THE BRIXTON SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Winter, January 2018 No.228, Quarterly issue, Distributed free to members. Registered with the London Forum of Amenity Societies, Registered Charity No.1058103, Website: www.brixtonsociety.org.uk You need to get out more! We mostly expect to be out and about during the Summer months, but we can offer you some opportunities even at this “quiet” time of year. Firstly, if you missed out on the “sneak preview” tours of the “New” Town Hall, another batch of tours has been laid on by Doug Black of the Council’s Conservation and In this issue we review two recent restoration Urban Design Team – details are on page 4 projects. Above is an interior view through a inside. metal-framed window on the main frontage of Toplin House, with the upper part of the former Another tour is offered on page 5, this time of Bon Marche department store beyond. the Cinema Museum in Kennington, whose (Toplin-Jn17-01.jpg) survival hangs in the balance as we go to press – so this could be your last chance to Windrush Square news see their collection. Remember also that on the second Saturday For several years past, the Brixton Society had of each month, we run a stall as part of the laid a wreath at the Stockwell War Memorial as Makers’ Market in Station Road for a couple of part of the borough’s Remembrance Sunday hours prior to our Market Walks. Even if you commemoration. For November 2017 we have been on a walk already, it’s a chance to joined in the well-attended ceremony in pick up some of our publications without Windrush Square instead, laying our wreath at postage costs – next dates are 13 January the new Afro-Caribbean War Memorial. and 10 February - see page 2. At present the memorial is protected from passing skateboarders by temporary barriers, Looking further ahead, if you would like our but the aim is to replace these by carefully- presence at a local festival or street party, tell sited planters. In the meantime, a pair of white us soon, because we need early notice to line circular planters have been recycled from up our volunteers. Even more urgent, if you another site to flank the approach to Rushcroft would like your neighbourhood to feature in Road – though somebody’s recent addition of one of our Summer Walks, tell us within the a recycled Christmas tree was not part of the next week or you may miss the print deadline! plan! 1 Diary of Events, Autumn 2017 Market Walks Events arranged by Monday 5 February – Our guided walks around other groups Conserving London’s Brixton’s markets continue Please check directly with Waterway Heritage on the second Saturday of organisers if any queries Projected canals never quite every month, at £3 including over times or charges. reached SW2 but Phil the illustrated booklet of the Emery describes efforts to route. Tickets are best Saturday 20 January – save other London canals. booked in advance via Park Bird Walk 8 pm at Woodlawns, 16 marketwalks@brixtonsociet Leigham Court Rd, SW16. Meet the birds that winter in y.org.uk Streatham Society Myatt’s Fields Park, 10 am, Walks start from Brixton free but booking essential, Station Road, corner of Wednesday 14 February [email protected] Beehive Place, at 2-30 pm Crystal Palace Subway nfo and take about 80 minutes. Speakers from the Friends Myatt’s Fields Park Project group describe efforts to Committee Dates restore the old subway Our Executive Committee Sunday 21 January – under Crystal Palace meets monthly, on the Winter Tree Pruning Parade, one of the last second Thursday, to plan Workshop from 11 am to 3 traces of the old Palace activities and agree our pm, at Brockwell Park complex. 7-30 pm for 7-45 response to current issues. Community Greenhouses, start, Herne Hill United Meetings are at the Vida run jointly with the Orchard Church Hall, c/o Herne Hill Walsh Centre, 2b Saltoun Project. Fee £5, book via and Redpost Hill, SE24. Road SW2 (facing Windrush www.brockwellgreenhouses. Herne Hill Society. Square) at 7 pm. These org.uk and see “upcoming meetings are open to all our events”. Saturday & Sunday members, but if you want to Brockwell Park Community 24/25 February – the raise a specific issue, it Greenhouses Listed Property Show helps if you can tell the At Olympia, for ticket offers Secretary beforehand. Sunday 21 January – and more details, see Holocaust Memorial www.lpoc.co.uk 8th February 3 pm to 4-30 pm in the Listed Property Owners’ 8th March Ashes Suite at the Kia Oval, Club 12 April. Harleyford Road, SE11. Lambeth’s commemoration Thursday 15 March – Editorial Notice of Holocaust Memorial Day, Biggin Hill Airport 100 Space permitting, we try to all welcome, no