DERELICT LONDON - THEN AND NOW PICS
From Derelict London 2008 Book to Now
From Derelict London 2008 Book to Now
The changing face of London....Here are many sites covered in the 2008 Derelict London Book. Some of them have been updated in the 2019 (All New Edition) book and I have added a handful of those below plus many more from the first book covered here but didn't make it into the All New Edition. Enjoy.
The Antigallican - London Bridge SE1
The Antigallican 2007
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The Antigallican Today
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This early to mid-nineteenth century pub derived its name from the Anti-French societies that sprang up in London during the Napoleonic Wars.
The pub was partly demolished and all that remained was the façade, which is dominated by the massive redevelopment of Tooley Street. A security guard looking after the construction site that surrounded the pub told me tales of his uncle meeting actor Oliver Reed here one night on a drunken pub crawl during the mid-1960s.
The new building using the façade of the old pub and some neighbouring shops is now the UK head office Body Shops. Previously it was the HQ for energy drink firm Red Bull who also had music recording studios at this site.
The pub was partly demolished and all that remained was the façade, which is dominated by the massive redevelopment of Tooley Street. A security guard looking after the construction site that surrounded the pub told me tales of his uncle meeting actor Oliver Reed here one night on a drunken pub crawl during the mid-1960s.
The new building using the façade of the old pub and some neighbouring shops is now the UK head office Body Shops. Previously it was the HQ for energy drink firm Red Bull who also had music recording studios at this site.
Bow Creek - Canning Town E1
Bow Creek 2007
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Bow Creek Today
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This is where the River Lee (or Lea) reaches its tidal estuary. It may not look much here, but it has played an important part in English history – in 896 King Alfred the Great is believed to have chased an invading Danish fleet up the river, and because it lies outside the City of London and so was free from its regulations, the surrounding area was a centre of mills and of industrial activity.
During the 1800s the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company built around 900 vessels at its Bow Creek shipyard. Its memory is preserved in the badge and nickname of its works football team, West Ham United FC, known as the ‘Hammers’ not in reference to West Ham but to the crossed tools that appear on the club badge.
The creek has been used as a dumping ground for years and remained pretty bleak in the first photograph when the Pura vegetable oil factory was demolished in 2007. The Pura site sitting on a loop of the Creek is now the London City Island development of 1700 homes dubbed the “mini Manhattan” by the developers. New bars, restaurants and a deli will also be joined by the English National ballet who are relocating here.
During the 1800s the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company built around 900 vessels at its Bow Creek shipyard. Its memory is preserved in the badge and nickname of its works football team, West Ham United FC, known as the ‘Hammers’ not in reference to West Ham but to the crossed tools that appear on the club badge.
The creek has been used as a dumping ground for years and remained pretty bleak in the first photograph when the Pura vegetable oil factory was demolished in 2007. The Pura site sitting on a loop of the Creek is now the London City Island development of 1700 homes dubbed the “mini Manhattan” by the developers. New bars, restaurants and a deli will also be joined by the English National ballet who are relocating here.
Chambers Wharf - Bermondsey, SE16
Chambers Wharf 2008
Chambers Wharf 2020
London’s river trade declined rapidly after the Second World War, and after standing derelict for some years, many wharves were redeveloped during the 1980s they were converted into a mixture of residential and commercial real estate and became in the process some of the most upmarket and expensive properties in London. Chambers Wharf, though, was an exception. It has fallen into serious disrepair and the threat of demolition had been hanging over it for years.
Despite its decaying appearance, part of the building was still used as a storage facility before demolition – to house gold bullion, locals have told me. Also lurking in the depths was a large Second World War air raid shelter which projects out from beneath Chambers Wharf and under the River Thames. Some episodes of the 1970s television drama The Professionals were filmed here, and Bodie and Doyle are to be seen running across the roof in one episode.
The Chambers Wharf warehouses have now been completely demolished with the inland blocks being replaced by flats and the main River Thames facing site is now a main construction site for the Thames Tideway Tunnel
The Thames Tideway Tunnel (aka the Super Sewer) will be a 16-mile tunnel running mostly under the tidal section of the River Thames through central London to capture, store and convey almost all the raw sewage and rainwater that currently overflows into the river.
Below are some more pics of Chambers Wharf in its derelict heyday that I took between 2003 -2007
Despite its decaying appearance, part of the building was still used as a storage facility before demolition – to house gold bullion, locals have told me. Also lurking in the depths was a large Second World War air raid shelter which projects out from beneath Chambers Wharf and under the River Thames. Some episodes of the 1970s television drama The Professionals were filmed here, and Bodie and Doyle are to be seen running across the roof in one episode.
The Chambers Wharf warehouses have now been completely demolished with the inland blocks being replaced by flats and the main River Thames facing site is now a main construction site for the Thames Tideway Tunnel
The Thames Tideway Tunnel (aka the Super Sewer) will be a 16-mile tunnel running mostly under the tidal section of the River Thames through central London to capture, store and convey almost all the raw sewage and rainwater that currently overflows into the river.
