Arlington House, Margate

Last updated

Arlington House
Arlington Flats Brutalist high rise Margate Kent England.jpg
Arlington House in 2016
Arlington House, Margate
General information
Type
  • Residential apartments
  • Commercial space
Architectural style Brutalist architecture
LocationAll Saints Avenue, Margate, Kent, England [1]
Coordinates 51°23′10″N01°22′29″E / 51.38611°N 1.37472°E / 51.38611; 1.37472
Completed1963 [2]
Owner Thanet District Council
Technical details
Floor count18 [3]
Design and construction
Architect(s) Russell Diplock & Associates
Main contractor Bernard Sunley & Sons
Other information
Public transit access Margate railway station
Website
http://arlingtonhousemargate.co.uk/

Arlington House is an 18-storey residential apartment and commercial block on the seafront of Margate, Kent, England, next to Margate railway station and Dreamland Margate. It was developed by Bernard Sunley and designed by Russel Diplock, and is known for every apartment having a sea view. The building was designed in the style of Brutalist architecture.

Contents

The block developed from a site that was once part of the Margate Sands railway station and was advertised as a "park and buy" shopping centre. It struggled to become popular through the 1960s and 70s, with several apartments vacant and unlet. A fire broke out in 2001, leading to further complaints about lack of fire safety. Though the residential part of the block is now popular, it is still considered a controversial part of Margate architecture. The commercial section is vacant; a proposal to redevelop it into a Tesco store was unsuccessful.

Location and architecture

The block is on part of the site of the former Margate Sands railway station, adjacent to Dreamland Margate and the current Margate railway station. [4] [5]

The building is designed in the Brutalist style [6] and has 142 apartments spanning 18 storeys. [3] [4] It was designed by Russell Diplock & Associates, developed by Bernard Sunley Trust, and built by the contractors Bernard Sunley & Sons. [7] The sides of the building have a wave-like design, providing both inland and sea views from all apartments. [4] [6]

Arlington House is the tallest structure in Margate. [8] It dominates the local skyline, which some residents consider controversial. [9]

History

View from the seafront Arlington House from Marine Drive, Margate, Kent - August 2021.jpg
View from the seafront

After Margate Sands station closed in 1926, the site was bought by the Margate Corporation who built the Casino dance hall. Following a fire in 1946, it was demolished and turned into a car park. The Corporation sold the land to the developer Bernard Sunley in March 1961. Sunley was terminally ill at this point (and died three years later) but proposed a shopping arcade with a multi-level car park. The upper residential part of the block was constructed on-site with shuttering moved into position by a single crane at the top. The lifts were furnished in Carrara marble. [4]

The block opened in December 1963. [6] It was initially advertised as "Britain's first 'park and buy' shopping centre with luxury flats", incorporating a theatre, restaurant and rooftop swimming pool. [6] However, the clash between mods and rockers on Margate seafront in spring 1964 reduced the attractiveness of Arlington; by July only one resident was living there. [6] The council attempted to promote Arlington House as a positive reason to live in Margate. [10]

The commercial part of the site on which Arlington House sits was slow to develop into shops. In 1969, the lease was bought by Metropolitan Property Realizations Limited - part of the Freshwater Group. The full centre was opened the following August, with actress Wendy Craig appearing at the opening ceremony. Despite this, several flats remained unoccupied and the building continued to be unpopular. [6]

Derelict shops around Arlington House Arlington Square, Margate - geograph.org.uk - 1715227.jpg
Derelict shops around Arlington House

In 2001, a major fire broke out at Arlington House, killing one resident. A further 13 were hospitalised, and 10 people required rescuing after the fire spread within the building. [11] The fire was exacerbated by wind blowing in from broken windows, compromising the compartmentation within the structure. [3] Following the fire, the gas supply was removed from all apartments. [6]

In 2011, Thanet District Council proposed redeveloping the shopping arcade and car park as a Tesco store. [4] Local residents opposed the redevelopment, some calling Arlington House an "eyesore". These plans were subsequently abandoned after Tesco changed its retail strategy. [12] As of 2022, the car park is open, but the adjacent commercial units are vacant and boarded up. [4]

