The Queen’s Park Estate was started in 1874. By building on open land and not in city centres, cottage estates of this type contrasted dramatically with the contemporary tenement blocks of other charitable bodies. They were the forerunners of the “Garden City” movement which influenced the design and layout of residential areas and the development of Town Planning.
Despite the destruction of a number of streets during the Second World War, later efforts to replace the cottages with blocks of flats around the perimeter and the laying out of a recreation ground in the centre, Queen’s Park is a remarkably complete example of a cottage estate. The remaining 19th century cottages have become desirable properties; their attraction is reflected in the popularity of the numerous small, cottage style developments still being built today.