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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to be jealous of all the cultural opportunities afforded to London ears?

31 replies

Bookridden · 12/05/2018 20:03

I've just been looking at the line - up for a literary festival being held in Clapham, and it's managed to attract a load of excellent and high profile writers. I live in Bristol, which is a truly lovely city and pretty cultural, but it just doesn't compare in terms of literary festivals, theatre etc to London. Mostly, I understand this, as London is obviously very affluent in parts and so can afford its theatres, but writers often aren't as rich. It's just got me wondering why London's literary culture is so much more vibrant than the rest of the UK. (And I know about Hay, Cheltenham etc) Also not a covert dig at London, as I really love it. Just: why does it have so much more going on culturally? It can't just be money as there's plenty of well off people in lots of places, but not the same cultural stuff thriving...

OP posts:

WhiskyTangoFoxtrot · 12/05/2018 20:08

Because there are 8 million people who live there, more who journey in to work, and because anyone who wants to flog stuff (in this case books) aims to get as big a potential market audience as they can.

Hotpinkparade · 12/05/2018 20:18

I have a friend who is running a cultural festival in an upmarket rural area and she says that it’s difficult to convince local people that they might in fact attend more than one event during the festival’s run, I thought this was an interesting reflection of the culture of ‘going out’ after work being much less prevalent in areas outside cities (perhaps in part due to having to drive rather than having a drink at the theatre then jumping on the tube?) Sure this doesn’t apply in Bristol or other major cities though!

Original poster

Bookridden · 12/05/2018 20:22

Bristol is lush and a great place to live. But I don't think it could run a literary festival in one of its outer suburbs and get that sort of line up. In fact, there wouldn't be any demand for it. Clapham (know it a little) is gentrified these days, but only a small part of London. And yet teeming with literary delights it seems...

OP posts:

havanagilahava · 12/05/2018 20:24

But public transport is so great in London - it's far easier to get from one part of London to another than it would be to get from one Bristol suburb to another.

UserV · 12/05/2018 20:24

London is so over-rated. It's only a GREAT place to live if you're very well off financially, or famous!

No idea why everything is so London centric.

I know a number of people who grew up in London - a few who were born in the 1940's and 1950's, and they have loathed it so much this past couple of decades that they have moved out. For so many reasons, it's not the London they once knew, it's completely changed.

whatsthecomingoverthehill · 12/05/2018 20:25

London is great but because there is so much it can end up being a consumerist type culture. Whereas if there aren't so many opportunities on your lap you have to work at it a bit more.

IrenetheQuaint · 12/05/2018 20:29

London has maybe 4 times the population of the next biggest urban area in the UK (W Midlands, I guess). And the average income is the highest in the UK by a significant margin. Plus lots of people (like me) moved to London partly because there is so much going on culturally. So a massive potential market for events like this.

icelolly99 · 12/05/2018 20:35

Hopefully the writers you are interested in will be doing the festival rounds; especially if they have a new book to publicise; so they'll be popping up at the excellent Cheltenham Lit Fest later in the year.

ForalltheSaints · 12/05/2018 20:39

If you are jealous of what is on offer in Clapham, better not tell you about all the offers north of the river in London!

Thymeout · 12/05/2018 21:04

My dd and I were talking about how lucky we are to live in a London suburb the other day. In the last week, one dc has gone on a school trip to the Tate Modern, free entry, free transport and the other has had a sleepover with his class at the Science Museum. She had to pay for the sleepover, but, again transport was free.

Average income in London may be higher, but that's because there are some v high earners. There are also some very deprived boroughs with high levels of poverty. We're not all rolling in it, which is why we appreciate perks like free admission and free transport.

I've lived in London all my life and of course it's changed. But I love the buzz and the mixture of people. It's a great place to live.

KatherinaMinola · 12/05/2018 21:10

Clapham has been gentrified for at least 30 years now! And it's one stop from Victoria - not a London suburb (though it may have counted as one 100 years ago).

