#Right To Light Nunhead London

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Delva Patman Redler

Delva Patman Redler - Renowned specialists in Party Walls, Rights of Light, Daylight/Sunlight and neighbour disputes.

Right To Light Ickenham London

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Reflecting on his success

Former Nunhead resident Charlie Stemp has been nominated for an Olivier award for his role in hit musical Half a Sixpence. He tells us why he’s loving every minute of his newfound stardom

Words: Emma Finamore; Photo: Luke Wolagiewicz

“Probably my first memory is being on the New Kent Road. I always knew coming into London that when I was near the New Kent Road, I was near home. It was those traffic lights.”

Charlie Stemp is talking in a building only about half an hour’s drive from those lights (or a 20 minute journey, if you take the Bakerloo line) but metaphorically speaking it’s a world away: the West End’s Noël Coward Theatre, where he’s currently starring in hit musical Half a Sixpence.

Born in Camberwell and living on St Mary’s Road in Nunhead as a child, before moving to Elephant and Castle and settling in Blackheath, Charlie is a true south-east Londoner.

The 22-year-old has been nominated for a prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for his role in Half a Sixpence – in the Best Actor in a Musical category – with the winner to be announced on April 9. It’s an incredible feat for anybody, let alone someone who says he hated dancing and drama when he first tried it at school.

Charlie went to a large secondary school with about 4,000 kids, but says it didn’t work for him – “I was just lost, it was a bit too much for me” – so he moved to a small theatre academy with about 60 pupils or so, above an Argos in Eltham.

“I was able to have much more of a personality,” he says. “But I was forced to do musical theatre – it was compulsory. I hated it at first, the jock straps and tights and ballet… I think I was told by society that dancing’s not for boys. Then I got over myself, once I realised it was OK to enjoy these things.”

Charlie can pinpoint the moment everything changed. He was in a dance class one day when a teacher came in and pulled the dance instructor to one side, pointing at him: “I thought, ‘Oh God, I’m in trouble’, like maybe I’d forgotten to put on the jock strap or something.”

He wasn’t – in fact he’d got an audition for Billy Elliot. He was cut in the first round for being too tall, but it was the beginning of his career. Charlie gave up rugby and judo – he was in the Team GB squad and fought for Kent – for tap class and dancing. “I never looked back really,” he says.

After GCSEs he headed to Laine’s theatre school in Epsom – “I loved it” – and landed a role in a pantomime at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford aged 18. Funnily enough, the first place he was paid to be on stage was the same theatre he used to watch shows every Christmas as a child (his nan lives nearby).

A year later, he landed a spot in Wicked in Victoria, and after that went touring the world with Mamma Mia!, surfing in Tel Aviv – “It was so hot, like melt your sandals to the floor hot” – exploring the Christmas markets of Luxembourg, seeing Portugal and France and making friends with pub landlords in Dublin. “It was just brilliant, I think I slept at one pub twice – they put me under the bar,” he laughs.

His Olivier nomination is propped up on the table behind us, but of all Charlie’s experiences so far he says the most exciting has been receiving a call from one of his heroes, Ian McKellen, on the phone just beside where we’re sitting. “I remember shouting down the phone to him, ‘Shut up, you’re not Ian McKellen?! No you’re not?!’” he says. “He was really lovely.”  

Press night for Half A Sixpence comes a close second, as Charlie (and his mum) got to meet Barbara Windsor. “I’m a big fan, I love the Carry On films,” he says. “She said she thought I was amazing, and that was so lovely. I said, ‘Miss Windsor, thank you so much,’ and she said, ‘Call me Babs.’ I said, ‘Yeah I will, forever!’”

Despite clearly being over the moon about the Olivier nomination accolade, Charlie is keeping it in perspective. “It doesn’t feel like hard work that’s paid off,” he says, “because I’ve just enjoyed every second of it.

