Description

ISLINGTON

TQ3084NE CALEDONIAN ROAD 635-1/44/124 (East side) Nos.408-416 (Consecutive) Irvine House, Caledonian Estate

GV II

Block of flats forming part of the Caledonian Estate, designed and built c.1904-6 by the Housing of the Working Classes Branch of the London County Council Architect's Department, the architect responsible being, probably, J.G.Stephenson. The Caledonian Estate consists of five blocks: Carrick House to the west, overlooking Caledonian Road, and then four blocks at the back of the site, forming a square, Irvine House to the west and Wallace House to the east being longer than Burns House to the north and Scott House to the south; apart from the entrance arch in Irvine House, the opposite blocks in the square match each other; and they are linked by brick arcades of three round arches. Irvine House is of red brick in English and Flemish bond with dressings of glazed brick, plaster, wrought iron, cast iron and reinforced concrete, roof of tiles. Five storeys. All windows are segmental-arched sash windows, except where stated, and all have late C20 glazing which echoes the arrangement of the original sashes and casements. The front facing into the square is symmetrical, and made up of seven elements: there are two 'balcony' ranges which have a buttressed screen to the ground floor with segmental-arched entrances to ground-floor flats and staircase, the parapet of the screen acting as a balustrade to the first-floor flats; the flats on the first to fourth floors are set back with flat-arched windows and entrances under segmental arches, and one of the three entrances on each balcony now blocked; access is by way of a cantilevered, reinforced concrete balcony with cast-iron railings, iron pipes running up between floors and terminating at the fourth floor in decorative brackets; there are also wrought-iron former lampholders at this level. The central range follows this 'balcony' arrangement except that the buttressed screen is carried up through two storeys, with a central, segmental-arched carriage entrance with corbelled arcading over. Either side of the central range are ranges of two windows, those to the fourth floor flat-arched casements, the gable in the form of a double curve flanked by parapeted 'shoulders'. Then come the two other 'balcony' ranges, and then the end ranges which are of two windows, those to the first, second and third floors flat-arched and set back under a round arch at third-floor level, with herringbone brickwork in the tympanum, those to the fourth floor being flat-arched casements with a plastered panel between; hipped roof betweeen parapeted 'shoulders'; ridge stacks. The west elevation has a central range under eaves with arched entrance, flat-arched windows to all floors, the fourth floor being casements; then two gabled ranges with flat-arched casements to the fourth floor under round arches; then two ranges of six windows under eaves, the fourth floor windows flat-arched casements; and then two outer ranges of three windows with flat-arched windows to the first to fourth floors, those to the first, second and third floor set under a round arch at third-floor level, casements to the fourth floor, and a shaped and 'shouldered' gable. (Historians' file, English Heritage London Division).

Listing NGR: TQ3064484704

External Links

• Wikidata Q26490063

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