In the 1850s, Burnt Oak referred to no more than a field on the eastern side of the Edgware Road (Watling Street). By the 1860s plans were in place to build three residential streets: North Street, East Street, and South Street. The area was generally known as Red Hill until the opening of Burnt Oak tube station on the Northern line of the London Underground on 27 October 1924. It was on farmland to the south-east of the community in Edgware Road, that London Transport constructed a new road, Watling Avenue, and London County Council built the Watling Estate housing estate. In September 1931 Jack Cohen opened his first Tesco store at 54 Watling Avenue, Burnt Oak.[2][3][4]
Yelling, J. A. (1995). "Banishing London's slums: The interwar cottage estates"(PDF). Transactions. 46. London and Middlesex Archeological Society: 167–173. Retrieved 19 December 2016. Quotes: Rubinstein, 1991, Just like the country.
Thus LCC was actively looking for suitable land when the Northern line was extended in 1934, opening up a new transport corridor. LCC quickly purchased 387 acres (157ha) of farmland adjacent to the new Burnt Oak tube station. The plans were drawn up by the LCC's chief architect, George Forrest. He set aside 48 acres (19ha) for allotments and parks and 16 acres (6.5ha) for schools and public buildings. The rest was for housing.[8]
Design
Planning the estate
In 1912 Raymond Unwin published a pamphlet Nothing gained by Overcrowding.[9] These ideas influenced the Tudor Walters Report of 1918. The report recommended housing in short terraces, spaced at 70 feet (21m) at a density of 12 to the acre: and this defined the Watling Estate. The estate shows all the signs of the "garden city movement". Care was taken to exploit the undulating ground, offering vistas and long views. There are cul de sacs. The terraces are indeed short and stepped back at road corners to open up the space. Throughout the estate runs the Silk Stream, and the banks have been used to create parks and internal open-space.[8]
There were 4012 dwellings on the estate. Most were traditional brick; there were 252 'Atholl' steel and 464 timber-frame homes built as experiments. It was hoped that they would be cheaper and quicker to build. Most were larger family homes: there was a mix of parlour and non-parlour types. There were also around 320 flats, built in low-rise blocks.[8]
The facilities
The main shopping parade on Watling Avenue was built in 1930.
The first school opened in 1928, the large Watling Central School in 1931.[8]
Community
The initial tenants were selected by London County Council. Like other estates, they were a relatively well-off though overwhelmingly working-class population with small families. 20% were skilled manual, 20% transport workers and 10% clerical with wages between £3 and £4 a week. Almost half of the incomers were under 18.[8]
The estate was seen as a threat by the older citizens of Edgware who dubbed it "Little Moscow".[11] and likened the initiative to one of the "raw, red tentacles of that housing octopus, the London County Council".[8]
Conservation area
The Watling Estate was made a conservation area in 2007.[12]
Yelling, J.A. (1995). "Banishing London's slums: The interwar cottage estates"(PDF). Transactions. 46. London and Middlesex Archeological Society: 167–173. Retrieved 19 December 2016. Quotes: Rubinstein, 1991, Just like the country.
Further reading
Rubinstein, Antonia; Andrews, Andy; Schweitzer, Pam (1991). Just like the country (part 1)(PDF). Age Exchange. Archived from the original(PDF) on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
Rubinstein, Antonia; Andrews, Andy; Schweitzer, Pam (1991). Just like the country (part 2)(PDF). Age Exchange. Archived from the original(PDF) on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
