Clapham Park
Encyclopedia
Clapham Park is an area in the Borough of Lambeth
in London
, to the south of central Clapham
and west of Brixton
.
The original Clapham Park estate was a speculative development by Thomas Cubitt
, who bought 229 acre (0.92673094 km²) of Bleak Hall Farm in 1825, and marked out plots for building around the new broad, tree-lined streets of Kings Avenue, Clarence Avenue, Poynders Road and Atkins Road. It was planned to consist of extremely large detached houses in Cubitt's characteristic Italianate
villa style, set in extensive grounds.
However, the ambitions of the developer were never fulfilled, and some plots remained undeveloped at the outbreak of World War I
. Cubitt's own residence, Lincoln House, with its vast grounds, was demolished in 1905.
Rodenhurst Road, a street of large double-fronted semi-detached
Edwardian houses was laid out on the site of Lincoln House. British statesman Arthur Henderson
once lived at number 13 and there is a Blue Plaque
on the house indicating this. Because of its leafy layout, Rodenhurst Road is often erroneously assumed to have been an original part of Cubitt's layout. The undivided properties remain among the most expensive in Lambeth.
Severance of the estate
From the 1920s, some of the undeveloped plots on the southern part of the estate were developed with medium-density terraced and semi-detached houses for sale. With the adoption of Poynders Road as the arterial "South Circular" road, this area is now severed from the area further north by traffic, and not generally referred to as part of Clapham Park. The site of one Cubitt villa was donated to the then Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth as a park, and is now known as Agnes Riley Gardens after its benefactor and now incorporates a nursery called Squirrels.
The Clapham Park Estate
The area immediately to the east of the estate had been developed by the London County Council
(LCC) in the 1920s as council housing, mostly in characteristic blocks of neo-Georgian brick flats. Following World War II
most of the Cubitt houses were demolished and the northern part of the original area was redeveloped by the LCC to a very different Modern Movement style. Most buildings are set on an arbitrary diagonal axis to the existing street line, and visitors to this part of the estate get easily lost. On completion of the scheme by the Greater London Council
, the Clapham Park Estate became the largest single council estate within the new London Borough of Lambeth.
Lambeth Council also built flats west of Clarence Avenue, including three tower blocks (Barnsbury, Belgravia and Bloomsbury houses) commemorating Cubitt's more successful developments.
The Clapham Park Estate has had a concentration of social problems, but these were not recognised statistically while the estate was divided between three local government wards. The estate had very few community facilities, and this was exacerbated by Lambeth's closure of the branch library in 2000. The journalist and commentator Polly Toynbee
lived in a "hard-to-let" flat on the estate while researching her 2003 book Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain
Clapham Park was selected as a pilot site for New Deal for Communities
, which has brought some new education, training, health and community safety projects to the estate. Better management of Lambeth's housing has also alleviated some of the worst elements of physical disrepair of the estate. In 2005, tenants of the estate voted for a "stock transfer" to a housing association
, and ownership and management of their homes transferred from the London Borough of Lambeth to Clapham Park Homes, the new community-led housing association, on 27 June 2006. The transfer is closely linked to ambitious and controversial plans for large-scale redevelopment of the estate, which would increase the number of homes, substantially increase housing density and diversify tenure.
Abbeville Village
From the 1880s the area to the west of Cubitt's land holdings between Clapham Common
Southside and the site of Lincoln House was developed to more conventional housing designs. This area borrowed the name of Clapham Park, presumably because of its original social cachet, and its streets have predominantly remained in owner occupation. The grid of late Victorian era
streets around Abbeville Road is frequently referred to (particularly by estate agents) as Abbeville Village, although many of the independent local shops that gave the area a distinct character until the 1990s have made way for restaurants, cafes and bars, as the street has become the centre of local night life for the professional middle classes, and shop rentals have increased considerably.
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to the south of central Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
and west of Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
.
The original Clapham Park estate was a speculative development by Thomas Cubitt
Thomas Cubitt
Thomas Cubitt , born Buxton, Norfolk, was the leading master builder in London in the second quarter of the 19th century, and also carried out several projects in other parts of England.-Background:...
