[2][3] The estate is named after Thomas Brandon, a gardener, who obtained permission by Act of Parliament to let land within (Walworth) manor on building leases for 99 years in 1774.

The Architects' Journal said the scheme was "an important essay by the LCC to create a community in the true sense of the word rather than a mere housing estate.

The diversification of design, although it has sometimes degenerated into inconsistency, reflects the provision for a wide variety of social activities… This is a positive attempt to overcome a major failure of much inter-war housing in the London area.

"[10] The combination of towers, low-rise blocks and refurbished terraces meant, according to Nikolaus Pevsner, "most of the buildings blend successfully into the surrounding urban fabric".

"[10] By the end of the 1970s, the estate started to become more socially problematic, with new waves of families arriving from other slum clearances and the council prioritising more disadvantaged people and immigrant communities.