Market Estate

Market Estate is a public housing estate consisting of 271 flats and maisonettes situated to the north of Caledonian Park in the London Borough of Islington. It is named after the Metropolitan Cattle Market held in the area for many years up until the 1960s. Three of the six blocks that make up the estate are named after famous breeds of the animals that used to be traded in the market; Tamworth (pigs), Kerry (cows) and Southdown (sheep). The remaining three blocks are called the Clock tower blocks after the Clock tower in Caledonian Park, which contains a still working clock used as a prototype for Big Ben.

The estate was built by the Greater London Council (GLC) and completed in 1967 to a design by architects Farber & Bartholomew. Although flats are relatively large (having been built in accordance with the then new Parker Morris standards), the estate became run down, neglected and plagued by anti-social behaviour. The redevelopment of nearby Kings Cross probably contributed to a growing drugs and prostitution problem in and around the estate as activity was displaced from Kings Cross.

A multimillion-pound UK Government and Islington London Borough Council investment in the 1990s failed to stop the decline. Walkways connecting the blocks were mainly removed, gardens created for most ground floor flats, and closed-circuit television cameras linked to a concierge in an onsite office installed. The concierge's office was burnt out and the CCTV system vandalised. It was not replaced.

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