Lion cuts for cats are on offer at Filthy Hounds Pet Parlour

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LISMORE Circus in Gospel Oak was looking spectacu­larly beautiful on Friday afternoon, when I popped up to meet independent business owners breathing new life into a once-forgotten parade.

It once boasted a series of useful and important stores and services that brought the community together – many were demolished as new housing blocks sprang up in the 1980s and 1990s.

It has had a dead feel to the area, with a bit of a reputation – often thought of as not the kind of place to walk around on your own at night. Steadily, the shops are returning and there is now a hairdressers, cake shop, pottery shop, studio workshops and a popular cafe.

The latest welcome addition is the Filthy Hounds Pet Parlour, run by Tanya Casey who grew up in Kiln Place and has started her own business after a career working in schools.

Ms Casey said: “I know it sounds a bit cheesy, but this is where I grew up – and it’s nice to see the community thriving again. When I was little, where all the trees are now, it was all shops – there was a proper bakers, a supermarket, a butchers, a sweet shop, a greengrocer, a GP surgery, a pharmacist. I remember my uncle used to bring me to a café that was in the bakers. We’d have beans on toast.

“It was like a ritual. It was the best beans on toast ever. I lived with my nan and my uncle growing up, and then moved after my mum got a place on the same estate. “I just remember a sense of community and having all those shops here. That was a big part of it, a part of people being there for each other. “When I walk past my old house it’s just all nostalgia for me. So it’s great to be back working here, part of this kind of revival.”

Ms Casey, who went to school at Parliament Hill, worked for 16 years as an attendance officer at Haverstock School, and later at Marylebone Boys’ in Paddington, before taking a pet-grooming course in St Albans.

She said: “I just thought, I’m done with that, I wanted to work for myself, work what hours I wanted to, and please myself. I set up a pod in my garden initially, and then I started getting regulars through word of mouth. The last two weeks, I’ve got lots of new customers. You’ve got to be fit and physical, there are some strong dogs round here.”

Her two cocker spaniels, Rudy and Rosy, are “the best dogs ever, but I am biased”, she said, adding: “They are better than humans, dogs. Totally.”

Her business also includes a cat-grooming service, due to popular demand where cats can come in for a nail trim or “a lion cut”.

“That’s when you leave the mane, and shave the body, and leave the tail with a bobble on the end – like a lion,” said Ms Casey. “A lot of people like to get that done if their cat is not grooming themselves properly.”

Lismore Circus got its name from Cornelius O’Callaghan, the first Viscount Lismore and a Whig politician, who owned the land in the 19th century on which the estate was built.

Sam Grieve, who grew up in the now-demolished Bacton and runs the cakes and supplies shop, said: “For me, what I like about the parade is you are not looking out on a road. You’ve got the sound of kids playing, the outdoor gym, people walking their dogs. It’s just a nice area to be in day to day.”

Cory Learer, who runs a ceramics shop with Anna Maria Bounie, said: “It was a bit of a dead parade, even a bit dodgy when we arrived about five years ago. To tell you the truth we were happy with that, we don’t want too much gentrification. It’s a cool area. Quiet, a little haven. You’re away from the hustle and bustle.”

Chris Vrachimis, who has run the business for 35 years, said he set up his business after he “fell in love with a girl” who he wanted to support, adding: “People come in and have teas and coffees, bacon sandwiches. We pray for them, sometimes. Sam makes cakes for people. It’s a community, man. And we’re all really glad this new shop is open.”