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by carola.co.uk
Taking photographs and security - bizarre!
We got the same treatment when my partner and myself went down to Clays Lane to take pictures Saturday November 3rd.
From a distance you see the blocks, the windows all removed, doors ripped off and this high wooden fence all round from the entrance on round the whole site and the cycle track and beyond. Having lived there for a number of years in Brook and later Daly courtyard till 2005, I have been popping back during these late few months to take pictures of its gradual destruction.
As we approached the main entrance, where the bus stop used to be - now marked by a pile of old furniture - we were called over to the gate by a security guard. He seemed perturbed about something and he was telling us that the taking of pictures was not allowed. A 2nd guard joined him and reiterated the same. I told him that I had lived there and that was why I was taking the pictures. Note that we were out on the street and not on the 'site'. The 1st guard proceeded to say how he would 'get his boss' (I wondered what he thought his boss could do, we were out on the street and beyond any authority he may think he has). The 2nd guard responded to my repeated point of having lived there that 'that was then'. I then told him I would ignore him and continued to take photos.
We walked away from the gate and saw another person taking pictures. We described what had happened and he was surprised as he said that he had been there many times taking pictures with no problem. However when he approached the entrance he had the same treatment. At this point I made it clear that I was taking pictures of the guards which caused them to run inside their little cabin. Totally bizarre. We stayed on for another half an hour taking pictures from the road, and I had many memories flooding back during the time. No 'boss' arrived nor anyone of authority to deal with the menace they obviously thought we were.
Maybe there should be a continued prescence down there of people popping along every day to take pictures. At least it would make the security guards feel they are doing something important. I'll pop some of the pictures up on here, once I have hooked the camera up to the computer.