“When we started in Chichester [where Half a Sixpence had its first run] everyone loved it, we would get stopped in the streets, in this little conservative town. But then to bring it to London, and for it to run really well, that’s as much an achievement as the nomination, I think.”

He talks about the particular challenges of moving a production from a smaller town to the West End. “People expect more here, when you bring something to town. There’s an expectation that it’s going to be good. People – at first – are distant and reserved, and that’s not a negative, you just have to rise to the occasion.”

It’s something Charlie (and clearly, the theatre critics) believes the Half a Sixpence team has successfully pulled off, despite going up against and being compared to musical giants like Les Misérables, Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera.

“I believe our show is as good if not better, because we bring something to the West End that nobody else has: old fashioned British charm,” he says enthusiastically.

Despite being updated, the musical is firmly rooted in modern British history. Based on HG Wells’ 1905 novel Kipps, it centres around a humble draper’s assistant called Arthur Kipps (played by Charlie) who comes into money after a surprise inheritance.

As his new-found wealth propels him into high society, he must choose between Ann Pornick, the childhood sweetheart he left behind, and the beautiful and classy Helen Walsingham.  

It was originally written as a vehicle for another famous south-east Londoner – entertainer Tommy Steele – in London in 1963, before hitting Broadway in 1965 and the silver screen in 1967 as a film adaptation.

“All the shows in the West End at the moment are just Broadway copies, shows that have done so well on Broadway that they just bring them over here and they do so well over here that they just keep churning out shows,” Charlie says.

“There’s always an audience for them, because everyone knows The Lion King, everyone knows The Book of Mormon. And that’s wonderful, don’t get me wrong – I’ve been in those casts and done those things and it’s so much fun.

“But to do something that you have created, and that you have been part of from the beginning is incredible. You feel so much more pride in it, because you’re an active cog in the machine instead of just doing exactly what the person 10 cast members ago did. It’s great.”

And the reviews seem to agree with him. His dad jokingly used to email Charlie all the bad reviews from the early Chichester days, and the good ones that had got his name wrong (“Charlie Stump” sticks out as a favourite) but he needn’t have worried – before long the rave reviews were rolling in, from both London and national papers.

The Telegraph called Charlie “one of those fairytale finds that’s the stuff of legend”, and said “in his elastic, fantastic company – and that of the terrific, 24-strong ensemble too – two hours whiz-bang-hurtle by”.

“For older generations it’s a classic that they can relate to, it’s part of their childhoods, and for younger people it’s just a bloody good show,” says Charlie. “The cast is incredible – two of my peers have already been nominated for Oliviers, both about four times each – and it’s such an ensemble show, so that’s great.”

The show features music from the late David Heneker – an award-winning writer and composer of British musicals – updated by Anthony Drewe and George Stiles, with songs about rain, garden parties and dreaming about pay rises in the pub.

Combined with a new story by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, it’s no wonder, really, that the show has been a hit in London. “We kind of have an ‘A team’ creatively,” says Charlie. “It’s the only show around with that Britishness, and we’ve brought it up to the 21st century.”  

But it’s not just the production that’s proved a hit, of course – it’s Charlie himself. “I enjoy it, I really do, and so does everyone else,” he says, refusing to be drawn into talking about his own individual talents and treating the whole thing as a team effort.

“I think that’s what people like when they come to see us –we’re having so much fun, so they start to have fun – it’s our infectious happiness.”

And happiness is clearly the most important thing for him right now, in life as well as in his career. When asked what is next on the cards, Charlie says: “Honestly my motto is ‘just be happy’. I keep bugging my manager to be Bert in Mary Poppins, but I don’t mind what I do, as long as I’m happy.

“In this industry it’s so easy to forget that we only do it because we love it. We don’t do it for the money or the fame – we do it because we enjoy it. When money and fame happen it’s a bonus, but you do it because you love it. And I want to stay that way.” Despite all the “whiz-bang”, there’s a wise head on those young shoulders.

....................................

