This morning I turned a corner and was stopped in my tracks by the magnificent Cheviot House. I saw it from a distance for the first time last week and, once again, it was making the most of a weak winter sun. The night before, I'd been struggling to find much quality in the gigantic but brittle-looking City skyline a mile to the west, other than its sheer scale and The Gherkin.
Built for Kornberg & Segal textile merchants in 1937, Cheviot House sadly appears to stand empty after serving the local council for over 50 years. Demolition for new housing has been threatened but more positive proposals for community use have also been made. If it no longer has real value as commercial space, it could make wonderful social housing which is desperately needed in the area.
This article from the East London Advertiser is the most recent I can find on the current situation but I'd like to know more. I'm hoping the recently established East End Preservation Society (which I photographed at its launch) will have an interest so those of us who value a building like this can contribute to decisions on its future.