Post-war housing across Britain is an extraordinary story of optimism, ambition and innovation.
During the 1950s and 1960s, a combination of reconstruction, consumer-led demand and the rise of the Welfare State, saw an unprecedented building boom in housing and new homes. British architects embraced the challenge, seeking to build on the lessons of interwar Modernism while introducing fresh and original ideas of their own. They created mid-century New Towns, estates and houses, as well as many mid- and high-rise modern landmarks.
Post-War Homes provides a major survey of this golden age of tectonic creativity, while focussing upon its most important, influential and engaging typologies.
As homeowners and occupiers today continue to enjoy the design quality of their mid-century homes, this book celebrates the spirit of innovation and optimism in which such ambitious housing projects were designed and delivered.
Features:
30 illustrated case studies, including full-colour photography and historic imagery from the RIBA archive. A complete history, considering exemplary standalone homes, innovative mid and high-rise projects as well as estates and mixed-use communities. Landmark projects including: Ernö Goldfingers Trellick Tower, Denys Lasduns Keeling House, Neave Browns Alexandra Road, and Chamberlin, Powell & Bons Golden Lane Estate.
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: Houses
Introduction
Farnley Hey, Peter Womersley, Farnley Tyas, West Yorkshire, 1955
Spence House, Basil Spence, Beaulieu, Hampshire, 1961
Upper Lawn Cottage, Alison and Peter Smithson, Tisbury, Wiltshire, 1962
Turn End, Peter Aldington, Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, 1965
Creek Vean, Team 4, Feock, Cornwall, 1966
Capel Manor House, Michael Manser, Horsmonden, Kent, 1971
Chapter 2: Estates
Introduction
Alton East and West, Rosemary Stjernstedt, Colin Lucas and the London County
Council (LCC) Architects Department, Roehampton, Wandsworth, southwest
London, 1955/1959
Fieldend, Eric Lyons, Teddington, Richmond upon Thames, southwest London,
1961
The Ryde, Phippen, Randall & Parkes, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, 1966
Sunny Blunts Estate, Victor Pasmore, Peter Daniel and Frank Dixon, Peterlee,
County Durham, 1961
Calthorpe Estate, John Madin, Edgbaston, Birmingham, 1964
Alexandra Road Estate, Neave Brown, West Hampstead, Camden, north London,
1977
Chapter 3: High-Rise
Introduction
Park Hill Estate, Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, Sheffield, Yorkshire, 1961
Trellick Tower, Ernö Goldfinger, Kensal Town, west London, 1972
Point Royal, Philip Dowson/Arup Associates, Easthampstead, Bracknell,
Berkshire, 1964
Brooke House, Anthony B. Davies, Basildon, Essex, 1962
Churchill Gardens, Powell & Moya, Pimlico, Westminster, central London,
1951/1954/1959
Centre Point, R. Seifert & Partners, West End, central London, 1966
Chapter 4: Mid-Rise
Introduction
Spa Green Estate, Tecton/Skinner, Bailey & Lubetkin, Finsbury, north London,
1950
The Lawn, Frederick Gibberd, Mark Hall North, Harlow, Essex, 1951
Bevin Court, Tecton/Skinner, Bailey & Lubetkin, Finsbury, north London, 1954
Keeling House, Denys Lasdun, Bethnal Green, east London, 1959
Langham House Close, Stirling & Gowan, Richmond upon Thames, southwest
London, 1958
Robin Hood Gardens, Alison and Peter Smithson, Poplar, Tower Hamlets, east
London, 1972
Chapter 5: Mixed-Use
Introduction
Hallfield Estate and Primary School, Tecton/Drake & Lasdun, Paddington, west
London, 1954/1955/1960
Golden Lane Estate, Chamberlin, Powell & Bon, the City, central London,
1957/1962
Lillington Gardens, Darbourne & Darke, Pimlico, Westminster, central London,
1968/1972
Wyndham Court, Lyons Israel Ellis, Southampton, Hampshire, 1969
Brunswick Centre, Patrick Hodgkinson, Bloomsbury, central London, 1972
The Barbican, Chamberlin, Powell & Bon, the City, central London, 1976
Biographies
Chronology
Bibliography
Index
Endnotes
Image credits
Dominic Bradbury is a freelance writer and journalist specialising in the field of architecture and design. He has written over thirty books on various aspects of design, interiors and architecture As a journalist, Bradbury has contributed to many magazines and newspapers in the UK and internationally, including The Times, the Guardian, the Financial Times, World of Interiors, Wallpaper**, *House & Garden and Architectural Digest.
