Basildon New Town, Essex: Designated as one of the post war new towns in 1949. Designed by the Basildon Development Corporation with Sir Basil Spence as adviser on the planning. It is of course no longer a “new town” The town centre has suffered at the hands of various “regeneration” schemes over the decades resulting in the original planning and buildings being altered and demolished. New buildings I have seen are of little architectural interest or quality. Original town centre buildings do remain. The most prominent feature being the, Grade II listed, 14 storey Brooke House, raised up on gravity defying V shaped pilotis. You would think that what little of the original town centre buildings remaining would be listed but sadly no, just last year Freedom House was demolished for an upcoming 10 screen cinema complex, the architectural quality of this new building is dubious to say the least. So the vandalism of Basildon’s original architecture sadly continues with poor replacements.
Brooke House: 14 storey social housing residential tower raised up on very elegant gravity defying V shaped concrete Pilotis in the middle of the Town Centre on East Square. Its grade II listed and still retains all of its original features, a key feature being the East & West facades of distinctive triangular projecting aluminium windows. Each one of which corresponds to a room behind in what is a pedestrian internal layout of single aspect flats each side of internal corridors. The block sadly has a fearsome reputation for antisocial behaviour and crime. Much of which caused by a limited number of residents spoiling things for others and unwanted visitors. Things got so bad that a security guard has been on duty in the Lobby! The block is also said to be by poorly maintained by the local authority. Despite listing I’m concerned about any forthcoming “regeneration” alterations. Dates from 1960-62 designed for the local authority by Anthony B Davies. Ove Arup & Partners as Structural Engineers. Sir Basil Spence as adviser on the New Town Planning.
Brooke House, Entrance Lobby
Under Brooke House, looking towards East Square and the now demolished Freedom House to the right. and the post office building to the left.
Brooke House in the background. The Post Office Building in the foreground, now demolished. (2019)
The Post Office building, East Square. Now demolished.
East Square. The Post Office building (left) Freedom House (right) now both demolished
Brooke House in the background. Freedom House and The Post Office building in the foreground, demolished (2019)
View across East Square from Freedom House. Demolished 2019
Brooke House (left) and Freedom House by J Seymour Harris & Partners 1958, in the foreground, demolished 2019. The Barbara Hepworth style sculpture, Man Aspires by A J Poole is in storage prior to relocation.
Freedom House by J Seymour Harris & Partners 1958, demolished 2019. The Barbara Hepworth style sculpture, Man Aspires by A J Poole is in storage prior to relocation.
Freedom House by J Seymour Harris & Partners 1958, demolished 2019. The Barbara Hepworth style sculpture, Man Aspires by A J Poole is in storage prior to relocation.
Brooke House in the background, retails units in the foreground, partially demolished (2019)
Raised pool and bronze sculpture/fountain 1962. Mother and Child by Maurice Lambert. Now seen actually functioning during summer 2021 for the first time in years.
Town Centre clock. All stainless steel 4 faced minimalist “Lollipop clock” by Philip Harvey. dates from around 1960. Restored in 2010.
A huge untitled abstract mosaic on a concave wall, it’s by Geoffrey Clarke, completed 1958. Located just off the Town Square. It looks like it’s been through the wars, there are touches of colour, I’m wondering if it might have been more colourful. Designed by the Basildon Development Corporation with Sir Basil Spence. As of 2021 This building and its mosaic is sadly threatened with demolition! The C20 Society are campaigning to get it listed, lets hope they succeed, Basildon has lost far too many of its original Town Centre buildings already.
St Martins of Tours Church, Harlow Town Centre. Consecrated 1962. Designed by T M Cotton. External fibreglass sculpture, Risen Christ by T B Huxley Jones 1968. Stained glass added in 1987-90 Designed by Patrick Nuttgens. Pleasingly austere and minimal internally. Not sure if the walls were originally painted. Original pews/seating no longer remain.
St Martins Church. Fibreglass sculpture, Risen Christ by T B Huxley Jones 1968
St Martins Church.
St Martins Church
St Martins Church
St Martins Church. Stained glass by Patrick Nuttgens. Added in 1987-90
St Basil The Great (RC) Church, Luncies Road, Barstable, Basildon, Essex. Surprisingly intact in original condition, all the more so as it’s not Listed! Did not get access inside but have seen a photo and it has a modest plain interior with no visible stained glass windows. Does have a nice timber clad ceiling with exposed beams and rafters, so typical of the period. Pevsner calls it: Quiet, dignified & sensible. It’s by A J Newton of Burles Newton & Partners 1955-6.
St Basil The Great (RC) Church
St Basil The Great (RC) Church
Ravensfield Court, on Ravensfield, Barstable, Basildon. A solitary 7 storey square block with interesting sculptural massing in brick and concrete. Original sliding metal windows replaced white UPVC ones. Dates from 1970, by the then, Basildon New Town Development Corporation.
Ravensfield Court
Some interesting “brutalist inspired” terraced houses on Ravensfield, Barstable. Projecting garage and roof terrace with a rather pleasing composition in concrete, frosted glass and timber cladding. This is the only house left that has not been heavily altered (windows and front door are changed) and you can see how it looked when built. Could be so nice if sympathetically renovated…Walking around Basildons new town housing is somewhat like being an Archeologist, trying to find Clues as to what the housing used to look like and you find that it was really rather good! And with a great deal of variety. .Likely build date of around 1970, by the then Basildon Development Corporation.
