Do you know that this building behind me was once a grand mansion? This is Champion Hill Residence. It is more formally known as The Platanes. Today, Champion Hill Residence serves as a student hall. But its story is much richer than that.
Let’s step back in time to 1882. George Egmont Bieber, a wealthy city merchant, built this house. He was part of the German community thriving in the Champion Hill area. The area was a fashionable London suburb. No architect is known for The Platanes.
Notice the buff brick and stone dressings. The building has three stories above a basement. The front elevation is asymmetrical. The Corinthian porch marks a recessed central portion. Look at the unequal bays flanking either side. The south bay features shallow tripartite pilastered bay windows. The broader north bay showcases two-story canted bay windows.
In 1890, Herman Kleinwort, a banker, purchased The Platanes. He was from a German banking family. However, Champion Hill’s social status began to decline. Open fields gave way to smaller houses for the lower-middle class.
The Kleinwort family moved to Belgravia in 1908. They struggled to sell The Platanes. Permission to convert it into a hotel or nursing home was denied. In 1910, Kleinwort donated the property to King’s College Hospital.
By 1913, The Platanes became a student hall of residence. It first housed the hospital’s medical school. From 1923, it served King’s College. Wings were added to the north and south sides between 1923 and 1925. These additions are not considered of special architectural interest.
After World War II, the grounds of The Platanes merged with those of Danehurst. Danehurst was another large house to the south. It also became a hall of residence. Sadly, Danehurst was demolished in the 1970s.
Despite its changes, much of the original interior remains. The ground-floor rooms retain their late-19th-century decorative schemes. Look for the original chimneypieces, joinery, and parquet floors. These have decorative inlay.
The entrance hall features a glazed timber lobby. An oak open stair rises around a square well. The stair has turned balusters and panelled strings. Mahogany doors feature high moulded cornices. The ceiling boasts an enriched bracketed cornice. Square ribbed plasterwork decorates it.
The former ballroom now serves as a library. Admire the elaborate plaster ceiling in the classical style. It features a modillion cornice, enriched panels, and roundels. Some roundels depict musical instruments. A carved timber chimneypiece adds to the grandeur.
Glazed doors lead to the Winter Garden. This conservatory has a long elliptical tripartite glazed ceiling lantern. An egg-and-dart cornice is visible. The coloured tile floor is set in a geometric pattern. A mosaic rinceaux border enhances the space.
Champion Hill Residence was listed as a Grade II building on October 26, 2009. This designation recognizes its special architectural interest. It acknowledges the completeness of its late-19th-century interior. It is a rare example of a large suburban mansion with a virtually intact interior. So next time you pass by, remember the rich history within these walls.