Tachbrook Estate, London



Architect
F Milton Harvey
Date Built
1935 - 1947
Location
Pimlico, Aylesford Street
Description
The Tachbrook Housing Estate occupies a site beside Aylesford Street in Pimlico.  It comprises 14 low-rise, 6 to 8 eight-storey, buildings that were built in three stages.  The first blocks were built before WWII at the Lupus Street end of the site.  After the war the estate was extended southwards to Grosvenor Road.



The "londongardensonline.org" website explains that, "... The blocks are set in landscaping, planted with numerous trees and with a communal garden and playground."



The estate became part of the Peabody Trust in 1972.  They say of the site that, "... Westminster Housing Trust Ltd was set up as a Public Utility Society in order to build what became the Tachbrook estate of 180 flats. Houses on Pulford Street were demolished and through the auspices of the Pulford Street Site Committee the majority of this land was saved from use for commercial purposes. The LCC sold the land below its market value in view of the proposed use for housing and the purchase price of £32,000 was largely raised by Westminster residents, with grants from the Ministry of Health and Westminster City Council. The estate consists of 14 blocks, lying to the east of Aylesford Street. The blocks were named for significant historical figures with Founders House commemorating the work of the Pulford Street Site Committee, Lady Walston and the Rt Hon Sir John Davidson, Chairman and Treasurer respectively of the Committee. Abbots House was named for the Abbots of the Monastery of Westminster, previous landowners of the area; Beaufort House after the mother of Henry VII, Lady Margaret Beaufort and Cowper House after the C18th poet and hymn-writer William Cowper, who studied at Westminster School."

Some of the buildings bear commemorative stone plaques explaining the origin of their names.






Malcolmson House










Wren House




Kent House (right) & Walston House (left)



Walston was added in the 1980s and is the newest addition to the estate.





Close Window