Camberwell Palace

I am researching/collecting information about the Camberwell Palace for an eventual publication. I would be very grateful for any material.i.e. posters, programmes and photos you may have. Scanned versions, are fine and you can send them to loughboroughjunction@gmail.com

I would also like to hear your memories of visiting the Camberwell Palace for a show, pantomime or even messing around inside after it was closed.

Thanks very much , John

Part of the Southwark Art Colllection, GA1010.

This painting of Camberwell Palace is by William Keddie Forrester dated 1957. He lived in Dulwich and painted many scenes from the local area.

It was located on the corner of Denmark Hill and Orpheus Street, opposite the Post Office.

Camberwell Palace postcard

It was built in 1898/1899 and closed in 1956 and was demolished shortly after. It was mostly a variety hall and in it’s later days featured girlie shows mixed with variety acts. A sad end to a fine looking theatre.

A shop window poster for Camberwell Palace for week commencing 15th May 1950.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is camberwell-palaceshop-window-poster-15th-may-1950-copy.png

Just for clarification, the Pub shown on the right was the Bulls Head later renamed The Metropole after the Metropole theatre on the corner of Denmark Hill and Coldharbour Lane was built in the 1890s. It was demolished in the 1920s for at first the Bijou picture palace then of course the Post Office. More on the Bulls head here

https://loughborough-junction.org/2016/04/10/the-lost-pubs-of-denmark-hill-the-bulls-head/

Posted in Camberwell, Denmark Hill, Music, Theatres & Cinemas | Leave a comment

Camberwell Green by AE Smith

Published in the South London Observer 12th November 1926

Posted in Camberwell Green, Poetry, The Written Word | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A Postcard View of Loughborough Junction looking east

A postcard view titled Coldharbour Lane Loughborough Junction, Published by Charles Martin, 39 Aldermanbury, London E.C. card number 1536. It is undated but was post franked 20th November 1906.

It look like, and it was a relatively prosperous area with many shops and services available for local shopping. To the immediate left is Loughborough Road and on the right Hinton Road.

On the left you have at number 224 the chemist shop owned by Henry Isaac Stephens, operating from at least 1880 to 1906. It was a chemist both before with Frederick Matthews in 1876 and after Mr Stephens right up to David Andrew Rees. Unfortunately destroyed during WW11, it is rather apt that in the new build of shops and apartments a relocated Junction Pharmacy now inhabits the same ground.

Behind Stephens the chemists we had at 222 Wybrow & Son, undertakers and at 220 Home and Colonial Stores, at 218 James Clark ran a fishmongers and Ranstead & Cornwell were butchers at number 216. Station Avenue was off to the left just after the butchers, also with many shops and a cafe.

After Station Avenue you can see the sign for Frederick Robert Ohlson who ran a pawnbrokers in what older locals may remember as the dentists (that’s another story) and what is now the launderette at number 214. And at number 210 James Clark ran a fried fish bar.

Plum centre of our postcard is , of course the platform of Loughborough Junction railway station. On the far side of the Railway bridge on the right hand side you can just make out the tower of the Loughborough Park Congregational Church.

On our way back from the railway bridge we have at number 209 The Imperial Stores run by Robert Harrison, then George Lambert a confectioner at number 211.

Then at 213 Ernest Gibbs & Co who were Estate Agents, the Miss Mary Jane Clegg who ran the Oil Shop succeeding her mother Mrs E Clegg who in turn ran the business after the death of her husband Samuel, who opened the shop in 1872. At 217 Benjamin Hockaday ran an Ironmongers with as you can see in the postcard a very prominent shop sign. Miss Elizabeth Hubbard had a fancy stores shop at 219 and the Reed Brothers ran a butchers shop at 221. And finally on the corner of Coldharbour Lane and Hinton Road at number 223 was AW Davies The Bakers, Andrew Davies had another shop in Herne Hill.

Here is a postcard showing the Herne Hill shop, just at the right hand edge of the card with am impressive hand cart parked outside.

