IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Gracefield Gardens, LONDON, SW16 2TS

A rare incursion into Streatham of a big name architect, in this case Richard Norman Shaw. Built in 1872-73 for G.H. Best.

The Grange is an Arts and Craft style house, with extensive tile-hanging and bargeboards. The date 1900 is recorded in a plaque on the decorative gatehouse (Image]). The house is currently a medical clinic. It is within the Leigham Court Road (North) Conservation Area. Leigham Court Road was laid out in 1839, and while development began in the early 1840s, it didn’t really take off until after the building of the Crystal Palace and West End Railway and the opening of Streatham Hill station in 1856. Quite a number of the original, large Victorian houses survive at either end of the road, and even though their grounds have in some cases since been built on, the remaining mature trees and general landscaping have enabled the area to retain “much of its original arcadian character.” Information from Lambeth Council (http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/NR/exeres/CE4B5CE1-0387-40ED-B5A9-273A5160C34A.htm ).

A close-up of the pargetting on the side of the gatehouse. It is fancifully decorated with masks, mythical birds and scrolls, and the date 1900 just can be discerned. A view of the main house can be found here: Image

Dating from the 1960s, the work of one William Clark of Pall Mall. A car workshop occupies the ground floor, with offices above and flats in the red-brick section. It is within the Streatham High Road and Streatham Hill Conservation Area, but presumably only because it is on the High Road: the report comments that it is "monotonous" and creates a "deadening break ... breaking the sweep of grand apartment blocks and disrupting the pavement frontage of shops." 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 ).

Another block of flats above shops, this one was designed by Messrs Joseph in c1931, and took the original name of the adjacent cinema. 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 ). Typical levels of traffic, approaching the point at which the road narrows.

Built as the Astoria (an Odeon since 1961), and opening in 1930, this impressive cinema was the work of Edward Stone, a renowned cinema and theatre architect. It has a swept pantile roof, below which are a series of small windows with their original shutters and 1920s 'Roman-style' metalwork. The original interior, lavishly decorated in an Egyptian style, is apparently still there, but concealed behind more recent (and more prosaic) work. Why not indulge us all and uncover it? Streatham is not exactly spoilt for exotica. The opening of the cinema "rivalled anything in the West End, the 16th Hussars played a fanfare of trumpets and a capacity audience of 2,500 watched the opening performance." 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 ).

This used to be British Relay House, the Southern Area Office of the television rental company British Relay. I worked there on and off between 1965 and 1971 so remember it well as British Relay House when the company occupied the whole building. It later became Elgar House, although any connection with the composer was somewhat remote. The photograph is taken from the middle reservation of the dual carriageway. By 2014 any mention of Elgar House had gone and instead the sign in its place said "PRS for MUSIC". This is a a UK copyright collection society and performance rights organisation.