Half a Sixpence is playing at the Noël Coward Theatre on St Martin’s Lane and tickets are currently on sale up to and including September 2. To book call 0844 482 5140 or go to halfasixpence.co.uk

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London's Most Interesting Gastropubs

The North by Northwest pub. Hitchcock game: strong. London's gastropubs are so many and varied you can have lunch in a repurposed 1930s cinema, dinner in an old gin palace and dessert presided over by Hitchcock. And empty your bladder to the sound of Blackadder. Visit the Londonist Best Pubs guide for more inspiration.  Duke of Cambridge Though the pub itself is nice in a really Highbury-ish way -- with big windows, hefty wooden tables and lots of family dining at a weekend -- it's their kitchen-model that sets it apart from nearby pubs. They're in partnership with Riverford, of fruit and vegetable box fame, but that's just the start of their organic credentials. Fish is sustainably-sourced in Cornwall, venison and game come from Rhug Estates, and 100% of the ingredients they work with are organic, making them the first entirely organic pub in London. If that conjures up images of limited cooking and a restricted menu, think again. As you'd guess with somewhere focused on the organic and seasonal, the menu changes regularly but at time of writing you could be sitting down to dishes of sriracha Cornish crab on toast, and braised wild rabbit leg with polenta. And the desserts are proof they aren't about to sacrifice indulgence -- they might be an almond brownie or orange-rich bread and butter pudding.  30 St Peter's Street, N1 Source Riverford @ The Duke Source Riverford @ The Duke The Angelic The decor might earn this pub a place in this article, with intense wallpaper, carved wood and guttering candles lighting the way to the bathrooms. It's friendly. It's spacious. It has a rococo bar upstairs. And we've never had less than great food there. But we've chosen it for one, important reason: they have the audio for Blackadder playing over speakers in the bathrooms. Every time. Different visits, different seasons of Blackadder, but the same joyous experience. We don't know why Rowan Atkinson chastising Baldrick over the soundwaves while you're in the toilet feels so right. It just does.  57 Liverpool Road, N1 Source The Angelic Source The Angelic The Warrington Swirls, whirls and organic curls decorate every millimetre of this outrageously gorgeous pub. Mosaics, stained glass, tiled columns... you'll want to lick the decor. A set of nubile nymphs, playfully lacking in wardrobe, gaze down from the bar canopy, perhaps a nod to the venue's former reported use as a brothel. According to their site, the word 'randy' was invented here, thanks to the pub's close proximity to Randolph Crescent. Today, it's a bustling place with plenty of room to spread out and an impressive range of beers. There's also a good food offering -- the place used to be owned by Gordon Ramsay, but the food focus has been continued (we think maybe improved on?) by current owners Faucet Inn. And they've recently relaunched the hotel rooms above the pub in show-stopping style. We stayed the night in the Gamekeeper's Room and can confirm it's got the four poster bed, ceramic deer head statues stuck to the wall and enormous copper freestanding bathtub in the middle of the bedroom to compete with the downstairs pub for strange splendour.  93 Warrington Cres, W9 Source faucetinn Source faucetinn Balham Bowls Club Affectionally known, and cheekily logo'd as the BBC, Balham Bowls Club is one of the most original pubs around. It was one of the first venues to get the Antic Pubs treatment: requisition a tired old building with some character -- this was an abandoned bowling club -- and turn it into something special.   On entering, a series of bar areas can be found to the left, a function room known as the Presidential Room sits to the right, and through the back lies a vast dining hall. The poor cleaner has his or her work cut out, for there's a capacious space known as The Ballroom upstairs — used for private hire (including weddings) and film screenings. There's even a beer garden should you need to stretch your legs out even further. No shortage of patrons keep the space full, and you'd be lucky to get a table if you arrive at 12.30 pm for their (great) Sunday lunch. It would be easy to assume that the BBC, with its ironic subverting of a traditional community space, might be populated with trendy young things, but this isn't so. The pub houses a mix of ages, with family diners crammed in among the couples and elderly gentlemen.  7-9 Ramsden Road, SW12 Source londonist Source londonist Princess Victoria This pub was a gin palace in another life and comes with all the gilt, carvings and chandeliers -- and gin -- you could ask for. After a while as an unkempt local, the Princess Victoria was recalled to its statelier roots a few years back as one of Shepherd's Bush's most handsome gastros. A stately island bar is offset with wood-panelled walls and a rounded skylight. To label it a gastropub is a bit unfair. There's a division between dining room proper and the wider pub, with plenty of space for those who just want to drink. It's so spacious, in fact, that this has become a firm favourite with families -- plenty of kids running about, even on our Monday night visit. If you want to escape it all, there's a diminutive beer garden through the back of the restaurant area. Deliveroo now from Shepherd's Bush 217 Uxbridge