York Mansions
Encyclopedia
York Mansions is one of the seven Victorian blocks of flat
s located on Prince of Wales Drive, London
, between Albert Bridge Road and Queenstown Road, in Battersea
, in the London borough of Wandsworth
. The building is four storeys tall and is of a Victorian
High Gothic Revival style. It is portered.
, and was constructed on the former gardens of the defunct The Albert Palace
. Pilkington incorporated the very latest thinking in his design.
Construction began in 1897 and was completed in 1901 - Pilkington did not see the completion of York Mansions, as he had died in October 1898. The first work undertaken was the laying of the drains in May 1897. Construction was completed from west to east, and the building was constructed from London stock brick
and Yorkstone
.
When built, York Mansions consisted of 100 flats, which were arranged around 3 internal courtyard
s. The flats at the front of block overlooked Battersea Park
, whereas flats at the back of the building overlooked Battersea Polytechnic. Flats measured approximately 1500 square feet (139.4 m²) for a 3 bedroom flat, and 1800 square feet (167.2 m²) for a 4 bedroom flat, and included a drawing room, dining room, bathroom and rooms for a maid to live and work.
A below-ground corridor ran the full length of the building, which provided internal access to the three separate courtyards and also acted as a servant’s corridor (servants did not use the main entrance to the building). In addition, the building was equipped with service lifts which led directly from the courtyards to the kitchens.
As had become standard, a small servant’s corridor was separated off within each flat and a separate servant’s lavatory (but no bathroom) was provided. Except at the ends of the building where it would have been considered too public and unseemly, the servants lavatory was outside, accessed from the balcony beside the kitchen door.
No separate scullery was provided and the original plans show the kitchen sink in the same room as the range and always in front of a window. At the time this was unconventional arrangement, and was later termed ‘American style’.
The flats at the rear corners of the building offered an unusual scenario where the maid, working at the sink, looked out at Battersea Park
and had one of the best views in the whole flat.
When built the flats were modern, and had Queen Anne and Kate Greenaway style fire-surrounds, corrugated brass finger plates and plain ceilings. Ceiling roses were still being installed in many new houses but, by this date, were increasingly being viewed as somewhat "lower middle class". The flats also had a chrome postal handle, some of the York Mansions' flats still make use of the original fitting (the postal handle is a horizontal post flap with a fixed handle just below the opening, which is used to pull the flat door shut).
Although electricity appears to have been laid along Prince of Wales Drive, London
at a very early stage, it was not extended into York Mansions until after the World War I
. Lighting was by gas, utilising the new Incandescent Mantles which concealed the naked flames and produced a softer, pleasanter light.
Cooking was by solid fuel, using the rather square-rather-than-wide kitchen ranges. A coal-bin for each flat was provided in a cupboard which was situated outside the kitchen door in the servant’s corridor.
Elevator
s were installed in the building in 1922.
The block had cast iron fence railings across the front of the block, but these were removed to make munitions during World War II
, and have not been replaced. The building also had a false parapet
which ran along the front roof-line, but this was removed when it became unstable.
When the flats were constructed they were rented out, however, the flats gradually moved from rental and were sold on the standard lease of 99 years. In the 1960s, many owners purchased the freehold for their flat and took 999 year leases - today, very few York Mansions' flats do not own share of freehold.
and his sister Clemence Housman. A caretaker, called Harry Bright, and his family also lived in the building .
Between 1904 and 1919, residents included military personnel, ranking from Captain to Colonel. However, in 1916 and 1917, Major General Henry Jardine Hallowes, 1916 to 1918 Rear Admiral Manuel Diaz, and 1918 and 1919 Major General Stewart M. Hutchinson also lived in the block. From 1914 to 1919, York Mansion's residents included Reverends and a Medical Doctor.