Below are some more pics of Chambers Wharf in its derelict heyday that I took between 2003 -2007
Brady’s Bar - Brixton SW9
Brady’s Bar 2007
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Brady’s Bar Today
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Originally called The Railway Hotel, this building dates back to 1880, according to a commemorative stone (laid by one Annie Allen) built into the fabric.
The Railway Hotel had a long association with music and dance. In the 1960s, Jimi Hendrix was reputed to have regularly jammed here after playing in the West End. It also features in the film Rude Boy by the Clash. Renamed Brady’s in the 1990s, it continued to play an integral part in the local music scene, with bands such as Alabama 3 regularly putting on shows. Squatters then took over for a while, putting on further events until evicted in 2002.
The building remained derelict ever since the squatters left, and the clock tower was defaced with graffiti. In 2010 Prince Charles visited the site at the invitation of his charity The Prince's Regeneration Trust amid efforts to convert in for use as a community centre. However, the council sold it off to private developers and in 2014 it opened as a Mexican chain restaurant.
The Railway Hotel had a long association with music and dance. In the 1960s, Jimi Hendrix was reputed to have regularly jammed here after playing in the West End. It also features in the film Rude Boy by the Clash. Renamed Brady’s in the 1990s, it continued to play an integral part in the local music scene, with bands such as Alabama 3 regularly putting on shows. Squatters then took over for a while, putting on further events until evicted in 2002.
The building remained derelict ever since the squatters left, and the clock tower was defaced with graffiti. In 2010 Prince Charles visited the site at the invitation of his charity The Prince's Regeneration Trust amid efforts to convert in for use as a community centre. However, the council sold it off to private developers and in 2014 it opened as a Mexican chain restaurant.
The Concrete House - East Dulwich SE22
The Concrete House 2007
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The Concrete House Today
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This house represents a curious mixture of the old and the new in that while it is very firmly Victorian in date and style, it is actually built from (rendered) concrete with artificial stone dressing. Constructed in 1873 by Charles Drake of the Patent Concrete Building Company, it is one of the very few surviving examples of a nineteenth-century concrete house in England. Drake was an innovative builder – a few years before he built the house he patented the use of iron panels for shuttering in the place of timber.
By the 1970s the house had become a children’s home, run by a woman known as ‘Auntie Lena’, but since the 1980s it has been unoccupied. The owner was tracked down but he wasn’t interested in preventing the Grade-II property from decaying into oblivion.
The Council took possession of the Grade 2 listed property, by Compulsory Purchase Order. A partnership between Southwark Council, Heritage of London Trust and a Housing Association worked together to renovate the property into 5 flats. The Duke of Gloucester opened the completed building in 2013.
By the 1970s the house had become a children’s home, run by a woman known as ‘Auntie Lena’, but since the 1980s it has been unoccupied. The owner was tracked down but he wasn’t interested in preventing the Grade-II property from decaying into oblivion.
The Council took possession of the Grade 2 listed property, by Compulsory Purchase Order. A partnership between Southwark Council, Heritage of London Trust and a Housing Association worked together to renovate the property into 5 flats. The Duke of Gloucester opened the completed building in 2013.
The Concrete House 2005
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The Concrete House 2005
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The Concrete House 2005
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Northumberland Terrace,Tottenham N17
Northumberland Terrace 2007
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Northumberland Terrace Today
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Many of London’s more gracious homes are, or have been, in danger of being lost at some point in the past few decades. Northumberland Terrace, built in 1752 by Robert Plimpton for the Duke of Northumberland, was a depressing contemporary example. It was constructed on land previously occupied by medieval mansions, and the gate piers may have been part of the original Black House in which Henry VIII is said to have stayed from time to time.
One of the fourteenth-century Earls of Northumberland was known as Hotspur, a name made famous by Shakespeare in his play Henry IV, Part 1. The nearby Tottenham Hotspur Football Club was named after him. The crest of the club originally featured two lions, representing the crest of the Northumberland family, and a cockerel and ball; the badge has since been ‘modernised’ and the two lions removed.
The terrace as a whole had suffered from serious dilapidation & unsympathetic renovation over the years. However, recent repair work has ensured many of the original features in Percy House, pictured here, have been restored including wooden shutters, flooring and wall panelling.
Percy House is now home to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation providing education and employment opportunities for the local community.
One of the fourteenth-century Earls of Northumberland was known as Hotspur, a name made famous by Shakespeare in his play Henry IV, Part 1. The nearby Tottenham Hotspur Football Club was named after him. The crest of the club originally featured two lions, representing the crest of the Northumberland family, and a cockerel and ball; the badge has since been ‘modernised’ and the two lions removed.
The terrace as a whole had suffered from serious dilapidation & unsympathetic renovation over the years. However, recent repair work has ensured many of the original features in Percy House, pictured here, have been restored including wooden shutters, flooring and wall panelling.
Percy House is now home to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation providing education and employment opportunities for the local community.
