Public Housing
The public housing in the High Street area comprises
the Birchfield, Will Crooks and Galloway Estates, and
some smaller groups and individual blocks. The Birchfield
Estate and the Saltwell Street Scheme within the Will
Crooks Estate impinge on the High Street and so are
dealt with here in their entirety, although they extend
west to West India Dock Road and north to East India
Dock Road, covering areas the earlier histories of which
are discussed in Chapters V, VI and VII.
Birchfield Estate
The Birchfield Estate was built by the LCC and the
GLC. It stretches from Ming Street as far north as East
India Dock Road and westwards from Saltwell Street to
West India Dock Road. Apart from one 1920s block,
Birchfield House, it was built between 1957 and the mid1970s in a series of interrelated development schemes:
Morant Street, Pennyfields, Perry's Close, and part of
the Saltwell Street Scheme. In the centre of the estate is
a small open space created as a result of the Turner's
Buildings Clearance Area, on part of which stand five
mobile homes put there by the GLC. In general this area
suffered from considerable bomb damage during the
Second World War and various parts of it were used by
the LCC for temporary prefab housing sites. The area
was also included within the Stepney and Poplar Reconstruction Area (see page 212). It was therefore eminently
suitable for the creation of a large post-war estate.
Birchfield House
Birchfield House, on the east side of Birchfield Street,
was built as a result of the only slum clearance scheme
carried out in Poplar parish by the LCC during the
1920s. The site was one of several which had been
represented to the LCC in 1919 by the Borough Medical
Officer of Health as unhealthy areas. (ref. 600) In May 1923
further representations were made by the Borough
Council, which impressed upon the LCC the urgent
necessity of dealing with this area immediately. (ref. 601) The
Birchfield Street Clearance Area was officially declared
by the County Council in February 1924 in conjunction
with two other areas within the borough — but outside
the parish — at Baker's Alley and Bromley Place. It
covered approximately ¾ of an acre and was bounded on
the east by Vulcan Street, on the south by Castor Street,
and on the west by Birchfield Street itself. The 27 houses
within it had 97 occupants. (ref. 602)
At a public inquiry held in July 1924, Dr Alexander,
the Borough Medical Officer, described the Birchfield
Street Area as 'particularly bad' and considered that there
was 'a want of ventilation in the whole of the area'. (ref. 603)
The scheme duly received the Minister of Health's
sanction in December 1924, but it was modified to require
the LCC to provide accommodation for not less than 190
people on the Birchfield Street site after clearance. (ref. 604)
Properties within the area were being purchased by
November 1925 and this continued into 1926. Birchfield
House was built in 1926–7 by R. Woollaston & Company
of Limehouse, at a total estimated cost of £16,264. (ref. 605)
Birchfield House is a four-storey neo-Georgian block
constructed in yellow stock brick with a hipped roof
covered in red clay pantiles. The walls are thicker towards
the base, giving a two-stepped plinth from the top of the
ground storey down to ground level. On the west elevation
the four central first-floor windows go down to floor level
and open on to narrow concrete balconies with iron
balustrades. The block has an L-shaped ground-plan,
providing a courtyard to the rear, where open balconies
with iron balustrades give access off the staircases to the
individual flats.
The original accommodation at Birchfield Street consisted of 25 one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom flats of
the LCC's 'simplified' type (see page 30), to house the
190 people stipulated by the Minister (fig. 7, see page
31). (ref. 606) Only gas, including gas lighting, was installed in
the flats, although electricity was used to light the
common staircases. (ref. 607) In 1930 gas fires were provided in
the first bedroom of each flat, (ref. 608) and in 1943, despite
wartime conditions, the whole block was reconstructed
and modernized to form 24 flats. (ref. 609) This block, absorbed
into the Birchfield Estate after the Second World War,
was again completely refurbished in 1989–90.
The Morant Street Scheme
The Morant Street Scheme was the main component
of the present Birchfield Estate. The site of this scheme
was approximately 4¾ acres, bounded by East India Dock
Road to the north, Birchfield Street to the west, Oriental
Street to the east, and West India Dock Road and
Pennyfields to the south. In March 1952 the LCC
decided to acquire properties in this area, compulsorily
if necessary, at a rough cost of £110,000 (including
clearance and partial redevelopment), (ref. 610) and properties
were soon being purchased. (ref. 611) Plans for the whole area
were approved by the LCC in December 1955 and the
estimated cost of development was put at £540,260. (ref. 612)
There were four phases of construction in this scheme.
