Beaumont Road
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beaumont Road is a housing estate of the Leyton ward, East London the biggest council estate in the borough. The estate is the most deprived area in Waltham Forest, ranked in 2005 as the 5th poorest estate in Britain and is now the last high rise estate (with 20-storey towers) in Leyton. All neighbouring high rise estates (Oliver Close estate, Cathall Road estate, Boundary Road estate and Livingstone College estate) have been demolished. The estate was built in the early 1970s and is currently the largest in Waltham Forest.[1] It is located in North Leyton just south of the Bakers Arms, on Leyton High Road.
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[edit] Original development
The Beaumont Road Estate was built in two stages. Stage 1, approved in 1963, consisted of one 21-storey tower (containing 120 flats) called All Saints' Tower, while an extension to Stage 1 approved in 1965 consisted of another 21-storey tower (containing 120 flats) called St Paul's Tower. Stage 2, approved in 1966, consisted of one 21-storey tower (containing 120 flats) called St Catherine's Tower Altogether (containing 360 flats). In addition 20 blocks and an elderly (containing 538 flats and bungalows) were also appoved in 1966. Beaumont road houses 898 families with a population of 3,592.
The original estate was comprised of:
- All Saints Tower
- St Cathrine's Tower
- St Paul's Tower
- St Thomas Court
- St Elizabeth Court
- St Edward's Court
- St Josephs Court
- St Mathews Court
- St Lukes Court
- Flack Court
- Emanuel Court
- Ayerst Court
- Muriel Court
- Russel Court
- Osbourne Court
- Howell Court
- King Court
- Dare Court
- Staton Court
- Shelly Court
- Emmanuel Court
- Shop Court
- Beaumont bungalows
- Beaumont House
- Beaumont Primary school
- Beaumont newsagents
- Beaumont Community centre
- Beaumont Cyber centre
- Leyton Community support centre
- The six bells pub
[edit] Redevelopment
Demolition of the original Beaumont road housing, including the two towers, began during early 2006. The estate is due to be redeveloped as part of a regeneration program set to last three years[2] and cost over £40 million.[3]
Planned to replace the 40 year old estate are a series of "squares and neighbourhoods around a central, tree-lined avenue on Beaumont Road and reinstated the road's pre-war route."[4]. Some of the squares will be on the sites of the original towers. A total of 306 new properties will be build in three phases over the projects three years, of which some will be social housing.
The towers themselves have dominated the skyline in and around Bakers Arms and their demolition will mean Waltham Forest will have only one remaining high-rise over 20 floors, Northwood Tower. This is down from a peak of 20 in 1971.[5]
[edit] Home
A play by the Offstage Theater Company entitled Home was performed in St Catherines Tower prior to its demolition in January 2006. The play was written by Gbolahan Obisesan to give the community of Beaumont estate a chance to "document what the area means to them."[6] Sound recordings, video projections and acted scenes were used to recount stories of life in Beaumont in one flat in the tower with the audience moving from room to room to follow the story.
[edit] Community
The estate is due to be demolished during the end of this decade to make way for a new, high-rise free, housing development.
[edit] References
- "End of an era as demolition of Beaumont towers begins" L&Q Group Press Release, Undated.
- "A bird's eye view about to be changed forever" By Sarah Cosgrove Waltham Forest Guardian, Friday 11th August, 2006.
- "New London Play To Be Pulled Down" by 'Hazel' The Londonist, January 17th, 2006.