The Red Lion - Soho W1
The Red Lion 2007
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The Red Lion Today
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The Red Lion has been in existence since at least 1793, though the building we now see was substantially altered in 1866. Its main historical claim to fame is that in 1847 Karl Marx and Frederick Engels held a meeting in the upstairs room of the pub and there wrote an ‘action programme’ for the Communist League. The programme was published in 1848 as the Communist Manifesto.
The pub’s more recent history has been less illustrious, although in the 1990s some enjoyable poetry nights were held upstairs by the Hard Edge Club, which gained a minor cult following among Londoners. Finally, in 2006, the Red Lion was closed and boarded up.
In 2008, it reopened as a ‘Be at One Bar’, part of a London chain of cocktail bars founded by three bartenders.
The pub’s more recent history has been less illustrious, although in the 1990s some enjoyable poetry nights were held upstairs by the Hard Edge Club, which gained a minor cult following among Londoners. Finally, in 2006, the Red Lion was closed and boarded up.
In 2008, it reopened as a ‘Be at One Bar’, part of a London chain of cocktail bars founded by three bartenders.
Olympics 2012 Site - Pudding Mill River E15
Olympics 2012 Site 2007
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Olympics 2012 Site Today
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According to the press, the area transformed for the 2012 Olympics comprised industrial estates, dumping grounds and pollution. Not so well publicized is the fact that the area is also known for its network of waterways (the Bow Backs Rivers) and is full of wildlife. Pudding Mill River, for example, was home to a family of swans and to pike and eel. The black redstart, one of the UK’s rarest birds, had also been spotted in the area. The fish have now been removed and relocated to the River Lea.
These rivers were among the quietest places in London to walk and relax, and while a clean-up of some parts was welcomed, some say that regeneration over-sanitized the area and destroyed its character. Few will miss the dumped tyres, though …
This river was culverted to construct the Olympic stadium which now sits on top of it. Renamed the London Stadium and is now home of West Ham Football Club it also hosts concerts and acts have included the Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode & AC/DC.
These rivers were among the quietest places in London to walk and relax, and while a clean-up of some parts was welcomed, some say that regeneration over-sanitized the area and destroyed its character. Few will miss the dumped tyres, though …
This river was culverted to construct the Olympic stadium which now sits on top of it. Renamed the London Stadium and is now home of West Ham Football Club it also hosts concerts and acts have included the Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode & AC/DC.
Pudding Mill River 2003
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Pudding Mill River 2005
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Adjacent to Pudding Mill River 2008
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The Tea Rooms - Holborn WC1
The Tea Rooms 2007
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The Tea Rooms Today
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Trendy coffee bars and US fast food chains have contributed to the gradual decline of traditional English café culture. London’s ‘greasy spoon’ cafés continue to disappear. The advent of chain pubs offering cheap meals has also had its effect on café culture.
Shortly after the Tea Rooms in Holborn closed for business a sign appeared in the window that read: ‘The Tea Rooms has now closed after 44 years of happy trading. I would like to thank all of my customers who showed their loyal support throughout the years. I will miss you all dearly. God Bless. Mrs Reni Corsini’.
More than 15 years later the premises remain derelict.
Shortly after the Tea Rooms in Holborn closed for business a sign appeared in the window that read: ‘The Tea Rooms has now closed after 44 years of happy trading. I would like to thank all of my customers who showed their loyal support throughout the years. I will miss you all dearly. God Bless. Mrs Reni Corsini’.
More than 15 years later the premises remain derelict.
Royal Laboratory and Dial Square - Royal Arsenal, Woolwich SE18
Royal Laboratory 2007
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Royal Laboratory 2019
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The Royal Arsenal in Woolwich was formerly used for armaments manufacture and explosives research. The oldest surviving buildings on the Arsenal are those of the Royal Laboratory, which was completed in 1696. The main role of this complex was the manufacture of ammunition for small arms and artillery.
The workers of Dial Square (the name of the workshops at the heart of the complex) formed Dial Square FC – later Woolwich Arsenal FC – in 1886, which played on nearby marshes. Included in the founding group were two former Nottingham Forest players, who wrote to their old club to ask if it would be prepared to let them have some kit. Forest responded with a full set of red jerseys and a ball. In 1915, a move was made north of the river to Highbury and the club dropped the Woolwich from its name to become Arsenal.
The Royal Arsenal ceased to be a military establishment in 1994. Much of the site has been redeveloped for luxury apartments and houses and the site has its own Crossrail Station. The Royal Laboratory pavilions have been restored for residential use and the frontage of Dial Square has been incorporated into a new build pub called the Dial Arch.
The workers of Dial Square (the name of the workshops at the heart of the complex) formed Dial Square FC – later Woolwich Arsenal FC – in 1886, which played on nearby marshes. Included in the founding group were two former Nottingham Forest players, who wrote to their old club to ask if it would be prepared to let them have some kit. Forest responded with a full set of red jerseys and a ball. In 1915, a move was made north of the river to Highbury and the club dropped the Woolwich from its name to become Arsenal.
