I moved to Elephant and Castle in 1978. I had been living in north London and was made homeless, so I applied to the Greater London Authority for a property under their “Hard to Let” scheme. These were municipal flats that no one would take because they were in bad areas and in a bad state of repair. But I was desperate, so I took my chances. I stayed for 45 years because I had some wonderful neighbours. The rent was cheap (£5 a week) and the area was very central — it was a 12-minute bicycle ride to Trafalgar...