The Bedford Estate

CHAPTER 14: THE BEDFORD ESTATE

The land west and north of Somers Town, bounded by the Hampstead and Crowndale Roads, belonged to the Bedford Estate. It is shown planned for development on Britton's map of 1834 (Plate 4) but the actual arrangement differs from that shown on the map in certain particulars. Its main features are three irregular-shaped "squares": Ampthill Square (crescent shaped) in the south, Harrington Square (a triangle) next Hampstead Road to the north-west, and Oakley Square in the north-eastern area. The main characteristics of the buildings are described below—

CLI—Ampthill Square

This comprises a row of houses (Nos. 6 to 19, S.W. to N.E.) from Hampstead Road to Houghton Place, and a somewhat irregular crescent opposite, called Russell Crescent, on Britton's map. The ground floors are faced with stucco and the upper three storeys are brick with a moulded cornice beneath the attic, the doors being square-headed. All have balconies. The two end houses (Nos. 6 and 19) have arched ground floor windows and pediments to those of the first floor; the others have entablatures only. Nos. 12 and 13 form a central feature with pilasters in stucco rising two storeys, and a dentilled cornice. The greater part of the curved side of the square has been destroyed but six houses (Nos. 30 to 36, excluding No. 34) survive near the north end. They are similar to the others, with stucco pilasters and pediments to the first floor windows and eared architraves and cambered heads to those on the second floor. Nos. 38–44 at the south end are like Nos. 6–19. No. 1 is a detached house with a central Doric porch.

CLII—Harrington Square

This forms two sides of a right-angled triangle facing Hampstead Road and Mornington Crescent. The houses are numbered 2 to 14 on the south (west to east) and 15 to 24 on the east (south to north). They have basements with areas, round-arched doorways with porticoes to the ground floors, two upper storeys of brick and an attic above a moulded cornice. The first floor windows have round-headed arches with rosettes in the spandrels.

CLIII—Houghton Place

This connects the east side of Harrington Square with Ampthill Square. On the west side the surviving houses are numbered 7 to 12. They follow the usual type of a four-storey house, with basements, the lower floors being stucco-faced. The first floor windows have architraves and balconies; a cornice runs beneath the attic. On the east side, the houses have been destroyed, except for Nos. 5 and 6.

CLIV—Lidlington Place

This connects Houghton Place and Eversholt Street. It retains houses numbered 1 to 9 on the south side (east to west) of the same character as the adjoining Oakley Square.

CLV—Barnot Street (formerly Bedford Street)

This connects Ampthill Square and Eversholt Street. Its remaining houses, Nos. 2 to 10 (east to west) on the north side are of three storeys, similar to the houses already described, but No. 2 has an additional storey and verandah. Nos. 5, 6 and 8 are derelict.

CLVI—Eversholt Street (North of Cranleigh Street)

This part of the street was the original road bearing this name. It is wider than its southern continuation (formerly Seymour Street) and both Nos. 209 (west) and 194 (east) at the junction have curved fronts. Nos. 209 to 221, on the west side, have shops. North of this point, where Lidlington Place joins it, are six houses numbered in Oakley Square (71 to 76). Further north are numbers 235 to 277, four-storey houses with shops. On the east side, the houses that remain are Nos. 194 to 202, south of Oakley Square, and Nos. 210 to 214 to the north, all of the same character.

CLVII—Crowndale Road (originally Fig Lane and then Gloucester Place)

This marks the northern boundary of the Bedford and Brewers' Estates, the houses on the north side belonging to Camden Town. On the south side, west of St. Matthew's Church, Oakley Square, is a row of the original houses, Nos. 31 to 53 (odd numbers, east to west). They are of the same character as those already described on the estate. Further east are five houses, Nos. 1 to 9, with shops, which are built on land transferred to the Brewers' Estate.

CLVIII—Oakley Square

This is a long irregular enclosure, with two parallel sides running north-east and south-west. The numbering of the houses is consecutive, starting from the south-western junction of the square with Eversholt Street and proceeding anti-clockwise. Nos. 1 to 12 (south) and 13 to 23 (south-east) survive. They are large houses of four storeys, the ground floors faced with stucco and the remainder brick with moulded stucco cornices. The entrance doors have porches. The end houses (Nos. 13 and 23) and those in the centre (Nos. 17 and 18) have slight projecting faces. There are long balconies to the first floors. The remainder of the south-east side (Nos. 24–28) and the east side (Nos. 29–39) have been demolished.

At the corner of the square and Crowndale Road is the church of St. Matthew, which occupies part of the north-west side. It was built in 1852–56 on a site presented by the Duke of Bedford, who gave £1,000 to the building fund, £250 of this being contingent upon the steeple being built. In addition he contributed £1,000 a year to the Diocesan Church Building Society out of which the society gave £400 towards the building and lent a further £600. The church was designed by John Johnson and is an elaborate building of Kentish Rag and Bath stone in the Decorated style of Gothic. The nave has a clerestory and the tower with a lofty steeple stands free at the south-east angle of the nave (Plate 87). The total cost was £9,000. (fn. 125) The apex of the steeple was damaged during the war. The church was consecrated on 23rd December, 1856, and the vicarage was completed in 1871.

List of Vicars:

On the north-west side of the square Nos. 53 to 70 remain, south-west of the church. They are of the same type as the rest and have columned porches. Nos. 53 and 57 project slightly from the building line.

CLIX—Werrington Street (North and north-east of Cranleigh Street)

The houses are numbered from the junction of the street with Goldington Crescent, the odd numbers starting on the south and even numbers on the north.

There are no old houses on the north side until the street bends southwest in the direction of Cranleigh Street. Nos. 30 to 38 follow the usual design, with channel-jointed stucco ground floors, and two upper brickfaced storeys with cornice, etc. These houses have two windows on the ground floor, one on each side of an entrance door with architraves carrying an entablature. Nos. 40 to 52 are also double-fronted and of the same type but somewhat less in height. The street then turns southwards and Nos. 54 to 60 have shops, and 62 and 64 are small houses. The corner house adjoining Cranleigh Street is No. 66.

On the opposite side is a range of small houses, Nos. 19 to 41 with small front gardens. They have half basements, with flights of steps to the ground floor, and one upper storey. No. 41 is a little more important with a recessed door and a porch. No. 43 projects forward to the pavement and has scrolled entablatures to its two first floor windows. Nos. 45 (with shop), 47 and 49 are north of a modern building at the corner of Cranleigh Street.

CLX—Charrington Street (North of Werrington Street)

The houses in this continuation of Charrington Street have been demolished on the west side. On the east No. 82 (with a side entrance) and Nos. 84 and 86 still stand. The first floor windows have stucco pediments.