The first one consisted of Nos 2–40 and Nos 42–70
(even) Rosefield Gardens (1957–8), for which the main
contractor was Rowley Brothers of Tottenham and the
estimated cost was £101,900 (£715 per room). (ref. 613) In the
second phase were Nos 1–13 Gorsefield House; Nos 60
and 62 East India Dock Road; a doctor's surgery in East
India Dock Road; Nos 1, 3 and 5 Pinefield Close; and
Nos 17–41 (odd) Rosefield Gardens (1958–9), for which
the main contractor was again Rowley Brothers, at an
estimated cost of £98,400 (£836 per room). (ref. 614) The third
phase contained only Thornfield House (1960–2), for
which W. & C. French of Chigwell, Essex, was the main
contractor and the estimated cost was £245,900 (£987
per room). (ref. 615) The fourth phase consisted of Elderfield
House, which provides a mixture of flats, maisonettes,
and shops (1963–4). The main contractor was the LCC's
direct labour force and the estimated cost was £132,100
(£885 per room). (ref. 616)
The blocks in this development are built of mottled
red-and-black brick, and generally have flat roofs — with
the exception of the small terrace of three single-storey
houses, Nos 1–5 (odd) Pinefield Close, which has a
pitched roof. Three-storey blocks of flats and four-storey
blocks of maisonettes predominate and access to upper
dwellings is normally by internal staircases and external
balconies, although the eleven-storey Thornfield House
(containing 75 maisonettes) also has lifts. A few decorative
details are provided, such as the abstract relief running
vertically up the west elevation of Thornfield House, and
the mosaic and tiled decoration on the outside of Gorsefield House at ground-floor level (Plate 135a).
Perry's Close Scheme.
Although the LCC was acquiring properties in Perry's Close in 1947–8, with a view to
creating a site for a permanent housing development, (ref. 617)
it was not until October 1959, with the development of
the main part of the Birchfield Estate under way, that
plans for the development of the Perry's Close site were
approved by the Council. They involved the extinction
of Perry's Close itself. (ref. 618) Construction was carried out
between 1961 and 1965 by Stewart & Partners of St
Marylebone, at a total estimated cost of £139,400 (£863
a room). (ref. 619)
The blocks are all built of mottled red-and-black brick,
with exposed concrete beams and columns. Access to
upper dwellings is by internal staircases and external
balconies. This part of the estate consists of the eastern
two-thirds of Arborfield House (Nos 1–21 consec) in
East India Dock Road — a three-storey block containing
six one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom flats; Nos 42–80
(consec) Saltwell Street — a three-storey block of nine
bed-sitter and three one-bedroom flats; and Nos 42–80
(even) Morant Street — a four-storey block of one fivebedroom and 17 three-bedroom maisonettes. The density
is 37 dwellings (116 persons) to the acre. (ref. 620)
Pennyfields Scheme.
In July 1956 the LCC turned its
attention to that part of the Birchfield Estate which lies
to the south of Pennyfields, a triangular site of over two
acres, bounded by West India Dock Road and Ming
Street. Clearance of this area was brought forward in the
programme because the Council's Medical Officer was
proposing to represent a number of the houses on the
site as unfit. The Council felt that it would be better to
acquire the whole site as quickly as possible and that, as
the area lay within the Stepney and Poplar Comprehensive Development Area, the easiest course of action
was to clear the site using powers under the Planning
Acts. Only two small clearance areas were therefore
declared under the Housing Acts, and in one of them
the houses were already owned by the LCC and the
process was merely a means of safeguarding government
subsidies for rehousing the families concerned. The major
part of the site, including properties in Ming Street,
Pennyfields and West India Dock Road, was the subject
of a Compulsory Purchase Order made by the County
Council in 1957. The cost of acquiring, clearing and
partially redeveloping the site was put at £114,000. (ref. 621)
In the Development Plan the date for redevelopment
of the Pennyfields site was 1961–2 (ref. 622) and clearly the
LCC had hoped that by carrying out clearance ahead of
schedule new building work would also begin earlier than
intended. In fact the housing was only built in 1963–6.
It consisted of three four-storey blocks of maisonettes
(Nos 30–56, even, and Nos 58–156, even, Pennyfields)
and a two-storey block of 14 old people's flats (Nos 2–
28, even, Pennyfields). Nos 58–80 and Nos 2–28 Pennyfields were demolished early in 1993. All of the buildings
had flat roofs, and blocks in mottled red-and-black
brick alternated with others in a brownish brick. Again,
access to upper dwellings was provided by internal staircases and external balconies. The density of the scheme
was 38 dwellings (142 persons) to the acre. The architects
were Stewart, Hendry & Smith, on behalf of the LCC,
and the building contractors were Rush & Tompkins of
Sidcup. The original estimate for erection was £235,600,
but the final one was £331,750, the increase being due to
rising costs and problems with underground obstructions
discovered during the construction work. (ref. 623)
Turner's Buildings Site.
