Samuda Estate

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Samuda Estate
View from Kelson House.jpg
Millwall Panorama, 1974, Composite photograph by Peter Land taken from the top of Kelson House, 1974 (Samuda Estate was within the boundary of Millwall at that time)
Samuda Estate
General information
LocationCubitt Town
Statusbuilt
Area4.6 ha
No. of units550
Construction
Constructed1967
Architect Gordon Tait
ContractorsTersons Ltd
Authority London County Council
Style Brutalism
Influence Le Corbusier

The Samuda Estate is on the east side of Manchester Road, in Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs. With 505 dwellings it is home to about 1,500 people and covers 11.4 acres (4.6 ha).

Contents

Historical background

Togo at the time of his internship with the Samuda Brothers, 1877 Togo in Europe.jpg
Tōgō at the time of his internship with the Samuda Brothers, 1877

The estate is named for the shipbuilding company of the Samuda Brothers, Jacob and Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda, who formerly occupied the site. Admiral Togo did his work experience here in 1877 working on the construction of the Fusō.

The estate was designed by Gordon Tait of the Worshipful Company of Masons, and built by Tersons Ltd for the London County Council in two phases, commencing in 1965. Work was completed by the Greater London Council and the estate subsequently became part of the Tower Hamlets council housing stock. Upon completion in 1967, the total cost of construction was £2,879,424 including the cost of rebuilding the river wall, and the removal of massive concrete foundations on the former ship yard. [1]

Composition

The estate comprises four and six-storey blocks arranged around central traffic-free squares, some connected by covered bridges:

As a concession to the changing needs of its inhabitants resulting from the increase in car-ownership, the development included an underground parking area composed of 200 garages along with space for motorcycles. [2] In 2004 the Samuda Estate Local Management Organisation distributed a paper calling for the refurbishment of the derelict underground garages as potential business units, with a multi-faith prayer facility, Tower Hamlets Community Recycling Consortium, and a workshop area for Local Labour in Construction. [3]

The LDDC built the Samuda Community Centre for the estate in 1986, at a cost of £350,000. [1]

Contemporary culture

Pinnace House and Yarrow House with skyscrapers, 2007 Pinnace House and Yarrow House with skyscrapers - geograph.org.uk - 585999.jpg
Pinnace House and Yarrow House with skyscrapers, 2007

Photography

Jonathan B50 visited Kelson House in 1973, and has published 7 photographs taken from the top of Kelson House as part of his Sunset – Moon – Sunrise series. [5]

Literature

Visual arts

Film and TV

Netflix series, Top Boy was filmed on the Samuda Estate under the fictional name "Summerhouse Estate".

Privatisation

In 2005 the Samuda Estate was privatised as part of the Tower Hamlets London Borough Council's Housing Choice programme. A new Housing Association Toynbee Island Homes was established on a resident-led basis. However, in 2007, This was taken over by One Housing Group in 2007. In April, 2008 the local housing office was the site of a dramatic sit-in by a board member of the Samuda Estate Local Management Organisation following their eviction from the 'Samuda Housing Office which they occupied since 2005. This coincided with the firing of the resident Board members of Island Homes by the One Housing Group Chief Executive Officer Mick Sweeney. Quoting a report from Campbell Tickell, Sweeney admitted they were guilty of "persistent serious failures in their duties to properly govern the association".

In what The Wharf newspaper described as a "war of words", a spokesperson for One Housing Group argued that the action taken was "essential in protecting the interests of residents":

"OHG will continue to support Island Homes and an interim board will be appointed to take such steps as are required to ensure that services to Island Homes residents are first class, and to ensure the promises made to residents in relation to the improvement works to their homes are delivered." [9]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuda Brothers</span>

Samuda Brothers was an engineering and ship building firm at Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs in London, founded by Jacob and Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda. The site is now occupied by Samuda Estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda</span>

Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda was an English engineer and politician. He was born in London the younger son of Abraham Samuda, and brother of Jacob Samuda. He started out in his father's counting-house, but in 1832 he joined his elder brother to set up Samuda Brothers.

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References

  1. 1 2 Cubitt Town: Public Housing, Survey of London: volumes 43 and 44: Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs (1994), pp. 539-547. Date accessed: 6 April 2008.
  2. "Public Housing in Poplar: The 1940s to the early 1990s | British History Online". british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  3. Current Major Development Issues in LAP8 [ permanent dead link ], 3 April 2004, accessed 2 May 2008
  4. Samuda Estate, Manchester Road, Isle Of Dogs, Poplar, Greater London, English Heritage Archive
  5. Sunset – Moon – Sunrise Accessed 2 May 2008
  6. You Have Been Watched Archived 27 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine accessed 6 April 2008.
  7. “You Have Been Watched”: Dances Between Scrutiny and Transubstantiation in the Viewing of the Transgendered Body on Closed Circuit Television Archived 13 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine by Doran George accessed 15 June 2008
  8. East London Advertiser, 1 May 2008
  9. War of words as housing group dumps entire board accessed 2 May 2008

Coordinates: 51°29′50″N0°0′32″W / 51.49722°N 0.00889°W / 51.49722; -0.00889