This film is part of Free
Silver Blades Ice Skating
Streatham goes dancing on ice at the coolest place in town.
Overview
The art-deco frontage of the Silver Blades ice rink is a much missed feature of the streets of Streatham. Whether you were a budding Torvill or Dean, a denizen of the Bali Hai cocktail bar, or face down on the ice, it was the coolest place in town. It was certainly good enough for The Kinks, The Small Faces and Manfred Mann who all played there in the 1960s.
Originally opened in 1931, the rink was a key part of the growth of figure skating as a sport, although it was temporarily closed during WWII. This film was made after the site was bought by Mecca and made the fourth in their Silver Blades chain. Sadly the original rink closed at the end of 2011 after its 80th anniversary, but a new rink remains a central feature of the redeveloped site.
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