The Royal Arsenal ceased to be a military establishment in 1994. Much of the site has been redeveloped for luxury apartments and houses and the site has its own Crossrail Station. The Royal Laboratory pavilions have been restored for residential use and the frontage of Dial Square has been incorporated into a new build pub called the Dial Arch.
Dial Square 2007
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Dial Square 2021
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Severndroog Castle - Shooters Hill SE18
Severndroog Castle 2007
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Severndroog Castle Today
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This triangular-shaped 60-foot tall castle is the focal point of what was formerly a popular recreation area. It was built in 1784 by Lady James of Eltham as a memorial to her husband, Sir William James, and named after his most famous exploit when, in 1755, he destroyed the fleet and stronghold of pirates at Severndroog Island on the Malabar coast of India.
In 1922 Severndroog Castle and the surrounding woodland was bought by the London County Council to form a recreational area for Londoners. A small teashop on the ground floor of the castle proved enormously popular in the postwar years. Greenwich Council then took over ownership, but decided that it did not have the resources to maintain the building. The castle and tea-shop closed and were boarded up in 1988.
Since then, the building had been subject to vandalism and decay. A proposal to lease the castle to a property developer, who intended to convert it into offices, was met with furious opposition from campaigners. In 2002, the Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust was created to restore the building and open it to the public. Following a grant from the Heritage Lottery the restored Castle was reopened for visitors from 2014. The castle, including its terrace tearoom, is open to the public several days a week as well as available for hire for private events such as weddings.
In 1922 Severndroog Castle and the surrounding woodland was bought by the London County Council to form a recreational area for Londoners. A small teashop on the ground floor of the castle proved enormously popular in the postwar years. Greenwich Council then took over ownership, but decided that it did not have the resources to maintain the building. The castle and tea-shop closed and were boarded up in 1988.
Since then, the building had been subject to vandalism and decay. A proposal to lease the castle to a property developer, who intended to convert it into offices, was met with furious opposition from campaigners. In 2002, the Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust was created to restore the building and open it to the public. Following a grant from the Heritage Lottery the restored Castle was reopened for visitors from 2014. The castle, including its terrace tearoom, is open to the public several days a week as well as available for hire for private events such as weddings.
Fish & Coal Buildings and Stanley Buildings King’s Cross NW1
Fish & Coal Buildings 2007
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Fish & Coal Buildings Today
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Once a village called Battle Bridge and, according to some, the site of a battle between Boudica and the Romans in AD61, King’s Cross’s other claim to fame is that it was the first place in England where the Bessemer converter was used to turn iron into steel.
Stanley Buildings were erected in 1864 to a design inspired by Prince Albert for ideal workers’ homes and served the men working on the building of the railway in this area. A correspondent wrote to derelictlondon.com describing Stanley Buildings when he lived here as a boy in 1969: ‘The apartments were so old, they didn’t have a bath, only the toilet bowl and a sink, no hot water. The cooking stove looked like it was from the 1800s.’ The bands U2 and Public Image Limited shot videos in this building. The street has been used in many Charles Dickens and Sherlock Holmes films.
A great swathe of buildings in this area has now been cleared and the character of the district has been dramatically altered. Four of the Stanley Buildings were demolished including the block photographed in the foreground of the first Derelict London book. The façade of the remaining Stanley building has being restored and the structure adjoining a modern addition. Though it is no longer workers’ homes. It now provides serviced offices and meeting rooms.
The Fish & Coal Buildings, originally offices that housed clerks who were employed to monitor the flow of coal through the yards & later used by staff administering the distribution of fish brought into London through King’s Cross, have now been restored into a studio, showroom and cafe and occupied by British designer Tom Dixon.
Stanley Buildings were erected in 1864 to a design inspired by Prince Albert for ideal workers’ homes and served the men working on the building of the railway in this area. A correspondent wrote to derelictlondon.com describing Stanley Buildings when he lived here as a boy in 1969: ‘The apartments were so old, they didn’t have a bath, only the toilet bowl and a sink, no hot water. The cooking stove looked like it was from the 1800s.’ The bands U2 and Public Image Limited shot videos in this building. The street has been used in many Charles Dickens and Sherlock Holmes films.
A great swathe of buildings in this area has now been cleared and the character of the district has been dramatically altered. Four of the Stanley Buildings were demolished including the block photographed in the foreground of the first Derelict London book. The façade of the remaining Stanley building has being restored and the structure adjoining a modern addition. Though it is no longer workers’ homes. It now provides serviced offices and meeting rooms.
The Fish & Coal Buildings, originally offices that housed clerks who were employed to monitor the flow of coal through the yards & later used by staff administering the distribution of fish brought into London through King’s Cross, have now been restored into a studio, showroom and cafe and occupied by British designer Tom Dixon.
