 The estate provides residential accommodation to the north of Cripplegate, following destruction by Nazi bombing of much of the City of London during the Blitz of the Second World War.Only around 500 residents remained in the City in 1950, a mere 50 of whom lived in the Cripplegate area.The brief was to provide general-needs council housing for the people who serviced or worked in the City, as part of the comprehensive recovery and rebuilding strategy for the City of London.