Intro and interview by Robert Delaney.
AJ Tracey may have put Ladbroke Grove on the map musically, but Kyron Davis definitely helped cement the area’s notoriety in global skateboarding. Found beneath the Westway in the postal district W10, the bustling municipality of Ladbroke Grove is steeped in skateboarding history. The area played host to the old PlayStation skatepark (now BaySixty6) as well as the illustrious Meanwhile Gardens. Royal Oak (aka Meanwhile 2) is also nearby.
Kyron is pro for Nike SB and Eric Koston’s Numbers Edition, and growing up as a Ladbroke Grove local, I think that he is the best person to give you a virtual tour of the West London neighbourhood! Read on to gain some insider knowledge on the area…
Kyron 180 nosegrinds directly under the Westway. Photo: Chris Johnson.
Best skate spot - back in the day:
The best skate spots are in Latimer Road. There’s this big estate that just has so much to skate! There are loads of bank spots there, and anything else you could want, really. So, I would say Latimer Road, in the estate; that has to be my favourite spot in Ladbroke Grove.
Best skateshop:
I guess the BaySixty6 skateshop is probably the best one around Ladbroke Grove.
Best local video part:
Probably just any skate footage of Awadh Mohammed. He’s bangin’! He’s so good, so good at skateboarding. I used to look up to him a lot back in the day, and I guess I still do.
Awadh Mohammed, 2012. Filmed by Kevin Parrott.
Or maybe Ross McGouran. I know he wasn’t actually from Ladbroke Grove, he lived in Harrow, but anything from him at Bay was good to see, and Trevor Beasley as well. Not necessarily their parts, but seeing them skate in person, or seeing random clips of them on the internet here and there, is always cool.
Trevor Beasley on the old BaySixty6 ramp. Photo: Phil Proctor.
Best local - present day:
Ah there’s so many. Dennis Roberts is bad! He’s a banging skater; yeah, he’s beast. And then there’s just loads of kids at BaySixty6 who are on another level. But I guess Dennis is a big one at the minute. He’s cool; every time you see him skate he just gets better and better!
Assorted Dennis Roberts clip - @dennisrobertss
Best skatepark:
I would probably say Bay, yeah (laughs).
Best local pub:
The best pub? Well, there was this really good one by the station but I’m not too sure what it was called. I’m really bad with the names of pubs around there. I think it’s closed down now, so I wouldn’t be able to tell you what it’s called. I think it changed name quite a few times when it was open so I didn’t really ever know what it was called! (I’d hazard a guess at it being The Metropolitan – Ed).
Best local musician:
Digga D, he’s cool. I find him funny; he’s calm.
Best local celebrity:
I think maybe Paul Weller. He lives around there; he’s definitely a celebrity.
Best local point of interest/tourist must see:
Maybe the Trellick Tower block of flats on the Cheltenham Estate. Or Grenfell Tower. Grenfell is a good one to go to have a look at; it’s important for everyone to see first-hand what the hell went on over there.
Best thing about living in Ladbroke Grove:
There are a lot of different kinds of people living in the area, so I grew up with a good understanding of different cultures. I grew up around a lot of different cultures, which is good because, in other areas, sometimes it’s quite hard for that to happen. Seeing and being able to experience loads of cultures growing up meant I got to know a lot of different kinds of people too, which is only a plus!
Time-warping all the way back to 2007, a miniature Kyron kickflips in the surroundings of his native Ladbroke Grove. Photo: Chris Johnson.