ESSEX Architecture Weekend Guide
Transcription
ESSEX Architecture Weekend Guide
The Official Guide ESSEX Architecture Weekend �aturday 1� � �un��� �1 �eptember 2016 ‘The Modernist C�unty’ A weekend of tours, talks and events celebrating the county’s pioneering role in twentieth century architecture. All events are free unless stated, to book go to radicalessex.uk Silver End Clockhouse Way Estate W ay �� �1 Bus Stop Village Hall 1� 1� T � �4 � � 3 � 8 � e She pcotes L et Stre oad Boars Tye R Joe Hill, Director, Focal Point Gallery dway I hope you enjoy the weekend. Broa For the first time, visitors and residents have the opportunity to experience and learn about this undiscovered history. Centred around three Modernist estates, Silver End village, Bata at East Tilbury and the seaside modernism of Frintonon-Sea, ESSEX Architecture Weekend seeks to place the county within the history of twentieth century architecture. ay cis W Often overlooked, the county boasts some of the earliest proponents of the Modernist style in Britain, with buildings designed by Ove Arup, Wells Coates, Richard Rogers and Thomas S. Tait, amongst others. This unique architectural heritage is exemplified by buildings like the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club at Burnham-on-Crouch, Britain’s only contribution to MoMA’s International Exhibition of Modern Architecture in 1932, and the early ‘Concrete Cottages’ at Cressing Road in Braintree, designed in 1917. Fran Essex has not traditionally been defined by large historic estates, leaving areas of the county with open unspoiled land. This, coupled with its proximity to the poorest parts of London, is key to understanding its development. The permeable relationship with the capital promoted innovation and experimentation with diverse political ideologies and social makeups. Architectural pioneers regarded the region as a testing-ground for radical thought and alternative lifestyles. r Silve an ncis 15 1� e �4 Scout Hut HQ Fra Focal Point Gallery is delighted to be partnering with Firstsite and Visit Essex to present ESSEX Architecture Weekend. Celebrating the county’s pioneering role in twentieth century architecture, the weekend will consist of tours, talks, events and bus travel, allowing unprecedented access to over twenty key architectural sites. e le mp Lane Silver End Village was built in 1926, conceived by Francis Crittall to house his factory workers at Crittall Windows. The village was designed by Thomas S. Tait, Frederick MacManus and C. Murray Hennell, amongst others, stemming from the design of Britain’s first Modernist building in nearby Clockhouse Way. Silver End Village Hall is the hub of ESSEX Architecture Weekend, with an exhibition from the Silver End Heritage Society, new commissions from Curl la Tourelle Head and Arnaud Desjardin, HAT Projects, and Alan Kane who will host an evening disco, with Depeche Mode tribute band Speak and Spell, and DJing from Bob Stanley. There will also be a talks programme in the main hall, further details in the following pages. Red Fox Brewery, Nazarí and The Rolling Bean will provide refreshments throughout the weekend, whilst Radical Essex shuttle buses will drop off and pick up at the Village Hall. The Silver End Heritage Society will lead tours of the village at 11am and 3pm, pre-booked at www.radicalessex.uk. You can check if space is available at Silver End Village Hall – where the tours will begin. If you prefer you can take your own tour of the village following the instructions here. SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR 1 The tour starts at the shops adjacent to the Village Hall. Originally this was a 3 storey department store, catering to the needs of all residents, including a bakery, furniture store and butcher with meat supplied by Crittall’s own farms. It came out as far as the edge of the present car park and had a colonnade shop front. The store was destroyed by fire on 13 September 1952. 2 Turn to look across the road to the large brick building, Valentine House. This was originally the Silver End Hotel, comprising of 11 rooms plus bars, a restaurant and a function room. It was used by Crittall to accommodate clients and suppliers. Formally two large glazed earthenware tar pots stood by the main door that were removed to a private garden. Following a fire at Christmas in the mid 1980s, it became a lively pub with an excellent carvery. 3 Walk to your left along the front of the car park to Jubilee House. Originally this was a bus shelter and public convenience but was pulled down in 1986 to build new premises for Fred Robinson, a local insurance broker. 4 Cross Broadway, walk along the front of Valentine House, keeping left at the roundabout to entrance of Memorial Gardens. Look across the roundabout. The Village Hall was designed by architect C. Murray Hennell and opened by the Lord Mayor of London on 10 May 1928. It is England’s largest village hall with a main hall, sports courts, a stage and two smaller halls on the ground floor and committee rooms on both floors. 5 Turn round to face the gates of the Memorial Gardens. To the right of the gates was a thatched roof tea rooms and Mrs. Dunn’s open all hours shop, which is now a private residence, owned by Fred Robinson. The park gates show inscriptions of the Crittall family initials. Inside the entrance to the right there are the first of four notice boards, owned by Braintree District Council but now managed by Silver End Heritage Society with photographic displays. To the left under the trees is a memorial to Valentine Crittall, later Lord Braintree. 6 Enter the gardens and look ahead to a large white building. This is the Manors, Francis Crittall’s home built in 1927 designed by architect C.H.B. Quennell. Note the blue plaque (top left). Servant’s quarters were in the single story extensions on either side. It is believed that the gardener and chauffeur lived in the bungalows. 