Berthold Lubetkin, Francis Skinner and Douglas Carr Bailey were responsible for Bevin Court’s completion after the dissolution of the Tecton architecture practice.
The project features the main building of Bevin Court, along with the smaller Holford House and Amwell House.
Bevin Court is situated in Cruikshank Street on the site of Holford Square, which was destroyed by bombs during the war. The project comprises the main building of Bevin Court, Holford House (a smaller building that mimics the form of its larger neighbour), and Amwell House (which is notable for being a modernist interpretation of the bay-fronted Victorian terrace).
Notably, the building is located on the site of the home of Lenin from 1902-1903, where he edited the Russian socialist newspaper Iskra (Spark) while in exile. The building was to incorporate Lubetkin’s memorial to Lenin, which had been located on the site of Holford Square since 1942.
Lubetkin’s respect for the pre-existing urban environment is reflected in the design of the buildings as a whole. The social space was the focal point of the project, given budgetary constraints that prevented the inclusion of basic amenities such as balconies, a community center, or a nursery school. Lubetkin designed a constructivist staircase that serves as the heart of the building and incorporates his memorial to Lenin, which was initially planned to be named Lenin Court. However, due to public dissatisfaction and repeated vandalism, the memorial was buried under the central core of the staircase.
The building was renamed Bevin Court after Ernest Bevin, Britain’s anti-communist foreign secretary. The building’s prefabricated floor and wall components were notably effective, and the building was given a grade II* listed status in 1998. The London Borough of Islington restored the building in 2014-2016, including a mural in the ground hall entranceway painted by Peter Yates that depicts Finsbury’s coat of arms and aspects of its history.
