10. Churchill Gardens Estate

23 November 2021

Two young graduates from the AA won the competition to design Churchill Gardens after the Second World War. They looked to Germany for good examples of well-designed public housing and created a special place which, in turn, became an exemplar for others to follow. They were designing during the time of the space race which perhaps influenced the Flying Saucer playground, Accumulator Tower (using waste heat from Battersea Power Station) and their design for the Skylon at the Festival of Britain. The landscape setting of the estate is now on the register of parks and gardens to complement the listing of most of the buildings.

Jenifer White from Historic England will join Dominic to look at the protection of 20C landscapes through designation and some of the conservation challenges