Simon Carter

Most of us have endured a nickname at some point in our life, probably during childhood. I say 'endured' because they're not usually very flattering, having often been designed in the playground to torment or ridicule. Mine invariably consisted of some sort of crude variation of my surname. More commonly we've probably all known a Plain Jane, Ginge, Four Eyes, or most cruel of all, Pizza Face. Memorable adult nicknames, are often appended to notorious characters such as Jack the Ripper, Doctor Death, or Typhoid Mary, but more rarely to celebrate positive traits; exceptions being 'Capability' Brown and the Prince of Pop. So Simon Carter is quite fortunate to go by the moniker, King of Cufflinks.

But it could have all been so different, if Simon had continued along his original path studying immunology at Chelsea College. Mr Antibody perhaps? The location of his studies however, was to steer him in an unexpected direction. It was the early eighties, and the Kings Road was awash with New Romantics parading in their finery. Simon had a 1930s vintage motorcyclist brooch, ( brooches were big in men's fashion at the time) which he decided to have copied by a factory in Cornwall, and then proceeded to try his hand at making some money selling to boutiques along the Kings Road. Unfortunately no one was interested, until,  just when he'd almost given up, society jewellers, Cobra & Bellamy, bought the lot. Immunology quickly lost its allure at this point, and a successful new men's accessories business was born. Equally the fashion for brooches didn't last long, and Simon became better known for his modern take on a man's wardrobe staple; the cufflink. While the business was initially a wholesale one, the first shop opened in the mid 90s in Quadrant Arcade off Regent Street. Today, Simon Carter products are sold in 35 countries, with shops in London, Toronto, and... er... Ilkley, amongst others.

On the face of it, a store in Crystal Palace might have seemed as unlikely as Ilkley for a brand with an international reputation, but Simon has lived just down the road in Thornton Heath for 20 years, and so knew and loved the area. He rightly had a hunch that there would be enough like minded locals to make the business work. It has so far outstripped all his business projections. Opening the shop here has also fulfilled the somewhat "random" nature of the business, as Simon puts it, meaning that there was no grand plan to it. After all, he has travelled in the opposite direction of received wisdom, which sees fashion designers developing a line of accessories on the back of a successful clothing business. So, although the cufflinks came first, and made his name, the colourful shirts are now the biggest part of the business.

When he first opened on the Triangle, he says he was touched by the genuine interest and encouragement shown by all who have walked through the door, even those who felt it was probably too pricy or not for them. From the merchandise to the look of the shop, there have inevitably been comparisons with Paul Smith, for which Simon is extremely flattered. Though the influence is there, the shop has its own character. There's an individuality of style and independence of spirit, which Simon says, mirror the characteristics of SE19ers. Fitting out the shop didn't cost a fortune either. Old military portraits and several other items were picked up from auction houses, such as Roseberys in West Norwood, and the bowling club boards from South Norwood were heading for a skip. And overlooking it all above the cosy wood burner (how many clothing shops have one of those?), is Crystal the porcelain cat.  The comparatively small and oddly shaped shop might have put off many retailers, and as Crystal Place develops, this might, Simon believes, play in the area's favour. As he says, the Triangle is reaching a bit of a crossroads, with more and more interesting places opening, and the fear is locally that the big chains will start to take notice and move in, snapping up empty retail units, sending rents beyond the means of local traders. However most of the available units in the area are probably too small to be of interest to the big players. I hope he's right.

Despite how small the shop is, it feels deceptively spacious, with room to move around from one display area to another. Here are just a few items that caught my eye.

Going back to the subject of nicknames, could this be the mysterious Prince Gervaise of Aurelia, I wonder?

A charming little chap made from recycled ties!

Simon Carter

After a couple of hours in the shop, I couldn't leave empty handed, and so yearning for spring like the rest of you, I bought this colourful little number!

Simon Carter

71 Westow Street

020 8768 1457

1d Rockmount Road

We moved house last week, albeit for one night only. We were 'test running' a new 3 bedroom house on Rockmount Road which forms part of a smart new development of 3 homes. The sensible idea of the developers, Solidspace, is that people should be able to try before they buy. Solidspace was founded nearly 10 years ago by Gus Zogolovitch, with the simple aim of providing modern homes of decent architectural quality, in response to the overwhelming blandness and lack of imagination on offer from most of the volume house builders.

I have to confess, when this project came to my attention, I was initially reluctant to feature it on the blog. After all, Gus isn't a local, even if the house is, and the idea of featuring a developer didn't really echo what the blog is about. However, on my first visit, I was so impressed with design of the house, and with what Gus is setting out to achieve, that I thought it was worth including. Essex Mews, as the project is known, is the company's third completed build, following a house in Queen's Park, lived in by Gus and his family, and a small apartment block adjacent to railway lines near Waterloo Station. Four other projects dotted around London, are currently on the drawing board. 

When Solidspace took on the site in SE19, it consisted of a few semi-derelict garages, and already had planning for bungalows. There then followed the usual drawn out debate with planners over how many dwellings could be built, and their appearance. Solidspace use different architects on all their projects, in this case, Peckham based, MWArchitects, but all share a basically modernist aesthetic. In an area of terraced Victorian dwellings, the planners were pushing the developer and architect to be more traditional in their approach. Although this may have compromised the original vision somewhat, the result is thankfully a long way from the ersatz historical references with which so much house building is daubed.

