The London community playing a long game against gentrification

Elephant and Castle, Nine Elms and Battersea have all taken a beating from gentrification over the last few years. But hidden between the construction sites and high rise buildings is a small community in Vauxhall who have infamously fought off development and built an eclectic cooperation instead.

Built in 1870s, Bonnington Square is a cluster of houses between Vauxhall and Oval which were originally built to house local factory and railway workers. By the late 1970s, the terrace houses were compulsorily purchased by the Greater London Council (GLC) . Residents were driven out and the square was left with around 100 houses awaiting demolition.

However, due to English Heritage Protection, the demolition project was not legally possible and the area was quickly taken over by squatters.

At a time where politics favoured the rich and authoritarian attitudes were designed to restrict opportunity and ambition, abandoned buildings became rife in London. Societal pressures and hardship propelled the squatting movement which allowed anyone living in an unoccupied building for a certain amount of time to apply for legal ownership.

Still a grey area today, it is no surprise that by the 80s nearly all the terrace houses in Bonnington Square were overtaken by an artistic squatting association.

I spoke to Karen, an original resident in the 80s and is still an occupant today. “My friend and I used to cycle together to work in West London and one day she invited me over for a coffee, she was squatting at the time, and I fell in love. Not long after one of the houses become empty so I moved into the squat.”

Throughout the 80s, Bonnington Square continued to thrive not only as a housing estate but also as a community which developed flair and character over the years despite external societal pressures and gentrification.

Karen reminisces on these old times and the parties “It was an absolutely fantastic place to be, we had one house just for parties. We used to have big community festivals with trapeze artists in the square and we occasionally still do.”

As the landscape of London that surrounds it continues to evolve, Bonnington Square clings onto a sense of community – from what it was then to what it is today, the area continues to uphold a strong social capital even with the addition of new renters and first-time buyers. “This really makes for a healthy, diverse mix of people,” Karen tells me.

One of the reasons this local community manages to triumph against gentrification is down to communal force and teamwork. From Amnesty-run cafes to green projects, many original features of the square stand unscathed from the 80s.

Another crucial factor is the strong lobbying power and volatile nature of the community. “There are different gardening groups, people have applied for and got different funding for street planting,” says Karen. Recently, they won a bid that prevents the interference of chemical treatments on the greenery in the area.

But ultimately the biggest attribute to its success is down to the residents “It’s great to live in an area where you can come outside and see people dancing outside the coronership to live music. Fiddle-players, violinists and stuff just turn up and dance. Theres been at least three films made here too’,” Karen adds.

Recently, another building in the square was communally bought and now hosts a multitude of activities – classes, therapy, club nights and a cafe. The building was bought through a National Lottery Project Grant which can gift arts, library and museum projects up to £10,000. Karen hints: “Theres quite a big political story that comes with the buying of the community building but it’s too long to go into right now.”

When an area is rapidly redeveloped, friction can arise between the old and the new quicker than it can fuse which leads to lack of community and a sense of disconnect. Bonnington Square has proved that whilst it is important to acknowledge the changing of the times, it doesn’t always need to result in loss of solidarity and morale.