Balham, this is Balham

The Clash once played in Balham. I can't believe it.

I've just been on a bit of a history trawl of the suburb and, who woulda thunk it, the glory that is Balham Station is 150 years old this year:

The railway enabled people to live in Balham and commute into work in central London. Increasing numbers of people moved away from the overcrowded areas of central London and into the more spacious houses and healthier environment of Balham.

This info comes from the Museum of London's excellent Postcode Project. Big up Drumz of the South, fellow south London history soldier (!) for the heads up.

Meanwhile www.balham.com informs me of the horrifying news that Jimmy Hill was born in my fair suburb.

No soup for you!

NEXT!

The reference, for those who haven't got it, is Seinfeld's infamous Soup Nazi character. The Independent today reports that the real life Soup Nazi is to open a series of franchises across the UK.

It may be worth pointing out at this juncture that neither of the Soup Nazis (real or fictional) had anything to do with national socialism in any form; taking their name from their harsh-but-fair set of priorities:

1. Soup
2. Everything else

Is there any other way of ordering one's life?