The Packington Square Estate (London)

United Kingdom / England / London
 public housing estate  Add category

The Packington Estate is a council estate in Islington, North London. It lies on the northern side of the Regent's Canal, a short distance due east of Angel tube station and the Upper Street shopping and entertainment district.

The Packington was built in the mid 1960's on a site formerly occupied by Victorian terraced housing. It comprises 538 flats or maisonettes arranged in six-storey slab blocks, built using the large-panel construction method. The estate is arranged around Packington Square, actually a street running roughly northwest-southeast through the estate and then via a footbridge over the canal. The slab blocks surround Packington Square but are set back from the street allowing space for lawned gardens, which are recessed one storey below ground level.

The estate also featured in the Pink floyd hit song Another Brick In The Wall which was sang by the local school kids across the road at Islington Green School.

The estate is being knocked down and built back up with %50 private housing.
Apparently a gas explosion could blow it down but others think it was an excuse by the council to get rid of the old tenants.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   51°32'6"N   -0°5'42"E

Comments

  • I WAS WORKING ON THIS ESTATE FROM START TO FINISH,(1967-1971). IT WAS CONSTRUCTED BY WATES CONSTRUCTION, AND THE CONCRETE SLABS WERE CAST ON SITE IN MOULDS ,CALLED BATTERIES,TO VARIOUS LENGTHS. THEN GENTLY HEATED OVERNIGHT (IN WINTER) TO PREVENT FREEZING. THESE SLABS COULD WEIGH ANYTHING BETWEEN 5 TO 10 TONS. DURING THE CONSTRUCTION THEY WERE LOWERED ONTO SEVERAL 6 INCH STEEL BOLTS AND TIGHTENED WITH MASSIVE SPANNERS,SO IT IS UNLIKELY THEY WOULD HAVE GIVEN WAY IN THE EVENT OF A GAS BLAST. BECAUSE THESE BLOCKS WERE SOLID CONCRETE THEY WOULD HAVE STOOD FOR MANY YEARS, OUTLIVING THE PRESENT BLOCKS THAT HAVE REPLACED THEM.
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This article was last modified 14 years ago