History of Peabody Buildings in SE1, especially my estate in Southwark Street.

I am a resident of Southwark Street and the Peabody Estate just off of Southwark Street.
I have recently found out some interesting facts about the property. Mainly, that all the blocks have a long basement which runs from one end of the blocks to the other end.

A friend of mine who also lives on the estate has told me about some of the contents down in the dark depths of these basement. She has found an old tin bath used during the war, and most importantly, large spiders that are rather unusual in colour and design suggest the lenght of time they have remained within the walls of these basement.

I would like to find out the history of these building, the basements, how old are they, and were the basements ever used.

If there is anyone out there who may be able to help, I would be most greatful!

Afraid I can't help you with the history bit, but I would be interested in what its like to live there - recently looked @ a 1 bed flat in the peabody estate off southwark street...
any info appreciated

thanks

One of the big peabody flats in the area was badly hit during the blitz - not sure which one - a good place to get info on the histoy is to go to the library resourcse section at the back of the library on borough high street.

they are very friendly and it's fascinating to read.

cheers

David

Yes, the Local Studies Library is definitely the place to find out more. Details: <a href="http://www.london-se1.co.uk/history/more.html">www.london-se1.co.uk/history/more.html</a>

thank you for your email.

I have lived on Peabody Estate Southwark Street SE1 for 18 months. It is a very quiet estate, with a mix of families, single people, and market renters.

The tenants are trying to get improvements on the estate to make it an even nicer place to live, although we have already had some work done.

All-in-all, I have found it to be a very pleasent place to live.

thank you for your email. i will check out the facilities resources library.

Hi...

thanks for your reply... i will take a look at the other forum too...

em

to ascertain how old a property is, try southwark council, go through to the department that deals with sewage ....they used to let you look at the original plans for the proposed buildings......after all they had to tally with the then existing sewage system. was based in Manor Place , S.E.17 or Walworth Road. you could try phoning the main switchboard first, ask for a senior in the highways department, rather than the general admin.

What an interesting set of postings!

I also live on the Peabody Estate on Southwark Street and had no idea that there were long basements under the blocks. Would love to find out more about them. My flatmate reckons that you should contact a 'spider specialist' from the Natural History Museum and they might come and research the strangely coloured spiders down there!

As for what it's like to live here: It's fabulous. I've lived here with my partner for quite a few years and have seen how the area has changed, especially over recent years and months. Loads of kids play out on the estate and there's lots of families here. Quite a few families here have lived here for decades, they might know more about the basements and history of the buildings! Maybe the Caretaker could give you some info!

Anyway, keep us posted if you find anything out!

Regards,

A reference in Pevsner's London 2: South mentions Peabody Buildings at Blackfriars but the mention is interesting ain that it lists as his point of reference Peabody Trust's Architects Dept. You may want to try contacting them direct for more info.