In 2019, the Metropolitan Property Realizations (MPR), who own the building on a long-term lease from Thanet Council, cancelled the management contract of Trinity Estates after numerous complaints over excessive maintenance fees. Kent Fire and Rescue Service also served notice on Trinity Estates for failing to meet appropriate fire regulations. [13] [14] The safety of the building was questioned after a resident fell to his death while leaning on a window ledge smoking a cigarette. [8] MPR subsequently took over management of the site directly but then engaged Parsons, Son and Basley . [13] Despite criticism of Trinity Estates, a local councillor stressed it was unlikely that a fire similar to Grenfell Tower would occur at Arlington House as the building does not have the cladding that caused Grenfell's fire, and has two fire escapes. [14]

In 2021, the lift mechanism failed, forcing all residents to use the stairs. This particularly affected the elderly and disabled, who were basically trapped in their homes. It was repaired just under a week later. [15] The lifts failed again in 2023 following repeated problems; one of the lifts had been turned off for some time prior to the second failing. Two residents were moved to temporary accommodation while there were no working lifts. [16]

Despite the controversy of a high-rise apartment building close to Margate's seafront, it is now considered a popular place to live because of spacious flats and good views. As of 2022, properties for flats have reached prices around £150,000. [17] However, the retail premises and car park surrounding the block continue to be close to derelict. [18]

Residents

The poet and vocalist for Hawkwind, Robert Calvert lived at Arlington House. [19] The song "High Rise" on the band's 1979 album PXR5 was reportedly inspired by the building. [6]

Cultural references

The tower block featured in Sam Mendes' film Empire of Light , which was shot in Margate. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadstairs</span> Coastal town in Kent, England

Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about 80 miles (130 km) east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St Peter's, and had a population in 2011 of about 25,000. Situated between Margate and Ramsgate, Broadstairs is one of Thanet's seaside resorts, known as the "jewel in Thanet's crown". The town's coat of arms' Latin motto is Stella Maris. The name derives from a former flight of steps in the chalk cliff, which led from the sands up to the 11th-century shrine of St Mary on the cliff's summit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balfron Tower</span> Residential building in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Balfron Tower is a 26-storey residential building in Poplar, Tower Hamlets, East London. Built in a Brutalist style, it forms part of the Brownfield Estate, an area of social housing between Chrisp Street Market and the A12 northern approach to the Blackwall Tunnel. It was designed by Ernő Goldfinger in 1963 for the London County Council, built 1965–67 by the GLC, and has been a listed building since 1996. Balfron Tower is stylistically similar to Goldfinger's later Trellick Tower in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trellick Tower</span> Tower block in the Brutalist style in Kensal Town, London

Trellick Tower is a Grade II* listed tower block on the Cheltenham Estate in North Kensington, London. Opened in 1972, it was commissioned by the Greater London Council and designed in the Brutalist style by architect Ernő Goldfinger. The tower was planned to replace outdated social accommodation, and designed as an improvement on Goldfinger's earlier Balfron Tower in East London. It was the last major project he worked on, and featured various space-saving designs, along with a separate access tower containing a plant room.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margate F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Margate Football Club, originally called Margate Town, is an English football club based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent. The club's first team play in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known during the 1980s as Thanet United.

<i>Unité dhabitation</i> 1940s modernist residential housing design principle by Le Corbusier and Nadir Afonso

The Unité d'habitation is a modernist residential housing typology developed by Le Corbusier, with the collaboration of painter-architect Nadir Afonso. It formed the basis of several housing developments throughout Europe designed by Le Corbusier and sharing the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margate</span> Town in East Kent, England

Margate is a seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of 2 miles long, 16 miles north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreamland Margate</span> Amusement park in Kent, England

Dreamland Margate is an amusement park and entertainment centre based on a traditional English seaside funfair located in Margate, Kent, England. The site of the park was first used for amusement rides in 1880, although the Dreamland name was not used until 1920 when the park's Grade II* listed Scenic Railway wooden rollercoaster was opened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanet District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Thanet is a local government district in Kent, England. The council is based in Margate and the district also contains the towns of Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Westgate-on-Sea, along with several villages. It takes its name from the Isle of Thanet, a former island which gradually became connected to the mainland between the 12th and 16th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westgate-on-Sea</span> Seaside town in Kent, England

Westgate-on-Sea is a seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of Kent, England. It is within the Thanet local government district and borders the larger seaside resort of Margate. Its two sandy beaches have remained a popular tourist attraction since the town's development in the 1860s from a small farming community. The town had a population of 6,996 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birchington-on-Sea</span> Village in Kent, England

