Lambeth Architecture 1914-1939 by Edmund Bird and Fiona Price (2012) is part of a trilogy, with Lambeth Architecture: A Brave New World 1945-65 and Lambeth Architecture 1965-99, published by Lambeth Archives.
Amongst the Lambeth architectural gems included, is Streatham Hill Theatre:
Used by kind permission of Edmund Bird.
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NOTICE is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of The Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre will be held at Vinters Studio 2, 1b Sunnyhill Road, London SW16 2UG at 8pm on Wednesday 6th September 2023 to transact the following business:
Agenda
1. Apologies(a)
2. Minutes of last AGM held 13th July 2022(c)
Matters arising and acceptance
3. Receive reports from Trustees(c)
4. Receive financial statements and report from the Treasurer(c)
5. Election of Trustees(c, d)
6. Resolution to amend the Constitution to permit electronic meetings(c)
7. Other business of The Friends
By order of the Board of Trustees
Jon Harrison, Secretary
The Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre CIO
Registered in England:
Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Number CE024993
Registered Charity Number 1193643
Registered office: 1b Sunnyhill Road, London, SW16 2UG
info@streathamhilltheatre.org
www.streathamhilltheatre.org
Notes
(a) We are required to hold a physical meeting by the Charity Commission. If unable to attend, members may appoint a proxy using the appointment form(c).
(b) The CIO Constitution is published here: http://resources.streathamhilltheatre.org/friends/The%20Friends%20of%20Streatham%20Hill%20Theatre%20CIO%20Constitution.pdf
(c) Supporting documents and forms are published here: http://resources.streathamhilltheatre.org/friends
(d) One-third of elected Trustees must stand down, along with any Trustees appointed since the last AGM, but are all eligible for re-election. Members may nominate candidates using the nomination form(c).
No registration or tickets are required. The AGM will be followed by an in-person campaign meeting.
We have received some programmes from Tessa Manning, who writes:
These programmes were owned by my late Mum, Pamela Elderfield who lived in Tierney Road in the early 1950’s. She loved going to the theatre and went throughout her long life. It would make her happy to donate these to your archive, and I hope the theatre gets a chance to live again. Good luck with your campaign.”
We’ve catalogued them and added them to our archives, joining a growing collection of programmes.
The August edition of Best of British magazine features the late Jim McManus, local resident and renowned actor, who told us his memories of Streatham Hill Theatre. Jim died on 11 April 2023.
The article is a response to a reader’s question:
What became of Jim McManus who was possibly the best actor to have impersonated Tony Hancock?
The full page is available in our online resources folder (PDF).
With thanks to the Best of British Magazine
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The Theatres Trust ran a useful webinar today about planning and listed building consent for heritage buildings.
Did you know:
Liz Burton writes:
Most of you probably know that the Friends maintain a record of all theatre programmes that are given to us, and I’m always happy to update the spreadsheet, which gives me the excuse to escape these troubled times for a while and step back in time.
The most recent bequest of programmes includes a grand haul of 173 from ‘the second Golden Age’ 1950 to 1962.
These later programmes are brief and basic, combining a cast list and synopsis of scenes with pages of advertisements for local businesses. I’ve been studying these adverts to see what they tell us about life in Streatham in the 50s and very early 60s.
The Ballet was directed by Mona Inglesby, and on the night of Wednesday November 21st, they performed For Love or Money by Algeranoff, who despite his name was a British ballet master and choreographer who had partnered Anna Pavlova.
Many of the advertisements from the early 50s clearly reflected the everyday peacetime preoccupations of theatregoers.
Estate agents: Russell and Co. Estate Agent of Leigham Hall Parade on the High Road; the Clerkenwell Building Society;
Home improvements: Paull Brothers Ironmongers of Streatham Hill, Parker’s Wholesale Builders’ Merchants of Brixton Hill, Sanitary Specialists; Trembath and Co. Frigidaire service, also of Streatham Hill.
Personal grooming: Alfred C. King, the hairdresser. also of Leigham Hall Parade, who had been there since the 1930s; Collins Bros. (Men’s Wear) Ltd. of Electric Avenue Brixton and Julian Sloman of Streatham Hill (High Class Ladies’ and Gents’ Tailor).
For those with a keen interest in the new technology, there was Television House, on Streatham Hill and Sternhold Avenue and Fotographia, for all your photographic needs, next to the Regal Cinema (later the ABC, before it closed in 2000).
However, theatregoers still allowed themselves to have fun occasionally. The Palm Beach, almost adjoining the theatre? Your obvious choice for a meal either before or after the theatre offered Continental Cuisine and Wholesome Food. They managed to open seven days a week too, in spite of ongoing food rationing. George Wine House, nearly opposite this theatre, was available for a range of spirituous liquors, and finally, the jewel in Streatham’s crown, the Stork Club, opened by Charles Chaperlin in 1948, boasted 10,000 members by 1957. The Stork advertised Cocktail Lounge with TELEVISION (sic) and Friday Gala Nights with Cabaret.
This was not the Gilbert and Sullivan opera, but a comedy starring Geraldine McEwan, whom many will remember as playing Miss Marple on television, from 2004 to 2008. I remember her around the same time, the proud possessor of a Fulham season ticket, taking her grandchildren to Craven Cottage!
By the mid-50s, although some of the original firms were still going strong, new trends were coming to the fore, including car repair. CarMart Ltd. of Streatham, next to where Tesco Extra is now, claimed to use only GENUINE AUSTIN PARTS, while John A. Sparks & Co. of Ardwell Road, next to the theatre, specialised in Morris ‘quality first’ service. Lucas of Brixton Hill, on the other hand, specialised in re-cellulosing, which I believe involved spraying the car to give a shiny finish.
