Hilgrove Estate ︎︎︎

Hilgrove is built on the Eyre Estate. The lands of the Eyre Estate stretched from Lord’s Cricket Ground to just north of the tracks of what today is the West Coast Mainline with Finchley Road as the eastern border and Maida Vale as the western border. It was bought by the Eyre family in 1733. The family’s wealth was in part derived from the enslavement of people in Antigua. The Eyre family began developing homes on the estate in the 1820s. The housing the family had built is seen as the first Garden Suburb and a precursor to the Garden City.

The area was a target for bombing in the Second World War because of the mainline railways. At the end of the Second World War, the London County Council (LCC) asked to build social housing where Hilgrove is today. The Eyre Estate said no because they wanted to preserve the middle class character of the area. After extensive negotiations, the Eyre Estate agreed to social housing being built in the area but only if the Eyre Estate got to choose the architect and only if housing for wealthier people was also built.

The Eyre Estate chose Louis de Soissons and partners as the architects. de Soissons was famous for being the master planner for Welwyn Garden City. This is the reason why Hilgrove has so many green spaces. Plans for Hilgrove were accepted in 1954. Hilgrove, to the west of Finchley Road, was built for poorer tenants and Boydell Court was built for wealthier tenants. The flats on Boydell Court were privatised almost as soon as building works were completed. They are 40% larger than flats on Hilgrove.


Hilgrove today
Hilgrove’s garden city heritage means that there are many greenspaces on the estate. All ground floor flats and maisonettes on the estate also have their own gardens. However, there are lots of different gates and fences throughout the estate which raises the question of the boundaries between private and public space as well as how space is shared and feelings of ownership negotiated. In 2015, local residents effectively resisted plans to apply external rendered insulation to buildings on the estate.

Hilgrove at a glance

Year completed

1959

Architect

Louis de Soissons and partners

Commissioned by

London County Council (LCC)

Managed by

LCC 1959-1965; Greater London Council (GLC) 1965-1986; Camden Council 1986-present

Historic landowners
Eyre Estate

Materials

London stock brick

Density

89 properties per hectare

Hilgrove composition at a glance

Council owned properties	197
Leasehold properties	173
Freehold properties	8
Total	370

Hilgrove bedrooms

Bedrooms	0	1	2	3	4	5	Total
Hilgrove	23	59	184	76	21	8	370