English Flats of the Thirties

A comparison of two examples of designs of flats in 1930s England. One is Quarry Hill Estate in Leeds, a huge council-housing scheme scheduled for demolition. After showing us the back-to-back streets from which the tenants of Quarry Hill were likely to have come, the narrator explains how the new estate adopted the most advanced contemporary ideas of both construction and social engineering, and discusses whether or not it was a success. In contrast, we then examine Highpoint I, a luxury block in London, designed in the grand manner for much richer tenants. In spite of the gulf between their tenants' incomes, we can see great similarities between the two projects, and also considerable differences between those and tower blocks being built on the Continent at the same time.

© 1998-2008 The Roland Collection & Pira Intl.