The Edgware Walker is a pseudonym given to a man who appeared as a homeless person in the North London suburb of Edgware. The name was given by comedian Lee Kern, who directed and narrated the short documentary The Edgware Walker in 2004. The Edgware Walker was known for his regular appearance on the main street in Edgware, Station Road, wearing only shorts and a pair of trainers. There is limited information on the actual life of the Edgware Walker, which is further obfuscated by the numerous urban legends that surround his identity. These urban legends are explored and then deconstructed in Kern's film. The Edgware Walker was Jewish and of Turkish-Polish ethnicity. He lived with his father and mother in Canons Drive. His father suffered from depression and took medication for it. At some point in his early life, the Edgware Walker came home to discover that his father had disappeared and taken his medication with him. His father was eventually found dead on Butterfly Lane, a road in the nearby suburban town of Elstree. Despite inheriting his parents' house in Cannons Drive, graduating from school, and becoming a doctor, the Edgware Walker became a streetwalker, roaming the streets while wearing scant clothing. The reasons and circumstances for this transformation are unclear, but the turn of events have given rise to many rumours regarding the Edgware Walker and his family. During his later years, the Edgware Walker developed cancer. However this did not stop him from walking around Edgware and other nearby areas. Lee Kern said: Shortly before the filming of Lee Kern's documentary was completed in 2003, the Edgware Walker died.
|