meant it as a compliment. Although you previously said that I did a goofd job. I hope that was miss-spelled with an extra F, and you didn't mean goofed. :roll:

Also, to say that I am a boss, that might imply that I am bossy. I don't think you meant that.

In the Liverpool vernacular, (scouse), that would be, 'you're boss', without the 'a'. That would be a high rating. I don't think I deserve such a high rating as 'boss', with the 'scouse' meaning, but thanks anyway. :cheers:

I still don't know how to make the picture appear 'large' when it's viewed in another window. :confused:

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Joviale
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Re: No.8

Post by Joviale »

good is what i meant rather than goofed, spelling mistake, and you're a boss is what we say in french to mean well done, which, coming fron anarchist is just what one might call a contradiction, but there you go!
I don't know either about the size of photos, it just seem to work for some of the ones i posted and not for others, but i have no idea why because i did the same thing, get the image to be around the same number of pixel for the width!
If i can't dance to it, it's not my revolution

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