Agents
Building contractor
Wates
Events
Committee approval date
Construction start date
Construction completion date
Habitation date(s)
Clifford Hicks Tower officially opened on 4 September 1965 by Mayor of Waltham Forest (G.S. Bentley)
Significant alterations/demolition, etc.
Since demolished
Local authority
Original commissioning authority
Leyton Municipal Borough Council
Original location authority
Leyton Municipal Borough Council
Location
Estate name(s)
Oliver Close Estate
References and links
The Architects' Journal 29-9-1965, 727-8
1988
View of 22-storey towers on Oliver Close Estate
View of 22-storey towers on Oliver Close Estate
1988
View of 22-storey towers on Oliver Close Estate
View of 22-storey towers on Oliver Close Estate
1988
View of James Collins Tower and Arthur Punshon Tower
View of James Collins Tower and Arthur Punshon Tower
Original development name
Oliver Close
Multi-storey block names
James Collins Tower L1662
Clifford Hicks Tower L1663
Arthur Punshon Tower L1664
Multi-storey block details
three 22-storey blocks containing 300 dwellings
Postcode area
E10
Image dates
1988; 1988; 1988
Image details
View of 22-storey towers on Oliver Close Estate; View of 22-storey towers on Oliver Close Estate; View of James Collins Tower and Arthur Punshon Tower
Oliver Close and Boundary Road Estates in Waltham Forest
Hello,
I am trying to find out more information about the tower blocks on both these estates between the mid 1960s-2000s I believe there were a total of 10 of these style blocks in the whole of Waltham Forest and I want to know more about the history of them, who designed them, how they were built and why they were demolished. I would also like to obtain both external AND internal photos if they exist Any information you are able to provide or any other direction you could point me in would be most helpful and very much appreciated.
Many thanks.
Kind Regards
Lorna
Oliver Close and Boundary Road Estates in Waltham Forest
Hi Lorna,
Thanks for getting in touch. The Oliver Close Estate had five 22-storey blocks built in two stages. Stage 1 comprised Arthur Punshion, Clifford Hicks and James Collins Towers which were built about 1963-65. Stage 2 comprised Terrence Messenger and Stanley Horstead Towers built about 1967. They were all built on a package deal basis by Wates and were of pre-cast concrete design influenced by the London County Council's Warwick Crescent development. We think all five were demolished about 1997 shortly after they were taken over by the Waltham Forest Housing Action Trust. As for why, you can have a look at this discussion in the House of Lords from 1991 referring to the estate for clues: http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1991/dec/05/waltham-forest-hou…
The other towers of similar design and construction seem to have been part of the Cambridge Road redevelopment area (which I think was also called Boundary Road Estate). It had three blocks called Ernest Richards, James Dixon and Walter Savills Towers, built about 1965-68 and demolished in about 2000.
That brings us to 8. I found one other block in our archive in Waltham Forest that looks to be of similar design - John Drinkwater Tower (also 22 storeys) which was also demolished about 2000. We have it as part of the Oliver Close Estate, but it may have been part of the Leyton Grange Estate and was possibly built a bit later than the others. http://www.towerblock.eca.ed.ac.uk/development/hutchison-house-site
We only have the photos that are currenty on the database for the sites. You could search on flickr as you sometimes find photos that way and I can put up something on our twitter/facebook to see if it gets any responses for you as we're just looking at how we can develop the archive with links to more material. If you want to know more detailed information about the blocks then there are a few references under each of the sites on the database to journal/magazine articles and I think that the Vestry House Museum might have some older photos showing construction etc.
Best of luck with your research.
James Collins Tower
Did you get any other responses?
James Collins Tower
Hi Donna, All comments that we have received are shown here. If you have any information that would be useful you can add here or send us an email. Thanks, Hannah.
St Michael's Tower
Hi Lorna, my husband lived in one of these blocks and I believe some of the family photos are taken inside. They are family snapshots, which show little of the architecture, however. It would be great to know your interest as I'm also researching a project which includes the tower blocks in Waltham Forest. Thanks
Waltham Forest former housing estates in Leyton Oliver Road
The housing estates in Oliver close Boundary road Gosport road and Browning road were all of the same design and where built in 4 different locations in the London borough of Waltham Forest between 1964-1969 and have now all been demolished from 1995-2001
Waltham Forest former housing estates
The Oliver close estate in Leyton east London was a complex of 5 tower blocks of 20 residential floors and 100 flats in each building
Clifford Hicks Tower 1965-1995
James Collins Tower 1965-1996
Arthur Punshion Tower 1966-1998
Stanly Horstead Tower 1967-2000
Terrence Messenger Tower 1967-2001
Cambridge road estate AKA Boundary road estate Walthamstow east London was a complex of 3 tower blocks of 20 residential floors with 100 flats in each building
James Dixson Tower 1968-1995
Ernest Richards Tower 1969-1998
Walter Savills Tower 1968-2000
Gosport road estate was a complex of one 20 storey tower block and a 6 storey block of masionette
St Micheal Tower 1967-1997
Dyke Court 1970-1997
Browning road complex Leytonstone was a single 20 storey tower block with 100 residential flats
John Drinkwater Tower 1967-1998
The housing estates in Oliver close,Boundary road,Gosport road and Browning road were all of the same design and were built in 4 different locations in the London borough of Waltham Forest between 1964-1969 and have now all bee demolished from 1995- 2001
There were also other housing estates in this borough witch have been demolished as well
Livingston Tower. Leyton Green
Whitebeam Tower Hilyfields estate Walthamstow
Beaumont Road estate
All Saints Tower 1966-2011
St Paul's Tower 1966- 2011
St Catherine's Tower 1965-2010
Chingford Hall estate
St Fabian Tower 1970-2002
St Francis Tower 1970-2000
St Albans Tower 1970-2001
Cathall Road estate
Hornbeam Tower 1971-2002
Redwood Tower 1970-2002
Stairwell collapse
I used to live on corner of Oliver Close. Amongst family photos i recently found one of 10 floors landings and stairs collapse during construction. Family business was A J Bradick Removals and Haulage.