Crouchended

Life in Crouch End, bikes, trying to be green and other randomness

Crouch Hill Squatters

May 18, 2007 at 4:48 pm · Filed under Crouch End, art, squatters

 

 

For a while I wondered why there were regular car boot sales at the Mountview theatre, and why there were continuous vans going in and out of the building that I’d not seen open since I moved to the area….. the answer is that the building is now occupied by an arts collective called Project 104.

 

Despite being open for 3 weeks I’d fail to twig until I started getting traffic finding this blog by looking for “Crouch End Squat” on Google. That picked up a separate story from my RSS feed about squatters at the TUC centre on CrouchEnd Hill, that also mentioned the Mountview Squat.

 

I can’t find any information about why the original building was left empty for so long. It is due to be turned into a school for autistic children, and Project 104 are quoted as saying “we’re not obstructing plans for the redevelopment. We don’t mind leaving when it’s time.”

 

The Mountview Academy moved to Wood Green some time ago – but I did find an obituary of the founder Peter Coxhead.

9 Comments »

  susieq wrote @ May 23, 2007 at 11:47 am

I find it hilarious that these squatters apologise for an “inconvenience” but then continue to play booming music, let there dogs mess on the street and not clean up and leave smelly rubbish outside on the streets not to mention the shouting and screaming in the early hours of the morning. These people need to get off their asses and get a real job.

Reply
  mentalflossuk wrote @ May 26, 2007 at 10:52 am

I walked past this morning and saw the sign that susieq refers to – which is on the noticeboard outside the building – apologizing for the noise as they moved in a few weeks ago, and giving a contact number, or pointing people at the website.

Where is the website? I can find the bit on them on indy media – but nothing on anything else. Come on folks – sort it out!

I’ve not seen much of a disturbance outside, but then i only seem to go past on my way to Two Wheels Good on a weekend.

Reply
  muswellhillbilly wrote @ June 4, 2007 at 3:20 pm

They had a swap exchange at the squat on saturday – I took an old door Ive been meaning to recycle for ages, and I got a pot plant in exchange. result!

So far they seem harmless although admittedly Im a few blocks away. I do admire their transparency (informing everyone what they are doing & putting up a mobile number).

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  N8 Resident wrote @ June 7, 2007 at 12:20 pm

It is not funny what’s going on at the Mountview Theatre. The squatters have made of the place a “Persian market”, hanging sarongs on the railings, selling stuff, leaving food and rubbish outside on the kerb, spending the evenings until very early hours in the morning sitting in the courtyard and talking and laughing loud, their dogs barking incessantly and none of us, their neighbours, being able to sleep a wink. So, before labelling them as “harmless” think again. Noise pollution is also a serious matter, basically when very sick elderley people live in the neighbourhood.

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  Andrew Carbery-Roe wrote @ June 20, 2007 at 9:05 am

The Squatters Are lovely sweet creative people They mean no harm and they were very genrous in letting us do a fasion shoot there They left us to it & expected nothing in return but we will give them a copy of the shots and we gave them some beers They are trying to save the heatre so i can only see that as a positive thing! Someone was moaning about the noise! Well they are young! That would make no difference if they werent squatters. People should back off and leave them be is there nothing better to worry about? I find that sad!

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  Gem wrote @ July 12, 2007 at 1:49 pm

The squatters seem to have vacated now. I had no problem with them using the building to live in, but they left it filthy and full of junk. You can smell it as you walk past. They seemed content to live like that too…

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  Betty M wrote @ August 13, 2007 at 7:57 pm

The squatters – different scuzzy vans so presumably different ones – are back.

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  Journal wrote @ December 10, 2007 at 5:42 pm

Hi there,
I’m emailing from the Hornsey & Crouch End Journal – this is the only way I could figure out how to get hold of you!
We’d like to use the picture you took of the front of Mountview Academy Theatre School (www.indymedia.org.uk/images/2007/04/368840.jpg) in a story we’re running this week on the trees’ removal last week.
If you get this message before noon on Tuesday, Dec 11, please call the office on 020 8342 5777 and ask for me, or email at the supplied address.
We won’t be able to offer you payment for the photo, but are happy to credit you as the photographer.
Best wishes,
Stephen Moore, chief reporter.

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  www.webuydvds.co.uk wrote @ April 5, 2009 at 9:18 pm

Check out our website if you want to turn your unwanted DVDs and computer games into cash fast.

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