Shaftesbury Park Estate – Battersea
Having started my new blog, it has got me thinking about a number of house histories I’ve done in the past. There have been so many, but one of my favourites was a historical overview of The Shaftesbury Park Estate in Battersea, London.
The Shaftesbury Park Estate was a collection of homes built by the ‘Artizans, Labourers and General Dwelling Company’, established in 1867 by architect, William Austin and supported by the philanthropist Lord Shaftesbury.
The estate was unique for a number of reasons, firstly it was one of the first established to provide healthy and affordable housing for the working classes within London, but it was also built by the very people who were going to move in!
Here is a lovely plan of the houses for the Shaftesbury Park Estate
(provided by the Wandsworth Museum)
The foundation stone of the Shaftesbury Park Estate was laid by Lord Shaftesbury in 1872 and close to 1,200 houses were built between 1873 and 1877. Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli opened part of the estate in 1874 calling it a ‘social phenomenon’.
Foundation Plaque 1872
The area, formerly gardens and farming fields, came to be known as ‘Workman’s Town’. The aim of the estate was not only to create new homes, but also a community spirit by providing a community hall, schools and open space. There were lso many local groups, including a dramatic club, a volunteer rifle corps, sports team and a ‘Friends of Labour Loan Society’. Although, one of the key things purposefully omitted was a pub, in an effort to curb the social problems of cheap alcohol.
Today, the area of the Shaftesbury Park Estate is one of the most sought after residential areas in Battersea. A few famous residents have included Lydia Russell, Duchess of Bedford, actor Daniel Massey and actress Una Stubbs. The Shaftesbury Park Estate has seen very few changes over its 130 year history, maintaining its picturesque Victorian terraced rows, gothic architecture and tree-lined streets.
Check out the full brochure here:
http://www.chestertonhumberts.com/public/propertyimages/%7BFAFF4E8A-C467-40E1-A422-1F8639815C9B%7D.pdf
Dear sir
I have in my possession the actual indenture from 1879 from the Artizan, Labourers and General Dwellings Company Ltd.,” to Robert Wainer Esquire of Cripplegate and Others, for part of this estate. It is on waxed parchment and has 10 x A3 sized pages, written on both sides (making 20 sides of written text) and includes an accompanying plan showing the properties in Eversleigh Road, Holden Street, Ashbury Road, Birley Street, Tyneham Road, Morrison Street and Brassey Square. The signed Indenture has official seals and lists some 50 owners and the quarterly or monthly repayments they were making. I believe this could be worth a significant sum to a collector who has a local interest.
Roy Grant
I am very interested to learn more about the Shaftesbury Estate, Battersea as I have been researching my family tree. I was born in Birley Street, so was my father. His Aunts also lived in the road and I have recently discovered my Great Grandparents also lived there!
Any further information would be gratefully received.
Thanks!
Sue Smith
Hi
I wonder if you could be of any help to me. I am a teacher at a small school in Battersea, just off Battersea Park. In the next school year my class of 6 will be learning about Henry the VIII and the Tudors. Do you know if there are and Tudor style buildings in the area, somewhere within walking distance, that we could go and visit. Even if it is only to look at the outside structure.
Thanks!
Hi Kirsten
Thank you for your message. However, I’m not aware of any Tudor buildings in Battersea, so this could be a little tricky. In terms of ‘Tudor-style’, the most common imitation of the Tudor style that you’ll be likely to see in Battersea is ‘Mock-Tudor’, which isn’t quite right for teaching about the Tudors.
Obviously, the best examples are Hampton Court Palace or Eltham Palace, but neither are in walking distance of Battersea. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, but it’s difficult to find a Tudor building in central London that isn’t a royal palace.
All the best – Tudor history is one of the most fun and interesting periods to learn about!
Kind regards,
Melanie
One of the chairmen of the Artizans dwellign company was dr John Baxter Langley a notorious radical, who reported on the Burradon mining disaster, the Irish famine, and was first over the railings at the Hyde park riots in the 1800′s. He wa also a founding member of the Reform League and a compatriot of Josephine Butler’s anti-contagious diseases acts campaign (which attacked the civil rights of suspected prostitutes). Basically an all round good bloke.
I currently live on this estate and am trying to look for photos of ‘old battersea’ for hanging. Do you know where would be a good place to look?
Hi there
Thanks for your comment. Tracking down historic images can be rather tricky, but I would suggest the local studies library or the Wandsworth Museum first. However, they often have a limited collection, so you may need to try further afield, such as the london Metropolitan Archives or The London Museum or an image provider such as Getty.
I hope that helps a little in your search!
Thanks,
Melanie
I would like to know what the styles of the houses meant ‘class wise’ I live in one of the first houses built at the entrance of the estate so more of a house than a cottage. And what was the building on Brassey Square built for?
Hi Anna
Your question is an interesting one and perhaps a little difficult to answer in a blog response. I can tell you that within the Shaftesbury Park Estate there were four types of houses built. The four ‘classes’ of house were primarily divided by the number of rooms provided, although the first class house was the only one to have an inside toilet. Brassey Square was originally designed to be an open park, but it was built over within a few years. The original plans show it as a park, but the 1896 Ordnance Survey map shows Brassey Square had already been built over with new houses. Thanks again for your comment – I hope my response is helpful