The estate now called St Georges Estate emerged with the acquisition of 2.27 acres of land bounded by The Highway, Cannon Street Road, Cable Street and Crowder Street, in 1961. The Greater London Council initiated the construction of the new estate with a 6-storey block of 69 dwellings later to be named Brockmer House. The relevant drawings can be found at the London Metropolitan Archives, for a PDF copy click here. The original project name was 'Crowder Street' suggesting that the name ‘St Georges Estate’ was adopted at a later date. Up to the late 1960’s St Georges Estate was called Swedenborg Square Site, probably in an attempt to avoid confusion with St Georges-in-the-East Hospital Site, which was an early 1960’s residential development in neighbouring Wapping.
The Housing Committee Report, dated 14 July 1964, states:
“We have approved proposals for the development as part of the Stepney-Poplar comprehensive development of a site, about 2.7 acres in extent, bounded by Cable Street, Betts Street, The Highway and Swedenborg Square.
In considering this site, we have had regard to indicative proposals for the ultimate redevelopment of the whole of the West Cable Street area. These overall proposals envisage a radical change in the physical characteristics of the neighbourhood, with emphasis on open planning and space, and are based on mixed redevelopment combining a cluster of three-point blocks of varied heights, a series of linked five-storey blocks of maisonettes and flats, groups of low blocks of one-room and two-room flats and terraces of five-room houses. Provision has been made in the development for a children’s home and clubroom site. Particular care has been taken to ensure the most harmonious relation between the heights and grouping of the three tall blocks and the 150 ft. tower of the nearby church of St. George-in-the-East, one of the principal works of Nicholas Hawksmoor and among the most notable landmarks of the east end of London.
The detailed proposals which, with the concurrence of the Children’s Committee and the Parks Committee, we have approved the first stage of the development of this area provide for the erection of 123 dwellings, of which 65 will be in a 17-storey point-block of flats (Stockholm House), 20 in a two-storey block of one room dwellings, and 30 in the first of the series of five-storey maisonette blocks (Noble Court) which will follow the line of Cable Street. In this part of the scheme the first eight terrace houses and the two-storey children’s home will also be built and provision has been made for 62 parking spaces, a play area and 16 tenants stores.
Heating of the children’s home and of all dwellings except the terrace houses will be by warm air re-circulating units served from an oil-fired boiler beneath the 17-storey block. When the 27-storey block is built (Shearsmith House), the boiler will be transferred to this block to avoid nuisance to tenants on the upper floors from fumes from the flue at the top of the 17-storey block. The terrace houses will be heated by solid fuel open fires with high efficiency back boilers.
The density of the development of this part of the scheme will be 45 dwellings (140 persons) to the acre and this slight excess over the zone density will be reduced at the subsequent stages of the redevelopment. In order to get maximum accommodation, we propose the closure of Swedenborg Square, a public open space of 0.6 acre, which adjoins the housing site and is a protected square under the London Squares Preservation Act, 1931. The closure of the square entails the provision of an alternative public open space of similar area and amenity and we propose that it shall be sited to the south of the present housing site and fronting The Highway. In view of the past associations of the square with Sweden, the Swedish Ambassador has been informed of the proposal to remove the square to another position and the general improvements contemplated in the neighbourhood. The consultation required by the Town and Country Planning General Development Order, 1963, have taken place.
The estimated cost of this part of the overall scheme, including incidental expenses and the cost of resiting Swedenborg Square (£19,562), is £564,800. Expenditure likely to be incurred in the current financial year can be met from capital votes”. See here the footprint of Swedenborg Square in relation to the present estate layout.
Despite the planning for the Stage II of the development was already in place, the London County Council (LCC) only approved Stage I of the development on 14 July 1964, which was named Swedenborg Square Site Stage I. See here Stage I of the development.
On 16 November 1965, the GLC acquired in agreement the freehold interest in a site in Swedenborg Gardens about 0.33 acres in extent and comprising a transformer sub-station no longer required by the London Electricity Board. The transformer occupied the space to the north side of Stockholm House.
On 30 November 1965, the GLC approved proposals for the erection of 21 dwellings on the site in a 3-storey block of 9 dwellings and a one-storey and 2-storey of 12 dwellings. These flats today occupy the space between Noble Court and Stockholm House and include the 6 bungalows adjacent to them.
On 14 December 1965, twelve firms were invited to tender for the construction of 94 dwellings in a 5-storey block and a 17-storey block (Contract A). The 17-storey block later was named Stockholm House and consisted of 65 dwellings, whilst the remaining 29 dwellings were the 19 flats of 16-34 Noble Court and the 10 flats of 35-44 Noble Court. On the same rates, it was decided to construct 43 additional dwellings, including the 21 referring in the GLC report to the Council on 30 November 1965, at a revised estimate of £779,710. The 22 out of the 43 additional dwellings, which are thought to have been the children’s home, were constructed at an L-shape and once occupied the space between Stockholm House and the terraced houses. They were demolished in late 90’s to make space for the large family homes now occupying the same space.
It is thought that the eight 2-storey terraced houses between the Day Nursery, Betts House and Swedenborg Bungalows were built at the same time with Stage I of the development.
On 18 July 1967, the Council approved the development of Swedenborg Square Site Stage II at an estimated capital cost of £1,601,600. Stage II was going to be built on a site of 5.44 acres bounded by Cable Street, Fletcher Street, St Paul’s primary school and Stage I of the development. The accommodation would consist of 235 dwellings in three 5-storey blocks (45-53, 54-73 and 74-87 of Noble Court summing up to 43 flats), a 22-storey block of 85 flats, later to be named Hatton House, and a 27-storey of 107 flats, later to be named Shearsmith House. The ancillary accommodation would also comprise 184 garages and parking spaces. The density of the proposed development would be 138 persons per acre. Relevant drawings can be seen at the London Metropolitan Archives under file name GLC/HG/D/06/38.
It is considered that at the time of completion of Stage II of the development Betts Street and Crowder Street were connecting Cable Street and The Highway, whilst St Georges Estate was split in two between Brockmer House and Noble Court as a result of the coach building works, which occupied the space between Betts Street and Crowder Street. At a later date probably around the mid 1970’s the Council acquired the site of the coach building works, closed the access of Crowder Street to the Highway and Betts Street disappeared. Only a small part of Betts Street today remains in use serving the Strangers Rest Mission church on The Highway. The new acquired site including the entire Betts Street which was incorporated in the estate for residential use were utilized for Stage III of the development, which comprised 1-15 Noble Court, the OAP club, 5 bungalows, 8 two-storey terrace houses along Swedenborg Gardens and the playgrounds between Betts House and Crowder Street. See Stages here I, II and III of the development. Later some garages under Noble Court were transformed into 3 residential units, which were named Hindmarsh Close flats.
This layout of the estate remained the same for approximately 30 years until the estate was transferred to registered social landlord EastendHomes Ltd, in 2006. In an attempt to generate cross subsidy for the regeneration of the estate, the new landlord decided to build a further 193 dwellings out of which 54 were to be for social rented purposes and 139 for sale.
