It isn’t just National Trust properties that get ‘listed’. Historic England will give special protection to any landmark that reveals stories about an area’s history. In fact, 510 London landmarks were given listed status in 2014 – here are ten of the most unusual.
1. The concrete house at 78 South Hill Park
Finished in 1965, this Camden property was designed by architect Brian Housden and is inspired by everything from European modernism to the houses of the Dogon Tribe of Mali.
2. The church built for the Royal Association for Deaf People
St Bede’s Catholic church on Clapham Road is designed to cater to the needs of a deaf congregation, with its sloping floor, twin pulpits and indirect lighting.
3. Islington’s Bacon Smokehouse
Small-scale bacon smokehouses are rare. While this one’s been converted into offices, it still has the outside steps and racks needed for its old purpose.
4. The Stone Plaque from Dulwich Village’s ‘lock-up for drunks’
Made in 1760, it says: ‘It is a Sport to a Fool to do/Mischief to Thine own/Wickedness shall correct thee.” Harsh.
5. Swedish Seamen’s church and mission in Rotherhithe
A ‘home from home’ for mariners, the 1960s complex has both worship and welfare facilities.
6. The world’s first laboratory for material testing
Kirkaldy’s Testing and Experimenting Works on Southwark Street (now a museum) contains one of the earliest testing machines, still in working order.
7. Hackney’s former French-Protestant Hospital
Lavishly decorated, the hospital has corner turrets and steep pyramidal roofs, and is now used as a school.
8. The Tomb of Captain John Bennett in Barking
The legacy of seventeenth-century navy captain John Bennett is surrounded by secrets and rumours, including theories about his involvement in smuggling.
9. Whittington Lodge at Battersea Dogs Cats Home
Built in 1907, the lodge is probably the first purpose-built cattery in Britain.
10. Ilford’s Victorian Gin Palace
The Cauliflower Hotel has a lavish bar built for selling gin.
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