Layout of the estate

Chamberlin Powell and Bon provided this diagram and notes as an explanation of the layout and composition of the Golden Lane Estate. (There are other interesting diagrams further down the page.)

Block I. Great Arthur House. 16 storeys. 120 flats of two rooms on 15 floors. Estate office, laundry rooms, etc at ground level. Stores in basement

Block II. Recreation building. Two badminton courts at lower court level. Pedestrian bridge at ground level. Roof at first floor level.

Block III. Stanley Cohen House. Four storeys. 32 flats of one, two, three and four rooms.

Block IV. Basterfield House. 6 storeys. 52 maisonettes of three and four rooms. Stores and laundry rooms in the basement.

Block V. Bayer House. Six storeys. 30 maisonettes of three and four rooms. Stores and laundry rooms in basement.

Block VI. Bowater House. Six storeys. 30 maisonettes of three and four rooms. Stores and laundry rooms in basement.

Block VII. Cuthbert Harrowing House. Four storeys. 18 maisonettes of three and four rooms. Stores and laundry rooms in basement.

Block VIII. Hatfield House. Six storeys. 42 maisonettes of three and four rooms with an additional low level floor of 13 one-room flats. Stores and laundry rooms in basement.

Block IX. Cullum Welch House. Six storeys. 72 one-room flats. Basement level open.

Block X. Crescent House. Four storeys. 162 flats on three floors of one and two rooms. Ground level accommodation 20 shops, public house and restaurant. Shop stores in basement

Block XI. Community building. Hall and stage at ground level. Clubrooms at lower court level.

Block XII. Estate workshops. These were to serve all the Corporation of London’s housing estates.

Other features of the estate.

  1. Pedestrian approach to site under strip canopy.
  2. Pedestrian ramp to low level court and tenants’ stores in basements.
  3. Low level court with formal garden layout.
  4. Pool.
  5. Canopy.
  6. Entrance lobby or main entrance to block.
  7. Low level court with lawn.
  8. Main pedestrian piazza.
  9. Low level court.
  10. Low level court.
  11. Open way through under Great Arthur House (Block I).
  12. Boiler house below ground.
  13. Ramp down to underground service road.
  14. Service road below ground.
  15. Pedestrian court at ground level with garages under.
  16. Vents to garages.
  17. Steps down to lower level court and open way through under Cullum Welch House (Block IX).
  18. Restaurant.
  19. Public house
  20. Shops.
  21. Open way through under Crescent House (Block X).
  22. Covered arcade over pavement.
  23. Covered arcade under Crescent House (Block X).
  24. Low level court with bowling green (now tennis courts).
  25. Terrace to City Residents’ Club.
  26. City Residents’ Club at lower level.
  27. Playground for older children.
  28. No level private terraces to lower flats in Hatfield House (Block VIII).
  29. Sunk pit for ball games.
  30. Way through under Hatfield House (Block VIII).
  31. Playground for younger children.
  32. Nursery room.
  33. Open badminton court.
  34. Pedestrian bridge.
  35. Steps between low-level courts and open way through under the recreation building (Block II).
  36. Enclosed badminton court and gymnasium.
  37. Bastion containing trees.
  38. Service road to workshops.
  39. Low level court with lawn and decorative planting.
  40. Open space under Stanley Cohen House (Block III).
  41. Covered arcade under Stanley Cohen House (Block III).
  42. Open way through under Stanley Cohen House (Block III).
  43. Stepped terraces.
  44. Base for sculpture.
  45. Site of future London County Council primary school (not built).

The image above is a diagram provided by Chamberlin Powell and Bon, showing how the main vertical circulation was planned, adjacent to the perimeter roads round the site, or to the internal service road. The service road is underground where the black line is shown dotted.

The hatched area shows how the buildings were grouped to divide the site into interrelated courts planned on different levels.

Key:

A. The public court open to Fann Street and to Goswell Road under Crescent House (Block X).
B. The community centre court.
C. The inner court.
D. The physical recreation court.

Chamberlin Powell and Bon provided this ‘shadow diagram’, illustrating how they planned the layout of the buildings so that undue overshadowing between blocks was avoided.