Sixteenth century planning loophole could save East End bar

Maps unearthed by architectural historian Robin Stummer, editor of Cornerstone Magazine, show that a small area surrounding the Light Bar, which was originally built to generate power for Liverpool Street Station, was once an independent district occupied by the Priory and Hospital of St Mary Spital. When the land was handed back to the Crown during the Reformation, the parish, or ‘liberty’, of Norton Folgate, as it was known, continued to be run as a distinct administrative district, answerable only to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral. Evidence suggests that this is still the case. If confirmed, this turn of events could throw yet another obstacle in the path of Sir Norman Foster’s plans for a mixed-use development on the site, which have already faced stiff opposition from over 6000 local residents anxious to see one of East London’s last and most intriguing industrial buildings saved for future generations.

‘The Light has been a pioneering symbol for the East End since the day it was built,’ said Heloise Brown, Conservation Adviser of the Victorian Society. ‘It has been lovingly conserved and converted by its current owner so that many of its original features survive. The sheer number of campaigners and the lengths to which people are going to try to save The Light prove how valued and popular the building is. It would be a tragedy to see it go.’

‘The Light’, 233 Shoreditch High Street was commissioned by the Great Eastern Railway and built in 1893 to generate electric light for Liverpool Street Station. It spans two railway tunnels and was designed to carry an impressive load with steel cross members, iron columns, concrete infills and timber making up its structure. Much of this still survived when, after decades of neglect, the Light was carefully converted into a bar by its current owner. Original features, including a travelling crane, were all carefully restored and kept in place in this, the only surviving building that provides a link with Shoreditch’s industrial past.