Margery Street Estate & Charles Simmons House

The Development

Designed by architect E.C.P. Monson and completed between 1930 and 1934, the Margery Street Estate is a landmark in social housing design. Located in Islington's Clerkenwell district, the estate consists of over 250 flats and maisonettes across nine blocks, blending thoughtful urban planning with innovative architecture.

The estate’s design maximises green space, dedicating three-quarters of the site to gardens, playgrounds, and drying areas, while maintaining a high housing density of 85 dwellings per acre. Its Neo-Georgian architecture features striking red-brick facades, sash windows, and classical details, ensuring functionality without sacrificing aesthetic appeal.

In 1963, Charles Simmons House was added to the estate. Constructed with reinforced concrete and stock brick, the block originally provided 16 one-bedroom flats with balcony access. Positioned thoughtfully on a tight urban site, the building stands over complex underground infrastructure, including a Network Rail tunnel, and London Underground tunnel.

The Proposal

This marks the 24th estate project SCCI Alphatrack (SCCIA) has delivered for Islington Council as part of a large-scale 4Fibre deployment, covering approximately 10,000 council properties, including some of their most complex buildings.

We began with the new-build block, Charles Simmons House, before extending the 4Fibre solution across the entire Margery Street Estate.

The objective was clear: to deploy a single, future-ready network that prepared the estate for fibre connectivity while preserving the aesthetics, fire safety, and structural integrity of the buildings.

The Delivery

Collaboration was at the heart of the project. SCCIA worked closely with Islington Council, the freeholder, and the residents' committee (TMO) to ensure a unified approach, addressing concerns and aligning on every detail of the deployment. 

The fibre service was deployed via nine distribution points (DPs)—one for each building across the estate. From these points, up to four ISPs can provide service without the need for additional cabling throughout the buildings, ensuring efficiency and minimal disruption.

SCCIA managed every aspect of the process, from planning and design to core drilling, containment, cabling, and fire-stopping. Once the installation was complete, the network was fully spliced and rigorously tested to ensure optimal performance.

The project, addressing one of Islington’s most complex estates, represents a thoughtful balance of innovation and preservation. The solution safeguards the buildings’ aesthetics and structural integrity, while also reducing disruption and maximising space efficiency. By installing a single, shared network, SCCI Alphatrack eliminated the need for multiple operators to run separate cabling—setting a new standard for streamlined and future-ready fibre deployments.

The Outcome

Successfully completed in just eight weeks, the deployment delivers full fibre connectivity to the residents of Charles Simmons House and Margery street Estate. The solution forms part of a broader initiative to enhance connectivity across Islington, where the installation of a single infrastructure for multiple providers is recognised as the preferred approach.

As part of SCCIA's partnership with Islington, these advanced services were introduced at no cost to residents, managing agents, or the freeholder. The project was delivered with minimal disruption, future-proofing the building while enhancing both its desirability and the value of the homes within.

Additional benefits include:

• Reducing carbon emissions and minimising environmental impact.
• Enhancing social value by enabling greater digital inclusion.
• Safeguarding building integrity and fire safety with a single, streamlined infrastructure.
• Improving governance through adherence to golden thread principles and maintaining a detailed asset record.
• Ensuring minimal disruption to residents throughout the process.

Bringing future-ready connectivity to life...