posters about local landmarks including a brothel. I am uncomfortable.

[DoggyDaycare]

Would be grateful for help clarifying my thoughts on this, please.

I live in Streatham.

Recently a business development organisation has started painting local vacant shopfronts with pictures alluding to local celebs and landmarks..there is one painted like the callbox in doc who as Roger Moore was brought up here for example.

There is one for Cynthia Payne and it makes me very uncomfortable.

She did pull off some kind of pr coup where she portrayed herself as providing harmless social fun (describes herself as a 'party hostess' FFS) when she was sent to prison for 6 months running a brothel.

I have read the appeal court judgement and Lord Justice Lawton is at pains to refute all the rubbish spouted about it being full of high profile clients mingling at a Christmas party and pointed out that no such person was found on the premises but on average 25 men a day paid for sex there day in and day out....

I think the thing I find most galling is the hype that they paid using luncheon vouchers has been bought into- they are the main image of this shopfront-

Yet what actually happened is that the men paid £25 on the door, were given a luncheon voucher as a token, had sex using the voucher which the sex worker would be given £8 for at the end of the night.....less than a third of the money.

I mentioned it to my next door neighbour who thought I was being very precious, and also said that it can't be exploiting women if a woman was in charge of the thing....

I don't have any sort of feminist education or the language or tools by which I can really explain why I find this so wrong. I just know instinctively pretending it is all harmless fun/rather glamorous is wrong, and I object to having to go past this shop every day with my little boy.

Any thoughts welcome...

Is it the white lion the one near Argos?

Oh and YY SGB's link has loads of excellent people on it.

It's on the High Street, about halfway between the station and the common. The other is opposite the common, but I'm pretty sure it's gone now. I will be sad in the White Lion's gone though, many happy hours in there as a teenager!

I think I know which one your talking about and yes it's still open. Never been inside myself.

I think the White Lion is a weird 'community' sort of pub at present, and the ice rink has gone (I live in Croydon so often go through Streatham on the bus).

Actually, OP, thanks for starting the thread as it made me realise that googling 'famous people/location' actually does bring up a list and I have been scrabbling about trying to find a list of Croydon people famous for certain things for a project of my own.

Yes, thanks for starting the thread OP, sorry to derail it for a trip down memory lane

The ice rink is back and there is a new pool they knocked it down and built a massive tesco next to it.

The White Lion in the High rd is almost opposite the entrance to Sunnyhill Rd and is a great pub which features lots of up and coming bands and is also run as a community venue for classes and workshops and has a hostel attached.

The Greyhound has become another pub I think.

And one of the best pubs now on that end of the High Rd is....Pratts and Payne, owned by the Antic chain of trendy but good pubs.

The Streatham BID isn't doing a great job. They commissioned an 'arty' Christmas tree that was a laughing stock and pictures shared far and wide (though it wasn't that bad, IMO), and they have managed to do nothing about the failure of new Megabowl owners LondonSquare, to do what they promised and bring serious retail wellie to the development.

Cynthia Payne? It can't be denied that she was a high profile resident. You can go on tours looking at Jack the ripper landmarks - is that celebrating the murder of multiple women?

I think noting a local fact is not the same as celebrating it. It's just a bit desperate if you have to try and sell an area on such facts.

I await the rush of tourists.....

Streatham IS up and coming, because it is a decent enough place to live with great schools while still being relatively - sic - affordable. There are some excellent cafes and restaurants on the high rd and a great community spirit in the residential areas off it. I doubt any connection with Cynthia Payne will either enhance or stain (further) it's reputation.

The good news is that the very dangerous situation of prostituted women around the top of the common, and other numerous places in the area has now been stopped and there are many services and charities working with prostituted women in the area. Perhaps the BID could be encouraged to support them!

Another Streatham-ite here.

I hadn't seen the Madame Cyn one although had spotted Naomi Campbell and (bizarrely off theme) another shop front painted with bees.

I think the basic idea is a good one - smarten up the high street by painting murals on closed down shops so that they are less of an eye sore but agree they could have picked better people.

I doubt the BID team had the cash to pay any trendy hipsters to design a campaign for them. As far as I can see it is run by middle aged white men which may be why their attempt to be edgy is a bit off key.

Shame as we have a really great "Where the Wild Things Are" that's been here for years.

I'm not sure Streatham's affordable any more - I was talking to friends who are both junior lawyers who were very impressed by my postcode as it was beyond their price range!

Have just googled and the bees is apparently the Eddie Izzard one.

I hadn't realised that the Cynthia Payne is adorning the frontage of "Chariots Roman Spa" the local gay sauna and, allegedly, home to just the sort of nefarious activities that used to take place under Payne's roof. Even more of a confusing message.