The Lawn (Harlow)
Residential in Harlow, Essex From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lawn is a mid-twentieth-century low-rise building located on the outskirts of Old Harlow, to the east of the town of Harlow, Essex, England.
| The Lawn | |
|---|---|
 The Lawn in Harlow, Essex. | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Residential |
| Architectural style | Brutalist / Modernist |
| Location | Harlow, Essex |
| Address | The Lawn, Harlow CM20 2JX |
| Coordinates | 51°46′49.7″N 0°07′31.0″E / 51.780472; 0.125278][[Category:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas]]"},"html":"Coordinates: </templatestyles>\"}' data-mw='{\"name\":\"templatestyles\",\"attrs\":{\"src\":\"Module:Coordinates/styles.css\"},\"body\":{\"extsrc\":\"\"}}'/>51°46′49.7″N 0°07′31.0″E / 51.780472°N 0.125278°E"}"> |
| Completed | 1951 |
| Opening | 1951 |
| Height | |
| Top floor | 10 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Steel frame |
| Floor count | 10 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Frederick Gibberd |
| Developer | Harlow Development Corporation |
The building is noted as being the first residential tower block in the UK,[1][2] as well as being the location of its first pedestrian precinct.[3] The structure was completed in 1951 to coincide with the Festival of Britain.[4]
Construction
Architect Sir Frederick Gibberd was appointed master planner for Harlow New Town in 1946,[4] tasked with constructing the estate largely using two-storey houses with a private garden.[5] Gibberd however was a keen proponent of mixed development styles, and insisted (to the Company's disapproval) that 20-30% of the site include flats.[5]
The building has an unconventional ‘butterfly’ shape, built so as to preserve a number of old oak trees within its vicinity,[4] as well as to give each flat a south-facing balcony.[2] Nine residential floors each have four flats per floor, with a total of 36 flats in the building.[4]
Upon completion, The Lawn was awarded a Ministry of Health Housing medal.[1]
Response
The building marked the beginning of a long period of construction of high rise residential buildings, which by 1975 had produced a total of "440,000 high-rise flats for public housing" in the UK. The government at the time offered a subsidy for every storey added to projects.[1]
Harlow was notably one of few towns to see council tower block construction into the late 1980s, despite changing Government policies, concluding with the construction of Netteswell Tower in 1986.[5]
See also
References
External links
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