Category Archives: Local history

John Archer, Battersea’s groundbreaking mayor, may be honoured with a statue on Lavender Hill

It’s surprising how little we talk about John Archer. Born in Liverpool, he and his Canadian wife moved to Battersea in 1890 when he was about 30. He was clearly an industrious gentleman, with myriad jobs over the years including … Continue reading

Posted in Local history, Politics | 3 Comments

A couple of vintage signs on Lavender Hill

Building works have exposed a couple of original signs on lavender Hill – Duke’s Dry Cleaners (which has been undergoing internal works for a while) recently had th esign removed, top reveal the long-lost R&J Cleaners.  This hand-painted sign looks … Continue reading

Posted in Curiosities, Environment, Local history | Leave a comment

Is major redevelopment ahead at Asda on Lavender Hill – and at Clapham Junction station?…

Update: The proposed Sainsbury’s / Asda merger was blocked by the Government’s competition watchdog.  It’s likely that the impact in places like Clapham Junction was one of the key reasons behind this!  But the changes at the station are very … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Environment, Local history, Planning, Politics, Retail, Transport | 2 Comments