Birchington-on-Sea is a village in the Thanet district in Kent, England, with a population of 9,961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Thanet (UK Parliament constituency)</span>

North Thanet is a constituency in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1983 creation by Sir Roger Gale, a Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliftonville</span> Human settlement in England

Cliftonville is a coastal area of Margate in the Thanet district of Kent, England. It includes the Palm Bay estate, built in the 1930s with wide avenues and detached and semi-detached houses with driveways, garages and gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garlinge</span> Human settlement in England

Garlinge is a village and suburb of Margate in Kent, England, situated 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of the centre of the town. It is in the Thanet local government district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartsdown Park</span> Sports venue in Kent, England

Hartsdown Park is a football stadium located in Margate, Kent, England. It has been the home of Margate F.C. since 1929, apart from between 2002 and 2005, when the club was forced to share the grounds of other Kent clubs while protracted redevelopment work occurred.

The Country Houses Association (CHA) was a British charity that converted country houses into retirement flats and maintained them from 1955 until its liquidation in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole</span> Building in Brighton , United Kingdom

The DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole is a 4-star hotel and conference centre located on the seafront in Brighton, East Sussex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanet Parkway railway station</span> Railway station in Cliffsend, England

Thanet Parkway railway station is a railway station in Cliffsend, Kent, that serves Discovery Park Enterprise Zone and new housing developments. It opened on 31 July 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Diplock & Associates</span>

Russell Diplock & Associates was a British firm of architects, founded by Philip Russell Diplock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtenay Gate</span> Serviced apartments in Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom

Courtenay Gate is a block of serviced apartments on the seafront in Hove, part of the English coastal city of Brighton and Hove. Situated in a prominent position next to the beach and overlooking Hove Lawns, the six-storey block is Neo-Georgian in style and dates from 1934. It is in a conservation area and is a locally listed building. Built to replace a terrace of early-19th-century houses which had been demolished more than 30 years earlier, the "imposing" gault brick building has a "palatial" appearance and is a landmark on the seafront.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ledbury Estate</span> Housing estate in Peckham, London

The Ledbury Estate is a large estate of social housing, in Peckham in the London Borough of Southwark. The estate is just south of the Old Kent Road, part of the A2 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from both Tower Bridge and the Elephant & Castle it is adjacent to land used by George Livesey for the South London Gasworks.

References

  1. ↑ "Arlington House, All Saints Avenue". HM Government. 25 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  2. ↑ Margate's Seaside Heritage (Report). Historic England. 2007. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 The Fire Risks of Purpose-Built Blocks of Flats: an Exploration of Official Fire Incident Data in England (PDF) (Report). British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association. July 2021. Table 2.3: Dangerous and unusual fires to high-rise residential buildings in the UK. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Harwood 2022, p. 38.
  5. ↑ "Turner Contemporary: Did art transform 'no-go zone' Margate?". BBC News. 4 October 2019. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kathy Bailes (18 February 2018). "The Brutalist tower block that marked the start of 1960s redevelopment in Margate". The Isle of Thanet News. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "The Building". Arlingtonmargate. Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  8. 1 2 "We asked residents in Arlington House how safe they feel living in Margate's tallest building". Kent Live. 20 January 2019. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "Arlington House in Margate named 'fine example of British architecture' by Elain Harwood in new book". Kent Online. 4 November 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  10. ↑ Barker et al. 2015, p. 52.
  11. ↑ "Man killed in seafront fire". BBC News. 23 May 2001. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "Tesco pulls out of Margate seafront store development". BBC News. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Arlington House in Margate ends contract with Trinity Estates". Kent Online. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Disturbing safety failings at Arlington House in Margate are exposed by tribunal". Kent Live. 21 June 2019. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "Residents 'trapped' in Margate's 18-floor Arlington House flats for six days after lift breaks down". Kent Online. 22 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "Margate Arlington House residents speak of despair after lift failure". BBC News. 20 March 2023. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  17. 1 2 "Inside Kent's most viewed property in Margate's Arlington House on sale for £150k". Kent Live. 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  18. ↑ Barker et al. 2015, p. 53.
  19. ↑ Banks, Joe (26 August 2022). "Hawkwind legend Robert Calvert is being given a special commemoration in his original hometown". Louder. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.