Winter 2012/13 Incorporating Islington History Journal
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Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Vol 2 No 4 Winter 2012/13 incorporating Islington History Journal The stars of the music hall Collins’ Music Hall staged “noisy, colourful shows with lots of dancers”, thanks to the people in this photograph. Can you identify them? The battle for New River Head l Joe Meek, extraordinary sound pioneer l A house of many lives l The railway palazzo and its young architect l Rebels in the south – Clerkenwell’s radical past l Local history projects celebrate Ironmonger Row baths and Holloway Road life l Your local history questions answered l Books and reviews l News and events About the society What we do Memories, reviews, old photographs, Islington Archaeology & ideas sought… contribute to this journal History Society Committee hesocietyarranges President lectures,walks,visits Wewelcomearticlesonlocal streetsorbuildings?Send RtHonLordSmith Tandoutingsabout history,memoriesandmore theminforourtireless ofFinsbury thearchaeologyandhistory academicpieces. researcherMichaelReading ofIslington. Onepagetakesabout500 –andmaybeotherreaders Vice-president Weliaisewiththecouncil words,andmaximumarticle –toanswer. MaryCosh andothersinmattersof lengthis1,000words.Email lSeeLetters,page6 planninganddevelopment theeditorforourwriting Chairman torecordandprotect guidelines. Copyright AndrewGardner Islington’ssitesthatareof Welikereceivingpictures, Copyrightofeverythingin [email protected] archaeologicalandhistorical butpleasecheckthatwecan thisjournallieswiththe importance. reproducethemwithout creatorunlessotherwise Secretary Wealsoaimtodocument infringinganyone’scopyright. stated.Whileitcanbe PeterFuller archaeologicalfindingsin Thejournalisproducedin difficulttotracecopyright theborough. printedandpdfformonline. ownershipofarchive Membership and events Localhistoricaland Deadlineforthespring materials,wemakeevery CatherineBrighty literarywalksarearranged issueis1February. efforttodoso. 8WynyattStreet forgroups. LondonEC1V7HU Ever wondered…? Any questions? 02078331541 Why archaeology? Doyouhaveanyqueries ContacteditorChristy Archaeologyisnotjust aboutIslington’shistory, Lawrance(detailsright). Treasurer aboutwhatisburied;it PhilipAnderson includesstructuresand phlpandrsn6@ fragmentsthatstillexist, Join us and benefit from membership btopenworld.com andthepeoplewholived, workedanddiedinthem. Membersreceivethis transport,industry,politics, Committee members Weareheretoinvestigate, quarterlyjournalandare socialchange,waterways, KathleenFrenchman learnandcelebratewhatis invitedto10talksayear maps,entertainment, PeterFuller lefttous. withguestspeakers.Wealso healthcareandcrime. MichaelHarper organisewalksandbook Non-membersarealways DerekSeeley Our website launches. welcomeattalks–weinvite Gotowww.iahs.org.ukto Ourtalkscoverawide a£1donationfromnon- Academic adviser findoutmoreaboutusand rangeoftopicsincluding memberstowardsthe LesterHillman,former ourevents. architecture,gardens, speaker’sexpenses. visitingprofessor,London MetropolitanBusiness (photocopiesacceptable) $ School,London Join the Islington Archaeology & History Society MetropolitanUniversity Membershipperyearis:£10single;£12jointatsameaddress;concessions£6;joint Newsletter editor concessions£8;corporate£15.(Membershiprenewalsaresentoutwhendue.) ChristyLawrance [email protected] Name(s).................................................................................................................................... c/o6Northview TufnellParkRoad Address.................................................................................................................................... LondonN70QB .................................................................................................................................................. The Journal of the Islington Telno/email(ifweneedtocontactyou).............................................................................. Archaeology & History Society ispublishedfourtimesayear I/Wewouldlikesingle/joint/concession/jointconcession/corporatemembership,and encloseachequepayableto“IslingtonArcheology&HistorySociety” for................. ISSN2046-8245 Pleasereturnthisform(photocopiesacceptable)to:IslingtonArchaeology&History PrintedbyPrintSet, Society,8WynyattStreet,LondonEC1V7HU 15PalmerPlace,London, N78DH,www.printset.co.uk 2 JournaloftheIslingtonArchaeology&HistorySociety Winter2012/13Vol2 No4 Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Incorporating Islington History Journal Vol 2 No 4 Winter 2012/13 Among the rubbish lie valuable gems s the journal was going to press, councillors were due to vote on Awhether to list locally the Contents Brecknock Road estate. English Heritage