Frestonia

For the Aztec Camera album, see Frestonia (album).

51°30′37.49″N 0°13′2.33″W / 51.5104139°N 0.2173139°W / 51.5104139; -0.2173139

The People's Hall, Freston Road. Looming over the small street, this is the only significant building from the Frestonian squatting period still standing on Freston Road itself, and was home to a bunch of French punks. Eventually when they moved on, the location was popular with creative outsiders drawn to the community. The building hosted the recording of much of The Clash's album Combat Rock

Frestonia was the name adopted for a couple of months by the squatters of Freston Road, London, when they attempted to stop a threatened eviction via secession from the United Kingdom. In 1974, two streets of tumbledown terraced Victorian cottages – Freston Road and Bramley Road – were broken into by squatters who rigged up electricity, water and makeshift roofs.[1] They playfully formed the Free and Independent Republic of Frestonia.[2][3]

The residents were squatters, some of whom eventually set up a housing co-op in negotiation with Notting Hill Housing Trust after that landlord bought the street. Residents included artists, musicians, writers, actors and radical feminist activists.

Actor David Rappaport was the Foreign Minister, while playwright Heathcote Williams who occasionally visited a friend in the street, served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

  1. ^ "Olden Life: What was Frestonia?" Jane O'Grady. The Oldie. Dec 2018
  2. ^ Harris, John (30 October 2017). "Freedom for Frestonia: the London commune that cut loose from the UK". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Frestonia: the past is another country". Rbkclocalstudies.wordpress.com. 23 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.