Other notable residents of York Mansions included: E. W. Bullinger
between 1905 and 1908, Pamela Coleman Smith between 1907 and 1908, Frederick Joseph Harvey Darton, who was an early scholar of children's literature, in 1908 and Lady Mary Adele Hughes in 1908. Between 1906 and 1908 the caretaker, Percy Edward Briance, and between 1914 and 1919 the caretaker, Frank Thomas Montgomery, lived in flat 81 .
York Mansions does not have a Blue plaque
.
York Mansions has also been referenced in P. G. Wodehouse
's short story "The Romance of an Ugly Policeman".
Flat
In music, flat, or Bemolle , means "lower in pitch"; the flat symbol lowers a note by a half step. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously...
s located on Prince of Wales Drive, London
Prince of Wales Drive, London
Prince of Wales Drive is located in Battersea, in the London borough of Wandsworth. The drive is situated on the southern perimeter of Battersea Park.-Overview:The southern side of Prince of Wales Drive is lined with late-Victorian mansion blocks and villas...
, between Albert Bridge Road and Queenstown Road, in Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
, in the London borough of Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
. The building is four storeys tall and is of a Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
High Gothic Revival style. It is portered.
History
York Mansions was designed by Frederick Thomas PilkingtonFrederick Thomas Pilkington
Frederick Thomas Pilkington was a Scottish architect, practising in the Victorian High Gothic revival style. His father was also an architect.Frederick Thomas Pilkington practised as an architect in Edinburgh from 1860 to 1883...
, and was constructed on the former gardens of the defunct The Albert Palace
The Albert Palace
The Albert Palace was located in Battersea, in the borough of Wandsworth, London. It faced, and formed a backdrop to the lake in Battersea Park, and was a re-erection of an iron and glass building, like The Crystal Palace of 1851, which had partly housed the Dublin International Exhibition of...
. Pilkington incorporated the very latest thinking in his design.
Construction began in 1897 and was completed in 1901 - Pilkington did not see the completion of York Mansions, as he had died in October 1898. The first work undertaken was the laying of the drains in May 1897. Construction was completed from west to east, and the building was constructed from London stock brick
London stock brick
London stock brick is the type of hand-made brick which was used for the majority of building work in London and South East England until the growth in the use of Flettons and other machine-made bricks in the early 20th century. Its distinctive yellow colour and soft appearance come from the...
and Yorkstone
Yorkstone
Yorkstone is a term for a variety of sandstone, specifically from quarries in Yorkshire that have been worked since medieval times, but now applied generally. Yorkstone is a tight grained, Carboniferous sedimentary rock...
.
When built, York Mansions consisted of 100 flats, which were arranged around 3 internal courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
s. The flats at the front of block overlooked Battersea Park
Battersea Park
Battersea Park is a 200 acre green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in England. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea, and was opened in 1858....
, whereas flats at the back of the building overlooked Battersea Polytechnic. Flats measured approximately 1500 square feet (139.4 m²) for a 3 bedroom flat, and 1800 square feet (167.2 m²) for a 4 bedroom flat, and included a drawing room, dining room, bathroom and rooms for a maid to live and work.
A below-ground corridor ran the full length of the building, which provided internal access to the three separate courtyards and also acted as a servant’s corridor (servants did not use the main entrance to the building). In addition, the building was equipped with service lifts which led directly from the courtyards to the kitchens.
As had become standard, a small servant’s corridor was separated off within each flat and a separate servant’s lavatory (but no bathroom) was provided. Except at the ends of the building where it would have been considered too public and unseemly, the servants lavatory was outside, accessed from the balcony beside the kitchen door.
No separate scullery was provided and the original plans show the kitchen sink in the same room as the range and always in front of a window. At the time this was unconventional arrangement, and was later termed ‘American style’.
The flats at the rear corners of the building offered an unusual scenario where the maid, working at the sink, looked out at Battersea Park
Battersea Park
Battersea Park is a 200 acre green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in England. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea, and was opened in 1858....
and had one of the best views in the whole flat.
