Kensal House, a 1930s small housing estate of 68 flats, lies on the north end of Ladbroke Grove. It’s in the rare group of 5.8% of listed buildings that receive Grade II* status, meaning it has been deemed a particularly important building of ‘more than special interest’ that should be preserved for future generations. However, it doesn’t look particularly fancy from the road as the architects invested their budget in facilities over adornment, so you might wonder what is so special about this little estate?
Indeed, it doesn’t have the features estate agents happily write about in property listings. There are no on-site gyms or supermarkets here, although a quick nip over the zebra crossing outside will lead you to a 24 hour gym and a large supermarket. Here you’ll find a gated community and shared spaces that manage to remain part of the wider community.
The special parts of Kensal House lie out of view, below street level in the community rooms. I found them when I stepped through the black metal gate, down the stairs, and left past the white walls to the doors of Social Political Innovative Direct (SPID) theatre. The space is leased to SPID by the same Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) that was also in charge of Grenfell and SPID are using their voice to join with others emerging in the community. ‘We are political’, says Helena Thompson the Artistic Director of SPID ‘but we are also positive.’
This was evident from the very start. When SPID squatted the empty community space without a lease, they focused on what they could do. They’ve recently raised almost a million pounds but still have another million to go, having negotiated a long lease after the Grenfell disaster. This seems to encompass the very ideals of modernism that were poured into the concrete of Kensal House. Its first tenants were locals relocated from the slum clearances and housed in this fantastic new block, backed by the Gas, Light & Coke Company to showcase gas as a new type of clean and efficient energy.
Behind one of the doors in the community rooms is a colourful room that the Far Far Away group of under 11s hang their coats and chill out until their weekly Tuesday session begins. ‘This room was decorated last year’ Olivia Lantz, SPID’s Press Officer tells me. ‘The children spent three weeks exploring the estate’ and drew ideas for the room. They hand drew leaves which hang from a big branch that runs across the wall, decoupaged on by a local artist, and a little fox sits in the corner. Their imaginations also ran a little wild as evidenced by the emoji-inspired colourful unicorn that sits on the top of the tree, eating a cupcake and drinking a smoothie. It seems to me that this unicorn is a mascot of sorts for how the past, the present, and the magical all exist together in this space. As in Fry’s flats, there’s a hatch through to the kitchen, where kids from the estate made cakes the afternoon before I visited.
Unlike other gated communities, Kensal House gives off a safe rather than snooty vibe; it’s inclusive not exclusive. A former resident told Kensal Voices, a 2013-2014 SPID project in collaboration with the V&A Museum, 20th Century Society, and North Kensington and Kensington Central Library, ‘We had everything: we had the grounds to play in, we had the club to come to, the nursery was here. Everything was here. You didn’t need to go anywhere else. There was enough space for the children to play.’ Andrew South, who’s first London job was at SPID and who now runs digital programmes for young people at local charity Octavia, tells me how the estate reminded him of the abundant community spirit where he grew up in Sheffield but found difficult to find when he moved to London. In a city where a balcony, let alone a garden, is a rare commodity and children’s access to safe spaces to play is limited, Kensal House is a rare wonder. ‘If a parent’s up in a window they can just look down to check their children are safe outside’, says Andrew. ‘It’s a nice utopia.’
The circular playground harks back to the site’s history, as it mimics the shape of the gas cylinder that once occupied this space. As I stood out there with Olivia, a resident waved to us from their balcony, giving a glimpse into the rare community that exists here. It’s definitely a two way relationship, Helena tells me, between SPID and the residents. Perhaps this is a 21st century version of the new community that Fry and Denby dreamt of. Olivia knocks on doors quite often to get to know the residents, and they’re hoping to bring some of them in to lead workshops soon. She’s heard there’s currently only one flat that’s empty. ‘Which number?’ I ask. ‘I’d like to move in!’ This is a community that I’d like to be a part of.
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I wrote another version of this piece for SPID theatre, which you can see on their website here.
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I wrote another version of this piece for SPID theatre, which you can see on their website here.
SPID has secured half the £2m needed to refurbish Kensal House community rooms thanks the mayor's Good Growth Fund. To help make their dreams a reality contact helena@spidtheatre.com
Sign ups are now open for 13-25 year olds to join SPID's award wining Kensington Stories, as seen on BBC TV tinyurl.com/spidtvbbc. To get involved in their next show contact youth@spidtheatre.com