In January 1958 the LCC
officially declared the Turner's Buildings Clearance Area
and this was confirmed in December of that year. It
covered about a quarter of an acre and comprised
Nos 4 and 5, plus the sites of Nos 1, 2, and 3,
Turner's Buildings, together with Nos 55, 59, 61 and 63
Pennyfields. In addition, No. 57 and the sites of Nos 45–
53 (odd) Pennyfields were also acquired. In all about 12
families were displaced. The land was zoned in the
Development Plan for an open space and most of the
site was laid out for this purpose c1970. (ref. 624) However, in
1964, at a time of acute housing shortage, the LCC
decided to erect five mobile homes on part of the southern
section of the site, Nos 45–53 (odd) Pennyfields, (ref. 625) and
though only a temporary measure, they were still occupied
in 1994.
The Will Crooks Estate
This is an amorphous estate straddling Poplar High
Street, built mainly by the LCC but completed by the
GLC. Development began in the later 1930s, when the
Sophia Street Clearance Scheme led to the erection of
five blocks, Corry, Devitt, Leyland, Wigram, and Willis
Houses, to the north of Poplar High Street on either side
of Wade Place. Dolphin House to the south of the High
Street was built at the same time as a result of another
clearance scheme, that of the Dock Cottages Area. The
Dingle Lane site around Dolphin House was developed
between 1955 and 1957. To the north, along East India
Dock Road, the Wade Street Scheme, comprising parts
of Westcott House, was completed in 1961. Finally, the
Saltwell Street Scheme, which involved the infilling of
several sites between the Will Crooks and Birchfield
Estates, was carried out by the GLC from 1973 to 1975.
Corry, Devitt, Leyland, Wigram, and Willis Houses.
The northern part of the Will Crooks Estate, to the north
of Poplar High Street, was built by the LCC as a result
of the Sophia Street Clearance Scheme, officially declared
in December 1934. This was one of the largest slum
clearance schemes to be carried out in Poplar during the
inter-war years, involving an area of 5.25 acres, the
demolition of nearly 200 dwellings, and the displacement
of almost 1,500 people. With the additional lands, the
scheme covered the whole block bounded by Poplar High
Street, Hale Street, Shirbutt Street, and Wade Place. As
well as the central core, the following were also included
in the clearance scheme: to the east, Nos 21–28 (consec)
Hale Street, Nos 1–3 (consec) Duncan's Court and Nos
95–105 (odd) Poplar High Street; to the south-east, Nos
1–13 (consec) Bickmore Street and Nos 100–106 (even)
Poplar High Street; to the west, Nos 41–46 (consec)
Wade Street and Nos 41–49 (odd) Poplar High Street;
and to the north-west, Nos 27–31 (consec) and No. 32A
Wade Street, Nos 2–10 (even) Wade's Place, and Nos
1–13 (odd) Shirbutt Street.
By the end of July 1935, and before the Minister of
Health had confirmed the clearance orders in August
(with only the most minimal modifications), the LCC
had acquired, or was in the process of acquiring, 116
properties within the areas, all by negotiation. It dealt
with 58 different freeholders, but only seven leaseholders. (ref. 626) The cost of acquiring and clearing all the
properties involved was estimated at £55,000, and the
cost of rehousing on site or elsewhere was put at £124,000.
The LCC proposed to reserve some of the site for
ancillary buildings such as a school, clinic, and day
nursery. (ref. 627)
Corry and Wigram Houses were erected in 1936–7 by
W. H. Gaze & Sons of Kingston-upon-Thames, at a
total estimated cost of £26,850. (ref. 628) In the event, extra
expenditure was required in constructing the foundations
of Corry House. (ref. 629) Together the two blocks provided 10
one-bedroom, 24 two-bedroom, and 11 three-bedroom
flats, plus five lock-up shops in Wigram House. (ref. 630) Devitt,
Willis, and Leyland Houses were constructed in 1937–9
by J. Simms, Sons, & Cooke of Nottingham, at an
estimated cost of £91,880. These three blocks provided
a total of 29 one-bedroom, 82 two-bedroom, 49 threebedroom, and five four-bedroom flats. (ref. 631) Bickmore and
Rook Streets were closed, as was part of Sophia Street,
and the blocks were set back from the High Street to
allow it to be widened. (ref. 632)
This part of the Will Crooks Estate suffered some
damage during the Second World War and repairs had
to be carried out to Leyland House in 1942 and to Devitt
House in 1947. (ref. 633) The iron railings around the estate
were removed during the war and never reinstated. (ref. 634)
All five blocks are standard LCC five-storey neoGeorgian blocks, originally containing flats of the 1934
types 1 and 2, modified to provide each flat with its
own fixed bath in a bathroom. (ref. 635) The buildings are
constructed mainly in yellow stock brick, but with redbrick ground floors, and there is also some red-brick
banding at top-storey level. The hipped roofs are
covered with red clay pantiles. On the rear elevations
continuous balconies (which have brick parapets with
occasional metal grilles set into them) give access to
the flats from staircase towers.
