Relief

Broadway Palace development - Tooting - Industry

Inscription

Industry

Site: Broadway Palace development - Tooting (4 memorials)

SW17, Mitcham Road, 22, (26, 28), 30, all on west side

This 1940-67 NLS map shows a 'picture theatre (disused)' at number 24 (now flat-fronted post-war shops), and at Cinema Treasures we found two postcard images of The Broadway Cinematograph Palace, opened in 1912. In these you can just see, either side of the cinema, the roof arches of numbers 22 and 26-30, looking very much as they do now. Other maps c.1895 show this section of road without continuous, flush, shopfronts. So it seems a fair assumption that the Palace and the 4 flanking shops were all designed and built at the same time. You can see that, as Cinemas Treasures says, the cinema's "facade was highly decorated in white stone" so we can believe that the developers decided to spend a little bit extra on some unusual decorations for the shops too.

What is now known as White City had hosted a number of exhibitions 1908 – 1912 so concepts such as Industry and Travel were in the air.

Travel is on the left side of number 30 with Commerce on the right; Agriculture on the left of number 22 with ‘Industry’ on the right. Our photo shows number 30, 28, 26 and the left part of number 24.

Faded London spotted these reliefs in 2009, indeed, spotted half more than we did. So, until we get back there we are, with thanks, using their photo of Commerce.

It has to be admitted that the carving on these reliefs is not of a high quality. They are also distressed through age and lack of care so we expect they will not be greatly missed when the inevitable redevelopment happens.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Broadway Palace development - Tooting - Industry

Subjects commemorated i

Broadway Palace

From Cinema Treasures : "... built for and operated by Browning, Hillier &amp...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Broadway Palace development - Tooting - Industry

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Lloyds of London 1958 building

Lloyds of London 1958 building

EC3, Gracechurch Street

Phillip Ward-Jackson in his encyclopaedic "Public Sculpture in the City of London" identifies these reliefs as representing the four elem...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
White Lion Pub

White Lion Pub

N1, White Lion Street

The current building obviously does not date back to 1714 and is not hugely interesting but the lions are magnificent.

1 subject commemorated
St John's Primary School - rebuilt

St John's Primary School - rebuilt

N5, Conewood Street, St John's Highbury Vale

Our research into the history of the school convinces us that the blank section of ribbon must have read "Christ Church" which was the sc...

1 subject commemorated
Tull, Samuel, & Co - Fenchurch Street

Tull, Samuel, & Co - Fenchurch Street

EC3, Fenchurch Street, 153

The building was designed by Osborn & Russel and erected in 1880.From Public Monument and Sculpture Association we learn: Small City ...

1 subject commemorated
Dolphin pub

Dolphin pub

W11, Sirdar Road, Dolphin House

The building boasted (at least) two of these plaques, but this was the only one that we could see in 2015. An odd dolphin, with a tail m...

1 subject commemorated

Previously viewed

T. V. and Anthony Edwards

T. V. and Anthony Edwards

Anthony is a senior partner of the law firm T. V. Edwards which was established by his uncle, T. V., in 1929.  Their offices at 33 Mile End Road had a large blank wall.  Anthony commissioned the mu...

Group, Benefactor, Law

1 memorial
John Gurney Hoare

John Gurney Hoare

Born near Inverforth House, Hampstead. From the banking family. The prime mover in the battle to save Hampstead Heath from development. He was also the prime founder of Christ Church in Hampstead S...

Person, Philanthropy, France

1 memorial
Baker Street and Waterloo Railway

Baker Street and Waterloo Railway

Constructed by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, between Baker Street and Lambeth North, (then called Kennington Road). It was later extended to Elephant & Castle, and then t...

Place, Transport

4 memorials
RAF Squadron No. 61

RAF Squadron No. 61

It was first formed in Rochford, Essex as a fighter squadron of the British Royal Flying Corps during the First World War and disbanded in 1919. It was reformed in 1937 as a bomber squadron of the ...

Group, Armed Forces

1 memorial