From Greenery to Groundwork

Before the RNE was the heart of our community, it was quite literally a garden. 

For over a century, this land belonged to the Russell family, who ran a world-renowned plant nursery right here in NW3. From the 1860s until the mid-1900s, if you saw a prize-winning rose in London, there was a good chance it started its life in the soil beneath our feet.

Building a New Village (1976)

When the nursery finally closed, the goal wasn’t just to build "units"—it was to build a neighbourhood. Completed around 1976, the estate was designed to be different from the cold, concrete towers of the time.

The architects used that warm, red-brown brickwork and a "low-rise" design to keep things human. They created the winding walkways and those quiet, hidden courtyards to act as a shield against the noise of Haverstock Hill and the Royal Free. It was designed to feel like a village tucked away from the chaos.

A Manor with a Backbone

For fifty years, the RNE has been more than just a set of postcodes. It’s been the backbone of the borough. While the streets around us became some of the most expensive in the world, the RNE stayed true to its roots.

It has survived decades of Council "Suits" making promises, the pressure of being next door to a massive hospital, and the constant change of the city. Today, it remains a place where people actually know their neighbours and where the history of those old nurseries still lives on in our green spaces.