Summary
The iconic Harlech Tower, known as Nelson Mandela House in Only Fools and Horses, is set for demolition in 2027 to make way for new £850m flats. The tower, located in Ealing, was used for exterior shots in the series and has fallen into disrepair in recent years, prompting the controversial decision by Ealing Council. The new flats will be affordable, with many existing residents opting to retain their homes once the renovation is complete.
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Only Fools and Horses tower block to be demolished for £850,000,000 flats
The famous building in London is set for demolition in 2027 (Picture: Alamy/SWNS)
The famous tower block that was the home of Del Boy and Rodney Trotter in the classic British sitcom Only Fools and Horses is set to be demolished.
Harlech Tower, which was used as the location for Nelson Mandela House in the TV series, is set to be flattened and replaced with £850m flats in 2027.
The tower block, located north of the Thames in Ealing, was used for exterior shots in the series, even though the Trotter residence, Nelson Mandela House, was situated in Peckham.
Along with Sir David Jason’s Del Boy and Nicholas Lyndhurst’s Rodney, Del Boy’s Uncle Albert (played by Buster Merryfield) also resided in the three-bedroom flat in south London.
Before Uncle Albert, the Trotter boys’ granddad Ted stayed with them until the character was written out of the show following the sudden death of actor Lennard Pearce.
Harlech Tower was built following the Second World War, as London underwent significant urban redevelopment after parts of it were destroyed during the Blitz.
Harlech Tower stood in for Nelson Mandela House in the classic sitcom(Picture: SWNS)
However, the condition of the apartments suffered badly during the 1980s, which made it the perfect location for Only Fools creators but sadly didn’t make it a nice place to live.
Now, after standing for almost a century, it’s said to become part of London’s history. A statement from Ealing Council explained the controversial decision.
‘In 1949, work began to clear the old housing in South Acton and replace it with a new estate centred on large tower blocks of the kind that sprang up across the country after World War Two.’
The three-bedroom flat was initially home to Del Boy, Rodney, and Grandad(Picture: Alamy/Studio Crook)
Harlech Tower has fallen into disrepair in recent years (Picture: Bethany Clarke/Getty)
The statement continued: ‘The redevelopment took 30 years to complete [but] quickly fell into decline, suffering from the same fundamental design and social issues that blighted many post-war high-rise estates.’
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Councillors have promised that the new flats built will be affordable, and that many existing residents have opted to retain their homes once the renovation is complete.
‘There will be twice as many homes at the rebuilt estate than before the regeneration programme started. More than 40% of all new homes will be genuinely affordable – in other words, let at social rent levels.’
‘The regeneration programme has proved popular with residents – the vast majority have requested a new home at the redeveloped estate. [The demolition] is provisionally earmarked for 2027.’
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Speaking about the block of flats in 2020, Sir David Jason said: ‘Imagine by despair when I learned that Harlech Tower was slated for demolition, part of a £650 million rejuvenation of the area.
‘Asked to share my opinion of this scheme at the time, I said I thought the tower should become a listed building and have a preservation order on it, effectively saving the building for the nation. Did they listen? Did they heck.’
Watch Only Fools and Horses on SkyGo and Britbox.
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