Lauderdale Mansions

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History

Bernard Gentle, chairman of the Good Neighbourliness Party for Lauderdale South said “the trend towards mansions blocks in general began in the 1870s when white collar workers were looking for reasonably priced housing near central London. Called ‘Mansion flats’ they were designed so that they had impressive entrances, generous elevations and balconies giving an overall impression of a large mansion.”

Lauderdale mansion flats were owned by the Church Commissioners and rented out. In approximately 1987 the freehold was obtained by the residents and those with a 99 year lease became 999 year leaseholders and all but the few remaining rented flats had a share of the freehold.

During the Second World War

During the Second World War there was much damage to London and according to Mrs Bernard, a resident since 1959, a direct hit to Lauderdale Mansions. “When the flats were repaired, someone had the right idea of putting the sitting rooms facing the garden. When you are in the garden you can see the part of the block that had to be repaired.” Mr Gentle also pointed out that as a result of works carried out after the bombing, some of the windows in Lauderdale South were replaced with metal window frames (in comparison to the others which are wooden), and that the builders also increased the number of flats on the first and second floors.

During the 50s and 60s

As stated by Mrs Bernard, these were the days “when rigid security was not a necessity. The front doors were only locked at night and re-opened in the morning for the postman, newspaper deliveries and the milkman.”

She also describes how there was a grounds man who “patrolled the garden at the rear of the flats… he knew all the tenants and ensured that no interlopers used the garden.”

Lauderdale Road Synagogue

In 1896, Lauderdale Road Synagogue, known as Sha’ar Hashamayim (The Gate to Heaven) was opened in London. This was due to a rise in Jewish families moving to the west of London during the late 1800s and the need for a larger place of worship.

In accordance with Sephardi tradition the synagogue was not only a place of worship, but also somewhere that ma’asim tovim (good deeds) could be performed and an orphanage was built in the synagogue grounds. (Sephardic Jews are those decendants expelled from Spain and Portugal in the 15th Century who settled throughout Europe, the USA and England.)

Today, as well as conducting daily services, Lauderdale Road Synagogue houses the Sephardi Centre and Shashi Library where educational programs are carried out for all age groups.

Working Parties within Lauderdale South Mansions

A number of working parties have been established to enable you, the leaseholders and residents of Lauderdale South to support the board with any changes and improvements to the block. These parties include one for major works, the garden, good neighbourliness, social activities and revenue generation. You can also contribute to the debate about the company’s constitution and the development of the electoral process.

We Know Mansion Blocks

The first mansion blocks were built in the early 19th Century, providing luxurious residences for the growing urban upper middle classes. As the Industrial Revolution spread throughout Europe it brought about a population boom in the major cities, and mansion blocks were devised to provide luxurious housing for wealthy white collar workers. As the centre of the cities became increasingly crowded the blocks provided this growing class with housing that boasted impressive entrances, generous elevations and balconies reminiscent of mansions. They were a particularly popular innovation in polite Parisian society.

In spite of their popularity on the continent, Londoners were initially sceptical about this new style of accommodation. In the 1850s a spacious mansion flat would set back the buyer somewhere in the order of £50-200 per annum, but the idea of living in such a communal manner was entirely contradictory to the dominant Victorian social ideals of the age. Firstly, and most importantly, apartment dwellings were simply not considered ‘proper’, but it was not just a case of old English snobbery. There was also widely held fear that this new type of residence would increase the risk of burglary and the spread of infection and disease.

By the 1880s London society had gradually warmed to the idea and the decade was marked by a flurry of mansion block construction across the city.

We Know Maida Vale

Starting life as an indistinguishable section of the Middlesex Forest in 1086, Maida Vale has certainly developed from the small hamlet, which in those days was not even significant enough to merit a mention.

The name Maida Vale can be traced back to an impressive military victory against the French army in Sicily in 1806. In recognition of his role in the attack General John Stuart, commander of the British forces, was ennobled Count of Maida. Three years later a tavern on the Edgware Road was named the Hero of Maida tavern and by 1810 maps designated the area surrounding the tavern as Maida.

The canal system linking Maida Vale to the Thames was completed in the early 19th Century and in 1827 plans requested by the Bishop of London were designed for the layout of roads now recognised as Maida Vale. As the centre of the city became overcrowded with an ever increasing population and new roadways developed, improvements to public transport enabled the middle classes to move outwards to new suburbs. By 1832 ninety buses were operating on route between Paddington Green and the Bank, each carrying up to twelve passengers inside and three outside. By 1839 thirteen omnibuses were licensed to carry passengers from Maida Hill into London, dramatically speeding up the pace of building in the district.

Today Maida Vale offers an enormous range of vistas, from the canal and the predominantly stuccoed houses in the south to the park and the predominantly red brick flats in the north. As stated by John Julius Norwich, Writer, Broadcaster and Resident of Maida Vale, “though obviously changed beyond recognition, it remains, in all London, the most agreeable place to live”.