Joshua T Gibbons provides an insight into the relaxed bachelor lifestyle of Cockney Stan

Last week I was scrolling through Instagram and found an account named Cockney Stan. There was no description of who Stan was or why this account had gathered just over 700 followers. Intrigued by the charming selection of photos of the retired Londoner, we got in contact with Joshua T Gibbons, the man behind the lens documenting the life and chirpy smile of the East Ender.

“I have been photographing Stan sporadically for the last couple of years as I’m extremely interested in how, being born in the Cheapside area of East London, he identifies as being a part of the dwindling Cockney community,” Joshua explains. If you are familiar with the East Finchley area you may recognise Stan as a character who is “loved by all, especially the younger generation that live on his council estate who consider him to be a lovable old gangster”. The photographer says the community’s high regard for Stan was the reasoning behind the project. “It was this admiration of Stan by young people that made me think about taking some of the imagery I had shot with him and entering it into an environment where it could have further reach, especially among the youth demographic. I naturally chose Instagram.”

Stan himself leads a relaxed retirement says Joshua. “A single man in his 70s, Stanley embraces the bachelor lifestyle.” Splitting his calendar year between East London and the Costa Blanca, this series of photos was taken on a trip Joshua took to Spain to further document the daily life of Stan. “This was a fun but at times tiresome endeavour… it was a far more documentary-led task that meant we ended up spending nearly two weeks together in a small village living in his slightly cramped town house.” The photographer explains, “I was keen to cover Stanley’s daily routine which I soon learned was incredibly rigid. It consisted of lazing around the house or catching up with chores until 11am, followed by a three-hour trip to the local community swimming pool where he would lightly swim, attempt to speak with the locals in broken Spanish, drink exactly three coffees and return home for a mid-afternoon siesta. He would then rise early evening and head out to the local bars and restaurants and stumble home around midnight. This routine was unbroken for the entirety of the 12 days I spent with him.”

Nevertheless the result is a lovable and engaging series of photographs, relatable to a wide audience, and evocative of a charming grandad or an uncle you’ve gone on holiday with. Joshua plans to continue to “explore and celebrate Cockney culture through the vessel of the weird and wonderful character that is Stan”. We hope so, as this insight certainly made us smile.