Wider Southwark

More recently I have been making images of the Heygate Estate (see Elephant & Castle and the Heygate button above) which is being demolished as I write this. In its latter years, the Heygate had a bad reputation and there was an enthusiasm for its demolition and replacement with something more in keeping with Southwark's view of itself in the new millennium.

In the 1970s, the Heygate, and the nearby Aylesbury Estates were envisaged as places to house a broad cross section of the community. There were integrated shop units, laundries, public spaces and walkways in the sky, all of which should, in an ideal world, have created an ideal place to live.

But something went wrong and the Heygate Estate gradually attracted a reputation every bit as grey and grim as its concrete exterior. It may have been the effect of Prince Charles' views about what contemporary architecture should be but, for whatever reason, as Southwark entered the new millennium, Southwark Council expressed a determination to erase the Heygate Estate and the demolition started in late 2012 and will probably be finished by late 2013.

It is unclear what will replace the Heygate but what is known is that it will be mainly private rather than public or social housing and only time will tell if that model will be any more successful.

It might be that, at some future time, we will look back and find that we miss the Heygate, its concrete brutalism and its walkways in the sky. Given that most people's memories are relatively short, I hope that these images will remind Londoners and visitors of what was there before and, at some future time, it may be possible to assess whether or not the Heygate was any better or any worse than its replacement.

Bankside, Greenmoor Wharf and Cardinal Cap Alley

Greenmoor Wharf, 1930, near the site of Bankside Power Station and probably a fuelling wharf.

Two images made from Cardinal Cap Alley looking to St Pauls. When compared, the lefthand image shows how narrow Bankside was before the creation of the Jubilee Walkway. Greenmoor Wharf, above, would have been to the left of these views.

The barrier across the public highway at Bankside - a barrier that has caused much confusion. 

Disappearing landmarks

Southwark has undergone waves of change throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries, particularly in the north of the borough. These waves of change present real problems for anyone looking back at historic images because it can be difficult to establish exactly where the images were made. A good example of this is presented by images of Canon Murnane Road which are to be found in the John Harvard Local History Library.

Canon Murnane Road looking roughly west.

Canon Murnane Road, oblique view.

Canon Murnane Road doesn't appear on the current Streets List for Southwark but if you look at the 1936/52 mix map on Southwark Council's website, you will eventually find Canon Murnane Road running roughly east/west through what is now Spa Park. That map will also show some of the housing visible in the images above.

Local Authorities, particularly in large cities, have always been involved in housing and Southwark was no different. In their efforts to improve the standard of housing, Southwark (or its constituent Councils pre-1963) used Compulsory Purchase powers to buy and clear sub-standard housing and that was the case in Canon Murnane and the adjacent Keyse Road. The housing was CPO'd, the roadways were 'stopped-up' (ceasing to be public highway) and the resulting land was used to create Spa Park.

When you know where Canon Murnane Road was located, you can look at the first image above and see that the Alaska Works (originally a cold-store) are visible at the far end of Canon Murnane.

Statistics

Somewhere in the dim and distant past, I read that a building which was empty and subject to a planning application was 600 times more likely to catch fire than any other.............

The Bermondsey Girls School at the junction of Griggs Place and Grange Walk, 17th July 2000

St Mary Magdalene's Churchyard

Back in 2003, as a result of a phone call from a concerned member of the public, Southwark Council visited St Mary Magdalene's Churchyard and examined what lay behind a very fine hoarding at the northern boundary of the Churchyard.

The hoarding itself was perfectly legitimate, having been covered by an agreement between Southwark Council and the adjacent owner/developer. What wasn't quite so legitimate was what lay behind the hoarding.............................

Behind the hoarding was a concrete terrace which was an extension, into the churchyard, from the adjacent development. The terrace was some 27m by 4m and extended downward by more than 2m. To construct this structure, an equivalent cubic amount of the churchyard had been removed and with that went what are known as 'disaggregated remains' ie skeletal remains of those buried in the churchyard in the years before the churchyard was deconsecrated. (As I understand it, the disturbance or removal of 'disaggregated remains' is a criminal offence.) 

This was a good example of the conflict between development and public spaces, particularly when public spaces, such as churchyards and parks, no longer have the attention of staff who know their boundaries. Developers understand this.

The new millenium

One of the large sites on the west side of Tower Bridge Road was, originally, a privately owned antiques market which ran in parallel with the more formal market on Bermondsey Sq. In 2001 the site was in the process of redevelopment
Copyright Niall Connolly.

Simon the Tanner, on Long Lane, was, at one time, a free-standing building. This image shows the beginning of the process whereby Simon the Tanner was subsumed into the canyon that is now Long Lane.
Copyright Niall Connolly

At the far end of Royal Oak Yard, on the south side, stands a concrete decked building which was originally a meat processing building. This was converted into apartments and in 2001 the owner added an additional three floors.
Copyright Niall Connolly

A view of Tower Bridge Road during the demolition of the building adjacent to The Raven public house.
Copyright Niall Connolly

1996

1996 - From Bermondsey St looking east, Magdalene St on the left and Holyrood St on the right.
Copyright Niall Connolly

Bermondsey Photographs

Between 1988 and 2006 I lived in Bermondsey, London SE1 and, in a very haphazard manner, made some photographic records of the area and, more specifically, the buildings.

Bermondsey is an area of London that has seen huge change over the last decade and these photographs give some insight into the area's history.

Over time I will add the images to this blog and I hope that the current residents in and around Bermondsey Street, will enjoy seeing what the area was like in the 1980s and just how far it has come.

One of the most striking images comes from around 1980. Do you recognise this as the entrance to Tanner St park at the junction of Bermondsey St and Tanner St?