Photographer Mark Cawson moved to Cromer Street in the early 1980’s and began living in a row of four squatted blocks – Hillview Estate. It was an eclectic community of squatters including artists, musicians, circus performers, working girls and a small sub-set of people struggling with addiction.
When short-life tenants – often ex-squatters themselves – were moved in in the mid 1970s, there was a push towards developing a more ‘family-friendly’ atmosphere on the estate. The result was that many of the addicts and prostitutes were moved on by the council, and the estate began to change. Fast forward thirty years or so and the tenement buildings have been renovated and turned into social housing. Mark tells us about life in King’s Cross in the early 1980s, and in an interview with Lainy Malkani he talks about why the cafes played such an important role in his life.
To see more of Mark’s photographs see the feature here
For a detailed history of the Hillview Estate, see Andela Cobinnah’s feature here
Stories by Michael Hall and Polly Rodgers
Mark recollects the working men’s cafes he used to frequent when he was squatting in Kings Cross.
Stories by Lainy Malkani