Located in London NW1 it has a rich legacy of socially driven art and architectural contributions, shaped by visionaries committed to improving lives through design, ornamentation, and public service.
Despite the nearly two decades I have spent in the area, I only discovered it in a walking tour about housing reformer Irene Barclay FRICS OBE organised by @nawicldn last year to cellebrate the blue plaque unveiled in her honour outside her former office at St Martin’s House.
Irene Barclay, the UK’s first female chartered surveyor, worked for five decades in Somers Town alongside Evelyn Perry, tackling severe overcrowding, damp, and unsafe conditions. She introduced tenant consultations, ensured communities stayed connected during redevelopment, and collaborated with pioneering women such as Lady Margery Allen, the first female landscape architect, to incorporate landscaped play areas... i.e. her famous adventure playgrounds. (this video, which use of language you will find outdated at times, is nevertheless a good opportunity to see her empowering work https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-lady-allen-1971-online )
Art played a vital role in these housing improvements. Sculptor Gilbert Bayes provided distinctive ornamentation for the St Pancras Housing Association estates, from fairy tale roundels over windows (see pics) to whimsical mini sculptures on washing-line posts (see pics and video) His work added both beauty and identity to the newly built flats, reflecting the belief that decent housing should include quality materials and aesthetic enrichment. His work is exhibited at the @vamuseum and you can learn more here: https://gilbertbayes.com/index.php
Note: The People’s Museum at 52 Phoenix Road preserves artefacts, photographs, and furnishings from Somers Town’s housing history, capturing life in the estates from the 1920s to the 1970s. Worth visiting
