The 1928 Thames Flood

On the 6th January 1928 the overflow of the river Thames burst the river wall near Lambeth Bridge. What is now Millbank was then Grosvenor Rd and the murky water rushed through the narrow streets that led from the river, gushing though the century old tenements. Such was the force of the flood that large areas of London were affected along the river to Deptford causing up to 5000 people to become homeless according to press reports of the day.  A total of 14 people lost their life, many lived in the immediate vicinity of Lambeth Bridge around Grosvenor Road, Vincent Street and Horseferry Road.

The area of Westminster between Grosvenor Road, Horseferry Road, Marsham Street, Page Street and Vincent Street was severely affected.  The Ministry of Health estimated that 604 families lived in the area before the flood; and after the flood over 500 families needed to be rehoused. The Tate Gallery, now Tate Britain, was flooded to such an extent that water rose to between 5-8 feet in the lower galleries and 18 valuable works were lost.

3 of the 14 lost lives

Historically the area was known as Tothill Fields and is shown on John Roque's map of 1746. The early 19th century housing appears to have had been built on low lying marshland adding to the vulnerability of the residents in 1928, many of the fatalities of the flood had been residents living in houses built almost a hundred years earlier.  The impact of the flood was profound. A major slum clearance, re-housing and re-building plan was undertaken over the next few years to create some of the most iconic buildings in the area including Thames House (now MI5) and ICI. A new Westminster Hospital and Nurses Home in Horseferry Road was opened in 1939 (and closed 1994).

 A new Lambeth Bridge was built, new roads constructed including the widening of the river embankment and the creation of Millbank.  The cleared land made way for the building of Lutyen's iconic chequerboard flats.  To see the area now it is hard to imagine such a terrible tragedy could have led to the development of the area's landmark 1930s buildings including Horseferry House, now the headquarters of Burberry in Horseferry Road. 

[ newspaper images courtesy of The Daily Mirror]

 

Page Street, The Ice Club Westminster

Before the 1928 Thames flood brought about a flurry of new roadworks and modernisation, Page Street ran between Regency Street <towards Victoria> and Grosvenor Road at the river embankment <now Millbank>. Marsham Street and Johnson Street intersected with Page Street. In 1927 the rows of decaying tenements, stables and cottages along Page Street were certainly at odds with ambitious plans to open The Ice Club, London's first ice skating rink to open since World War 1.  With an entrance on Johnson Street (now John Islip Street), and only minutes from the Page Street cottages, The Ice Club was opened as a private members club on January 14th 1927 and was an instant hit. It hosted glamorous society events, people entertained in the dining room and the members bar and it prompted a new craze in skating that had not been seen in England before. The opening night was reported around the world. The Ottawa Citizen Feb 12th 1927 reported that The Ice Club was beseiged on the opening night when hundreds of people were turned away and some used ladders to view the skating over the crowds. The line of motor cars stretched along Millbank to St Stephens and dozens of people dressed in evening wear got out and walked in the rain leaving their chauffers to drive home. The Ice Club was established by the philanthropist Sir Stephen Courtauld, one of the Courtauld textiles family and brother of Samuel who founded the Courtauld Institute of Art, but it closed in 1939 at the start of the war. The indoor ice rink was 175 feet long by 100 feet wide and was built using the most advanced
technology of the day.
The land was leased from Westminster Council for 99 years. Sadly there is no reminder of this once glamorous past and no part of the building survives. On the site today is the Westminster Hilton DoubleTree hotel and building works for Cleland House, once a government office and now the new Berkeley Homes luxury residential development, Abell & Cleland. Further along John Islip Street it becomes Dean Ryle Street and on the corner of Horseferry Road is the head office of Burberry.

Page Street, the 1928 Thames flood and Sir Edwin Lutyens

We love the 1930s Grade II listed ‘chequerboard’ flats in Page Street, Westminster. They have had an illustrious history. Long before the Thames flood barrier was erected in 1982 the flooding of the River Thames around the Lambeth Bridge embankment on 7th January 1928 caused the tragic death of many local residents. Trapped in the squalid windowless basements of overcrowded early 19th century tenements in Page Street and the surrounding area, the residents drowned as flood waters rushed in. Local politicians were shocked by the appalling living conditions only a few minutes from the heart of the political establishment, The Palace of Westminster.

 Soon after the floods subsided the Mayor of the City of Westminster contacted the landowner, Hugh Grosvenor, the 2nd Duke of Westminster, to seek a solution to the displacement of hundreds of families in the streets covering the area between Horseferry Road, Page Street and Vincent Street, crossing the old brewery site on Marsham Street and Earl Street.  In an act of generosity hard to imagine today the 2nd Duke of Westminster agreed to lease the land to the council for 995 years for the sum of one shilling per year in order to provide proper housing for the working classes on the estate. He also agreed to contribute £113,650 towards the cost of capital and £40,000 more for expenses. It took a Private Act of Parliament (as opposed to the usual Housing Act) known as the Westminster City (Millbank) Improvement Act [1929] to establish the Grosvenor Housing Estate, 7 blocks situated on Page and Vincent Streets containing 600 dwellings.

Adding celebrity to the project was the commission of renown architect Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens.  Lutyens’ modernist design with its grey brick and white render facade, carved stone escutcheons, shops, courtyards and galleried walkways stand just as proud today.  They are a symbol of mighty resilience.
 [postcode  reference SW1P]