Alexandra Road Estate |
| Hob Uid: 1203668 | |
Location :
Greater London Authority
Camden
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : TQ2610083800 |
| Summary : A low-rise, high-density housing development designed Camden Borough Council Architects' Department. In 1966 the Council purchased 13½ acres of land from the private Eyre Estate, whose proposals for a tower block were rejected because it interrupted the protected views of St Paul's. The land was purchased with part funding from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government on condition that the area was redeveloped for public housing. Proposals were drawn for a which included housing for 1660 people in 520 dwellings. Neave Brown had already produced one scheme for Camden - four terraces of maisonettes set back-to-back at Fleet Road. Alexandra Road was similarly complex in its internal planning, yet its concept was simple: it was a Georgian terrace in modern dress. Devised in 1968, work on site did not begin until 1972 due to local planning issues and also because the brief also became more complex, with the addition of a park, a community centre, a home for the disabled, a special school and assessment centre, pubs and shops. Most of these were facilities were placed on the eastern half of the site so that Brown's initial concept remained unsullied. The built scheme includes two terraces facing each other across a raised pedestrian street. A third terrace consists entirely of houses. The smaller terrace on Rowlett Way has two tiers of maisonettes. The largest terrace is the most complex; designed as a noise barrier to the railway line alongside, it combines maisonettes with one-bedroom flats. The estate saw partial completion and occupancy in 1978 and was fully occupied by 1979. In 1991 the South Hampstead Housing Co-operative took over the day to day running of the estate. The Alexandra Road Estate was Listed in 1993 and designated a Conservation Area in 1996. Despite these designations, the home for the disabled was demolished in 1999. |
| More information : A low-rise, high-density housing development designed Camden Borough Council Architects' Department. In 1966 the Council purchased 13½ acres of land from the private Eyre Estate, whose proposals for a tower block were rejected because it interrupted the protected views of St Paul's. The land was purchased with part funding from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government on condition that the area was redeveloped for public housing. Proposals were drawn for a which included housing for 1660 people in 520 dwellings. Neave Brown had already produced one scheme for Camden - four terraces of maisonettes set back-to-back at Fleet Road. Alexandra Road was similarly complex in its internal planning, yet its concept was simple: it was a Georgian terrace in modern dress. Devised in 1968, work on site did not begin until 1972 due to local planning issues and also because the brief also became more complex, with the addition of a park, a community centre, a home for the disabled, a special school and assessment centre, pubs and shops. Most of these were facilities were placed on the eastern half of the site so that Brown's initial concept remained unsullied. The built scheme includes two terraces facing each other across a raised pedestrian street. A third terrace consists entirely of houses. The smaller terrace on Rowlett Way has two tiers of maisonettes. The largest terrace is the most complex; designed as a noise barrier to the railway line alongside, it combines maisonettes with one-bedroom flats. The estate saw partial completion and occupancy in 1978 and was fully occupied by 1979. In 1991 the South Hampstead Housing Co-operative took over the day to day running of the estate. The Alexandra Road Estate was Listed in 1993 and designated a Conservation Area in 1996. Despite these designations, the home for the disabled was demolished in 1999. (1-3) |