Lindy2 · 12/05/2018 21:26

The population in London is high and there is also a high number of high spending tourists. Transport links are also very good.

Original poster

Bookridden · 12/05/2018 21:33

Yes, I can see that the large population and good transport would help. Interesting that Birmingham has this too, but IMHO doesn't have the cultural vibrancy of London (despite being a great city with a lot going for it.)

OP posts:

DGRossetti · 12/05/2018 21:35

London has maybe 4 times the population of the next biggest urban area in the UK (W Midlands, I guess).

Closer to 8 times ...

A fifth of England live in London.

jay55 · 12/05/2018 21:46

Bath has an amazing childrens literature festival and cheltenham obviously has a great festival too, bristol is so close to both it hardly needs its own.

Racecardriver · 12/05/2018 21:49

Well it's bigger. End of. More people now culture at all levels.

bananafish81 · 12/05/2018 22:09

London is so over-rated. It's only a GREAT place to live if you're very well off financially, or famous!

When did you live in London? And whereabouts? Because to say it's only a great experience if you're rich or famous is pretty broad brush strokes

No idea why everything is so London centric

ONS census data measures the population of Greater London as over 8m people

It's by far the largest city in the United Kingdom. The population of the largest city in the UK (Birmingham) is only 1.1 million. London is also the largest city in the EU and more than twice as large as its nearest rival, Berlin.

PaintedHorizons · 12/05/2018 23:22

Am not well off or famous but was born here. Love London. It is a great place to live.

Clapham is on the major rail line from the South and is only ten minute or so from Waterloo so it's not just a "small place"

Grilledaubergines · 13/05/2018 00:15

London is so over-rated. It's only a GREAT place to live if you're very well off financially, or famous!

Oh dear. You do realise it’s the capital city of England don’t you? With a massive population?

I’ve found most of the people who are so dismissive of London have never been and refer to it, seriously as “That London”.

IJustHadToNameChange · 13/05/2018 00:26

I live in the West Midlands and it's gutting to see.

There's more advertised on one Tube platform than worth going to around here and transport is poor.

There are events, but they are spread out and in hard to reach places if you don't have a car.

Many of the events revolve around nostalgia, the former industries and skills and are often of a poor quality compared to London.

I have sat through excruciating evenings of comedy, songs and poetry that had me po-faced and wondering if I could leave early.

ohcomeon12321 · 13/05/2018 00:39

Oh dear. You do realise it’s the capital city of England don’t you? With a massive population?
you are wrong london is not the capital of england as there is no English government therefor England does not have a capital city

MrsPatmore · 13/05/2018 07:44

You don't have to be affluent to enjoy London but it helps! It's not much fun when you can't afford to go to the amazing exhibitions or eat at the renowned restaurants. Having said that, it's so vibrant culturally that I'd struggle to leave (even though I desperately want to for a bigger house). I've lived all over the UK and it really is hard to find that London vibe elsewhere so it's no wonder people are attracted to it.

For literary and other events you need bums on seats to make them viable so naturally, London will provide that.

redexpat · 13/05/2018 07:49

At least stuff tours in the UK! I think Londoners are more open to travelling to stuff. That literary festival will be attended by people who have travelled for more than 40 minutes which is what it takes to get to Cheltenham from Bristol. But yes it is just economy of scale.

DGRossetti · 13/05/2018 15:55

It's by far the largest city in the United Kingdom.

Make that Europe - it's the only European city in the top 50 in the world.

I live in the West Midlands and it's gutting to see.
The population of the largest city in the UK (Birmingham) is only 1.1 million.

Yes, as an expat Londoner I agree

There's a sort of circular argument as well, as most of the West Midlanders who want to can pop down to London to catch whatever it is, meaning there's less incentive for it to come to Birmingham as well.

DGRossetti · 13/05/2018 17:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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