 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2023) |
South Quay Estate is a mid-rise residential development of around 300 properties adjoining St Katharine Docks in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Estate was built by the Greater London Council as a form of social housing, with the first residents moving in between 1979 and 1981. South Quay Estate includes the Burr Close, Nightingale House, St Anthony's Close and St Katharine's Way developments.
Like many of the other strategically important London Docks, St Katharine Docks were targeted by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and suffered severe damage as a result. During the "Black Saturday" raid of 7 September 1940 - officially the first day of the Blitz - the original warehouses that surrounded the Eastern Basin of the Dock were razed to the ground by German bombs. [1] [2] Following the war, when the Greater London Council (GLC) embarked upon their regeneration of the area, this bomb-damaged area was selected as the site for a social housing development - South Quay Estate.
The GLC (at the time Conservative run) established the development on what was called a 'higher rent' basis. This made it almost unique and meant those applying to be the first residents had to meet certain criteria found in nearly no other type of local authority housing. These included no children, no animals, employment either within the borough of Tower Hamlets or the City of London and proof of income. A chief aim appeared to be to provide a place where young City workers on lower pay could afford to live close to where they worked - presumably to resolve a specific shortage identified by City employers and politicians. The first group of residents therefore contained a particularly high proportion of what might generally be known as 'young professionals', although it also included many middle-aged and older individuals or couples.[ citation needed ]
The GLC initially blocked the launch of the Right to Buy Scheme under the Thatcher Government in South Quay Estate, although this changed around the demise of the GLC and ownership passing to Tower Hamlets London Borough Council. With Right to Buy, like many social housing initiatives close to the City of London, the composition of tenants in South Quay Estate therefore changed significantly during the 1980s and 1990s. As a result, a significant proportion of the Estate's 300 apartment units were transferred into private hands during this period. This transformation from public to private housing was completed on 15 June 2007 when, through a process of enfranchisement, a group of about 200 South Quay Estate property owners purchased the freehold for the Estate from the council for £930,750. [3]
Although apartments in South Quay Estate have not seen the same level of property price inflation as the luxury apartments surrounding the rest of the Marina, they have benefited from their picturesque surroundings and central location. A significant number of properties are now rented out, both mid/long-term on a residential basis and short-term for tourists and holidaymakers. There is currently a healthy demand for rental properties in the Estate driven by city workers attracted by the proximity to the city, and selection of top restaurants, cafes and bars in the area.[ citation needed ]
South Quay Estate is designed in a modernist style, ranging from four to eight storeys, chiefly in dark red brick with a wood-clad effect at higher levels. Properties comprise single floor flats and duplex maisonettes of one, two and three-bedrooms. The character of the buildings are largely in keeping with those surrounding the Docks. Whilst reflecting their origin at the end of the modernist architectural period, the use of brick is in strong contrast to the concrete of high-rise, Brutalist architecture that typified social housing in post-war Britain, coupled with a wood-cladding effect popular in the late 1960s and 1970s. This also contrasts with the circles, triangles and pale colours of the postmodernist style that came to the fore from the 1980s onwards and so now seem dated compared to most later Docklands developments - such as the adjacent City Quay development of the 1990s.[ citation needed ]
Most buildings are mainly set back from the street, surrounded or separated by mature trees and other planting around the Cloysters Green and Maudlins Green spaces, as well as communal courtyards linked by a network of elevated walkways. The Docks themselves have a largely peaceful and secluded character, blocking most of the traffic noise from the busy East Smithfield artery to the north. Other roads are minor and subject to significant traffic calming, with Burr Close being split into two service-only cul-de-sacs and Mews Street controlled by security barriers at both ends. The combination of trees and water create a calming atmosphere and a connection to nature, while the mix of shops and other uses are successful in creating quiet activity. Many historic dockyard features, such as bridges and cranes, have been incorporated into structures surrounding the estate and echo the Docks' industrial heritage. [4]
A Conservation Area is defined under the Civic Amenities Act 1967 as an "area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance". South Quay Estate is included in the Tower of London Conservation Area, that includes numerous Grade I, Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings. [4]
| |
South Quay Estate dominates the south eastern-corner of St Katharine Docks bounded by Thomas More Street, Burr Close, St Katharine's Way and the privately maintained Mews Street. The nearest stations are Tower Hill (District and Circle lines), Tower Gateway on the DLR and Wapping (East London line), as well as Fenchurch Street station mainline terminal, each about 10–15 minutes' walk away. South Quay Estate is also served by London bus routes 15, 42, 78, 100 and RV1. The walk towards London Bridge or Tower Hill has views of landmarks such as the new City Hall, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and historic Tooley Street.
