Winter 2020 New Pics
Derelict London Winter 2020/21 Update Page
Welcome to this page of Derelict London Winter 2020 updates. Kicking off with subterranean toilets, a nuclear bunker followed by a lost music pub venue, the old Hammers Social Club in Upton Park, the Battle of Britain RAF Club in Uxbridge and finally a couple of dilapidated houses sold for silly money.
Join the mailing list HERE to find out about Derelict London guided walks (plus lost rivers and defunct music venues) as soon as tickets are released plus news on my latest books and website updates. My guided walking tours are one of the exceptions to the 'rule of 6' people restriction and will resume from mid-April 2021.
My latest book London's Lost Music Venues is available now and more information can be found at www.londonslostmusicvenues.com.
Join the mailing list HERE to find out about Derelict London guided walks (plus lost rivers and defunct music venues) as soon as tickets are released plus news on my latest books and website updates. My guided walking tours are one of the exceptions to the 'rule of 6' people restriction and will resume from mid-April 2021.
My latest book London's Lost Music Venues is available now and more information can be found at www.londonslostmusicvenues.com.
Merton SW19
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Croydon CR0
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Archway, N19 - Disused Public Toilets
Archway, N19 - Disused Public Toilets
Archway, N19 - Disused Public Toilets
These defunct toilets are situated in front of the Archway Tavern on a site that has housed pubs since the 1700s, with the current pub building being built in 1888. It's interior features on the cover of the Kinks' album "Muswell Hillbillies" (despite being a couple of miles away from Muswell Hill)
The pub has recently reopened after being closed for a few years (including a brief stint as the ill-fated relocation of the West End's Intrepid Fox goth and metal boozer). It now sits on a recently pedestrianised square and offers some tasty beers including a Muswell Hillbilly IPA. The toilets have a tablet laid by the Metropolitan Borough of Islington dated 1939. The tablet is barely legible but another date on there of 1896 is when it was likely built and presumably remodelled in 1939 as early photographs show that the original entrances were different.
As the area has received a substantial facelift over the years and is 'on the way up' it is just a matter of time before plans emerge for these former public loos.
The pub has recently reopened after being closed for a few years (including a brief stint as the ill-fated relocation of the West End's Intrepid Fox goth and metal boozer). It now sits on a recently pedestrianised square and offers some tasty beers including a Muswell Hillbilly IPA. The toilets have a tablet laid by the Metropolitan Borough of Islington dated 1939. The tablet is barely legible but another date on there of 1896 is when it was likely built and presumably remodelled in 1939 as early photographs show that the original entrances were different.
As the area has received a substantial facelift over the years and is 'on the way up' it is just a matter of time before plans emerge for these former public loos.
Kennington SE11 - Disused Public Toilets
Kennington SE11 - Disused Public Toilets
These (now Grade II listed) gentleman's public toilets at Kennington Cross were built in 1898 as a result of the 1891 Public Health/London Act by the local authority with fittings by Finch and Co. of Lambeth. Wikipedia states that 'Charlie Chaplin is thought to have used the lavatory during his childhood, and writes about sitting nearby when locked out of his home'.
Original features include white marble urinals with black marble modesty screens and ceramic roundels inscribed "B Finch and Co Limited, Sanitary Engineers, Lambeth SE",three cubicles and a cast iron water tank with glass panels, a mosaic floor from the 1960s and an attendant's booth. Nice 'stinkpipe' too. Despite the toilets closing in 1988 this one looks in good condition as it was renovated by a community project called ArtsLav who used it as an arts centre from 2013 until 2017. The council then leased it to Bermondsey Arts Club Limited who intend to convert it into a cocktail bar like what they have done with the former toilets on Tower Bridge Rd. Meanwhile the site remains vacant. The cubicle doors show some interesting 1980s graffiti.
Allen Maskell writes to Derelict London : “Excellent site, decay and the march of progress driven by local admin, mindless destruction of local history and individual style rubbed out forever. Keep it up, please, perhaps one day these people will change. Your section on Underground public toilets is of great interest to me as I do remember years ago an offer from Lambeth of £1 per year lease deal. perhaps I was dreaming. My idea then was to lease those disused gents to open a music studio, the offer from the Mayor and his merry men disappeared quickly.”
Original features include white marble urinals with black marble modesty screens and ceramic roundels inscribed "B Finch and Co Limited, Sanitary Engineers, Lambeth SE",three cubicles and a cast iron water tank with glass panels, a mosaic floor from the 1960s and an attendant's booth. Nice 'stinkpipe' too. Despite the toilets closing in 1988 this one looks in good condition as it was renovated by a community project called ArtsLav who used it as an arts centre from 2013 until 2017. The council then leased it to Bermondsey Arts Club Limited who intend to convert it into a cocktail bar like what they have done with the former toilets on Tower Bridge Rd. Meanwhile the site remains vacant. The cubicle doors show some interesting 1980s graffiti.
