Alexandra Estate, London
Built 1968-78
Designed by Neave Brown
The Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate was designed and completed in 1978 by Neave Brown for Camden Council. Local authority housing never looked like this before. Or since. Camden gave licence to their architecture department to design ambitious and visionary buildings.
At a time when high rises were a popular solution to Britain’s post-war housing crisis, Neave Brown advocated low-rise, high-density housing. Every home should have its own front door, private outside space and exposure to natural light. Like the Barbican, the prevalence of foliage softens the concrete. Based on traditional terraced housing and influenced by the Georgian crescents of Bath, the Alexandra & Ainsworth estate is a prime example of this.
Neave Brown designed it to be more than housing but a ”a piece of a city.” In addition to 520 apartments, it had shops, a school, a community centre and a four-acre park, it has a curved crescent of seven stories which backs onto a railway line designed to block the noise of trains.
It successfully separates people from traffic. A 350m curving path runs through the centre of the two terraces. Parking is below the buildings and next to the railway.
It ran over budget and took 10 years to build due to difficult site conditions and specialist construction on a large scale.
It was immediately popular with residents who in 2009-10 made a documentary film which included interviews with residents and Neave Brown.
In 1994 it was Grade II* listed. The youngest and largest building to be listed and the first modern housing estate.
Peter Brooke, then Heritage Secretary, described it as “one of the most distinguished groups of buildings in England since the Second World War.”
Footnote
Neave Brown is the only architect to have all his developments listed.
https://vimeo.com/15155983 - documentary film made by the residents between 2009-10 and includes interviews with Neave Brown. https://www.rowleyway.org.uk