London Docklands is the riverfront and former docks in London. It is located in inner east and southeast London, in the boroughs of Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Newham, and Greenwich. The docks were formerly part of the Port of London, at one time the world's largest port. After the docks closed, the area had become derelict and poverty-ridden by the 1980s. The Docklands' regeneration began later that decade; it has been redeveloped principally for commercial and residential use. The name "London Docklands" was used for the first time in a government report on redevelopment plans in 1971 and has since been almost universally adopted. The redevelopment created wealth, but also led to some conflict between the new and old communities in the area.
The London Borough of Southwark in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. All districts of the area are within the London postal district. It is governed by Southwark London Borough Council.
Poplar is a district in East London, England, now part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Five miles (8 km) east of Charing Cross, it is part of the East End.
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally an alternative name for the historic Tower Division; the area of south-east Middlesex, focused on the area of the modern borough, which owed military service to the Tower of London.
Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. With the City of London, it constitutes one of the main financial centres in the United Kingdom and the world, containing many high-rise buildings including the third-tallest in the UK, One Canada Square, which opened on 26 August 1991.
St Katharine Docks is a former dock and now a mixed-used district in Central London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and within the East End. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, immediately downstream of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. From 1828 to 1968, it was one of the commercial docks that made up the Port of London. It is in the redevelopment zone known as Docklands and is now a popular housing and leisure complex.
The Lansbury Estate is a large, historic council housing estate in Poplar and Bromley-by-Bow in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is named after George Lansbury, a Poplar councillor and Labour Party MP.
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of Rotherhithe, west of Cubitt Town, and has a long shoreline along London's Tideway, part of the River Thames. It was part of the County of Middlesex and from 1889 the County of London following the passing of the Local Government Act 1888, it later became part of Greater London in 1965.
The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was a quango agency set up by the UK Government in 1981 to regenerate the depressed Docklands area of east London. During its seventeen-year existence it was responsible for regenerating an area of 8.5 square miles (22 km2) in the London Boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Southwark. LDDC helped to create Canary Wharf, Surrey Quays shopping centre, London City Airport, ExCeL Exhibition Centre, London Arena and the Docklands Light Railway, bringing more than 120,000 new jobs to the Docklands and making the area highly sought after for housing. Although initially fiercely resisted by local councils and residents, today it is generally regarded as having been a success and is now used as an exemplar of large-scale regeneration, although tensions between older and more recent residents remain.
The London Docks were one of several sets of docks in the historic Port of London.
Cubitt Town is a district on the eastern side of the Isle of Dogs in London, England. This part of the former Metropolitan Borough of Poplar was redeveloped as part of the Port of London in the 1840s and 1850s by William Cubitt, Lord Mayor of London (1860–1862), after whom it is named. It is on the east of the Isle, facing the Royal Borough of Greenwich across the River Thames. To the west is Millwall, to the east and south is Greenwich, to the northwest Canary Wharf, and to the north — across the Blue Bridge — is Blackwall. The district is situated within the Blackwall & Cubitt Town Ward of Tower Hamlets London Borough Council.
Salford Quays is an area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it faces both Manchester and Trafford across the canal.
Millwall Dock is a dock at Millwall, London, England, located south of Canary Wharf on the Isle of Dogs.
Shadwell Basin is a housing and leisure complex built around a disused dock in Wapping, London. The old dock was formerly part of the London Docks, a group of docks built by the London Dock Company at Shadwell and Wapping as part of the wider docks of the Port of London.
Mudchute Park and Farm is a large urban park and farm in Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, just south of Canary Wharf. It is a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.
Columbus Tower was a planned high-rise development by Commercial Estates Group approved for construction on a site on the Isle of Dogs, London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The 63-storey, 242 m (794 ft) AOD tower would have been located on a 0.36-hectare site at the western end of the north dock at West India Quay. At 2009 projected cost was £450M to build and reaching 237 metres in height, and projected was taller only by 2 m than One Canada Square.
East Smithfield is a small locality in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, east London, and also a short street, a part of the A1203 road. Once broader in scope, the name came to apply to the part of the ancient parish of St Botolph without Aldgate that was outside of the City of London.
Devon Mansions are a set of five residential mansion block buildings situated along the south side of Tooley Street in Bermondsey, London. The buildings are located within the London Borough of Southwark and are included in both the Tower Bridge and Tooley Street Conservation Areas.
Country house conversion to apartments is the process whereby a large country house, which was originally built to accommodate one wealthy family, is subdivided into separate apartments to allow multiple residential occupancy by a number of unrelated families. They are usually, by virtue of their age or style, listed buildings. The re-purposing of these mansions is one alternative to their demolition; there was wide-spread destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain, but remodelling them as multiple dwelling units became a more popular option after the Destruction of the Country House exhibition in 1974.
Draped Seated Woman 1957–58 is a bronze sculpture by the British artist Henry Moore, cast in an edition of seven in the 1950s. The sculpture depicts a female figure resting in a seated position, with her legs folded back to her right, her left hand supporting her weight, and her right hand on her right leg. The drapery emphasises the female figure, but the facial features are abstracted and barely picked out.
