2009

TQ3880 : Robin Hood Gardens, Robin Hood Lane (1)

taken 16 years ago, near to Blackwall Tunnel, Greenwich, England

Robin Hood Gardens, Robin Hood Lane (1)
Robin Hood Gardens, Robin Hood Lane (1)
The east side of the east block. Robin Hood Gardens is one of London's most notorious 1960s housing estates which is deeply hated by some but revered by others as a beacon of modern architecture. There are probably more people in the former camp than the latter. There are two blocks aligned roughly north-south with a patch of green space between them. They were designed by Alison and Peter Smithson in 1966-72, with Christopher Woodward and Ken Baker of the Greater London Council. The buildings embody the Smithsons' idea of "streets in the sky" and are an example of concrete Brutalism, with the pre-cast concrete being rough and shuttered. Pevsner comments that while being "impressively monumental" the scheme is also "inhumane" because of the high density, the narrowness of the decks and its proximity to busy roads on two sides.
Tower Hamlets Council plan to demolish the buildings and redevelop the site. A campaign by the Twentieth Century Society and others to halt this by applying for listed building status in 2008 was unsuccessful.
The tower on the right is Balfron Tower, by another controversial architect, Erno Goldfinger, in 1965-67 (TQ3881 : Balfron Tower, St Leonard's Road (1)).

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Stephen Richards and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Category: Council housing estate 1950s-1970s Architecture Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
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TQ3880, 565 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Stephen Richards   (more nearby)
Date Taken
September 2009   (more nearby)
Submitted
Friday, 2 October, 2009
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 383 808 [100m precision]
WGS84: 51:30.5689N 0:0.5111W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 384 806
View Direction
North-northwest (about 337 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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