Road, W12 Source The PV Source princessvictoria The Ivy House The recent history of The Ivy House pub in Nunhead's a fascinating story of people power against the march of corporate-sponsored gentrification. London's first community-owned pub is Grade II listed, with original 1930s features. Despite that -- and also the venue’s clear cultural significance and the fact that CAMRA nominated it to be listed -- in 2012 the umbrella company that owned The Ivy House decided to give the tenants just five days’ notice to pack up their peanuts and get out. The pub was saved from developers when locals clubbed together and set the place up as a co-op, securing the future of the pub and getting it listed as an asset of community value. These days it's impossible to walk through the Ivy House without a massive grin on your face. It's so convivial, you'll want to take it home to meet your parents. Or maybe just enjoy one of their burgers as you watch an act on their small cabaret stage.  40 Stuart Road, SE15 Source The Ivy House The Churchill Arms This pub's instantly recognisable, the exterior a mass of hanging baskets and flowers almost entirely covering the front. Inside, too, there's little hint of the fabric of the building, with pots, pans, porcelain commodes, sporting gear, lamps, royal memorabilia, bunting and assorted Churchillian gimcracks hanging from the ceiling. The back room echoes the outside with more plants than Homebase. To awkwardly paraphrase Churchill, 'Never in the field of pub decoration has so much been displayed to so many, in such a tight space'.  It claims to be the very first London pub with a Thai restaurant -- over 25 years ago these trailblazers knew the city was ready to pair a pad Thai with an ice cold lager, and opened their conservatory -- complete with tiny waterfall and real fish -- in which to do it. For other secrets about this pub, read the full article here.  119 Kensington Church Street, W8 Source churchillarmskensington Source churchillarmskensington Well & Bucket There's a genuinely sinister edge to this pub's interior, including the crumbling glazed tiles rescued from the pub's previous incarnation, and huge skull portraits. The Well & Bucket is one of the East End's oldest pubs, but also one of its newest, pouring pints from 1818 till 1989. For the following quarter-century it traded as a restaurant and later a wholesale shop. Now it has reopened thanks to Barworks and it's tempting to declare this the best pub in this corner of London and be done with it. Let us count the reasons: - Great ale selection, with rotating casks and a big range of bottled beers- Exceptional food. Who'd have thought a spelt salad could be the dining highlight of one's week? More-ish sliders come highly recommended- A small beer garden- A candle-lit basement cocktail bar - from the 5cc bar group, with venues in the basement of the Singer Tavern and the attic at the Exmouth Arms  Needless to say, it can get very busy — but being a little further from the working population than nearby rivals, you should get a table if you get here early enough. 143 Bethnal Green Road, E2 Source londonist Source londonist Mirth, Marvel & Maud After decades of sad decline, we're pleased to see Walthamstow’s historic EMD Granada cinema opened up again, partially-restored and now serving as one of the most atmospheric pubs in East London. The Grade II listed picture house, frequented by Alfred Hitchcock as a young boy, dates back to 1930, while the site itself was screening all way the back in 1896, the year cinema was officially born. The hugely characterful building, with its chandeliers and William Morris inspired décor, has been renamed by new managers, the Antic pub chain. The head of the company Anthony Thomas explains the odd moniker: “We wanted to bring Mirth back to the Foyer, which is in itself a Walthamstow Marvel. My Great-Aunt Maud took me to a similar space as a child, hence our chosen name.” The vast entrance foyer opens into a three-storied drinking palace. The first of the two bars is an octagonal booth just inside the doors serving cocktails, the second a bustling basement where you can try beer from Wathamstow natives Wild Card Brewery. Vintage tables and benches contrast the faded but still gorgeous interiors. The double height ground floor features soaring mirrors and ornate Ionic pilasters in turquoise and gold. Then up the sweeping staircase you’ll find a long, low-slung barrel-vaulted upper level with freshly painted and papered walls and rich red carpets. Just watch out for the ghost rumoured to flit between the projectionist’s booth and the cinema upstairs -- said to resemble a rotund, bald man. 186 Hoe Street, E17 Source Mirth Marvel & Maud Source Mirth Marvel & Maud The North by Northwest Pub If you've ever visited The Alma in Canonbury, you're in for a similar experience at North by Northwest, under the same management. The pub opened in early 2016, replacing the North Pole. Despite enjoying a complete refit, the place feels comfortable, even lived-in. The long drinking space is punctuated with numerous tributes to Alfred Hitchcock. (The great director began his career just south of here at Gainsborough Studios, now turned to residential blocks surrounding a giant Hitchcock head.) The bar serves a good range of ales, they do decent, two for one pizzas from Monday to Wednesday -- and a small beer garden at the back gives al fresco options. Just watch out for the birds. 188-190 New N Road, N1 Source No®thByN??rthwestPub Source No®thByN??rthwestPub

