Plaque: Bridge House Estates housing - Silex Street
Erection date: 18/6/1935
Corporation of London
This stone was laid by the Rt. Hon. Sir Stephen Henry Molyneux Killik, KCVO, Lord Mayor of London, on the 18th day of June 1935.
John Stopher Esq FSI FAI, Deputy Chairman of the Bridge House Estates Committee
Walter Lawrence & Son Ltd - Contractors
Victor Wilkins, FRIBA - Architect
Site: Bridge House Estates housing - Silex Street (2 memorials)
SE1, Silex Street, Stopher House
The small black plaque above the door shows the Bridge House Estates symbol. A number of other blocks of flats in this area carry similar plaques.
The stone foundation plaque can be seen in our photo, low, to the left of the door.
We noticed the little Bridge Mark on a number of blocks of flats in this area: e.g. Stopher House and Pakeman House. This Guildhall Historical Association paper explains the background which was a proposed new St Paul's Bridge. This involved the acquisition, from 1911, of land to provide approach roads and other nearby land to rehouse the population evicted from the former. But the project was cancelled leaving the BHE owning a large quantity of sub-standard property. Under pressure from Southwark Council BHE redeveloped much of it and these rather nice 1930's buildings are the result. The paper is not dated but at the time the BHE owned 366 flats in the area which were managed on their behalf by the Corporation of the City of London's Housing Department. We don't know if that is still the case. Ian Visits has a more detailed post on the St Paul's Bridge that never was.
The Bridge Mark also appears on the magnificent 1899 Passmore Edwards Library in nearby Borough Road. Presumably the BHE contributed land or funds for the library.
