Salisbury Mansions

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Permalink Reply by Hugh on April 2, 2008 at 21:38

Not really very helpful perhaps, but I know that they're a carbon copy of Birkbeck Mansions, Birkbeck Road, off Hornsey High Street. I'm pretty sure Birkbeck was built by the British Land Co.

Salisbury abuts the Gardens which was all built by John Hill along with Grand Parade and the Salisbury. I haven't heard that he built the mansions, but then again I haven't heard that he didn't.

Permalink Reply by StephenBln on April 2, 2008 at 21:43

I'm afraid I've never heard much about Salisbury Mansions and can't help.

One thing though, I think the name Salisbury Mansions indicates that it was definitely a lower middle class/middle class development, rather than for yer' working classes.

The working classes tended to live in houses and above shops that were generally split up into rooms rather than flats. Even houses on the ladder and in the Gardens were often dual occupancy, making today's worries about that sort of thing seem out of place. That's what they were built for.

Grand Parade and Salisbury Mansions on the other hand, were purpose built flats and designed, I think, for the families of white collar workers.

Even in my childhood, "Mansion Flats" were considered to be a cut above the rest.

Permalink Reply by StephenBln on April 2, 2008 at 22:06

This may sound strange, but were the flats built with "inside toilets"? Or were they added later? Most houses in this area constructed until about 1910 still had "outside lavvies" So a warm bum in winter would have been quite a luxury...

Permalink Reply by alistairj on April 2, 2008 at 22:47

"Even houses on the ladder and in the Gardens were often dual occupancy, making today's worries about that sort of thing seem out of place."
Interesting, Stephen. How did that work - separate rooms and shared communal facilities (possibly outside loos)? What security and privacy would there be between occupants?

Permalink Reply by John McMullan on April 2, 2008 at 23:07

A bit before the time but read Nicholas Nickleby or A tale of two cities. They just bathed with less water and more clothes on.

Permalink Reply by StephenBln on April 3, 2008 at 0:51

Alastair, dividing a house up between two or three parties was quite simple really. Family 1: Two rooms plus kitchen downstairs. Family 2: Three rooms upstairs or when only two rooms then Family/Person3 One room.
I would imagine that the scullery with a butler sink was communal and so was at least the range which was in the kitchen, some of these were still in place into the 1960s. The range was alight all day to provide hot water etc., and most families had their own tin bath, hung up on the back of the door. On Bathnights (once a week), heat the water up in the scullery and take it back to your room for the bath; Dad first, then Mum and then the kids.. all in the same water.

All tenants would have used the same outside toilet, which was liable to freeze up in winter. By the 1890s lavatory paper had begun to be produced commercially, but most homes still used the "home made sort", 100 sheets made out of used shopping bags and newspapers (re-cycling in its earliest form), although newspaper was not as popular as bags because there was print on both sides; all joined together with string placed through a hole in one corner. No wonder Queen Victoria never smiled!!

I don't think there were many problems with property, most families had very little furniture and perhaps no sofa, just a bed and some hard back chairs around a wooden table. There wasn't really anything to steal!

Brian, It's interesting to learn that there was washhouse with a service tunnel at the back of Salisbury Mansions. This was due to the fact that it was just unthinkable for servants carrying dirty linen (washing) to be observed by other tenants. BTW, the perambulators were not for the servants kids, obviously "the nannys" weren't allowed to leave their prams outside the building. There had obviously been problems with that.

This Edwardian Harringay became a victim of the First World War and had probably totally disappeared by the 1920s. Harringay had gone a bit down-market by then.

Permalink Reply by John Shulver on June 27, 2020 at 17:32

I had a friend who lived in "The Mansions", I lived in Harringay Road, probably late 50's era.

I remember The Mansions as being dark, dingey and unwelcoming. And having a musty sort of smell.  I really didn't enjoy spending time visiting him there.   But probably not all flats/occupants shared those characteristics.  Don't think I ever visited the loos while there so can't comment on that aspect.  But certainly not an endearing memory.

Must say now though, from the exterior, they look quite luxurious in comparison.  Somebody has done a decent job on them.