More restaurants had opened, probably due to the end of food rationing in 1954. Howards Restaurant, the theatregoers’ rendezvous for the DISCRIMINATING, at 29, The High and The Apollo Restaurant, with the Exclusive West End Cuisine, three course dinner 5/-, joined the Palm Beach, which was under the new management of Mr. Charles Anthony.
Presumably, the rise of eating out led to an interest in slimming. If the all new SLIMSWIFT bath treatment (approved by doctors, no rigorous dieting, no wearisome exercises) somehow failed to slim you down, you could always fall back on the tried and tested Slimfit Corset Co., of Leigham Court Parade, Corset Makers since 1880!
Fotographia were still in business, now offering the latest G. B. Bell and Howell cine camera. But perhaps the stand-out advertisement of 1955 was this from A.G. Wireless and Electrical Co. of Norbury.
The audiences of August 1955 were only a month away from Grace Archer’s death in a stable fire and the birth of Independent Television, the eventual death knell for provincial theatre.
This play included what must have been an early appearance by Richard O’Sullivan, a huge star in the 1970s.
More restaurants had now appeared. The Plantation Grill, near where Westbury’s chemist is now, offered a mix of French and Oriental cuisine, and Le Leon Blanc Grill Room was a feature of the White Lion.
Meanwhile, the Camberwell Building Society had been subsumed by the South London Building Society.
Collins Bros. were offering the latest STRADS trousers with self belts, rubberised shirt grips and zip fronts for 89/6 (£9.48), in competition with Gaydon’s (When it comes to clothes, come to Gaydon’s) and G.S. Evangeli the Tailors (buy yourself a really good handmade suit). While all these stores catered mainly for men, Ava Sports, the sportswear specialists, billed itself as the Skirt Shop.
A.G. Wireless and Electricals were now offering 17 inch televisions for 67 guineas (£70.35 in new money!), while Fotographia proposed the camera of your dreams – the Kodak Bantam Coloursnap Camera for £10.15s.1d, or £10.75 (why the odd penny I wonder?)
This was the very last production performed at the theatre before it became a Mecca bingo hall. It featured Judy Parfitt, still stealing every scene as Sister Monica Joan in Call the Midwife. Strangely, there is absolutely no indication in the programme that this was the end of an era. This makes me wonder if the theatre was forced to close very quickly. Perhaps others can shed light on this.
Streathamites of the early 1960s obviously appreciated Asian food. Howards Restaurant, the theatregoers’ rendezvous for the DISCRIMINATING, at 29, The High and The Apollo Restaurant, with the Exclusive West End Cuisine, three course dinner 5/- become the Blue Orchid and Yang Chow Chinese restaurants respectively.
Alfred C. King, the hairdresser, seems to have morphed into Robert, who brought Hairstyling in the Mayfair manner to the High Parade, as well as Croydon, Purley, and other south London locations.
In 1962, for those who wanted to stray beyond Streatham however, an Atlantic cruise was on offer. Six days of luxury aboard the liner Hanseatic, air-conditioned throughout and most cabins with private facilities, all for £82 half round trip!
Fotographia, now offering a Kodak Brownie Movie 8 camera and projector, and Cosy Cars, a long-standing taxi firm which closed only recently.
Today, the Theatres Trust has published their “At Risk” register for 2023 and Streatham Hill Theatre remains on that list.
Since last year’s list was published, there have been changes of ownership and occupation at the theatre, but its future remains uncertain.
In their 2023 register Theatres Trust highlights the change in ownership and say:
“A theatre company that Theatres Trust and local campaign group The Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre were supporting had been in discussion with the building’s owner regarding purchasing the property. However, in May 2022 it was reported that the theatre had been sold to another buyer – a property development company. Despite the efforts of the campaign group to discuss options on the theatre, the building was then sold onward at a reportedly vast increase in price to church group, the Rauch City Church. The church currently has a base in neighbouring Brixton but had been seeking a new property. The organisation also owns the Grade II* listed Gaumont State, Kilburn. Rauch City Church will need to apply for planning permission for a change of use to enable use for public worship or religious instruction.
“The Friends, theatre company and Theatres Trust are all seeking discussions with the church to understand if there may be opportunity for a shared theatre and / or community use of the space.
“Prior to the sale to Rauch City Church, Merkur and Mecca were released from their leasehold responsibilities, including, it is understood, dilapidation costs. We remain concerned about the condition of the building, particularly as it is vacant making it ever more vulnerable to deterioration.
“We will continue to support The Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre and work with them, the council, and other key stakeholders, to seek to progress discussions with the new owner and ensure that the building, its historic fabric, and community and live performance use are protected.”
We have received a large batch of programmes from Elizabeth Maytom, whose mother and grandmother were regular and avid attendees at the theatre both pre-war and post-war, when they lived in ABC roads.
We’ll be cataloguing them and adding them to our archives, joining a growing collection of programmes.
Congratulations to our patron, actor and broadcaster David Harewood, who has been made an OBE in the New Year Honours list for 2023.
A while back we heard that the Crown and Sceptre was closing and at risk. We’re pleased to hear it has reopened under new management, who say:
“We are thrilled to announce that the Crown and Sceptre has re-opened. The new team are set on bringing the community back to the pub and restoring its good old days by reconnecting with the locals. Expect new weekly events, live music, DJs, a tasty new food & drinks menu (including cocktails!), pub quiz, themed nights and more, and you can catch all the sport across its 5 60 inch LED screens! The 500 square foot pub is also available for private hire, and offers 9 fully kitted-out bedrooms for any guests looking to stay.
Email enquiries@crownandsceptre.co.uk / Phone +44 20 8077 5445 / Instagram @crownandsceptresw2
2a Streatham Hill, London SW2 4AH“
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