28 November 2020

Open green areas in London's East End? - Carlton Square


Carlton Square

My paternal gran lived in London’s East End, and alth­ough the two adults, 10 children and one uncle lived together in a two bed­room flat in Whitechapel, she said she had a great life. How­ev­er I believed that she didn’t see a tree, back garden, park or veget­able garden before arriving in Australia. 

Now 62andthenext10pathways has shown that parts of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets had been very spacious and green. Beginning in the late C17th, small clusters of houses and terr­aces appeared along Mile End Rd when there was already a Sp­anish Port­uguese comm­un­ity. A new suburban neighbourhood was developing in the early C18th, inhabited by a wealthy class of merch­ants and sea capt­ains in larger houses. Only with the development of open land did the wealthier families begin to move away.

But it wasn’t until the Pemberton Barnes Trust, which owned the op­en fields, begun letting them in 1853 that new clusters of lar­ge scale suburban developments appeared along the Mile End Rd. 

Long before the Carlton Square Conservation Area was formally des­ignated in Sept 1987, we need to examine how the conservation ar­ea was protect­ed. It had an ir­reg­ular boundary, extending from Mass­ingham St and Bancroft Rd to the north, to Mile End Rd to the south. It in­cluded the terraces of Tollet St along its western bound­ary, and the Grant­ley St terraces to the east.

With the wealthier inhabitants leaving Mile End, and a large Jewish community of migrants moving into this area, it prom­pt­ed cultural changes. A col­lection of synagogues and cultural institutions were built, including founding the Hospital for Spanish and Portuguese Jews in Mile End Rd by 1799. Mile End Rd was no longer considered a very desirable place of resid­ence; it was becoming a commercial hub, forming the basis for the mix of ten­ure. When the hamlet of Mile End Old Town was assumed by the Borough of Step­ney by 1899, the area had its own workhouse and vestry hall (later library) on Ban­croft Rd.

The mid C19th saw large scale building to provide cheap, sanitary hous­ing for the working classes. The houses were dev­eloped by William Pemberton Barnes Trust on open land known as Globe Fields. The Trust began let­ting the houses from 1853 and later sold 200 properties to the Peabody Trust, now the major landown­ers. There were some areas of later Victor­ian houses built after the first phase, especially south of Alderney Rd, Bancroft Rd and Grantley St.

In the 1960s, the clearing of housing formed a public open space. The conservation area was char­act­erised by its cohesive group of mid-late Victorian housing, which remain lar­gely intact. 
Mile End Hospital

The Victorian terrace houses were generally 2-storeys and raised on a semi-basement. To the front of earlier properties, parapets extend­ing the length of the terrace concealed uniform London roofs. Later properties had overhanging eaves but the original man­sard roofs had disappeared. Originally these houses had been front­ed by ornate-cast iron rail­ings, protecting small front gardens. But by 1993 they had entirely disappeared (perhaps in WW2). 

The only houses which have been lost were in the two streets north of Mass­ing­ham St, the terr­aces at Bancroft Rd’s north­ern end and the houses on Globe Rd. 

Some of the civic buildings along Bancroft Rd have changed use, but the public buildings of historical & architectural sig­nificance were preserved. The Conservation Area included 3 Grade II listed facil­it­ies, 1] the Library, 2] mid C19th Mile End Hospital and 3] two disused burial grounds.

The first of the listed build­ings was Mile End Hos­pital, built in Jacobean style with 3-storeys in red brick, white stone dres­s­ings and geom­etric designs. Its centre had balust­raded bay windows over 2-storeys, surmounted by Flemish gables.

The second, further south along Bancroft Rd, was the Tower Hamlets Library. The library was built in two parts, with the north­ern end built in 1865 and the southern part a bit earlier. The library was reconstructed of white stone with heavy eaves cornice. Presented with banding between the 2-st­oreys, the ground floor had cen­­tral, round ar­ched windows and a door flanked by Tuscan pilasters.

The third was the Jewish Burial Ground opened in 1657, estab­lish­ed by Spanish & Portuguese Jews. The oldest Jewish burial grounds in Britain, note the C18th per­i­m­eter brick wall, with rendered plinth and brick cap­ping. South of Carlton Square Gardens, the Jewish Cemeteries formed a group of open spaces. Burials took place there until 1758. 

Jewish Burial Ground
used 1657-1758

3-bedroom flats
Argyle St

Carlton Square and the adjoining Carlton Square Gardens were the open spaces that were surrounded by rows of terraces. Argyle Rd, Tol­l­et St, Holton St, Portelet Rd and Grantley St generally con­sisted of mid C19th, 2-storey terraces. High­er 3-stor­ey properties with basements existed along Bancroft Rd and Alderney Rd. Their importance was reflected in their later protection against devel­opment above ground, by the 1931 London Squares Preservation Act. 

Views in the area were framed along existing resid­ent­ial streets, where the character of the C19th terrace housing created quality views. Other views existed towards the open garden spaces. This was such an area of special arch­itectural and historic interest that Carlton Square Conservation Area complied perfectly with the Plan­ning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

Arnold Circus, Bethnal Green

Finally let me mention Arnold Circus, the famous bandstand at the centre of what was once the worst slum in London. Construction began in 1890 on new flats in Bethnal Green, which would eventually be recognised as the city’s first public housing project. The new development opened in 1896; its 19 blocks of five-storey tenements surrounded the beautiful Arnold Circus gardens and bandstand, constructed from materials from the demolished flats.