, who bought 229 acre (0.92673094 km²) of Bleak Hall Farm in 1825, and marked out plots for building around the new broad, tree-lined streets of Kings Avenue, Clarence Avenue, Poynders Road and Atkins Road. It was planned to consist of extremely large detached houses in Cubitt's characteristic Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
villa style, set in extensive grounds.
However, the ambitions of the developer were never fulfilled, and some plots remained undeveloped at the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Cubitt's own residence, Lincoln House, with its vast grounds, was demolished in 1905.
Rodenhurst Road, a street of large double-fronted semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
Edwardian houses was laid out on the site of Lincoln House. British statesman Arthur Henderson
Arthur Henderson
Arthur Henderson was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and he served three short terms as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1908–1910, 1914–1917 and 1931-1932....
once lived at number 13 and there is a Blue Plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
on the house indicating this. Because of its leafy layout, Rodenhurst Road is often erroneously assumed to have been an original part of Cubitt's layout. The undivided properties remain among the most expensive in Lambeth.
Severance of the estate
From the 1920s, some of the undeveloped plots on the southern part of the estate were developed with medium-density terraced and semi-detached houses for sale. With the adoption of Poynders Road as the arterial "South Circular" road, this area is now severed from the area further north by traffic, and not generally referred to as part of Clapham Park. The site of one Cubitt villa was donated to the then Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth as a park, and is now known as Agnes Riley Gardens after its benefactor and now incorporates a nursery called Squirrels.
The Clapham Park Estate
The area immediately to the east of the estate had been developed by the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
(LCC) in the 1920s as council housing, mostly in characteristic blocks of neo-Georgian brick flats. Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
most of the Cubitt houses were demolished and the northern part of the original area was redeveloped by the LCC to a very different Modern Movement style. Most buildings are set on an arbitrary diagonal axis to the existing street line, and visitors to this part of the estate get easily lost. On completion of the scheme by the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
, the Clapham Park Estate became the largest single council estate within the new London Borough of Lambeth.
Lambeth Council also built flats west of Clarence Avenue, including three tower blocks (Barnsbury, Belgravia and Bloomsbury houses) commemorating Cubitt's more successful developments.
The Clapham Park Estate has had a concentration of social problems, but these were not recognised statistically while the estate was divided between three local government wards. The estate had very few community facilities, and this was exacerbated by Lambeth's closure of the branch library in 2000. The journalist and commentator Polly Toynbee
Polly Toynbee
Polly Toynbee is a British journalist and writer, and has been a columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998. She is a social democrat and broadly supports the Labour Party, while urging it in many areas to be more left-wing...
lived in a "hard-to-let" flat on the estate while researching her 2003 book Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain
Clapham Park was selected as a pilot site for New Deal for Communities
New Deal for Communities
New Deal for Communities is a regeneration programme led by the government of the United Kingdom for some of the England's most deprived neighbourhoods...
, which has brought some new education, training, health and community safety projects to the estate. Better management of Lambeth's housing has also alleviated some of the worst elements of physical disrepair of the estate. In 2005, tenants of the estate voted for a "stock transfer" to a housing association
Housing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
, and ownership and management of their homes transferred from the London Borough of Lambeth to Clapham Park Homes, the new community-led housing association, on 27 June 2006. The transfer is closely linked to ambitious and controversial plans for large-scale redevelopment of the estate, which would increase the number of homes, substantially increase housing density and diversify tenure.
Abbeville Village
From the 1880s the area to the west of Cubitt's land holdings between Clapham Common
Clapham Common
Clapham Common is an 89 hectare triangular area of grassland situated in south London, England. It was historically common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, but was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878.43 hectares of the common are within the...
Southside and the site of Lincoln House was developed to more conventional housing designs. This area borrowed the name of Clapham Park, presumably because of its original social cachet, and its streets have predominantly remained in owner occupation. The grid of late Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
streets around Abbeville Road is frequently referred to (particularly by estate agents) as Abbeville Village, although many of the independent local shops that gave the area a distinct character until the 1990s have made way for restaurants, cafes and bars, as the street has become the centre of local night life for the professional middle classes, and shop rentals have increased considerably.