Post-war social housing
Stjernstedt’s Central Hill estate in Lambeth, architectural historian and journalist Colin Amery (1976) comments that the ‘ puritan ’ modernism employed ‘ clearly marks it out as a “ new housing scheme ”’ . The aesthetic separation between the new estate and the surrounding houses immediately causes a sense of physical separation which can fragment the community. The community within the estate grows stronger (Architects for Social Housing, 2018), but there is little interconnection between the new development and the houses which exist outside of it. Indeed, Amery goes on to say that, in Central Hill, ‘ there is no hiding that this is “ housing ” not houses ’ . There are connotations of inferiority attributed to ‘housing’ as opposed to houses – the former seeming somewhat artificial as a result of its difference. Much of south London was built in the late Victorian and early Edwardian period, hence it follows a similar architectural language. Post-war modernist developments disrupted through starkly contrasting design, different materials and new building techniques. Not only was modernism different to existing housing architecturally, but its foreign origins also played a part in drawing criticism (McInnes, 2019). Some scepticism came directly as a result of the original proponents of modernism coming from other European countries (predominantly Le Corbusier, but also Berthold Lubetkin). 20 Against the backdrop of WorldWar II, there was a fear of other cultures imposing their own way of life upon Britain. Traditionally, England has not been a flat- dwelling society 21 and hence the introduction of a new apartment-based system for living conceived abroad came as a shock and even a provocation to some. Like most architects working for the LCC and borough councils at the time, Macintosh comments that flats are ‘ a very sound way to live in an urban environment ’ ; they are significantly more space efficient than individual houses. This raises another significant question as to the implementation of modernist ideas – to what extent were they based on theories rather than actua l practice? Indeed, the SwedishWelfare State and Le Corbusier’s Unité served as examples, but never before had there been an application of the scale and speed as there was in Britain after the war. Amery states that, in Central Hill as across south London and indeed the country, what was constructed was ‘ inevitably a built series of accepted theories ’ . The ideology and theory behind the construction of new modernist estates had never been tested, and yet construction continued regardless. Considering the state of Central Hill, Amery muses that Stjernstedt’s ‘ attractive brick square ’ is ‘ occupied by some depressingly un-let shops ’ . The architectural historian was writing at the time the estate was completed, and the situation has worsened today. Action group Architects for Social Housing documented ‘ leaking ceilings, mould and condensation ’ in a 2018 report. However, rather than attribute these flaws to the architect and her design, the group blames ‘ poor or inadequate maintenance of windows and roofs by the council ’ . These issues are in no way unique to Central Hill; rather they exist in an unacceptable number of post-war housing in south London. This brings into question who is responsible for a development after its completion, and their responsibility to its maintenance. In the capital, this duty falls mostly to borough councils (in the case of Central Hill, Lambeth Council). Local architect Ian McInnes believes ‘ councils should take a lot of the blame ’ , and that the modernist architecture itself has become a scapegoat for those who have neglected their role in the upkeep of post- war developments. Indeed, Lambeth Council’s cabinet member for housing, Councillor Paul Gadsby (2020), recognizes council-run housing ‘hasn’t been properlymaintain ed in the past ’ and this has led them to be in poor conditions today.
20 A modernist architect originally from the Soviet Union, but who lived and worked in London. 21 However, this is not so in Scotland (Macintosh, 2020).
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