Visited with @Chloe Explores
We tried this place a little while ago but couldn’t find any access then saw it come up on Instagram so went back and found a way in.
A beautiful Art Deco building on a busy road that is awaiting demolition.
The ground floors are really dark and grimy which I suppose you expect for an old garage but we went purely to see the old ballroom on the top floor. It is most definitely taken over by pigeons up there, flying around from all directions and the piles of pigeon crap on the stage are magnificently grim. I’ve not seen anything like it.
There are other rooms up there that I’m not sure of the purpose of other than the lovely little kitchen area stuck in its time warp. There’s a lovely fireplace in one of the rooms that some idiot has graffitied over, the whole place has been heavily vandalised. Given how open to the elements it is the building itself is still quite sturdy and the floors aren’t too bad.
In all a nice explore and pleased to tick it off the list.
History -
I can only find some personal quotes from local people who recall their memories of the place which is quite nice...
”In 1964 I started work as an apprentice mechanic at Selsdon garage, which can just be seen at the start on the right of this photo. The main range of vehicles repaired was mostly BMC though we would work on all makes of cars, from Fords to Jaguar. There was about 6 mechanics, 1 forman and 2 apprentices.The garage was owned by a Mr Bailey and his two sons Jeff and Tony ran it. It was a very happy time and we all got on well together. As apprentices we would have to go and get the cakes for tea breaks and I can remember going to Montys bakers about 3 shops up, they used to do lovely jam donuts - they were quite dark and greasey and full of jam about a thosand calories a bite!
There used to be a ballroom above the garage and on the top floor at the back was some kind of homework unit that used to give buttons out to be painted at home.
I am sad that I never took a photo of the garage, the last time I saw it it was in disrepair and covered in graffiti. It should of been a listed building, I was sorry to see somewhere with such good memories looking so bad.
Im now retired in Broadstairs working as a mechanic for most of my life for Royal Mail in Margate, and purchased this photo to remember all my old friends at Selsdon garage!”
**************
“I worked as a salesman in the mid 90's when it was called Autotecnic which was owned my the a BMW franchise based on the Brighton Road in Croydon. Occasionally we would unlock the door to the dance floor upstairs and have a look around. It was in a very bad state up there but it was like stepping back in time, there were still signs saying cloakroom which had a 1940's font on the letters, it was very sad to see all that history just go to waste. I've not been back there in 20 years so not sure what has happened to the building now.”
**************
more can be found here http://www.francisfrith.com/uk/selsdon/selsdon-garage_memory-416931
From the local residents association newsletter:
”Selsdon Garage - 1940s and 50s
In the October Gazette BH wrote an interesting piece about some of his memories of Selsdon in the 1940s, during and after the war. He related how he used to go to the large room over Bailey’s Garage on Saturday mornings to watch cow boy films. So did I!
The hall above Selsdon Garage appeared in several guises over the years, each of which I have been to. During the war it was used as a restaurant. After the war, for a short period, a cinema. Next came a button business, which provided both me and my Mum with a bit of pocket money.
There were thousands of plastic moulded buttons – shirt buttons, coat buttons, dress buttons, large, small, different colours, etc. These all needed to be sorted and then sewn onto cards, six to a card. I helped my Mum (my pocket money!) to sort out her allocation of buttons, which she then sewed onto the cards.
The next and probably last use of the hall was as a ballroom and dance school, which I did not go to. I still have two left feet! What a shame that this classic, art deco building has been boarded up for many years and is just rotting away.
The Selsdon Garage was commonly called Bailey’s Garage after the family owners. When a boy who was in my class at Selsdon Primary, later left Selsdon Secondary he got a job as an apprentice mechanic at the garage and worked there for many years after. He did not have far to travel to work as he lived in one of the houses up on the bank opposite and overlooking Tudor Library. Having a job, he bought a lovely Italian racing bicycle. Later, wanting to buy a second hand car he sold the bike to me.”
