Lots Road, SW10

Road in/near Chelsea, existing between the 1820s and now.

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(51.47834 -0.18134, 51.478 -0.181) 
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Road · * · SW10 ·
MAY
27
2018
Lots Road, older than the surrounding streets, was once Pooles Lane which was a track leading to Chelsea Farm.

From Anglo-Saxon times, the land on the northern banks of the Thames was divided into individually owned ‘lots’, and open to common pasturage after the annual harvest. In 1825 the ‘Lammas’ rights of common grazing were abolished on the ‘Lots’.

In 1544 it was recorded as lez lotte when the name discribed the lots of ground which were originally part of the manor over which the parishoners held Lammas rights. Thus bringing the words allotments into present day word.

When the Cremorne Gardens closed in the 1860s, the landowner Mrs Simpson, let the land as building plots for the construction of workers’ housing. The variety and range of materials and architectural detailing amongst the workers cottages suggests that a number of different builders constructed the housing.

Historic maps indicate that much of the land was developed within a short period of time between 1868 and 1896. Tadema Road (Tadema Street), which has Dutch and classical elements, was almost certainly named after Lawrence Alma-Tadema, a Dutch artist who moved to London in 1870 and enjoyed great frame during the mid to late 1870s, when those houses were constructed.

Running in parallel with the construction of workers cottages was the development along the river banks of the Thames. Flour Mills and a Horticultural Works already occupied
land adjacent to Chelsea Creek to the west of Pooles Lane (later to become Lots Road). From the late 1870s a large number of wharfs were constructed for commercial uses.

The rest of Chelsea is overwhelmingly residential and so the Lots Road community - a working area of industry, commercial riverside uses, small factories, breweries and workshops within a working class community housed in artisan terraced housing - was unusual.

The road contained the landmark Lots Road Power Station, which had an influential historic role in powering the London Underground and is architecturally significant as a symbol of innovative design, structure and engineering.

The terraces which housed local workers are well preserved despite numerous threats from bombs during World War II. The York stone streets are lined with traditional lamp posts and
small trees; and the proximity to the River Thames in particular, makes this an unusual and characterful part of the Royal Borough.

In the post war years, the Lots Road area was earmarked for a potential route for a new motorway crossing the river known as the West Cross Route.

The prohibitive cost and the unpopularity of proposed major road works eventually led to much of the West Cross route being abandoned in 1973. However, the consequences for the
Lots Road area was one of general neglect and degeneration until twentieth century developments made the area extremely desirable.


Main source: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Further citations and sources


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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

None so far :(
LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Comment
Wendy    
Added: 22 Mar 2024 15:33 GMT   

Polygon Buildings
Following the demolition of the Polygon, and prior to the construction of Oakshott Court in 1974, 4 tenement type blocks of flats were built on the site at Clarendon Sq/Phoenix Rd called Polygon Buildings. These were primarily for people working for the Midland Railway and subsequently British Rail. My family lived for 5 years in Block C in the 1950s. It seems that very few photos exist of these buildings.

Reply

Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:42 GMT   

Road construction and houses completed
New Charleville Circus road layout shown on Stanford’s Library Map Of London And Its Suburbs 1879 with access via West Hill only.

Plans showing street numbering were recorded in 1888 so we can concluded the houses in Charleville Circus were built by this date.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

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Comment
Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:04 GMT   

Charleville Circus, Sydenham: One Place Study (OPS)
One Place Study’s (OPS) are a recent innovation to research and record historical facts/events/people focused on a single place �’ building, street, town etc.

I have created an open access OPS of Charleville Circus on WikiTree that has over a million members across the globe working on a single family tree for everyone to enjoy, for free, forever.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

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Comment
Charles   
Added: 8 Mar 2024 20:45 GMT   

My House
I want to know who lived in my house in the 1860’s.

