Falling Back in Love with London – by blogger Dominique

2020 hasn’t been the year any of us expected. Each one of us has made some sort of
change, sacrifice or modification to our lives. I’m one of the fortunate ones who hasn’t
suffered an immediate loss or been needed on the front line, so the adjustments I’ve made
have been miniscule compared to so many others.

Roughly a week before lockdown began I moved out of the city I’d called home for nearly 15
years. Leaving London was in the works before Covid-19 threw all our lives up in the air.
However, the circumstances meant it hurtled towards me much faster than expected. I left
with mixed emotions, grateful to have a home with more space but fearful countrysideliving wouldn’t be a patch on the city I loved so much.
With London being one of the epicentres, I stayed away longer than I ever had before.
Slowly, I could feel the city girl in me fading away. I lived in joggers, picked up gardening
and finally at the ripe of age of 32 began to learn how to cook! Lockdown was a curious
experience for all of us and I’m sure I can’t be the only one it changed.

However, as the UK slowly opened up again and glimmers of normality returned I was
itching to get back to my ol’ hometown for a daytrip. I wanted to wear proper clothes, dig
out my accessories and revel in my jewellery again. After months in the beautiful but very
slow countryside, I was keen to experience an assault on my senses. I wanted to hear traffic,
jostle about in the crowds and admire the sites and architecture all over again.
Of course, that wasn’t realistic in the midst of a pandemic or even how London is anymore.
Packed tubes, overcrowded streets and slow-moving traffic are no longer. Instead we have
a different kind of London. One that is still exquisite but quieter and dare I say it, a little bit
more melancholy.

While London assimilates to a new way of living, we need to bridge the gap between staying
safe and supporting businesses. Brands like London Road Jewellery echo so much of what I
love about this city. Creativity, craftmanship and tradition are all rolled into this brand. They’re a 3-generation family-run business who are keeping traditional jewellery-making
alive. Everything they design, create and distribute happens in their London based
workshop.
More so than ever brands are going to be looking to moving production out of London, so
the likes of London Road are becoming all the more scarce and special. To celebrate London
Road is to celebrate everything London stands for, and I’ve never wanted to honour either
as much as I do now.

This isn’t a year to turn our backs and while it hasn’t been one to revel in either, it is one for
the history books. So, however you choose to acknowledge it, whether you mark it with a
sparkly little keepsake from the likes of London Road or something else, let’s not forgot the
great people and businesses constantly representing our city. It’s time to fall back in love
with London.