Office, Eltham Palace, London

This is the office at Eltham Palace, the former royal palace where Henry VIII grew up converted and extended as a marvellous Art Deco house in the 1930s by Stephen & Virginia Courtauld.

Streatham Ice Arena

I took this photo of the Streatham Ice Arena around 2000. It opened in 1931 and closed on December 16 2011 and has since been demolished to make way for a supermarket development.

Reference:
Streatham Ice Arena, Wikipedia.com

Highpoint I, Hampstead

Highpoint I, Hampstead, Berthold Lubetkin 1933-35

Reference:
Highpoint Flats, e-architect.co.uk

Broadcasting House, London

Broadcasting House has been a part of the BBC for almost 80 years. Construction commenced in 1932 to G Val Myer's design and the building was opened in 1934.

Sculptures by Eric Gill decoration the exterior facade including Prospero & Ariel over the front entrance.

Reference:
BBC Buildings - Broadcasting House, The BBC Story

National Audit Office, London

In 1938, architect Albert Lakeman designed the Imperial Airways Empire Terminal in Buckingham Palace Road, London.

The terminal comprises of a tall clock tower with symmetrical curving wings on either side. And above the entrance is Eric R Broadbent's sculpture Speed Wings Over the World.

The building is now occupied by the National Audit Office.

Reference:
Imperial Airways Empire Terminal by Chris Taylor, taylorempireairways.com

Curls, Hoover Building, London

I love the curl decoration on the Hoover Building (Wallis, Gilbert and Partners, 1932) in Perivale, West London.

Entrance, Hoover Building, London

This is the main entrance to the 1932 Hoover Building by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners. The doorway is dominated by an amazing decorative feature two storeys high incorporating two separate of clear glazed panels.

And the windows are just as stunning from the inside.

Foyer Details, Hoover Building, London

I hope you've enjoyed seeing inside the Hoover Building in the west of London over the past few days. Designed by Wallis, Gilbert & Partners in 1933 it is a true Art Deco gem.

I'll be taking a short break to hunt down some more fabulous Art Deco buildings but I hope to see you back in a couple of weeks.

Side Stairway, Hoover Building, London

Ballustrades, Hoover Building, London

A Swimming Pool in London

In 2001 I was able to see this fabulous Art Deco swimming pool at one of those private London clubs because they had decided to be part of the Open House London programme. It was great to see somewhere that under normal circumstances I would not otherwise have been able to visit.

Bedroom, Eltham Palace

Bedroom, Eltham Palace

Pyrene Building, Brentford

This is the Pyrene Building in what has been dubbed Brentford's 'Golden Mile' of Art Deco factory buildings along the Great West Road. The infamous Firestone Building stood across the road, Gillette Corner is nearby and, what is now the UK Head Office of J C Decaux is next door.

Wallis, Gilbert & Partners designed the Firestone factory around 1928 and the Pyrene Building in the years immediately following that. Then, in the early 1930s they designed one of west London's other deco greats, the Hoover Building.

I can see influences for the Hoover Building in the details Pyrene Building. The curly cue features on the central tower appear at ground level on the Hoover Building but also the colours around the doors and the design of the lamps are also reminiscent of Hoover.

References:
archINFORM - Firestone Tyre Factory
archINFORM - Pyrene Building
archINFORM - Hoover Factory

Art Deco Apartments, London

This is one of those cases where I've come across a folder with some pictures of a wonderful but if I ever knew exactly what the building is called then it is long since lost.

I can tell you that this block of apartments is in North London, around the Finchley or Hampstead area I think.

The set of photos is called Riverside so I presume that is the name of the apartments or the street.

Can anyone help?

[Scroll down to see the doors and you'll really want to find out where this building is]

Brockwell Lido, London

During the Art Deco period, exercise and outdoor activity was very much in vogue. The rich and famous had sundecks and roof terraces but lesser mortals had to make do with the beach, public parks and swimming baths or lidos as they were often known in Britain.

In 1937, London County Council upgraded the public bathing facilities at Brockwell Park with the construction of Brockwell Lido replacing an older swimming pond elsewhere in the park.

The buildings were designed in Art Deco style and are now protected with a Grade II listing.

Unfortunately a very similar lido in Victoria Park, Hackney which opened a year earlier, closed in the 1980s and has been demolished.

References:
Brockwell Lido website
LIDOS IN LONDON no longer open: Victoria Park Lido, Hackney
News in a Nutshell - London's New Lido Opened at Victoria Park, British Pathé, 21 May 1936

The Royal Institute of British Architects, London

This building at 66 Portland Place, London is the home of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Designed by George Grey Wornum it was officially opened in November 1934 by King George V and Queen Mary. In 1970 it became the first modern building to recieve Grade II* listing.

The entrance has two huge bronze doors bearing a relief of the Thames river with some of London's buildings by James Woodford.

The left door (above) includes the Houses of Parliament and Guildhall but I paticularily liked the way the three rounded steps combine with a ramped paths on either side leading to the entrance.

Woodford also designed the two figures that stand on columns either side of the doorway who with a third figure high on the facade by Bainbridge Copnall represent the spirit of man and woman as creative forces of architecture.

High on the side of the RIBA building there are five figures also by Copnall.

A working man


An engineer


A painter


A sculptor


and an architect represented by Chirstopher Wren

Reference:
Guide to 66 Portland Place