Peabody Buildings
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: Peabody Dwellings
In 1843 George Peabody (1795-1869), a successful American dealer in dry goods, set up in London as a banker and merchant. He amassed a fortune and founded in London the Peabody Dwell- ings for workmen and their families. These were a great boon to the overcrowded slum- dwellers who in the accommodation thus offered them found an opportunity of retaining their self-respect and bringing up a family in comparative comfort and decent surroundings.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Peabody Buildings” mean?
In 1843 George Peabody (1795-1869), a successful American dealer in dry goods, set up in London as a banker and merchant. He amassed a fortune and founded in London the Peabody Dwell- ings for workmen and their families. These were a great boon to the overcrowded slum- dwellers who in the accommodation thus offered them found an opportunity of retaining their self-respect and bringing up a family in comparative comfort and decent surroundings.
Is “Peabody Buildings” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.