The Hawkstone Estate (formerly part of Silwood Estate) is a council estate in the Rotherhithe area of Southwark, London. It is located on a triangular area of land bounded by Rotherhithe New Road, Rotherhithe Old Road and Hawkstone Road. On the opposite sides of Rotherhithe New Road are Balman House, Tissington Court and the Silverlock Estate.
The Hawkstone Estate was originally a site of mostly residential properties, many of which were demolished in World War II, presumably due to bomb damage. Prefabs were assembled in their place for a short length of time. A school was located in the central part of the area and when construction began in the early 1960s on the estate, a new primary school was constructed. The estate was approved in two phases, with the first phase receiving approval in 1958. This phase included two tower blocks. The second phase was approved in 1962 and included John Kennedy House. Despite the 4 year difference between approval being given, the design of the blocks remained the same. The 3 tower blocks were completed by 1963, whereas the 4 storey lowrise blocks were completed in 1965. The estate was completely built by Wates.
The estate has been catalogued as one of the most neglected in the Borough and property values are amongst the lowest in London. After much discussion, it was decided to retain the tower blocks and some refurbishment work was carried out in 2009. During 2011, Southwark London Borough Council agreed to refurbish the lowrise blocks after pilot projects on 3 flats found it was possible to refurbish the blocks without residents needing to move out.
Blocks[]
The three 16 storey tower blocks are:
The lowrise blocks are:
- Canute Gardens (51 flats)
- Jarman House (32 flats)
- 22-88 Old Rotherhithe Road