Former Streatham Hill Theatre, Streatham Hill

Image: © Stephen Richards Taken: Unknown

One of the venues which between the wars earned Streatham the sobriquet, "the West End of south London". The theatre, which opened in 1929 with seating for almost 3,000, has a steel frame clad in brick and faced in terracotta, and a giant Ionic loggia above the entrance. The architects were William Sprague (a noted theatre architect) and William Barton. The boards were trodden for the last time in 1962, and it is now used a bingo hall. Grade II listed. The description comments that it is "an unusually lavish example of a theatre built in the short-lived revival of building in 1929-30; as a suburban example of this date the building may be unique." It is 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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