This website has been set up to collect photographs, stories and memorabilia on the squatting community and neighbourhood campaigns that took place in a small area near Euston station in central London in the 1970s known as Tolmers Village. This activity had more than local significance and provides an interesting snapshot of community politics at the time. It also strongly influenced the lives of those involved and has nostalgic value.
Tolmers Village is a place, which includes Tolmers Square, where various conflicts over inner city life and management played themselves out for real during the 1970s. Offices or housing? New build or rehabilitation? Mixed use? Local or central control? Reform or revolution? Sustainability or escalating consumption? Housing for families or single people, for rich or for poor? Ethnic diversity or exclusion? Land and streets for people, cars or vegetation? Community or corporatism?
So Tolmers was a place but also an idea. Or rather lots of ideas. It was a campaign but also lots of campaigns. Depending on your perspective it was an inspiration or a warning. A huge success or a terrible failure. The only certain thing one can say is that it was. It happened.
This website has created a digital version of Tolmers Village; as a place; as historical event, as communities of people, as memories.
In practical terms the website is built around a database of photographs, each of which is tagged with key properties, such as when and where it was taken, who and what is shown in it. This means that one can find on the website photographs of certain people, of particular locations or particular events. Using contemporary press cuttings and other documents as well, the photos can be used to illustrate stories exploring particular aspects of the Tolmers experience.
Most of the photographs have never been seen before. They have been selected on the basis that they fill some, and preferably all, of the following criteria:
The press cuttings are a digitised physical scrapbook contributed to by many people over the years. A great source of information and a reminder of just what a remarkable amount of interest the Tolmers experience generated during its heyday in the 1970s.
As well as providing an interesting legacy website in its own right, it is hoped that the material will be used for exhibitions and publications. Anyone interested should contact us.
What is the point of it all? Does any of this really matter any more? Interesting history but surely the world has moved on? Indeed, but in so many aspects the Tolmers experience still resonates, particularly with young people.
How will the website develop? That is largely up to you to decide. We have found it fascinating piecing the jigsaw together and are continuing to do so.
As the site grows it is clear that Tolmers Village was about different things to different people: variously city life, community, sustainability, resilience, optimism, growing up, indulgence, politics, friendship, happiness.
We have deliberately avoided creating a social media style site where anyone can freely post anything but please contact us with any queries, suggestions or complaints and we will do our best to respond. If anyone wants to create a Facebook group or similar we will happily link up to it.
In the meantime please explore what is available here and let us have anything you think people might also like to see.
To receive occasional information about events and developments please contact us and ask to be put on the Tolmers Village Forum mailing list.
Patrick Allen and Nick Wates, 2021