Project overview
Forest Road delivers 90 affordable one-bedroom homes, transforming an under-utilised site into a vibrant residential space. Designed by Gort Scott for Pocket Living, the development sits opposite the William Morris Gallery in Waltham Forest, drawing inspiration from its historic surroundings with the scheme carefully mediating between the two-storey Victorian terraces and the busier Forest Road frontage.
Curved lintels echo the bay windows of the William Morris Gallery, with concave surfaces casting soft, shifting shadows. A mix of warm white, grey, plum, pink, and red tones, anchored by a darker brick base, references the area’s architectural diversity. Floren Vecchio & Tartufo brick, laid in English Garden Bond, defines the stairwell elevation and ground-level landscaping, creating rhythm through vertical recesses.
Communal spaces include two roof terraces with views over Lloyd Park and a south-facing courtyard. Outbuildings use Tartufo with expressive brick bonding—hit-and-miss for the cycle store and protruding bricks for the water tank store. A brick archway from Hawthorne Road forms a secondary entrance, ensuring easy cycle access and level entry.
Two street-facing murals by Adriana Jaros reference the borough’s ‘ghost signs,’ incorporating pigments made from salvaged site materials. This artistic integration further roots the project in its local context, reinforcing Forest Road’s connection to Waltham Forest’s architectural and cultural heritage.
