It's a wrap! Marvellous metal in Greville Street by Groupwork + Amin Taha

I was wandering along Leather Lane becoming a bit despondent, thinking how this previously vibrant street market had completley lost its proper 'anything and everything you need' vibe as it was when I worked in the area in the early 1980s. I mused that it was still possible to buy a wide range of products here until the early 2000s. Then Covid-19 hit our street markets hard* and these days all you are likely to find here is street food, although I'd counter that buying a meal in a box that you need to sit down and eat with cutlery on a flat surface doesn't constitute street food. For instance, there are no stalls selling, bacon butties, bite-sized snacks, pretzels or pasties, never mind fried locusts on sticks. Anyway... I digress.

Memories of Leather Lane market got me thinking about the places and businesses that were in the Hatton Garden area in the early 1980s when I used to work for a small advertising agency in Bleeding Hart Yard – a name that almost people thought I'd made up – no need to swear love! I can't recall anyone back then talking about the bloody legend of the spurned lady which I only ever saw on a panel outside the wine bar in the corner of the yard. Today you can find a fuller explanation of that legend written on the windows of the pub at the corner of BHYard and Greville Street, as shown in pic above which is is a screen grab from Google dated 2020. It certainly wasn't a pub in the 1980s or else I'd have used it! A friend tells me it was a café back then, but I don't recall that. 

These days I am more interested in the building on the left side of that pic which, being a few years ago, shows a sample of what was to happen here, attached to the corner as a test piece. 

Here's what it looks like now... Well, it's marvellous. Amin Taha, the man who gave us these delights in Clerkenwell Green and Upper Street, has done it again!  

From a distance it looks like brick/stone. But on closer inspection, you'll see it's a mesh surround that allows light through to the main construction. So clever. Venture into BHYd to see how the details continue around the building. I'll leave it at that. Go see for yourself, or find out more here. 

I used to work in the building that's partially visible in the first picture, although these windows were part of my boss's office (I recall looking at lovely sunsets from here) – my drawing board/desk was on the room on the other side of the building, facing east.

*Markets – In 2011 I wrote about how London street markets were gradually diminishing. The big supermarkets offering a one-stop-shop, trollies and car parking, have been a major factor here, and I hear that youngsters are not keen to continue a stall-holding businesses when their costermonger parents retire. It's a shame. A someone who grew up in Romford with its huge bustling market, selling everything from apples and pears to records and puppies, I have fondness for stall-based shopping. 

The Grosvenor Cinema – Art Deco splendour inside The Zoroastrian Centre at Rayners Lane

The gorgeous Grosvenor Cinema cinema opened in October 1936, as part of the Gaumont chain, situated on Alexandra Avenue, a stone's throw from Rayners Lane tube station. Indeed, the whole area is an Art Deco fan's dreamworld being as it forms part of 1930's era Metroland. I first experienced the interior of this marvellous movie theatre during Open House Weekend in September 2016 as part of a guided tour. We heard all about the building and learned about the Zoarastrian faith. I really enjoyed ever aspect of the tour and I resolved to keep an eye out for an opportunity to revisit the building. 

In March this year I was delighted to be able to join other London Appreciation Society members for another guided tour.

As you enter the building from Alexandra Avenue you enter the foyer. This was originally designed as a sunken café area and the church still uses it as such. They had put out a lot of info boards for us to look at showing how the building and the local area had evolved through the decades and the pic above shows how this space looked back in 1986. I noticed that part of the geometric pattern in the metalwork that encloses this area looks like JL – perhaps I could use as my avatar!

The ceiling here is stunning:

Stairs at the front of the building, allow light from the street and lead you up to the auditorium...

...which brings you to the back of the circle and excellent view of the undulating ceiling, today spotted with modern ceiling lights and fans, although the original effect is not lost.

And here's a wide shot I took inside the auditorium back in 2016:

Find out more about the history of this cinema here where I've just noticed the main pic is practically same as mine!