Merrow House, Rushworth Street Estate

A block of flats built between 1896 and 1897 by RM Taylor for the London County Council's Housing Branch. It forms a pair with Ripley House, facing each other across an open court. The building is constructed of brick with stone dressings and has a slate roof. It is three storeys high. The exterior features Arts and Crafts detailing, especially on the Kingsbench Street elevation, with a combination of gables and angular end-on chimney breasts. Gabled sections project outwards; the chimneys are corbelled out at first-floor level and rise above the roofline in a bartizan form. Some gabled sections have two chimneys, positioned between casement windows set within round-arched recesses on each floor above the ground-floor entrance. Other gables feature a single chimney alongside pairs of sash windows with glazing bars, all with segmental, gauged brick arches. Smaller, broader segmental-headed casement windows are recessed, with those on the second floor set beneath wide eaves. The elevation facing the open court has a plain central staircase leading to individual flats, their front doors approached via short access balconies with simple ironwork. Most windows are sashes with glazing bars, also with segmental, gauged brick arches. The interior was not inspected. The overall design is similar to the two blocks at Boyfield Street.