Drummond Street, London

For other uses, see Drummond Street (disambiguation).

Indian restaurants on Drummond Street, including the Diwana Bhel Poori House, which opened in 1970

Drummond Street is a street in London just north of the centre, located near Euston station and running parallel with Euston Road. It is best known for its concentration of Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants and supply shops, including Diwana Bhel Poori House which claims to be the oldest South Indian vegetarian restaurant in Britain, having opened in 1970.

History

The street was once considerably longer, continuing north-eastwards through what is now Euston station and also including what is now Doric Way. The vanished section included the main entrance to the station and the site of the Euston Arch. The eastern part of Drummond Street was built over when Euston station was rebuilt and extended southwards in 1961; ^[1] the Euston Arch was demolished, the far north-eastern part of Drummond Street was renamed Doric Way, and Drummond Street was separated from the formerly-adjacent Drummond Crescent to the north.

On the street is Schafer House, a student hall of residence of University College London. ^[2]

Since 2019 the eastern extremity of Drummond Street has seen mass demolition of various properties to accommodate the expansion of Euston station for the construction of the High Speed 2 railway line. ^[1] – most notably the original surface building of Euston tube station at the corner of adjacent Melton Street ^[3] which was originally constructed by the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway in the 1900s to a standard design by Leslie Green. ^[4]

The Crown and Anchor is a Grade II listed public house at 137 Drummond Street. ^[5]

• 
  The Euston Arch in the 1890s. Both it and that part of Drummond Street were destroyed in 1961.
• 
  The 19th century Crown and Anchor pub, a listed building
• 
  The original Euston tube station station building, demolished 2019 for HS2

Curry houses

Further information: Curry in the United Kingdom

South Indian vegetarian lunch buffet at the Diwana Bhel Poori

Drummond Street is best known for its Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants and supply shops, including Diwana Bhel Poori House which claims to be the oldest South Indian vegetarian restaurant in Britain, ^[6] having opened in 1970. ^[1]

In June 2021 an enterprise called the "Drummond Streatery project" was launched to help revive the street's restaurant trade after the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the engineering works at the nearby station. The project is a collaboration between Camden London Borough Council and the local business improvement district team, with the involvement of local traders. ^[7]

References

1. Christian Wolmar (17 April 2014). "What's the point of HS2?". London Review of Books. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
2. "Schafer House". UCL Accommodation. University College London. November 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
3. "Replacement London Underground Substation & Vent Shaft". HS2 in Camden. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
4. Connor, J.E. (2006) [1999]. London's Disused Underground Stations (2nd ed.). Capital Transport. p. 125. ISBN   1-85414-250-X.
5. Historic England. "The Crown and Anchor public house (1342086)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 2 October 2014.
6. Dattani, Meera (8 September 2021). "London's most authentic Indian food?". BBC Travel. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
7. Ellis, David (17 June 2021). "London's 'home of South Asian food' Drummond Street launches initiative to save local restaurants". Evening Standard. Retrieved 27 September 2021.

51°31′38″N0°08′11″W / 51.5273°N 0.1363°W / 51.5273; -0.1363