Another Thing About the Heygate...

Many of my friends have endured sitting across from me at many a dinner table listening to my obsession with disused tube stations, derelict buildings and the blowing-up of multi-story tower blocks and will not be surprised to learn that the Heygate estate is a constant source of fascination for me. I first noticed it a little over a year ago when I went past it on the bus and saw that the majority of the windows facing the street had been welded up. I soon became obsessed with this derelict, largely uninhabited concrete ghost town right next to one of London's major traffic blackspots - the Elephant and Castle roundabouts.

Basically, it is just one of Britain's crumbling 'sink estates' and Southwark Council are in the process of evicting the last of the tenants before the estate can be demolished in early 2010. Some people still live there, although the number is slowly diminishing, and the whole place has an eeriness that is as alluring as it is terrifying.

A couple of months ago I found this wonderful blog detailing life on the Heygate and after. It's still updated from time to time, but the early entries are absolutely fascinating:

http://livefromtheheygate.blogspot.com/

Also, I really want to get down there and take some photos of my own before it is demolished completely, however here are a few that I have pilfered from Google Images for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy xx