Peckham Lodge, formerly the headquarters of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers, is under threat of demolition. The Amalgamated Society of Engineers, as the union was called when it was formed in 1851, bought land at the corner of Lyndhurst Road (now Way) and Peckham Road for £3,500 in 1899. The union’s branches provided £30,000 to pay for the land and a new building. The Executive Council held its first meeting in Peckham on 1 October 1900. Plans dated 1914 show that there were originally three buildings along Peckham Road between Lyndhurst Road and Grummant Road. In 1916 they were joined together. The Amalgamated Society of Engineers’ symbol, the slogan “Be United And Industrious”, 1851 and 1916 are carved above the doorway on the west side of the building. Apart from a six year confinement at Pitsford Hall, Northampton, during the Second World War when bombers blew the roof off the Peckham headquarters, the premises remained for nearly ninety years the general office of what became the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union. A new administrative block was built in 1961 and the Executive Council block ten years later. Sir John Boyd, who was General Secretary of the AUEW, wrote: “I always insisted that we make our large front garden as beautiful as possible for those who passed by to gaze upon – an oasis in a concrete jungle”. In 1912 a small chapel was at the Grummant Road side of what became the union’s garden. The union left Peckham in 1996 and is now part of Amicus. The former front door of the Peckham building is now in the General Secretary’s office in King Street, Covent Garden. From: Southwark Revisited

It’s unfortunate we don’t have more clout all round.

Regeneguru — while the design standards (external is all i’ve seen) are not amazing, they are reasonably good and certainly better than much of the sh*t around south london. Somehow, on this stretch for the moment at least the idea of top quality iconic building is a vain hope. it’s a largely disused, low-rent slum now that benefis no-one. This is a small step in teh righ direction and if nothing else will add confidence to other perhaps more sympathetic developers (although teh architets here are a good firm, and I work for the RIBA so I do have some idea)

Overall the development will consist of a reasonable proportion of 3+bedroom appartments, a fair proportion of affordable housing and will improve the streetscape and its level of maintenance enormously. At present my rubbish has one place to go on collection days — outside the front door. Subsequently the rats can currently enjoy the panoramic bullet-ridden walls and blood spattered frontdoor step while they feast on my meagre leftovers.

Didn’t seem to affect the far right minor parties; they seem more organised than minority lefties and centrists. It’s funny how the far right candidates don’t seem to get disqualified by the most zealous electoral officers.

“First we shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us” — Churchill.

Is it better to have a kempt but anonymous new build such as Fairview development on Medlar Street/CNR or to hold out for a design which either has something to say about modern architecture or is more sympathetic to this area’s Georgian antecedence?

The quality of many recent low-ceilinged large scale developments north of the Green seems to indicate that Camberwell is viewed as a dumping ground by local authorities for people with no choice in where they live.

They are due to go to Planning Committee (next 8 Feb I think) although that was teh message I got before the last planning committee too.

There is an application to demolish the whole stretch, except a small row of 5 victorian terraces (one of which I own a flat in)

The design standards are not incredible but it would be a step forward. residential on the plot opposite gala bingo, then the 5 terraced stretch, then office/residential, and a bigger residential scheme on the far end next to the job cenre carpark. up to 6/7 stories i think.

Bring it on. the whole sretch is a sh*thole. and that as a resident

Cinema: PictureHouse were interested in Camberwell about 8 years ago but the site (Walworth Bus Garage) went to TFL instead of Sainsbury’s.