121 and 123 Streatham High Road

Image: © Stephen Richards Taken: Unknown

Two handsome fronts of red-brick, white-painted stone dressings and decorative gables. The one on the left has decorative glazing bars on its first-floor window, while the other is generally more luxuriant with the floors linked by vertical bands. The second-floor windows have swan-neck pediments, and their cills still have delicate metal window guards. Both date from 1889, and are within the Streatham High Road and Streatham Hill Conservation Area. The course of Streatham High Road has been a major highway between London and Sussex since Roman times. Its current appearance is largely attributable to two major spells of development. The first was during the late C19th following the opening of Streatham Hill station in 1856, and the second was after 1911 when the line to Victoria was electrified. Though much-maligned and undoubtedly blighted by heavy traffic, closer examination reveals that the road is lined with a number of interesting buildings, some of which reflect the period between the wars when Streatham was a fashionable centre of entertainment. Information from Lambeth Council (http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/NR/exeres/CE4B5CE1-0387-40ED-B5A9-273A5160C34A.htm ).

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