Stanley Buildings 2011
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Stanley Buildings 2019
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The Falcon - Camden Town NW1
The Falcon 2007
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The Falcon Today
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Despite a fire that nearly destroyed the building, the Falcon went from hosting low-key small backroom gigs in the late 1980s to becoming the Barfly Club one of the most influential music venues of the 1990s. This was the place to play. Coldplay appeared here in 1998, along with many other up-and-coming bands of the day that variously became household names or disappeared into obscurity. Crowd capacity disputes with the local authorities, however, eventually led to the Barfly Club moving to the Monarch in nearby Chalk Farm although that closed in 2016 and reopened as The Camden Assembly.
In an earlier era, Alfred Hitchcock filmed his 1956 version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, starring James Stewart and Doris Day, in this street.
The Falcon has now been converted into apartments.
In an earlier era, Alfred Hitchcock filmed his 1956 version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, starring James Stewart and Doris Day, in this street.
The Falcon has now been converted into apartments.
London Park Hotel - Newington Butts (Elephant & Castle) SE11
London Park Hotel 2007
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London Park Hotel site today
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This hotel opened in 1897 as a Rowton House, one of a chain of hostels built by the Victorian philanthropist Lord Rowton to provide decent accommodation for working men in place of the squalid lodging-houses of the time. George Orwell wrote about Rowton Houses in Down and Out in Paris and London. The South London Press reported the opening in 1897 by saying, ‘The bill of fare would not have shamed a high-class restaurant. A large plate of turkey was to be had for eightpence; roast beef, sixpence; leg of pork and apple sauce, fourpence; vegetables, one penny; and plum pudding, mince pies, rice and “college” [small plum pudding], one penny.’ The reading room contained a large variety of engravings representing scenes from Shakespeare. The smoking room was also decorated with engravings and stags’ heads.
The hostel was refurbished as a tourist-class hotel in the early 1970s. A woman who worked as a bar attendant here in 1986 wrote to derelictlondon.com about a possible haunting in the building, saying she was woken up in the early hours one morning by an unexplained and terrifying screeching sound and a thumping noise in the corridor. In the late 1990s the building was used as a hostel for refugees, gaining a degree of notoriety for gang violence and petty theft. It had a Home Office contract to house 600 asylum seekers. The Observer carried an article in 2000: "Refugees slam 'hostel from hell' Victims of tyranny talk of violence between ethnic groups, bullying and theft at the sanctuary that costs council £3m a year...It looks like any other anonymous, run-down inner-city building. Its name, the London Park Hotel, suggests a rural oasis amid urban squalor. But, say residents, it is closer to a prison. … an atmosphere of gang violence, intimidation, frustration and petty theft. They told of a world where the strong bully the weak, and the weak bully the weaker. 'There is much trouble, much fighting. I never feel safe. You cannot even take out a cigarette because someone will take it from you,' said Mohammed, 31, a student who escaped from one of Saddam Hussein's jails."
After the hostel closed around 2002, the building was used by the BBC for 26 weeks in the filming of the television series Hustle. It was demolished in late 2007 and the site remained vacant for many years with redevelopment not taking pace until 8 years later. A 45-storey tower called Highpoint with adjoining a 7-storey terrace block providing 457 apartments in total has recently been completed.
Below are some more pics of the London Park Hotel that I took in 2007
The hostel was refurbished as a tourist-class hotel in the early 1970s. A woman who worked as a bar attendant here in 1986 wrote to derelictlondon.com about a possible haunting in the building, saying she was woken up in the early hours one morning by an unexplained and terrifying screeching sound and a thumping noise in the corridor. In the late 1990s the building was used as a hostel for refugees, gaining a degree of notoriety for gang violence and petty theft. It had a Home Office contract to house 600 asylum seekers. The Observer carried an article in 2000: "Refugees slam 'hostel from hell' Victims of tyranny talk of violence between ethnic groups, bullying and theft at the sanctuary that costs council £3m a year...It looks like any other anonymous, run-down inner-city building. Its name, the London Park Hotel, suggests a rural oasis amid urban squalor. But, say residents, it is closer to a prison. … an atmosphere of gang violence, intimidation, frustration and petty theft. They told of a world where the strong bully the weak, and the weak bully the weaker. 'There is much trouble, much fighting. I never feel safe. You cannot even take out a cigarette because someone will take it from you,' said Mohammed, 31, a student who escaped from one of Saddam Hussein's jails."
After the hostel closed around 2002, the building was used by the BBC for 26 weeks in the filming of the television series Hustle. It was demolished in late 2007 and the site remained vacant for many years with redevelopment not taking pace until 8 years later. A 45-storey tower called Highpoint with adjoining a 7-storey terrace block providing 457 apartments in total has recently been completed.
Below are some more pics of the London Park Hotel that I took in 2007
London Park Hotel 2007
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London Park Hotel 2007
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London Park Hotel 2007
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The Island Block (Westminster Bridge Roundabout) - Lambeth SE1
The Island Block (Westminster Bridge Roundabout) 2005
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The Island Block (Westminster Bridge Roundabout) Now
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In a Channel 4 poll of 10,000 viewers to find the ugliest buildings that people would like to see demolished, the Island Block came in at number 11. A six- storey concrete building, it was constructed in the early 1970s as an extension to the old GLC County Hall complex & its prominent location made it perhaps the most prominent of all London's derelict buildings after the drab building lay rotting for years.