Dolphin House
Dolphin House, on the south side of Poplar High Street,
stands on the site of Dock Cottages, which formed the
major part of two clearance areas officially declared by
the LCC in November 1935. Dock Cottages Area No. 1,
in addition to Dock Cottages themselves, included Nos
1–8 (consec) and 1A Dingle Lane, as well as Nos 1 and
2 Stoneyard Lane; Area No. 2 consisted of just Nos 62
and 64 Poplar High Street. The two areas were only 1.56
acres in extent, and additional lands of 1.14 acres were
also required for the adequate redevelopment of the site.
The total number of houses acquired was 88, including
8 shops, and 465 people were displaced. The estimated
cost of acquisition and clearance was put at £33,000,
and of rehousing at £48,000. (ref. 636) Dock Cottages were
demolished in 1937. (ref. 637)
It proved possible to acquire much of the property in
the two areas by negotiation, but orders had to be
obtained for a few of the premises. In consultation with
Poplar Borough Council it was agreed that the line of
Dolphin Lane should be diverted in order to straighten
the eastern boundary of the proposed housing site. It was
also agreed that a new site for the Green Man public
house would be provided on the east side of the realigned
lane, on the High Street corner, so allowing the High
Street to be widened. (ref. 638)
Dolphin House was built during 1937–8 at a total
estimated cost of £36,400. The foundations were by
West's Rotinoff Piling & Construction Company, and
the superstructure by A. T. Rowley (London) Ltd of
Tottenham. (ref. 639) In the event the second block (confusingly
designated 'block 1'), which was to have been called
Dingle House, (ref. 640) was never built.
Dolphin House was another LCC standard five-storey
neo-Georgian block in red brick, with slated, hipped
roofs. It was arranged around three sides of a southfacing rear courtyard. As built there were 68 dwellings
of the 1934 types 1 and 2, (ref. 641) comprising 10 one-bedroom,
28 two-bedroom, and 30 three-bedroom flats. (ref. 642) Dolphin
House was damaged during the Blitz, and in 1941 most
of the dwellings had to be repaired. (ref. 643) It was demolished
early in 1993.
Post-war construction of the Will Crooks Estate began
with the Dingle Lane Scheme (1955–7) on a 2½-acre
site assembled by the LCC and including a considerable
number of war-damaged properties (among which was
Dingle Lane School). The seven housing blocks were
designed by the LCC's Architect's Department, and built
by Rowley Brothers of Tottenham, at an estimated total
cost of £216,634. (ref. 644) In order to carry out this development
part of Dingle Lane had to be closed. (ref. 645) In all, this
scheme provided 33 flats and 44 maisonettes, at a density
of approximately 34 dwellings to the acre. (ref. 646) It consisted
of Nos 1–12, 13–30, 31–44 (all consec) Dingle Gardens,
and Nos 2–24, 26–38, 40–52, and 54–66 (all even) Poplar
High Street. Nos 13–30 and 31–44 Dingle Gardens were
demolished early in 1993.
The Wade Street Scheme, comprising the east and
west ends of Westcott House in East India Dock Road,
including the block in Saltwell Street, resulted from the
acquisition and, in some instances, the official clearance
of properties in the Wade Street area by the LCC.
Construction was carried out in 1959–61 by Kirk & Kirk
of Wandsworth, at an estimated cost of £100,137 (£769
per room). (ref. 647)
Finally, the Saltwell Street Scheme covered several
sites on either side of that street, as well as a further area
to the south of Ming Street, and included the completion
of Arborfield and Westcott Houses along East India Dock
Road. It represented the completion of the Will Crooks
and Birchfield Estates, so that GLC-owned housing then
stretched from West India Dock Road as far east as Hale
Street. This development involved the stopping up of
the rest of Wade Street (ref. 648) and the creation of Kemps
Drive.
Plans for the 181 dwellings were prepared by the
GLC's Architect's Department (ref. 649) and in July 1971 an
estimate of £1,177,000 was proposed for this development. (ref. 650) However, when tenders for the scheme were
examined in October 1973, the lowest price was
£2,448,894, from William J. Jerram Ltd, and the original
estimate had to be more than doubled to £2,642,000. (ref. 651)
During the course of construction it was found that
considerable extra expenditure was necessary for
additional foundation works, (ref. 652) and in March 1975 the
estimated costs had to be again revised upwards to
£3,057,120 (over 2½ times the 1971 figure). (ref. 653)
The Saltwell Street Scheme consisted of the following:
the western part of Arborfield House (Nos 22–33 consec)
in East India Dock Road; Nos 1–31 (odd), Nos 33–55
(odd), and Nos 2–22 (even) Kemps Drive; the central
section of Westcott House on East India Dock Road; Nos
51–79 (odd) Morant Street; Nos 28–48, Nos 52–86 and
Nos 88–102 (all even), and Nos 27–41 and Nos 43–59
(both odd) Saltwell Street; Nos 61–83 (odd) Poplar High
Street; Nos 2–30, Nos 32–40 (demolished early in 1993),
and Nos 42–50 (all even) Ming Street (Plate 137d).