When built the flats were modern, and had Queen Anne and Kate Greenaway style fire-surrounds, corrugated brass finger plates and plain ceilings. Ceiling roses were still being installed in many new houses but, by this date, were increasingly being viewed as somewhat "lower middle class". The flats also had a chrome postal handle, some of the York Mansions' flats still make use of the original fitting (the postal handle is a horizontal post flap with a fixed handle just below the opening, which is used to pull the flat door shut).
Although electricity appears to have been laid along Prince of Wales Drive, London
Prince of Wales Drive, London
Prince of Wales Drive is located in Battersea, in the London borough of Wandsworth. The drive is situated on the southern perimeter of Battersea Park.-Overview:The southern side of Prince of Wales Drive is lined with late-Victorian mansion blocks and villas...
at a very early stage, it was not extended into York Mansions until after the 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...
. Lighting was by gas, utilising the new Incandescent Mantles which concealed the naked flames and produced a softer, pleasanter light.
Cooking was by solid fuel, using the rather square-rather-than-wide kitchen ranges. A coal-bin for each flat was provided in a cupboard which was situated outside the kitchen door in the servant’s corridor.
Elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s were installed in the building in 1922.
The block had cast iron fence railings across the front of the block, but these were removed to make munitions during 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...
, and have not been replaced. The building also had a false parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
which ran along the front roof-line, but this was removed when it became unstable.
When the flats were constructed they were rented out, however, the flats gradually moved from rental and were sold on the standard lease of 99 years. In the 1960s, many owners purchased the freehold for their flat and took 999 year leases - today, very few York Mansions' flats do not own share of freehold.
Residents
In 1901, resident's occupations included: solicitors, an electrical engineer, artist, bankers/stockbrokers, writers/journalists, military (some worked in a Medical capacity), a medical inspector of H M Prisons, ministers, a patent agent, a barrister, medical students, a solo violinist and conductor, a manufacturer of bitters, and an assistant schoolmaster. Others were living on their own means. 1901 notable residents included Laurence HousmanLaurence Housman
Laurence Housman was an English playwright, writer and illustrator.-Early life:Laurence Housman was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, one of seven children who included the poet A. E. Housman and writer Clemence Housman. In 1871 his mother died, and his father remarried, to a cousin...
and his sister Clemence Housman. A caretaker, called Harry Bright, and his family also lived in the building .
Between 1904 and 1919, residents included military personnel, ranking from Captain to Colonel. However, in 1916 and 1917, Major General Henry Jardine Hallowes, 1916 to 1918 Rear Admiral Manuel Diaz, and 1918 and 1919 Major General Stewart M. Hutchinson also lived in the block. From 1914 to 1919, York Mansion's residents included Reverends and a Medical Doctor.
Other notable residents of York Mansions included: E. W. Bullinger
E. W. Bullinger
Ethelbert William Bullinger AKC was an Anglican clergyman, Biblical scholar, and ultradispensationalist theologian.-Life and work:...
between 1905 and 1908, Pamela Coleman Smith between 1907 and 1908, Frederick Joseph Harvey Darton, who was an early scholar of children's literature, in 1908 and Lady Mary Adele Hughes in 1908. Between 1906 and 1908 the caretaker, Percy Edward Briance, and between 1914 and 1919 the caretaker, Frank Thomas Montgomery, lived in flat 81 .
York Mansions does not have 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....
.
Popular culture
York Mansions has appeared in the following films:- Brannigan (film)Brannigan (film)Brannigan is a British action film set principally in London, directed by Douglas Hickox, and starring John Wayne and Richard Attenborough...
(1975) - If Only (film)(2004)
- Separate Lies (2005)
York Mansions has also been referenced in P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
's short story "The Romance of an Ugly Policeman".
Further reading
- Long, Helen (1993). The Edwardian House (Studies in Design & Material Culture)", Manchester University Press.
- Hockman, Hilary (2007). "Edwardian House Style Handbook", David & Charles.
- Bell, Yvonne (2005). "The Edwardian Home", Shire Publications Ltd.
External links
- http://www.1901censusonline.com
- http://www.esds.ac.uk