15 Woodstock Road, Poplar, London, England

Notes: Woodstock Terrace was built on the land of Edward Wood Stock, a solicitor, in the mid–1850s. The ground had been bought by John Stock, a local man who was the proprietor of a school in the High Street, from one Thomas Witherell in 1794. In fact, Edward Wood Stock's father Edward had already made plans to set out the street, which was to be named Colebrooke Street, to the rear of his premises in the High Street, before his death in 1852. The plans had been prepared by his nephew Henry Stock, an architect who was a partner in the firm of Allen, Snooke & Stock of Tooley Street. His son implemented the scheme, but the name was changed to Woodstock Road; it became Woodstock Terrace in 1937.

The land on the east side was divided into building plots, generally with frontages of 16ft, which were granted on 99–year leases. The first grants were made in April 1853; half of the plots were disposed of by the end of that year, but the remainder were not taken until 1857. The largest leaseholder was Charles Geere of Newby Place, a builder, who originally contracted for eight plots. He apparently got into difficulties, for his initial attempt to build four houses was suspended and only resumed after a delay of some months. Nos 9–11, 22 and 24–25 were built upon his land. Walter Rean of Preston's Road, gentleman, acquired five plots and built Nos 6–7 and 15–17. None of the other 13 purchasers bought more than three lots.

The number of developers of this street explains the variety in the height and appearance of the frontages of the surviving houses. All the same, the lessors used covenants in the leases to exercise some control over the appearance of the houses. For example, those granted to Walter Rean in 1854 and one Jonas Coltman in 1855 included drawings of the elevations of the proposed houses, which were to 'conform to' the adjoining houses. The covenants also prohibited the lessees and their tenants from practising specified noxious trades, including the boiling of horseflesh, tallow melting and soapmaking, and from using forges, anvils or steam engines on the premises. Woodstock Terrace attracted generally middle-class occupants and it was thought to be one of the most respectable streets in Poplar. In 1881 the occupants included two clergymen, two schoolmistresses, a schoolmaster, a wine merchant, three clerks and two master mariners.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46483

Survey of London: volumes 43 and 44: Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs, pg 173.
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Address : Latitude: 51.5102922979259, Longitude: -0.01566410064697265