For over 100 years, it has dominated the crossroads outside Clapham Junction station. Now, the old Arding and Hobbs building has been recalled to life with a classy refit.
Debenhams... Allders... this Battersea landmark has flirted with several identities in recent decades, but it's always kept its original name of Arding and Hobbs. The Edwardian Baroque department store has commanded the corner of St John's Road and Lavender Hill since 1910. Its elegant, repetitive facade looks like an exercise in perspective drawing.
The early 20th century icon fell on hard times a few years ago, when the demise of Debenhams robbed it of its largest tenant. The building has sat largely empty ever since. Now, a major revamp has seen it bounce back as a mix of office space, members' club, gym and restaurants. We took a look inside... and on the roof.
Out of the ashes
Arding and Hobbs began life in 1876 as a humble draper's shop. The business grew quickly and soon expanded to become one of the largest home furnishings shops in the capital. Tragedy struck, however, just before Christmas 1909. An electric lamp was accidentally knocked over in one of the ground floor window displays. It sparked a fire, which quickly spread among the shop's flammable wares. The Daily Express gave the following account:
Suddenly, swifter than it has ever before happened in the history of fires, this picture was changed from one of peace into one of panic, for in a few moments that great store — the Whiteley of South London — was a furnace of raging flame and a smother of smoke.
Nine people lost their lives in the blaze, many of whom had leaped from upper floors to escape the smoke. A tenth person died in an accident during subsequent clearance of the site.
The building was utterly gutted, and it was feared that the company would not recover. Incredibly, Arding and Hobbs were trading within weeks, after taking out a lease on an adjacent building and acquiring entirely new stock. Rebuilding on the old site began almost immediately, to the designs of JS Gibson, an architect most noted for his later Middlesex Guildhall. According to one press report, the project was given a small financial boost when a cache of sovereign coins was found in the rubble of the old building, melted together into golden nuggets. Don't tell the Lavender Hill Mob.
Remarkably, given the size of the edifice (five acres of floor space), the new premises was built within nine months. Arding and Hobbs was back on its old site, in a much expanded store, less than a year after the old building had burned down. 115 years later, it's looking better than ever after a major refit. Let's step inside.
Old and new
The first things you notice are the curtains. The entrance lobby is thick with drapery, a deliberate nod to the site's origins. Warm and luxuriant, they bathe the ground floor in colour, a welcome change from the clinical white-and-grey lobbies of so many business premises. The building has lifts, of course, but most visitors will press straight ahead to the escalators, another design decision influenced by the department store past.
The biggest change to the building is its crown. A timber-framed 'pavilion' now sits on top of the building. Its two-storey structure is radical when viewed up close from the roof terrace, yet it blends in subtly when viewed from ground level. Its bumps and dips sit comfortably behind the baroque-style clock tower. Did you even notice it in the photograph at the top of this article?
The building is greatly altered from its Debenhams days, but much has also been restored to former glory. This is most apparent inside the members' club, on the top floor of the original building. A former ballroom turned cafeteria, and now bar-restaurant, the space boasts a stained glass dome and a separate barrel-roof, also with coloured glass. For reasons impossible to fathom, this latter feature had been painted over by previous owners. The layers of white paint have now been removed — using, I'm told, vinegar, toothbrushes, and many hours of careful scrubbing — and the glass is once more on display.
This respect for the past is mirrored throughout the building. Wherever possible, the remodelling has preserved the site's Edwardian features, from decorative plaster moulding to original tiling and handrails in the stairwells. An old shuttered lift has also been retained, although it is no longer operational.
In stark contrast to its timber crown and delicate glasswork the building also contains a number of sturdy, industrial-looking steel doors. These, too, are original features. Following the devastating fire, the new premises was fitted with these mighty fire doors, which would slow the spread of flames and smoke. They've been retained in the refit, and are painted in hues to match the drapery on the ground floor.
Open for business(es)
The one thing that could not be preserved is the site's use as a department store. The retail malaise affecting most of Britain's high streets would make such a venture unviable in the 2020s. Instead, the building is now divided up into separate areas, through the efforts of developer W.RE and architects Stiff + Trevillion.
The roof pavilion and most of the interior is now given over to office space, including lots of room for small businesses and co-working. A podcasting suite is also in the works. Meanwhile, the swanky members club occupies the grandest rooms. Its membership list is already full. Back down to earth, and the ground floor supports a number of more-public spaces, including an Italian deli (Prezzemolo & Vitale), a bar/restaurant (Botanica Hall), and an exceptionally large gym (Third Space).
Retail hasn't quite left the building. Clothes shop TK Maxx on St John's Road carried on trading throughout the renovations. They remain on site today.
Change is inevitable. It has always been part of this site, which has seen tragedy, renewal, and the coming and going of three major retail groups. This new overhaul is the most radical change for the building since the 1910 rebuild. However, the developers do share one thing in common with their Edwardian predecessors. They, too, uncovered forgotten treasures when clearing the building. Not golden sovereigns this time, alas, but £1 million-worth of Debenhams vouchers, totally forgotten and locked in a strong room.
This historic building has now been redeemed, even if the coupons never will be.
