Comments on: The Real Concrete Island?

By: CONCRETE ISLAND by J.G.BALLARD (1974) | www.greatshortnovels.net

CONCRETE ISLAND by J.G.BALLARD (1974) | www.greatshortnovels.net — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:08:08 +0000

[...] Ballardian.com explores his vast influence on our culture. A great post on where the real concrete island might be on the Westway (A40) in London is here. [...]

By: Concrete Island « Mad To Be Saved

Concrete Island « Mad To Be Saved — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:55:45 +0000

[...] Bonsall traced down the Real Concrete Island Concrete Island by J.G. Ballard [Earlier: Inevitable Dross, Saved Space!, Highway Space in Use] [...]

By: Location Becomes Oxygen at Where 2.0 & WhereCamp | UgoTrade

Location Becomes Oxygen at Where 2.0 & WhereCamp | UgoTrade — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:44:13 +0000

[...] J.G. Ballard, Flickr, naked singularities and 3-letter airport codes, and Aaron pointed me to this brilliant “geo-detective work” on Concrete Island, by Mike Bonsall [...]

By: John

John — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:57:56 +0000

Some readers may be interested in an exercise I have recently carried out to ascertain the exact location of the old Christie house at 10 Rillington Place (and to deal with some of the mythology surrounding this and other aspects of the case).

By: Phil Quinton

Phil Quinton — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:02:49 +0000

Thank you very much for doing this. I first read the Concrete Island less than a year ago (May 2008) and became mildly obsessed with the book’s literal geographical setting, to the point where I had a vivid dream of a west London from a parallel timeline.

I couldn’t decide whether it was set on your strip of ground in Shepherds Bush or some other location near the Hammersmith flyeover which might have changed since the book was written, but your analysis explains all the anomolies and really clinches it for me.

I have made the miserable journey from the M4 to the Westway into Central London many times in recent years, this will make future journeys at least a little romantic for me.

By: socks-studio » Blog Archive » Things you got to know

socks-studio » Blog Archive » Things you got to know — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 10:24:48 +0000

[...] The real concrete island What we talk about when we talk about Ballard’s novel. On Ballardian, of course. Via: Thingsmagazine [...]

By: Dan Hill

Dan Hill — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:19:32 +0000

Interesting (?) I used to play football under that underpass. And appropriately perhaps, it was the scene of 1 of the 3 bad injuries I’ve had, in 30 years of playing football.

By: Leigh Penman

Leigh Penman — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:45:01 +0000

Fabulous stuff!

By: Crashman

Crashman — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:53:09 +0000

Wow. Just… wow. Splendid. The past of the future… all laid out for us.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:27:22 +0000

You know there is a riding school almost directly under the A40M/West Cross Route interchange? Right in the middle of this Ballardian halfworld, the Virginias and Rachels of the upper middle class on their ponies circle the yard, as dancehall-juddering speakers thump and thousands of cars hurtle by.

Of course, the White City site has just reopened as a giant shopping centre.

By: Simon Sellars

Simon Sellars — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:05:47 +0000

Pedro: “Surely you mean Maitland’s…”

Precisely!

And Mike: well done, indeed — you’ve added something special to the vast Westway mythology. I’ll be searching for The Concrete Island on my next trip to England.

By: Mike B.

Mike B. — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:31:05 +0000

Thanks for these responses folks, I enjoyed revisiting this mythic place. Special thanks to Mike H and Simon Crubellier for great photos and to Simon Sellars for pulling it all together.

Nomads Under the Westway is well worth reading as an introduction to the hidden history of the area.

By: Gary Lee-Nova

Gary Lee-Nova — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:00:13 +0000

Mike, I find this to be an utterly marvelous piece of work.

The pictorials punctuate the text beautifully and the text is wonderful! Thank you for sharing such a superbly realized project.

By: Umberto Rossi

Umberto Rossi — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:15:09 +0000

Good stuff, Mike B., very good indeed… it’s a small essay of topoliterary criticism. It tells us a lot about how Ballard’s landscapes are created… didn’t Wordsworth talk about the inward eye of memory? Well, Ballard’s inward eye is very sharp when it comes at describing the spaces we neglect…

By: Mike H.

Mike H. — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:59:45 +0000

Great stuff, Mike! It’s good to be able to read that analysis with all the maps and photos incorporated.

That bit about the lorry full of booze is a cracker isn’t it? Well except for the poor bloody driver … Have you actually read “Nomads Under the Westway”, or did you pick those quotes up from the web?

By: Pedro Groppo

Pedro Groppo — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:08:21 +0000

Amazing research, Mike. I never cease to be stunned by your novel approaches to Ballard’s work.

“Of course the real location of Concrete Island is only to be found inside Ballard’s head. ”

Surely you mean Maitland’s…