Balham

 

This is the 6th station I have visited on the Northern Line and #194 out of a total of 272 stations on the Underground. I am travelling from South to North on this line which is an extension of the Northern line into South London. There are only 33 stations south of the river Thames out of the 272. The ones I have visited so far on this line were built at the same time and designed by the same architect, Charles Holden. I am finding it difficult to work up much enthusiasm for these stations as they are all so similar. In fact a few of you think you have already commented on some of these posts as they look so alike! The areas around the station all offer the facilities you would want to make it a convenient and pleasant place to live but it is proving quite difficult for me to find interesting things to write about so I arrived here from Tooting Bec which I visited in the morning and live in hope that Balham will have something that makes it stand out from the other areas I have visited.

If you are a regular visitor to this blog you will know about the individual labyrinths that Mark Wallinger designed for each station of the Underground. This one grabbed my attention because it reminded me of the intestine.

Shops in the ticket hall.

The station opened in 1926 with almost identical undergound station buildings on opposite sides of the High Street. The portland stone building with its double height window displaying the large Underground Roundel are the same features as the previous stations. In months to come I won't be able to remember any differences between these stations.

One difference in Balham is that it also has a main line rail station taking trains from London to Brighton. 

The station has a high brick wall along Balham Station Road which has four bronze reliefs displayed there.

They are titled 'Impressions of Balham' and were designed by Christine Thomas and Julia Barton in 1991. Apparently they depict local residents and everyday scenes. I must admit I couldn't really work out what they were representing.

At the end of Balham Station Road is The Bedford. Rebuilt in 1931,  it had a major multi million pound refurbishment in 2018. It now has five bars and a restaurant. It is a live music venue, a club and a hotel with 15 boutique bedrooms. However the first Bedford Hotel was built here in the 1830s and became infamous, in 1876, for holding the inquest into the death of Charles Bravo who was murdered in one of the most sensational murder cases of the century. It was this event that led to stories of The Bedford being haunted. Bravo was a 30 yr old barrister who died an agonising death after ingesting poison. He lived in a house known as the Priory by the side of Tooting Common. There were a number of suspects from his wife, to the housekeeper to a groom he had recently sacked and even the doctor came under scrutiny. There was also a suggestion of suicide. The first inquest returned an open verdict. The second inquest returned a verdict of wilful murder, but no-one was ever arrested or charged.

The local library was nearby which had some information about Balham. Mainly to do with buildings that have been demolished or were destroyed in WW2 so not that relevant.

I walked down the High Street and found one or two interesting shops. This is an Indian restaurant as well as a takeaway or home delivery. There are a number of curry houses in this part of London.

Lots of places for coffee as well.

This is the Balham Mosque above Balham Bed store.

This is the Raha Krishna Temple. I found this information on their website:

The Radha Krishna Temple was founded by Her Holiness Maa Shyama Devi around three decades ago. A deeply pious lady with firm faith in God, she had already set up several temples in India. Her first temple in Britain opened in Leicester in 1967. The Leicester congregation raised money to establish a temple in London for the Gujarati community. A vacant shop in Balham High Road was acquired and the Radha Krishna Temple opened in 1977. Another adjacent shop was then after converted to become part of the temple. Her Holiness Maa Shyama Devi  passed away in 1999. The Radha Krishna Temple is managed by three women, including the daughter of Her Holiness Maa Shyama Devi, who is regarded as the mother of the temple. Hindus worship different deities according to the region of India they originate from, family tradition, and/or personal choice. A temple is usually dedicated to one God but will also contain shrines of other deities. The Hindu home will contain a shrine dedicated to the God or Gods that are particularly important to the family. For the individual, daily worship may take place in the home or at the temple.

This is the Balham Salvation Army Hall which is a place of worship as well as a community centre, there is also a charity shop next to the hall. The Salvation Army began on the streets of East London in 1865 when husband and wife, William and Catherine Booth began preaching directly to the people on the streets rather than from a church pulpit. Their work included setting up shelters for the homeless, soup kitchens, hostels for women escaping domestic abuse and prostitution.

A lilac tree in full bloom.

I walked back to the station and had a look down Balham High Road in the other direction. This is the church of St Mary and St John the Divine.

 Around 1805, a dozen wealthy residents of Balham and its local area commissioned the construction of a chapel at the 5 mile stone between Balham and Tooting.  Among them were members of the reforming Clapham Sect: William Wilberforce( leader of the movement to abolish slavery), Henry Thornton (abolitionist, parliamentarian) and Zachary Macaulay(abolitionist and founder of London University).The chapel opened for worship in 1808. As Balham developed another church was opened in 1900 named St John the Divine. St John's closed in 1983 and the parishes combined to become St Mary's and St John the Divine. 

Not far away is the Roman Catholic Polish Christ the King church with a statue of St John Paul II 

 

This 1937 large, art deco, apartment block was the largest privately owned block in Europe with 677 apartments. When it opened it was popular with entertainers and artists but then, during the war, it was used by civil servants as a barracks. It was never bombed because the Germans had earmarked it as accommodation for their officers if they successfully invaded England. Today the residents live in either a studio, one bedroom or two bedroom flat.

This is Irene House which used to be a 1950's steel framed office block. It was converted in 2019 into 77 residential units by completely remodelling the inside whilst extending it vertically. I am now back at the station and after a very busy day am ready to go home. 

There was more to see in Balham than the previous couple of stations which made it an interesting visit.