I've been surprise to find the building that replaced Redmayne house much better looking than I expected. Probably because it is not too out of scale with what was there before unlike the buildings at the Quadrant in Stockwell Green which seem to be unsympathetic to the area. The real test will be what they look like in 30 years - however with them being lived in by their owners, it means those people will have to deal with how the property ages.
I quite like it. It's half block of flats, half ski ramp. Although to be fair I'd prefer the pub was still there
I think it's all about context. Where it is this building clashes violently with its surroundings. I can think of other locations (middle of Southbank Poly for example) where it would simply pleasantly modulate the prevailing modernity. How you tell? Its always been plastered with posters for computer training etc such that it is impossible to see in. The ground floor entrance suggests one of those shops where "everything must go" at a casual glance.
I think it's now offering a similar sort of private 'extra learning centre' as seen in Brixton Square, but there's so many tacky posters covering the windows it's hard to work out if anyone is using them.
I quite like that building too - it looks like the architect spent a little time thinking about it - don't like the brown though.
It's certainly a step up from the bland stuff being knocked out by Lexadon & Co, but I would suggest that the developers didn't think very hard about what would go in the ground floor - that unit just provided the passport to the £££s from the flats above. Tacky, tacky, tacky!
It just looks like it's in the wrong place to me. I wouldn't gamble on it ageing too well either. For all its style, I'm sensing it's something of a cheapo build.
Apropos of nothing....when I first moved to London I used to work in that pub when it was a proper pub. I can't remember what it was called. How the times they are a-changin.
I don't think it was the Crown but it might have been. It was before it became Babushka. I really can't remember but it was a traditional old style pub name. They used to have lock ins and some South London gangsters hung out there. Richardsons? One of them offered to take me out for the night and he assured me that "nothing will happen unless you want it to". Made my skin crawl.
Yes it was called The Hope. Hello Folks I used to live there as a small child when my Father ran it back in the 70's (75/77ish). My earliest memories were of there, and I was sad to see it go. It was quite an ugly building in all honesty, but I have fond memories of it. It had a big mural of a ship on the wall, which as a four-year old thought was stunning. I think ships had something to do with the name of the pub, as they always seemed to hold fancy-dress parties where they dressed up as pirates (or maybe they just had one fancy dress party where they all dressed as pirates). It was a real community pub. As I said my parents ran it mid 70's (Bill & Priya) and it was taken over after that by a couple called Peggy and Gordon. Peggy, for some reason always reminded me of Elizabeth Taylor. Gordon died whilst still the resident landlord and she moved away in the 80's sometime. I doubt if there are still anyone around who remembers it or used to drink there, way back when, though I have some photos for those that might be interested.
Between the Hope and Babushka, it was a ravey squat. I had nights there but strangely with no recollection...
I can remember going in after Jday and there was still beer on tap For about a minute I thought it had it had just changed owners and then recognised the DJs and crew.
I went to a party there when it was squatted, around the time I first moved to Brixton. After the legalise cannabis festival in Brockwell Park iirc, must have been 2003?
2004 i think, stopped off at that party on the way to a big outdoor one that night. remember it being an incredible weekend from start to finish.
We lived opposite overlooking the back garden from 2002-4 during which time it was squatted and then became Babushka I think... there were clearly some good parties happening there at the time.
Added a photo feature here. Hopefully, a few more ex-drinkers may add their stories. The Hope – formerly Mango Landin’ and Babushka – remembered in wonderful archive photos