Housing in Lambeth 1965-80 and its National Context

Author(s): Geraint Franklin, Elain Harwood

This short report was commissioned by English Heritage’s Designation Department(South team) in response to an application to list the Cressingham Gardens Estate in Lambeth, south London. With the reorganisation of London government in 1965 responsibility for housing was transferred to the London County Council (LCC) to the London boroughs. Edward (Ted) Hollamby (1921-99) moved from the LCC Architect’s Department to Lambeth in 1963, presiding over a new Department of Architecture and Planning. Over the following two decades Lambeth gained a national reputation for its public housing schemes, which ranged from prefabricated towers to innovative low-rise schemes via sensitive refurbishment schemes which patched up the existing urban fabric. Bespoke accomodation was designed for semi-independent older people, different family groupings and disabled people and most schemes included community and welfare facilities. The report contains sections profiling Hollamby’s career, the Lambeth Architect’s department and key Lambeth housing schemes from 1965 to 1980. The final section examines the national context of public housing during a diverse and little-understood period of architectural history, with particular reference to so-called ‘low-rise, high-density’ schemes.

Report Number:
2/2014
Series:
Research Report
Pages:
30
Keywords:
Modern Building Investigation

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