Why Gay Camberwell?
Because it seemed like a good idea one drunken evening?
Well in part…
I moved to Camberwell five years ago, in a bid to get as far as possible from failed love in north London. I knew nothing about the place, except that it seemed the only area in Zone 2 where I could afford to buy a flat, and it had at least one nice-looking restaurant. North London friends warned me of its grim reputation and it did seem to have rather more pound shops than one area could ever need, but you can't have everything, I thought...
And then, suddenly, I found myself living in Barbary Lane, in a quirky block of flats buzzing with gay people. Having bonded with the gay boy whose kitchen window faces mine (through kitchen-based scrutiny of each other's dates), and advised the male couple upstairs on the music for their Camberwell wedding, I began to explore further afield. And to my surprise, I found a place to love living. A neighbourhood with lots going on, pretty parks, and good shops. A neighbourhood with friendly people. And a neighbourhood with a remarkably high gay population. When my girlfriend (another co-founder of GC) emigrated from Peckham and moved in, the gay population of Barbary Lane rose even further.
It turns out that so many people in Camberwell have exactly the same story to tell – though with variations on the point of origin. And so we thought it would be good to bring together on a website some of the places we’ve found and some of the things we’re doing in Camberwell.
Roz, co-founder of gaycamberwell.com