Oakshott Court
Polygon Road, London NW1
Architect: Peter Tabori
Register for similar homes"The interiors have been sensitively designed by the current architect-owners, laid with birch-ply floors throughout and fitted with well-placed shelving."
Positioned on the top floor of this low-rise block next to Kings Cross, this exceptionally bright one/two-bedroom flat has a wonderful sense of lateral space. The flat forms part of Oakshott Court, a well-maintained estate designed by renowned architect Peter Tabori for London County Council in 1976.
Communal stairs climb a central tower that gives access to the flat on the second floor. The internal space, measuring over 600 sqft, is divided by a corridor that opens onto a lovely and bright living room. Sliding doors from the living area reveal a south-facing balcony, which extends beneath the bedroom window. The separate kitchen, equipped with simple free-standing units and an attractive Belfast sink, is positioned just off the dining area and has a large adjoining space that can be used as a pantry / utility cupboard.
There is a good-sized main bedroom, and a smaller bedroom / study that takes a single bed. The bathroom has a shower over the bath.
The interiors have been sensitively designed by the current architect-owners, laid with birch-ply floors throughout and fitted with well-placed shelving.
One of the key figures in the development of Camden Council’s ‘golden age’ of progressive social-housing in the 1970s, Peter Tabori is best known for his distinctive ziggurat-style estates. Tabori’s designs developed Neave Brown’s principles of estate housing which centred around individual front doors and private open spaces, resulting in the distinctive stepped apartments which can be seen at Oakshott Court, and on the likes of the Whittington Estate in North London.
Born in Hungary in 1940, Tabori moved to London to study at the Regent Street Polytechnic. As a student, Tabori asked the local authority for a diploma project and was given the brief for Highgate New Town. After working for Ernö Goldfinger and Denys Lasdun, Tabori joined Camden Architects Department – the borough architect Sydney Cook had been so impressed by Tabori’s student work that he was employed to develop it into the final scheme.
Oakshott Court is in Somerstown, located between St. Pancras International and Euston stations. It’s a neighbourhood with a strong sense of local community with shops, galleries and a weekly market on Chalton Street. Added to the mix is The British Library and the Crick Institute. The new local swimming pool and gym is a few minutes’ walk.
The area is currently host to significant developments with new buildings by renowned architects Adam Kahn, Duggan Morris and dRMM.
Granary Square is the centrepiece of the regeneration around Kings Cross and St Pancras International. At the heart is Central St. Martin’s art school, emphasising the creative credentials of this new focus for London. It has been immensely successful, attracting the European HQ of Google, The Guardian, and Tom Dixon. The Coal Drops by Heatherwick Studio will open shortly.
The square is also home to a host of well regarded restaurants and bars including Caravan, Dishoom and Spiritland as well as local shopping at Waitrose. Bloomsbury, Soho, as well as to the east, Islington and Clerkenwell are all within easy walking distance.
Kings Cross station provides access to the London Underground (Northern, Piccadilly, Circle, Victoria and Hammersmith & City lines), as well as direct rail services to Edinburgh and Cambridge. The Eurostar boards at St. Pancras International, only a 5 minute walk away.
Tenure: Leasehold
Lease Length: approx. 94 years
Service Charge: approx. £2,600 per annum (includes heating, hot water, maintenance and cleaning of communal areas)
Ground Rent: £10 per annum
Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.
History
Oakshott Court is a Modernist housing estate which sits between Euston and St Pancras stations in Camden’s Somers Town, housing 114 flats and maisonettes over three levels. Designed for London County Council in 1976, by the acclaimed Hungarian architect Peter Tábori, Oakshott was originally named Polygon Road Estate after Jacob Leroux’s thirty-two house estate which occupied the site previously. Its three terraces which are arranged in an L-shape, follow the principle of a Ziggurat layout, with successively receding levels.
Once a student of Richard Rogers, Tábori was a key figure in the development of what came to be known as Camden Council’s golden age of progressive social-housing of the 1970’s, under Sydney Cook’s directorship of London Borough of Camden architects. In his design of Oakshott, and previously the Whittington Estate in Camden’s Highgate New Town, Tábori endorsed many of the principles of low-rise social estate housing laid down by his predecessor Neave Brown and came to be associated with a pioneering approach to public housing, renowned for its humanistic approach and empathy for the people living within it. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Tábori believed there was no need to build high to achieve high density and Oakshott was no exception; as a result, his plans were ingeniously compact and space saving yet with open and spacious interiors and most crucially, with individual front entrances and private external space.
