Description and History of Site:-
James Smith & Sons Ltd's builders offices and depot - the Carmichael Road frontage, described by Derek Bayliss (GLIAS Newsletter 66) as 'a prestige facade in public house classical design', has the lettering James Smith & Sons Ltd over the door - four large polished granite columns at ground floor level, eight smaller ones at first floor level, and polished granite window surrounds.

The firm had its own railway siding at the rear. The south wall, and the west wall insofar as it can be glimpsed from passing trains, are entirely functional!

The property is now owned by Junction Works Estates. The firm came here from the High Street in the mid 1880s (Info. ex. Derek Bayliss.)

John Corbet Anderson (1898) records that the firm was established in South Norwood in 1859, and (in the 1890s) employed 'upwards of four hundred men.' Their 'large premises, situate by the side of the railway, embrace first-rate steam joinery-works and saw-mills, capacious workshops, and every requisite for the production of good work.'
The following Croydon buildings are attributed to the firm:

London & County Bank (George Street), Croydon Gas Company's offices (Katharine Street), Messrs. Pelton's and Messrs. Grants premises (Croydon High Street), a 'fine block of business premises opposite St. Matthew's Church (George Street)', and 'the imposing range of buildings with terra-cotta front, facing the end of Katharine Street' (ie the west side of Croydon High Street.) Also South Norwood's first public baths (Birchanger Road.) Buildings outside Croydon include the Memorial Church (Malvern Link); Emmanuel Church (Eastbourne); All Saints' Church (Peckham); the Convent at Chiswick; and the 'vast' Union House at Bromley.

They also built schools (designed by Charles Bell ARIBA) for the Croydon School Board on the Limes Estate at Sydenham Road, Croydon, about 1881.

An article in the Croydon Advertiser, 11 December 1959, marking the firm's centenary describes it at that time as 'quietly prospering as a property holding company.' The firm had built the Imperial Ice Rink at Brighton Road (qv), later (from c. 1950) the Orchid Ballroom (qv) of which they became the owners. There was for some years a large advertising hoarding for the Orchid Ballroom visible from trains passing the rear of the Carmichael Road premises.

By 1959 the company's Carmichael Road yard and workshops had been 'converted and leased out.'

Further works attributed to the firm (1959) are Kennards of Croydon (qv), the Imperial Ice Rink (qv) (later Orchid Ballroom) (qv), a range of commercial buildings (Jubilee Buildings, 1897, (qv) 'opposite St Matthew's Church, George Street'), and a chapel for St. Joseph's College (Beulah Hill.) Also an office in New Bond Street, the Imperial Hotel (Russell Square, including Turkish baths), City and West End contracts, and developments at Southend-on-Sea.

Management of the firm was taken over by four of James Smith's sons in 1887. The firm was incorporated as a limited company in 1899, when James Smith retired. LBSCR authorised the sealing of an agreement for a siding for the firm 23 January 1889 - the siding was built by LBSCR for the firm - substantially extended by order of the Board on 6 December 1899 - the siding was possibly initially provided in connection with the building of James Smith & Sons' premises, or perhaps immediately after the firm moved to this site [Information from LBSCR Board Minutes &c via Edward Hart 14/05/2003]

James Smith & Sons (Norwood) Ltd are listed as members in the London Master Builders Association's 1951 Handbook.

Further Reading and References:-
http://www.glias.org.uk/news/066news.html
http://www.glias.org.uk/news/208news.html#J

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Key Words :- offices

Address :- 72 Carmichael Road, South Norwood, London, Greater London, SE25
Grid Ref :- TQ 3401 6796
Co-ordinates :- Lat 51.394858 , Long -0.075169
Local Authority :- Croydon London Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Surrey
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Contributor :- Glias Database - 2 June 2018

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