Derelict London 2023 Update Page
Pauletta Sportswear - Cleveland St, Fitzrovia, W1. Launderette sign removed, revealing this with Euston telephone number that was used until the early 1960s
Welcome to the Derelict London 2023 page. It's all a bit DIY this website as I've been adding bits all along the past 20 years. I was brought up on fanzines and prefer the non-polished look.
Join the mailing list HERE to find out about Derelict London, London's Lost Music Venues and London's Lost Rivers guided walks as soon as tickets are released, plus news on my latest books and website updates. Please note that my public walks do not involve entering any buildings.
Join the mailing list HERE to find out about Derelict London, London's Lost Music Venues and London's Lost Rivers guided walks as soon as tickets are released, plus news on my latest books and website updates. Please note that my public walks do not involve entering any buildings.
Canning Town, E16
South Norwood, SE25
Derelict House - Mapesbury Rd,Brondesbury,NW2
A number of people have asked me about this house near Kilburn. It has been crumbling away for decades in this otherwise well-to-do street. I have scoured the net and asked a couple of locals but have drawn a blank on this one. It last sold in June 1995 for £400,000, but nobody seems to have any information on why it has just been left to decay. Any further information would be appreciated.
Allnex Resins - Pinchin's Wharf, North Woolwich Rd, Silvertown, E16
Pinchin Johnson paint works, founded in 1834, were a producer of oils, turpentine & paints. They moved here in 1921, on a site previously used by sugar refiners & chemical manure manufacturers. Pinchin Johnson was an original constituent of the FT 30 index. They were later taken over by various companies over the years, and by the time they closed this site a few years ago it was owned by Allnex (owned by PTT Global Chemical based in Thailand) a leading manufacturer of adhesives, sealants and speciality coatings.
Seen here are the final bits of demolition, and the area is now cleared. Now owned by the logistics firm GLP who propose to build a multi-storey storage and distribution warehouse here. The Silvertown Tunnel is surely a key factor in the development, with the planned tunnel’s northern portal nearby. Obvious concerns are the amount of HGV traffic this will add to the area. One of the pictures was taken from within the Husk Brewery.
Seen here are the final bits of demolition, and the area is now cleared. Now owned by the logistics firm GLP who propose to build a multi-storey storage and distribution warehouse here. The Silvertown Tunnel is surely a key factor in the development, with the planned tunnel’s northern portal nearby. Obvious concerns are the amount of HGV traffic this will add to the area. One of the pictures was taken from within the Husk Brewery.
Note: The Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society confirm that Pinchin Johnson didn't move here until 1921. Many websites, including Wikipedia state that Pinchin Johnson was established in Silvertown in 1834. This is clearly incorrect, as this area was uninhabited marshland back then and wasn't called Silvertown until the 1850s.
South Kilburn Estate - NW6
South Kilburn was a large housing estate typical of brutalist 60s designs of high-density housing in low-rise flats and concrete tower blocks.
In 2014, a redevelopment project was started by the London Borough of Brent to redevelop the estate, starting with decanting, demolition and rebuilding in stages taking many years.
South Kilburn has long been plagued by numerous shootings and a drug trade controlled by various gangs. The gangs of South Kilburn have been known to have an ongoing rivalry with gangs from the nearby Mozart Estate as a typical "postcode war", as South Kilburn is part of NW6 while the Mozart Estate is in W9 and in the City of Westminster. In 2007, 500 police raided the estate in a series of dawn raids, and there were similar raids in 2011 when 250 police officers once again stormed the South Kilburn Estate in a co-ordinated drugs raid.
In 2014, a redevelopment project was started by the London Borough of Brent to redevelop the estate, starting with decanting, demolition and rebuilding in stages taking many years.
South Kilburn has long been plagued by numerous shootings and a drug trade controlled by various gangs. The gangs of South Kilburn have been known to have an ongoing rivalry with gangs from the nearby Mozart Estate as a typical "postcode war", as South Kilburn is part of NW6 while the Mozart Estate is in W9 and in the City of Westminster. In 2007, 500 police raided the estate in a series of dawn raids, and there were similar raids in 2011 when 250 police officers once again stormed the South Kilburn Estate in a co-ordinated drugs raid.
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Old Kent Road Ambulance Station - Bermondsey
This little unloved building on Ilderton Road was constructed in 1927 and was until the 1960s an ambulance station. It was designed by George Topham Forrest who was the Chief Architect of London County Council. He also designed Chelsea Bridge, Lambeth Bridge and the Becontree Estate in Dagenham,constructed in the interwar period as the largest public housing estate in the world housing 100,000 people and one of the first estates making use of cul-de-sacs. The 1927 pic is shown here courtesy of London Ambulance Service.
