Robert Dashwood Way
- B1 - Business
- B8 - Storage or distribution
- Secondary street
- Public
Key dates
1963
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was built on a brick viaduct with a station at Elephant and Castle. The site adjacent to the railway was used as a coal depot for British Rail.
1970
HMSO printing works occupied the site. A street was created in-between the factory and the railway which operated as a business park. It was named after Sir Robert Dashwood a conservative politician born in 1662. The arches were predominately occupied by industrial and commercial businesses.
2005
Two large residential developments (South Central East, 2005 and The Printworks, 2007) were built on the vacant HMSO site causing tension between businesses in the arches and residents over noise, street congestion, privacy and rights to light.
Axonometric Drawing
- Adding floor
- Subdividing
- Individual access
Operational Diagram
- Ownership
- Management
- Occupation
Architectural Plans
Robert Dashwood Way is the southern continuation of Spare Street, running south along the east side of the railway viaduct. These arches, occupied by light and supply industries, are located close to newly built flats on the site opposite the street. Since the flats were completed, there have been ongoing tensions between the tenants of the arches and the residents over noise and street congestion.
These arches house different types of services, which vary in terms of spatial and social requirements. Some of them serve clients and regular users directly such as a car-wash, café, or mechanics, with others used predominately for storage. The use of the street for loading, unloading or parking has been regulated.
These light industries do not rely on the footfall of passers-by and therefore do not need signs or other physical indications to display their work. Their inward-looking configuration does not seek to establish any relationship with the public realm.
Some of these businesses expanded to multiple arches, as an alternative to adapt the business with the physical space, while others changed the indoor layout by adding a mezzanine or shelf racking.