Culture Magazine

Charles Herbert Tidman, Optician in Stockwell

By Janeslondon

I just pulled together a montage of some of the nice things I spotted in the Wandsworth and Vauxhall area last week, and added it to that post see here. Whilst doing that, I rediscovered a couple of pics I'd snapped from the top deck of that No.88 bus, just north of the Stockwell station junction.

Facing the street outside the house at No.247 South Lambeth Road I spotted what looked like railings at that resembled co-joined spectacle frames:

Charles Herbert Tidman, optician in Stockwell

Here's the view from checked on Google Streetview: 

Charles Herbert Tidman, optician in Stockwell
Charles Herbert Tidman, optician in Stockwell
A quick delve into the old street directories shows that an optician called Charles Herbert Tidman was here in 1939, though I have no other access to other info to find out when he might have had these marvelous railings installed.
My guess is that this was his home and workshop where he performed eye tests etc, and No.159 was the shop/showroom were customers could choose frames and make appointments. 

The Stockwell Partnership is at No.159 on the corner of Tradescant Rd today, complete with some interesting nature-inspired pavement mosaics – these two pics I photographed back in 2009:

Charles Herbert Tidman, optician in Stockwell

I wonder how many people in the Stockwell area walk past these things without noticing them...?  


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