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FRESTONIA - A VERY BRITISH REBELLION
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INTRODUCTION It is hard to believe that for a period of 5 years commencing in 1977, there existed, in London, a self-declared independent country called Frestonia. This is a truly remarkable story, so strange that it is not surprising that it was inspired by a fictional movie. It concerns a residential neighbourhood, in London, with an extremely strong community spirit based on shared hardship, a kind of artistic outlook and the willingness to take extraordinary action when threatened. I hope you enjoy the story because the events described are unlikely ever to be repeated. PHOTO : TONY SLEEP |
THE BIRTH OF FRESTONIA
Our “heroes” in this story were a somewhat unusual group of about 100 people, living in an area around Freston Road in West London
They were “squatters” and lived in houses which were in a very poor condition, in many cases, without power, water or any other services.
(Squatters are people occupying empty property to which they have no legal ownership - see additional notes).
At the beginning of October 1977, The GLC (Greater London Council) informed the squatters that the area was to be “developed” and this would involve widespread demolition of houses.
The GLC offered to relocate the “squatters” but these offers were rejected as its would have meant that the community would be broken up and dispersed to various high rises and other locations.
As residents discussed possible protest action, a man called Nicholas Albery (see later notes) made an astonishing proposal - that the residents should declare the targeted area as independent from the rest of London (and, by extension, the UK), effectively, making it a separate country.
Nicholas’s idea came from a film he had once seen called “Passport to Pimlico” This was a wholly fictitional comedy concerning a district in London, which declared itself to be no longer answerable to the London authorities, after finding evidence that the area belonged to France.
For more details see here
Despite the strangeness of his proposal, Nicholas Albery easily gained support for his suggestion to declare independence from the UK. It was hoped that it would publicise the various grievances of the community and, hopefully, would create leverage in their campaign against the GLC’s plans
Thus the country of Frestonia was born and would exist for another 5 years.
Our “heroes” in this story were a somewhat unusual group of about 100 people, living in an area around Freston Road in West London
They were “squatters” and lived in houses which were in a very poor condition, in many cases, without power, water or any other services.
(Squatters are people occupying empty property to which they have no legal ownership - see additional notes).
At the beginning of October 1977, The GLC (Greater London Council) informed the squatters that the area was to be “developed” and this would involve widespread demolition of houses.
The GLC offered to relocate the “squatters” but these offers were rejected as its would have meant that the community would be broken up and dispersed to various high rises and other locations.
As residents discussed possible protest action, a man called Nicholas Albery (see later notes) made an astonishing proposal - that the residents should declare the targeted area as independent from the rest of London (and, by extension, the UK), effectively, making it a separate country.
Nicholas’s idea came from a film he had once seen called “Passport to Pimlico” This was a wholly fictitional comedy concerning a district in London, which declared itself to be no longer answerable to the London authorities, after finding evidence that the area belonged to France.
For more details see here
Despite the strangeness of his proposal, Nicholas Albery easily gained support for his suggestion to declare independence from the UK. It was hoped that it would publicise the various grievances of the community and, hopefully, would create leverage in their campaign against the GLC’s plans
Thus the country of Frestonia was born and would exist for another 5 years.
NOTES ON SQUATTING
In basic terms, “squatting” means moving into an unoccupied building or on to unoccupied land, when you have no legal right to be there.
“Squatting” exists in many parts of the world.
In the UK, this practice is said to have originated with the Peasant’s Revolt in 1381.
A growth in “squatting” came after the 2nd World War when there was a chronic shortage of housing. Thousands of families took matters into their own hands by occupying all kinds of empty buildings.
At the time of the Frestonia story, if the “squatters” could occupy the building unchallenged for 10 years, they could apply to become the registered owner of the property.
In fact, when I was a child in Manchester, I actually knew a family who “gained” a house and shop by this method.
There is sometimes a political element to mass squatting.
For example in 2015, 40 protesters occupied a building in Mayfair, a very desirable, but lightly occupied, residential area, in London, to highlight how the plight of homeless contrasted with buildings left empty.
It is important to note that in 2012, the laws relating to squatting changed in a way which was intended to discourage squatters by making their occupancy a criminal offence.
However, the effect has been less dramatic than expected as the police are, seemingly, reluctant to take action when there are many other demands on their time and personnel.
Nevertheless, even without strict enforcement, the new law does make it difficult to stay long-term in squatter-occupied premises.
In basic terms, “squatting” means moving into an unoccupied building or on to unoccupied land, when you have no legal right to be there.
“Squatting” exists in many parts of the world.
In the UK, this practice is said to have originated with the Peasant’s Revolt in 1381.
A growth in “squatting” came after the 2nd World War when there was a chronic shortage of housing. Thousands of families took matters into their own hands by occupying all kinds of empty buildings.
At the time of the Frestonia story, if the “squatters” could occupy the building unchallenged for 10 years, they could apply to become the registered owner of the property.
In fact, when I was a child in Manchester, I actually knew a family who “gained” a house and shop by this method.
There is sometimes a political element to mass squatting.
