My Very Own Italian Summer

Having recently begun working for an architectural practise within the colourful expanse of the South Croydon cafe and restaurant district, it was only natural that I found myself spending cycle rides to and from work being distracted by the animated streetscape and lunch times being occupied with wondering the local area with colleagues in search of places to eat and drink. Needless to say, it has not taken me long to decipher that what I am enjoying most about the local area is the predominantly independent community that exists here, both the people and businesses. The constant flow of vans unloading their goods and buses unloading their people makes for an energetic local urban environment helping the street front and internal elements blend together into a welcoming urban theatre.

As well as a local convenience shop that sells Old Jamaica Ginger Beer, owned by a shop keeper willing to discuss at length with me the flaws in the England batting line up, I have more importantly discovered an amazingly authentic Italian delicatessen. Nestled on the corner of the roundabout that joins Croham Road and Selsdon Road this small deli houses all the character and charm of Italy one can expect to find in the suburban plains of South Croydon, and on a daily basis one can expect to peer in through the windows of this cosy place and see the few tables that are available filled with smiling faces and empty plates.

Upon entering the Deli one is immediately welcomed by the immense wooden detailing of the interior from the floor and furniture, to the trimming finishes that detail the endless shelving filled with all kinds of tempting Italian style treats, such as the panettones that are intriguingly hung from high flying wires. Yet with a floor space of what can only be around 4m by 4m one could easily be forgiven for passing by this place in order to find somewhere more spacious or convenient. The reality is that the atmosphere created from this small internal space is wonderfully familiar, you can comfortably take a seat and enjoy a cup of strong coffee whilst being watched over by the library like shelving and imagine you are back home sitting in your favourite arm chair. The smells of roasting coffee and dressed olives are strong is the deli and I am reminded of the rarity of effective small spaces like this one.

My experience with the architecture of this South Croydon Deli has left me wondering what other small spaces lie primarily undiscovered in our town, and I certainly know I will looking out a lot more closely for these types of spaces in the future. I guess it shows you should never judge a panettone by its box.

tW

Matthews Yard, The Last Craftsman

I walk into Matthew’s Yard from the biting October cold with my cycling hat still firmly in place, a habit I have enforced upon myself since my girlfriend made it perfectly clear that it made me look like an idiot, but I love it so the hat stays. Tea bought and a seat found, I finally remove the hat and nervously open my sketchbook. As well as the architecture blog, this is another fragment of my life that I have neglected over the last six months and, as a result, have forced myself recently to correct that failing.

It also turns out that I have not been back to Matthew’s Yard since the bustling grand opening back in April, and although the general layout remains roughly the same as when I last saw it, all the animated and distinctive character that I got a glimpse of on that night has now thoroughly embedded itself within the internal space. Sitting comfortably in the large cafe space one can observe straight away that by making both resourceful and aesthetic use of materials at their simplest form the tactile experience of Matthew’s Yard has been made to feel very homely. By resisting the urge to completely clad every wall, and paint every soffit, the building’s age and beauty is allowed to intertwine with the fresh furniture and industrial fittings that have been employed throughout the space.

The bar is undoubtedly the golden lamp in the room, a vast ten metre pleasantly crafted wooden mass that stands as a foundation for the many pieces of equipment that steam, bang and hiss as they produce their many cups of coffee and other delights. To further add to the character of the bar is the fact that it was cut and erected on site, by hand, by one man. This kind of dedication to a single element of a new build is a rare thing to witness, especially with so many interior design products being available so easily and quickly that with just a few clicks of a mouse or pages turned of a catalogue you can fit out almost any space. However, inside Matthew's Yard you discover the opposite, finding yourself constantly entertained by the delights of such honest things as industrial light fittings, chalkboards and stripped timber flooring, all reminders of the many hands and minds who helped craft this space into what it is, a community hub.

For Matthew’s Yard, however, this kind of dedication and cooperation is not only built firmly into the architecture, but is all part and parcel of the overall operation. At almost any time of the day one can observe people from all walks of life who spend their time organising or socialising within the spaces that Matthew’s Yard has to offer, whether it is someone emailing their friends in far off places or a book club meeting. Being what could be the friendliest 'big' space in Croydon, people appear to treat this establishment as their second home. The precedent Matthew's Yard has set for rejuvenating disused spaces within Croydon is unparalleled, and clearly the straightforward idea of combining a relaxing social environment with a flexible working space has been wonderfully achieved. So surely more projects similar to this can and should begin to appear throughout Croydon, are not the urban and social benefits distinctly evident?

