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Original poster

London in the 90s

239 replies

Mondayforthebin · 10/02/2023 09:41

Just having a nostalgic 10 minutes and thinking about when I first moved to London in my early 20s from my small town in middle of nowhere, fresh out of University. Moved to leafy North London with 4 other friends for a really cheap rent (wow, how times have changed!) No proper job so just temped and did some bar work and was out all the time on seemingly very little money as I earned very little! Went to see loads of bands, drank lots, wore v little and made some amazing friends and generally had lots of fun.

I know I definitely have my rose tinted specs on but miss those days and feel quite sad for DS that he'll probably not be able to afford to have same experiences as London is so expensive now.

OP posts:
TheYearOfSmallThings · 10/02/2023 13:27

I moved to London from Dublin at 18 to go to university - those are some of the best years of my life, even thinking about it I can smell freedom and opportunities and the future.

I still live in London and I still love it (no plans to ever leave) but being young in London in good times was really something else.

TheVanguardSix · 10/02/2023 13:31

Had a ‘90s era blazing row in the Nags Head with my then-boyfriend who is now 57 and one of my dearest, longest friends ever. He’s married and been living in Berlin since the late 90s (another fabulous city).

Glamourgal1989 · 10/02/2023 13:36

I moved to London from a tiny french town when I was 22, I’m now 45 years old ! I love it so much - I hope I never have to leave !

thetrees · 10/02/2023 13:36

This was my era. London in the 90s was one of the best places in the world to be young, there was a freedom to it and the the optimism after the Labour landslide in 97. What a time.

You lot should all watch This Life, brings back lots of memories

TheVanguardSix · 10/02/2023 13:37

Iwantabloodypizza · 10/02/2023 13:00

The absolute horrors I went out with just because they were in a band 🤣

Show quote history

😂 My logic was that they would lead me, like wonky stairs, to my ultimate guy in The Band of bands, Damon Albarn.

I did go out with the guitarist from Weezer which apparently is horrifically uncool. Memes are made to highlight what a shit band they were/are, according to my children who are ashamed of me. That’s a notch on the bedpost that wants a good sanding.

TheVanguardSix · 10/02/2023 13:39

thetrees the optimism was electrifying! You breathed it. It filled our pores! I miss that!

Longwhiskers · 10/02/2023 13:41

Not the 90s but I moved to London in 2003 as a student and loved the different shops, particularly around Covent Garden and Tottenham Court Road near my Uni. They’ve all gone and been replaced by Apple, space NK etc. Really miss the individuality.

gettingolderbutcooler · 10/02/2023 13:41

MonicaFree · 10/02/2023 10:29

L’Equip Anglais - anyone remember that? Heaven on a Thursday?

I lived just off Oxford Street (!) and spent my evening drinking in and around Soho. Mad.

Yep. Heaven, Wag club, Camden ballroom.
Lush.

HuntingoftheSnark · 10/02/2023 13:46

I moved to Stoke Newington in 1990 straight from university with friends, all training to be accountants. I think I was on £12k but don't recall being that short of money - I had no savings either. Loving some of the previous posts. My favourite was Ruby's in Carnaby Street on a Saturday night, which was a ballet school by day and turned into a bring your own alcohol club. Also somewhere called the Car Wash. Loved the Hippodrome too. Wandering down Chinatown at 3am eating prawn crackers and getting The News of the World hot off the press ...

SybilWrites · 10/02/2023 13:47

I stayed up all night at my friends house share in West Hampstead for the 1997 election. Such a good night.

My teens (who live or can stay with me) do have as good a time as I did actually, going out and clubbing. They love it! And seem to do an awful lot with very little money. I guess the difference now is that there won't be house shares available in Clapham these days that anyone can afford for when they have their first job

StarbucksSmarterSister · 10/02/2023 13:47

I moved there in 1987. Lived in South Ken for 3 months, spent most nights in a Spanish bar called Bar Escoba, fell madly for a Spanish lawyer who worked in the City and broke my heart. 2 tube stops to get to work. Then I moved south of the River to Camberwell, Streatham, nights out in Soho, weekend brunches, theatre and museums. It was bliss. Renting a nice 2 bed flat for £650pcm between me and my friend.

Bought a flat then eventually moved out to afford a house. I miss it .

thetrees · 10/02/2023 13:54

@TheVanguardSix it was incredible wasn't it. Things did really start to get and feel better.

London was a properly liveable city then, you didn't need to be rolling in it to buy a round. I still live here but my life is so so different now.

xJoy · 10/02/2023 13:56

oh wow! are you one of my old flatmates! moved to a rented house near east finchley in 1996! loved it. it was near muswell hill. I was a temp too until I got sucked in to a permanent job.

idonotmind · 10/02/2023 14:02

I wasn't fortunate enough to live in London during the 90's but visited in the early 00's a few time to see friends and there was definitely a great vibe going round. Seemed extremely glam visiting from oop North

idonotmind · 10/02/2023 14:03

That’s a notch on the bedpost that wants a good sanding.

