London‘s rich and poor are leading increasingly separate lives, split by the widest wealth divide seen in the capital for 40 years. Time Out asked a Chelsea baroness and a Kentish Town council tenant to step into each other‘s lives for a day
Gerda’s story
Baroness Gertrude (Gerda) von Posch was born into a noble Austrian
family and educated in Switzerland; she won’t reveal her age – ‘Just
say how gorgeous I am’ – but she moved here in 1960 because her father
wanted her to learn to speak English. She can usually be found in her
Sydney Arcade shop, just off the Kings Road, surrounded by terrifyingly
breakable pieces of hand-painted porcelain. She has one son from a
former marriage, but they are not in touch. She lives ‘in the smart
part of Chelsea in a rather nice flat’ with her partner, Roger.
Gerda in David's world
David’s story
David Olapoju is British Nigerian; his student parents fostered him with a British family. His younger siblings weren’t fostered; all have good jobs. ‘I’m the black sheep,’ he says. At 14, he left home to try to be a sadhu (Hindu holy man), ‘sleeping rough, not eating, thinking of God.’ His family matters to him but he’s a rolling stone: he’s travelled to India many times seeking enlightenment, has lived in a hostel and nearly died of tuberculosis two years ago. David hasn’t gathered much moss but feels he’s lucky to have the Kentish Town council flat he shares with one of his two daughters.
David in Gerda's world
Tim Arthur and Caroline McGinn. Photography Rob Greig
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1 comment
David has come a lond way,and he deserves the best,things like this happens every where,but we have to be educated,and take good care of our bodies.your body is your life,your soul,and your mind.good luck David