Sunday 21 February 2010

The gate of Kings?

If you walk down or up the Kilburn High Road you can't help but notice the massive development taking place at number 156-162 (?) on the camden side.

It's a huge retail development that includes going down into the basements as well as an extension on the roof to add a residential floor.

In short it is a big major development. For too long it lay empty and looked like nothing was happening and now it's all a go-go.

So the other day I was wandering along the back along Kingsgate Place - a charming small cobbled street that has the Brazillian Cafe and the Youth Club Station in and happened to pause and look up.

I'm not sure what I expected but I did not expect to see the quality of brickwork and windows that are there. It's got ana amazing perspective and sense of space and I can only assume are stunning inside.

It has a slightly church/chapel air about it but suspect it was just the finest of department stores from the late 19th century...

Any tips or leads from local residents out there who remember?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I forget the name of it but yes there was a huge department store there complete with potted palms in the foyer, It was there until the sixties, I believe.
That street behind used to be the stables where London Transport kept all their horses for the north west horse drawn buses.

Anonymous said...

The department store was Evans, I think.