Great Estates

The only book that brings together all London’s historic and contemporary Great Estates.

• Documents a remarkable history, unique to London but with lessons for landowners and communities around the world.
• Shows how they shape the way development takes place in England – providing essential lessons to all those wishing to understand city planning, whether practitioners or academics.
• Provides a model example of corporate modernisation following the impact of leasehold reform.
• Includes a bespoke fold-out axonometric map detailing many of the Great Estates shown in the book.

Much of the story of London's development can be traced through the historic ownership of large pieces of land which, through the ongoing ownership of freehold assets and their lease terms, have created a resilient cycle of change and renewal. Today this long-term attitude to investment, development and management has influenced the development of new large-scale and mixed-use areas of the capital, such as King's Cross, Canary Wharf, and the Olympic Park.

This book provides a comprehensive picture on all of London’s historic and contemporary estates, and sets out what we can learn from them on the most successful principles of placemaking for the future. Part retrospective, part forward-looking, the book will provide lessons on place-shaping, management and stewardship, for global cities looking to learn from this unique London model.