Finsbury Estate

Finsbury Estate is a housing estate in the Finsbury area of London, England. It is embedded in a network of large-scale buildings. It comprises four purpose built flats, located on a level site of 7,265 acres. It comprises 4 blocks of flats providing 451 residencies. Patrick Coman House and Michael Cliffe House are high rise blocks, 9 and 25-storeys high respectively, while Joseph Trotter House and Charles Townsend House are 4 Storeys High, the site also includes a community library, an underground car parking, which is currently under refurbishment, aball games area and a playground area. A community centre and also a disused public house. Islington Council has received Heritage Lottery funding to develop a new, purpose-built Islington Museum at Finsbury Library on the Finsbury Estate. It is planned that the new museum will open in early 2008. Islington Museum closed its galleries at the Islington Town Hall on, Friday 15 December 2006.

Listed Building Status

The estate buildings are not listed nor are they in a Conservation Area, although they are surrounded by or over looked by parts of Clerkenwell Green Conservation Area and Northampton Square Conservation Area.

Architecture of the Estate

Comprises two high-rise and two low-rise blocks of purpose built flats in a typical Brutalist style 'mixed development' of the High Modern period. Through the configuration of the four blocks, two large open spaces have been created. The open space on site is characterized by two predominant inward looking convex spaces defined by the surrounding blocks of flats. A round play area, highly fenced off, as well as a games area. Main entrances to the estate are on St John Street, where the Islington Library is located, and on Skinner Street to the southwest

Housing Blocks

* Patrick Coman House: 9 storeys high Building provides 143 flats, 48 of which are 3 bedroom ones, 80 3-bedroom ones and 15 bed-sitting flats.
* Charles Townsend House: 4 storey building to the south of the estate, comprises 52 flats with 6 4-bedrooms, 6 2-bedrooms, 24 one-bedroom and 16 bed sitting rooms.
* Michael Cliffe House: 25 storey high Tower block, 185 flats, with 31 3-bedroom ones, 78 of 2-bedrooms and 76 of 1-bedroom.
* Joseph Trotter Close: 4 storey building provides 15 maisonettes accommodate large families, have their own front gardens and private gardens at rear. A disused Public houses on ground floor; 71 flats: 27 4-bedrooms, 13 3-bedrooms, 9 2-bedrooms, 1 1-bedroom and 21 bed sitting rooms

Controversy

uicides at Michael Cliffe House

It was infamous as a favoured suicide spot for jumpers, as anyone could walk off the street and go up to the 23rd floor.Fact|date=November 2007 There was an open balcony on each floor which runs across the front of the block as a fire escape between the two halves, either side of this strip used to be completely open, since as all been fenced. David Woolf jumped from the top of Michael Cliffe House in 1999, further deaths were narrowly avoided when his body landed just yards from where two young children were playing below. Despite the fact that Woolfe was the 20th person to jump from the block in two decades, the council declined to take action at the time to secure Michael Cliffe properly. A resident in August 2005 jumped from a ninth-floor window of Michael Cliffe House, on the Finsbury Estate. [http://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/081805/in081805_02.htm] A Memorial bench was unveiled close to Michael Cliffe House to celebrate the life of the Finsbury teenager who committed suicide 18 months previous. [http://www.thecnj.co.uk/islington/030907/news030907_08.html]

Cultural associations

* Michael Cliffe After the death of Michael Cliffe, a former mayor of Finsbury Borough Council a tower block on the new Finsbury Estate was named after him (Michael Cliffe House).
* Joseph Trotter Joseph Trotter House is also named after a former Mayor of Finsbury; his son, also Joseph Trotter, later served as Mayor of Islington.
* Ministry of sound's Album art for Smoove Presents Street Beats that was original released August 16th 2005 shows the bottom corner of Michael Cliffe House and overlooking the Finsbury Estate.
* Channel 4 award-winning British sitcom Peep Show (TV series), Season 1 Episode 5, the scene was filmed at Super Hans fictional flat at Michael Cliffe House on the Finsbury estate, the scene is based on Mark and Jerremy having decide to sort each others problems, although it backfires with Mark being shot by an air-gun and Jez getting pepper-sprayed in the eyes outside Super Hans Flat.

Nearby Tube Stations

* Angel tube station (Northern Line)
* Barbican station (Circle Line , Hammersmith & City Line, Metropolitan line)
* Farringdon station (Circle Line , Hammersmith & City Line, Metropolitan line, - First Capital Connect)