Until recently the building was used as a car repair workshop but is now falling into dereliction as it awaits demolition to make way for a shiny new block of flats, a fate that is suffered by many of the other workshops sandwiched between this stretch of road and railway line just within the border of the London Borough of Southwark. The border itself is defined by the (lost) River Peck which now runs underground.
Until recently the building was used as a car repair workshop but is now falling into dereliction as it awaits demolition to make way for a shiny new block of flats, a fate that is suffered by many of the other workshops sandwiched between this stretch of road and railway line just within the border of the London Borough of Southwark. The border itself is defined by the (lost) River Peck which now runs underground.
Lord Napier - Thornton Heath, CR7
The Lord Napier on Beulah Road closed in 2017. The pub was well-known from the late 1960s onwards for its regular Jazz evenings. At times there were claims that it was 'London's premier jazz pub' with many renowned musicians from the jazz circuit appearing. The Mac Duncan Jazz Band recorded two albums here in the early 1970s. Bill Brunskill's band were regulars at the pub for about 30 years from 1968, and Thames Television made a jazz documentary there in 1984. "Whatever Happened to Bill Brunskill" was presented by George Melly.
The Jazz tradition continued until closure, along with other events such as regular karaoke on Saturdays and Mondays bands and other nights with bands of all styles from reggae to rock.
The Jazz tradition continued until closure, along with other events such as regular karaoke on Saturdays and Mondays bands and other nights with bands of all styles from reggae to rock.
There were proposals to redevelop the building for 6 flats with the ground floor re-opening as a pub but there has been no progress and planning permission has lapsed. Local press recently reported that the Music Relief Foundation has ambitions to take it on, though the charity claims it was knocked back when it approached the owner of the pub.
(Return to) Jaywick, Essex
Jaywick is a North Sea coastal village 2 miles from Clacton-on-Sea, constructed in the 1930s as a holiday resort for Londoners, but over time has become one of the most deprived areas in the country and parts of it resemble a shanty town. It is regularly described in the press as the poorest town in the UK.
The Brooklands estate originally marketed as holiday homes in the 1930s makes up the west end of Jaywick with hundreds of bungalows, many of them not much better than sheds. The street plan resembled a car's front grille and the avenues are named after British marques of the time: Austin, Humber, Vauxhall, Alvis, Singer, Hillman, Sunbeam, etc
The post-war housing shortage in London meant that many occupants decided to live here all year. Then, in 1953, the great North Sea flood killed 37 residents. Still designated an area at risk of flooding, Jaywick faces strict limits on development, which means applications for new building work or even improvements are usually rejected. As conditions have declined, owners have moved out, often selling their homes to landlords.
The Brooklands estate originally marketed as holiday homes in the 1930s makes up the west end of Jaywick with hundreds of bungalows, many of them not much better than sheds. The street plan resembled a car's front grille and the avenues are named after British marques of the time: Austin, Humber, Vauxhall, Alvis, Singer, Hillman, Sunbeam, etc
The post-war housing shortage in London meant that many occupants decided to live here all year. Then, in 1953, the great North Sea flood killed 37 residents. Still designated an area at risk of flooding, Jaywick faces strict limits on development, which means applications for new building work or even improvements are usually rejected. As conditions have declined, owners have moved out, often selling their homes to landlords.
Hounslow
This is a 1980s flat which is structurally sound but a bit messy inside. I am keeping the exact location secret as there is a story behind this one, and I had to alert the authorities due to my concerns.
London's Burning!!
A workshop fire in 2003 at St Paul's Way, Mile End, E3. The workshop and derelict pub across the road have long since been demolished and replaced by flats
Back in 2004, fireman Steve Dudeney sent me these excellent pics for me to put onto Derelict London which subsequently got buried in my archives. Better late than never.
Steve was raised in Stepney & Poplar. Aged 14, he used to spend a lot of time at his local Fire Station in Poplar volunteering to cook and make cups of tea and held a desire to become a Firefighter when he was older. In 1987 aged 18 he joined the London Fire Brigade and spent most of his career at fire stations in the East End. In 2002, he became Station Commander at Poplar fire station the station where he served in every rank. He later became Borough Commander for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Throughout his career Steve attended many incidents across London including the 1996 Canary Wharf bomb, the 2011 London riots, the Terrorist attacks at Parliament Square & London Bridge in 2017 as well as the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017. Steve along with three colleagues from Poplar Fire Station were among the first British Firefighters to fly to New York in the days following the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 and became pivotal in the fundraising for the families of the New York Firefighters from within the UK Fire Service in the months after the attack.