Posted in Coldharbour Lane, Loughborough Junction, Old Photos, Shops, Streets & Roads | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Remembering Brian Haw on Loughborough Junction billboard

Posted in Coldharbour Lane, Loughborough Junction, People | Leave a comment

Barney’s Cafe, old advertising signs spruced up

The old Bristol tipped and Woodbine cigarette advertising signs at Barney’s Cafe in Loughborough Junction have had a really good clean up by the builders refitting for a new restaurant. Barney’s was latterly known as Joel’s Barney’s Cafe.

Posted in Cafes, Coldharbour Lane, Loughborough Junction, Streets & Roads | Leave a comment

A message to Wanless Road from Yoko Ono, 2022

Posted in Loughborough Junction, Streets & Roads | Leave a comment

Street Poetry in Loughborough Junction & Denmark Hill

Ridgeway Road
Loughborough Road
Denmark Place
Posted in Denmark Hill, Loughborough Junction, Loughborough Road, Poetry | Leave a comment

Bob Marley mural inside Loughborough Junction furniture warehouse

Following the closure of the Furniture warehouse on the corner of Coldharbour Lane and Hinton Road, work is being undertaken in the warehouse section behind the shop.

This mural of Bob Marley is high up on the dividing wall.

Posted in Coldharbour Lane, Loughborough Junction, Paintings & Drawings, Shops, Streets & Roads | Tagged | Leave a comment

Herne Hill Road postcard c 1908

This postcard published by The Card House Wholesale and M’fg Co shows a view of Herne Hill Road looking south up the hill from a point just before Wanless Road.

It was posted c1908 by Kate and addressed to My dear Ma at Coronation Road, Ashton Gate, Bristol. She says, a bird’s eye view of the road we live in & is a nice select place. ps our house is marked with an x.

By my reckoning that is no 23 Herne Hill Road, the 1907 & 1909 Kelly’s Dulwich, Tulse Hill & Herne Hill Directory states the household head was a Mr William Matthewson, who owned this house from 1892 through 1917. According to both the 1901 & 1911 census he was a carpet designer and a single man, Sharing the house was his brother Henry Matthewson and his wife Margaret Sarah. I guess that Kate rented rooms in this house.

I can find Shellard ‘s in Bristol but nothing on Kate. Maybe someone with more expertise than me can find more information on Genealogy sites.

On the left, where the gentleman is standing you can see the entry to one end of Wanless Road, at that time the home of Lambeth Coroner’s Court & Mortuary, as well Arlington lodge home of Lambeth’s Disinfection Station and Bacteriological laboratory.

On the right hand side, you can see two shops, nearest to us was Bebb Brothers Dairy, you can make out the Dairy sign outside the shop. One of the brothers Bebb was named David , they had the Dairy from 1900 through at least till 1916. Behind the Dairy was Walter Daniel Hedgmen’s shop.

On the far corner of Herne Hill Road and Wanless Road was The Herne Arms, the landlord was Frederick Harrington. He ran the pub from 1907 till 1919.

The first mentions of the shop, dairy and Pub date from the 1872 Effingham Wilson directory , William Wright listed as a beer retailer, Richard & Ann Delph running a chandler’s shop, and William Todd shopkeeper.

In the distance you can see the spire of St Saviour’s Church. It was consecrated on 25 June 1867. Around 1908 the vicar was The reverend John Bayfield Clark, MA, he was the vicar for an incredible 33 years from 1892 through 1926.

This photo dates from c1975 and is from the Lambeth Borough Photos site, reference 08945. St Saviours was given it’s redundancy order in March 1980 and was demolished in 1982. It still lives on using the Parish Hall.

Posted in Churches, Loughborough Junction, Pubs, Shops, Streets & Roads | 3 Comments

Herne Hill Road graffiti by The Artful Dodger

A new piece of graffiti has appeared on Herne Hill Road on the Railway Arches at the Coldharbour Lane end.

02/12/2021 This piece of street art has now been painted over. Not surprised. It had a rather unsavoury dubious message.

By The Artful Dodger https://www.instagram.com/artful_dodger_01/?hl=en

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Two Free Book Libraries of Loughborough Junction + a small one on Loughborough Road

Cambria Road just by the Railway Viaduct
Grove Adventure Park on Gordon Grove
Posted in Loughborough Junction, Loughborough Road, The Written Word | Leave a comment