Allen Maskell writes to Derelict London : “Excellent site, decay and the march of progress driven by local admin, mindless destruction of local history and individual style rubbed out forever. Keep it up, please, perhaps one day these people will change. Your section on Underground public toilets is of great interest to me as I do remember years ago an offer from Lambeth of £1 per year lease deal. perhaps I was dreaming. My idea then was to lease those disused gents to open a music studio, the offer from the Mayor and his merry men disappeared quickly.”
The Old Finsbury Town Hall, EC1 - Air-Raid Shelter/Nuclear Bunker/Control Centre
Old Finsbury Town Hall, EC1 - Air-Raid Shelter/Nuclear Bunker/Control Centre
The building opened in 1895 and during the Second World War a two-storey bunker beneath Garnault Place, with access from the basement of the town hall. This was completed in 1940 and comprised, on the upper floor, two large air-raid shelters for male and female staff at the town hall, and on the lower a Control Centre for the borough, containing a control room, signals room and messengers' room. The external concrete walls are 6 ft 6 in thick.
Disused after the war, the bunker was returned to use from 1952 to 1965 as a local control centre in case of nuclear attack. Later it was used for civil-defence training and thereafter as storage. These days the bunker is disused and is often subject to flooding due to being in the close proximity of natural underground springs which feed the nearby Sadlers Well and the now subterranean River Fleet.
You may already be familiar with the wartime photograph below which is often floating around online forums. This is a German Messerschmitt Me110 fighter-bomber outside Finsbury Town Hall on Garnault Place. It was brought down during an attack on RAF Hawkinge, Kent in 1940 and put on display in London before being shipped to he US in 1941. In the old photo you see a shelter sign in the Traffic Island. Whilst the main entrance was under the Town Hall this was presumably an entrance accessed by step irons (seen in bunker pics further below) directly from the street.
Disused after the war, the bunker was returned to use from 1952 to 1965 as a local control centre in case of nuclear attack. Later it was used for civil-defence training and thereafter as storage. These days the bunker is disused and is often subject to flooding due to being in the close proximity of natural underground springs which feed the nearby Sadlers Well and the now subterranean River Fleet.
You may already be familiar with the wartime photograph below which is often floating around online forums. This is a German Messerschmitt Me110 fighter-bomber outside Finsbury Town Hall on Garnault Place. It was brought down during an attack on RAF Hawkinge, Kent in 1940 and put on display in London before being shipped to he US in 1941. In the old photo you see a shelter sign in the Traffic Island. Whilst the main entrance was under the Town Hall this was presumably an entrance accessed by step irons (seen in bunker pics further below) directly from the street.
The town hall ceased to be the local seat of government when the London Borough of Islington was formed in 1965. It subsequently served as a register office and also as a social services centre. Islington Council closed the building in 2003 and has since re-opened as the home of the performing arts college, Urdang Academy. Please note that this is a privately owned college and there is no public access to the building.
Here are some photographs of the shelter taken in Autumn 2020. Note the step irons in the wall (up to a locked manhole cover), gas tight doors and toilet cubicles stripped of any original fittings apart from a toilet roll holder!
Here are some photographs of the shelter taken in Autumn 2020. Note the step irons in the wall (up to a locked manhole cover), gas tight doors and toilet cubicles stripped of any original fittings apart from a toilet roll holder!
The Bitter End/The Horn/The White Hart - High Street, Romford. RM1
The Bitter End/The Horn/The White Hart - High Street, Romford. RM1
Another lost music venue...
An inn on this site dates back to the 15th Century that was rebuilt during Victorian times and was known as the White Hart Hotel subsequently undergoing many name changes.
In 2006 to 2007 when called The Bitter End acts including Towers of London, Sonic Boom Six, Chas & Dave, Napalm Death, Architects and Mystery Jets played here. In 2010 it was renamed The Horn after the team behind The Horn in St Albans briefly took it over and hosted gigs by Beki Bondage, Captain Sensible, The Glitter Band, Anti Nowhere League, Eastfield and The Duel plus a few nights of tribute bands to the likes of Guns 'n' Roses and Metallica. By 2011 the pub reverted back to The Bitter End continuing with many tribute bands plus an array of older well established bands popular in their respected genres such as UK Subs, The Members, The Queers, English Dogs and Discharge for the punks, The Lambrettas for the mods and Condemned 84, The Last Resort and Close Shave for the Oi! skinheads. Later that year the live music stopped and the pub closed in 2012.
In 2015 the empty building suffered a fire and in 2017 a group of squatters moved in who spent the next two years as self -appointed caretakers renovating the premises with the intention of it reopening for community use. Despite much internal restoration having taken place the squatters were evicted in 2019 and the future of the empty building remains uncertain.Below are some pics of the rear of the building.
An inn on this site dates back to the 15th Century that was rebuilt during Victorian times and was known as the White Hart Hotel subsequently undergoing many name changes.
