Ripley House, Rushworth Street Estate

This is a block of flats built in 1896-7 by RM Taylor for the London County Council's Housing Branch as part of the Rushworth Street Estate. It forms a pair with Merrow House, facing across an open court. The building is constructed of brick with stone dressings and has a slate roof.

Architecturally, the building exhibits Arts and Crafts details, particularly on the street-facing elevation, which combines gables and angular end-on chimney breasts. The gabled sections project outwards, with chimneys corbelled out at first-floor level and rising above the skyline in a bartizan-like fashion. Some gabled sections have two chimneys, set between casement windows within round-arched recesses above the ground-floor entrances. Other gabled sections have a single chimney and pairs of sash windows with glazing bars, each set within a segmental, gauged-brick arch. Smaller, broader segmental-headed casement windows are found in recessed sections, with second-floor windows set beneath wide eaves. The elevation facing the open court has a plain central staircase leading to individual flats, accessed via short balconies with simple ironwork. Most windows are sash windows with glazing bars and segmental, gauged-brick arches. The interior was not inspected. The design is generally similar to the two blocks at Boyfield Street.