Urban deprivation

I once went to the market in Jaywick. A sign read: ‘Friday market. On Fridays…’ I bought 20 pencils for £1. I’ve still got one or two. This was 1999…

A is off there this morning, to do his stilt-walking thing. The Martello Tower (which I think is where the Lemmings are going) is surrounded by caravans. In about 2000 it was done up by some charity. No one from Jaywick ever went. The occasional punter from London ventured there, tricked by a Guardian editorial. The solitary attendant looked amazed at the sight of someone actually VISITING. We asked him if there were anywhere nice in Jaywick to get lunch. He said he used to bring his own sandwiches. He’d never actually BEEN to Jaywick – he’d just got in his car and driven to and fro…

But maybe it’s improved… The road names are taken from car manufacturers, which is a nice touch, especially if you live on Bentley Avenue…