Information On Streatham

Streatham ( is a district in South London London England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth It is situated south of Charing Cross The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.lt;/ref>

History

Streatham means "the hamlet on the street". The street in question, the London to Brighton Way (Roman road) was the Roman Road from the capital Londinium to the coast near Portslade It is likely that the destination was a Roman port now lost to coastal erosion, which has been tentatively identified with the Novus Portus mentioned in Ptolemy s Geographia (Ptolemy) http://www.roman-britain.org/places/brighton.htm NOVVS PORTVS? Romano-British Settlement] The road is confusingly referred to as Stane Street in some sources, although it diverges from the main London-Chichester road at Kennington After the departure of the Romans, the main road through Streatham remained an important trackway. From the seventeenth century it was adopted as the main coach road to Croydon and East Grinstead and then on to Newhaven, East Sussex and Lewes In 1780 it then became the route of the turnpike trust road from London to Brighton and subsequently became the basis for the modern A23 road This road (and its traffic) have shaped Streathams development. Streathams first parish church, St Leonards, dates back to Anglo-Saxons times, although only the mediaeval tower remains in the present church. The mediaeval parish covered an extensive area, including most of modern Balham and parts of Tooting Streatham appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Estreham It was held by Bec Abbey (in Normandy from Richard de Tonbrige. Its domesday assets were: 2 hide (unit) and 1 virgate ; 6½ plough , of meadow and herbage. It rendered £4 5s 0d.http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm Surrey Domesday Book] The village remained largely unchanged until the 18th century, when the villages natural springs, known as Streatham Wells, were first celebrated for their health giving properties. The reputation of the spa, and improved turnpike trust roads, attracted wealthy City of London merchants and others to lay out their country residences in Streatham. Few of these large houses still remain, as the area was rapidly urbanised as London expanded.

Streatham Park or Streatham Place

In the 1730s, Streatham Park a Georgian country mansion, was built by the brewer Ralph Thrale on land he bought from the Lord of the Manor - the John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford Streatham Park later passed to Ralphs son Henry Thrale who with his wife Hester Thrale entertained many of the leading literary and artistic characters of the day, most notably the lexicographer Samuel Johnson The dining room contained 12 portraits of Henry Thrale guests painted by his friend Joshua Reynolds These pictures were wittily labelled by Fanny Burney as the Streatham Worthies Streatham Park was later leased to William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne and was the venue for early negotiations with France that lead to the Peace of Paris (1783) Streatham Park was demolished in 1863.

Park Hill

One large house which survives is Park Hill, on the north side of Streatham Common rebuilt in the early 19th century for the Leaf family. It was latterly the home of Sir Henry Tate sugar refiner, benefactor of local libraries across south London, and founder of the Tate Gallery at Millbank

Urbanisation

Development accelerated after the opening of Streatham Hill railway station on the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway in 1856. The other two railway stations followed within fifteen years. Some estates, such as http://www.telfordpark.plus.com/pages/telfordpark.html Telford Park] to the west of Streatham Hill were spaciously planned with facilities such as tennis clubs. Despite the local connections to the Dukes of Bedford, there is no link to the contemporary Bedford Park, London in west London. Another generously sized development was Roupell Park, the area near Christchurch Road promoted by the Roupell case family. Other streets adopted more conventional suburban layouts. Three more parish churches were built to serve the growing area, including Immanuel and St Andrews (1854), St Peter (1870) and St Margaret the Queen (1889). There is now a mixture of buildings from all architectural eras of the past 200 years.

The inter-war period

Between the World War I and the Second World War Streatham developed as location for entertainment, with Streatham Hill Theatre (now a bingo hall), three cinemas, the Locarno ballroom (now Caesars nightclub) and Streatham Ice Rink all adding to its reputation as "the West End of South London". With the advent of electric tram services it also grew as a shopping centre serving a wide area to the south. In the 1930s large numbers of Block of flats were constructed along the High Road. These speculative developments were not initially successful. They were only filled when émigré communities began to arrive in London after leaving countries under the domination of Hitler s Germany In 1932 the parish church of the http://www.holyredeemerstreatham.org.uk Holy Redeemer] was built in Streatham Vale to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce http://www.holyredeemerstreatham.org.uk/about-us/history

