Streatham Is Beautiful
Guide to Karen D. Tregaskin's Work
(and short architectural walking tour)
Streatham Town Hall - (Frederick Wheeler, 1888) Directly opposite this gallery is a modern building at the end of a row of Victorian shops known as "The Triangle." This was once the site of Streatham Town Hall - not actually a civic building, but a venue for concerts, lectures and public meetings. It was demolished in 1988. Many of the other buildings in this exhibition are currently under threat, or have already been scheduled for demolition, while others have been re-used and redeveloped to become vital parts of the local community. Please take some time to walk up the high road and look at them carefully, as much of Streatham's rich architectural history may soon be gone forever.
Bank Parade - (Tooley and Sons, 1890) Turn left out of the gallery and walk down the High Road towards the Common. Opposite the children's play area, observe this row of shops with their elegant scrolled pediments. One of the buildings near Greyhound Lane has recently been cleaned, revealing patterns in the brightly coloured brick. Prior to the arrival of the railway in the 1860s, this was the site of two vast country houses, but in the last decades of the 19th Century, Streatham was redeveloped in the decorative late Victorian style of which these buildings are quite typical.
Streatham Ice Arena - (Robert Cromie, 1931) Turn around and walk back from the Common. On the left is this lovely Art Deco rink with Egyptian detailing, designed to hold 1000 skaters. This world class rink is internationally famous. (My friends in the States, whose knowledge of London consists of "that big clock on the river" had still heard of Streatham because of our ice rink.) It is currently slated for demolition, in order to build a Tesco's. Which I am quite certain will be neither world class nor world famous.
Streatham Baths - (Ernest Elford, 1927) This single block shows the wide range of architecture, from Art Deco to Neo-Classical within a few hundred feet. The roof of this building features stunning stained glass, but it has been subject to such neglect and allowed to deteriorate to the point where the building became unsafe and had to be boarded up. It, too, has been scheduled for demolition to make way for the new Tesco. On a stretch of road where there are already four major supermarkets within half a mile.
The White Lion - (F. Gough & Co, 1895) Walk back along the high road, past the gallery and up "The Dip" and find this magnificent pub two blocks past the church spires, on the left. There has been a coaching inn on this site since at least 1730, when it was the terminus of a horse-drawin bus from London. As well as a pub, inn and live music venue, the White Lion's Stables have been redeveloped for use as a community centre for workshops and children's classes.
The Tate Library - (Sidney R.J. Smith, 1890) A block north along the high road, on the right side, is the Tate Library, with its green dome and distinctive clock (recently repaired after water damage.) It was donated to the inhabitants of Streatham by the sugar magnate, Henry Tate, who lived nearby. In the 19th Century, rich men like Tate and Andrew Carnegie became philanthropists, using their money to improve the lot of ordinary people. These days, some very rich men are trying to cut funding for public libraries and have been trying to shut down several of Lambeth's fine libraries.
Sharman's - (Architect unknown - 1929) Walk north another block and you will reach the main intersection that is the heart of Streatham, with the Odeon on your right and this group of buildings opposite. Sharman's, build as a draper's shop, now W.H. Smith and the Post Office is a beautiful example of Art Deco design, with its geometric metal window frames. A recent cleaning, during the refurbishment of Sainsbury's next door, has revealed the lovely mellow red and cream brick work underneath 100 years of dirt and grime.
Caesar's - (Trehearne and Norman Preston & Co, 1929) Continue walking north past Streatham Hill station. On the same side of the road is one of the most notorious buildings in Streatham. Caesar's started life as the Locarno Ballroom, the glamourous centrepiece of the nighclubs and movie palaces that lined Streatham Hill in its incarnation as the "West End of South London." It became a nightclub during the 60s, hosting performances by the Rolling Stones and the Who, and was known as the Cats Whiskers, the Studio, the Ritzy and finally as Caesar's. The iconic chariot and horses were removed last year - the building is slated for demolition as the block is to be redeveloped, but work has stalled and the area rots.
Megabowl - (Charles Nicholas and J.E. Dixon-Spain, 1932) On the same block, and also facing demolition, is the former Gaumont Palace Cinema. At the time of its opening, it was the largest movie palace in Streatham, with 2431 seats - a similar size to the Streatham Hill Theatre on the next block, which was itself the largest theatre in suburban London, bigger even than the Covent Garden Opera House. During the Gaumont's heyday, there was an open-air cafe in the recessed terrace behind the pillars. It was converted to (at the time) Europe's largest bowling alley in 1962 and reopened as MegaBowl (featuring the alliterative Zapp Zone) in 1989. The building's frontage is listed and may be preserved in the new development, as has been done with the former ABC Cinema across the street, but the future of the rest of the building, which survived a hit by a V1 rocket during WWII, is uncertain.
Selected Bibliography
A Chronology of the Parish of Streatham - John W Brown, Roger A Brewer and Cecil T Davis
The High Road Streatham, An Architectural Appreciation - Graham Gower
Streatham Pictures from the Past - the Streatham Society
Additional research courtesy of StreathamPulse.com and the Tate Library
Colour versions of most drawings can be located on the artists "Streatham Is Beautiful" set on http://tinyurl.com/StreathamIsBeautiful
(and short architectural walking tour)
Streatham Town Hall - (Frederick Wheeler, 1888) Directly opposite this gallery is a modern building at the end of a row of Victorian shops known as "The Triangle." This was once the site of Streatham Town Hall - not actually a civic building, but a venue for concerts, lectures and public meetings. It was demolished in 1988. Many of the other buildings in this exhibition are currently under threat, or have already been scheduled for demolition, while others have been re-used and redeveloped to become vital parts of the local community. Please take some time to walk up the high road and look at them carefully, as much of Streatham's rich architectural history may soon be gone forever.