We tried this place a little while ago but couldn’t find any access then saw it come up on Instagram so went back and found a way in.
A beautiful Art Deco building on a busy road that is awaiting demolition.
The ground floors are really dark and grimy which I suppose you expect for an old garage but we went purely to see the old ballroom on the top floor. It is most definitely taken over by pigeons up there, flying around from all directions and the piles of pigeon crap on the stage are magnificently grim. I’ve not seen anything like it.
There are other rooms up there that I’m not sure of the purpose of other than the lovely little kitchen area stuck in its time warp. There’s a lovely fireplace in one of the rooms that some idiot has graffitied over, the whole place has been heavily vandalised. Given how open to the elements it is the building itself is still quite sturdy and the floors aren’t too bad.
In all a nice explore and pleased to tick it off the list.
History -
I can only find some personal quotes from local people who recall their memories of the place which is quite nice...
”In 1964 I started work as an apprentice mechanic at Selsdon garage, which can just be seen at the start on the right of this photo. The main range of vehicles repaired was mostly BMC though we would work on all makes of cars, from Fords to Jaguar. There was about 6 mechanics, 1 forman and 2 apprentices.The garage was owned by a Mr Bailey and his two sons Jeff and Tony ran it. It was a very happy time and we all got on well together. As apprentices we would have to go and get the cakes for tea breaks and I can remember going to Montys bakers about 3 shops up, they used to do lovely jam donuts - they were quite dark and greasey and full of jam about a thosand calories a bite!
There used to be a ballroom above the garage and on the top floor at the back was some kind of homework unit that used to give buttons out to be painted at home.
I am sad that I never took a photo of the garage, the last time I saw it it was in disrepair and covered in graffiti. It should of been a listed building, I was sorry to see somewhere with such good memories looking so bad.
Im now retired in Broadstairs working as a mechanic for most of my life for Royal Mail in Margate, and purchased this photo to remember all my old friends at Selsdon garage!”
**************
“I worked as a salesman in the mid 90's when it was called Autotecnic which was owned my the a BMW franchise based on the Brighton Road in Croydon. Occasionally we would unlock the door to the dance floor upstairs and have a look around. It was in a very bad state up there but it was like stepping back in time, there were still signs saying cloakroom which had a 1940's font on the letters, it was very sad to see all that history just go to waste. I've not been back there in 20 years so not sure what has happened to the building now.”
**************
more can be found here http://www.francisfrith.com/uk/selsdon/selsdon-garage_memory-416931
From the local residents association newsletter:
”Selsdon Garage - 1940s and 50s
In the October Gazette BH wrote an interesting piece about some of his memories of Selsdon in the 1940s, during and after the war. He related how he used to go to the large room over Bailey’s Garage on Saturday mornings to watch cow boy films. So did I!
The hall above Selsdon Garage appeared in several guises over the years, each of which I have been to. During the war it was used as a restaurant. After the war, for a short period, a cinema. Next came a button business, which provided both me and my Mum with a bit of pocket money.
There were thousands of plastic moulded buttons – shirt buttons, coat buttons, dress buttons, large, small, different colours, etc. These all needed to be sorted and then sewn onto cards, six to a card. I helped my Mum (my pocket money!) to sort out her allocation of buttons, which she then sewed onto the cards.
The next and probably last use of the hall was as a ballroom and dance school, which I did not go to. I still have two left feet! What a shame that this classic, art deco building has been boarded up for many years and is just rotting away.
The Selsdon Garage was commonly called Bailey’s Garage after the family owners. When a boy who was in my class at Selsdon Primary, later left Selsdon Secondary he got a job as an apprentice mechanic at the garage and worked there for many years after. He did not have far to travel to work as he lived in one of the houses up on the bank opposite and overlooking Tudor Library. Having a job, he bought a lovely Italian racing bicycle. Later, wanting to buy a second hand car he sold the bike to me.”