Reply

NH   
Added: 7 Mar 2024 11:41 GMT   

Telephone House
Donald Hunter House, formerly Telephone House, was the BT Offices closed in 2000

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Comment
Paul Cox   
Added: 5 Mar 2024 22:18 GMT   

War damage reinstatement plans of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street
Whilst clearing my elderly Mothers house of general detritus, I’ve come across original plans (one on acetate) of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street. Might they be of interest or should I just dispose of them? There are 4 copies seemingly from the one single acetate example. Seems a shame to just junk them as the level of detail is exquisite. No worries if of no interest, but thought I’d put it out there.

Reply
Comment
Diana   
Added: 28 Feb 2024 13:52 GMT   

New Inn Yard, E1
My great grandparents x 6 lived in New Inn Yard. On this date, their son was baptised in nearby St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch

Source: BDM London, Cripplegate and Shoreditch registers written by church clerk.

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Comment
Vic Stanley   
Added: 24 Feb 2024 17:38 GMT   

Postcose
The postcode is SE15, NOT SE1

Reply



LOCAL PHOTOS
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The Dancing Platform at Cremorne Gardens (1864) In the 17th century, Chelsea Farm was formed and the area was used for market gardening plots, supplying central London. In 1778, Lord Cremorne bought Chelsea Farm and Cremorne House was built. In 1830 Charles Random de Berenger, a colourful character implicated in financial fraud during the Napoleonic War, purchased Cremorne House. He was a keen sportsman and opened a sports club know as Cremorne Stadium for ‘skilful and manly exercise’ including shooting, sailing, archery and fencing. In 1846, De Berenger’s Cremorne Stadium was transformed into a pleasure garden which became a popular and noisy place of entertainment. The entertainment included a diverse range of activities including concerts, fireworks, balloon ascents, galas and theatre.
Credit: Phoebus Levin
TUM image id: 1526047056
Licence:
Elm Park Gardens
TUM image id: 1573064988
Licence:
Badric Road, SW11 (1950s)
TUM image id: 1647278035
Licence: CC BY 2.0

In the neighbourhood...

Click an image below for a better view...
Salve Volpe - known locally as "Jacko" - selling chestnuts from an ice cream barrow outside the World’s End pub, Chelsea (1951) "Jacko", who lived in Fulham, branched out to selling ice cream in the summer. Selling chestnuts on London streets seems to have largely died out.
Credit: Mirrorpix
Licence:


The Dancing Platform at Cremorne Gardens (1864) In the 17th century, Chelsea Farm was formed and the area was used for market gardening plots, supplying central London. In 1778, Lord Cremorne bought Chelsea Farm and Cremorne House was built. In 1830 Charles Random de Berenger, a colourful character implicated in financial fraud during the Napoleonic War, purchased Cremorne House. He was a keen sportsman and opened a sports club know as Cremorne Stadium for ‘skilful and manly exercise’ including shooting, sailing, archery and fencing. In 1846, De Berenger’s Cremorne Stadium was transformed into a pleasure garden which became a popular and noisy place of entertainment. The entertainment included a diverse range of activities including concerts, fireworks, balloon ascents, galas and theatre.
Credit: Phoebus Levin
Licence:


24-hour potato service on the King’s Road, Chelsea (1962)
Licence:


Boys and girls kick a ball around a quiet Uverdale Road, Chelsea (early 1960s). The road is now filled with parked cars and a gated playground. Just down the road from major bomb sites, this was one of a cluster of streets that became a ghost town in the wake of the Blitz
Credit: John Bignell
Licence:


Riverside apartments at Imperial Wharf (2016)
Credit: Geograph/N Chadwick
Licence: CC BY 2.0


Chelsea Farm in the days of Countess Huntindon
Credit: Kensington and Chelsea Libraries
Licence: CC BY 2.0


Lots Road Power Station (2005).
Credit: Adrian Pingstone
Licence:


Graffiti, Raasay Street, Chelsea (1969).
Credit: Roger Perry
Licence:




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