Invasion Scum…

Greetings,

The east end of London has been my home since birth. It has seen many changes with its identity and outlook and the changes have come in some very small ways and some very big ones. The big changes can be seen in the London Docklands area, which was once a centre of commerce bringing fruit, tobacco and alcohol into the capital. The docks and the river Thames also had a reputation for bad smells. However, the transportation of cargo into docklands came to an end when Tilbury docks opened and adopted the newly invented container system of cargo transportation. This ultimately caused the docks to die in the late 70’s and early 80’s leaving an empty wasteland that has was resurrected in the 90’s into a place for international finance and a great place for me to live. However, the smaller changes are the more concerning. I’m not talking about immigration, as this has always been a founding element of the east end and Throughout history, the area has absorbed waves of immigrants who have each added a new dimension to the culture and history of the area without destroying the existing culture around it. However this has started to change recently. Robins Pie mash shop in East Ham has closed down after trading since 1890.

This is not the first pie mash shop to close as Goddard’s in Greenwich closed down after trading for nearly 150 years being replaced with a burger chain. However, where Goddard’s closure was as a result of a greedy landlord and a cracking rental offer from Gourmet Burger, Robins was due to it’s location being infested with what can only be described as scum. The shops are indicative of this scum being populated with pound shops, stalls selling corn in a pot, international calling cards, Dixie fried chicken shops, pizza by the slice and several Kebabish kebab emporiums. It’s no surprise that Marks and Spencer pulled out years earlier and I doubt that these institutions will return to the area any time soon. Subsequently a traditional east end pub called ‘The Hammers’ has now closed down.

This however maybe more due to the economic crisis but I’m sure the changes in the area did nothing to aid business and is yet another nail in the coffin for the traditional east end.

I’ve decided now to never go back to East Ham. It’s a disgusting place and I like many others surrender it to the hordes of scum that have taken over. I wonder where the line will be drawn?

On a lighter note, Today I noticed a Tate and Lyle truck with a spill kit attached to the side…. What does it contain? Tea and a dash of milk?

Until next time,

M