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St Leonard's Court

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Coordinates: 51°28′02″N 0°16′11″W / 51.46730°N 0.26975°W / 51.46730; -0.26975
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St Leonard's Court
Map
General information
TypeResidential block of flats
AddressPalmers Road, London SW14 7NG
Town or cityEast Sheen, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
CountryEngland
Coordinates51°28′02″N 0°16′11″W / 51.46730°N 0.26975°W / 51.46730; -0.26975
Construction started1934
Completed1938
Design and construction
Architect(s)F G Fox
Air raid shelter at St Leonard's Court
Entrance to the air raid shelter
LocationEast Sheen (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames), London SW14 7NG, England
Built1938–1941
Restoredongoing
Restored byThe Environment Trust; Mortlake with East Sheen Society; Barnes and Mortlake History Society, St Leonard’s Court Residents Association and Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameAir Raid Shelter
Designated29 October 2010
Reference no.1395422

St Leonard's Court is a four-storey block of flats on Palmers Road, off St Leonard's Road in East Sheen, London SW14 in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 0.2 miles from Mortlake railway station. It was constructed between 1934 and 1938[1] and is remarkable for its surviving underground air raid shelter, built in anticipation of the Second World War and now Grade II listed.[2]

Air raid shelter

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The shelter is beneath the raised central courtyard in front of the flats, under a grass lawn[3] which is surrounded by a hedge.[4] The entrance, above ground, is via a brick conical turret which has a tiled roof.[5][6] Steps lead down from inside the turret to the shelter below.[7]

The shelter was designed to hold 48 people[2] and, according to Habitats & Heritage, was built in 1938 and extended in 1941.[8] It has four rooms (two for men and two for women, separated by a central corridor) and a particularly well-preserved interior with some original fittings.[5][9][10] According to Historic England, it has some similarities to W. Braxton Sinclair's design of a sophisticated air raid shelter for flats at Queen's Gate, in South Kensington, London, which was published in The Builder in October 1938.[2]

In 2007 Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council rejected a planning application, which had been opposed by local residents and councillors,[11] to convert the shelter into two self-contained apartments. The Council's decision was upheld in 2008 on appeal.[12]

In 2010 Historic England listed the shelter at Grade II[2][13] and since then has identified it as a building at risk, in poor condition.[14] Habitats & Heritage is working with other local organisations (Mortlake with East Sheen Society, Barnes and Mortlake History Society, St Leonard’s Court Residents Association and Richmond Borough Council) to conserve the building for the benefit of the community and for use as an educational resource.[1][15][16][17] An interpretation board was installed in 2014.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Restoration Project: The Air-Raid Shelter at St Leonard's Court". Projects. Mortlake with East Sheen Society. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Historic England. "Air Raid Shelter (1395422)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  3. ^ Catford, Nick (14 January 2010). "East Sheen Air Raid Shelter". Reports. Subterranea Britannica. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Photos of site and surroundings (1)" (PDF). Planning application number: 06/1925/FUL. London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2016.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ a b "St Leonards Air Raid Shelter, East Sheen". Open House London. September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Did you know Sheen has an air raid shelter?". News. East Sheen Village. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Photos of site and surroundings (2)" (PDF). Planning application number: 06/1925/FUL. London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2016.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Harman, Sophie (29 February 2016). "St Leonard's Court Air Raid Shelter Project Update". Historic Environment. The Environment Trust. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  9. ^ Fahy, Natalie (14 November 2007). "Historic air raid shelter is running out of time". Halesowen News. Halesowen, West Midlands. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  10. ^ Cooper, James (director) (31 May 2016). St. Leonards Air Raid Shelter: Pre-Restoration Film, April 2016 (video). East Sheen: The Environment Trust. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  11. ^ Wickham, Chris (10 August 2006). "Bunker should not be blitzed". This is Local London. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Planning application number: 06/1925/FUL". Planning. London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  13. ^ Fleming, Christine (15 May 2011). "An air raid shelter in Mortlake has been given Grade II listed building status following successful resident campaign". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Air Raid Shelter, St Leonard's Court, St Leonard's Road, East Sheen SW14 – Richmond upon Thames". Heritage at Risk. Historic England. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  15. ^ "St Leonards Air Raid Shelter". Historic Environment. The Environment Trust. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  16. ^ Odling, George (21 May 2015). "Air raid shelter in East Sheen almost back in action after restoration". Richmond Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  17. ^ Dyduch, Amy (27 May 2014). "Listed air raid shelter in East Sheen getting restoration for education". Richmond Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  18. ^ Harman, Sophie (2015). "Historic Buildings" (PDF). Annual Review 2014. Environment Trust. p. 13. Retrieved 16 September 2016.

Further reading

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