Bad vibes in certain places in london

[stevens27]

Does anyone else just get a horrid feeling in certain places in london?

The only one that particularly freaks me out is Russel Square tube station. I feel so much sadness and get quite on edge down on the platforms and I don't know why! Does anyone else feel this way about anywhere in London?

If any of you buy that house, could I please have the elephant parade statue if the current owners don't want it? Please? 🙏 I promise I'd look after it. Thank you.

I've since gone on to worry even more in case someone gifts it to me. (Yes, I'm aware this is ridiculous...)

Surely you'd have to close the road on the day you moved in/out in order for furniture to be delivered. Surely it can't all be lowered in via helicopter? And what if guests come to visit? I mean, I have friends who don't have chauffeur-driven Bentleys. And what if you needed to have building work done? Where would the plumbers/ electricians/ carpenters park their vans? Building it must have been a nightmare.

Just thinking about the drawbacks is leaving me tense.

Depends how recent! Ten years ago when I briefly worked there had all that too but it just felt too corporate, concrete and lacking in personality to me.

@Mummyyellow

Have you been recently? The place is buzzing on the weekends with so many bars, eatery and things to do. It’s a lovely area.

Any British person who uses the word eatery should be thrown in jail for language crimes.

It's a word that makes me want to vomit. It's so cringy.

Restaurant. Restaurant.

LOL Haha sorry I used such a cringey word and I’m not from uk so excuse my lack of culture 😂

@Predictablenamechange1 yes it’s changed a lot over the past couple of years (I agree, it used to be dead after work/weekends). The parks and gardens are lovely as is the Thames riverside walks. Lots of activities to do and events (eg light festival) and museum of docklands is lovely and great for kids. It’s not for everyone though which is understandable but I feel safe there even late at night which is important to me (I alway feel unsafe around old street and certain areas of Islington).

My lovely Malaysian PA used to say “eatery”. I like it!

If you are hanging around at Euston, go and hang out in the British Library! There’s a cafe, and desks upstairs you can sit at, or you can go and look at old manuscripts. It’s a great space.

Just wondering- do you have to speak to someone specifically to look at a particular old manuscript?

They have rooms with the most famous manuscripts on display (eg Lindisfarne Gospels) so no you can’t just pop in and look at any you like.
But you can register for a Reader Pass which is free and allows you to use the Reading Rooms, look at the collection etc.

Haven't used the British Library for years but if it's anything like those days — you need to register in advance with proof of ID ect, you have to order most books/MSS (takes time for them to be delivered to your desk) and I imagine just rocking up and asking to see Shakespeare's first folio or any other precious/ ancient MS would require some kind of security check. It used to be quite a palaver and of course with any valuable or rare artefact you are watched over all the time and not allowed near them with pens, scissors or anything else you could use to deface or damage them.

The British Libray suffered a major hack and as a result it became impossible to access anything because the catalogue was down which was what enabled registered users to order books to look at it. I don't know what the current state is but it was only in January that there was some progress...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67976183

Ah! Thank you for all tips on what can be accessed at the BL. It’s some Tudor love letters I’m eager to see, I’ll look into it :)

I do research at the BL. It's entirely manual still. Takes ages. Some books unavailable.

@MothersofGorgons - what are they currently saying about time for 'normal service' to be resumed?

I used to live in Barnes and had never heard of Amelia Dyer having a connection to it. I googled and can't find find a mention - did she live there?

I lived in Barnes for several years and never heard the name either. Agree that the graveyard on putney common is a bit spooky at night though.

Sorry it's not Amelia Dyer, it's Ada Chard Williams.

Oxford street...busy tacky dreadful place

I hate walking towards the British Museum from both Russel Square and Euston Square stations. I also quite hate walking up to Drummond street. Something about the streets outside SOAS on weekends makes it eerie. I can't really place a finger on what it is.

Parts of isle of Dogs are also similar imo. Same with Custom House.

That's funny because that's one of my fave walks in London :)

Wood Street around the station is bleak AF. Lots of alcoholics and mentally ill people. I really feel for them, but it’s depressing.

I just found this thread! I've lived in London for 25 years and nothing has truly freaked me out. I get a bit uneasy at Clapham Common platform as it's SO narrow and people shuffle about,but nothing really freaks me out. I remember York Way and Cally Road being really eerie and scary circa 2000... and now the Guardian headquarters are there! Similarly going to a house party in Bethnal green/London Fields in 2007 felt like only tumbleweed and axe murderers lurked in the shadows. Really regret not buying a house there then but I was only 25!

Funny, I used to work there and liked it.

Oops, zombie thread.

The area between Spitalfields and brick lane…I felt quite vulnerable walking there