Scala Street is a street in the London Borough of Camden that runs between Charlotte Street and Whitfield Street. It was formerly known as Pitt Street but was renamed after the Scala Theatre when this occupied most of its north side.[1] The street's postcode is W1T 2HW.

Pollock's Toy Museum in Scala Street

The street is the location of Pollock's Toy Museum, which moved there in 1969 from its original premises in Monmouth Street.[2][3][4] The brown-brick building dates from around 1767 and is listed at grade II.[5]

Pitt Street edit

 

The street was developed as Pitt Street by the architect and speculative builder Jacob Leroux. He built residential housing on 17 plots with a frontage of 17 feet 9 inches and a depth of 40 feet. These were comparatively high density, not allowing space for the workshops required for artisanal use.[6]

Scala Street edit

The street was renamed after the Scala Theatre in 1937. In 1964, a scene in the movie, A Hard Day's Night, was shot in the street, in which the Beatles were shown arriving at the back entrance of the theatre and escaping fans by hiding in a canvas workman's hut. The theatre was demolished after a fire and the site is now occupied by a block called Scala House.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ J R Howard Roberts; Walter H Godfrey, eds. (1949), "Scala Street", Survey of London, vol. 21, the Parish of St Pancras Part 3: Tottenham Court Road and Neighbourhood, London, p. 37
  2. ^ "Pollock's Toy Museum - Randomness Guide to London (RGL)".
  3. ^ "Welcome to Pollock's Toy Museum". Archived from the original on 24 June 2015.
  4. ^ Ben Weinreb, Christopher Hibbert, ed. (1983). "Pollock's Toy Museum". The London Encyclopædia. Macmillan. p. 609. ISBN 0333300246.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Pollock's Toy Museum, 1, Scala Street (1245857)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  6. ^ Clarke, Linda (6 December 2012). Building Capitalism (Routledge Revivals): Historical Change and the Labour Process in the Production of Built Environment. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-59953-8.
  7. ^ Schreuders, Piet; Lewisohn, Mark; Smith, Adam (25 March 2008). Beatles London: The Ultimate Guide to Over 400 Beatles Sites in and Around London. Pavilion Books. ISBN 978-1-906032-26-5.

External links edit

  Media related to Scala Street, London at Wikimedia Commons 51°31′12″N 0°08′08″W / 51.52005°N 0.13559°W / 51.52005; -0.13559