Peter Rachman (1920-1962) was a London landlord in the mid-20th century, active in the Notting Hill area in the 1950s and 1960s. Rachman’s name is so synonymous with bad housing that is included in English dictionaries: Rachmanism: ‘Landlords buying up slums to fill with immigrants at extortionate rents; synonym for any greedy, unscrupulous landlord.
Rachman was born Perec Rachman in Poland in 1920, the son of a Jewish dentist. He was not interned by the Nazis, but did spend time in a Soviet labour camp before fleeing to the United Kingdom. Rachman soon built up a property empire in north London consisting of more than one hundred mansion blocks and several nightclubs. He operated from an office in Westbourne Grove and the first house he purchased and used for multi-occupation was in now-fashionable St. Stephen’s Gardens, London W2. Adjacent areas including Powis Sqare were also early areas where he subdivided and let rooms, initially often for prostitution. Much of this area south of Westbourne Park Road, having become derelict, was compulsorily purchased by Westminster City council in the late 1960s and demolished in 1973-74 to make way for the “Wessex Gardens” estate.
These photographs of this area, months before much of it was demolished, were taken in the winter of 1974 by Jonathan Barker.
Westbourne Park, Feb 1974: Moorhouse Rd, now demolished, looking S. Junction with St Stephen’s Gardens on left.
Westbourne Park bus queue & view SW from Keyham House, Feb 1974.
Feb 1974: St Stephen’s Gdns looking E at Moorhouse Rd.
A north London street: Grosvenor Avenue, N5, 1974.
Moorhouse Road & St Stephen’s Gardens, Westbourne Park, Feb 1974.
Leave a Reply