Modling House
Mace Street, London E2
Architect: Berthold Lubetkin
Register for similar homes“Cranbrook Estate was certainly Lubetkin's most ambitious achievement in urban orchestration, an essay in controlled complexity” - John Allan
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This modernist apartment is positioned on the twelfth floor of Modling House, the most renowned building in Skinner, Baily & Lubetkin’s noted Cranbrook Estate. With wonderful, elevated views across Victoria Park and towards the City, this one-bedroom apartment has been maintained and restored to an exceptional standard. The Cranbrook Estate was completed in 1966 and is much admired for the pioneering architects’ typically inventive exterior, with green-painted panels set against a brick facade. The estate is arranged with buildings in a figure of eight around pedestrianised streets below, creating a dynamic sense of movement.
The Architect
One of the most important figures in modernism, Berthold Lubetkin set up the architectural practice Tecton in 1932; early commissions included the iconic penguin pool and gorilla house at ZSL London Zoo. Lubetkin and Tecton’s buildings became some of the most renowned of the period, ranging from private houses in Sydenham to one of the UK’s only modernist terraces in Plumstead, south London, as well as the Finsbury Health Centre and the Highpoint apartments in Highgate. For more information on the Cranbrook Estate, please see the History section below.
The Tour
The apartment is positioned on the twelfth floor, to which there is both lift and stair access; the latter via an intricate staircase typical of Lubetkin’s aesthetic. The communal areas are well-maintained and make use of a striking palette of yellow and black tiles to create a visually arresting entrance.
The front door of the apartment opens to a welcoming hallway with yellow Marmoleum flooring. There are two large built-in coat cupboards on either side of the hall, with shutter-fronted doors that conceal ample storage. The hallway provides a circulation point to all rooms; blue stained glass fanlights above each doorway cast a wonderful quality of light around the spaces.
Beautifully bright, the main living and dining area has glazing on two aspects. This frames expansive views over Victoria Park and towards the City beyond; sunsets from this vantage point are particularly beautiful. Oak parquet flooring has been laid in a herringbone pattern, adding warm tones and texture to the space. A glazed door opens directly to an enclosed terrace, ensuring an easy sense of indoor/outdoor living.
The adjacent kitchen has the same Marmoleum flooring as the hall, creating a sense of flow between the spaces. There is plenty of storage concealed behind white cabinetry, with a white-tiled splashback behind; open shelving provides further easily accessible storage. A large window over the sink frames views over Victoria Park and allows light to flood the room. Built-in appliances include a fridge/freezer, dishwasher, oven and hob.
A generous space, the bedroom has been realised in a simple palette of white-painted walls and oak parquet flooring. Supremely peaceful, care of its elevated position, it has a sense of serenity and calm. The bathroom makes use of a contemporary scheme, with large grey porcelain floor tiles and smaller white tiles surrounding the built-in bath.
Outdoor Space
A loggia is positioned in the corner of the living room, which makes a wonderful spot to sit and enjoy far-reaching views over London. This enclosed terrace has ample room for a table and chairs, with plants around the perimeter. It is protected from the elements by sheets of glazing yet has a sense of connectivity to the outdoors beyond.
The building is set within well-maintained communal gardens.
The Area
Cranbrook Estate is positioned at the edge of Victoria Park and is only a short walk to Victoria Park Village, with its wonderful food and drink scene. Neighbourhood favourites include The Ginger Pig butchers, Bottle Apostle and Jonathan Norris Fishmongers. Ombra, Bistrotheque and The Approach gallery, located just off Cambridge Heath Road, are also in close proximity. Victoria Park itself has an exquisite lake and a much-loved local bakery, Pavilion. The park is bounded on two sides by canals: Regent’s Canal lies to the west, while Hertford Union Canal runs along the southern edge.
Bethnal Green has a burgeoning local craft beer and natural wine scene with Mother Kelly’s taproom, Boxcar brewery, Sager + Wilde, Renegade Urban Winery, and Coupette all within 10-15 minutes walk. Highlights from the wide range of local restaurants include Bistrotheque, sustainability-led pizzerias Sodo and Flat Earth, and Michelin-starred Da Terra.
The closest tube stations are Mile End and Bethnal Green, which connect citywide via the Central Line. Stepney Green is also nearby and provides alternative fast connections via the District and Hammersmith & City lines. Cambridge Heath Overground is a 15-minute walk away, with direct services to Liverpool Street in approximately 10 minutes. There are excellent bus links into central London and east London, and a Santander cycle station close at hand.
Tenure: Leasehold
Lease Length: approx. 93 years remaining
Service Charge: approx. £1,100 per annum
Ground Rent: peppercorn
Council Tax Band: B
Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.
History
The Cranbrook Estate was the last and largest of the three Bethnal Green estates designed by Skinner, Bailey & Lubetkin. Pevsner describes the planning as “typically novel, laid out as a figure-of-eight of wide pedestrian avenues designed to echo the 19th-century streets to the north”. The estate is the final significant public architectural work of Lubetkin’s career, and is home to British sculptor Elisabeth Frink’s striking Grade II*-listed bronze “The Blind Beggar and His Dog” (1958).
The design plays with scale and perspective, building from one and two-storey houses at the perimeter towards six square towers increasing in height to the main axis at Modling House. Pevsner notes, “They are set at different angles, with the intent of creating movement”. Unlike the Dorset and Lakeview estates, which are concrete-faced, brick was specified here; projecting green-painted panels provide Skinner, Bailey & Lubetkin’s characteristic exterior panelling. These were described by Lubetkin as a “fishscale pattern”; and each high block is topped by a dramatic concrete “flying cornice” – typical of Lubetkin’s dynamic constructivist style.
The various towers are described by Lubetkin as being intended to act as “members of a family group in conversation with each other”. The blocks are widely spaced apart and angled so that at least one face will always be catching the sun, allowing the shadows cast by the towers to rotate like the spokes of a wheel.
As John Allan notes in his seminal biography of Lubetkin, “The concerted force manipulating such huge masses of material is awesome. The main blocks seem magnetised as if by solar wind; their flickering facades crackle with surface voltage. To approach the central intersection is to find oneself in the vortex of an electric storm.”
Berthold Lubetkin (1901-1990) was one of the most important figures of the Modern Movement. Born in Georgia in 1901, he studied in Berlin and Paris, before moving to London in 1931. The following year he founded the famous Tecton practice with the Architectural Association graduates Anthony Chitty, Lindsay Drake, Michael Dugdale, Valentine Harding, Godfrey Samuel and Francis Skinner.
