The Holyrood estate is a

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was constructed as a new city district to replace a slum bombed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and designed by Lyons Israel Ellis, who later designed Wyndham Court.

Owen Hatherley Owen Hatherley (born 24 July 1981 in Southampton, England) is a British writer and journalist based in London who writes primarily on architecture, politics and culture. Early life Hatherley was born in Southampton in 1981, growing up in a 1930s ...

describes the estate as a "straightforward scattering of low and medium-rise

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

blocks, using the soft- Brutalist

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

of stock-brick and concrete." Hatherley praises the estate's layout over its aesthetic. The estate is situated between Queensway to the west and Threefield Lane to the east, and Bernard Street to the south and Lime Street to the north. In 2009, a series of metal sculptures were erected around the estate in tribute to the area's role in the

history of Southampton Southampton is a city in Hampshire, England. The area has been settled since the Stone Age. Its history has been affected by its geographical location, on a major estuary on the English Channel coast with an unusual double high-tide, and by its pr ...

Holyrood Church Holyrood Church (or Holy Rood Church) was one of the original five churches serving the old walled town of Southampton, England. Built in 1320, the church was destroyed by enemy bombing during the blitz in November 1940. In 1957 the shell of the ...

, which was damaged in World War II, now serves as a memorial to the Merchant Navy. In 2012 seven tiled murals depicting scenes from Southampton's history were installed on the estate's blocks, to be visible from main roads. R&B musician

Craig David Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single " Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ''Born to Do It'', was released in 2000, after which he has re ...

, who was born in 1981, grew up in the Holyrood estate.

References

{{coord, 50.9005, -1.3995, display=title Housing estates in Hampshire Areas of Southampton Buildings and structures in Southampton