has described the block, built in 1938-39, as “clearly of architectural News 4 and historical significance, being Sadler’s Wells archive goes online designed by ECP Monson in strongly Lutyens-inspired Lark in the Park wins the chance to welcome people again progressive German/continental style”. Not guilty verdict for Crippen at museum retrial, thanks to DNA evidence The 20th Century Society has made great strides in recent years, Lettersandyourquestions 6 having at its inception been publicly Collins Music Hall, chocolate making, a football team, a Hollywood actress derided, and the architecture it is and a search for old children’s home records pledged to protect largely dismissed. How times change. ThebattleforNewRiverHead 10 In fairness, there is a maxim that This site has a long story, from its water company beginnings to a struggle every generation despises the over saving historic buildings for the community architecture of the preceding one. It is interesting for one of my generation, Pioneerofsound 12 growing up in the latter part of the Joe Meek produced extraordinary pop music from a small flat over a shop in 20th century, to observe this major Holloway Road shift in attitude taking place. Interwar housing projects, the modern Ahouseofmanylives 14 movement, Lubetkin’s Spa Green A house that was home to peace organisations and radical groups was estate and other sites are all now seen once occupied by a large family – and some of them came back to visit with due respect. There have been catastrophic Therailwaypalazzo 16 mistakes – fewer in Islington perhaps The grandest station on the North London Line, and the young architect than in other inner city boroughs – who designed it and it is right to throw out some of the rubbish. Rebelsinthesouth 18 Some buildings constructed between Clerkenwell, near the City and with plenty of open space for demonstrations, the 1950s and 1970s were designed has long been a hotbed of radicalism with the best of intentions but did not work. Sometimes this was down to Publications,bookshopandbookreviews 20 shoddy materials and construction, Books to curl up with this winter, and some old maps on sale sometimes down to ideas of social engineering, sometimes because of Events 24 long-term maintenance costs. Including two local history exhibitions, on Holloway Road and Yet we should not be instantly Ironmonger Row baths dismissive of certain styles – there are gems too, and it is right to seek their Directoryofsocietiesandmuseums 28 protection. Details of civic, local history and archaeology societies, museums and Andrew Gardner online resources Chairman Islington Archaeology & History Society IslingtonArchaeology&HistorySocietyevents 31 Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Winter 2012/13 Vol 2 No 4 3 news In brief Sadler’s Wells archive goes online Walks for anniversary TheSadler’sWellsTheatre of assassinated PM archivecannowbesearched online,afterbeing Tomarkthe250th cataloguedbytheIslington anniversaryofthebirthof LocalHistoryCentre. SpencerPerceval,IAHS Publicationofthe academicadviserLester cataloguewill,forthefirst HillmanledanewIslington time,allowresearchersto walk–thePerceval viewthelargevarietyof Perambulation.Percevalwas materialinthecollection. theonlyBritishprime Thecollectioncoversthe ministertobeassassinated, historyofperformanceat andhisstoryhasmanylinks Sadler’sWells,the totheborough(summer performersandmanagers, 2012issue,page14).The thebuildingsonthesite,the eventalsosawthelaunchof theatre’smanyfinancial Islington’sKennedyMoment, difficulties–anditsuseasa Sadler’s Wells, 1810: the archive goes back to the early 1700s aprojecttocollectmemories wartimeair-raidshelter. of22November1963,when Materialdatesfromthe internationaltoursand Thecatalogueisbeing newsofUSpresidentJohnF early1700sfromallsix visitingproductions. hostedontheArchivesHub, Kennedy’sassassination theatresthathaveoccupied Thesourceofmuchofthe whichalsodetailsother reachedtheUK. thesitesince1683.These archivethatpredatesthe IslingtonLocalHistory include18thcenturyplaybills 20thcenturymaterialsis Centrespecialcollections. London Underground andVictorianpantomime unknown,althoughmuchof Visithttp://islingtonblogs. celebrates 150 years scripts,buildingplans, itmayhavebeencollected typepad.com/sadlers-wells- administrativerecords,and bystaffattheFinsbury archiveforinformationon Itwillbe150yearsin2013 publicityandphotographs. PublicLibrary. thearchiveproject. sincethefirsttubetrainran Therearealsorecordson Themajorityofthe20th lSearchtheonline betweenPaddingtonand thetheatre’soperaand centuryrecordswere catalogueathttp:// Farringdononthe balletschools,aswellasfiles receivedasasingledeposit archiveshub.ac.uk/data/ MetropolitanRailway.To onnationaland fromSadler’sWellsTheatre. gb1032-s/swt celebratethis,therewillbe