Generally, all the post-war blocks are faced in mottled
red-and-black brick and have flat roofs, although Westcott
House has a pitched roof, and parts are in yellow stock
brick (presumably to match the Lansbury Estate
opposite). The blocks are low-rise developments of two,
three, and four storeys, mainly in the form of flats
and maisonettes, although the Saltwell Street Scheme
includes a number of three-storey terraced 'Town' houses.
Cruse House
Cruse House stands on the south side of Poplar High
Street, on a site purchased by Poplar Borough Council
in 1930. The Borough Engineer and Surveyor, Harley
Heckford, prepared plans for a block of nine one-bedroom
and two two-bedroom flats — each with its own scullery
and bathroom — since the Council was assured that 'there
is considerable demand for accommodation of the smaller
type of flat'. When the area of the one-bedroom flats had
to be reduced because of the size of the site (it was only
about 3,500 sq. ft), this was only approved by the Minister
of Health on condition that they were occupied by 'aged
persons'. (ref. 654) The LCC, after much debate, also decided
to make a supplemental contribution towards the cost of
erection, having just extended this scheme to cover old
people's dwellings. (ref. 655)
The total cost of the scheme, including the price of
the land, was £7,132, and this was one of the first blocks
to be built (1931–2) by the Borough Council using direct
labour. (ref. 656) The density, at 132 dwellings to the acre, was
the highest of all the inter-war schemes built in the
parish. (ref. 657) It was only in 1939 that these flats were named
'Cruse House', after Edward Cruse (1867–1938) who had
represented Bow and Bromley on the LCC for 19 years. (ref. 658)
Cruse House is a four-storey block. It was one of the
last to be built by the Borough Council in the 'economic'
neo-Georgian style, with the usual mixture of red and
yellow brick (though the top storey is rendered), hipped
slate roof, and wooden-framed sash windows with glazing
bars. It was also one of the last of its blocks to be given
open metal railings to the balconies (which are at the
rear and also on the east-side elevation of the building).
In the autumn of 1968 Tower Hamlets Borough Council
agreed to a modernization plan for Cruse House, at an
estimated total cost of £24,418. This involved converting
the existing accommodation into three one-bedroom,
two two-bedroom, and three three-bedroom flats. The
opportunity was also taken to incorporate some adjacent
derelict sites into the scheme to allow minor improvements, including three car-parking spaces and some
landscaping. (ref. 659)
Presbyterian Housing, Poplar High Street and
Simpson's Road
On the south side of Poplar High Street stands a group
of blocks of flats built at various dates between the 1920s
and 1950s by Presbyterian Housing (see page 36).
The 'Presbyterian Housing Scheme' began its activities
in 1926 by purchasing No. 144 Poplar High Street and
converting it into five flats. In the autumn of the same
year No. 146 was acquired and during 1927 converted
into a further four flats. The Scheme also acquired a
piece of land at the back of No. 142, which, together
with the ends of the two plots already acquired, provided
'a very fine site' for a new block. The three properties
cost about £4,300 and the committee of the Scheme had
received £2,774 in donations towards this, as well as
various loans. (ref. 660) The architect was T. Phillips Figgis
(1858–1948), who was a member of the Committee
and acted as architect to the Scheme, as well as being
architectural adviser to the Presbyterian Church of
England and an accomplished architect of some repute. (ref. 661)
However, it is doubtful if he had had any previous
experience of building working-class flats, and because
the new block, called Goodspeed House, was needed
urgently, he would have had little time to worry about
architectural niceties.
Goodspeed House was set in the angle formed by the
northern and western arms of Simpson's Road. It was
opened in 1929. (ref. 662) This three-storey block of nine flats,
in yellow stock brick, with red-brick dressings, is therefore built in the 'economic' neo-Georgian style favoured
by the LCC and Poplar Borough Council, and might
easily have been built 30 years before. Access to the
upper floors is via two staircases and common balconies
with metal railings. Despite the somewhat grim exterior,
the facilities, especially the bathrooms, were welcomed
by the new tenants. (ref. 663) The building contractor was
J. Marsland & Sons of South Molton Street. (ref. 664)
Early in 1930 the newly formed Presbyterian Housing
Ltd, as successor to the Scheme, was able to acquire the
freeholds of Nos 158, 160, and 162 Poplar High Street.
