Yes, readers, it’s another quirky blog. As is occasionally the case when I run out of ideas based on the City, I went out wandering just to see what I came across.
Walking towards Moorgate Station from the Barbican highwalk past the offices on the right, I spotted what I have named Post-it Man since he seems to be covered in, err, Post-it notes …
A little further on this office looks posititively cosy with its delightful hanging baskets and pot plants plus some jolly bunting …
Reaching for the sky …
I was heading for West Hampstead to do a bit of exploring which meant getting a Metropolitan Line train to Finchley Road and then changing onto the Jubilee Line for one stop.
I grabbed a picture of the Metropolitan Line seat moquette. You can tell people prefer to sit by the window…
Jubilee Line moquette …
This design actually has a name, it’s called Barman. It incorporates London landmarks including the London Eye, Big Ben, Tower Bridge and St Paul’s. It’s named after Christian Barman, Royal Designer for Industry (1898 – 1980) who was London Transport’s Publicity Offcer and was responsible for many elements of Underground design, including commissioning moquette for the system in 1936. Incidentally, the word moquette comes from the French word for carpet.
Just south of West Hampstead Station is a road I couldn’t remember exploring before so I headed off down it towards Kilburn …
Apparently the Sherriff family owned land around here which they sold off when the arrival of the Metropolitan railway in 1879 opened the opportunity for development.
Note the post box …
Edward VII post boxes, produced between 1901 and 1910, are identified by the Edward VII cypher with “VII” tucked into the lower curl of the “E”. These are much rarer than Victorian examples and this is the first one I can remember seeing.
You can see the name of the maker, ‘Handyside. Derby & London’ …
Andrew Handyside was a Glaswegian who took over the Britannia Foundry in Derby in 1848. The castings manufactured by the firm were renowned all over the world for their strength and quality. Post boxes were only a small part of their output. Civil engineering was a specialty, including bridges, piers and railway station roofs. They also made ornamental ironwork such as fountains and lamp standards. In 1853 they made their first post box securing a contract in 1879 to supply large quantities. They continued to manufacture all varieties of post box into the early 20th Century.
The man himself …
Opposite the post box is a nice piece of street art …
Next door, a typical ‘new’ development linked to the arrival of the railway, probably flats …
Cat and flowers …
I can understand why people got rid of the old sash windows but I still think it’s a shame.
At first I thought this front garden was a bit of a mess then I realised it was a planned work of art …
Sherriff Road leads to Netherwood Street on which can be found the Webheath Estate with its wonderful murals and the first one I encountered was this beautiful, authentic looking lady.
Nobody told June Rose Barber just how big the spot of painting close to her flat in Kilburn was going to be. So the 86-year-old was understandably a little startled to see a giant mural of herself on the wall of Webheath …
As the longest remaining tenant on the estate in Netherwood Street, she had unwittingly volunteered for an art project with her face vividly brought to life by artist Smug 1 of the Global Art Collective.
“Oh my god when I set eyes on it I thought ‘good grief!”, June told the New Journal. “I had got a cryptic note about volunteering for help with ‘painting a wall’. I thought it was going to be a little image in the corner somewhere. I thought I’d be under a twig, but I’d say I was two buses high.”
Here she is in person …
You can read the full interview with her here (highly recommended).
The Estate became one of the key locations for the 2020 London Mural Festival and you can read more about the murals and view a wide range of pictures here.
Here are some of the other images I took …
Painters from Andrew Werdna …
Master lettering from Mr Christa …
On Netherwood Street, another post box, this time a 1970s cylindrical one …
On to Kilburn High Road. The thoroughfare originated as an ancient trackway, part of a Celtic route between the settlements now known as Canterbury and St Albans. Under Roman rule, the route was paved and in Anglo-Saxon times the road became known as Watling Street (from the Old English Wæcelinga Stræt). From the 1130s Kilburn emerged as a popular resting point for pilgrims heading for the shrines at St Albans and Willesden.
Nowadays it is dominated by the building that was once the State Cinema. It was designed by architect George Coles and opened on 20 December 1937, originally commissioned by the Hyams brothers and operated by Gaumont. With seating for over 4,000 people, it was the largest cinema auditorium in England and among the biggest in Europe at the time.
The building’s striking Art Deco design included a 120-foot tower inspired by New York’s Empire State Building …
The opening night was a major event with huge crowds. The programme had the band of the Grenadier Guards and featured major stars of the day: Gracie Fields, George Formby, Henry Hall, Vic Oliver and Larry Adler …
Circa 1938 …
Inside, the cinema was lavishly decorated in an Italian Renaissance style. Images from Stories of London …
The foyer with its grand chandelier …
There was also incororated a large Wurlitzer organ, reflecting the grandeur of interwar picture palaces. The organ console …
Some other famous performers …
The Beatles, sitting on the stairs in the State …
Buddy Holly and the Crickets …
On 25 May 1958 Jerry Lee Lewis played the second night of his UK tour at the State. But that day the press headlines revealed he had married his 13 year old cousin Myra. Some of the audience screamed for his big hit ‘Great Balls of Fire’, others shouted ‘Go home cradle snatcher!’ The noise was so loud Lewis stopped the show and walked off. The tour had to be abandoned and the subsequent media storm ruined Jerry’s career for many years.
Jerry Lee Lewis with his young wife Myra, May 1958 …
With the rising popularity of TV, the number of people going out to films declined. In September 1957, some seats in the State cinema were removed to provide a ballroom, and the Victor Sylvester dance studio. About 1960 the main cinema was reduced further to 2,800 seats and the building divided to form a bingo hall. A second smaller film screen was added in 1975. The main cinema closed in September 1980 and the smaller screen the following year. After a gap of several years, the smaller cinema became the Odeon Kilburn from 1985 to June 1990. After which the State was only used for Top Rank bingo. Later this became the Mecca bingo club which closed in 2007. The building was sold in December 2007 to Ruach Ministries reputedly for £5.5M. They opened it in 2009 and are still there today.
The more modestly proportioned Kiln Theatre …
A relic of times gone by …
Very typical Victorian facades …
Great ‘ghost sign’ for Gillette matches …
The Kingsgate Estate, just off the High Road …
Around the back, give people a little bit of space and security and they will create a garden …
A word about street signs. Victorian ceramic street signs, often referred to as tilework or enamelled porcelain signs, are a characteristic feature of the London Borough of Camden, particularly in areas surrounding NW6 and the nearby NW3 (Hampstead). These signs typically feature individual ceramic tile letters or enamel plates often framed in wood, which were common in the late 19th century. These are some that I came across in my walk …
I love the detail in the pointing hand …
Finally, what is it about the Barbican that makes it so ideal for growing cacti?
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