North London On-demand Audio Tour
Listen to Open City’s new on-demand audio tour of North London, showcasing iconic developments from the golden era of public sector housing across the London borough of Camden
Providing a safe and fun way for enthusiastic urbanists to explore the city in our post-pandemic era, this fun and engaging audio walking tour – led by the up and coming architectural designers Aidan Hall and Rosalind Peebles – follows the route of our popular real-life cycle tour exploring the architecture and history of North London.
Focussing on the most visually-striking and memorable modernist achievements of progressive boroughs in north, south, east and west London – the on-demand audio tours 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 northern tour include Highgate New Town designed by Hungarian architect Peter Tábori, Mansfield Road in Gospel Oak, the unreservedly modernist Dunboyne Road Estate (Fleet Road) and Winscome Terrace - the first independent work by the architect Neave Brown.
The 1960s and 1970s Camden Architects' Department is renowned for its bold and innovative approach to public housing design, and across north 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.
Listeners will discover the extraordinary stories of Camden’s progressive architects’ department under Sydney Cook - with work by Neave Brown, Benson & Forsyth and Peter Tábori – who brought a fresh wave of talent and ambition to the design of public housing.
Listen along with the track below, and use the map to navigate to the listening point for each audio clip.
Click play to listen to the audio:
Navigate to the listening points using the map below:
Listening point 1: Highgate New Town
Architect: Sydney Cook
Date completed: 1979
Client: Camden Council
Listening point 2: Winscombe Street
Architect: Neave Brown
Date completed: 1966
Client: Private
Listening point 3: Lismore Circus
Architect: Frederick McManus and Partners
Date completed: 1979
Client: Camden Council
Listening point 4: Fleet Road
Architect: Neave Brown
Date completed: 1975
Client: Camden Council
Listening point 5: 2 Willow Road
Architect: Ernö Goldfinger
Date completed: 1939
Client: Private
Listening point 6: Branch Hill
Architect: Benson & Forsyth
Date completed: 1978
Client: Camden Council
Meet the tour guides!
Aidan Hall is a co-founder of social enterprise Okra where he leads projects in the fields of architecture, design, research and education. He has taught architecture at schools and universities across the UK and Europe and has led walking tours for the Architecture Foundation since 2017. He joined the Open House tours team in summer 2020.
Rosalind Peebles is an architect at alma-nac currently working on housing and community-oriented projects in London. She is a member of Okra where she collaborates in the fields of research and education, focusing on the social responsibility of architecture and housing in London. She has led tours for the Architecture Foundation since 2018 and joined the Open House tours team in summer 2020.