Bank Parade - (Tooley and Sons, 1890) Turn left out of the gallery and walk down the High Road towards the Common. Opposite the children's play area, observe this row of shops with their elegant scrolled pediments. One of the buildings near Greyhound Lane has recently been cleaned, revealing patterns in the brightly coloured brick. Prior to the arrival of the railway in the 1860s, this was the site of two vast country houses, but in the last decades of the 19th Century, Streatham was redeveloped in the decorative late Victorian style of which these buildings are quite typical.
Streatham Ice Arena - (Robert Cromie, 1931) Turn around and walk back from the Common. On the left is this lovely Art Deco rink with Egyptian detailing, designed to hold 1000 skaters. This world class rink is internationally famous. (My friends in the States, whose knowledge of London consists of "that big clock on the river" had still heard of Streatham because of our ice rink.) It is currently slated for demolition, in order to build a Tesco's. Which I am quite certain will be neither world class nor world famous.
Streatham Baths - (Ernest Elford, 1927) This single block shows the wide range of architecture, from Art Deco to Neo-Classical within a few hundred feet. The roof of this building features stunning stained glass, but it has been subject to such neglect and allowed to deteriorate to the point where the building became unsafe and had to be boarded up. It, too, has been scheduled for demolition to make way for the new Tesco. On a stretch of road where there are already four major supermarkets within half a mile.
The White Lion - (F. Gough & Co, 1895) Walk back along the high road, past the gallery and up "The Dip" and find this magnificent pub two blocks past the church spires, on the left. There has been a coaching inn on this site since at least 1730, when it was the terminus of a horse-drawin bus from London. As well as a pub, inn and live music venue, the White Lion's Stables have been redeveloped for use as a community centre for workshops and children's classes.
The Tate Library - (Sidney R.J. Smith, 1890) A block north along the high road, on the right side, is the Tate Library, with its green dome and distinctive clock (recently repaired after water damage.) It was donated to the inhabitants of Streatham by the sugar magnate, Henry Tate, who lived nearby. In the 19th Century, rich men like Tate and Andrew Carnegie became philanthropists, using their money to improve the lot of ordinary people. These days, some very rich men are trying to cut funding for public libraries and have been trying to shut down several of Lambeth's fine libraries.
Sharman's - (Architect unknown - 1929) Walk north another block and you will reach the main intersection that is the heart of Streatham, with the Odeon on your right and this group of buildings opposite. Sharman's, build as a draper's shop, now W.H. Smith and the Post Office is a beautiful example of Art Deco design, with its geometric metal window frames. A recent cleaning, during the refurbishment of Sainsbury's next door, has revealed the lovely mellow red and cream brick work underneath 100 years of dirt and grime.
Caesar's - (Trehearne and Norman Preston & Co, 1929) Continue walking north past Streatham Hill station. On the same side of the road is one of the most notorious buildings in Streatham. Caesar's started life as the Locarno Ballroom, the glamourous centrepiece of the nighclubs and movie palaces that lined Streatham Hill in its incarnation as the "West End of South London." It became a nightclub during the 60s, hosting performances by the Rolling Stones and the Who, and was known as the Cats Whiskers, the Studio, the Ritzy and finally as Caesar's. The iconic chariot and horses were removed last year - the building is slated for demolition as the block is to be redeveloped, but work has stalled and the area rots.
Megabowl - (Charles Nicholas and J.E. Dixon-Spain, 1932) On the same block, and also facing demolition, is the former Gaumont Palace Cinema. At the time of its opening, it was the largest movie palace in Streatham, with 2431 seats - a similar size to the Streatham Hill Theatre on the next block, which was itself the largest theatre in suburban London, bigger even than the Covent Garden Opera House. During the Gaumont's heyday, there was an open-air cafe in the recessed terrace behind the pillars. It was converted to (at the time) Europe's largest bowling alley in 1962 and reopened as MegaBowl (featuring the alliterative Zapp Zone) in 1989. The building's frontage is listed and may be preserved in the new development, as has been done with the former ABC Cinema across the street, but the future of the rest of the building, which survived a hit by a V1 rocket during WWII, is uncertain.
Selected Bibliography
A Chronology of the Parish of Streatham - John W Brown, Roger A Brewer and Cecil T Davis
The High Road Streatham, An Architectural Appreciation - Graham Gower
Streatham Pictures from the Past - the Streatham Society
Additional research courtesy of StreathamPulse.com and the Tate Library
Colour versions of most drawings can be located on the artists "Streatham Is Beautiful" set on http://tinyurl.com/StreathamIsBeautiful
Labels: "walking tour", architecture, streatfest, streatham
posted by Masonic Boom | 7:41 am
2 Comments:
Hi, that URL link has some spurious characters after "beautiful" which need removing.
Sorry, fixed!
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