Results tagged “George Lansbury”

It may now be overshadowed by the massive towers of Canary Wharf, but 60 years ago the Lansbury Estate in Poplar was at the forefront of British architecture.

The estate, centred around Chrisp Street Market, was hailed as the future of social housing when it was chosen as the live architecture exhibit for the Festival of Britain in 1951.

The threat of imprisonment loomed over George Lansbury as he stood outside Poplar Town Hall on July 29, 1921.

He and his fellow councillors faced a stark choice. Either they backed down from their refusal to collect every penny in taxes from their starving constituents, or they prepared for a spell in Brixton or Holloway prison.