Hillfield Court

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History

In 1932 Colonel Griggs took on a passionate project building a block of flats, now known as Hillfield Court. Commemorating the grand house that had previously stood on the site, Hillfield Court was considered a very prestigious block set within magnificent, spacious gardens. Resident Sally Fry’s late and well respected friend, Paul Davies was a British Standards Officer for Architecture and Buildings and stated that, Hillfield Court, in his opinion was one of the “best built block of flats in London…”

Each flat was originally rented out on a five year lease, taking them through until 1969 when inflation saw tenants for the first time being given the opportunity to purchase their flats on a 99 year lease. However, happy times were not to follow, Hillfield Court was placed in the hands of managing agents for the first time in the mid 1970’s.

During the Second World War a big barrage balloon was anchored on the Hillfield Court lawn. Royal Air Force personnel were housed in a ground floor flat ready to launch the balloon when necessary. These large, airborne barriers protected important installations (including Hillfield Court!) against low-level air attack.

According to various residents, the death of owner and builder Colonel Griggs brought the shattering realisation that Hillfield Court would have to be sold - unfortunately, to “unscrupulous experts at asset stripping” (Hillfield Court Newsletter, 1998). The twenty one flats that had not been previously sold to tenants were now sold with the intention of building townhouses with garages and an access road on the much loved gardens.

Fighting back vigorously, the Residents Association organised speeches, TV interviews and meetings with Camden Council in the hope of saving their garden. Eventually this did prevail – a preservation order was placed on every tree. Camden council had refused the company permission to build and the residents were elated.

By 1985 residents had ensured that the landlord’s potential for making money was small. Hillfield Court Limited was formed and 80 residents became the new shareholders of the block.

Home to many interesting and famous people over the years residents of Hillfield Court have included actress Diana Winyard, author Barnaby Williams, novelist Kay Dick, directors of many films as well as one of the leading actresses in the West End Musical Miss Saigon.

While the management of Hillfield Court has experienced many highs and lows, the residents have always been very proud of their block with its high level of community spirit. The Hillfield Court Residents Group meet monthly to discuss the running of the block.

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 Belsize Park

Renowned for evading the public eye, Belsize Park was a historical secret until 1317 when Edward II’s Lord Chief Justice left 57 acres of land to the monks of Westminster. During these times Belsize was a sub-division of the manor of Hampstead and the church let out parcels of land to those they saw fit to build country mansions on their glorious estate.

The first streets of Belsize were laid in the 1850s and from 1870 to 1900 many of the surviving stretches of greenery eroded as main thoroughfares developed. While Belsize Park remained an “in between area”, set between the hustling heart of the city and the smaller nucleus of Hampstead, an influx of the “comfortably-off conferred upon this area of London an indentity of a kind…” (Saint, A. 2000)

The term Belsize – first applied in the early 18th Century – was adapted from the French term Bel Assis, meaning ‘beautifully situated’. Belsize Park was coined in 1870 when property developer Daniel Tidey orchestrated an extensive construction project in the area. Two hundred years later and the name is more appropriate than ever.