Then and Now: Ritzy/Brixton Theatre
Photographic comparisons of old and modern views of Lambeth



c. 1908 In this scene, you can see Coldharbour Lane and the Prince of Wales hotel (to the left) with the tower of the 1896 Brixton Theatre and part of the Tate Library on the right. A white sign to the far right advertises, 'The Little Vagabonds' at the Brixton Theatre, while a large billboard by Stimpson & Sons offers 'Freehold sites to be Sold or Let along Coldharbour Lane and Ardville Road' (now known as Rushcroft Road).
(pic: Lambeth Archives)



Dec 2003 Brixton theatre was flattened by a bomb during the blitz in November 1940, and is now replaced by the superb Ritzy Cinema. The Prince of Wales public house was rebuilt and extended when the building line was brought forward on Brixton Road, while the once-splendid Tate Gardens have been replaced by an uninspiring patch of grass and concrete.



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