Press Release: Five London landmarks at risk to feature in the 2021 Open House Festival

2 September 2021

London’s iconic seat of government, parts of housing estates from the golden era of British housing design, and a much loved Brutalist local library all at risk of demolition will be exhibited as part of the 2021 Open House Festival

• Open House Festival, the nine-day celebration of London’s architecture and urban landscapes, has launched its full programme for 2021 

• Buildings at risk from demolition include City Hall, three iconic housing estates, and a much loved local library in Croydon 

• Amid a climate emergency with the built environment responsible for 39 per cent of all carbon emissions, these much-loved places highlight the cultural and environmental cost of demolition

Open House Festival today launched its full programme for the 2021 event, which will run from Saturday 4 to Sunday 12 September 2021. The festival will see many buildings, landscapes, infrastructure, and community projects across the capital open up to the public for the first time since the start of the pandemic alongside a city-wide cultural programme for all ages and abilities including numerous outdoor events taking place across all 33 London boroughs. 

For the first time, this year’s festival includes a special collection profiling buildings at risk which has been curated in collaboration with the Twentieth Century (C20) Society. Among the festival highlights are buildings that are currently at risk of being demolished. They include: 

• The soon-to-be vacated waterfront headquarters of the Greater London Authority, City Hall designed by Foster and Partners; 

• Cressingham Gardens, a low-rise and human-scale South London estate designed by one of London’s most influential architects Edward Hollamby; 

• Notting Hill’s landmark Trellick Tower by Hungarian emigre architect Ernő Goldfinger, one of his last designs that is still predominantly made up of social housing; 

• South Norwood Library, brimming with civic-pride and encapsulating Greater London Council’s tough concrete urbanism; 

• And the Central Hill Estate designed by the pioneering Rosemary Stjernstedt, set like an amphitheatre into the hills of Crystal Palace. 

Siân Milliner, Head of Open House Festival, said: “Open House festival celebrates London in its entirety, from the central London landmarks of the City and Westminster, to inner infrastructural workings of our urban realm. The festival shines a light on the places that are loved and used by those local to them but less well known to others. Open House also highlights that local adoration isn’t enough to protect these places from the threat of demolition. 

Catherine Croft, director of the C20 Society, said: “buildings are all too often swept away before their value is appreciated. Imaginative refurbishment and sensitive development around these buildings will not only ensure they remain as great examples of innovative  architectural design, but it will enable them to enrich the cultural and social life of their communities.

“And of course there are critical environmental reasons to keep them too: the huge amount of embodied energy in these buildings should not be squandered. Concrete post-war buildings in particular were constructed with materials which consumed huge amounts of energy: we are unlikely to be able to build anything similar in the future, so there is all the more reason to save them.”

Five buildings at risk featuring in the Open House Festival in detail:

City Hall by Foster and Partners, London Bridge

Designed by Foster and Partners, City Hall, on London's south bank, was created to be a model of democracy, accessibility and sustainability. Erupting from the surrounding blue limestone paving of More London, the building reaches out into the public realm with a landmark sunken amphitheatre. The amphitheater as well as the lower ground cafe for the public, brings visitors into close proximity with a major seat of government. It has been home to the Greater London Authority since 2002, however as the organisation is soon set to relocate to the Royal Docks, the conservation group C20 Society has raised concerns for the building’s future – calling for it to be listed while the search continues for a suitable reuse of the iconic structure which could save it from being demolished. 

Unescorted tours will take place on Saturday 4 September between 10am and 4pm

Cressingham Garden by Ted Hollamby, Tulse Hill

Cressingham Gardens is a post-war housing estate in south London. Low-rise, high density, and located next to Brockwell Park – the estate is particularly remarkable in the way it responds to and works with the existing landscape. This is exemplified in the way that none of the buildings on the estate project above the treeline. As well as seamlessly embedding itself within its surrounding landscape, the estate boasts many design features that enrich the sense of community. The estate is predominantly pedestrianised, with a ‘village square’ creating a community focal point. Despite these merits, the estate was earmarked for redevelopment in 2012 and plans have recently been advanced for its partial demolition. 

Estate tours and a community-led exhibition will take place on September 11 and 12 between 10am and 4pm. 

Trellick Tower by Ernő Goldfinger, Ladbroke Grove. 

Ernő Goldfinger's 31-storey social housing tower is one of London's most remarkable high-rises. Monumental from afar with its free-standing service tower and triumphal boiler house, Trellick also rewards visitors up close with its beautiful architectural detailing and a rich use of materials. The tower forms part of the Cheltenham Estate which is set for a redevelopment programme involving the demolition of neighbouring buildings on the estate and around the tower, including a block of garages and a renowned graffiti art wall. These recent plans are the latest in an ongoing programme of incremental demolition of Goldfinger’s world renowned social housing estate which has already seen the neighbourhood’s Edenham Residential Care Home knocked down. 

Guided tours of a residents home are taking place on Sunday 12 September between 10am and 4pm. Please check availability. 

South Norwood Library by Hugh Lea, South Norwood

This small south London library was built by Croydon borough architect, Hugh Lea in 1968. Brimming with civic-pride and a perfect example of the concrete architectural flair coming out of the Greater London Council at the time, this library is well used and much loved by the local community. The floating concrete landmark houses an intimate and cosy children’s library and, like the library as a whole, is flooded with natural light from the generous upper storey windows. Local authority Croydon Council has recently announced plans to relocate the library to a new site and building on nearby Station Road. The community is currently carrying out extensive campaigning with backing from authors such as Malorie Blackman and Alex Wheatle to keep the original library 

The library will have general access on Saturday 4 and 11 of September between 10:30am and 3:30pm

Central Hill Estate by Rosemary Stjernstedt, Crystal Palace

On one of the steepest residential sites in London, Central Hill Estate was designed by Rosemary Stjernstedt, Adrian Sansom and Roger Westman who were at the time pioneering young architects working for Lambeth Council. The 374 houses and flats were built in a high-density, low-rise configuration intended to echo the scale of surrounding Victorian development. Homes were arranged in terraces, sometimes stepped, to take advantage of the site’s stunning views across London. Named Central Hill Estate, the development was at the time Lambeth Council’s newest and most ambitious housing development. It provided residents with gardens, large terraces, play areas and grassed squares and a much-needed hostel for nurses from Croydon hospital. Despite several failed attempts to achieve listed status, the estate is currently under threat of demolition under plans being advanced by Lambeth Council to increase density by building a high-rise development.

There is a lunchtime talk on Sunday 12 September

Images

Images of each of the five buildings for press use here

Notes

• The 2021 Open House Festival will launch on Saturday 4 September and run for nine days until Sunday 12 September. 

• Full listings for the 2021 Open House Festival are now live at www.openhouselondon.org.uk/2021

• In order to facilitate contact tracing, visitors are required to book ahead for most events.

• The vast majority of events that form part of the 2021 Open House Festival are free.

• In a typical year the London Open House Festival attracts 250,000 visitors making it the largest and most inclusive event of its kind in the world.

• There are 50 other Open House Festivals around the world including in New York City, Lagos, Taipei and Zurich which are supported by Open City, the charity behind the Open House Festival.

• C20 Society has campaigned to save outstanding buildings and design that have shaped the British landscape since 1914. Some are iconic, others are little-known gems, but all of them are irreplaceable and many are under threat https://c20society.org.uk/ 

Contacts

Please contact press@open-city.org.uk with enquiries.