Cholmeley Lodge, Art Deco residential building in Highgate, England
Cholmeley Lodge is a residential building from the 1930s in Highgate, London, made up of three curved concave blocks arranged in a stepped formation along Highgate Hill. The building rises six storeys and holds 48 apartments, with the rounded forms creating a continuous flowing outline when seen from the street.
The building was put up in 1934 by architect Guy Morgan on the site of the former Mermaid Inn, a long-standing local tavern that had been part of Highgate's life for centuries. The choice of that particular site connected a thoroughly modern design to a place already deep in the area's memory.
The smooth curved surfaces and horizontal bands across the facade reflect a style that was considered bold for residential buildings in the 1930s. Walking past, you can see how the rounded forms stand apart from the older brick houses on the same street.
The building sits on Highgate Hill and can be seen clearly from the pavement without needing to enter. Walking around the full curve of the blocks gives a better sense of the overall shape than viewing it from a single point.
Cholmeley Lodge was first designed for the seafront in Bournemouth, but local authorities there turned down the project as too modern. The rejection sent the design to London instead, which is why the building ended up on a north London hillside rather than by the sea.
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