New Brixton 'Then and Now' pics

[CH1]

I've been inside that building and it looked very much like the illustration posted above.

Are you saying that the German book illustration is what lies behind the houses fronting Barrington Road?

I can imagine that - looking again at lang rabbie 's post. The drawing is a bit idealised - ignoring the railway line. How many flats are in there now?

 

[editor]

Are you saying that the German book illustration is what lies behind the houses fronting Barrington Road?

I can imagine that - looking again at lang rabbie 's post. The drawing is a bit idealised - ignoring the railway line. How many flats are in there now?

As far as I remember, and from looking at that photo the architectural details pretty much match up, no? Sadly, my friend who lived there was a troubled soul and killed himself.

I took this panorama from his flat in the old school building

 

[lang rabbie]

Are you saying that the German book illustration is what lies behind the houses fronting Barrington Road?

I can imagine that - looking again at lang rabbie 's post. The drawing is a bit idealised - ignoring the railway line. How many flats are in there now?

The railway arches are in the drawing on the left hand site, but probably foreshortened a bit more than in real life to reduce their impact!

 

[lang rabbie]

The florid ornamentation on the Barrington Road frontage of the orphanage apparently dates to when the buildings were occupied by Brixton College of Building (which was headquartered on Ferndale Road). The ornamental joins and entrance seem to be exercises in working with stucco and ornamentation.

Hate to disagree CH1 but all that stuccowork was clearly there in 1910.

Brixton Orphanage for Fatherless Girls, Barrington Road, Brixton. Historical Brixton - old and new photos of Brixton, Lambeth, London, SW9 and SW2

Brixton College of Building only took it over as an annexe in the 1930s when the orphanage moved out.

 

[CH1]

Hate to disagree CH1 but all that stuccowork was clearly there in 1910.

I will refer this back to my verbal but normally authoritative source.
The Urban/Lambeth picture is clearly of the orphanage in 1910 and not Brixton College of Building

 

[editor]

There is also a mysterious picture in a German architectural book of c.1900 that includes a drawing of the Brixton Orphanage from The Builder Magazine of 1886. This is of a Queen Anne style building and is attributed to the architect E J Tarver (who built the Telford Park Estate up the hill at Streatham Hill).
View attachment 126475
This is the block shown in the 1895 Ordnance Survey map behind the three houses facing Barrington Road.
View attachment 126476

I have to admit I was blissfully unaware that this was still in existence, but Google streetview shows it just visible through some gates next to 81 Millbrook Rd and looking to be in remarkably good condition.
The site was previously "the Barrington Centre" (Is my memory failing or was that a children's social services day centre???) and was converted to housing c.1997 when it was renamed College Green Court. (The Lambeth planning database only has the decision notice online for planning application 96/02158/PLANAP)

View attachment 126477

It's definitely the same building