Discover east London's iconic public housing by bike

Join Open House for a ‘ride out’ exploring the architecture of east London’s landmark public housing estates on a socially-distanced cycling tour.

Led by up-and-coming historic conservation and preservation expert David Garrard, this socially-distanced bicycle tour will visit iconic residential developments from the golden era of public sector house building design. 

Providing a safe and fun way for enthusiastic urbanists to explore the city in our post-pandemic era, the East London Architecture Cycle Tour is part of a new series celebrating the very best of public housing design across the four corners of the capital. 

Focussing on the most visually-striking and memorable modernist achievements of progressive boroughs in north, south, east and west London – the cycle tours will show how spacious design, health and quality of life are once again in the spotlight as our city moves forward out of lockdown.

Highlights of the eastern tour will include Britain’s first public housing development – the arts and crafts-inspired Boundary Estate in Shoreditch – along with Brutalist landmarks such as the semi-demolished Robin Hood Gardens by Alison & Peter Smithson and the Balfron Tower by Hungarian émigré Ernő Goldfinger. 

Representing a series of prominent landmarks amid the rapidly changing townscape of east London, these unique locations will be brought to life to reveal the fascinating details behind their construction during a moment of unparalleled optimism and idealism for the future.

Using live audio and image sharing, participants will use their smart phones to discover the extraordinary stories of diverse and previously overlooked architects who brought a fresh wave of talent and ambition to the design of public housing.

Meet: 1pm outside Leila's Shop, 15-17 Calvert Avenue E2 7JP. Duration: 2.5 hours approx. Tour ends in Poplar E14. Cost £12.50 / £9.50 concessions (students/unemployed/furloughed etc)

 

Route: This flat route – following mostly side streets and cycle paths – will be tackled at a gentle pace. Participants must be competent riders; bring their own bicycle, a fully charged smart phone with internet connection, downloaded Zoom in advance of the tour, bring headphones; and remember to stay at least two metres apart from each other where required. Zoom joining info will be sent out to all bookers the week before the tour.  et in touch with Adrianna at tours@open-city.org.uk with any queries.

Meet your tour guide…

David Garrard is a Senior Lecturer in the School of the Built Environment at Oxford Brookes University, where he is director of the popular and long-running MSc course in Historic Conservation. Over the years he has held a variety of roles across the historic environment sector, at organisations including English Heritage, the Victorian Society and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Having originally trained in philosophy, his academic interests concern the ethical and political-theoretic aspects of conservation and heritage practice – themes on which he is currently writing a PhD at King’s College London.

Born and raised in Manchester, he came to London in the mid-2000s, spent several years as a resident of the Barbican Estate (where he developed a strong love-hate relationship with Brutalist architecture), and now lives in Tower Hamlets. He joined the Open House team in 2014, and has run tours on the architecture of the East End and the Lea Valley, as well as on Brutalism, Art Deco and the Baroque.

Balfron Tower image c. Simon Terrill