My account of this walk from 5th February 1989 began in Camberwell with the previous post, A Pub, Ghost Sign, Shops And The Sally Ann.
I ended my previous post with pictures of William Booth College and a statue of Catherine Booth. Before-crossing the railway I had gone down Windsor Walk, and the overall picture of the college was taken from there across the cutting containing the lines and platforms. Even from there the top of the tower was only just in frame, and unfortunately I cropped it slightly when I made the scan. I think more recent building at Denmark Hill station now partly obscures the view.
This impressive house at 16 Windsor Walk is a part of local development in the 1860s-80s, largely a speculative development built as private houses but many pressed into service in post-war years as nurses homes and medical centres for the nearby Maudsley and Kings College Hospital. Although this house looks in good condition, it deteriorated rapidly and was boarded up for years before extensive refurbishment in 2014-6. From the outside it again looks much as it did in 1989.
These houses at 17-18 Windsor Walk were also derelict a few years ago and have also been restored along with the next two properties on the street.
Denmark Hill Station and its offices were Grade II listed only in 1998. The buildings date from 1864-66 and were gutted by fire in 1980. By 1989 the station was home to the Phoenix Firkin pub, named as it had arisen from the ashes. It remains in business, though now called simply The Phoenix. Denmark Hill, a busy station, is entered through the southern part of the building at right, from which several people are emerging in my picture.
The station buildings with their pub are on a bridge over the railway lines, here in a cutting, and this leads to Champion Park with its Salvation Army College. Here I photographed both the statue of Catherine Booth in the previous post and this one of her husband and co-founder of the Army, William Booth, born April 10th 1829. Promoted to glory August 20th 1912. Sculpture by George Wade, 1929.
Their two statues are situated symmetrically on the lawn in front of the college, close to the road.
Champion Park leads to Grove Lane, and a few yards down from the corner is a narrow turning, Canning Cross, next to the George Canning pub, which leads to Stories Mews, and as a footpath only to Camberwell Grove. I took this picture from Canning Cross looking roughly north up Stories Mews, and although there has been considerable rebuilding in the area I think this view remains much the same.
Canning, a prominent Tory politician was until recently the British Prime Minister to have been in office for the shortest time, being Prime Minister for only 119 days in April to August 1827. But his time in office was cut short by his death and not as Liz Truss’s by disgrace. Canning was also the last PM to have fought a duel after he, then Foreign Secretary was challenged by the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. Fought with pistols on Putney Heath, Canning’s shot went extremely wide of the mark, but the war minister was a rather better shot and Canning was wounded in the leg.
I walked on down Grove Lane to Champion Hill, turning down here and going past a two houses in what seemed to me an Arts and Crafts style dating from 1907, as the lozenge on the central chimney records. Champion Hill is an odd street with several branches and a central cross-roads where all four signs point to Champion Hill. Fortunately I had a map and knew to turn right to take me towards Denmark Hill and Ruskin Park, where the next post on this walk will continue.
Tags: 1989, Arts and Crafts, Camberwell, Canning Cross, Champion Hill, Denmark Hill, Denmark Hill Station, George Canning, George Wade, London, London Photos, peter Marshall, Phoenix Firkin, Salvation Army, Southwark, Stories Mews, The Phoenix, William Booth, William Booth College, Windsor Walk
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