Peabody Trust

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Peabody Square Model Dwellings, in Blackfriars Road, Southwark, inner South London. These buildings, which still exist, are a typical example of an early Peabody Trust development, and of pre-World War I social housing in London in general.

Peabody Estates provide cheap housing in Central London even today. This sign is on the side of an estate in Westminster.

The Peabody Trust is one of London's largest and oldest housing associations. Its own website says that it "... exists to tackle poverty, provide good, affordable housing and to make a difference through every project or initiative it undertakes."^[1]

The Trust oversees the Peabody Donation Fund, established by London based American banker George Peabody in 1862. The initial endowment was £500,000 (then US$2,500,000 and equivalent to around £30 million in the early 21st century). The fund, which was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1948, has traditionally become known as the Peabody Trust. As of 2005 it owns or manages over 19,000 properties spread across almost all of the London boroughs, housing nearly 50,000 people.

Former British Labour Party cabinet minister, George Brown, was born in a Peabody flat, in Lambeth.

Since 1999, the Trust has devoted resources to the creation of new sustainable housing.