7 Aug 2012

Compare and contrast: London riots one year on

Channel 4 News revisits four of the worst-hit parts of London to see how they have recovered since last year’s riots. See the before/after photos here. Roll your mouse over the images.

Tottenham

Tottenham High Road (above) was labelled a “war zone” after cars and buses were set alight on the Saturday (6 August 2011) after Mark Duggan was shot on Thursday 4 August.

The 1930s Art Deco home of Allied Carpets was razed to the ground (below), but CEO Lord Harris (of Peckham) has invested heavily in the redevelopment of his building and the surrounding area.

Enfield

The jewellery shop G Mantella was ransacked on Sunday night (7 August 2011) as the riots moved north, resulting in a loss of over £40,000 of stock.

The jewellers vowed to continue trading, and their smashed windows have been replaced with posters championing community pride.

Brixton

Sunday was also the day when Brixton’s Splash festival turned sour: police arrested many looters of a branch of Curry’s, including an employee still in uniform.

In 2012, there is no trace of the damage which left the store empty.

Croydon

One of the defining images of the summer unrest was furniture store House of Reeves in flames, on Monday night (8 August 2011).

The building’s fiery demise and illustrious history are documented on hoardings around the empty Reeves Corner site.

A special Reverse Riot exhibition is on in the adjacent showroom – with a photo exhibition wrapping round the shop’s remaining building.

Clapham

On the Tuesday (9 August 2011), a fire badly damaged a part of Lavender Hill’s row of shops.

Extensive rebuilding is still under way, in an attempt to make the premises safe again.