John Grindrod

@grindrod.bsky.social

6027 Followers 1430 Following

Social historian of modern places. Tales of the Suburbs, on LGBTQ+ history, out now. Wrote Concretopia and Outskirts. Disappointingly unserious. Podcast: Monstrosities Mon Amour Find out more: https://linktr.ee/johngrindrod

In a ‘pillbox’ shelter on a slope looking out to sea
Me in front of a handsome mid mod hall
View from my bedroom window onto a field of cows
Margo in The Good Life on the phone
The post says it all
Me in front of a screen showing Tales of the Suburbs at Design West
Pic of me and my book Tales of the Suburbs. Text - Tales of the Suburbs at Design West, Bristol Thursday 9 July 2026 18:30 20:30 Social historian John Grindrod joins us to discuss Tales of the Suburbs: LGBTQ+ Lives Behind Net Curtains, his fascinating new history of queer life beyond the city centre.
Album cover: futuristic lady on hover disc in space. 70s tube lettering says Disco, with the Minolta camera logo
Me holding up a copy of Tales of the Suburbs in the bookshop
What particularly stood out to me was the imagery of "behind net curtains." It beautifully evokes the idea of lives, experiences, and stories that have often remained hidden from public view. Paired with the focus on LGBTQ+ lives in the suburbs, the title promises a rich exploration of identity, visibility, courage, and community—timeless themes that invite meaningful conversation.
Picture of me and Tales of the Suburbs
Headline: Keir Starmer resigns in depth
Headline: Keir Starmer resigns in depth
Sound domes for Canopy hanging from trees on Midsummer Boulevard
A sound dome from Canopy, suspended in the underpass between Campbell Park and Midsummer Boulevard
Tons of people sat in a wood panelled Victorian gothic hall with an ornate book-lined gallery above
Me holding a copy of Tales of the Suburbs in front of the NLA Tower in Croydon
Copy of Tales of the Suburbs in front of two suburban semis
Lolly Adefope as Kitty in Ghosts
Me in a barrel on the beach
Vintage 80s space Lego set of radar truck, and two Doctor Who Target novels, the original Sea Devils cover and Kinda
Front cover of Street Fair, showing a caged man-eating lion and a carousel
Sunset in Whitstable
Holding up a copy of Tales of the Suburbs in front of a pair of suburban semis
Me in front of a motorway services bridge
Open copy of Cooling Towers book that covers the entire seat of my sofa
Me looking dramatic with Matthew Whitfield mid-conversation
Location of Slough House in Slow Horses
Front window of Real Magic Books
Tiny wind farm blades in the sea as seen from an aircraft
Oscar Wilde lies sprawled on a rock staring at the torso of a man, at the Wilde monument in Merrion Square
Looking out of a plane window at the biplane's double wings, and the sky and clouds and the land far below.
Edwardian Puss in Boots poster for Drury Lane
Graphic of JB Gill promoting Britain's Best Service Station on Channel 5, with shots of the service stations visited
Two adult swans with seven tiny cygnets on a lake in Milton Keynes
Two books: Flamboyance by Jack Parlett and Up the Youth Club by Emma Warren
Red geum flowering
Graphic that says you got wordle in 1!
Tales of the Suburbs in the window of Gays the Word bookshop
Cover of The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley
The venue, the Horse Hospital, in Bloomsbury
Three people smiling and posing against some bookshelves
Copy of Tales of the Suburbs on the beach at Margate
Copy of Tales of the Suburbs in a glass cabinet
A corner of the outside of Milton Keynes central library, whose brick colonnade looks a bike like an elephant
Copy of Tales of the Suburbs lying in pink blossom
Geek (me) in front of groovy yellow 70s space-age modular wall
“We know flavour innovation is key for consumers looking for a flavourful twist to their refreshment occasions,
Copy of Brutalist London on my shelf beside a print of No.1 Croydon and a vase
Copy of Tales of the Suburbs in front of a hedge
Email text: Subject: The "Anchor Title" strategy for Hardwick Hall Message: Dear Mark Girouard, I’ve been analyzing the market positioning of Hardwick Hall, specifically your framework regarding the architectural expression of power and the revolutionary use of light and glass in Elizabethan England. In a landscape of disposable content, your work stands out as an Anchor Title—a foundational resource for what I call the Active Reader demographic.
William Hartnell as the first Doctor looking white haired and elderly
Copy of Tales of the Suburbs outside a suburban house
Copy of Tales of the Suburbs held up in front of a classic pair of suburban semis
Copy of Tales of he Suburbs held in front of a hedge