Jump to content

Perronet House

Coordinates: 51°29′45″N 0°06′07″W / 51.4958°N 0.1019°W / 51.4958; -0.1019
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Perronet House is an 11-storey residential council tower block adjacent to the northern roundabout of the Elephant and Castle, in London.

Perronet House
Perronet House
Perronet House
Map
General information
Architectural styleModernist
LocationLondon
CountryUK
Coordinates51°29′45″N 0°06′07″W / 51.4958°N 0.1019°W / 51.4958; -0.1019
CompletedMay 1970 (initial) & 1987 (extension)
ClientGreater London Council
LandlordSouthwark Council
Technical details
Structural systemin-situ concrete
Floor count11
Design and construction
Architect(s)Sir Roger Walters
Main contractorHawkins Contractors (Southern) Ltd
Website
www.perronethouse.com

Design and layout

[edit]

In 1969 Sir Roger Walters was commissioned by the Greater London Council to design a high density block of social housing to complement the already completed high rise buildings of commercial, educational and governmental establishments in the Elephant and Castle Comprehensive Development Area on what was then known as Site 4.[1] The building was completed in May 1970 and won a commendation in the 1971 Good Design In Housing awards.[2]

It is a building of fascinating quirks, both structurally and socially. Flats are situated on a raised "P" (for PODIUM) level, and on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th floor. The P level flats are a later 1980s addition but all the flats above it are split level scissor section flats, arranged over three primary floors and wrapped around a central communal corridor. This provides each flat with a dual aspect unobstructed by external corridors more usually found on high rise social housing in the area.

In 2020, the area of the building hold garages was remodelled by the Council to create Elephant Arcade, a series of small business units destined to rehome 11 traders dislodged by the demolition of the nearby shopping centre.[3]

Tenant management

[edit]

Perronet House set itself up as a Tenant Managed Organisation (TMO) under the UK's 'Right to Manage' legislation for council houses. However it was Southwark's first TMO to fail and management of the block returned to the council in 2004.[4] In April 2012 a new Tenants and Residents Association was formed.

Media coverage

[edit]
  • Time Out London used images of the garden of the tenth floor communal sundeck in an article about Food Up Front, part of a feature on slow food.

See a scan of the article here

  • The Guardian filmed guerrilla gardeners temporarily retreating to a Perronet House flat after an encounter with police while gardening on the Elephant and Castle north roundabout.

See the video here

  • The book On Guerrilla Gardening by Richard Reynolds (Bloomsbury 2008) includes numerous photos and references to Perronet House and the building also appears illustrated on the back cover.

See more about the book here

See a scan of the article here

[edit]

51°29′45″N 0°06′07″W / 51.4958°N 0.1019°W / 51.4958; -0.1019

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Elephant & Castle Comprehensive Development Area, Site 4". University of Edinburgh Tower Block Project. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Good Design in Housing 1971 Awards Brochure". Ministry of Housing and Local Government and Royal Institute of British Architects. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021.
  3. ^ "New 'Elephant Arcade" opens for business on former garage site". Southwark News. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Southwark Council Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee Minutes paras 1.1-1.2" (PDF). 14 September 2004. Retrieved 30 May 2010.