Description

THe following building shall be added:
TQ 2281 SW BALDERTON STREET
(west side)
1900-/55/10032 Clarendon Buildings and
attached railings)
II
Flatted philanthropic housing. 1872. Designed by Sydney Waterlow for the Improved Industrial
Dwellings Company, and constructed with the advice of the builder, Matthew Allen. Red brick
in Flemish bond with cement rendering and cast cement detailing. Mansard roof of tile with roof
dormers. Five storeys over basement. End block of three-windows each, with three bays of
balconies supported on plain brick piers. Steps spanning broad basement area to ground-floor
balcony; open stair well to rear wall, which is articulated into bays by simple pilasters and
entablature. Openwork spandrels to balconies which are enclosed by railings of an authentic design;
authentic railings to basement area as well. Canted bay with triple windows to centre range of end
blocks, basement through first floors; tripartite windows above; remaining windows to end blocks
have cement rendered aedicule to ground and first floors and segmental brick arches to upper
floors. Dormers with boldy moulded aedicules. Remaining openings are flat arched. Plaque with
words 'Clarendon Flats, 1-38, to right of entrance stair. Red brick to return; Rear elevation in
brown brick; cast window lintels; rear projection contains for bedrooms, sculleries and WCs. The
simplification of the cast detailing and general architectural expression reflect the tight economies
imposed on commercial, philanthropic developments of this kind. The open stair-hall and balcony
arrangement was calculated to produce a more healthful communal environment, eliminating the
foul, dark and dangerous hallways in speculatively-built working-class tenements. Waterlow's IIDC
was one of the most prolific of the philanthropic housing companies, setting an influential pattern
for working-class housing development. The use of red brick on the main elevation of this
structure represents a departure from earlier blocks which were made from cheaper brown brick,
and was a concession to the Duke of Westminster, who gave this and other plots in his Mayfair
estate for the construction of reformed working-class dwellings.
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Listing NGR: TQ2829381018

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q27082334

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)