Thankfully the interior more accurately reflects the ideals of Gus and his company. As he points out, although Victorian homes have enduring appeal, they are not particularly practical, and people invariably want to alter their layout, knocking down walls and opening up living space. So in a Solidspace house, you have split levels and open plan living, rather than boxy rooms and dark corridors. The split level feels oddly appropriate in a hilly environment, as if the house is hugging the contours of the landscape. It  reminds me of the approach taken by builders in the 50s, 60s and 70s, such as the houses found in abundance locally, built by the Dulwich Estate. Not only in terms of layout, but also in the detail, such as the open stairwells, and built-in joinery, these new homes are reviving many of the features pioneered half a century ago. They are also defined by what they omit, so you won't find fake panelled doors, and certainly no stick-on coving around the ceilings. Much thought has gone into other details that make this particular home so appealing; decent quality windows of a type that is the norm on the continent but comparatively rare here, integrated window blinds, and deep reveals that project inward beyond the wall line, slate and hardwood flooring, as opposed to laminate, exposed brickwork feature wall, and right at the top of the house, the wonderful raised play area up a broad ladder. Of course, all this detail doesn't come cheap, but then, as Gus argues, we are willing to pay a premium on top notch products by Apple or BMW, why not homes? 

The show home has been simply kitted out, and unlike most show homes it contains a mix of styles, much as a real home might. Some of the mid-century pieces were supplied by our friends up the road at Do South, with homeware accessories including the lovely rabbit print cushions and napkins, from Thornback & Peel. The various artworks were created by Brian Deighton & G. Calvert. And don't forget, the house hasn't just been dressed for viewings, you can try it out for a night too!

It's often said that modern homes lack character or just aren't cosy. I must beg to differ...

Solidspace

Gus Zogolovitch

The eagle eyed among you may have spotted that number on the front door is 1c. This was apparently a council error, and the address is definitely 1d. The number on the door has since been changed.

For further reading about the Dulwich Estate:
The Dulwich Society

Blue Door Bicycles

Transport has been the central theme in the career of David Hibbs. Long before opening a bicycle shop in Crystal Palace, David worked for many years in the bus industry, followed by a period on the railways, where he was part of the management team running Birmingham New Street and London Euston. Then at Railtrack, after privatisation in the 90s, he was involved in franchising, and was responsible for setting up the National Passengers Survey. His final role was with Community Railways which sought to help local people breathe life back into their local stations.

Already highly qualified, David had a degree in Philosophy, Politics & Economics from Oxford, he later studied for an MBA at Warwick, and had long considered setting up in business. He considered 2 other business ideas before deciding on bicycles. The first possibility, which would have been a popular choice around here, was to open a cinema. The second, was to run a campsite, which, unusually for a London suburb, we already have in the area. As for a bicycle shop, the Triangle already had a couple. The Dutch cycle specialist, Popiel, which I've already written about, and a curious little shop on Central Hill, which had been there as long as anyone could remember. The owners were a very elderly brother and sister, Jeff and Margaret, who latterly were only opening on an occasional basis. They had taken over the business from their parents who had started it back in the 40s. Their father, H J Talbot had been a chauffeur and mechanic at a big house in Sydenham, where their mother had also been in service. As well as selling bikes, they were also a radio repair shop and photographic processors. They finally closed in 2010, when Jeff died shortly after a fall.

On taking over the premises, David had to turn his hand to archaeology, excavating and clearing mountains of junk. Amongst the junk however, were a few gems, such as the assorted vintage advertising signs, some of which are now on display in the cafe at the back of the shop. Other items, including old televisions and radios, were sent to a museum in Dulwich. Rather than completely stripping out and streamlining the shop into a slick modern showroom, David has consciously set out to retain as much of the building's past as possible, from the Victorian exterior tiling, to a random fireplace and stained glass window. Added to this are colourful new murals, eye catching signwriting on the shopfront, and a skylight made from old bicycle wheels. So much so, that the place still has the feel of a long established family business.

As well as sales of bikes and accessories, mechanics are on hand in the big workshop at the back, servicing, mending, and indeed building bespoke bikes. Some evenings you can even go along for lessons in bike maintenance. Outside the confines of the shop, Blue Door Bicycles likes to get involved with local events such as the Overground Festival, and Crystal Palace's annual triathlon in the park, where one of their mechanics is on standby.

The cafe is a welcome addition where you can pedal your own smoothie while you wait for your puncture to be fixed!

Part of the collection of old advertising signs

With efforts being made nationally, both to get people cycling, and to rebalance the economy in favour of manufacturing, it's good to see that BDB stocks various British made products such as Brooks saddles, Pashley cycles, and Carradice saddle bags. Most intriguing of all however is the bamboo bike. Yes really!

So to get some balance in your life, and the economy, go and speak to David about buying a bicycle.

David Hibbs

Blue Door Bicycles

5-7 Central Hill

020 8670 9767