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www.urban75.org
A non-profit community site based in Brixton, this site is strongest on protests and activism, with bulletin boards and listings for upcoming marches and rallies.
Check out The ‘bullshit-free’ guide to drug taking (which neither condones nor condemns the practice), which would no doubt cause uproar at the Daily Mail, a selling point in itself.
www.londonist.com
‘A website about London and everything that happens in it’, Londonist is a lively and eclectic ongoing conversation about the capital, put together with real passion and insight.
Check out The map of free wi-fi spots in the capital is a work in progress; add your own local finds.
www.kudocities.com
We’re just about willing to give this ‘city knowledge exchange’ the benefit of the doubt; its recent revamp expressed global ambitions but it undeniably built its London community first (under its previous name, Friday Cities). It’s a highly user-friendly site that relies on (and enthusiastically encourages) users to start whatever conversations they want about London.
Check out Kudos points, awarded for interacting with the site, can be exchanged for ‘offline’ treats.
www.skeptic.org.uk/pub/
Skeptics In The Pub meets on the third Tuesday of the month at The Penderel’s Oak, Holborn. Usually there’s a speaker who will be linked to The Skeptic, the UK magazine for anyone who gets really agitated by the unchecked nonsense spouted by fans of the paranormal (see below).
Check out Recent topics discussed have included ‘How not to investigate the Paranormal’ and ‘Why don’t creationists just shut up?’ Expect a heated debate if you disagree.
www.spacehijackers.co.uk
Back in September 2007 thes London-based ‘anarchitects’ were kind enough to let Time Out’s Rebecca Taylor join them in their tank to help disrupt an arms fair. Their modus operandi is to reclaim public spaces from amoral corporations in the most imaginative ways possible.
Check out The ‘Equipment’ section, which reveals their secret armoury of gadgets, including graffiti boots and an all-terrain Morris Minor.
www.wildweb.london.gov.uk
This Mayor of London-sponsored site is designed to tell you where your fellow (non-human) Londoners are living, absolving you of any pressure to head to ‘the countryside’ ever again.
Check out Apparently Tottenham rail sidings provide ‘a substantial area of relatively undisturbed habitat’, which is impressive.
www.londonparanormalsociety.co.uk
Who isn’t tempted by the idea of a darkened tour around a ‘haunted’ house, pub or public building? These guys organise just that. Skeptics (see above) would be wise to avoid unless they have genuine nerves of titanium.
Check out We don’t want to take the piss, but the ‘Testimonials’ section is amusing, including a ‘10 out of 10’ from the possibly biased Fate and Fortune magazine.
www.stitchandbitchlondon.co.uk
We’ve been covering this ad hoc group of London knitting enthusiasts for a while but it still gives us a warm glow to see the information superhighway being used to promote such an endearingly old-fashioned pastime.
Check out The story of their ongoing project to knit giant scarves for the lions in Trafalgar Square to raise money for Cancer Research.
www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/guide/london.shtml
Technically, this site should be both in our ‘Going out’ section or excluded because it covers the whole UK. There are reasons for its appearance here, though. Firstly, the amateur reviewers have such an interest in the subject that it goes beyond mere reviewing of boozers; and secondly, it covers London so comprehensively that it simply cannot be ignored. Granted, the reviewers (men, on the whole) are of a type, but it’s the type that despises the gentrification of every pub in London and yearns for an era of quality, tradition and polite service.
Check out The ‘Crawl Generator’. Enter the number of pubs you want to visit, the maximum distance you want to stumble, and it comes up with a route. Nobel Prizes have been awarded for less.
www.pearlysociety.co.uk
Could a website be any more London? Dedicated to the community of pearly kings and queens, this site hasn’t been updated for a while but it’s a fascinating historical record with a great archive of photos of the pearlies fully dolled up (and in some cases having a right old knees-up).
Check out The section on St Paul’s, the ‘Actors' Church’ in Covent Garden, a proper hidden gem.
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19 comments
just for the record... our website is here...
http://www.hungamunga.co.uk
I think we should all meet under Waterloo Bridge at dawn with sharpened knitting needles.
well you cant say we dont live up to our name can you !
Me thinks there are some lessons to be learned here. Lets all do something positive and go get crafting instead.
ROTFLOL! Thanks ladies, this is one of the funniest things I've read in ages. Who knew knitting could be so cut-throat and, well, bitchy! Knit On!
