East Block With Attached Railings And Gatepiers Peabody Estate

The East Block with attached railings and gatepiers is part of the Peabody Estate, built in 1866 to the designs of Henry Darbishire. It forms part of a group of four large blocks arranged around a rectangular courtyard in Shadwell. The building is constructed of brick in English bond, with hipped slate roofs and tall brick stacks. It has a rectangular plan and a long side with an eleven-window range. The building is six storeys high, divided into three horizontal bands: a two-storey base, a three-storey middle section, and a top storey treated as an attic. Sill bands mark these divisions, and there is a deep, bracketed cornice at the top. Brick banding is present on the ground storey, and blind brick roundels are placed between the second and third, and ninth and tenth window ranges. The shorter returns feature rectangular projections, originally common kitchens, with narrower windows. All windows are timber sashes with glazing bars. The central doorway has been modernised for security. Originally, an open stairwell was located at the rear of each block, but these were infilled with brickwork after the war. The interior retains a staircase with a cast-iron balustrade. Cast-iron railings are located at the rear.

The Peabody Estate was developed to provide housing for the "artisan and labouring poor of London," funded by an endowment from the American philanthropist, George Peabody. The Shadwell development, along with a similar one in Islington, served as models for subsequent Peabody estates, establishing a distinctive and dignified architectural style that contributes significantly to London's historic fabric.