Photographer Jon Hall died earlier this month 

JON Hall was a professional photographer and much-loved pillar of a tightly-knit community in Kentish Town where he lived with his artist wife Ann for 55 years.

But the last few months of his life were spent in turmoil after he was knocked-over by onrushing flood water in his garden following a burst water main in Leighton Road last October.

The flood destroyed the couple’s home and many of his treasured lifelong possessions and portfolio of photos in what Thames Water branded a “major incident”.

Mr Hall died earlier this month from cancer, aged 81, while living in temporary accommodation after an ordeal that his daughter said “likely accelerated his demise”.

Dr Natasha Hall said that with the growing threat of climate change triggered floods and wild fires spreading across Europe, and geopolitical instability, better planning would be needed for the future to support the most vulnerable residents.

“He was knocked over by floodwaters, trapped wet and cold in his garden and rescued by firefighters,” Dr Hall said. “We believe that this incident, combined with the subsequent loss of his life’s work as a photographer, which was destroyed in floodwaters, likely contributed to his death.

“But my overwhelming feeling is that these floods are happening all over London and we look at the fires across the country and in Europe, we have to think about what we are doing to support the most vulnerable people.

“I have taken time to care for my parents, but there are so many people who don’t have that support structure. As a community, we need to be thinking more about that.”

Dr Hall told how her father had left Oxford to train with the legendary photojournalist Eve Arnold, who lived in Mayfair, and prized a signed print of an iconic photograph of Maryln Monroe.

It was destroyed in the fire along with the rest of his life’s work but the Eve Arnold estate have offered help to reprint the images, his daughter said.

Mr Hall had a successful career as a food photographer and later explored abstract “camera-less” form of light-painting photography, that he coined ‘Hallographs’.

He was a long time member of the Leighton Road Neighbourhood Association who would respond to planning applications to Camden Council.

“He was extremely creative and always wanted to do things differently,” his daughter said. “One specific thing he used to do in Camden was taking part in the Colour Walks, where photographers and models would come together in an array of different colours. He was one of the organisers.”

She recalled fond memories of learning to ride a bike on Hampstead Heath and swimming in the ponds.

He met his wife while they were both working for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Dr Hall said: “The past nine months have been incredibly challenging. My mother’s mixed dementia (vascular and Alzheimer’s) has worsened significantly due to the stress of living in temporary accommodation and in now in her fourth emergency accommodation. Now, the loss of her beloved husband has added to her distress. Overnight, I’ve become a 24/7 carer, had to take a leave of absence from work to care for her.”

The New Journal reported in October on the flood that fill the reception and clinical rooms of the Caversham Group Practice in Peckwater Street waste deep.

Dozens of emergency workers were brought in to help and streets were cordoned off by police while water was been cut off to homes and ankle-to-waste deep pools in residents’ basements was beginning to ebb-away at around 11am.

The taped off road outside Mr Hall’s home in Kentish Town last autumn

Ann Hall spoke to the New Journal on her doorstep, saying: “We did have a lovely house. The water is all in the basement. I can’t even get down the stairs there.”

The chaos affected more than 6,000 properties right down to the Prince of Wales Road junction with Kentish Town Road, according to a report, but the brunt of the damage was felt in Leighton Road where many residents are still waiting to return home.

Azadeh Bagherzadeh said she felt an overwhelming sense of relief after returning home with her husband and two children for the first time this month.

The cancer research scientist told the New Journal that a ballpark figure for money agreed to be owed to her by Thames Water was in the region of £100,000.

She told how she immediately broke off from a holiday in Italy with her family in Italy after hearing the flood water had rolled in to there home of ten years.

“We lost the contents of our kitchen, living room and dining rooms,” she said. “Luckily the bedrooms were fine. It took a long time at the beginning for the workmen to make a list of items that were lost. The Excel sheet was 500 lines long. Each of these items they wanted to put a receipt or a valuation, or a purchase year against them.

“There were a couple of handcrafted items that my husband’s grandfather had made. It was sad to see them in floating water. And the records – every single vinyl had to be listed. In the end it was eight months rent at £6,500 a month. The loss adjustors says they have a £50,000 limit, and after that it needs a special approval. There was at least another £30,000 in belongings and our early flights home.

“When it happened we weren’t even home but luckily my parents in law live up the road and were able to get contact numbers for me. All of the row of homes had been flooded, included ours. They initially told us it would be three months. I thought as long as we have room for everyone and had desks for the children to work in and a big enough living room for Christmas that was the main thing. We’re just back now and it has been eight months.”

One of Mr Hall’s creative works

Ms Bagherzadeh said she spent the first few days in a hotel before finding a flat to rent for her family.

There was loss adjustors and an accommodation agency to liaise with, often with long delays and slow responses to her questions.

She added: “This seems to be happening more and more. My impression is that the contractors were going from disaster to disaster, from horror story to horror story.

“It was just before the flood in Caledonian Road happened – and there was certainly an exodus of workmen to that site. On the other hand, the workmen are clearly used to this sort of thing, and perhaps that helps.”

On the wider issues surrounding the future of Thames Water, she said: “I have to say while this was going on I couldn’t read those news stories about Thames Water. It would make me panic more. If they went under, would we still get reimbursed?”

She added: “Not having been through it before, I think it’s important people understand the emotional impact it has on you. It’s not just about here’s some money to replace items you have lost. There needs to be more support, more realistic timelines. Not just for three months.

“To be home, there is a certainly a big feeling of relief. I noticed I have stopped grinding my teeth at night. I think for my children, I have subsequently noticed an effect on them. Children can draw into themselves and become quiet and reserved. Also they did not really wanting to settle in int he temporary place. But right now, we are all happy to be back.”

Mary Hutton, another resident in Leighton Road, said: “As far as the flood is concerned, I was in temporary accommodation for five months. The drying out process took a long time, before the works could be started. I was lucky in that I did not lose valuable possessions,

“As far as Thames Water is concerned, it is of course very worrying to think of all money needed for repairs and renovations when these incidents of burst pipes and water mains take place. Let us hope that the new PM will be able to turn his attention soon to the whole situation concerning the water companies.”

What does Thames Water say… nothing

THAMES Water did not reply to repeated requests for comment on the concerns of residents in Leighton Road from the New Journal this week.

It had plenty of time to respond and it was a good chance for the company to offer a collective apology and counter critics who say it should be put into a Special Administration Regime (SAR).

Earlier this month the company’s top brass were quizzed by MPs on the Environment Committee in Parliament.

Chris Weston, chief executive of Thames Water, said the company had made “good progress” on its performance, “despite the ongoing challenging financial situation”.

“The company is extremely stressed and operating in very difficult circumstances,” he later told MPs on the Environment Committee.

“To turn around and transform this company is going to take between five and 10 years, maybe a bit more.”

He said the company had “paused” bonuses to some senior executives.

Explaining the rise of floods in the capital, he added: “Prolonged wet weather meant further rain had nowhere to go other than to inundate our ageing and fragile sewer network.”