air raid shelters | Flickering Lamps

A Victorian marvel beneath the streets: Crystal Palace subway

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Caroline

Part of the A212 road runs along one side of Crystal Palace Park, carrying traffic between the suburbs of south east London. However, beneath a section of the road – unbeknownst to those passing above – is a quite astonishing structure, usually hidden from the public. This is a subway, but not of the concrete, graffiti-ed, dubious-smelling variety more commonly seen beneath Britain’s roads: it is something else altogether.

The entrance to the Crystal Palace subway, usually sealed off

A block of flats in south west London with its own Second World War air raid shelter

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Caroline

The period between the two World Wars was one of massive expansion for London. The city’s population grew and grew, peaking at 8.6 million in 1939 (a total not surpassed until very recently), and new housing was built at a rate never seen before to accommodate this growth. These new homes, council houses and private houses alike, contained modern facilities such as indoor toilets, making them attractive to those living in older, less well-equipped homes. But a new housing development in East Sheen, in south west London, had yet another desirable feature for potential buyers: as the fear of war grew in the 1930s, St Leonard’s Court came with its own purpose-built air raid shelter.

A ghost sign from the Second World War

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Caroline

Like so many little bits of history, the ghost sign pictured below is something that is so easily overlooked. It can be found on Carlisle Place, SW1, a quiet street close to London’s Victoria Station. But you’ll have to look carefully.