It is clear that you don't like that the group got chosen. You think the girls "got their mates" to attack (I personally am a group member, but hardly know the girls, though I do have a great amount of respect for what they do). You accuse their events of being "all part of other people's events" which is utter rubbish since they solely organised the Knit Crawl and the Lion Scarf. Also the girls have worked with other groups and organisations such as IKnit and Twisted Thread in harmony with them, rather than jumping on their coattails as you seem to imply (and again all in their spare time for no pay!)
You can't like everything all the time, but it seems to me you should just let the girls have their moment, and leave it at that. You have told the world you think their website isn't good enough for the top 50. The rest of your put downs they could have done without, I think.
You tell them to take it on the chin, but you are basically putting down five very hardworking girls who go out of their way to organise events and write newsletters that benefit you. This seems rather ungrateful to me.
I think the girls who have replied have been remarkably restrained in their comments. And I love the website. It makes me laugh. Well done girls.
I think this all may have spiraled a little out of control! Charley, you are more than welcome back to the group and are completely entitled to your opinion on the site and the group itself. There was no move to gang up and we are sorry if you feel that way - those that have posted obviously feel very protective of the group and I'm sure they meant no offense to you. Perhaps we can all do a few stiches and cast off this matter now!
Charley, I am not picking on you but it seems to me that you're missing the point of of Time Out's article and being needlessly brash about it. The introduction to the article says: "here we present 50 other corkers, all of them useful and entertaining, all of them devoted entirely to the Big Smoke."
Stitch and Bitch London may not have the slickest website but their website has lead to a community being formed centred around knitting and being in London.
Fair enough, Hungamunga also do crafts but they don't necessarily have a London-specific theme. Also, iKnit is a yarn and knitting shop/cafe so it is primarily a business.
Flipin heck, there's nothing like a stitch n bitch scorned. I do get the newsletter, I have been to the group...all I wanted to say is I don't think, of all the craft sites in London, it deserved to be the only one in the top 50 BEST WEBSITES IN LONDON. I take it very personally that Amy says I'm slagging off a charity event - the link says 'check the progress of it' and I'm just saying that the progress has finished - Time Out's fault not yours. It was a brilliant idea and it looked fabulous. Maybe my beef is with Timeout for choosing the site and I realise you've probably got all your mates here to attack any kind of criticism and I'm feeling a bit ganged up on. Take it on the chin - it's just my opinion! You are all mighty and powerful and the best knitting group in the world, your sacrifices 'to spread the pure love of the knit' are truly astonishing and your projects (all part of other people's events - although I loved the knit-crawl too) are worthy of the highest praise - I just didn't like your website's all. Will I be allowed to come back?
sounds like sour grapes to me. thanks for the extra publicity though
Charley, Stitch and Bitch London meet every week. I would think that is fairly regular. How much more regularly would you like them to hold events?
Also they arrange events all the time. They did the Knit Crawl in the summer (which I loved), the Champagne bar at Ally Pally's Knit Show, and the UK Blanket for all the knitting groups. And they have stuff coming up all year.
Both sites you mentioned have had their Time Out glory in the past. Why not let Stitch and Bitch have theirs?
Charley, luckily most people in the craft community are more supportive of each other. You're wrong about the lion scarf event too - I just checked, it was less than a year ago. Pretty bad form to slag off a charity event.
I think it's awfully sad that a Londoner interested in crafts, is so critical of the stitch and bitch group being given a little credit. Shame on you Charley.
Charley, I think it is a terrible shame that you can't just be happy that craft is getting a nod, since you seem to support it so much.
It is also very sad that you can't let a non-profit group, who do so much for charity and have an passionate love of London, get a bit of praise.
If you have a website of your own, run a knitting group of your own, write a fortnightly newsletter, teach people to knit for free weekly, pay out of your own pocket to spread the pure love of the knit, then I would be very interested to see it, to see how we can improve.
OK, point taken. I'm an avid crafter and I just thought, IMO, that there were better craft websites available - afterall this was the best 50 websites in London article, not the biggest group or community, or non-commercial organisation list.
I've been to a SNB London meeting before, I've also been to a couple of other knitting groups who also meet weekly, run by people who work and they are free too. Funny thing is...your comment is almost an ad in itself! Happy stitching.
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