There are 54 flats at Gilmerton Court, arranged over three floors (ground floor, first floor, second floor) around a large quadrangle.
Built in the 1960s, the design for the flats was the work of Peter Boston, who took his degree in architecture at Cambridge University and subsequently trained as an architect at Liverpool University. In 1956, he joined the firm of James and Bywaters, which in 1966 changed its name to Saunders, Boston and Brock, later becoming Saunders Boston with offices in Ashwell, Hertfordshire, and Cambridge. Other examples of buildings designed by Peter Boston that can be seen in Cambridge are the Fisher Building at St John’s College and the Mong Building at Sidney Sussex College. In his obituary of Peter Boston for the Independent (Independent, Wednesday 1 December 1999), Alan Powers writes “so many of his new buildings show a sensitivity both to place and to the value of ideas from older buildings”. At Gilmerton Court this “sensitivity” is reflected in Peter Boston’s choice of a quadrangle and cloisters design which evokes the courts of Cambridge Colleges. Further on, the obituary refers to Gilmerton Court as being “a tougher version of Eric Lyons’s Span Housing, with some felicitous touches”.
Gilmerton Court has a Management Committee, elected from amongst the Gilmerton Court flat-owners, that meets regularly to discuss matters relating to the ongoing upkeep and improvement of Gilmerton Court as well as any issues brought to its attention by residents. Once a year, a General Meeting is convened, at which a report on the past year and year-end accounts are presented to the Residents Society for approval.
In 2016, the Management Committee appointed Encore Estate Management as Managing Agents for Gilmerton Court. Encore’s duties include:
- maintaining the internal and external shared areas including the access roadway onto the development, communal hallways and gardens
- appointing contractors, monitoring standards and complying with health & safety regulations
- ensuring good value contracts are in place
- ensuring buildings insurance is in place (residents must arrange their own contents insurance)
- accounting for service charge monies and ensuring the financial position of the estate is sound
- issuing service charge demands and managing the service charge collection and arrears recovery process
- communicating with property owners
- conducting quality site inspections
- handling reactive repairs and buildings insurance claims
- General administrative functions and enforcement of the covenant.