Alton Estate
Subscribe now to instantly view this image
Subscribe to the Architects’ Journal (AJ) for instant access to the AJ Buildings Library, an online database of nearly 2,000 exemplar buildings in photographs, plans, elevations and details.
Already a subscriber? Sign in
J. R. Pantlin Download Original
Mixed development consisting of high rise towers, terraces and maisonettes
Built on a large expanse of parkland, the Alton Estate was a direct translation of Le Corbusiers’ idea of the Ville Radieuse. The towers and other low rise buildings form a sets of points surrounded by Richmond Park below.
Within this natural landscape stands a number of different housing configurations; 12-storey 'point' blocks with four flats per floor, terraces of low-rise maisonettes and cottages and five 11-storey 'slab' blocks, heavily influenced by Le Corbusiers' Unité d'Habitation.
The external decoration of the houses reflects the Modernist faction in the London County Council's Architects' Department. The brightly coloured brickwork, painted window frames and wide bands of concrete at regular intervals on the exterior were all considered to lack any obvious function.
Data
- Begun: 1957
- Completed: 1958
- Sector: Residential
- Address: Roehampton Lane, Roehampton, SW15 4AE, United Kingdom
Professional Team
- Architect: London City Council Architects Department
- Client: London City Council