These were let to tenants, but much of their long back
gardens was used to create a site for Goodwill House, a
further block of 15 flats. (ref. 665) Initially there was some
difficulty in raising sufficient money, but in August 1930,
with the promise of a loan of £5,500 from the LCC and
a state subsidy, the committee felt able to accept a tender
of £7,912 for the construction of this block. (ref. 666) Goodwill
House was opened on 12 May 1932 by the Duchess of
Atholl. Each of the 15 flats had a living-room, three
bedrooms, and a bathroom, for a weekly inclusive rent
of 12s 6d. (ref. 667) In addition to the state housing subsidy, the
LCC agreed to make a supplemental contribution. (ref. 668)
The architect was again T. Phillips Figgis, but he
seems to have had more time for reflection and was able
to design a more individualistic building, although it still
has echoes of the old model tenements. It is a three-storey
block on the east side of Simpson's Road, symmetrically
arranged and with a U-shaped ground-plan. Despite
many similarities to the contemporary neo-Georgian flats
erected by the Borough and County Councils, Goodwill
House has a distinctively Italianate air (Plate 124a). The
two small, central towers on the front elevation, capped
by pyramidal roofs and bulbous finials, a few roundheaded windows and openings, the pantiles on the roof,
and even the open iron railings to the access balconies,
all contribute to the almost Mediterranean character of
the building.
All the society's properties were damaged during the
Second World War, and Nos 144, 158, 160, and 162
Poplar High Street were eventually classified as being
total losses by the War Damage Commission. Feeling
that it would be some years before rebuilding could be
carried out, the committee decided in 1947 to sell Nos
158, 160, and 162. (ref. 669) Nevertheless, in November 1949
another appeal was launched to raise £5,000 towards the
cost of building two further blocks adjacent to the existing
ones, the balance of the cost being met by a mortgage
through the LCC. The Council was also approached
about acquiring the extra land, and it agreed to purchase
the site, duly leasing it to the society. (ref. 670)
By February 1951 about £2,491 in donations had
been received, including about £1,249 from American
contributors. It was therefore decided to regard the first
block as a gift from American supporters and to name it
Winant House in memory of the wartime American
Ambassador (1941–6), John G. Winant (1889–1947). (ref. 671)
T. Phillips Figgis had retired as the society's architect
just before the war, (ref. 672) and the new block was designed
by Harry Moncrieff and Edna M. I. Mills of Co-Operative
Planning Ltd. It was decided that the flats should be
an outlier to the Festival of Britain Live Architecture
Exhibition which was centred on the Lansbury Estate in
Poplar (see Chapter IX). Amongst other things, this
allowed the land to be acquired under expedited powers
which reduced the time involved by as much as 12
months. (ref. 673) At a ceremony held on 5 July 1951 Winant
House was handed over, on behalf of the American
donors, by Robert E. Sherwood, the distinguished American author and playwright, who had been an outspoken
supporter of the British war effort and a close friend of
President Franklin Roosevelt. In turn, it was received on
behalf of the people of Britain by Mrs Christopher
Soames (deputizing for her mother Mrs Winston
Churchill). (ref. 674)
Winant House contained three bed-sitting-room flats,
six one-bedroom flats, and three two-bedroom flats, all
to be let to elderly people and young married couples. (ref. 675)
It cost considerably more than had been expected, due
mainly to increases in wages and the cost of materials,
plus heavy expense in laying foundations. However, a
fresh American appeal in 1953 provided sufficient money
to meet the immediate needs. The final building cost was
£16,826 13s 3d. (ref. 676)
In 1953 work began on a further, almost identical,
block and this, known as Goodfaith House, was opened
by Lady Eccles, the wife of the then Minister of Works,
on 19 February 1954. The accommodation provided was
exactly the same as at Winant House, but the estimated
cost was about £20,000. (ref. 677) At about the same time, the
society sold Nos 144 and 146 Poplar High Street to the
LCC for road widening purposes. (ref. 678)
Goodhope House was the third and final post-war
block by Presbyterian Housing. It was begun in 1954 and
opened on 6 October 1955 by an American Presbyterian,
Mrs A. Warren Pearl, honorary CBE, who had done
much to help fund-raising. It was very similar to the
previous two blocks and again provided identical accommodation in its 12 flats, the final estimated cost amounting
to £22,000. (ref. 679) Harry Moncrieff was the sole architect for
Goodfaith and Goodhope Houses.
All three post-war blocks are virtually identical in
appearance and they are similar to the first phase of the
Lansbury Estate. They have hard, yellow, Uxbridge flint
facing-bricks (enlivened on part of the front elevation
with a repeated motif of three projecting bricks laid in
soldier course); shallow-pitched roofs (although, unlike
at Lansbury, covered in red interlocking tiles); metal
casement windows, with top-opening vents; an access
balcony to the front elevation, with metal-framed balustrades and glass panels (except Winant House, which
has metal railings instead of glass panels), and protective
central glass windshields for the access from the staircase;
turquoise glazed tiles which face the internal porches of
the ground floor flats and also the individual projecting
sun balconies on the rear elevation.
Winant House carries a stone on the front elevation
to Simpson's Road with an inscription commemorating
Anglo-American friendship and John Gilbert Winant.