Retail decline and recovery

File:Pratts department store, Streatham in 1978.jpg In the 1950s Streatham had the longest and busiest shopping street in south London. Streatham was the site of the UKs first supermarket when Express Dairies Premier Supermarkets opened its first store in 1951;lt;/ref> Waitrose subsequently opened their first supermarket in Streatham in 1955. However a combination of factors led to a gradual decline through the 1970s and a more rapid decline in the 1980s. These included long term population movements out to Croydon Kingston upon Thames and Sutton, London the growth of heavy traffic on the A23 road (main road from central London to Gatwick Airport and Brighton , and a lack of redevelopment sites in the town centre. This culminated in 1990 when the closure of Pratts - a department store which had grown from a Victorian drapers shop, and had been operated since the 1940s by the John Lewis Partnership - coincided with the opening of a large J Sainsbury plc supermarket 1 km south of the town centre, replacing an old, smaller Sainburys store opposite Streatham Hill railway station More recently Sainsburys opened a smaller Local branches on the High Road and on Streatham Hill, near the site of the Streathams first Sainsbury store (opened in 1895). The company also has offices in Streatham. Other fairly recent additions, such as Argos, are located on the site of Pratts (see above) but the retail recovery has been slow, and vacant space has been taken by a growing number of restaurants and bars. The High Roads Woolworths Group store, closed late on 27 December 2008, when the company ceased trading.http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/whereilive/localheadlines/4001218.Streatham_Woolworths_to_close_on_December_27/ Streatham Woolworths to close on December 27This is Local London, 25 December 2008].Accessed: 03-11-2009.http://www.southlondon-today.co.uk/tn/featuresdetail.cfm?id597 Farewell to Woolworths? South London Press, 3 December, 2008].Accessed: 03-11-2009.

Contemporary Streatham

File:Streatham Green in 2006.jpg Streatham is a place of contrasts, with middle class families occupying houses in leafy streets that fetch over £500,000 while there are large amounts of asylum seekers, predominantly from north and east African countries In September 2002, Streatham High Road was voted the "Worst Street in Britain"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2270840.stm Britons name best and worst streets] in a poll organised by the BBC Today programme and CABE This largely reflected the dominance of through traffic along the High Road. On a positive note this was a catalyst for London Borough of Lambeth and Transport for London s Street Management to start co-operating, and there is now a joint funding arrangement for ongoing streetscape improvements, although spending has been slowed because of TfLs budgetary shortfall. Investment and regeneration had begun before the poll, with local amenity group http://www.streathamsociety.org.uk The Streatham Society] leading a successful partnership bid for funding from central government for environmental improvements. Work started in winter 2003-04 with the refurbishment of Streatham Green and repaving and relighting of the High Road. In 2005 Streatham Green won the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association London Spade award for best public open space scheme in the capital. http://www.streathamfestival.com/ Streatham Festival] was founded in 2002. Now in its sixth year, it is a two-week festival with over 50 events held in an array of locations, from bars to churches and parks to youth centres, attracting over 3,000 people.

