A public open space, forming part of a housing estate, designed by Michael Brown in 1970 and realised in 1973-1974 for the City of Westminster, whose own architectural team designed the housing in 1965, built in 1970-1974. The contractor was Gilbert Ash Ltd. The later family centre in the eastern corner of the site, and the brick wall which surrounds it, are not included in the registration.
LOCATION, SETTING, LANDFORM, BOUNDARIES, AREA The Brunel Estate is situated to the west of Paddington Station, on the site of railway sidings to the south of the main railway line close to Westbourne Park Station. The triangular site of ten acres (four hectares) is bounded to the west by Great Western Road, with low-rise post-war housing at this point, and to the south by a Victorian terrace on Westbourne Park Road with ground-floor shops and a pub, and a former National School to the east. The estate’s long slabs of housing largely shield the internal landscaped area from the busy roads, and a high fence of concrete panels hides the railway.
ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES The main approach is from Westbourne Park Road, where the grounds open out to either side of Keyham House, the boundary being defined by the transition to brick paving, and by gently rising brick embankments. To the east there is vehicular access under a bridge between Mickleton and Moulsford Houses. There are small entrances under Dainton House off Great Western Road. A driveway to the east side leads to a little car park next to the children’s playground at the north-east corner of the site.
PRINCIPAL BUILDINGS The Brunel Estate consists of blocks of varying size and configuration, set in a linear arrangement along the western and southern borders of the estate, and enclosing the main landscaped area in a staggered formation to the north and east. The blocks are of traditional in-situ construction, using dark brown brick, and provide a total of 418 dwellings. A single twenty-storey tower, Keyham House, stands to the south. Thirteen 7-storey blocks – a mix of long slabs alternating with smaller blocks of flats – make up the majority of the housing. Two terraces of houses figure prominently on the north and south sides of the main landscaped area, Sapperton and Landor houses. To the east, away from the landscaping, are two lower blocks of flats, Moulsford and Polperro houses. Because there are lifts only in the smaller blocks and not the slabs, the estate is still linked by high-level concrete walkways, now a rarity.
LANDSCAPE The unifying feature of the landscape is the banking of clay soils into mounds, creating raised undulating grassed areas, supported by canted red-brick walls of graduated height, through which lead serpentine paths of the same red engineering brick. Granite setts are used for parking areas, and low walls within the landscape are constructed of the dark brick used for the buildings. The trees – notably Platanus x hispanica (London plane), Robinia pseudoacacia, and Aesculus hippocastanum (horse chestnut) – provide informal definition. Semi-mature at the time of planting, the trees are now stately, and greatly contribute to the effect of the landscape. Areas of lower planting include Chamaerops humilis, Fatsia japonica, and Choisya ternate. The main landscaped area is in the south-western part of the site, with a large central raised grassed area planted with trees, a toddlers’ play area towards the north and a sunken brick-paved sitting area to the east. The sitting area is characterised by subtle complexity of levels, with terraced banks to the west, shallow steps in two stages to the north, and a ramp to the east. Four Quercus petaea (sessile oaks) are planted in square raised beds, providing an element of formality. The toddlers’ play area has been much altered; though the space remains sunken, the overall level has been raised with the loss of the varied forms originally built into the brick slopes, including a slide, climbing blocks and a ramp. A series of sloping vertical ledges remains as a reminder of an unusual concertinaing stair which continued lower down. New play equipment has been installed, and railings have been erected around the perimeter. The northern corner of the site, behind Truro House, Sunderland House and Stonehouse House, is dominated by parking areas, but the landscaping approach remains consistent, with brick-banked grassed areas to the margins and filling in small openings between the buildings, and lines of trees. The play area for older children is to the east of this section, the form of which remains as designed, with the more recent installation of railings, some new play equipment, and cushioned surfacing. The play area’s most notable feature is its monumental slide structure, formed of a range of massed brick slopes and blocks to the west. Above the slide to the west is a paved area, planted with a sessile oak. To the east, the play area is enclosed by a wide curving stair or seating area, giving the sunken space a sense of theatre, with a narrower straight stair with long, shallow treads, projecting to the south. The stair is backed by a rounded grassed mound. To the west is a sunken ballgames area, surrounded by a brick wall and a replacement metal fence.
In general the landscape has seen relatively few interventions: recent planting includes a Japanese maple, some metal railings have been installed in addition to those associated with play areas, as have some lamp-posts, as well as concrete and metal bollards in parking areas. A composting area has been enclosed by a metal fence in the north-east section of the site.