“Tolpuddle who?” I imagine that’s what many thought when they first heard about the Dorset Estate. It’s a post-war Modernist housing estate in Bethnal Green, London. Completed in 1957, the Dorset Estate was designed by Skinner, Bailey & Lubetkin. These architects also designed the nearby Sivill House.
The Dorset Estate originally featured eight housing blocks. These blocks are all named after the Tolpuddle Martyrs. The two Y-shaped blocks are the most eye-catching. These are George Loveless House and James Hamnett House. The estate also includes James Brine House, Robert Owen House and Arthur Wade House.
The blocks feature patterned concrete facades. This became the partnership’s trademark after the war. The Dorset Estate also features a circular library, community centre and a pub. The pub was originally called The Royal Victoria.
Sivill House is a 20-storey point block. It was added in 1966. Lubetkin provided designs for the tower in the late 1950s. This was before his retirement six years earlier.
There are 266 homes on the Dorset Estate. The Dorset Estate stands as a testament to post-war Modernist architecture. It also honors the legacy of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. The Dorset Estate is situated between Hackney Road and Columbia Road.