Note Mile End and Bethnal Green



16 comments:

Deb said...

When we last visited the East End, Arnold Circus gardens and bandstand were looking a bit decrepit. There was a group dedicated to cleaning up the space back then for all the locals to enjoy and your photo looks much better than I remember.

Parnassus said...

Hello Hels, I had to reference a large map of London to see where Tower Hamlets was in relation to the city. Most of the borough names I know at all are from reading novels that take place in London or thereabouts. I am just finishing Daniel Defoe's Tour Through England and Wales, c. 1724, in which he describes the various neighborhoods of London, and how even then everything was constantly changing and fashionable areas were shifting from one place to another. Then as now, whole neighborhoods were being demolished so that new plans could be put in place.

I hope that the Victorian neighborhoods you describe will be preserved. Deterioration sets in so fast, and pointing to this the developers come in with their plans, which rarely call for saving the historic character or even specific monuments of an area.
--Jim

Hels said...

Deb

there were many park lands with bandstands, in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain (and across the Empire). But I don't suppose there were too many in the East End of London, so it will be essential that Arnold Circus Gardens are looked after very well.

Hels said...

Parnassus

I hope so too. Everything in old cities was changing so quickly that fashionable families eventually moved out and left nothing original behind them. Whole neighbourhoods were being demolished so that new facilities could be put in place. It wasn't until the Conservation Areas were defined in the 20th century that the Plan­ning Acts and the Squares Preservation Acts could be put into law. But that was a bit late for many treasures :(

Joe said...

Nothing stays the same. Mile End Hospital didn't move to another location, but its services and management did change. Now it seems to be under the control of Barts Health NHS Trust.

Hels said...

Joe

true true. In the mid C19th, this building was established as the infirmary for the local workhouse. In the 1890s a nursing school was needed. And during WW1, life changed again; the building became a military hospital!

If the Mile End population ages, I imagine the focus would move to outpatient and community based services eg for dementia. If instead the community attracts young families, the hospital would need to focus on paediatrics and maternity. And given the green space outdoors, I imagine physio therapy would expand.

Luiz Gomes said...

Boa Hels. Ótima matéria. Parabéns. Um excelente domingo.

Hels said...

Luiz

it is lovely because you don't often expect wide open green spaces in the centre of a medieval city. You can actually breathe fresh air.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Hels - I think London has the most green spaces of any city ... lots of pocket parks, royal parks and lots in between - including the churchyards. History is really interesting - I've just ordered Parnassus' book recommendation - when I'll read it I don't know - but it looked really interesting to journey round the country today, but referencing back 250 years ago ... all the best - Hilary

bazza said...

Victoria Park, which is delightful and nearby, was opened around 1840 and still remains one of the nicest suburban parks in London. The East End has some remarkable squares. Tredegar Square has long been too expensive expensive for most people and many of the houses along Victoria Park Road have been at one million pounds plus for a long time. And now there is Stepney City Farm - a real oasis!
CLICK HERE for Bazza’s absentmindedly adroit Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

Hels said...

Hilary

agreed. London has some of the best protected green spaces amongst all European cities - royal parks, commons, garden squares etc. Decades ago spouse and I loved living in Mill Hill, with its green belt and open fields. And we loved having Sunday lunches at Hampstead Heath every summer.

But my expectations for the East End did not include ancient royal parks and open fields. I am delighted that the public open spaces are being protected still.

Hels said...

bazza

Victoria Park is a total delight, especially since it was only thought of in the mid 19th century and only then because of the growing population of London's East End. Victoria Park Village is located around Lauriston and Victoria Park Roads. The borough say it has the finest houses, primary schools, boutiques and restaurants in the East End :)

mem said...

My kids all lived around this area when they were in London until a few years ago. I had a lovely day walking around the east End and found Arnold circus . What a great example of public housing . Low rise , on a human scale and attractive . We could learn something from the low rise high density development of this era.

Hels said...

mem

human scale public housing without ugly towers and surrounded by beautiful green areas! Who could believe it?

In 1967 I did my first social work placement in the Housing Commission Towers in Carlton which had started up earlier that decade. The lecturer who supervised the placement said as happy as they were to have clean flats with decent living facilities, these blocks were the slums of the future.

mem said...

Its interesting to consider that prediction . I do home visits o the towers in Richmond and while I don't like the lack of outdoor space with no balconies etc , the amenity of these apartments does rather outdo some of the commercially available apartments now . Living in the towers seems to me to be ok , Its the problem of unpleasant neighbors with complex issues that most people hate nd find hard to live with . I think that this is why there is a move to deghettoize the OOH estates more and more and while this might result in fewer apartments if the tenants are not spread far and wide more , its also very unfair to group people who often have complex issues all together and make life for them and everyone else a misery.

Hels said...

mem

the issues involved in public housing have always been thus:
1. how much government money should be spent?
2. how permanent should the houses/flats be?
3. who deserves public support - recent migrants, the unemployed, very large families, the handicapped etc?
4. is open, green space necessary within the housing complex?
5. are isolated locations acceptable?
6. what facilities are essential eg baby health centre, a pre-school, access to public transport...

It will be interesting to see what cities develop in this century.