Now demolished and the Park Plaza stands in its place. The hotel features 54 suites and penthouses, over 500 studio rooms & amenities include a 1,200 square-metre, pillar-free ballroom.
Now demolished and the Park Plaza stands in its place. The hotel features 54 suites and penthouses, over 500 studio rooms & amenities include a 1,200 square-metre, pillar-free ballroom.
Palmers Pet Shop - Camden Town NW1
Palmers Pet Shop 2007
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Palmers Pet Shop Today
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Founded in 1918, this was once the most famous pet shop in London – the ideal place to buy everything from chimpanzees to talking parrots. It attracted a starry clientele. Winston Churchill bought a kitten named Orlando here in the 1950s, the shop’s owner receiving a cigar and a signed copy of Churchill’s My Early Life in return. Other cat-fanciers, such as Charlie Chaplin, Dudley Moore and Peter Cooke, also visited, while Ken Livingstone came here to purchase pet newts.
Increasing rent, rates and insurance costs, combined with a general decline in pet sales, led to the shop’s closure in the summer of 2005. The family business relocated to smaller premises over the road, selling just pet foods and accessories, but that has since closed down. The original shop is now a café.
Founded in 1918, this was once the most famous pet shop in London – the ideal place to buy everything from chimpanzees to talking parrots. It attracted a starry clientele. Winston Churchill bought a kitten named Orlando here in the 1950s, the shop’s owner receiving a cigar and a signed copy of Churchill’s My Early Life in return. Other cat-fanciers, such as Charlie Chaplin, Dudley Moore and Peter Cooke, also visited, while Ken Livingstone came here to purchase pet newts.
Increasing rent, rates and insurance costs, combined with a general decline in pet sales, led to the shop’s closure in the summer of 2005. The family business relocated to smaller premises over the road, selling just pet foods and accessories, but that has since closed down. The original shop is now a café.
The Woolwich Infant Woolwich SE18
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The Woolwich Infant on Plumstead Road was named after a huge gun that was built in 1872 at Woolwich Arsenal for HMS Devastation. The story goes that when the gun was fired for the first time, the resulting detonation cracked the barrel.
Rather more successful in the field of marksmanship was Billy Dunbar from the pub’s darts teams. He was a finalist in the National Darts Championship in 1984.
I originally photographed the exterior of this decaying pub fifteen years ago, only to discover upon closer inspection that it was actually open. If the outside was grim, the inside did not leave much to be desired either. However, the pub later had a makeover and became a very popular venue for the local gay and lesbian community. In 2006, a fire wrecked the interior and the pub closed down forever. The premises were used as a second hand shop for a while before being converted into a fast food takeaway. The pub sign survived until early in 2017.
Rather more successful in the field of marksmanship was Billy Dunbar from the pub’s darts teams. He was a finalist in the National Darts Championship in 1984.
I originally photographed the exterior of this decaying pub fifteen years ago, only to discover upon closer inspection that it was actually open. If the outside was grim, the inside did not leave much to be desired either. However, the pub later had a makeover and became a very popular venue for the local gay and lesbian community. In 2006, a fire wrecked the interior and the pub closed down forever. The premises were used as a second hand shop for a while before being converted into a fast food takeaway. The pub sign survived until early in 2017.
North Circular Road- Palmers Green N13
North Circular Road 2007
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North Circular Road 2019
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Over the years there have been various proposed schemes to widen the North Circular, which links west and east London via the northern suburbs. Three hundred properties have at some time or other been scheduled for demolition. There is no doubt that there are serious bottle-necks on the North Circular, but many local people argue that widening the road would only attract more traffic, making one of Britain’s most polluted roads even more hazardous to health.
The decades of uncertainty over this stretch of road gave the homes and businesses on either side of it a forlorn air. Transport for London owned these buildings and gradually bought up more houses as residents moved out. Many homes were left to vandals, others boarded up to escape the attentions of arsonists and squatters. Then in 2009, after plans to widen the road were scrapped, the properties were sold to Notting Hill Housing Association. The house photographed in the first edition of Derelict London was demolished to make way for new blocks of flats, but as you can see here, many of the other derelict houses were refurbished by 2012.
The decades of uncertainty over this stretch of road gave the homes and businesses on either side of it a forlorn air. Transport for London owned these buildings and gradually bought up more houses as residents moved out. Many homes were left to vandals, others boarded up to escape the attentions of arsonists and squatters. Then in 2009, after plans to widen the road were scrapped, the properties were sold to Notting Hill Housing Association. The house photographed in the first edition of Derelict London was demolished to make way for new blocks of flats, but as you can see here, many of the other derelict houses were refurbished by 2012.
