Comments on: Mayfair and the fall of the hippy squat at 144 Piccadilly http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/ A blog about 20th Century London Sun, 21 Aug 2022 20:46:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Jean Warburton http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/comment-page-1/#comment-2757724 Jean Warburton Sun, 26 May 2019 20:08:59 +0000 http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?p=834#comment-2757724 When 144 Piccadily got raided, a bunch of blokes and a few women invaded my home in West Hampstead and they were nothing but a bunch of thieving bastards who only got in ‘cos I had invited a couple of friends who had nowhere to stay and they in turn told some bloke called “Cowboy”. Believe me they were not peace loving hippies but stole and stole on a daily basis from someone (me) who had hardly anything myself. I was relegated to one room when I had the whole house They put themselves in charge of collecting the rent but never paid it and we were all evicted and I ended up homeless. So hope they all had a shit life.

]]> By: Patrick McGrath http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/comment-page-1/#comment-2712329 Patrick McGrath Sat, 23 Mar 2019 15:18:04 +0000 http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?p=834#comment-2712329 “I was there”..I was 16 and me & a mate went down there for a laugh,we decided to venture around the back of 144 & somehow managed to climb the wall & get into the gaff…I can’t understand why the Rozzers took so long in invading the place??..We walked around for a bit listening to people sing Dylan songs. “Yeah man”…….Then “fuck me” we bumped into a couple o bints we pulled up Archway a few days before…I swear you not!….Anyway it was on the night a pregnant woman was led out because she went into labour….Really!…We legged it out of there soon after……

]]> By: Martin Jones. Monza http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/comment-page-1/#comment-2073845 Martin Jones. Monza Tue, 08 Aug 2017 00:13:07 +0000 http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?p=834#comment-2073845 I was there. Those three wimpy kids were neither Hells Angels or Greasers, just bored little kids in biker gear with no bikes.
It was rough and grubby inside but most tried to keep it clean. There was even one area given over for treating injuries. Lots of cannabis and semi naked girls/guys, music and I LOVED it all the time I was there. If I remember correctly I left, along with some other members of the gang early Sunday morning to ride up the Mallory Park for rather race of the year. Coppers said “morning” to us as we left with no animosity. One of my fondest memories of my miss-spent youth!

]]> By: Paul http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/comment-page-1/#comment-2022171 Paul Wed, 12 Apr 2017 11:19:55 +0000 http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?p=834#comment-2022171 I was there for a couple of days ,A friend and I were visiting from a squat in rumbold road Fulham loved every minute of it ,it was us who painted the Anarchist symbols on the (Mock) gables on the front of the building we met some fantastic people there I have nothing but fond memories of that time my views are pretty much the same too .Being young was about real things in those days not shopping and gaming .

]]> By: lizzy http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/comment-page-1/#comment-1991399 lizzy Fri, 03 Feb 2017 17:16:45 +0000 http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?p=834#comment-1991399 Hello,

I’m looking to reproduce one of these images in a collaborative book which will go to print in April 2016. I am seeking information about copyright on the balcony image with the banner “All Property is Theft Homeless Welcome.” I would appreciate any information you could share with me on copyright, should you have it.

Best, Lizzy

]]> By: sebastian http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/comment-page-1/#comment-1641096 sebastian Wed, 01 Jul 2015 16:43:24 +0000 http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?p=834#comment-1641096 I well remember Sid Rawle, and Ace (the Hells Angel prtender and overall nice guy) Sorry to hear that Ace has passed on, he was ok

There were quite a few real HA at the squat, mostly Windsor Chapter. Tough as old boots, but if it hadn’t been for them, the skinheads would have destroyed everything.

Greetings to those who were there, the rest of the survivors.

]]> By: IA CAMERON http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/comment-page-1/#comment-523722 IA CAMERON Sun, 18 Aug 2013 18:23:58 +0000 http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?p=834#comment-523722 Hi just happened to re visit this altho we havent got round to having a chin wag which I cant do right now anyway…. well re this 144 episode I have a fair selection of the original 144 stand off newspaper BILLBOARD POSTERS. HELLS ANGELS v SKINHEADS and all that. Dunno if you saw them originally …. they’re rather ephemeral ….. anyway ….

]]> By: Owen Thompson http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/comment-page-1/#comment-461257 Owen Thompson Fri, 03 May 2013 10:07:43 +0000 http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?p=834#comment-461257 I was there. I did not stay overnight, but went along for 3 days running to help. My abiding memory is trying to cook vast quantities of spaghetti on a silly little camping stove to feed everyone. And there was a guy who was coming in with dozens of loaves of bread and a copper stopped him, assuming he had stolen them – but then he produced the receipt! (In those days some of us were specialists – feeding people, setting up silk screen printing presses for posters, or whatever – you would find the same people at the LSE sit-in, the University of Essex sit-in etc.)

]]> By: David Harvey http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/comment-page-1/#comment-288086 David Harvey Sun, 21 Oct 2012 11:28:04 +0000 http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?p=834#comment-288086 Sorry. The exact page for my 144 Piccadilly pictures is here: http://www.davidharveysydney.com/p/blog-page_20.html

]]> By: David Harvey http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/04/mayfair-and-the-fall-of-the-hippy-squat-at-144-piccadilly/comment-page-1/#comment-288084 David Harvey Sun, 21 Oct 2012 11:26:11 +0000 http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?p=834#comment-288084 I was at the 144 Piccadilly squat when it was busted and took photos there. They have just been added to my website. I also spent time at the Arts Lab in Drury Lane and the other squat in the house next door to Bow Street Police Station, near Covent Garden. Interesting times indeed! There were also some French anarchists who rocked up with a projector and film of the student riots in Paris. Life can be amazing when one is young and dumb, as I was back then! ;-)

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