1912
London County Council plans a meeting hall next to 100 Tower Gardens Road, which is why those houses were built later. Drawings are created and the building is costed at £4500 together with the estate office, but the building never materialises.
1919
Residents Group is formed and starts asking for “a hall or institute” on the estate. It calls itself the White Hart Lane Estate Welfare Association.
1920
LCC discusses a larger meeting hall on the Eastern section of the estate as it is planned to grow to over 2200 houses.
1920s
Residents Group is allowed to use rooms in the new estate office at 100 Tower Gardens Road for its first meetings. Residents Group also uses Risley Avenue School for meetings and larger events.
1930s
Private pavilion is built next to the tennis fields on Waltheof Gardens green. Newer and larger LCC estates, including Downham, St. Helier and Watling, have a community centre.
1948
Residents Group takes over the Pavilion – the Waltheof Club is born!
1975
Waltheof Club burns down. Residents Group then uses a temporary clubroom at 100 Tower Gardens Road.
1978
New club opened in Waltheof Gardens in a new building.
1980s
Waltheof club building taken back by Council and later demolished.
2000s
New Residents Group uses building in the park for meetings and events. 100 Tower Gardens Road goes from being a housing office to being used by HomeStart and later also as a SureStart nursery.
2010s
Residents Group no longer allowed to use building in park, so pays to use Chad Gordon Campus in Waltheof Gardens and other spaces for meetings.
2024
Residents start asking that the vacant 100 Tower Gardens Road be turned into a space for the community.
2025
Residents form Tower Gardens Community Corner to work on the vision to finally use the building for the community. Council puts 100 Tower Gardens Road on a list of building to sell without involving residents.
Social activities on the estate
The estate has always had lots of social activities. The White Hart Lane Estate Welfare Association organised a wide range of well-supported activities, events over the years, including whist drives, dances, sports clubs (cricket, bowls, netball, tennis, football, cycling and swimming), annual sports days, “mums and dads” days in August, flower competitions and a loan club. A monthly Newsletter (delivered by street reps to all homes) is produced up to the 1950s.
Original permission to use 100 Tower Gardens Road
Back in 1919, the original Residents Group was allowed to use space in 100 Tower Gardens Road for meetings. One hundred years later, we hope this will become a space managed by the community for the community!
Below we can see the request and permission granted to use space in the building, conserved at The London Archives.
