Creative writing. This article first appeared in issue 14 of Umbrella Magazine.
Robin Hood Gardens, London. Picture by Matthew Reynolds.
East London’s Robin Hood Gardens show that idealism alone isn’t enough to create decent housing
Fifty or so years ago work began to demolish London’s – and other cities’ – architecturally unfashionable Victorian terraces.
Many were in a poor state and inhabited by the lowest levels of society: the poor, the desperate and the plain unfortunate. Instead of investing in renovation that would have left communities intact and saved these (now much-missed) 19th century buildings, many were flattened.
The same fate now awaits Robin Hood Gardens in east London, a block built in the late 1960s, ironically to replace the slum housing of the past.
Despite the estate’s striking design, it’s not a desirable place live, and superstar architect Zaha Hadid, who once described it as her favourite building in London, is notable by her absence.
The leaking roofs need to be fixed, the public spaces aren’t properly maintained, and more importantly, the wishes of the residents need to be addressed: a recent poll found that 80 per cent want the brutalist estate refurbished. The part-regeneration of Park Hill Flats in Sheffield show what’s possible, but it seems that it’s too late for Robin Hood Gardens – demolition is due to start soon.
The lesson of history is clear – although architectural styles come in and out of fashion, regeneration should come before demolition. Sadly, we’re making the same mistake again.