Clapham North

These are the stations I have visited so far on the Northern Line and below shows you the ones still to visit. There are 52 stations on the line. These maps can be a bit misleading as compass wise they are not correct. Clapham North is south and High Barnet and Edgware are the northernmost stations. I've only just noticed that there are two stations missing from this map. Nine Elms and Battersea power station were opened in 2021 and are on a branch line from Kennington.

As you can see from the map, the Northern line has two routes through Central London. The reason for the different routes and branches on this line is because it was an amalgamation of three separate  railways which combined in the 1920s and 30s.  Of the 52 stations, 38 are underground

The station opened in 1900 as Clapham Road station and was modernised and redesigned by Charles Holden in 1924.  Escalators were installed and the facade replaced. The name was changed to Clapham North in 1926.

Opposite the station is the Clapham North pub which until 2003 was known as the Bedford Arms. Apparently it is a popular pub with Aussie ex-pats.

I turned left out of the station onto Clapham high Street. This road is a section of the A3, the London to Portsmouth road. There has been a road here since Roman times when the romans constructed a road called Stane Street from London to Chichester.

This mural is a map of Clapham showcasing places of interest. This hand drawn map was created by Jenni Sparks and shows landmark buildings, famous residents and local history. I found it a very useful guide of the area.

This large Victorian pub called The Railway is conveniently located for commuters. 'Sardine' the big fish skeleton is by Russell West and is a well known feature in the area.

There are lots of businesses on this road, mainly eating establishments of every variety which all seemed to be busy.

This building has had many uses. It was constructed in 1911 as a public hall and the Clapham Winter Gardens. At some point it became a music hall  and was then a depot for Ferodo a manufacturer of brake pads etc.  In 1960 it was occupied by another motor spares company, Cannon's.

 Now it is the Royal Shakespeare Company's London based rehearsal studios.

The next building on the High Street is the Temperance Billiard Hall, built in 1910 by Norman Evans. 

It was built at the height of the 'Temperance Movement' when alternatives to pubs were being built. By 1939 around 50 billiard halls had opened throughout London. In 1988 it became the offices of Moxley Architects. I noticed that it now has a notice outside advertising the property as luxury apartments.

This attractive late 19th century building, built from red brick and white Portland stone banding was once a bank. The wooden panelled door and decorative windows still exist and is a building that will probably be listed before too long. 

 

You can still read this ghost sign for Gillette Shaves.

The next building of note on the High Street is the Library. This award-winning building is the largest library in Lambeth. The £80 million development which includes  a library, health and leisure centres and  residential accommodation. The £6.5 million construction cost of the library was paid for by the sale of the 136 residential flats that form part of the 12 storey development. The leisure centre which includes a swimming pool has been built a few hundred yards away is part of the same development.

Outside the building are these large letters spelling out the word Library. They were designed by Andrew Logan in his familiar mirror mosaic style. To make them relevant to the area he has included items and momentos donated by Clapham residents.

At first I couldn't find my way in as the entrance is through Mary Seacole medical centre. Glad I persevered as it was impressive on the inside. It has a spiral design which is flexible to allow transformation into a performance area where the open spiral ramp offers visitors a great view of any performance.

Once outside I realised that if I continued along the road I would be back at the previous station of Clapham Common so I returned to the station to look down some of the other roads.

 

Underneath  the railway bridge were these arches. There are more than 5200 railway arches across the country with the majority being in London.  Many are already home to a wide variety of uses from gyms to nightclubs, car repair shops and food and drink venues. However, a large number of them were sold off in 2019 by Network Rail without a thought of the small businesses renting them. The company that bought them set up a business 'The Arch Company' to manage the properties and since then the rents have doubled.

Another entrance to the Clapham Deep shelter has been painted by the Women's Mural Collective. I wrote about the shelters in more detail here .  For some years the area around the shelter had become overgrown and looked derelict. The walls had to be repaired and the area cleared before painting could begin. The shelter has been painted by the artist 7th Pencil. All sides of the landmark have been painted as a tribute to female mural artists from the past and the present. The 'London Wall' were an all female group of street artists during the 80s and 90s in London. The WOM are a collective of London based female artists. The work took a month to complete and local people had a vote to decide on which design they preferred.

Posters about the female artists are displayed on the outer railings.

I continued down Clapham road past these large 3 storey Victorian houses. Some remain as family homes, others have been converted into flats and some taken over by businesses.

This is the Grade II listed St John the Evangelist church. Built in 1841/2. It was built as a chapel of ease which means it is not the parish church but is built within the boundary of the parish for those who cannot travel to the parish church easily. A very classical looking building.

I had not come across this organisation before but it has been in existence for almost 40 years. Founded in 1986 to help people find peaceful solutions to conflict. In 1985 the Standing International Forum on Ethnic Conflict, Development and Human Rights was founded with the purpose of alerting governments and the world to developing crises. The following year it merged with International Alert on Genocide and Massacres to become this charity.

There were some very impressive buildings on Bedford Road. The block of four storey terraced houses were part of a housing development undertaken by George Jennings in the mid 19th century.

The area is now a conservation area with the majority of properties dating from 1870s and were built in phases by Jennings. When built each house was identical with the use of materials and details. Over the years  overpainting and replacement of some doors and windows have changed the overall look. This one has retained all the original features of Jenning's design.

Rathcoole House on Ferndale Road is a different design from the others. Made of red brick it incorporates many ornate details. This landmark building marks the entrance into the conservation area.

On the house is this terracotta plaque with the date of the build as well as the initials of George Jennings above the name of the road.

On the way back to the station I came across this mural under the railway bridge. It was very difficult to get a good photo because of the light entering the tunnel. 

The artwork is titled 'Inner bark Out' by Flo Brooks in 2023. It is painted on six aluminium panels. The theme is Clapham Common being an important site for meeting up both now and in the past. It shows animals and people engaged in moments of play, work and rest.