I grew up between Hammersmith and Ladbroke Grove. Hammersmith is a strange London thoroughfare full of robust, sports-capable people rowing along the river at 5am. But I tend to spend my time in Ladbroke Grove. It used to be a lot more bohemian, but although gentrification has taken place, the social housing structure means that you get a true mix of Londoners living there. I’ve found that I can’t really exist anywhere else but west London.
Panella
A Sicilian cafe under Trellick Tower that has an excellent, daily-changing menu. It’s an institution, the prices are quite normal, and there’s a great mix of people eating in there.
Rough Trade West
I’m terrible at keeping vinyl in any sort of order, but I’ll often go in to see Nigel [House], who runs it, and he’ll talk about an obscure record that I won’t buy.
Notting Hill Bookshop
You fill in a form and they build a profile of you – and they send you a curated hardback every month. I love having the decision made for me.
Josh Wood Atelier
I’d been having my hair cut by Marilyn [Humphreys] at Basecuts [on Portobello Road] forever, so when it closed a few years ago, I followed her to her new salon [Josh Wood Atelier] just behind Holland Park station. She still charges me the old rate, which I appreciate.
The Cow
Packed full of posh, well-upholstered, boisterous men in recent years, but it’s a pub I always return to.
Vestige
I don’t really buy a lot of clothes, but I do like visiting Vestige, opposite Trellick Tower. It’s a vintage shop like no other – full of vintage Versace, old suits and rare finds – owned by a man called Ashgar [Cheraghzadeh], a brilliant eccentric.
Hyde Park
I take my lurcher, Pollo, on walks there a lot. I’m not really into dog-bonding, but when you have a dog, you find that you get into lots of conversations with strangers. I love how the park draws in people from all walks of London life.
Riverside Studios
Ok, so this is in Hammersmith, but my son’s old drama teacher runs it so we get free cinema tickets. It’s probably one of the greatest things about living nearby.
Baxter Dury’s new album Allbarone is out now on Heavenly Recordings.
This article originally appeared in issue two of Broadsheet* London's newsletter.*
