The collective memory of London has not forgotten the contribution private renting has made to social mobility, economic activity and well-being over centuries. In the aftermath of Rachmanism, there has been no large scale purpose built response to private renting. But the precedents survive as shining examples of London at its best:
Georgian Streets and Squares - The Adelphi
Developed in the eighteenth century with great entrepreneurial bravado by the Adam Brothers, the Adelphi is immortalised in literature by Charles Dickens notably when David Copperfield’s aunt Betsy finds him lodging there:
“There is a furnished little set of rooms in the Adelphi, Trot, which ought to suit you to a marvel...
... to be let furnished, with a view of the river, a singularly desirable, and compact set of chambers, forming a genteel residence for a young gentleman with immediate possession.
Terms moderate, and could be taken for a month only, if required.”
(Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, 1850)
... to be let furnished, with a view of the river, a singularly desirable, and compact set of chambers, forming a genteel residence for a young gentleman with immediate possession.
Terms moderate, and could be taken for a month only, if required.”
(Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, 1850)
The London Town House
One of the reasons for the enduring success of the London Town House is the lasting adaptability afforded by the plan, with pairs of rooms on each level, lofty spaces and adaptable construction. In ‘A Study in Scarlet’ Conan Doyle’s hero finds lodgings that would serve Holmes throughout his illustrious career:
“We met next day as he had arranged, and inspected the rooms at No. 221B, Baker Street, of which he had spoken at our meeting. They consisted of a couple of comfortable bed-rooms and a single large airy sitting-room, cheerfully furnished, and illuminated by two broad windows.”
(Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, 1887).
(Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, 1887).
The Mansion Block (Albert Mansions)
"One R. Phene Spiers, architect opined in 1871 that mansion flats were small and poorly designed, forced the upper classes to live in close proximity to their servants, such that "utterly dissociated and discordant people" lived under one roof. As early as 1890 the influential periodical Building News dismissed flat dwelling and predicted that "it is very doubtful, we think, whether the English race will ever abandon their own small castles."
Convincing uptight English Victorians to live in flats was therefore a tall order, and there weren't many speculators keen to test the market. When the first great mansion block, Albert Hall Mansions, was started in 1876 the developer Thomas Hussey worried that the scheme might fail and Norman Shaw, the architect, divided the block plan into three distinct sections, to be built separately, in an effort to minimise the risk. As it turned out they had a winner on their hands and Albert Hall Mansions, kick-started the late-Victorian craze for mansion blocks which continued well into the new century."
(Extract from Mansion Blocks: A Buyers’ Guide, findaproperty.com)
(Extract from Mansion Blocks: A Buyers’ Guide, findaproperty.com)
The Barbican (a unique comprehensive redevelopment for market rent)
Conceived by The City in 1957 and opened in 1969, the Barbican was from the first designed and built for City professionals, it’s dramatic architecture the work of Chamberlain, Powell and Bon. The intention underlying the design was to create a coherent residential precinct - a convenient and pleasant environment affording residents the opportunity to move freely around enjoying constantly changing perspectives of terraces, lawns, trees and flowers against the background of buildings reflected in the lake.
The legacy is a rich social milieu in which long and short term residents mix in an environment where social and cultural interaction is further enhanced by the diverse leisure and cultural offer, both on the estate and extremely convenient retail and transport services nearby. The Barbican complex is perhaps the closest the UK comes to the large scale ‘multifamily’ rental offer available to northern European and American markets, and it’s extremely successful in these terms.