Andover Estate
Encyclopedia
Holloway, London
Holloway is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Islington located north of Charing Cross and follows for the most part, the line of the Holloway Road . At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head area...
, North London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, is a large sprawling Islington London Borough Council
Islington London Borough Council
Islington London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Islington in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Islington is divided into 16 wards, each electing three councillors...
housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
which is flanked by Hornsey Road (west), Seven Sisters Road
Seven Sisters Road
Seven Sisters Road is a road in north London, England which runs within the boroughs of Islington, Hackney and Haringey. It is an extension of Camden Road, running from Holloway Road at the Nags Head crossroads then on to another crossroads with Blackstock Road and Stroud Green Road...
(south), Durham Road (east) and Birnam Road (north). It falls into the N7
N postcode area
The N postcode area, also known as the London N postcode area, is the part of the London post town covering part of North London, England....
postcode district of London.
The older part of the estate along Andover Road was built in the 1950s and is known among residents as "the old flats". The newer buildings, which make up the majority of the estate, were built in the late 1960s until the late 1970s.
Three large uniquely designed triangular buildings rise into the sky on the estate, named Didbin, Noll and Docura Houses respectively, after local architects.
Graffiti, crime and drug problems from the mid 1980s
In recent years negative reports suggested that the estate had fallen into disrepair, with petty crime, muggings and general lawlesness amongst the local hoodieHoodie
A hoodie is a sweatshirt with a hood. The characteristic design includes large frontal pockets, a hood, and a drawstring to adjust the hood opening. They are sometimes worn with sweatpants. Some hoodies have zippers on them to allow easy removal much like a jacket...
population being the worst problems, despite the presence of Holloway Police Station on Hornsey Road, nearby.
But local police have reported a downturn in these crimes and Holloway Police Station are even considering a downsizing of their operations from their Hornsey Road station.
Complete security of the estate was first considered in the mid 1980s, when the three main blocks received an intercom system that could activate the doors to open at ground level. This project fell apart after just a couple of years due to vandalism and disrepair, and many established residents blame the removal of the estate's caretakers
Property caretaker
A Property caretaker is a person, group or organization that cares for real estate for trade or financial compensation, and sometimes as a barter for rent-free living accommodations...
for this large waste of resources.
Graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
was a large problem on the estate and on the neighbouring Six Acres Estate from the mid 1980s, as the tagging
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
craze that had been popular in places like New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, and Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, became a craze amongst 'artistic' youths wishing to write or spray their 'tags' on any prominent space available. Andover had a lot of this space available at that time.
Local youth were restless and wanted to be noticed. A number of 'prominent' London graffiti artists were regular visitors to Andover Estate after the mid-1980s, with its large spaces and secluded spots to spray tags and do 'pieces' (a large full sized mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
using spray paint) undetected.
A huge budget for the removal of graffiti on the estate was put up regularly by Islington London Borough Council
Islington London Borough Council
Islington London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Islington in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Islington is divided into 16 wards, each electing three councillors...
and despite the regular clean ups, graffiti re-appeared faster than it could be removed. Holloway Police Station even assigned one particular constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
to look out for and 'befriend' some of these groups, but this strategy was met with very minimal success.
"Maze of alleyways" a haven for escaping criminals
The initial layout of the estate when completed in the late 1970s proved a huge headache for local police operations, as many interconnecting back alleys, paths and thoroughfares provided several options for those evading police or otherwise to escape.There were many 'routes' that could be used to double back or simply confuse pursuers who were unfamiliar with the estate's layout. Many of these routes have since been built over, exposed, or eradicated by having certain garden plots or other land extended into them.
Crack cocaine in the early 1990s
Drug problems on the estate started in the early 1990s, when crack cocaineCrack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
use escalated hugely, with related mugging
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
s, robberies and associated crime all documented by the local press and police force.
Ambitious plans were put into place to combat these problems, including the demolition of several established residential buildings which would enable the construction of easier, direct road access for police and emergency vehicles from Durham, Hornsey and Seven Sisters Roads. These proposals never went further than the initial discussion process.