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Right To Light Totteridge London: Your Comprehensive Guide to Achieving Maximum Light Exposure in Your Home

Are you tired of maintaining your lawn, especially during the hot summer months? Do you want to have a beautiful lawn without the hassle of watering, mowing, and weeding? Look no further than Right To Light Totteridge in London!

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Nunhead choir celebrates a decade of song

Photo by Joseph Fox

Nunhead Community Choir celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and is still going strong, writes Tim Webb.

The choir sings mostly contemporary songs, with its recent repertoire ranging from The Staves, The Divine Comedy and Take That to The Specials. A series of special events are being planned to mark the anniversary alongside the usual concerts.

The choir, which is non-religious, has come a long way since it was formed in 2008 by a group of parents at Ivydale School. Around 30 to 40 people come to rehearsals each week and it has become a regular fixture on the local scene.

It has performed at the Telegraph Hill Festival, Peckham Festival, Dulwich Park Fair, the Christmas lights switch-on outside Peckham Library and regular “choir fests”, as well as many other one-off events.

More unusual venues include the ruined gothic chapel at Nunhead Cemetery, the fruit and veg aisle in Morrisons in Camberwell and AG Flowers in Nunhead to give its owner and former choir member Wendy Daffin a surprise send-off when she retired.

The choir also embarks on a Christmas carol pub crawl each year, giving Nunhead pub goers impromptu performances of traditional carols and the more contemporary “pop Christmas medley”.        

A few years ago Richard Swan, one of the choir’s original music directors, handed the reins over to his 21-year-old son Ben, who also plays drums for south London punk band Inner Terrestrials.

“Music is one of the most powerful things to link people,” Ben said when asked about the appeal of singing in a choir. “Choirs break down barriers, including age. They just become a group of people sharing their interest in music.”

The choir welcomes people of all backgrounds and musical abilities – no auditions are necessary. People do not need to be able to read music or have any musical training to join. Members include a playwright, a former spy, someone who has recently migrated from Venezuela as well as some genuinely talented musicians in their own right.

