The former BBs - 53 Hampton Road

Regular contributor, Peter Williams, examines the story of the former BBs, 53 Hampton Road, as part of his irregular series of articles on unusual houses in Forest Gate, and wonders why the once-famous venue can't have its signature BB name etched on the white plaque as it had traditionally been, between the first and ground floors (see below).

The former BBs today - a mixture of 2,3 and 4 bed flats

The property has recently undergone a substantial refurbishment and now comprises very up-market, self-contained flats, with asking rents in the region of £3k per month.

Like 23 Hampton, Peter's previous article in this series (see below), 53 Hampton stands out for its non-residential past within the very residential Woodgrange estate. The original developers of the estate - the Corbetts - insisted on very high standards of maintenance when they began construction 150 years ago, and placed many restrictive covenants on the purposes for which the accommodation could be used - effectively to bar commercial and industrial use of the properties.

An early 1900s photo of the very orderly Hampton Road. Far right, the estate office, ensuring high standards of residential accommodation were maintained

The estate was granted Conservation Area status by Newham Council fifty years ago, which has also severely restricted conversions of the houses for non-residential purposes since. The non-residential use of 53 Hampton occurred after the Corbetts ceased monitoring changes to the estate and before the Council focused on it as a Conservation Area.

The Moar family was probably the first occupants of the house. They were there at each census from 1881 until 1911. The head of the household was William, an Orkney-born shipping clerk. He and his wife, Hannah, along with their children and domestic servants, made up the list of residents for over 30 years.

There were no registered residents at the property in the 1921 census, which coincides with changes in the property's use, as indicated by its extended layout on the map below.

1930s OS map showing considerable garden extension to no 53 - two properties from the roundabout on the right of Hampton

The National Register of 1939 provides a clue as to what happened after World War 1. There were only two occupants of the house: William King, a retired shipping clerk and Mary Ann Smith, single, 67 years old and described as "caretaker to a dancing school".

Eastern Counties Times article of 18 October 1929 referencing the Elyssa School of Dancing at 53 Hampton

A 1932 book: Who's Who in Dancing stated that:

The Elyssa school of 53 Hampton Road opened in 1910 (ed: the date seems questionable). It had branches in Upminster, Ilford, Upton Park, Bow and Hanover St W1. ... Students are trained for the profession and for stage, with special attention to children's work.

The school was soon having an impact within the West Ham community, as indicated by this press report:

1 May 1937

It advertised its classes regularly in the local press:

West Ham and South Essex Mail - 3 May 1940

 

The school ran until the late 1960s, after which a number of attempts were made over the next two decades to get a change of usage for the property from Newham Council, for flats, to turn it into a place of worship, etc. 

The final attempt was to change the use to "a cultural community and education centre for the Irish community" in 1986. Like all the previous applications, this, too, was rejected. 

A company called Testnow was run from there in  the early 1990s and was wound up under insolvency laws in 1995 - we have no further details of it:

London Gazette 1 September 1995

Soon afterwards the premises became the home of Belford Butler, a former chef at Montego Bay airport who later worked in the kitchens of Forest Gate Community School.

Belford Butler, at the bar

He rebranded the place as BBs, turning it into a music venue for the Afro-Caribbean community, where reggae, dominoes, and Caribbean food featured prominently.

The sign between upstairs and downstairs window, showing the premises to be BBs

He later extended its range to include jazz and offered the venue as a launchpad for local bands. The venue had a small bar and lively audiences. Regular attendees spoke highly of the mix of good music and excellent Afro-Caribbean food that Butler had prepared. They said it was like a house party, but with smoking strictly forbidden.

Flyer for a gig at BBs

Butler was declared bankrupt in 2004 and died four years later:

The building was subsequently leased by a church and then became semi-dormant for much of the time until two years ago when it was taken over by developers and turned into a number of 2,3 and 4 bedroom flats.

Footnote:

We are grateful to a project called Sound Waves: Music in Newham (see here) for some of the material on BBs. There is a QR code on a notice strung to a lamp post opposite 53, which, downloaded, will provide an interesting 4-minute video about the house's period as BBs.

This excellent project has identified a large number of music-related venues in Newham and provides details of them, some via interviews with people associated with, or who have recollections of them, which can be accessed via their website. For details, see here. It is anxious to record more recollections of the locations featured and would be delighted to hear from you if you would like to contribute.

It has also published a short book outlining and summarising its project, with in-depth looks at four venues, including Forest Gate's Lotus Club (see here for our take on the club) and the nearby, now-closed Ruskin Arms. The book can be bought either directly from the project or from our friends at the Newham Bookshop.