Stamford Street is a street in Lambeth and Southwark, London, England, just south of the River Thames. It runs between Waterloo Road to the west and Blackfriars Road to the east. It forms part of the A3200.
The street has a wide variety of buildings. There are two large Georgian terraces, a school and the entrance to a chapel from the 1820s; a Victorian bank and hotel; an Edwardian hospital now used for student accommodation; early 20th century industrial buildings now forming the Waterloo campus of King's College London; office buildings from the 1930s and 70s; housing co-operatives from the 1980s and 90s; and a 21st-century residential tower with a second one under construction.
At the western end, in the middle of a large roundabout, is the British Film Institute London IMAX Cinema.
History
The eastern end from Blackfriars Road to No. 40 (i.e. as far as the bend opposite Dorset House) was built c1790, with open gardens or fields to the west. The continuation westward to Broadwall was added c1803, and known as Upper Stamford Street. The extension from Broadwall to Waterloo Road was made in 1815 as part of the approach to Waterloo Bridge. In 1868 Upper Stamford Street was incorporated with Stamford Street and re-numbered.
At this time the Bankside area was a centre for hat-making. There were 7 hat-makers in Stamford Street in 1882. These are now commemorated only by the street Hatfields and the Mad Hatter Hotel.
Most of the original houses of Stamford Street were demolished in the early 1900s and replaced with industrial buildings. During World War II the area suffered bomb damage, but Stamford Street was by-passed by post-war development of the South Bank.
In 1977 a developer announced plans to build offices and Europe's tallest hotel on eight largely derelict sites around Coin Street. The Coin Street Action Group was set up to develop community-led alternative plans. The Greater London Council owned half of the land and blocked the development, selling the site to Coin Street Community Builders in 1984, with the aim of making the area a better place to live, work and visit by creating a mix of uses. Between 1984 and 1988 derelict buildings were demolished, housing co-operatives were built, and a new park was created between Stamford Street and the riverside.
Buildings
South Side
Starts at: Blackfriars Road
1 Stamford Street - a Grade II listed 4-storey commercial building, built c1870 in red brick with stone dressings. It was previously a bank, converted to offices in 2018.
The Mad Hatter Hotel, 3-7 Stamford Street - a Grade II listed 4-storey hotel and public house, built c1875 in stock brick with stone dressings and roof hidden behind a parapet. The site was formerly occupied by the hat maker Tress & Co.
Construction site, 18 Blackfriars Road - a development that will include a 53-storey residential tower, hotel and music venue facing Stamford Street. The tower, designed by Wilkinson Eyre, will appear as a series of stacked rectangular blocks, each orientated at slightly different angles to catch the light in different ways. Previously the site was occupied by Wakefield House.
Side street: Paris Gardens.
Dorset House, 27-45 Stamford Street - an 8-storey office building of rusticated stone, which curves to follow the road. It was built during 1931-33 for Iliffe & Sons, who printed periodical magazines. It was later occupied by IPC magazines. Current tenants include HM Revenue & Customs.
Crossing street: Hatfields
57 Stamford Street - an 8-storey apartment building built c2005. The entrance consists of the Grade II listed portico of a Unitarian Chapel, built in 1821. The chapel fell into disuse and the main body was demolished in 1964.
London Nautical School, 61 Stamford Street - a Grade II listed 3-storey school building built in 1820 in yellow stock brick with stone dressings. It was designed by James Mountague for the Benevolent Society of Saint Patrick, an educational charity for poor Irish children in London. The schoolrooms were planned as wings each side of a centre block containing committee rooms and living quarters for the master and mistress. An additional storey was built over each wing in 1909. In 1921 the property was bought by the London County Council for use as the Central Printing School. Since 1965 it has been occupied by the London Nautical School, a specialist sports and naval college.