South London On-demand Audio Tour
Listen to Open City’s new on-demand audio tour of South London, showcasing iconic developments from the golden era of public sector housing across the London boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark
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 South London.
Highlights include the cloister-like Macintosh Court retirement home in Streatham, the arched streets of Dunbar Dunelm estate in West Norwood, the cascading Central Hill in Crystal Palace, the village-like Lammas Green in Sydenham, and the spectacular commanding Dawson’s Heights in East Dulwich.
Occupying a series of dramatic hilltop sites across south 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 also discover the extraordinary stories of diverse and previously overlooked architects – such as Kate Macintosh, Magda Borowiecka, Rosemary Stjernstedt, and William Jacoby – 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 4: Lammas Green
Architect: Farquharson & McMorran
Date completed: 1957
Client: City of London
Listening point 5: Dawson’s Heights
Architect: Kate Macintosh
Date: 1972
Client: Southwark
This tour can also be purchased as a printed guide, so you can take the walk at your own pace here.
Listening point 1: Macintosh Court
Architect: Kate Macintosh
Date completed: 1973
Client: Lambeth
Listening point 2: Dunbar Street and Dunelm Grove
Architect: Magda Borowiecka
Date completed: 1980
Client: Lambeth
Listening point 3: Central Hill
Architect: Rosemary Stjernstedt
Date completed: 1975
Client: Lambeth
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.
