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Balfron Tower

1967 establishments in EnglandBrutalist architecture in LondonEngvarB from April 2018Ernő Goldfinger buildingsGrade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Pages containing links to subscription-only contentPoplar, LondonResidential buildings completed in 1967Residential skyscrapers in LondonSkyscrapers in the London Borough of Tower HamletsTourist attractions in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Balfron tower
Balfron tower

Balfron Tower is a 26-storey residential building in Poplar, Tower Hamlets, East London. Built in a Brutalist style, it forms part of the Brownfield Estate, an area of social housing between Chrisp Street Market and the A12 northern approach to the Blackwall Tunnel. It was designed by Ernő Goldfinger in 1963 for the London County Council, built 1965–67 by the GLC, and has been a listed building since 1996 (Grade II*, originally Grade II). Balfron Tower is stylistically similar to Goldfinger's later Trellick Tower in London.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Balfron Tower (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Balfron Tower
St Leonard's Road, London Poplar

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Wikipedia: Balfron TowerContinue reading on Wikipedia

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.513638888889 ° E -0.0088055555555556 °
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Address

St Leonard's Road
E14 0QY London, Poplar
England, United Kingdom
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Balfron tower
Balfron tower
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Glenkerry House
Glenkerry House

Glenkerry House is a housing block on the Brownfield Estate in Poplar, London, England, designed by the studio of the controversial Brutalist architect Ernő Goldfinger. 14 storeys high, it stands in proximity to and complements the appearance of Balfron Tower and Carradale House, which were designed by Goldfinger himself and are now Grade II listed. There are four four-bedroom maisonettes on the ground floor, 18 one-bedroom, 45 two-bedroom and 12 three-bedroom flats; 79 flats in all.Its design and construction have proved to be of better quality than many other post-war high-rise blocks.Since 1979 it has been run as a self-managed co-operative housing association and registered social landlord (RSL). Glenkerry Co-operative Housing Association (GCHA/GK) bought a 99-year lease from the Greater London Secondary Housing Association, partly funded by grants from the Housing Corporation and the Greater London Council, and raised about a third of the cost from sales to residents (members). The GLC also provided a loan for the remainder of the cost, which has now been repaid.The freehold is now owned by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Members buy and sell the leaseholds of their homes at half the valuation, as assessed by the District Valuer.The building is managed by a committee of its members, and research on housing co-ops in 1983 concluded that it was exceptionally well-run. Because this form of co-operative ownership does not allow the residents to increase their share and become full owner-occupiers, the Conservative government of the day did not give support to the model. Nevertheless, it is now widely regarded as a model for home ownership co-operatives, as it provides equity stakes that allow members to benefit from gains in the housing market, while locking in the subsidy so that the homes remain affordable to new members.

Robin Hood Gardens
Robin Hood Gardens

Robin Hood Gardens is a residential estate in Poplar, London, designed in the late 1960s by architects Alison and Peter Smithson and completed in 1972. It was built as a council housing estate with homes spread across 'streets in the sky': social housing characterised by broad aerial walkways in long concrete blocks, much like the Park Hill estate in Sheffield; it was informed by, and a reaction against, Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation. The estate was built by the Greater London Council, but subsequently the London Borough of Tower Hamlets became the landlord. The scheme, the first major housing scheme built by the Smithsons, consisted of two blocks, one of 10 and one of seven storeys, nurturing between them a large green; it embodied ideas first published in their failed attempt to win the contract to build the Golden Lane Estate in the City of London.A redevelopment scheme, known as Blackwall Reach, involves the demolition of Robin Hood Gardens as part of a wider local regeneration project that was approved in 2012. An attempt supported by a number of notable architects to head off redevelopment by securing listed status for the estate was rejected by the government in 2009. The demolition of the western block began in December 2017. The eastern block, which is still inhabited by tenants, is to be demolished later. The site will contain 1,575 residences.Part of the building has been preserved by the Victoria and Albert Museum and was presented at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2018.