Cooks Camden

London's great experiment in urban housing

with British Housing: Timelines and types

Exhibition: 25 January to 25 March

The housing projects built by Camden Council in London when Sydney Cook was Borough Architect (1965-73) constitute not just the last great output of social housing in the UK but also arguably the most substantial investigation into the architecture of urban housing undertaken in the past half-century. The aim was not merely to meet pragmatic requirements but to establish a new kind of architecture based on a radical reinterpretation of traditional English urbanism, not least streets with front doors. As such these projects – including Neave Brown’s Fleet Road and Alexandra Road, Benson & Forsyth’s Branch Hill and Maiden Lane, and Peter Tábori’s Highgate New Town – continue to provide a benchmark for architects today.

The exhibition comprises black and white photography by Martin Charles, taken immediately after the projects were completed, as well as original models and drawings. It is based on research undertaken by Mark Swenarton, James Stirling Professor of Architecture at the University of Liverpool.

The timelines illustrate research undertaken by the Department of Planning and Architecture at the University of West of England (UWE) on the history of housing in Britain from the 1750s to the present day. It traces social, political and legal changes that have impacted on the development of housing in this country.

This exhibition is part of Housing Benefits: a season of discussion and debate on housing, space standards and design, from January to March 2012. Details of related events are available here.