Streatham ice rink opened its doors on 26th February 1931. It is the second oldest ice rink in the UK. Ice Dance gold-medallist and skating instructress Sylvia Coe meeting some young skaters (1966).
The local paper ran the headline "Don't go to Switzerland: Come to Streatham." More than 3,000 people attended the opening. Angela Hearne skating during a children's session (1956).
All English ice rinks closed during WWII. Streatham's was used for food storage and did not reopen until 1946. The BBC televising an ice hockey match between England and the USA in 1947.
The rink was designed by Robert Cromie, who had made his name designing cinemas. The interior was 'a kind of kaleidoscopic scheme... in a series of interwoven patterns'. Friendly ice hockey match between Streatham and Canada in 1951.
Many celebrities have visited the ice rink because it is a popular location for films and adverts. Cliff Richard and guitarist Hank Marvin of the Shadows take skating lessons from Leslie Norfolk in 1968.
The rink was closed in 1979 because of faulty equipment. It reopened a year later following a local campaign and £1m repairs. American figure skater Dorothy Hamill at Streatham ice rink in 1975.
The ice rink's history also has a darker side. In February 2007, James Andre Smartt-Ford, 16, was shot dead at the venue on a busy Saturday night.
Streatham ice rink is now being temporarily relocated to Brixton so that a new multi-million pound leisure and shopping complex can be built on the site.
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