Wilkie House Wilkie House, Millbank Estate

Wilkie House is a block of flats built between 1897 and 1902 as part of the Millbank Estate, one of the first and most important housing estates developed by the London County Council. Designed by Owen Fleming and, more specifically, R. Minton Taylor, the estate layout radiates from a central rectangular public garden. The building is constructed of red brick with stone dressings and some rendering, topped with slate roofs. The design reflects a humane, Arts and Crafts socialist approach, drawing inspiration from the work of Webb, Lethaby, and Smith and Brewer, and incorporating "Queen Anne" detailing, all executed to a high standard. It is a long, rectangular block, set at right angles to John Islip Street and facing Cureton Street, with a rear courtyard. The building is five stories high, featuring an 18-window wide front with a three-window return. The courtyard elevation features cornice-hood entrances. The windows are flush framed glazing bar sashes, with a rendered top floor featuring close-set “weaving shed” casements, arranged to reflect the internal layout. A shallow gable sits above a central break of six bays, and the roof is hipped with flat eaves and a shallow pavilion break to the west end. Wilkie House balances with its twin, Morland House, within the group of buildings north of the garden.