Ideal land

sixthland posted a photo:

A former industrial site that has been there a very long time. 27-29 Mitcham Lane, SW16. A former joiner's yard on the corner of Ambleside Avenue, mid-to-late Victorian in character: stock brick, arched workshop window, and a beam crane over the gate still bearing its load plate: "Not To Exceed 10 Cwts." (Half a ton).

The large arched window is typical of Victorian workshop construction; maximising natural light for detailed hand work.

The beam crane, with its wheel-operated pulley, was a yard tool rather than a production tool: for hoisting and manoeuvring heavy stock, probably seasoned timber arriving for the joiners who served the surrounding terraces as Streatham expanded rapidly in the second half of the nineteenth century.

The "Ideal Land - Acquired For Clients" sign on the gate has a certain unintentional candour. Planning permission was granted in 2024 to demolish the buildings and replace them with nine flats. Sad to see them go.