Ravensfield, Barstable
These sculptures are apparently attributed to William Mitchell. Can’t find any info on line though. Monumental concrete chess pieces on a fragmented paving slab chessboard. It’s hidden away on a back street, Plumberow, which is in the Lee Chapel North residential area. Likely to be early to mid 1960s.
William Mitchell Chess piece sculptures. Located on Plumberow, Lee Chapel North residential area.
William Mitchell Chess piece sculptures. Located on Plumberow, Lee Chapel North residential area.
Houses by Richard & Su Rogers: Trying to find houses in their original condition/design intent in the New Town housing districts of Basildon in Essex is like looking for a needle in a haystack...but here’s a house completely in original condition, the houses to each side have faired less well and are typical of the alterations to most modernist houses in Basildon...These terraced houses are in Lee Chapel North on Raphaels, Rise Park & Wickhay. Recessed sliding bedroom and bathroom windows to the first floor. Not clear if there is a recessed planter ledge behind or perhaps the ledge was intended for pots. Most houses have brought the glazing forward to create more internal space. Turns out these houses are by Richard & Su Rogers as a result of competition by the then Basildon Development Corporation in 1971-3. They were built as private housing for sale. Mentioned in Pevsners Essex, page 121
Housing by Richard & Su Rogers
The Five Links Estate, Laindon, Basildon, Essex. This is definitely one of the strangest and most interesting estates I have ever visited. A sprawling estate mostly made up of 2 storey houses (there are some 3 storey blocks of flats) accessed off linked square courtyards through passages. Strangely all the bedroom windows to the houses face onto these courtyards as the first floor walls to the outside of these blocks have virtually no windows! So the blocks look pretty bleak from the outside to say the least! There are windows to the ground floor outer walls to the private gardens. Another curiosity are the first floor projections raised up on piloti which occur at partially open ended courtyards at the end of block runs, the space below serving no real purpose other than visual. The estate feels very uncared for and dystopian, weeds everywhere and flytipping. A chat to the bin men collecting rubbish in a hand pulled electric cart revealed the the estate is nicknamed Alkatraz...It’s easy to loose a sense of position as the blocks/courtyards are repeated endlessly in linear runs. I do think things could be improved considerably with better maintenance, hard & soft landscaping & improved lighting. (which seemed almost non existent) Parts of the estate have been demolished and replaced with the generic pitch roofed brick box houses. I imagine there are further regeneration plans afoot but it’s a big estate! It’s by the then Basildon Development Corporation 1968-72. Has to be visited to fully experience!
The Five Links Estate
The Five Links Estate
The Five Links Estate
The Five Links Estate
The Five Links Estate
Chalvedon Housing area: Interesting low rise housing nicely arranged on pedestrian lanes, paved areas and interspersed with landscaped grassed areas. The housing is predominantly terraced “Chalet style” houses, bungalows and curious maisonettes with big roof terraces, raised up on garages and covered parking. I have discovered as is usual in Basildon the council are not doing a great job with the gardening so some areas look uncared for and a bit dystopian. Would need to speak to residents to see how they feel about using all those lanes to access their homes, especially after dark…designed by Ahrends Burton & Koralek, around 1970.
Chalvedon
Chalvedon
Chalvedon
Chalvedon
Chalvedon
Tinkler Side, Barstable, just East of the town centre. A modest row of 10 terraced houses but I find the simplicity appealing, also there’s impressive and subtle use of 5 varied shades of brick. 3 repeated shades along the terrace to the first floors. Pale grey on the party walls and lovely patterned end gable wall, yellow stock brick to the ground floors. Usual replacement of doors and windows but there is an original door and adjacent glazing to this house and the new windows are at least simply laid out...By the then Basildon Development Corporation, likely 1950’s.
Tinkler Side, Barstable, Nice patterned brick end of terrace gable to the row of houses in the previous photo. Such end gable treatments in brick can be seen in variations around Basildon.
Tinkler Side, Barstable, Another type of terraced houses in this area, these ones using a lovely Flint Cobble finish to the first floor, a finish I have seen elsewhere on Basildon housing. Check out the lovely Festival of Britain style railings. They really made a great deal of effort with the design of the housing stock throughout Basildon (especially the earlier housing) to avoid uniformity by using a lot of varied textures and finishes. Sadly so much now painted, plastered over or removed, but you still see fragments showing how nice the houses must have looked when first built. Usual replacement here of doors and windows in white UPVC.....By the then Basildon Development
Tinkler Side, Barstable, And another type of terraced houses in this area, these ones using a nice crisp pale brick with a decorative pattern, contrasting warmly with dark stained weatherboard, the only bit left on this terrace of houses. Nice little cast concrete canopy over the entrance. Windows and front door of course replaced, the colour of the door does looks nice with the other materials. By the then Basildon Development Corporation, likely 1950’s.
You are now leaving Basildon........Rather like this tile lined underpass which is one of 3 connecting to a sunken pedestrian roundabout under the road system West of the Town Centre. The tiles are said to be by Wendy Clark, dating from the mid 80’s so not sure what the original finish was…