Holly Village is a Grade II* listed residential area in Highgate, London. It includes 12 cottages arranged around a central private garden. The cottages are built with brick, and their masonry and woodwork are decorated in the Gothic style. This makes Holly Village an example of a suburban cottage orné development. The village is considered a classic example of Victorian Gothic Architecture. It is also known for its enclosed layout, which some describe as a "village within a village."
Holly Village is located at the southern end of the former Holly Lodge Estate. It now sits next to a modern housing estate with the same name. On the other side of the road, there are the walls of an area that was once a newly added eastern part of Highgate Cemetery. This cemetery contains many Gothic-style tombs and monuments.
History
The estate was designed by Henry Darbishire. Civil engineer William Cubitt oversaw the construction, and the project was completed in 1865. Baroness Burdett-Coutts, a wealthy philanthropist, planned and paid for the estate. Some people have suggested that the houses were built for her servants. However, it is now known that the estate includes homes for private rent. In 1921, The Village was purchased by a number of its tenants.
Description
At the northern entrance to Holly Village is an arched gateway with a triangular roof. The gateway has an inscription that reads, "Holly Village erected by AGB Coutts AD 1865," which mentions the person who started the village. Statues on both sides of the gateway are said to show Burdett-Coutts and her friend Hannah Brown.
The homes in Holly Village have many decorative elements typical of Gothic style, such as pointed arches, narrow, pointed windows called lancet windows, small spires, and ornate patterns in the windows. The designs include many animal shapes, like gargoyles and grotesques, probably because Burdett-Coutts loved animals. Burdett-Coutts' statue shows a dog, and Hannah Brown's statue shows a dove.
Status
The Holly Village estate is currently Grade II* listed by Historic England and is located in the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area. It was previously part of the Highgate Conservation Area since 1978.