Michelle Golding and the film "Beyond the hoodie"
The estate was subject to a recent ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
documentary whereby a local MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Ann Widdecombe
Ann Widdecombe
Ann Noreen Widdecombe is a former British Conservative Party politician and has been a novelist since 2000. She is a Privy Councillor and was the Member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1987 to 1997 and for Maidstone and The Weald from 1997 to 2010. She was a social conservative and a member of...
, spent a night in one of the flats to highlight the supposed problem of youths causing trouble at all hours.
The youth of Andover Estate recently got together with a London film maker Michelle Golding http://www.michellegolding.co.uk to produce a film http://www.youtube.com/michellegolding rebutting the Ann Widdecombe programme.
Young residents put across their side of the story to demonstrate that they are more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators.
The film highlights the actual reduction in crime on the estate over the last couple of years and the problem of much of the crime being committed by non-residents. It also discusses the negative impact created by the sloppy journalism of the Ann Widdecombe film.
This was brought into sharp focus by the murder of a 14 year old boy in July 2007; in June 2011 a 21-year-old man was stabbed to death by a large gang. This last killing came less than a week after another man was stabbed in nearaby Tollingdon Place which leads to the estate.
Islington Gazette and Ann Widdecombe's stubborn stance on Golding's short film
This article was reported in the local paper, the Islington GazetteIslington gazette
The Islington Gazette is a weekly paid-for newspaper covering news relating to the borough of Islington in north London, UK. There are two editions, the Islington Gazette and the Islington Gazette EC1 that covers the south of the borough which used to be known as the borough of Finsbury...
:
Rebuilding Holloway in the 1950s and 1960s
When the estate was built it was seen as a model housing estate, with many similar estates being built at the same time. Nearby Elthorne Estate was designed quite similarly in the mid-1970s but unlike Andover's three big blocks didn't have any high rise development.This area of Holloway was rebuilt after streets of old housing were knocked down in the 1960s. Other nearby housing estates, Six Acres Estate, Harvist Estate, and Elthorne Estate were built when it was considered more viable to modernise rather than rebuild after the area suffered bomb damage some twenty five years earlier in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Overview / Trivia
The estate has various well known residents in former EastEndersEastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
TV actor Marc Bannerman
Marc Bannerman
Marc Bannerman is a UK based actor. His most notable role has been his portrayal of Gianni di Marco in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. Bannerman's character was introduced in 1998, but was axed three years later by the executive producer of EastEnders, John Yorke...
, Cornwall's DJ Pat Mckay grew up on Andover Estate, and world renowned close-up magician and artiste Fay Presto
Fay Presto
Fay Presto is a British trans woman who is known as a magician and a member of The Inner Magic Circle. In 2001, Fay Presto played herself in ITV's Emmerdale. In 1998 she was voted ‘Party Entertainer of the Year’ by Tatler Magazine...
also lived there for over 25 years.
One of the Uk's top rappers Skinnyman
Skinnyman
Skinnyman is an English rapper who was born in Leeds, Yorkshire and moved to Finsbury Park, London at a young age. He grew up on the Six Acres Estate next to Andover Estate...
grew up on the nearby Six Acres Estate and also spent many of his younger years hanging around on Andover Estate. His highly acclaimed album Council Estate of Mind
Council Estate of Mind
Council Estate Of Mind is a 2004 album by English rapper Skinnyman. It was produced by DJ Flip, Stoned Soldiers, Adam M, and others. Heavily autobiographical and socially analytical, the album makes much use of samples from Made in Britain, a British film from the early 1980s...
is believed to be about his upbringing in this area.
Johnny Rotten also grew up on the nearby Six Acres Estate.
On the edge of the estate on Sonderburg Road by Seven Sisters Road is Harmsworth hospital, (named and built after Sir Harold Harmsworth) an animal hospital run by the RSPCA, which was the focal point of the television reality TV series Animal Hospital
Animal Hospital
Animal Hospital was a television show starring Rolf Harris that ran on the BBC from 1994 until 2004. The story showed animal welfare stories from RSPCA hospitals.-Location:...
, and was presented by popular TV personality Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
. The informative and educational series ran for nine years on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
A segment on The Catherine Tate Show
The Catherine Tate Show
The Catherine Tate Show is a British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate and Aschlin Ditta. Tate also stars in all but one of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. The Catherine Tate Show airs on BBC Two and is shown worldwide through the BBC...
was filmed on Selden Walk, Andover Estate.