Research on the physical and mental health benefits of singing in a choir is well documented. It’s also a great way to meet people and get involved in the community – members usually retiring to the Waverley Arms for a drink after the weekly rehearsal on Thursday evenings.

Ben said: “We are more than a choir – we are a social group. If you are going through pain or loneliness, then singing can be an amazing, powerful thing. If you’re isolated it helps you feel part of something and feel connected to other people. It’s a very healing and cathartic thing.

“Equally, if you’re in a happy place you sing – it helps both feelings. Whatever mood I am in there is something musical that can help me out.”

.................................

Nunhead Community Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings, 7.45pm at Ivydale School on Inverton Road during term time. £7 to attend (first session free) to cover costs or £60 per term; £5 for those aged 35 and under. Discounts are available for those struggling financially. 

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London's Nightlife Needs To Be More Scuzzy And Sleazy

Another night out in Fabric. Photo: Tim Boddy. As you might expect, I'm a big fan of the night. I own a number of bars and clubs, all of which have Proud in the name: Proud Cabaret, Proud Camden, Proud Brighton and so on (feel free to make your own joke here about my not being over-burdened with modesty). As a result, for much of my life, I've worked in the dark. For years, I knew London better by night than I did by day. I couldn't have done this if I didn't love it. Nightlife — in its broadest sense — is a huge part of what makes London London. If you want to know what a city is really like and what really drives it, you could do a lot worse than be in a bar at 11pm. The bright lights of London were what lured my younger self away from Tunbridge Wells to the then strangely affordable neighbourhood of Primrose Hill. Over 20 years later, London continues to exert the same pull on anyone who craves energy and excitement. But London's nightlife is much more than a siren call to the young of the sleepy suburban shires. It's like adding an anchovy when you start cooking a beef stew — you don't notice it when it's there, but you miss it when it's not. Nightlife is part of the very fabric of the city. It's the alleys of Soho and the streets of Camden. It's the heaving mass of Shoreditch on a Saturday night. It's 400-year-old pubs and and pop-up supper clubs. It's the Ayia-Napa-for-the-red-jeans-set that is Clapham High Street. And yet, when you try to pin down the exact source of all this energy it's not easy. What is it? A useful start might be to say that it's a sort of idealised mix of restaurants, pubs, bars and clubs. I'd say that Soho in the 90s had the recipe just right. And perhaps Shoreditch did too, sometime in the early 00s. But these places are not quite as exciting as they once were. The reason for this is that there are many secondary ingredients in the night-energy mix, too. The effect of these is much more subtle. It's like adding an anchovy when you start cooking a beef stew — you don't notice it when it's there, but you miss it when it's not. In the case of nightlife, the anchovy is often scuzziness and sleaze. I'd be hard pressed to make any rational case for the prostitution and sex shops and drug dealing that were once ubiquitous in Soho. But, honestly, it's poorer for their absence. A beautifully spontaneous moment in Soho - just like the old days. Photo: Ekaterina Nosenko (Katia). When I walk around Soho nowadays noting how many glitzy new restaurants and private members clubs have opened and how the last few dives have closed, I could be in New York or San Francisco. Increasingly, Soho is a 53-year-old American's idea of an exciting part of town. In the Soho of 20 years ago, you felt anything could happen. It was unpredictable, and that gave it a certain energy. These days, you know anything won't happen. You'll have a nice expensive meal with friends who work in law and the media and then you'll get your Uber home. You can see this happening in Shoreditch, too. I visit Shoreditch about twice a year. Despite what I've said about it, it’s not a bad barometer of modern London. Inner east London, for all its faults, remains a kind of Darwinian jungle for trends and hipster ideas. Where else could give us a café serving only breakfast cereals or a cactus shop called Prick? Increasingly, Soho is a 53-year-old American's idea of an exciting part of town. In the Soho of 20 years ago, you felt anything could happen. But nowadays, especially around Old Street, I detect a sort of tweeness. It all looks a bit fake and scrubbed up. Hipster Culture 2.0 looks worryingly like Hipster Culture 1.0 with a corporate, sanitised twist. All the crappy old stuff