Notable Streathamites

The only official English Heritage blue plaque in central Streatham is on the childhood home of composer Arnold Bax in Pendennis Road. Just within the modern boundaries of Streatham Hill, although historically it was in West Norwood, London, England there is also a blue plaque on the house in Lanercost Road where Arthur Mee the writer of [[The Childrens Encyclopedia|Arthur Mee Childrens Encyclopedia]] lived. The first [[Mayor of London]] and former head of the [[Greater London Council|GLC]] [[Ken Livingstone]] spent most of his childhood in Streatham. Perhaps because of its good late night transport connections to the West End, and the availability of apartments as well as family houses, [[SW2|Streatham]] and nearby [[Brixton Hill]] have attracted entertainers to live in the area since the days of [[Music Hall]]. There is a Streatham Society plaque to the birthplace of comedian [[Tommy Trinder]] at 54 Wellfield Road. Others with local connections include actors [[Roger Moore]], [[Simon Callow]], [[Peter Davison]], [[Nicholas Clay]], [[Neil Pearson]] and [[June Whitfield]], saucy [[seaside postcard]] artist [[Donald McGill]] and alternative comedians [[Eddie Izzard]], [[Jeremy Hardy]] and [[Paul Merton]]. The actor [[Hywel Bennett]] lived in Streatham and attended Sunnyhill Primary School, and comedian and broadcaster Roy Hudd lived for a time on Hoadly Road. From the world of fashion [[Sir Norman Hartnell]], dressmaker to the Queen, was born in Streatham. The [[Dior]] fashion designer [[John Galliano]] spent some of his youth in Streatham before moving to nearby [[Dulwich]]. [[Naomi Campbell]], a supermodel, went to Dunraven [[Comprehensive School]] in Streatham and lived in the nearby [[Norbury]] part of [[SW16]]. [[Siobhan Dowd]] the author lived in Abbotsford Road, Streatham (1960–1978). [[Beryl Kingston]], popular novelist, lived at Strathbrook Road, Streatham, from 1956–1980 and taught at what was then [[Rosa Bassett School]] in Welham Road, and also at Sunnyhill Primary School. [[Dennis Wheatley]] (noted best-selling author of the Black Magic genre) was born in Streatham, and lived for a time on Valley Road. Drum and Bass DJ [[Grooverider]] is from Streatham, [[Mark King]] (renowned bassist of Level 42) lived for several years in The Spinney and [[Boon Gould]] (guitarist of Level 42) lived for several years in Gleneldon Road. [[Aleister Crowley]], later dubbed "The Wickedest Man In the World", spent his teenage years during the 1880s in Streatham at a house opposite the present [[ice rink]]. [[Cynthia Payne]] is a renowned "[[madam]]" who made the headlines in the 1970s and 1980s with her [[brothel]] in Ambleside Avenue, Streatham. [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] warlord [[Zardad Khan]] lived in Gleneagle Road, Streatham, before his arrest in 2003. Television property expert [[Sarah Beeny]] has lived in Streatham for many years.{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/11/sarah-beeny-house-prices | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Interview: Sarah Beeny, TV property expert | first=Lucy | last=Cavendish | date=2009-01-11 | accessdate=2010-05-24}} ==Local sport== *[[Streatham Redskins]] ([[ice hockey]]) *[[Dulwich Hamlet F.C.]] *[[South London Storm]] ([[rugby league]]) *[[Streatham-Croydon RFC]] *There is an annual [http://www.streathamkiteday.org.uk/ kite fair] on [[Streatham Common]] ==Local churches== *Streatham Baptist Church *St Leonards CoE Church *The Holy Redeemer Church *New covenant Church, Pendednnis Road == Nearest places == * [[Balham, London|Balham]] * [[Brixton]] * [[Clapham Park]] * [[Crystal Palace, London|Crystal Palace]] * [[Furzedown]] * [[Mitcham]] * [[Norbury]] * [[Tooting]] * [[Upper Norwood]] * [[West Norwood]] *Thornton Heath == Nearest railway stations == * [[Norbury railway station]] * [[Streatham Common railway station]] * [[Streatham Hill railway station]] * [[Streatham railway station]] == Constituency == There has been a [[Streatham (UK Parliament constituency)|Streatham constituency]] of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] since 1918, when it was carved out of the former [[Wandsworth (UK Parliament constituency)|Wandsworth constituency]]. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links == *[http://www.streathampulse.com/ Streatham Pulse - a local website and blog providing a guide to the area] *[http://www.streathamsociety.org.uk/ The Streatham Society - local amenity society with active local history group] *[http://www.streathamfestival.com/ The Streatham Festival - annual arts festival] *[http://www.stleonard-streatham.org.uk/ St Leonard Church - historic parish church] *http://www.streathamhillcatholic.co.uk/ Sts Simon + Jude - Catholic parish church of Streatham Hill] *http://www.lambethlandmark.com Lambeth Landmark - Lambeth Councils online photographic archive] *http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lambeth/main/streatham.htm A history of Suburban Streatham - by Graham Gower] *http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lambeth/main/images-streatham.htm Images of Streatham on Lambeth Landmark] *http://www.telfordpark.plus.com/pages/telfordpark.html Telford Park Estate history] *http://www.thrale.com/streatham_park Streatham Park - description on Thrale.com - Thrale family history site] *http://www.streathamaction.org.uk/ Streatham Action - The re-constituted Streatham Forum serving the locality as an umbrella to give local people a voice in matters that affect Streatham] The sites below are commercial but may provide information on Streatham based activities: *http://www.swsixteen.com/ swsixteen.com is "an online community and news site for the Streatham area".] *http://www.streathamlife.co.uk/ StreathamLife.co.uk was "an online portal for people living and working in the Streatham area"] *http://www.westcotestudios.co.uk/ Streatham Art Studios - spaces occupied by artists] Category:Districts of Lambeth Category:Districts of London Category:Districts of London listed in the Domesday Book Category:Major centres of London Category:Capital Ring fr:Streatham it:Streatham nl:Streatham ro:Streatham

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