An immersive experience exploring the life and times of this remarkable estate, foregrounding the voices of residents who have spent ten years resisting its demolition.
This event records the lived experience and fight for survival of Central Hill Estate. Designed by Rosemary Stjernstedt and Edward Hollamby and the Lambeth Council Planning Department in 1966-74 to drive regeneration after the Crystal Palace fire, less than 100 years later, the estate is now, ironically, threatened with demolition and redevelopment from Lambeth Council.
Over the weekend of 14th/15th June, the estate’s distinctive hillside terraces will be animated by oral histories gathered from local people, presented via posters and QR codes. Guided by and collaborating with the Central Hill Estate Residents Association, the voices and characters will be captured by local architecture writer and environmental psychologist Veronica Simpson and Estate resident, film-maker and portrait photographer Benjamin Whitley. We hope to reflect the whole of the Estate’s evolution including witnesses who saw the Central Hill Estate being built, those who have lived here through its evolution, and the residents who continue to make Central Hill their home, despite its precarious situation, and are fighting to save it.
Guided tours will take place at 3pm on Saturday 14th and 3pm on Sunday 15th. The meeting point should be the High Limes General Store on the estate. No booking required. Each tour will be led by Senaka Weeraman and showcase the beauty and originality of the design, its engineering and layout, demonstrating that it is still very much fit for purpose.
The event is suitable for curious Londoners, locals, architects, urban designers, C20th century architecture buffs and housing activists.
