The art of Kevin Blythe Sampson

THE ART OF
KEVIN BLYTHE SAMPSON

8/8/11

Another Casualty in the London Riots? Vintage Victorian Architecture - ARTINFO.com


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A shop and police car burn as riot police try to contain a large group of people on a main road in Tottenham, north London on August 6, 2011.

By Janelle Zara

Published: August 8, 2011
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AFP/Getty Images
A double decker bus burns as riot police try to contain a large group of people on a main road in Tottenham, north London.


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Firefighters and police survey the riot damage on High Road in Tottenham, north London on August 7.


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Youths face off with riot police after protesting against the killing of a man by armed police in an attempted arrest.

During the explosive riots that raged through northern London this weekend, a gritty area lost a bit of its historic architecture as frenzied crowds set fire to its buildings.

At the center of the chaos was Tottenham, a former village that originated during England’s Georgian period, then rapidly developed into a working class neighborhood during the Victorian period. Pictures from the destructive weekend show blackened shells of homes and storefronts, many of which were among the town's older structures, reported The Guardian. Hailing as far back as the 1840s, the buildings were relics of Victorian architecture, a style which has been phased out of development over the last 30 years with more modern designs. English Heritage, the British government commission to preserve historic sites, had recently invested in the restoration of many of these buildings.

What began as a peaceful demonstration over a police shooting of a local man quickly escalated into riots. In addition to setting historic buildings ablaze, rioters looted nearby businesses and vandalized police cars. A total of 170 arrests were made, reported the Wall Street Journal.

Another Casualty in the London Riots? Vintage Victorian Architecture - ARTINFO.com

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