Record

RepositoryArchives
Reference NumberS/JHR
LevelFonds
TitleRecords of the Jesus Hospital Estate Residents Association, Bethnal Green
Date(s)c. 1975-2004
DescriptionClick the PDF icon to browse descriptions to this collection in PDF
Extent3 boxes
AdminHistoryBased on a parcel of land first owned by James Ravenscroft in the seventeenth century, Jesus Hospital Charity was formed in 1679; over the next 300 years this area of land saw much growth and change. The charity was overseen by 'Visitors' that were to have "the Superinendance, Rule and Government... of all the Revenue and affaires" of Jesus Hospital, including the "Governesse and Sisters and their successors". More housing and industrial properties were added to the area over the years and added to the air of community of what had become known as the Jesus Hospital Estate.

The Jesus Hospital Estate Residents' Association (JHERA) was formed in 1979 and advocates the interests of constituent groups on the estate and in the immediate locality. The estate was laid out circa 1862-1868 as several streets of two-storey terraced houses, on land bequeathed to the Trustees of the Jesus Hospital in Chipping Barnet. The houses were built by the Improved Industrial Dwellings Company, a philanthropic initiative founded in 1863 to provide block dwellings for the working classes. The emphasis was on the deserving poor, and thus strict selection of potential tenants. At its peak, the company housed over 30,000 people.

The JHERA began as a response to a proposal from the LBTH Council to demolish the houses, having declared them substandard. The council wanted to build a motorway from Victoria Park into the City of London on the cleared land. The campaign waged by the JHERA ensured that the houses were saved, as the Greater London Council intervened via the compulsory purchase of the estate. The Jesus Hospital Estate Conservation Area was declared in 1985. Its character is largely residential, with several Grade II and locally listed buildings. It is said to feature "a quality urban landscape and townscape, contributing to the area's sense of place and identity...homogeneous lay out of low-level streets ".*

Currently, the JHERA is engaged in formulating a response to the Council's Liveable Streets Scheme. Concerned about the low level of public participation in the initial, and somewhat rudimentary consultation exercise, members canvassed local households in order to gauge people's views about, inter alia, proposals for hard road closures and possible implications for vehicular access and the wider environment.** The JHERA argues for optimising existing buildings and increasing housing density; enhancing biodiversity and conservation and the link between modern ideas and historical situations and buildings. The LBTH has announced the extension of the consultation period to January 2021.

Sources of information:
jhera.org
"Bethnal Green: Building and Social Conditions After 1945" in british-history.ac.uk
Conservation Areas: Jesus Hospital Estate Conservation Area (2009) at towerhamlets.gov.uk
*JHERA (2007) Sustainable Living for The Community
**"Neighbourhood Planning: Liveable Streets" (2020) in jehra.org

RelatedMaterialThe Story of Jesus Hospital Charity in Chipping Barnet 1672-1993 by Laurie Adams (No: L.9240 Class: 720.3)
SubjectResidents associations
Jesus Hospital Estate, Bethnal Green
Access StatusOpen
RequestNO - This does not represent a physical document. Please click on the reference number and view list of records to find material available to order at file or item level.
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