7 August 2011. 2:07 pm.
Zena and I walked to the High Road to see the dreadful damage. And spoke to some of the other residents who'd come out.
Much of the High Road was taped off by the Police. We weren't allowed near the former Co-op and Carpetright building which was still smouldering and looked unsafe.
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Links
§ Report in the Daily Mirror newspaper about the families forced to flee from the fire.
§ My photos in Tottenham after the riot Saturday 6 August 2011. Click here to see the photoset..
§ Photos in my set mapped by IMapFlickr.
§ Click for a few seconds of video I took at the same time.
§ Aerial view of where this photo was taken.
§ Liz Ixer's photo of the building only a few months before in February 2011.
§ A set of photos by Nico Hogg taken during the night of 6 August 2011.
§ A photoset by Tottenham Resident Laurence Cumming taken from the morning of 7 August and on subsequent days.
§ Gareth Bedford's set of photos - 7 August 2011.
§ I added a short comment by Zena.
§ Tottenham Riots - 6th August 2011 by suburbanslice (Matthew Coleman)
§ London Riots - 6th August 2011 by suburbanslice.
§ Aftermath of the riot photoset by Jannine Smith.
§ Photos during and after the riot by Tottenham resident Andrew Page.
§ Photos during and after the riot by Tottenham resident Vic15.
§ I've listed more photo-links with my set.
Louisalena added this photo to her favorites. (23 months ago)
Alan Stanton 23 months ago | reply
Photo below - Zena found it hard to hold back tears seeing the pointless destruction of people's homes, businesses and some of the treasured old buildings we still have in Tottenham.
The upper floors of this fire-gutted building had been turned into Shared Ownership flats by Metropolitan Housing Association.
"
Moling [deleted] 23 months ago | reply
Alan and Zena
It is so heart breaking to see all of this happen so suddenly. When we lived there we were so grateful for the work that both you and Zena put into this community to make it a better and cleaner place to live. I couldn't believe the destruction and damage and really don't know if anything good can come out of it. Your work (and others) was so vitally important to us all I hope you still have the will to go on fighting for the betterment of the ward.
Alan Stanton 23 months ago | reply
Moling. Many thanks for writing and for thinking of us.
Zena wrote the note below after seeing that Paradise Gems - the jewellery business at the corner of the High Road and Dowsett Road - and other buildings were burned out and totally destroyed by looters.
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"My watch was being repaired at Paradise Gems on Tottenham High Road. It was a gift from people I worked with for many years in Haringey Council. It melted in the fire when this business was destroyed.
Together, our team built a nationally recognised out-of-school and holiday childcare service used by hundreds of families across the borough. Combined with the early years provision, many dedicated and creative staff worked really hard to give local children a head start and enable their parents to work.
After that, I and my watch moved on, to work in regeneration. Working with a new team, we brought millions of pounds to Tottenham High Road - applying for every grant and funding stream we could think of. The results - in the refurbished buildings and new shopfronts - were there for all to see and enjoy.
We not only restored buildings and their facades. We worked with other agencies and private owners to create decent homes above the shops. And we encouraged traders to combine their own money with the public grants for new shop fronts. Over the years we did this the High Road really improved. Along with new streetlights and paving, each improvement increased - we hoped - the civic pride of the area.
Following the riot it feels that it'll take years to repair the damage done to Tottenham this weekend. Those who burned buildings, made people homeless, smashed windows, destroyed businesses and jobs did not act or speak for "the community". Thousands of people in Tottenham make efforts everyday to improve and build a real community, Over the years we've all tried to repair the damage suffered by residents. Like my watch, that melted last night and now we have to start again.
Zena Brabazon
debrisdodah 23 months ago | reply
The damage is heart-breaking. There are so many people in our community doing good stuff and this won't stop us.
We love Tottenham.
Deborah
Janice Robinson 23 months ago | reply
Thanks for posting these pics and the written piece. Very moving. The two of you have done so much for Tottenham. Yes it will take years to rebuild and it will be so very hard. But what has to be done ...... I know you two are up to the job. Lots of love Janice xxx
Moling [deleted] 23 months ago | reply
Alan as far as I can remember wasn't this the old Burgess department store building. The Co-op was demolished to make way for Aldi.
MrsEds 23 months ago | reply
Hi Moling
Other way round. Burgess was demolished some while back.
My heart goes out to the people of Tottenham who are beginning the long clear up, and to those who have been made homeless or lost their livelihoods over the weekend. I think a few tears are in order.
Alan, whatever it takes I know you and Zena will be tireless in your work to rebuild but I also hope that people realise that you can't do it on your own and that the local community will pull together.
Liz
Angryoffinchley 23 months ago | reply
Hi Alan
Saturday night was truly dreadful. I really hope that the real people of Tottenham can work through this and come out with an even stronger community.
Regards
Mark
linda the cat 23 months ago | reply
I watched a TV report tonight in which a woman who had lost her home and all her possessions in this fire fought back angry tears while relating how she and her neighbours were fleeing for their lives from this burning building while a laughing thug was fleeing with a rolled-up carpet over his shoulder.
Louisalena 23 months ago | reply
Nice shot. Looking at this picture makes me hurt inside. It's so sad to see what's happened to all these businesses. I dread to see what's become of my hometown after these disturbances.
IsarSteve 23 months ago | reply
As you know Alan, my parents lived on Lansdowne until they retired..
I have many memories of the old LCS store and above all remember standing on that corner at 04:00 one morning in 1970 after getting the N90 bus home after clubbing it (I was a student then). Suddenly I noticed my dad's car approaching, I quickly muttered to my friends.. 'ignore him', he drove up, casually lowered the car window and said to me in a real Tot'nam style 'Haven't you got a 'F' home to go to?'
My dad is long gone.. and now the store.. :o(
IsarSteve 23 months ago | reply
I do hope the replacement building will be required to have a similar tower !
Lizzy Jane Haslem 23 months ago | reply
great shot, really captures the aftermath of the mindless violence
Alan Stanton 21 months ago | reply
Laurence Cumming a Tottenham local resident living close to the High Road, began taking photos at 6.57 am on Sunday 7 August. He gave me permission to post them on my Flickr pages. Click to view the set.
Below is a small version of Laurence's photo at 7:59 am showing the blackened and fire-gutted CarpetRight building - before the police had taped off most of the High Road.
Click on the photo to see larger sizes.