*

🤣

gettingolderbutcooler · 10/02/2023 14:07

HuntingoftheSnark · 10/02/2023 13:46

I moved to Stoke Newington in 1990 straight from university with friends, all training to be accountants. I think I was on £12k but don't recall being that short of money - I had no savings either. Loving some of the previous posts. My favourite was Ruby's in Carnaby Street on a Saturday night, which was a ballet school by day and turned into a bring your own alcohol club. Also somewhere called the Car Wash. Loved the Hippodrome too. Wandering down Chinatown at 3am eating prawn crackers and getting The News of the World hot off the press ...

I bought a flat in stokie- amazing now to think people didn't even know where that was!
73 night bus sigh

Original poster
Mondayforthebin · 10/02/2023 14:09

Another great listen is Grace Dent with Annie Mac talking about moving to London at about the same time.

Did anyone else used to eat at the Stockpot on Old Compton Street? So cheap and probably disgusting but I remember it being delicious (probably because it was cheap 😉).

OP posts:
sashagabadon · 10/02/2023 14:10

I remember break for the border! It was a bit naff but a laugh. I spent lots of good times in club U.K. in Wandsworth , actually the car park afterwards was the most fun bit.
I do think london is still good for youngests. My dd 19 is out a lot. They still have good nights like Printworks which looks fun from videos she shows me sometimes.
I think it is more expensive but we use to pay £25 for London club entry but of course mostly drunk water in the rave clubs but did drink in the other clubs. Easily spent £80 per night which is probably roughly the same as now??

resipsa · 10/02/2023 14:10

Longwhiskers · 10/02/2023 13:41

Not the 90s but I moved to London in 2003 as a student and loved the different shops, particularly around Covent Garden and Tottenham Court Road near my Uni. They’ve all gone and been replaced by Apple, space NK etc. Really miss the individuality.

Actually, I remember the original Space NK in Cov Garden when it was a 'one off' and it was brilliant!

Seasonofthewitch83 · 10/02/2023 14:14

I feel so old describing uni life to the younger people at work.

'I had a desktop PC (no internet) that I would do my coursework on. I would then upload it to a floppy disk to take to the internet cafe to print off, before calling my mum from a phonebox to ask her to check teletext for me for any deals on the eurostar, before using my map of london to go and meet a friend.'

It was like talking in another language!

I lived in a flat above an old east end pub, scraping together 20ps to get the bus to work in Soho before payday. Cheep pints, cheap gig tickets.....what a life!

TheYearOfSmallThings · 10/02/2023 14:17

Did anyone else used to eat at the Stockpot on Old Compton Street? So cheap and probably disgusting but I remember it being delicious (probably because it was cheap 😉).

The Stockpot was too expensive for us - we could only afford the Pollo Bar. £2.50 for a giant plate of penne arrabbiata.

florisse · 10/02/2023 14:20

@sashagabadon I spent years going to club UK every Friday night! And lots of the other nights just like it...

Grew up in London from the 80's onwards... so many individual creative places than have gone now. Kensington market, Hyper Hyper, the Garage, the clubs, the illegal parties, that cafe on Tottenham Court rd where you could smoke weed. The counter culture generally.

I do feel old saying that - just isn't the same going to Westfield Grin

Squiblet · 10/02/2023 14:22

Loving this thread!

I moved to London in my early twenties, 96/97 ... lived in a houseshare in Cricklewood and my room was literally about the size of a parking space. It didn't matter because I hardly had any stuff.

Shopping - there were so many good secondhand bookstores - I used to while away whole afternoons just browsing round them in Charing Cross road and Covent Garden. Nearly all gone now. Spitalfields market used to be great, too, with all sorts of oddball vintage stalls and young designers and these amazing beef brisket rolls from Bubba's Arkansas grill.

Nearly every weekend we'd go to Duckie at the Royal Vauxhall tavern, or Popstarz ... and if we were in the West End, we'd usually wind up after hours at one of the Spanish bars in that little alleyway just north of Oxford St where it meets Tottenham Court road (Hanway st?).

SinisterBumFacedCat · 10/02/2023 14:23

The indie clubs I used to go to were £1 with a flyer, sometimes free! The point was to get you in and get you drinking. I didn’t drink. 90’s was a great time for me!

sashagabadon · 10/02/2023 14:27

Rave clubs charged massive entrance fees as people just drank water so they sold no alcohol. Drinking clubs were much cheaper to get into as we all spent a fortune on drink - two difference business models I guess
I am pretty sure I was paying £20 - £25 maybe more to get into some clubs which was a chunk of money back in the 90's. I earnt £40 per day as a Saturday girl in a shop