Holly Village, Hampstead, Greater London
This group of 12 former estate cottages date from l865. They were designed by H A Darbishire for Baroness Burdett-Coutts. The estate was built by William Cubitt employing Italian craftsmen for the wood carving. The large cottages are built from multi-colour brick with stone dressings in an ornate Gothic cottage style. They are picturesquely grouped around a private garden entered from the street through an archway. The village was planned as a group of model housing that would improve the landscape around her own estate. The village was not a philanthropic venture. The houses were rented out to wealthy people and not provided for the Baroness's estate workers or Coutts Bank clerks. The Village was purchased by its tenants in 1921.
