Pentonville Road consists mainly of offices and terraced HMOs (Houses of
Multiple Occupation) which are typically student rentals. It runs between
King’s Cross and Angel and can claim to be a section of London's first bypass - originally built in 1756 to provide a route for herding livestock to Smithfield Market. The next most interesting thing about Pentonville Road would appear to be that it is on the Monopoly board. To quote Frank Drebin in Naked Gun as the petrol tanker
crashes into the fireworks factory – “Nothing to see here.” But that hasn't put me off.
“Come,
friendly bombs, and fall on Slough, It isn't fit for humans now”.
Former Poet Laureate John Betjeman’s parents ran a cabinet-makers business
from this row of houses on Pentonville Road. The statue of Betjeman is at
nearby St Pancras station. In 1941 the IRA suspected he was a British spy
and were thinking of assassinating him. But on reading his poetry, decided not
to bother.
The Scala (left) was originally built as a cinema but construction was
interrupted by the First World War when it was used to manufacture
aircraft parts. It was then a labour exchange for demobilised soldiers before opening in 1920
as the King's Cross Cinema. The cinema has changed hands and names several
times through its lifetime, including a period as a primatarium (performing
monkey theatre). It almost went bankrupt and closed in 1993 after being sued
for showing Kubrick’s banned A Clockwork Orange.
However, it re-opened in 1999 as a night club and rock venue.
The Lighthouse Building (centre) was formerly Netten’s oyster bar. The distinctive
lead-clad structure on its roof is thought to be a legacy of its Victorian
past. The legend is that when fresh oysters arrived the Lighthouse beacon was
turned on.
Wild Kong and variants thereof is a
pop-art sculpture created by French artist Richard Orlinski. This one appears
to have been acquired by an estate agent to promote a new development. I don’t
know anything else about it but couldn’t resist adding a splash of colour on a
dull day.
In 2015, the aging perpetrators of the Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary met at The Castle
shortly after their heist. But they were secretly filmed in the pub by the Flying Squad and ended up in prison. The staff are
forbidden to discuss it with customers. So I didn’t comment, especially after
having already asked if it was ok to photograph the toilets.
King of Thieves is the 2018 film based on the burglary. It
stars Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Charlie Cox, Jim Broadbent, Paul Whitehouse and Ray Winstone.
PS The London Canal Museum, very close to Pentonville Road, is worth a
visit.
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