The other two blocks simply have stones inscribed with
their names, the fact that they were erected by Presbyterian Housing Ltd, and the dates of completion. By
1955, therefore, the housing society had 60 flats, all in
Poplar, and the Presbyterian Settlement no longer felt
able to manage the property and collect the rents. Consequently these tasks were put in the hands of the Shoreditch, Hackney and Highbury Housing Association, (ref. 680)
although within two years this work was being carried
out by the Bethnal Green and East London Housing
Association. (ref. 681) In 1957 a start was made on modernizing
the interiors of the two oldest blocks, Goodspeed and
Goodwill Houses, with the aid of improvement grants,
but this was not completed until 1978. (ref. 682)
Until the 1970s Presbyterian Housing Ltd confined its
activities entirely to Poplar, but in recent years it has
been responsible for further housing schemes elsewhere
in London. (ref. 683) In 1972 the Presbyterian Church became
part of the newly formed United Reformed Church, and
in 1979 the society changed its name to the United
Reformed Church Housing Association Ltd. (ref. 684) As such
it retains control and ownership of the five blocks of
flats in Poplar, although day-to-day management is still
undertaken by the Bethnal Green and East London
Housing Association.
Galloway Estate
The Galloway Estate on the south side of Poplar High
Street, to the east of Simpson's Road, was started by the
LCC in the mid-1950s and completed by the GLC in
the later 1960s.
In 1950 the LCC made a Compulsory Purchase Order
in respect of Nos 130–176 (even) Poplar High Street,
although a few properties were excluded. The cost of
acquisition, clearance, and partial redevelopment was put
at £36,000. (ref. 685) The Council began to purchase properties
in Poplar High Street and Simpson's Road during 1951
and 1952. (ref. 686)
The land so acquired to the west of Simpson's Road
was leased to Presbyterian Housing Ltd for their postwar housing development (see above). After a further
small area had been reserved for widening Poplar High
Street, nearly an acre remained for the LCC's own
housing scheme. (ref. 687) Lubbock and Martindale Houses were
designed by the LCC's Architect's Department, and built
in 1956–7 by Rowley Brothers of Tottenham, at an
estimated overall cost, including the laying out of the
gardens, of £80,600 (£657 per room). (ref. 688)
Lubbock House, in Poplar High Street, is a fourstorey block of 18 flats, and Martindale House, to the
south-east and set at right-angles, is a four-storey block
of 12 maisonettes. Both have flat roofs and are built of
mottled red-and-black brick and yellow Uxbridge flint
brick. Access to upper flats is via internal staircases and
balconies, and each maisonette has its own garden. The
density is 34 dwellings to the acre. (ref. 689)
Norwood House (completed in the later 1960s) was
designed by Trevor Dannatt, an architect in private
practice, for the LCC, and construction was carried out
for the GLC by F. R. Hipperson & Son of Barking. The
initial estimate was £145,000, (ref. 690) but because of a rapid
rise in costs the total estimated expenditure was increased
to £171,500 (£1,204 per person). (ref. 691)
In order to achieve full density and also avoid daylighting difficulties on the sloping and restricted site of
0.7 of an acre, (ref. 692) the architect devised a staggered form
of development, consisting of a five-storey block of 26
flats and maisonettes, with underground garages at the
northern end, and above them four storeys of housing
accommodation (Plate 136c). The street-level and firstfloor accommodation at this end is intended for old
people. The blocks are of red brick and have copper-clad
roofs. All dwellings were heated by warm-air units from
an oil-fired central boiler. Also included in the scheme
were ten garages and a play area. The density is 37
dwellings (143 persons) to the acre. (ref. 693)
Constant and Holmsdale Houses
These are two 1930s blocks of flats built by Poplar
Borough Council in Harrow Lane and Poplar High Street
respectively, following a slum clearance scheme involving
two adjacent areas. The Harrow Lane Area consisted of
Nos 1–12 (consec) Harrow Lane and Nos 204, 206, and
208 Poplar High Street. The 15 houses contained 30
families, and a total of 96 people to be rehoused. The
Poplar High Street Area comprised only Nos 190 and
192 Poplar High Street, which were occupied by eleven
people in five families, and Nos 194–202 (even) Poplar
High Street were added in order to get a suitable site for
rehousing development. (ref. 694) The latter area was confirmed
without modification in June 1935, (ref. 695) but the sites of Nos
1 and 2 Harrow Lane were excluded from the other
area. (ref. 696)
Constant House (1936–7) (ref. 697) and Holmsdale House
(1937–8) (ref. 698) were designed by the Borough Engineer and
Surveyor, Rees J. Williams, and the plans also bear
the name of one of the architectural assistants, A. E.
