05 Feb 10 facts you didn’t know about Streatham
- Streatham means ‘the hamlet on the street’. In this case, the ‘street’ was the Roman road leading from Londinium (London) to Portslade (Brighton and Hove).
- Streatham appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. Despite its ominous title, the book is simply a list of English settlements compiled by William the Conqueror in 1085. Streatham was known as ‘Estreham’ during this time.
- Streatham Hill railway station was the first of the 3 stations to open in 1856, meaning it’s now over 160 years old! No wonder Southern gave it a new lick of paint last year. The other two overground stations in Streatham opened within the next 15 years, so the area has been well-serviced by trains for over a century.
- The UK’s first supermarket (an Express Dairies Premier Supermarket) chose Streatham as the location to first open its doors in 1951. Waitrose followed suit a few years later and opened their very first shop in Streatham in 1955.
- Streatham High Road is the longest high street in Europe. Ok, you might have known this one because we have banners proudly displaying this fact up and down its length! But it’s a pretty good claim to fame so it’s a good one to remember. And who knows, it might come up in a pub quiz one day soon.
- In September 2002, Streatham High Road was voted ‘The Worst Street in Britain’ in a poll by the BBC’s Today Programme. Ok this isn’t such a great fact, but is it wrong to be a little proud? Whichever way you look at it, we were the best at something. Turns out it was a great thing for Streatham because it triggered lots of investment in repaving and renovating the area into something to be much more proud of. It’s just a shame we still get so much traffic.
- Supermodel Naomi Campbell was born and raised in Streatham and went to school at Dunraven. There are also a whole host of famous people who had their roots in Streatham – too many to list here so read our blog on Streatham’s forgotten people.
- Streatham Common Kite Day has been running for 20 years and attracts the best kite demonstrators in the UK. Bristol has its hot air balloons but we have our kites! It’s a free community event that includes food, drink and community stalls – fun for all the family. Streatham Common Kite Day 2019 will be held on Sunday 12th May from 11:00 to 17:00.
- We have two award-winning pizzerias in our midst. If you haven’t tried them yet – seriously, what have you been doing? They’re both fantastic, family-run, outstanding pizzerias who give top-notch service and affordable prices. Read our blog on Addomme and Bravi Ragazzi here.
- London’s only Olympic-sized ice rink sits in our very own Streatham Ice & Leisure centre. It’s also the current training facility for GBR ice dance duo Rebecca Clarke & Theodore Alexander.
So there you have it – 10 facts about Streatham. How many of these did you know?
Mark Bery
Posted at 11:27h, 07 FebruaryGreat stuff – probably loads that could be included such as Pratts and the two commons and the West End of the south – well done
Michael
Posted at 12:28h, 06 JuneI have lived in this general area for 7+ years now and there was plenty here I did not know about. Thank you for another informative article. Big love to Streatham!
GEOFF SILLETT
Posted at 01:10h, 15 MayWhere’s the third railway station. I only know of two. Streatham Hill and Streatham Common ?
mystreatham
Posted at 13:45h, 15 MayThere’s Streatham Hill, Streatham and Streatham Common. There’s also Tulse Hill in close proximity to the part of Streatham where I’m based, in fact it’s close for me to walk ten mins to Tule Hill than it is to Streatham Hill station, so we are generally well served by trains.
Stewart Dominicus
Posted at 15:25h, 03 FebruaryWhat was the name of the Jewellary Manufacturer that used to be in Streatham? The old building is now flats.
A Samji
Posted at 11:56h, 18 MarchWhen did some roads, such as Becmead Avenue, become part of Lambeth (previously Wandsworth)? Why did the change take place and what other roads also changed hands?
Gary Shearin
Posted at 14:27h, 20 SeptemberConfusion is cause because Streatham Station is actually nearer to the Common than Streatham Common Station is. This is because Streatham Common Station was originally called Greyhound Lane Station, until a horrific train crash, with many fatalities, in 1863 was widely reported and read about nationally as the “Streatham Common Train crash” because people We’re more likely to have heard of Streatham Common than Greyhound Lane. The name stuck and eventually the station was renamed Streatham Common Station instead of Greyhound Lane Station, even though it is further from the Common than Streatham Station.