Pedro Emanual, 29, musician and graphic designer 'I would not say this is a skate park, I would say this is a temple. It’s a mythic place, not just for UK or London, but for the whole world. Surf pros travel to Hawaii to surf: this is Hawaii in Europe for skateboarders. This was where skateboarding was really born in London. If you could put a good spot in a museum, this would have to be there. I first came to skate here on holidays in 1997. I was living in Portugal at the time, although I’m from Angola originally. When I came to live in the UK in 2006, I had no English: zero. I started coming here to skate, and now the majority of my friends in the UK are from here. In my view, this place is not transportable: it’ll never be the same'

Photograph: Andy Hall