North Circular Road 2007
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North Circular Road 2019
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Matthiae Café - Richmond, TW9
Matthiae Cafe - 2007 (top) and present day (below)
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Matthiae Cafe - 2007 (top) and present day (below)
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This was a once-bustling business with a classic blue and silver Art Deco shopfront and matching interiors, which earned the building grade II-listed status. Reg Matthiae opened the venture as a bakery in 1920 and subsequently expanded the business to include a café, restaurant and catering service.
The family business closed in 2001 after 80 years. The building remained empty for nearly 12 years and suffered from a lack of general maintenance. A few old wedding cake decorations covered in dust remained visible in the window.
Tesco bought the café site and residents with support from local councillors persuaded & worked with the supermarket chain to sympathetically restore the iconic building.
The building has retained its art deco frontage, while individual Tesco steel lettering makes up the signage maintaining its 1930s style. A window display is now in homage to the history of the building. Julie Dunlop née Matthiae, at the opening of the store, said she was delighted; that it was evocative and a fitting tribute to her parents’ business.
This was a once-bustling business with a classic blue and silver Art Deco shopfront and matching interiors, which earned the building grade II-listed status. Reg Matthiae opened the venture as a bakery in 1920 and subsequently expanded the business to include a café, restaurant and catering service.
The family business closed in 2001 after 80 years. The building remained empty for nearly 12 years and suffered from a lack of general maintenance. A few old wedding cake decorations covered in dust remained visible in the window.
Tesco bought the café site and residents with support from local councillors persuaded & worked with the supermarket chain to sympathetically restore the iconic building.
The building has retained its art deco frontage, while individual Tesco steel lettering makes up the signage maintaining its 1930s style. A window display is now in homage to the history of the building. Julie Dunlop née Matthiae, at the opening of the store, said she was delighted; that it was evocative and a fitting tribute to her parents’ business.
German Gymnasium - St Pancras NW1
German Gymnasium 2004
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German Gymnasium 2019
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German immigrants formed the first gym club in Britain and opened their German Gymnasium in 1864, possibly the first purpose-built gymnasium in Britain. Ironically, this centre was bombed by the Germans during the First World War in 1917.
The National Olympian Association held its first-ever Games here in 1866. These continued annually until the modern Olympic Games were held at White City in 1908. The building was then bought by the Great Northern Railway to provide accommodation for its operations centre.
After a period of neglect, the building, which is sandwiched between the redevelopment sites of King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, was then used as an exhibition centre. Then in 2015, after further building works, the German Gymnasium re-opened as a high-end restaurant. It was voted the best UK restaurant in the 2016 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.
The National Olympian Association held its first-ever Games here in 1866. These continued annually until the modern Olympic Games were held at White City in 1908. The building was then bought by the Great Northern Railway to provide accommodation for its operations centre.
After a period of neglect, the building, which is sandwiched between the redevelopment sites of King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, was then used as an exhibition centre. Then in 2015, after further building works, the German Gymnasium re-opened as a high-end restaurant. It was voted the best UK restaurant in the 2016 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.
The Intrepid Fox - Soho W1
The Intrepid Fox 2007
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The Intrepid Fox 2019
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The Intrepid Fox gets its name from the eighteenth-century political wheeler and dealer Charles James Fox who famously once promised free beer to anyone who offered him electoral support. In more recent times the pub became the favourite watering-hole of London’s rock elite and a big tourist draw. Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart are rumoured to have come close to trading punches here after the former tried to poach Ronnie Wood – then in Stewart’s band the Faces – for the Rolling Stones. The late hell-raising actor Richard Harris was also a regular, and other customers included Mel Gibson. The pub was a popular place to meet before going to the Marquee Club just down the road.
Everybody was dismayed when this historic piece of Soho was closed down in the autumn of 2006. Malcolm McLaren, who used to drink at the Fox with Johnny Rotten and the other Sex Pistols in the 1970s, backed an unsuccessful campaign to save the pub, having once named it one of the five best in the world. An ex-landlord comments on the closure: ‘It is another step towards the homogenization of Soho as just another bland, faceless area.’
Simon Goyne writes " I live in Sweden now, but I worked in pubs all over The City and West End during the mid-90s, and ended up running The Salisbury on St Martin's Lane. Having lived abroad since 2002 I had no idea how many central London pubs - many of which I used to drink in - have gone. I remember The Polar Bear when it was packed every night with Kiwis and Aussies, the Printers' Devil when The Daily Mirror was still just about on Fleet St, and huge lock-ins in The Red Lion in Soho. I have particularly fond memories of The Intrepid Fox as my now wife and I used to go there a lot on our nights off together, mainly because they played such great music. I distinctly remember that The Intrepid was one of the first pubs in London to have its music playing from a PC rather than a jukebox or CD player behind the bar.
It always attracted a really mixed Soho crowd, with punks, dealers, indie kids, Soho pisstanks, goths and curious tourists all rubbing along nicely. Usually. The guy who ran it at the time was a skinny, cantankerous goth guy with really long, matted hair extensions who I never saw smile, even though he had one of the best and most popular pubs in the West End.
