In Pictures: 150 Years of Peabody

By · March 26, 2012 at 9:30 am · 2 Comments · Latest News · Report an error ·

150 years ago today, The Times announced banker George Peabody’s £150,000 founding donation to establish a fund to “ameliorate the condition of the poor and needy” in London through supporting low rent housing. The first dwellings for the “artisans and labouring poor of London” were opened in Commercial Street, Spitalfields in February 1864

Today Peabody — one of London’s largest housing associations and community regeneration agencies — owns and manages more than 20,000 homes on 219 estates, with 55,000 residents, 99% of whom live within six miles of Smithfield Market. Browse through the gallery for photos of Peabody estates through the ages.

Peabody are celebrating their 150th anniversary with a year of special events, including a non-denominational service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday, summer street parties for residents, a sports day and much more. Residents’ stories will also be collected on the Peabody 150 website.

Visit the special anniversary website and like PeabodyLDN on Facebook for more archive photos and news about Peabody 150 events.

George Peabody is one of our Top 10 London social philanthropists.

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  • laurelle2011

    It’s a pity that today there are no bankers around like George Peabody.  It is great that he set up this organisation for social housing – it was needed then and it is still needed today, and it is lovely that they are celebrating their 150 years with all these different events.  I wonder what the monetary equivalent of Mr Peabody’s founding donation (£150k then) is in today’s money?  Anyone good at maths? :-)

  • Lea Gratch

    It’s a pity that the spirit of the man has been denigrated by current policy which rode roughshot over a sustained local campaign to save the Mother Levy former Jewish Maternity Hospital not only as a memorial to the
    pioneering achievements of Alice Model MBE, but as one of the very few remaining important architectural testaments to the rich cultural history found in the Jewish East End.

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