Alzette House
Mace Street, London E2
Architect: Berthold Lubetkin
Register for similar homes“Cranbrook Estate was certainly Lubetkin's most ambitious achievement in urban orchestration, an essay in controlled complexity” - John Allan
Please note that we are unaware of any lenders providing mortgages on this property at the present time, but do enquire for further details.
This two-bedroom modernist apartment is positioned on the sixth floor of Alzette House, which lies within Skinner, Bailey & Lubetkin’s noted Cranbrook Estate in Bethnal Green. It has been architecturally renovated by Studio Octopi and carefully maintained by the current owners. The Cranbrook Estate was completed in 1966 and is much admired for its inventive exterior, typical of its architects’ style, with green-painted panels set against a brick façade. The estate is arranged with buildings in a figure of eight around pedestrianised streets below, creating a dynamic sense of movement.
The Architect
One of the most important figures in modernist architecture, Berthold Lubetkin set up the practice Tecton in 1932; early commissions included the iconic Penguin Pool and Gorilla House at ZSL London Zoo. Lubetkin and Tecton’s buildings became some of the most renowned of the period, ranging from private houses in Sydenham to one of the UK’s only modernist terraces in Plumstead, south London, as well as the Finsbury Health Centre and the Highpoint apartments in Highgate. For more information on the Cranbrook Estate, please see the History section below.
The Tour
The apartment lies on the sixth floor, allowing for expansive views across treetops and the Cranbrook Estate below. The plan follows a simple, circular shape that allows for an easy flow between spaces. There is ample storage throughout the apartment.
The living space is oriented towards a balcony in the corner, creating a seamless transition between indoors and out; there is also ample space in the living area for a dining table. This room receives a beautiful quality of afternoon light, with sunset colours reflected across the windows of Modling House opposite. There are also beautiful sunrises visible, where peach and pink colours flood into the room. Occasionally, the moon is spotted care of the corner windows.
The kitchen lies around the corner and utilises a simple palette of white cabinetry and quartz worktops. Here, a window over the sink casts light over the room and frames leafy views below. Decorative stripes perforate a cabinet door and the splashback, adding visual detail.
The two bedrooms are both wonderfully light; the main is characterised by a beautiful polished plaster wall, while the second utilises a calming palette of blue shades. Storage in the principal bedroom takes the form of smart, cut-out shelves, and a built-in wardrobe. Recessed lighting has been introduced over the bedframe, casting a soft glow over the space. There are hidden sockets installed in the floors within the bedrooms and the other rooms alike.
Outdoor Space
There is a balcony accessed directly from the living room, which makes for an excellent spot to enjoy a morning coffee. The building itself is set within well-maintained communal gardens.
The Estate has a community centre, which regularly holds community events, pilates classes, meetings and exhibitions relevant to the local area. Next to it, there is a community garden, very actively cultivated by a group of residents.
The Area
Cranbrook Estate is positioned at the edge of Victoria Park and is only a short walk to Victoria Park Village, with its wonderful food and drink scene. Neighbourhood favourites include The Ginger Pig butchers, Bottle Apostle and Jonathan Norris Fishmongers. Ombra, Bistrotheque and The Approach gallery, located just off Cambridge Heath Road, are also in close proximity. Victoria Park itself has an exquisite lake and a much-loved local bakery, Pavilion. The park is bounded on two sides by canals: Regent’s Canal lies to the west, while Hertford Union Canal runs along the southern edge.
Bethnal Green has a burgeoning local craft beer and natural wine scene with Mother Kelly’s taproom, Boxcar brewery, Sager + Wilde, Renegade Urban Winery, and Coupette all within 10-15 minutes walk. Highlights from the wide range of local restaurants include Bistrotheque, sustainability-led pizzerias Sodo and Flat Earth, and Michelin-starred Da Terra.
The closest tube stations are Mile End and Bethnal Green, which connect citywide via the Central Line. Stepney Green is also nearby and provides alternative fast connections via the District and Hammersmith & City lines. Cambridge Heath Overground is a 15-minute walk away, with direct services to Liverpool Street in approximately 10 minutes. There are excellent bus links into central London and east London, and a Santander cycle station close at hand.
Tenure: Leasehold
Lease Length: approx. 90 years remaining
Service Charge: approx. £2,130 per annum
Ground Rent: approx. £10 per annum
Council Tax Band: B
Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.
History
The Cranbrook Estate was the last and largest of the three Bethnal Green estates designed by Skinner, Bailey & Lubetkin. Pevsner describes the planning as “typically novel, laid out as a figure-of-eight of wide pedestrian avenues designed to echo the 19th-century streets to the north”. The estate is the final significant public architectural work of Lubetkin’s career, and is home to British sculptor Elisabeth Frink’s striking Grade II*-listed bronze “The Blind Beggar and His Dog” (1958).
The design plays with scale and perspective, building from one and two-storey houses at the perimeter towards six square towers increasing in height to the main axis at Modling House. Pevsner notes, “They are set at different angles, with the intent of creating movement”. Unlike the Dorset and Lakeview estates, which are concrete-faced, brick was specified here; projecting green-painted panels provide Skinner, Bailey & Lubetkin’s characteristic exterior panelling. These were described by Lubetkin as a “fishscale pattern”; and each high block is topped by a dramatic concrete “flying cornice” – typical of Lubetkin’s dynamic constructivist style.
The various towers are described by Lubetkin as being intended to act as “members of a family group in conversation with each other”. The blocks are widely spaced apart and angled so that at least one face will always be catching the sun, allowing the shadows cast by the towers to rotate like the spokes of a wheel.
As John Allan notes in his seminal biography of Lubetkin, “The concerted force manipulating such huge masses of material is awesome. The main blocks seem magnetised as if by solar wind; their flickering facades crackle with surface voltage. To approach the central intersection is to find oneself in the vortex of an electric storm.”
Berthold Lubetkin (1901-1990) was one of the most important figures of the modern movement. Born in Georgia in 1901, he studied in Berlin and Paris, before moving to London in 1931. The following year he founded the famous Tecton practice with the Architectural Association graduates Anthony Chitty, Lindsay Drake, Michael Dugdale, Valentine Harding, Godfrey Samuel and Francis Skinner.