that held out for years is going, going, gone. And so we come back to the anchovy. Does it matter that a weird shop that sold handbags nobody would ever buy has become another cocktail bar run by hipster mixologists? It does, although I'd struggle to give you a good reason why. I suppose it's that places like Shoreditch and Soho draw a lot of their energy from vibrancy and contrasts. When your £15-a-drink bar is next to a shop selling dirty magazines, that's great. When it's next to another £15-a-drink bar it's not so cool. A friend who lives in Notting Hill described this cycle back in 2000. "In the end," he said, "the bankers will move in to any area and kill it stone dead." This has gone on for years, but I do find myself wondering what the effects of a hard Brexit would be. Could the bankers start moving out? Could Notting Hill become a creative place again with energy and nightlife — and entertainment that doesn’t involve planning disputes between billionaires? I suppose it's worth asking why there is such a connection between a creative city and one with great nightlife. The obvious answer is that young, arty people like bars and restaurants and clubs. So if you have these in abundance, they will come. It's why London is still (just about) funky and cool and exciting. And it's why Geneva (which is much squarely aimed at servicing the old and wealthy) is not. There's also an element of a virtuous circle to it. You can open a restaurant for eating naked in London because there are enough creative, experimental people to patronise it. And that in turn will mean more interesting people come. Is any other city big enough to support the esoterica that London supports? Probably not in the UK. But on the continent you can see that places like Berlin have got it right — and are possibly doing a better job of it than we are. The night tube strike a positive note for the future of London's nightlife. Photo: Stefano Padoan. I won't get too bogged down here in the very well-rehearsed Fabric debacle. You probably know as well as I do that club closures are huge threat to our nightlife. But of course it's not just evil developers moving into areas that formerly rejoiced in a certain amount of freedom that are at fault. It's a range of factors, including a dysfunctional planning system, underfunded councils and license hearings that start with the premise that clubs are guilty until proven innocent. What can be done? What we really need is the government to view nightlife as a hugely important part of any city rather than just a cause of noise complaints and petty crime. We need it to be seen as a tourist attraction AND a source of dynamism and energy. I’m not exactly holding my breath in the current climate. Although perhaps Sadiq Khan's night czar will be interested in taking us forward to 2050 rather than back to 1950. Hyper-gentrification and club closures are a very real cause for concern, yet I believe there are some reasons for optimism. The energy of London's nightlife can still perform a remarkable kind of alchemy. There are some reasons for optimism. The energy of London's nightlife can still perform a remarkable kind of alchemy. That magic is what enables rather quotidian run-down neighbourhoods (as Peckham was in 2012) to become global destinations in the space of 12 months. Even now, I find myself baffled by what has happened to SE15. But it's undeniable that without the buzz that comes from nightlife, it would just another inner city suburb, like next-door Nunhead. I'm also very excited about the night tube. It's come 20 years too late for me but it's brilliant news for kids of today. When I was younger and poorer I remember watching parties and bars and clubs lose 20-30% of their customers at two minutes to midnight as people rushed to get the last tube home. The 24-hour tube is to be welcomed because it's not the people who are able to shrug off a £30 taxi fare who make a city a brilliant place to be. The two big things London can do to retain its nightlife are to sort out the current licensing system and tame hypergentrification. If it can accomplish both of these things, it stands a chance of holding onto the bars, pubs and clubs that have for so long been such a source of energy and excitement. And then, in another couple of decades, it will still be just as much of a draw for 20-year-olds who have grown up in Tunbridge Wells. Alex Proud has written for the sixth issue of London Essays, a journal produced by the think tank Centre for London. Each issue of London Essays brings together a variety of writers focusing on a different topic. This issue looks at London at night, with essays on the night time economy, the environment and crime. Read the essays: http://www.centreforlondon.org/publication/london-essays-night/.

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