Local Architecture
"The mosque will be constructed to the highest standards, both in quality and environmental sustainability, ensuring it stands as a landmark in the Town Centre – a testament to the community’s progress and unity" - Havering Mosque website
222 South Street Romford, which was built for Page Calnan the builders merchants in 1933 isn’t the only building of Art deco significance in the area.
South Street is one of the main routes into Romford and many of the buildings along it were built in the first half of the 20th century in a confident substantial style.
The earliest built just before and after WWI are in what some call neo-Georgian or others Edwardian.
The two best examples of these are the former Post Office at 64 South Street from 1912 which, because of its civic importance, has the monogram of King George V above the side windows.
And on the other side of the road at 131 the former offices of the Romford Gas Company showroom, which has the date on a similar shield, 1937, the year of the coronation of King George IV, son of George V.
1937 was a little late for that style; many of the other commercial and business buildings of South Street build in the 1930s are Art Deco.
You have to look up to see them at their best. The modern shop and bar windows inserted at pavement level are designed to get your attention on the goods and services for sale.
One of the most obvious is the first block you will see as you turn left from the station.
The Star Inn, Times Furnishing and the former Odeon cinema (Art Deco is sometimes called ‘Odeon’ style) at 108 South Street which opened in 1936 as the Havana.
Modern use as various nightclubs has rather obscured the lines with screaming advertising gimmicks but the pale polished stone and clean geometric lines probably remain underneath.
The lower floor of what was Times Furnishing is now a supermarket. When it opened in 1936 the people of Romford didn’t just shop in a fine building built in the modern style, they could buy the sleek modern furniture for their homes (or traditional if they preferred).
The newly built or rebuilt Star Inn is of great significance. There had been a pub called the Star on that site since the 18th century, maybe even earlier. In 1708 Benjamin Wilson founded a brewery as an attachment to the Inn which he named The Star brewery. Edward Ind purchased it in 1799 and in 1845 he was joined by the Coope family, thus forming the firm we are more familiar with, Ind Coope.
The Star brewery signature beer was John Bull Bitter which Ind Coope continued to brew until Romford Brewery closed in 1993. It is still available as a home brew kit. Those of us of a certain age will remember the delicious smell which wafted over Romford at particular points in the process.
On the other side of the road the Art Deco facades of what are now the Moon and Stars and Slug and Lettice pubs were so significant that the later building that was, until recently, The Worlds End was designed in the 1960s to blend with its neighbours.
Further down South Street another significant art deco building is the Quadrant arcade. Again you need to look up; the internal skylights and the roof lantern are fine examples of their type. Before the blackout and concomitant fuel rationing from 1939 the long sleek lines of the arcade were emphasized at night with strip lighting in emerald and gold.
Then you can turn right into the market place, or turning left into the High Street for Havering Museum and what is left of the Romford Brewery site.
We walk past so many architecturally important buildings in South Street, as we go about our daily lives.
The main brewery that Romford residents will remember was built in 1851. For the last 30 years the former brewery has been best known as the Brewery Shopping Centre. One of the chimneys is incorporated into the fabric and one of the huge copper brewing tuns is a feature in the car park.
The biggest local employer of the time, Ind Coope where over 1000 employees earned a living.
The builders merchant Page Calnan who supplied many of the smaller local builders of East London and Essex with their supplies.
The Romford Gas company who supplied power for heating, lighting and machinery. The Post Office, Prudential Insurance and local government. Retail shops of national chains and local family businesses. A cinema, pubs and cafes for recreation and entertainment.
The Art Deco genre even informed residential homes behind South Street with flats such as those at Kingsmead Mansions.
If you look beyond the sales and special offers there is much of significance and interest in Romford Town centre. It truly is, as the sign at Roneo corner declares, an historic market town.
EJW
© Copyright. All rights reserved.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.