For example in 2015, 40 protesters occupied a building in Mayfair, a very desirable, but lightly occupied, residential area, in London, to highlight how the plight of homeless contrasted with buildings left empty.
It is important to note that in 2012, the laws relating to squatting changed in a way which was intended to discourage squatters by making their occupancy a criminal offence.
However, the effect has been less dramatic than expected as the police are, seemingly, reluctant to take action when there are many other demands on their time and personnel.
Nevertheless, even without strict enforcement, the new law does make it difficult to stay long-term in squatter-occupied premises.
KEY FRESTONIANS
Given the nature of this story, you will not be surprised to find that the most mentioned players were artistic, eccentric and passionate.
Here are the people most commonly associated with Frestonia
DAVID RAPPAPORT
David was the most well-known of the ruling Council Around 4 foot (1.2m) in stature, he had a great personality. He would stop and talk to everyone in the neighbourhood He occupied the official position of Frestonia’s Foreign Minister and also took on the additional responsibility of being Press Spokesman. (charging GBP50 for each interview) David was, an actor, appearing on stage, TV and in films before and after the Frestonia affair He was probably best known for his leading role in the cult time- travelling movie “Time Bandits” In addition, he was a talented musician (accordion and drums) Sadly, later in life, he suffered from depression and, eventually, committed suicide in 1990. |
NICHOLAS ALBERY
As already described, Nicholas was the person who proposed the Frestonia “plan” He was the one who had seen and remembered the film “Passport to Pimlico” He had also visited a kind of commune in Copenhagen. This visit and the movie “lit the fuse” of the whole independence idea. Nicolas had several interests in life including being a Green Party Parliamentary Candidate (Notting Hill) and a “hippie” in the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco. However, he would probably be most pleased to be remembered for his support for new inventions and ideas that he thought would improve the quality of life. As such, he described himself as a “social inventor”. He founded a social think tank which went under different names at different times. He worked together with such "stars" as Edward De Bono (Thinker), Anita Roddick (Founder of Body Shop) and Fay Weldon (Author) He was a very modest person and often allowed others to take the credit for his ideas He was named as the Minister of Free State for Frestonia He remained active as a writer and promoter of ideas after the Frestonia story but, sadly, he was killed in a car accident in 2001 |
NICHOLAS SAUNDERS
He was a friend of Nicholas Albery and was known to be a “serial squatter” which is, presumably, how he became involved Apart from that involvement in Frestonia, he was a known social activist. Specifically, he wrote or edited publications to help people on limited income survive in London. He also studied the use of drugs as a part of social rituals in other countries. This was said to be an academic pursuit and not an attempt to encourage drug-taking. He claimed to be the first person to use the phrase “alternative society” He was obviously an interesting person, having tried and failed to blow up the chapel at his boarding school. Ironically, in later life, his Danish girlfriend who was into meditation, managed to burn down his flat. The fire originated with lit incense candles and progressed unhindered throughout the building because his girlfriend didn’t know the phone number for the fire brigade ! He died in 1998, as the result of a car accident in South Africa. |
JOHN HENLEY HEATHCOTE WILLIAMS
All the people associated with this event seem to be multi-talented and Heathcote Williams, Frestonian Ambassador to the UK, was no exception. He was a writer, actor, environmentalist, fire-eater, painter and magician etc etc… I could go on and on.. he wrote plays, one of which,I believe, became a movie starring Al Pacino Let’s just say he was very talented and very passionate about various causes. He died in 2017 after a long period of ill-health |
TONY SLEEP
A photographer and resident of Frestonia, Tony became the archivist of the area and he produced a truly wonderful book ( “Welcome to Frestonia”) recording the key images of that time. Sadly, it seems the book is unavailable although I did get the chance to sit and look through someone else’s copy (see later notes) (Note : several efforts were made to contact Tony for approval to use the cover image from his book but such efforts were unsuccessful. Nevertheless, I did use the image since it is so evocative. If Tony wishes me to remove it, I will do so immediately) |
LIFE IN FRESTONIA
So, what about living in Frestonia. What would it have been like?
Well, the structuring and promoting of the new country moved quickly.
After selecting a Council of Ministers, they wrote to the United Nations, requesting recognition as a nation.
I would, definitely, encourage you to download here and read through this letter as it is quite fascinating.
As well as recognition, they requested the UN to send a peace-keeping force to protect Frestonia from any attempts by the GLC to evict them.
The letter covered economic and social issues including a statement of their perceived mistreatment by the GLC and their intention to join what is now the European Union ( EU), a kind of Brexit in reverse.
My personal favourite stated policy is the one where they explain that all Ministers would serve only 3 months in any one department before moving on to another one to gain a broader experience.
Another early action by residents was for all of them to change their surname to “Bramley”. This was because it was thought that they would be regarded as a single family and thus could force the GLC to house them all in the same area. To my knowledge, the validity of this belief was never tested.
Also, they printed and used their own postage stamps which, surprisingly were often accepted by some international mail services.
A flag was designed with the motto “Nos Sumus Omnes Una Familia”.
