Raffles, Cumbria
Encyclopedia
Raffles or the Raffles Estate is a suburb
of Carlisle, Cumbria
, United Kingdom
. The estate consists mainly of council built and Housing association
properties, and in 1994 had a population of 5,800. Nearby areas include Belle Vue
, Newtown, Sandsfield Park and Morton West.
with a high level of crime. One resident was reported to have said "If you've got a problem in Raffles, get a shotgun".
By the first decade of the 21st Century the once notorious housing estate had undergone significant redevelopment and modernisation. The £9million redevelopment plan got underway in 2004 and saw many of the original council properties demolished and replaced with new housing stock. This was completed in three stages, the last building phase being finished in 2009.
Raffles is still not without its problems, however. In 2010 Carlisle Police recovered a large haul of heroin from a house on the estate, described as one of the largest to be found in the area in recent years.
, the current MP for Maidstone and The Weald
and the Conservative Party
's first black female MP, grew up in Orton Road on the estate.
She said in a 2008 interview with the Daily Mail
that as the only black
resident of the estate she was the victim of racist
bullying. However, in a 2010 interview she spoke fondly of her childhood, and the house in which she grew up. "I had happy memories in that house and it gave me a good start in life... There was deprivation around, there was certainly need, there was some domestic violence and there were some fights. But my memory of the square where we lived is that there was pride in people."
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Carlisle, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The estate consists mainly of council built and 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...
properties, and in 1994 had a population of 5,800. Nearby areas include Belle Vue
Belle Vue, Cumbria
Belle Vue is a suburb of Carlisle, Cumbria, United Kingdom.The area is mostly residential and is situated on the western edge of the city's urban area and borders or is close to Newtown, Raffles, Sandsfield Park and Morton West....
, Newtown, Sandsfield Park and Morton West.
History
Raffles was built during the 1920s and 1930s and was highly sought after as a place to live by council tenants of the time. However, by 1994 things had changed. A report from April 1994 which appeared in The Independent on Sunday condemned the estate as a no-go areaNo-go area
A no-go area or no-go zone is a region where the ruling authorities have lost control and are unable to enforce the rule of law.-Rhodesia:The term 'no-go area' has a military origin and was first used in the context of the Bush War in Rhodesia...
with a high level of crime. One resident was reported to have said "If you've got a problem in Raffles, get a shotgun".
By the first decade of the 21st Century the once notorious housing estate had undergone significant redevelopment and modernisation. The £9million redevelopment plan got underway in 2004 and saw many of the original council properties demolished and replaced with new housing stock. This was completed in three stages, the last building phase being finished in 2009.
Raffles is still not without its problems, however. In 2010 Carlisle Police recovered a large haul of heroin from a house on the estate, described as one of the largest to be found in the area in recent years.
Notable residents
Helen GrantHelen Grant (politician)
Helen Grant is a British lawyer and Conservative Party politician. She is the current Member of Parliament for Maidstone and The Weald in Kent. She was elected at the 2010 general election, replacing the constituency's previous incumbent, Ann Widdecombe, who had decided to step down as an MP...
, the current MP for Maidstone and The Weald
Maidstone and The Weald
Maidstone and The Weald is a county constituency which elects one Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:...
and the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
's first black female MP, grew up in Orton Road on the estate.
She said in a 2008 interview with the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
that as the only black
Black British
Black British is a term used to describe British people of Black African descent, especially those of Afro-Caribbean background. The term has been used from the 1950s to refer to Black people from former British colonies in the West Indies and Africa, who are residents of the United Kingdom and...
resident of the estate she was the victim of racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
bullying. However, in a 2010 interview she spoke fondly of her childhood, and the house in which she grew up. "I had happy memories in that house and it gave me a good start in life... There was deprivation around, there was certainly need, there was some domestic violence and there were some fights. But my memory of the square where we lived is that there was pride in people."