Then and Now: The Tate Library and Gardens
Photographic comparisons of old and modern views of Lambeth
![The Tate Library, Tate Gardens and Brixton Theatre, Brixton 1905](images/tate.jpg)
c. 1905 A view of Tate Gardens, showing the Brixton Theatre entrance (with tower) adjoining the Tate library.
In the foreground is a bust of Sir Henry Tate, who donated the library to the public in 1893 (the Prince of Wales presided over the opening ceremony).
The gardens, which were used to pasture sheep until the late 1890s, was bought and donated by Lady Tate in 1905. In the background, you can see the Prince of Wales public house.
(pic: Lambeth Archives)
![The Tate Library and gardens, Brixton, December 2003](images/tate1.jpg)
Dec 2003 Poor old Sir Henry Tate has had his fancy plinth shrunk down to size and moved a few metres south into a sea of ugly conctrete. The Brixton Theatre was destroyed in the Blitz, with the site being used by a new cafe and bar extension to the Ritzy Cinema in 1995.
![Brixton Theatre and Ritzy, Brixton Oval, Brixton, April 2003](images/brixton-theatre-01.jpg) Postcard view of The Brixton Theatre and Tate Library, 1907
More: Windrush Square opens, 2010
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