Steve's book, London Firefighter was published in 2022. The book is a memoire of his career in London Fire Brigade until he retired in 2018. The book can be found in all good bookshops and https://www.amazon.co.uk/London-Firefighter-Stephen-Dudeney/dp/1398463248
Steve was raised in Stepney & Poplar. Aged 14, he used to spend a lot of time at his local Fire Station in Poplar volunteering to cook and make cups of tea and held a desire to become a Firefighter when he was older. In 1987 aged 18 he joined the London Fire Brigade and spent most of his career at fire stations in the East End. In 2002, he became Station Commander at Poplar fire station the station where he served in every rank. He later became Borough Commander for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Throughout his career Steve attended many incidents across London including the 1996 Canary Wharf bomb, the 2011 London riots, the Terrorist attacks at Parliament Square & London Bridge in 2017 as well as the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017. Steve along with three colleagues from Poplar Fire Station were among the first British Firefighters to fly to New York in the days following the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 and became pivotal in the fundraising for the families of the New York Firefighters from within the UK Fire Service in the months after the attack.
Steve's book, London Firefighter was published in 2022. The book is a memoire of his career in London Fire Brigade until he retired in 2018. The book can be found in all good bookshops and https://www.amazon.co.uk/London-Firefighter-Stephen-Dudeney/dp/1398463248
Factory Fire, Ilderton Road, Bermondsey, SE16 2003. Demolished and now flats
More pics taken below by Steve circa 2002/3. All these fire pics are shown here by kind permission of Steve Dudeney who retains copyright.
Oak Lodge - 54,The Bishops Avenue, N2
After the fire: Oak Lodge - 54,The Bishops Avenue, N2
I have featured this mansion on Derelict London recently. Unfortunately, it has since suffered a devasting fire in Summer 2022.
Oak Lodge was built in 1927 and was another property purchased by the Saudi royal family before the first Gulf War. The property was left vacant and fell into dereliction and sold in 2018 for £18 million. Permission to demolish was granted during the 1990s, though that lapsed and a proposal in 2018 to demolish it and replace it with a Beverley Hills style mansion was refused as the building is now locally listed as a “building of local architectural or historical interest”. Oak Lodge was designed by John Soutar a Scottish-born architect who is particularly associated with the arts and crafts design of buildings in Hampstead Garden Suburb.
Still empty after more than 30 years plans were to renovate Oak Lodge as the centrepiece of proposals among a development of 30 new build apartments with an on-site gym, swimming pool and spa and underground car parking retaining the existing tennis court on the site set within a landscaped garden.
However, Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called in the early hours of a June morning for the blaze. But investigators have said the building was too badly damaged to find the cause. The fate of this shell remains unclear....
Oak Lodge was built in 1927 and was another property purchased by the Saudi royal family before the first Gulf War. The property was left vacant and fell into dereliction and sold in 2018 for £18 million. Permission to demolish was granted during the 1990s, though that lapsed and a proposal in 2018 to demolish it and replace it with a Beverley Hills style mansion was refused as the building is now locally listed as a “building of local architectural or historical interest”. Oak Lodge was designed by John Soutar a Scottish-born architect who is particularly associated with the arts and crafts design of buildings in Hampstead Garden Suburb.
Still empty after more than 30 years plans were to renovate Oak Lodge as the centrepiece of proposals among a development of 30 new build apartments with an on-site gym, swimming pool and spa and underground car parking retaining the existing tennis court on the site set within a landscaped garden.
However, Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called in the early hours of a June morning for the blaze. But investigators have said the building was too badly damaged to find the cause. The fate of this shell remains unclear....
Allders - North End, Croydon CR0 1UB
Allders Department Store,Croydon
The original store was established in 1862 in Croydon by Joshua Allder. This facade was added in 1926. Later this parent store was developed into a chain of department stores across the country. By the turn of the millennium, the flagship store in Croydon was the third-largest department store in the UK. The chain was broken up and sold after it went into administration in 2005, although the Croydon store continued trading until 2012. Later that year the Croydon building reopened as Croydon Village Outlet.
In 2019, Croydon Council took possession of the site as part of the proposed redevelopment of the Centrale and Whitgift Centre shopping malls. Businesses and franchises within the Village Outlet had to move or close altogether.According to a report on MyLondon workers turned up to find the locks changed one morning without warning.
Latest plans for the building are to turn it into an immersive theatre experience headed up by the creator of Secret Cinema though this has been delayed.
In 2019, Croydon Council took possession of the site as part of the proposed redevelopment of the Centrale and Whitgift Centre shopping malls. Businesses and franchises within the Village Outlet had to move or close altogether.According to a report on MyLondon workers turned up to find the locks changed one morning without warning.
Latest plans for the building are to turn it into an immersive theatre experience headed up by the creator of Secret Cinema though this has been delayed.