When I was a child in the 60's, WN was like Putney is today. B&Q was a huge cinema, we had 2 Art Stationers shops ,Book shops, haberdashery shops, 3 quality shoe shops, Tesco, Boots, a Ballet School behind the CO-OP (which is now a £1 shop with a smashed window) 2 record shops, 2 Toy shops, a Big department Store-where Superdrug is now, there was a huge Restaurant/Deli-where we now have a pop up loan shark business, 2 boutiques, a tropical fish shop, a beautiful Library, 5 Banks, a fabulous Community Hall, where Fetes and comptetitions ect were held in Knights Hill-opposite the (now) Bus Garage. At Xmas, I can remember 'Miss World' guesting at a Xmas Fair in 'Elmwood School'. I moved away in 1977, and when I returned, in 1987, the fantastic shops had started to disappear. The Knights Hill Beautiful Victorian Community hall had gone, replaced by fencing. The only saving grace was the Brick-a-brack market at Nettlefold Hall, where you could find beautiful antiques, and a Market, behind the Pub (which is now Tesco) where you could buy cheap leather shoes for your kids ect. All that was terminated in the late 90's-as was the very last Art supplies shop-Book shop ect. Finaly, the pretty row of 1930's style shops were demolished in Tulse Hill, to make way for an ugly block of flats, and not one of the retail shops beneath has yet opened with anything significant-exept for the Pharmacy. The drug culture-that wasn't present in my youth, has a lot to blame for this decline. I recently visited an addict centre in Brixton with an old friend who's fallen on bad times, and afterwards, I saw most of the addicts, roaming West Norwood, NOT Brixton! Any shootings ect, in my opinion are drug related. I reckon there should be a much stronger police presence around the area,and a drug/alchohol rehab programme unit set up in the area, where the people don't have to wait for hours to be diagnosed & treated.. The new 'Peace Camp' in Knights Hill, is almost certainly where the people with drug, alchohol & mental health problems have gone to live as a last resort.I knew this would happen eventualy with this government anyway. I predicted the riots, and have been appalled by wasted enormous stretches of land in this area, when people are homeless & afflicted. As this problem's affecting all the nobs (that are continuously getting burgled) Isn't it 'False economy' to just ignore this problem?
I still like West Norwood! It's easy to see it was once grander though. I noticed Tesco was obviously once a pub and that such a long high street must have hosted a much wider breadth of businesses. Also West Norwood Cemetery was/is obviously a prestigious place to be buried. Wasn't (West) Norwood one of the Victorian financial suburbs, full of bankers and the likes? It looks like it was booming for a long time as there are some grand Edwardian houses as well as late Victorian ones.