Williams. (ref. 699) The building work on the two blocks was
carried out by direct labour, but in view of difficulties
experienced on other schemes it was agreed that the
hollow-tile floors should be laid by a specialist contractor. (ref. 700) The total cost of the scheme was £45,616,
including the site. As built, Constant House had 25
three-bedroom flats and five four-bedroom flats, while
Holmsdale House had four two-bedroom and 16 threebedroom flats. On a site of 4,244 sq.yds this gave an
overall density of 57 dwellings per acre. (ref. 701)
Constant House is five storeys high and Holmsdale
House four storeys. Both are in the Modernistic style
adopted by the Borough Council in the 1930s (see page
34) (Plate 126d). They are faced in red brick, have long
concrete balconies with solid parapet-walls, hipped slate
roofs set behind parapets, and metal casement windows.
Constant House has right-angled corner windows and
a curved, streamlined staircase-tower at the north-east
corner — both characteristic of the International style.
Holmsdale House has a similar staircase-tower, set offcentre along the High Street elevation.
Between October 1986 and February 1987 the two
blocks were rehabilitated, and converted into 120 dwellings, arranged in 'shared clusters', usually for two or
three single people. The work was carried out by the
Oxford House Housing Association, (fn. l) who leased the
buildings from Tower Hamlets Borough Council. The
costs of the scheme were £1,280,855 for Holmsdale
House and £1,492,785 for Constant House, with finance
being provided by the Housing Corporation. The
Borough Council has the right to nominate 50 per cent
of the tenants, the rest coming from referrals from local
community-based organizations, and the association's
own waiting-list. All tenants are local people, most of
whom were previously homeless. As many were unemployed and in receipt of supplementary benefits, the
initial rents for individual sharers were relatively low;
between £21 and £24 per week (including rates). (ref. 703)
Collins and Commodore Houses
Collins and Commodore Houses are blocks of flats, built
by Poplar Borough Council, on the north side of Poplar
High Street, between Newby Place and Bazely Street.
They stand on the site of Collins Place and Commodore
Court, two areas among several represented by the
Borough Medical Officer to the LCC in 1919 as being in
need of clearance. (ref. 704) As nothing had happened by 1929,
the Borough Council agreed to deal with these two areas
themselves, but did not officially declare them as clearance
areas until 28 September 1933. (ref. 705)
The Collins Place area consisted of eight houses (Nos
1–5 Collins Place, Nos 193 and 195 High Street, and
No. 13 Newby Place), and involved the displacement of
54 people. To enable the site to be redeveloped, Nos 189
and 191 High Street were also acquired, displacing six
more people. The Commodore Court area comprised 15
houses (Nos 1–12 Commodore Court, and Nos 219, 221,
223 High Street), containing 76 people. In addition, Nos
209–217 (odd) High Street were acquired, together with
a slaughter-house in Bow Lane (now Bazely Street). (ref. 706)
The Borough Council contended that the houses in
Collins Place were 'old, worn out, generally unsatisfactory, and most of them were infested with bugs', and
the Commodore Court area was described as 'a dreadful
place', having 'all the defects it was possible to have'. (ref. 707)
Commodore and Collins Houses were built during
1935 and 1936 (ref. 708) to designs initiated under the Acting
Borough Engineer and Surveyor, Robert Bolt, (ref. 709) although
later plans bear the names of one of the architectural
assistants, Thomas Sibthorp, and the new Borough
Engineer and Surveyor, Rees J. Williams. (ref. 710) Construction
was carried out by the Council's direct labour force, but,
as at Constant House and Holmsdale House, the hollowtile floors were laid by a specialist contractor. The total
cost of the combined scheme, including the land, was
£31,540. The densities were 58 dwellings per acre for
Commodore House and slightly higher at 65 per acre for
Collins House. (ref. 711)
Both blocks were set back to allow the widening of the
High Street and initially they were awkwardly divided
by the remaining older properties at Nos 197–203 High
Street, which were left jutting out into the street. (ref. 712)
Commodore House was arranged in two linked fourstorey blocks, with eight flats along Bow Lane and 16
flats along the High Street frontage. (ref. 713) The brickwork is a
mixture of yellow and brownish-red, while the uppermost
storey is completely rendered. The hipped roofs are
slated, and concrete balconies with solid parapets run
continuously along the rear of both blocks, wrapping
round the corner to link the two. The main block also
has a rear central, rounded, International-style, staircasetower. A novel, and rather alarming, feature was the
provision of 12 'baby balconies' looking south so that a
child could be put out into the open air to get the
sunshine. (ref. 714) These have not survived, but were presumably of a patent iron-cage type, similar or identical
to those offered to the LCC, but rejected by it on safety
grounds. (ref. 715)
Collins House is similar to Commodore House, though
the brick is brown and the hipped roof is set behind a
high parapet wall to give the impression from street level
of a flat roof. The heavy concrete rainwater-heads are a
distinctive feature on the Newby Place elevation. The
staircase-tower in this case is set at the south-east angle
of the block and makes a curved corner feature.