West London On-demand Audio Tour
Listen to Open City’s new on-demand audio tour of West London, showcasing iconic developments from the golden era of public sector housing across the London boroughs of Westminster, and Kensington and Chelsea
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 West 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 western tour include an early example of LLC housing, the Arts and Crafts influenced Millbank Estate in Pimlico, the staggered terraces of Lillington Gardens, the brutalist towers of the Worlds End Estate in Kensington & Chelsea and Churchill Gardens - a pioneering example of a post-war mixed development in Britain.
Listeners will discover the extraordinary stories of celebrated architects – such as Powell & Moya, Eric Lyons, Darbourne & Darke, Roger Westman and H. T. Cadbury-Brown.
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: Millbank Estate
Architect: LCC Architects Department (Owen Fleming)
Date completed: 1902
Client: London County Council
Listening point 2: Page Street
Architect: Edwin Lutyens
Date completed: 1930
Client: Grosvenor Estate
Listening point 3: Lillington Gardens
Architect: Powell & Moya
Date completed: 1962
Client: City of Westminster
Listening point 4: Lillington Gardens phase three
Architect: Darbourne & Darke
Date completed: 1971
Client: City of Westminster
Listening point 5: Churchill Gardens
Architect: Darbourne & Darke
Date completed: 1971
Client: City of Westminster
Listening point 6: World’s End Estate
Architect: Jim Cadbury-Brown and Eric Lyons
Date completed: 1977
Client: Kensington and Chelsea 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.
