Has anyone else noticed this house in waterloo?

London has seen a whirlwind of change over the past century, with the city's landscape transforming at an increasingly rapid pace. A visitor from just 30 years ago would struggle to recognise the metropolis today, let alone someone who resided here a century ago.

Yet, amidst all the demolitions and redevelopment projects, some fragments of old London persist, clinging on until they are finally recognised as listed heritage sites. This is the story of one such survivor, an old townhouse near Waterloo station in Lambeth, South London.

Nestled between the tracks that connect Charing Cross and Waterloo East, at the roundabout junction where Waterloo Bridge and Hungerford Bridge intersect, stands a solitary house. It appears somewhat out of place, the lone survivor of an old London street that was entirely demolished to make way for the railway line connecting the two banks of the River Thames.

https://preview.redd.it/0mgmql8mijie1.jpg?width=810&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a4331fa9344556e96878588d4e64042059af37c

While its neighbours were razed, 5 Whichcote Street was mysteriously spared. Today, Whichcote Street is no more, replaced by Tenison Way, a side road running parallel to Waterloo Road.

Back when Whichcote Street existed, this house was the fifth on the street, hence its current name. The houses numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 Whichcote Street weren't so fortunate.

However, this early 19th-century cottage is struggling to keep up with the hustle and bustle of 21st-century life. Sandwiched between a bustling multilevel roundabout and a railway viaduct just outside its back garden, it's far from peaceful.

With a bus stop right outside and the Jubilee line running almost directly beneath, there's likely a fair bit of shaking going on. To its left, a large drum-like structure serves as an air vent for the London Underground tunnels below.

The two-storey building, complete with a sunk basement, is constructed from stock brick and features a parapet front. It has just three windows and a boot-scraper in the wall next to its four-panel door.

Today, the building holds Grade II-listed status, having been listed in 1981 and thus joining the ranks of London's protected historical landmarks. Currently, the house is utilised by the landlord of the Hole in the Wall pub, located on the other side of the railway viaduct.

While not open to the public, the building can be easily admired from the outside – it's fascinating to imagine all the Londoners who have lived within it's walls over the years.

https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/south-london-street-lonely-old-30947277