Dickinson College Humanities Program in Norwich

A Day on the Acton Diet

August 28, 2010 · 7 Comments

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/TaPV8g1kaUw" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Today we visited the neighborhood of Acton about 30 minutes by tube from the Arran House. After two trains, we arrived and asked the station attendant for directions. She helped us out and added, “don’t expect much.” With that, we followed her directions and arrived at the quaint and simple Acton market. The market consisted of no more than two dozen booths selling a range of items: prepared food, produce, crafts, clothing, toys, etc. It was relatively quiet without much traffic and the people were pretty diverse, something we’ve come to expect from London in the past couple of days. The neighborhood seemed as though it served a suburban, mainly residential purpose for people of many ethnic backgrounds and ages. We didn’t really see any conspicuous tourists (other than ourselves) and we almost felt uncomfortable taking pictures of this strikingly normal place. Acton certainly isn’t a destination but it was still a pleasant place to spend an afternoon.

There wasn’t a particularly distinct ethnic feel to the market, an Indian curry seller on one side and a white lady selling apple juice on the other. The shops were likewise varied. Our walk through the market was quick and we continued on to walk explore the neighborhood. The shops and restaurants lining the streets had a similar feel to them. For example, one small restaurant offered both fish and chips and curry. We saw all of the kinds of stores you’d expect in any normal neighborhood but we did notice a number of antique stores and 99p shops. The architecture was mixed with older-style churches and row-houses next to more contemporary and basic buildings. We happened upon the neighborhood library. Upon entering the old stone building, we discovered more shelves of trashy romance novels than we’d ever experienced in a public place. They sported titles such as The Greek Prince’s Virgin Prisoner, The Sheik’s Impatient Virgin, and It Takes Three. Fine literature indeed. We continued on to walk through a really nice, green park and learned about the plight of the English Elm which has tragically fallen victim to the pervasive Dutch Elm Disease.
For lunch, we ate and drank at The Rocket, a restaurant and pub. Our very attractive but insufficiently flirtatious waitress brought us our antipasto meat and cheese plate and we gathered our ales from the bar. We sat outside for over an hour talking about the town but eventually, our conversation shifted to who we are and what we’re interested in. We noticed the European pace of our pub experience and enjoyed very much sitting and relaxing for what seemed like the first time since we arrived. The entire neighborhood had a slower pace to it than we’ve really experienced anywhere else in London. On the outskirts of the big city, things slowed way down and we were happy to experience a much less frenetic atmosphere. We took the opportunity on our return trip to have our first double-decker bus ride. We rode (on the second level, of course) one district over to Hammersmith and then hopped back on the Picadilly line to return to Goodge. Overall, we had a really pleasant day.

Categories: 2010 Daniel · 2010 David · 2010 Jessica
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7 responses so far ↓

  •   Elizabeth Barr // Aug 28th 2010 at 12:06

    ” We happened upon the neighborhood library. Upon entering the old stone building, we discovered more shelves of trashy romance novels than we’d ever experienced in a public place. They sported titles such as The Greek Prince’s Virgin Prisoner, The Sheik’s Impatient Virgin, and It Takes Three. Fine literature indeed”

    Haha- you think that’s bad? I found one in a CVS once entitled “The Playboy Sheik’s Virgin Stable-Girl.” Those give the whole genre a bad name, which is a pity. Er, anyway . . . sounds like Acton provided a nice rest from the hustle and bustle.

  •   guya // Aug 28th 2010 at 17:14

    I am curious as to why the market exists, given the lack of traffic and apparent negative reputation in the community. Was it at one point a large market? I wonder what the history of the area is…

  •   amyh // Aug 28th 2010 at 19:12

    You’re market seems very quaint. I was wondering if the customers were mainly of one social class or background? Was this a neighborhood where people would come in for a quiet London experience or was it a residential market where people came to do necessary shopping?

  •   patrickmr // Aug 29th 2010 at 19:06

    You described a mix of East and West (e.g. fish & chips and curry)- was there a visible divide between housing areas that seemed to be largely populated by one ethnic group or another? Or did it seem that residential living was as thoroughly mixed as market life?

  •   emilym // Aug 29th 2010 at 19:24

    The number of restaurants and vendors that serve both fish and chips and curry keep surprising me. In the US, it would be difficult to find a restaurant that features both Indian food, and typical American food. Maybe this tells us something about the extent to which immigrant cultures get incorporated into British culture.

  •   mattg // Aug 29th 2010 at 19:53

    Strange juxtaposition to the very large and sprawling markets of Camden. I suppose a market, despite it’s size and products, can be used more as a neighborhood growing activity then an actually place to by necessities or trinkets.

  •   Karl // Aug 30th 2010 at 09:02

    Nice job, but you’ll need to make your video public or unlisted in YouTube so that others can see it.
    One of my favorite snacks is chips with curry! A lot of chippies will have it on the menu, or will make it if you ask.

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