Conservation & Heritage Issue 50 Winter 2025/Spring 2026 - Flipbook - Page 6
How Stiff+Trevillion
Tr ansformed the Historic
Arding & Hobbs Building
Arding & Hobbs represents a mixed-use restoration of a disused Grade-II listed 19thcentury landmark department store in Clapham Junction, revitalising a historic
streetscape and activating the street level with brand-new amenities for the public.
Arding & Hobbs started life in 1876 as the Falcon Road
Drapery Store, named after the Falcon Brook, one of
London’s ‘lost rivers’ which flows beneath the street on which
the building is located. The original store was destroyed by
fire in 1909, which saw 30 people hospitalised and killed
eight. Such was the devastation the fire was reported as
far afield as the Sydney Herald. The repercussions of the
conflagration were significant as they lead to a new regime
of fire safety regulations that sought to control fire spread in
large buildings.
stone aperture detailing, pilasters and cornicing, culminating
in the corner stone and glass cupola.
Arding & Hobbs was rebuilt and reopened for business in
1910, designed by Gibson, Skipwith and Gordon in the
Edwardian Baroque style. It is a fine building. The prominent
corner site is articulated with an elaborate cupola that makes
a sophisticated formal gesture to its pivotal corner site on one
of South London’s main junctions. The lower two floors are
characterised by elaborate dark steel windows with an arch
motif, above which are a further two floors of red brick with
Working with architects Stiff+Trevillion, W.RE peeled away
decades of retail fixtures and fittings to expose original
features such as brick and stone walls, a spectacular stainedglass dome and a large barrel-vaulted stained-glass roof,
which had been concealed by many layers of paint. The glass
roof alone took three weeks for conservationists to restore by
hand using toothbrushes and vinegar.
The iconic Grade II listed department store, had served as a
focal point for the neighbourhood until falling into disrepair
with the liquidation of Debenhams in 2020. Recognising
the historic building’s value to the community, developer
W.RE has restored and expanded it, introducing a highquality, inspirational workspace for around 1000 people, and
breathing new life into this cherished landmark.
Below, rooftop view from Arding & Hobbs at night,
photography by Richard Chivers
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
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