Lansbury Estate

Gremlin Grange One of the largest of London's post-war housing schemes, the Lansbury Estate was also one of the most influential, setting standards of design and both reflecting and influencing the planning of the New Towns. It was laid out from 1949 by the London County Council on the blitzed streets north of East India Dock Road, and named after the former Labour leader, LCC member and local councillor George Lansbury.

As a showpiece estate, the first phase formed the basis of the Live Architecture Exhibition, part of the Festival of Britain of 1951. In addition to the buildings in progress, the exhibition included a series of displays extolling the virtues of modern construction methods and town planning. A scaled-down parody of a mock-Tudor semi, 'Gremlin Grange', exposed the shortcomings of traditional, 'unscientific' building.

Baring House, Lansbury (completed 1951) Lansbury was conceived as a complete urban village: as well as the various houses and flats there were schools, churches, a market square and shopping precinct, and an old people's home. Building continued over many years and was finally completed in 1983, under the Greater London Council.