I remember standing at the trough in the Gents' one night, minding my own business, when a pale, speedy Soho kid lurched through the door and threw up down my leg. Happy days."
The pub has now reopened as Byron at The Intrepid Fox, an upmarket hamburger chain. £13.50 for a smashed avocado burger though excellent according to reviews on the net.
Everybody was dismayed when this historic piece of Soho was closed down in the autumn of 2006. Malcolm McLaren, who used to drink at the Fox with Johnny Rotten and the other Sex Pistols in the 1970s, backed an unsuccessful campaign to save the pub, having once named it one of the five best in the world. An ex-landlord comments on the closure: ‘It is another step towards the homogenization of Soho as just another bland, faceless area.’
Simon Goyne writes " I live in Sweden now, but I worked in pubs all over The City and West End during the mid-90s, and ended up running The Salisbury on St Martin's Lane. Having lived abroad since 2002 I had no idea how many central London pubs - many of which I used to drink in - have gone. I remember The Polar Bear when it was packed every night with Kiwis and Aussies, the Printers' Devil when The Daily Mirror was still just about on Fleet St, and huge lock-ins in The Red Lion in Soho. I have particularly fond memories of The Intrepid Fox as my now wife and I used to go there a lot on our nights off together, mainly because they played such great music. I distinctly remember that The Intrepid was one of the first pubs in London to have its music playing from a PC rather than a jukebox or CD player behind the bar.
It always attracted a really mixed Soho crowd, with punks, dealers, indie kids, Soho pisstanks, goths and curious tourists all rubbing along nicely. Usually. The guy who ran it at the time was a skinny, cantankerous goth guy with really long, matted hair extensions who I never saw smile, even though he had one of the best and most popular pubs in the West End.
I remember standing at the trough in the Gents' one night, minding my own business, when a pale, speedy Soho kid lurched through the door and threw up down my leg. Happy days."
The pub has now reopened as Byron at The Intrepid Fox, an upmarket hamburger chain. £13.50 for a smashed avocado burger though excellent according to reviews on the net.
Sex Shops - Soho W1
Soho Sex Shops 2007
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Soho Sex Shops Site Today
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The modern sex industry has existed in Soho for over 60 years, reaching its apogee in the late 1960s and 1970s when every street seemed to house film clubs, strip joints and mail order and retail shops. In the early 2000s, however, the council began clamping down, compulsorily purchasing premises thought to house brothels.
Since the original photograph the shop in the foreground has been demolished and replaced with a new building with a beauty salon on the ground floor and flats above and the adjacent building has been refurbished and is currently a shop selling high-end skateboard clothing which attracts long queues of people whenever new stock arrives.
Since the original photograph the shop in the foreground has been demolished and replaced with a new building with a beauty salon on the ground floor and flats above and the adjacent building has been refurbished and is currently a shop selling high-end skateboard clothing which attracts long queues of people whenever new stock arrives.
Greengate House - Plaistow E13
Greengate House, Plaistow 2007
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Greengate House, Plaistow Today
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Greengate House was built in 1919 for the YMCA and later, when owned by the University of East London, was used by students.
Somebody who was a student at the university told me that the original features had survived largely unscathed inside, apart from the addition of a few plasterboard walls. In the basement was a trapdoor: when opened this reveals a fully tiled swimming pool, complete with shallow and deep ends. From the top floor you could see the Boleyn Ground, the previous football stadium of West Ham United.
Most of the building was demolished and rebuilt with only the facade surviving. The new building completed in 2010 and now called Pegasus House provides homes for key workers such as nurses and teachers. The swimming pool is long gone and has been replaced by an underground car park.
Somebody who was a student at the university told me that the original features had survived largely unscathed inside, apart from the addition of a few plasterboard walls. In the basement was a trapdoor: when opened this reveals a fully tiled swimming pool, complete with shallow and deep ends. From the top floor you could see the Boleyn Ground, the previous football stadium of West Ham United.
Most of the building was demolished and rebuilt with only the facade surviving. The new building completed in 2010 and now called Pegasus House provides homes for key workers such as nurses and teachers. The swimming pool is long gone and has been replaced by an underground car park.
Coopers Road Estate - Bermondsey SE1
Coopers Road Estate 2007
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Coopers Road Estate Today
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When the residents of the Coopers Road Estate off the Old Kent Road moved out in around 2003, around 400 squatters moved in. They were well-organized and for a while could resist attempts by Southwark Council to evict them and to turn off the water supply to the two blocks. The outer walls were removed to render the flats uninhabitable, exposing the multi-coloured interiors of people’s old homes to passers-by.
The whole of the Coopers Road Estate was demolished and rebuilt in four phases and all the new build flats were completed by 2015.
The whole of the Coopers Road Estate was demolished and rebuilt in four phases and all the new build flats were completed by 2015.
Click a link to view More Then and Now Galleries:
Derelict London - Then and Now pics South of the River
Derelict London - Then and Now pics North of the River
Derelict London - Then and Now pics South of the River
Derelict London - Then and Now pics North of the River