Anthony Davis's Art Deco London - photos
See Anthony's Art Deco London photos
In addition to life in journalism, I'm a great fan of thirties architecture, which can still be found right across London. Obvious spots like The Savoy remain beautiful, but lesser known sites such as the Sunlight laundry in Brixton stand out as my favourites. If you've never been to the Hoover Building on the A40 I suggest you do (it's now a massive Tesco) and Victoria Coach Station could do with a paint job but still stands proud. If the French ocean liner Normandie was still around I'd probably urge you to climb aboard immediately.The Golden Mile is the name given to a stretch of the A4 Great West Road. It was so called due to the concentration of industry along this short stretch of road. This section of the Great West Road was opened in 1925 to bypass the notoriously congested Brentford High Street and several factories of architectural merit were rapidly built along the road to take advantage of both the good communications it provided, and the easy availability of land for new buildings. Many examples of the Art Deco architecture remain. Interiors are the real hidden gems, my favourite was the foyer of the Strand Palace Hotel designed by Oliver P. Bernard which sadly is no more. Let's not forget the Apollo Theatre in Victoria (formally a 30's cinema) and the Odeon Leicester Square (next door to LBC).
This gallery contains a selection of images I have either taken with my own camera or have collected from the interweb. I've added a couple of international pictures too, just for fun. Maybe I'll see you strolling around the Art Deco district on South Beach sometime?... or maybe just loitering along the A40!
Anthony x
ps. A nice book is available detailing most of the best Deco parts of town
See Anthony Davis's favourite photos of London