Of course, you will all have already translated this into Latin but, just in case, it would be “ We are all one family”
Visitors were encouraged and they received a special visa stamp in their passports
Documentary crews came from all over the world to report on the situation.
Local media was, of course, equally fascinated and there was a steady stream of visits and interviews with the occupants..
Being, in origin, a rather artistic population, putting on various dramas, exhibitions and “conceptual art” seemed to occupy much of the time.
My particular favourite would have to be a performance of the film “ Apocalypse Now” with all the actors being on bicycles.
During this period, the People’s Hall was the focus of most activities and, to the best of my knowledge, is the only important structure still surviving from the time of independence.
Today it is mainly occupied by design/fashion businesses.
It is still the headquarters of Stella McCartney’s ( designer and the daughter of Paul McCartney) company.
Locally, the London Bus Route 295 was the most direct contact with the outside world and I was pleased to see, on my visit, that this route is still active.
At one point, “The Clash”, a very well known UK punk (and protest) rock band, appropriately recorded an album in Frestonia
FRESTONIA : LEGACY
Eventually, dialogue with the authorities produced an alliance between the squatters and a low-cost housing organisation - The Notting Hill Housing Trust (which still exists under a slightly different name) . This led to new (or renovated) attractive housing being offered to the Frestonian residents. Probably more significantly, Frestonians were brought into the planning consultation process
Following some internal debate, the community began to disperse. Some just left the area while some accepted the housing being now offered to them, perhaps having grown tired of living in poor conditions.
Nevertheless, every year, remaining residents celebrate stating that “We won big time” believing the community spirit had been retained and that they had been an important influence on the way the area was eventually developed.
When visiting the location of Frestonia, I met a very kind guy at the Frestonian Gallery housed in the Peoples Hall. Despite being obviously busy he took time to talk to me about Frestonia and and he also gave me sight of Tony Sleep’s truly excellent photobook covering the period of independence. I am ashamed that I did not get his name.
I did take the opportunity to ask him a question :
How did this strange state of affairs remain essentially unchallenged by the authorities for several years?
It appears that the main reason given was that, from the beginning, the media and the authorities decided that this was more of a fun story rather than a serious political act.
This doesn’t mean that the social concerns were not frequently and seriously raised but there was no aggression involved, no disruption of people’s lives etc.
Having said all this, in my personal view, it is unlikely that a similar event could take place today
Firstly because we now live in a less tolerant, more divisive political society.
There is little chance the situation would be handled with the same amused tolerance today. Instead, different factions would probably be set against each other by the media.
Secondly, a sizeable long-lasting community built around the practice of “squatting” would be very difficult to establish under current squatter-related legislation.
So, sadly, Frestonia may turn out to be the first and last “rebellion” of it’s type, at least in the UK.
Meanwhile, here are some images of Frestonia today :
Eventually, dialogue with the authorities produced an alliance between the squatters and a low-cost housing organisation - The Notting Hill Housing Trust (which still exists under a slightly different name) . This led to new (or renovated) attractive housing being offered to the Frestonian residents. Probably more significantly, Frestonians were brought into the planning consultation process
Following some internal debate, the community began to disperse. Some just left the area while some accepted the housing being now offered to them, perhaps having grown tired of living in poor conditions.
Nevertheless, every year, remaining residents celebrate stating that “We won big time” believing the community spirit had been retained and that they had been an important influence on the way the area was eventually developed.
When visiting the location of Frestonia, I met a very kind guy at the Frestonian Gallery housed in the Peoples Hall. Despite being obviously busy he took time to talk to me about Frestonia and and he also gave me sight of Tony Sleep’s truly excellent photobook covering the period of independence. I am ashamed that I did not get his name.
I did take the opportunity to ask him a question :
How did this strange state of affairs remain essentially unchallenged by the authorities for several years?
It appears that the main reason given was that, from the beginning, the media and the authorities decided that this was more of a fun story rather than a serious political act.
This doesn’t mean that the social concerns were not frequently and seriously raised but there was no aggression involved, no disruption of people’s lives etc.
Having said all this, in my personal view, it is unlikely that a similar event could take place today
Firstly because we now live in a less tolerant, more divisive political society.
There is little chance the situation would be handled with the same amused tolerance today. Instead, different factions would probably be set against each other by the media.
Secondly, a sizeable long-lasting community built around the practice of “squatting” would be very difficult to establish under current squatter-related legislation.
So, sadly, Frestonia may turn out to be the first and last “rebellion” of it’s type, at least in the UK.
Meanwhile, here are some images of Frestonia today :
APPENDIX :
If you visit this area today, you will notice a number of tributes and protest graffiti concerning the nearby Grenfell Tower disaster of 14th June 2017. On that date, an electrical fault in a refrigerator resulted in a terrible and fast spreading fire ultimately costing 72 lives. I asked a local resident about the protests and was told they had originated because the tower was quite close to what had been Frestonia. However, I discovered another possible connection. Grenfell Tower had opened in 1974 and was one of a number of alternative housing options offered to the squatters of Frestonia. This meant it was possible that the reluctance of the squatters to be re-housed may, conceivably, have saved their lives. For more on this tragedy see here. |
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