New Towns Heritage Seminar HARLOW 22 June 2017
Harlow and Gibberd’s Ambition for ‘Urbanity’
Dr Christine Hui Lan Manley
1. How are the utopian social and economic visions which accompanied the New Town Movement embodied in the master planning, urban design and architecture of the New Towns?
1. How are the utopian social and economic visions which accompanied the New Town Movement embodied in the master planning, urban design and architecture of the New Towns?
2. How can the New Town architectural and urban design heritage be evaluated?
STEVENAGE, 1946
WELWYN GARDEN CITY, 1948 HEMEL HEMPSTEAD HARLOW, 1947 1947 HATFIELD, 1948
BASILDON, 1949
LONDON
BRACKNELL, 1949
CRAWLEY, 1947
First Generation London New Towns Harlow: designated in March 1947 Utopian Social and Economic Visions 1898 - 1942
Ebenezer Howard, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform, 1898 reissued as Garden Cities of To-morrow in 1902
The Garden City Parkway, Welwyn Garden City, Louis de Soissons, 1920 The Garden City Handside Lane, Welwyn Garden City The Garden City The Modern Architectural Research (MARS) Group’s Plan for London, 1942 The Modern City The ‘Neighbourhood Unit’: 6,000 people
The ‘Residential Unit’: 1,000 people
The Modern City St Leonards Hill, Walter Gropius and E. Maxwell Fry, 1935 The Modern City Pullman Court Streatham Hill, Frederick Gibberd, 1933-5 The Modern City
Bath studies, 1945 1944-6 Diary, Gibberd Garden Archive
Saffron Walden studies, 1945 1944-6 Diary, Gibberd Garden Archive
Honiton studies, 1945 1944-6 Diary, Gibberd Garden Archive Harlow and Gibberd’s ambition for ‘Urbanity’
NEW TOWNS COMMITTEE
Formed in 1946:
“To consider the general questions of the establishment, development, organisation and administration that will arise in the promotion of New Towns in furtherance of a policy of planned decentralisation from congested urban areas; and in accordance therewith to suggest guiding principles on which such New Towns should be established and developed as self-contained and balanced communities for work and living.”
1946 New Towns Act Harlow: designated in March 1947 Harlow Sketch October 1946, 1944-6 Diary, Gibberd Garden Archive HARLOW NEW TOWN Concept sketch plan, Frederick Gibberd, 1947
Housing
Public Buildings
Industry
HARLOW Figure ground drawing showing contours, based on 1980 OS Map
HARLOW NEW TOWN Diagrammatic Masterplan
HARLOW Figure ground drawing showing green space, based on 1980 OS Map
Mark Hall North
HARLOW NEW TOWN Diagrammatic Masterplan
The Lawn, Mark Hall North, Harlow New Town Frederick Gibberd 1950-54 The Lawn, perspective sketch of point block Frederick Gibberd, c.1949 The Lawn, Mark Hall North, Harlow New Town Frederick Gibberd 1950-54 The Lawn, Mark Hall North, Harlow New Town Frederick Gibberd 1950-54 Mark Hall North proposals Housing groups ‘The Lawn’ outlined in blue, and ‘Broomfield’ outlined in red
Mark Hall South
HARLOW NEW TOWN Diagrammatic Masterplan
The Stow and Orchard Croft Harlow New Town plan, 1952
Mardyke Road, Orchard Croft, Harlow Frederick Gibberd with the HDC Design Group,1951-4
Evaluation?
The Lawn (Grade II listed in 1998)
1951
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Development of Harlow New Town Evaluation?
Mardyke Road (Grade II listed in 1998)
1954
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Development of Harlow New Town Evaluation?
Pioneering use of point blocks throughout the New Town
1951 1968
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Development of Harlow New Town Evaluation?
Pioneering ‘low rise, high density’ scheme
Bishopsfield Great Parndon Neylan and Unglass
1966
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Development of Harlow New Town
Evaluation?
War I War
War II War
World
World
The Garden City Idea City Garden The Modernism Architectural of Emergence ideas planning’ ‘visual of Development
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
1947 Harlow New Town designated Evaluation? ...Coming soon published in October 2017 by
Dr Christine Hui Lan Manley [email protected]