A 1930s corner of Holloway
In 1938, the same year that Northview was signed off by the council, the Gaumont cinema opened, with a showing of The Hurricane starring Dorothy Lamour. The Gaumont is now the Odeon and is a listed building.
There is therefore a patch of 1930s architecture at the eastern end of Tufnell Park Road, providing strong group value and showing both continuation and constrast in styles. This has been recognised by a government planning inspector – see Northview news.
This appeared to be appreciated by phone company 02. When 02 used images of the Odeon for an advertising campaign giving the impression of cinema's golden age, Northview provided a fitting and appropriate background – it was neither substituted with anything else nor Photoshopped out. The angle taken in its adverts is approximately that shown on the right.
Front block has a sharper, more extrovert design than the rear block, providing an effective bridge in design between very contrasting styles of the flamboyant Holloway Odeon and the more gentle domestic architecture to the south of Northview's courtyard. Continuity is provided, for example, in architectural detailing such as ziggurats (see An enclave with deco features).
The contrasting styles of these three large structures work well together as a whole (see picture below), providing a glimpse of how the area must would have looked more than 70 years ago, when the first tenants prepared to move into modern, light flats, with deco motifs and constant hot water – and the latest in entertainment across the road.
While there are other distinctive 1930s buildings in Holloway, this is the only obvious cluster of deco buildings in very different styles that work together to create a lot of visual interest in such a complementary fashion.
Northview itself and in combination with its exuberant deco neighbour comprises an entity that is important in both architectural and historic terms, making a significant contribution to local character and distinctiveness.
Home: Northview – a rare survivor of its time
Northview’s architecture – an enclave with deco features
A 1930s corner of Holloway – group value
Buildings at risk – neglect at Northview
Archive: New threat to 1930s oasis
Archive: It started with a Nissen hut … stop architectural vandalism