Image: The Ring (15326766471)
Description: This is November 1929 at Blackfriars Road junction with Union Street, Southwark. The Ring was a famous early 20th Century boxing venue in south London. Originally built as an Independent Methodist and Congregational Chapel in 1783 by the Rev. Roland Hill who said that he built an octagonal Chapel so the Devil couldn't hide in the corners. Rev. Hill shares his name with another famous Victorian who reformed the postal system, they were not related as far as I can tell. In the 1880s the Chapel fell into disuse and in 1910 it was bought by a former boxer Dick Burge who together with his wife Bella, turned it into a boxing and later a wrestling venue attended by the rich and not so rich of south London, the Prince of Wales was a patron. In 1940 the building was damaged during the Blitz and in 1941 was completely destroyed in an air raid. The site is now occupied by a modern office building named Palestra House, the Greek name for a venue where wrestling takes place. The two Police officers would have been stationed at Southwark Police Station.
Title: The Ring (15326766471)
Credit: The Ring
Author: Leonard Bentley from Iden, East Sussex, UK
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes
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