Much lauded as the man instrumental in creating the Streatham Hill Theatre has an infamous past remained hidden until now.
Born in 1882 in Notting Hill, aged 14 Hugh Sewell Kingdon took part in the Alaskan gold rush and at 18 was a roughrider in the South African war, becoming one of the largest real estate men in the Transvaal. His early business life also included a controversial scheme selling land to grow pineapples. Accused of nefarious activity he successfully sued for libel those criticising him for fleecing his UK investors. Carving out a lucrative career in property and entertainment in South Africa he brought back to England substantial amounts of money. His biggest venture was investing £5 in undeveloped property on Streatham High Road to be able to build the Streatham Hill Theatre.
Kingdon’s Colour Bar at the Locarno
After helping invest in Streatham Hill theatre he stepped away to run Streatham’s new Locarno Dance Hall, though not without controversy. In 1929 he instituted a colour bar forentry to the Locarno stating, “our hall is for white people only…there will be no association between black and white at the Locarno. We do not believe in mixing water with wine nor black with white.” Three West Indian customers had been refused entry including a post-graduate of London School of Tropical Medicine, a member of the Middle Temple, and a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Granada, British West Indies. Kingdon explained that despite them being eminent and being gentlemen, they were not white men.
The MP for Northwest Camberwell raised questions in the House of Commons and wrote to Kingdon to revoke the bar. Kingdon refused stating his reason was that “inter-marriage between people of European origin and any of the coloured race is undesirable.” Dancing would lead to intimacy and sexual congress. This triggered a massive acrid debate in local newspapers. Understandably many were aghast at the bar with calls to boycott the Locarno. The Rev Leadbitter of Immanuel Church at a speech to the local League of Nations criticisedKingdon commenting the tragedy was that the hall should be called Locarno also the site of peace treaties after the war.
Despite widespread hostility others were more supportive in the local media. Mr H. G King, Honorary Secretary of Streatham Conservative Association interviewed by Streatham News,said his experience of living in India was that they were British citizens and “better to have let them in.” But he was against intimate relationships commenting, “I have seen some of the results of inter marriage and they have had some of the most revolting results imaginable.” JE Park of Hitherfield Road supported Kingdon saying he wisely nipped in the bud the close proximity between black and white people and he “deserves the thanks of all parents for his courage.” Worse was the letter writer “RHA” to the Streatham News supporting the banstating, “I have been to the hall on several weekends since it has opened and I was disgustedwith the number and manners of the people of Hebraic origin there. How about setting up a ban on Jews as well “. This was a reference to Jews from the East End coming to Streatham for its entertainment at a weekend. Mrs Mary Green of Birchwood Road thought Kingdon should be left to run his own business, and the issue was “becoming a mountain out of a molehill.” Sir William Lane Mitchell, Streatham’s Conservative MP refused to be drawn into the affair – “I want to keep out of it.” Sadly, the colour ban remained. Ironically, Paul Robeson appeared as Othello at Streatham Hill Theatre the following year, the first black actor to play the title role on the London stage. Kingdon did not comment.
Selling alcohol without a licence and the big fall
Two years later he was one of three owners prosecuted for selling alcohol without a licence at the Locarno Club following a police raid. He vehemently denied this stating he only belonged to reputable clubs – the Royal Automobile Club and of course Streatham’s Belmont Bowling Club! Constantly on the lookout for new get rich schemes he attempted to set up another Twickenham type stadium for Rugby Union on Tooting Common, yet this never got off the ground. At one point he thought his entrepreneurial work was done in Streatham and looked at emigrating to develop a scheme in South Africa but that fell through. Controversy followed him in 1934 when at Croydon Police Court he had to pay Croydon Council for not paying his contribution for the cost of making up a road, with the court commenting, “he had been difficult to deal with”. On a personal front negative press continued when in 1932 the second Mrs Hugh Kingdon was granted a divorce because of the misconduct of her husband with a woman in a hotel in Margate.
The riches to rags saga continued when he had to pay nearly £100,000 (at today’s prices) in damages for a libel case brought against him regarding the Locarno Hall and work by subcontractors. And then the big fall from grace - he became a bankrupt losing all his fortune.
Kingdon and Fascism in Streatham
Less well known are Kingdon’s political interests and fascist sympathies. Locally in 1931 he participated in the Streatham Parliament (yes, Streatham did have “a Parliament” to debate political issues of the day, a bit like a sixth form debating society) and for a time he was “Chancellor of the Exchequer “representing the United Empire Party. This was the party set up by newspaper owner Lord Rothermere who thought Stanley Baldwin Conservative Prime Minister was a crypto socialist and campaigned for the Empire. Lord Rothermere initially was sympathetic to the British Union of Fascists, and his Daily Mail ran headlines such as “Hurrah for the Fascists,” but he fell out with them over their violence and hostility to Jews.
Kingdon meanwhile shifted rightwards to speaking in favour of fascism and writing for the British Union of Fascists. In March 1935 he spoke at Dunraven School on the fascist policy for cheaply produced goods from the east to be kept out of Britain. He also spoke at other fascist branches including Hampstead and in Clacton in 1936 – billed as representing the British Union of Fascists HQ. Kingdon also wrote for the BUF’s “Fascist Quarterly Magazine” on freedom and the imposition of regulations, arguing that Fascism would allow the individual to live according to his own tastes.
Streatham was one of several dozen branches of the British Union of Fascists in London, receiving its colours from Sir Oswald Moseley in June 1934. Compared with other areas of London, Streatham didn’t have a pronounced Jewish population nor strong working-class base yet had an active branch. And locally they received much support and coverage in the media. Mrs D. Marshall of Barcombe Avenue writing to the Evening News said, “I do not often write my views on politics, but as the days pass, I am more and more impressed by the Blackshirt movement, the growth of which is obviously dismaying all the old party politicians. Let every citizen vote Blackshirt at the next election, and then England will really become a land fit for heroes. Bravo! Blackshirts.” Mrs E. Lyons of Leigham Court Road, wrote, “There is a great future for the youth of this country through the Blackshirt movement. Therefore, l am a Blackshirt Mother.” Streatham also had two notable fascists – Jock Houston and Molly Hiscox who lived at 50 Thornton Road. Jock Houston was a controversial BUP propaganda officer and at meetings called Jews the international enemy. Hiscox in 1941 served five years penal servitude under the Treachery Act for assisting the Nazis. After the war they lived in South Norwood.
Streatham BUP offices were initially in Madeira Hall on Madeira Road and then at 318 Streatham High Road. Sir Oswald Moseley regularly visited the Streatham branch stating he was delighted at the progress Fascism had made in Streatham. Local Blackshirts held large rallies at Streatham Baths and weekly on Streatham Common. They organised social events including an Old Time Music Halls, flannel dances, whist drives, and boxing, though the bar at their office firmly excluded women members.
Kingdon died on October 19th1940, in an air raid by Streatham Common whilst taking a bath with his body buried in the debris only recovered twelve hours later. Since 1939 he had worked as a clerk and caretaker at the Lambeth Food Control Centre - a remarkable come down in fortune. The Daily Telegraph’s pithy headline was “Romantic Career ended by Bomb.”
On his premature death The Streatham News sagely stated that, “He was a man of great ideas, which he pushed through, with a keen determination that was almost ruthless. …yet possessed a tendency to create opposition that militated his success.” Today’s eulogy would be far more negative.
