Waterlow Court opened in 1909 and had a very specific place in Henrietta Barnett’s vision for Hampstead Garden Suburb and her aim of providing homes for all classes in a beautiful environment.
The later 19th and early 20th centuries were periods of rapid social and economic change. One aspect of this was the increase in educational and employment opportunities for women. New areas of female work emerged including typing and clerical work, nursing, retail assistants, as well as employment in the Civil Service and all sectors of education. About a quarter of the female population was in employment and increasing numbers of women were moving to London to take up such opportunities.
Hitherto, women had only left the parental home on marriage, unless they were in service or some form of employment where they ‘lived-in’ – any other arrangement was considered improper for middle-class women. Whilst some religious and charitable bodies were developing accommodation for working women, the pace of this was inadequate and facilities themselves were frequently often of a 'hostel' type, inhospitable and lacking in privacy.
Henrietta Barnett recognised the need for safe and affordable housing provision for single working women. Accordingly, she spoke to Raymond Unwin, who was responsible for the overall design of the Suburb. She also approached David Waterlow, chairman of the Improved Industrial Dwellings Company (IIDC) which was also building cottages elsewhere in the Suburb. Waterlow Court is named after Lord Sydney Waterlow, who had made a fortune in printing, some of which he used philanthropically, including the foundation of the IIDC and the donation of Waterlow Park to Highgate village.
MH Baillie Scott was commissioned to design Waterlow Court. He is best known as an architect of domestic houses in the Arts and Crafts style, including some in the Suburb. The design is reminiscent of an Oxbridge College with apartments accessed from a covered, arcaded walkway around a cenral greenspace. There was also a communal dining room, a library and outdoor spaces for games and gardening.
Waterlow Court is important both for the quality of architecture and for its historic importance as an early and high quality example of purpose built housing for working women. Listed Grade II* by English Heritage as, one of the most widely admired and studied of Hampstead Garden Suburb buildings: the high architectural quality derives from excellent proportions and the subtle relationship among window openings dormers, stacks, and, most memorable of all, the arcaded cloister. It is also special for its associations with Waterlow and as an early and sophisticated development for working women.
The accommodation at Waterlow Court consisted of 49 flats. According to an advert of the time the flats consisted of one, two or three bedrooms, with each having its own "sanitary accommodation" consisting of a "scullery, w.c., and bathroom". This was at the particular insistence of Henrietta Barnett.
There was also additional accommodation for the staff employed by the IIDC to operate Waterlow Court. Initially, they were accommodated within the main building, but a bungalow of 8 rooms was soon added at the rear. This housed the Lady Superintendent, the Cashier and a further 10 females who were various kinds of servant. There was also a male Superintendent. He, his non-working wife and his brother-in-law, who was employed as the Porter, lived in a flat at the entrance to the Court. The servants were responsible for cleaning communal areas, operating the dining room, as well as cleaning individual apartments for residents who paid an additional charge. (All residents were required to take a minimum number of meals in the dining room to make this service viable).
This published article about Waterlow Court forms the basis of the lecture by Anthony Davies of the Society of Antiquaries of London entitled: The Mirror in the Bike Shed: Arts and Crafts: Ladies and Bicycles