need to A talk by Alan Piper to mark feature local events, issues book. the recent centenary of this and reminiscences in our Lambeth Council historic airfield, 8 pm at the newsletter. We welcome Phoenix Centre, Westow news and comments from Street, SE19. all who are interested in the Monday 22 January – South London Local History Brixton area, so opinions Secret Underground Group. London expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of Nick Catford illustrates Sunday 15 April – Dawn many disused or mysterious the Brixton Society. Chorus Bird Walk underground spaces. Open All material should be sent Meet at 6 am (!) by the clock to the Secretary, Alan Piper, 7 pm for 8 pm start, at the tower in Brockwell Park for a old Clapham Library, now 82 Mayall Road, SE24 0PJ, special walk led by RSPB or by e-mail to Omnibus, North Side SW4. members. [email protected] Clapham Society Friends of Brockwell Park HP\ BSN\ Jan 18 17 Diary.doc 2 Regeneration Results Regeneration Case Studies We have always encouraged the creative re- use of older buildings, rather than see them be swept away. In the centre of Brixton, 2017 saw two Edwardian landmark buildings remodelled – Toplin House in Ferndale Road, and Lambeth Town Hall at the foot of Brixton Hill. Toplin House Reborn This building began as an annexe to the Bon Marche department store, separated from the main building by Ferndale Road. It was built with a grand street frontage, but also included at the eastern end, an impressive tower with a copper dome, to catch the attention of people passing along Brixton Road. After World War II the main Brixton post office took over part of the ground floor, and in the mid-1950s most of the rest was used by Harry Rael-Brook for making his popular line of men’s shirts, and so became Toplin House. In 1965 the newly expanded Borough of Lambeth took over most of the office space for what eventually became its Social Services Department. By the 1980s they had dispersed to local offices, keeping only the old fire station building as their Brixton base. The main office space was then let to a series of charitable organisations, notably Restored tower with new glazed dome, as Christian Aid and later the Refugee Council. seen from new roof terrace (Toplin-Jy17-04.jpg) During this century, a number of refurbishment plans were considered, including a proportion of residential use. Eventually an architect living further along the road saw the potential of the building as a potential base for his growing office, Squire and Partners. Critically it offered space at much lower rents than the firm’s then offices at King’s Cross, with scope for letting ground- floor space to other enterprises. Next to the main building, the 1877 facade of Brixton’s first fire station has also been restored. (BTC-Jn17-02.jpg) A new bank of lifts has allowed the old main staircase to be opened up, and many old features or finishes have been retained, with some parts cut away to expose the underlying materials. Partly this serves an educational purpose, with many young staff still working Upper floor office space before refurbishment, towards their professional qualifications. May 2015 (BTC-tpin15-04.jpg) AdvN\ BSN\ Jan 18 Regen.doc 3 Regeneration Results Your Chair and Secretary were shown round much as before, apart from the fresh coats of the building in May 2015 when plans were still paint. being firmed up, and again in July 2017 when finishing touches were being applied. Internal We recently heard that a further series of tours views were embargoed at that time because are being offered, by which time staff will be the project was about to be featured in the moving back in and there’s less risk of finding architectural press. Since then the building has wet paint! Dates are 17 January, 31 January, hosted several events, including some for 7 February and 28 February, all Wednesdays Brixton Design Trail during the London Design at 6 pm, starting from the Town Hall main Festival in September. entrance. To reserve a place, please e-mail to: [email protected] Your “New” Town Hall Early in December, some of our committee members joined in the “sneak preview” tours of the refurbished Town Hall. The main effect of the work has been to take the 1908 core of the building back closer to the original design, restoring the original light wells which had become cluttered with later additions. The most ambitious change is to enclose the central light well with a transparent roof, while a footbridge links the original front entrance to View from Town Hall foyer towards new rear a new reception desk right in the centre of the courtyard entrance, with original corridor on building.