374-382 Streatham High Road

Image: © Stephen Richards Taken: Unknown

The continuous terraces of the High Road have come to an end. On the left is a 1930s shop, formerly an Austin garage, and a C20th office block stands on the right. Both are within the Streatham High Road and Streatham Hill Conservation Area, although the report comments that the shop "contributes nothing visually to the road" and the office block is a "very dull building of poor quality". 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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