I am sure the lone worker who constructed the wooden bar had no idea about the important social and physical example he was laying down that day, but the fruits of his labour are clear to see and I can only hope it continues to influence the internal space and the new, inspired community that seems to be growing around it everyday.


tW

Black Sheep

In most peoples everyday blackbook of London, Croydon is known first and foremost for a few simple things; knife-crime, Allders and the Black Sheep bar. Crime, money and alcohol, quite an amazing Achilles heel combination of modern society when you take a step back from it. The knife-crime and Allders part however is ultimately down to ones personal opinion and mine being that I have yet to be stabbed, especially whilst in the death-maze that is the fragrance section of Allders, it is too big. However the Black Sheep bar nestled between corporate offices and a newsagent on the High St is well known by the propane fueled youth of South London and many travel throughout the week by train and the various night buses to soak their teenage angst in snake-bite and jagermeister.

We begin from the entrance doors, there is a bar at the front, three structural columns dividing the following space, then another bar and finally the toilets with trimmings of seating all up the left side and a raised platform with DJ booth on the right. The architecture of the Black Sheep is no doubt fascinating and when one begins to seriously consider the internal spaces and therefore the patterns of movement that are created one can begin to observe this as a reflection of the Black Sheep's elongated yet elementary layout. Flowering from this is a social Eden with each architectural aspect working together to allow for hubs of activity throughout the bar that in turn connect and flourish as the quantity of patrons increases. Almost everywhere in the Black Sheep has purpose you can stand anywhere and you will not feel disorientated, it is an amazing thing to have achieved, even if possibly by accident.

I strongly believe the Black Sheep would be a fascinating experience during the day with all its saucy lights on, a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair and a cup of coffee, because I am sure the space dictates differently during the vibrancy of the night. Perhaps the dark corners and crowds though is part and parcel of what makes the Black Sheep appealing, the fact that your spacial judgement and perspective is shrouded by these things and what lies in the depths is up to you alone. So maybe the whole ideology behind the Black Sheep both socially and architecturally is poetic and not prosaic, the idea that anything can be is the mystery and life of the space within.

A great deal of social and architectural changes have infected the Black Sheep bar over the years with many issues being bridged but just as many issues created, which makes guessing the future direction of the bar very difficult. Alas, like a limb being ripped off a movie villain the only suitable way I can see the bar finishing its life in Croydon would be reminiscent of a J.G.Ballard inspired chaotic blowout, the people as Vaughan and the architecture as the car.

tW

CR0 1NA

Once again we find ourselves at that time of year when the multiple bars of Croydon host the dreaded themed nights in the hope of raking in money from customers drowned in the eternal glee that is the pre and post Christmas season. The drinking culture in the UK has over the many years of its functioning inevitably generated a very competitive market amongst pubs, bars and clubs of which Croydon has seen the creation and deaths of many. Through the course of just a single year it is standard practice to witness at least two to three new drinking holes opening around Croydon and just as many closing, it seems the required combination of location, logic and luck to maintain a successful bar is not naturally acquired.

From the famous Black Sheep Bar to the lifeless Pop World the South end of Croydon High St hosts a lively street life with a wide selection of bars, yet one building has stubbornly refused to conform for many years now. Located under the Croydon flyover a single rigid black-box of a building currently known only by its postal code CR0 1NA has been the location of at least 4 major clubs over the last seven years; Somthing-pre-Escapade, Escapade, The Hub and Svelte. Each one welcoming you with open arms, promises of joy and enchanting cocktails but they all fracture and collapse eventually. No matter how many times businessman re-brand exactly the same building I fear this space is quite simply doomed to fail, for a success to be fashioned from this space a large architectural overhaul would be required.

Presently you are greeted at CR0 1NA with a very oppressive black paint smothered building, which only aids in disorientating the exterior space and imposing a strong characterless facade. This building could quite easily make a luxury electrical sub-station. However the skeleton is favorable, a small elongated bar upstairs facing onto the street and a much larger bar and dance area downstairs, the upstairs bar in theory would act as window shopping material providing free advertisement whilst the downstairs is the substance. Funnily enough all the business's utilised this set-up and all failed in some way or another, but the failure was always for other reasons. The most obvious example being The Hub's absolutely thoughtless and bait signage of monochrome half circles and aerial font, clearly masterminded by a businessman the signage only helped in completely repelling any custom that was considering going there.

Anyone can have their theories and plans for reinstating CR0 1NA but at the end of the day all it has produced so far is architecture with too much make-up on. Either this building can easily be saved by some make-up wipes and better integration to the street front; clearer and aesthetically pleasing lighting and visibility, or the curse of the CR0 1NA club is hopelessly unmanageable and we should accept the arrival of another restaurant and forget the buildings past architectural embarrassment.

tW