In 2006 to 2007 when called The Bitter End acts including Towers of London, Sonic Boom Six, Chas & Dave, Napalm Death, Architects and Mystery Jets played here. In 2010 it was renamed The Horn after the team behind The Horn in St Albans briefly took it over and hosted gigs by Beki Bondage, Captain Sensible, The Glitter Band, Anti Nowhere League, Eastfield and The Duel plus a few nights of tribute bands to the likes of Guns 'n' Roses and Metallica. By 2011 the pub reverted back to The Bitter End continuing with many tribute bands plus an array of older well established bands popular in their respected genres such as UK Subs, The Members, The Queers, English Dogs and Discharge for the punks, The Lambrettas for the mods and Condemned 84, The Last Resort and Close Shave for the Oi! skinheads. Later that year the live music stopped and the pub closed in 2012.
In 2015 the empty building suffered a fire and in 2017 a group of squatters moved in who spent the next two years as self -appointed caretakers renovating the premises with the intention of it reopening for community use. Despite much internal restoration having taken place the squatters were evicted in 2019 and the future of the empty building remains uncertain.Below are some pics of the rear of the building.
West Ham United Supporters' Club (Hammers Social Club) - Upton Park, E13
West Ham United Supporters' Club (Hammers Social Club) - Upton Park, E13
The West Ham United Supporters' Club is the officially recognised Supporters' Club that was founded in 1947 and from 1972 until recently it was based here in Castle Street next to The Boleyn Ground. Castle Street is named after the castle like turretted structure (demolished 1955) within the grounds of the long gone Green Street House. The excellently informative website www.theyflysohigh.co.uk talks about the myth that Anne Boleyn lived or stayed in this vicinity explaining that there is no evidence of this and indeed Green Street House and it's 'castle' were not built until 8 years after Anne Boleyn was beheaded. One possible explanation is that later on, Anne Boleyn’s brother Giles is said to have rented Green Street House.
The Supporters Club continued here even after West Ham United moved from the Boleyn Ground in 2016 though had to close down in 2017 after a health and safety audit revealed some expensive work was required. Flats have replaced the Boleyn Ground whilst this building was squatted early in 2020 though there are hopes to bring the club house back into use in some way. Meanwhile the Official West Ham United Supporters’ Club has a match day bar upstairs at The Last Drop right next to the ArcelorMittal Orbit adjacent to the London Stadium.
The Supporters Club continued here even after West Ham United moved from the Boleyn Ground in 2016 though had to close down in 2017 after a health and safety audit revealed some expensive work was required. Flats have replaced the Boleyn Ground whilst this building was squatted early in 2020 though there are hopes to bring the club house back into use in some way. Meanwhile the Official West Ham United Supporters’ Club has a match day bar upstairs at The Last Drop right next to the ArcelorMittal Orbit adjacent to the London Stadium.
Battle of Britain RAF Club - Uxbridge, UB10
Battle of Britain RAF Club - Uxbridge, UB10
The Battle of Britain RAF Club consists of two prefabricated Nissen huts which were once part of a US Air Force field hospital in Prestwick, Scotland. The club was officially opened in 1951. The Battle of Britain was marshalled from the nearby RAF Uxbridge.
The Club closed in 2018 when its lease was surrendered to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) due to insurmountable debts and the dilapidated condition of the building. A BBC article states that the club had not been billed for its rent for 16 years and so had not paid. The MOD then billed the club in early 2018 for the outstanding £160,000 but was only able to demand £60,000 as it can only claim debts going back six years. But as the club was operating at a loss it could not afford to pay.
The Club closed in 2018 when its lease was surrendered to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) due to insurmountable debts and the dilapidated condition of the building. A BBC article states that the club had not been billed for its rent for 16 years and so had not paid. The MOD then billed the club in early 2018 for the outstanding £160,000 but was only able to demand £60,000 as it can only claim debts going back six years. But as the club was operating at a loss it could not afford to pay.
Two Missed Opportunities....
Brixton
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Redbridge
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In summer 2020 the Brixton (Coldharbour Lane) property sold for £717,500 and the Redbridge (Eastern Avenue dual carriageway on the A12 ) one for £500,000. Both have been dilapidated landmarks for many years in their respective areas though were both occupied until recently. Certainly there will be much work to do on both of these.
In 2019 an elderly man was found dead in the Redbridge house. Local press reported that the police attended, forced entry and discovered the body of the man, believed to be aged in his 70s.Due to the condition of the interior of the house, specialist officers were required to conduct searches and recover the body.
The Brixton property agent's photographs show the internal structure is supported by scaffold and much of the ground floor appears to have collapsed into the basement.
In 2019 an elderly man was found dead in the Redbridge house. Local press reported that the police attended, forced entry and discovered the body of the man, believed to be aged in his 70s.Due to the condition of the interior of the house, specialist officers were required to conduct searches and recover the body.
The Brixton property agent's photographs show the internal structure is supported by scaffold and much of the ground floor appears to have collapsed into the basement.