7 Follow the garden path to the left towards the pond. Built in 1951 and designed by Walter ‘Pink’ Crittall with a Japanese inspired design, the pond included a pagoda. A memorial plaque is set in the wall nearby. 15 Temple Lane was the first house to be constructed in Silver End, designed by C. Murray Hennell. The foundation stone is low down on right of the side door. The first six pairs of houses in Temple Lane are different to the others, numbered 1A – 12A. and maintained by its present owners. Opposite is the Boars Tye farmhouse, the first the Crittall’s bought. Dan Crittall moved here from Le Chateau with his wife and lived here until the 1980s. It then became a residential home. 10 Continue left along Temple Lane, from the crossroad, to the T-junction with Boars Tye Road. This was the site of the original Crittall Manufacturing Company factory and Power House, now hidden behind a tall hedge to the right, and is all that remains of the large complex that has been demolished. The Power House closest to the hedge, produced dc electricity for the houses (unusual for rural workers’ houses in the 1920s) as well as for the factory. From here you can also see the unique Church of St. Francis and to the left opposite the junction was the site of the bus garage. The bus service was originally set up by the Crittalls. The factory canteen and picture house were also near the bus station, but are now demolished. 15 Continue back along Boars Tye Road to the junction and turn right into Silver Street. 1–32 Silver Street were also designed by Tait and McManus. These are all listed buildings. Note the windows at number 4 and the original door and letter box at number 5. One of Crittall’s main concerns was the welfare of his workers. All houses were to have power, light, hot and cold running water in upstairs bathrooms and large gardens for the workers to grow produce. Apart from the Modernist movement styling, it is suggested that the flat roofs were used by Crittall to display how windows could be used. All houses were to have a view either of open countryside, sports fields or allotments, use of which the ‘Guv’nor’ encouraged. Employees could buy, part buy/rent or rent the houses but there was a strict ‘pecking order’, they could only have a house deemed suitable to their position in the company. Greenfields Housing now owns many houses in the village and have recently replaced the windows and doors. As the original village was designated a conservation area in 1983, the conservation guidance says that they had to be steel although more recently, aluminum is being allowed. 11 Cross the top of Temple Lane to the left and continue along Boars Tye Road. The large detached houses on the left were designed by C. Murray Hennell for the senior managers of the factory. 12 Stop before Silver Street/Boars Tye Road/ Sheepcotes Lane junction and cross the road. Le Chateau was designed by Thomas S. Tait of Sir John Burnet & Partners, built for Crittall’s son Dan, who had an interest in steam locomotion and had a miniature railway in the garden. The house was later used for the ‘65 Club’ a place for retired employees. It was also a location for the 1980s TV series ‘The Nanny’. It is now a listed building. 8 Continue towards the exit of the garden and turn left along Francis Way, towards Broadway. 5 Francis Way was the original telephone exchange. 13 Cross over the top of Sheepcotes Lane. Craig Angus was designed by Tait and Frederick McManus who was Tait’s chief designer. It is also a listed building. Looking further down Sheepcotes Lane you will see the Roman Catholic church, designed by Martin Evans, built in 1966. 9 Turn right along Broadway to crossroad with Temple Lane. Look across the road at the first house on corner with Valentine Way. 14 Continue along Boars Tye Road. Wolverton was built in 1926 by Tait and McManus, beautifully restored 16 Continue along Silver Street to the junction with the entrance to the playing fields, cross over to the left and stop at entrance to the Village Hall sports field. Here you can see evidence of the rail track that was used to bring the gravel from the area behind Temple Lane/Valentine Way to build the houses. The flat roofed houses at the lower end were built by Silver End Development Co. set up by Crittall to develop the village. These buildings are not listed. Continue along Silver Street to Broadway. Turn left at the crossroads and end back at the shops. TOUR OF WOLVERTON, BOARS TYE ROAD, SILVER END Saturday and Sunday: 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, booking required The homeowners of Wolverton in Silver End welcome visitors to learn more about this property. Visits are pre-booked online or you can enquire for availability at Silver End Village Hall. For places to eat, drink and stay whilst in Silver End, please check the Radical Essex map at www.radicalessex.uk LOOPED FILM SCREENING SILVER END SCOUT HUT Saturday and Sunday: 10am - 6pm Silver End Scouts invite you to the Scout Hut for a screening of aerial footage taken over Silver End Village. Enjoy seeing this historic Modernist estate from the sky! The screening will also include archival films from across the county coordinated by Big Screen Southend. 1 East Tilbury Library The Bata Estate, East Tilbury TOUR OF 18 QUEEN ELIZABETH AVENUE, THE BATA ESTATE 2 Bata Corner 3 Bata Hotel and Garage 4 Tomas Bata Statue 5 Factory Gates nu e nE ee Qu Ave 6a East Tilbury War Memorial natio n Coro 7 Espresso 8 New Houses ma ue o Th n ve IA ue en eV Av org Ge th be liza g Kin East Tilbury Railway Station 6 Bata Cinema Saturday and Sunday: 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, booking required sB ata Aven 9 Bata Farm ue 11 es s a M � 1 Bus Stop d oa The Rolling Bean will be onsite at East Tilbury Library serving coffee throughout the weekend in the car park. Radical Essex shuttle buses will drop off and pick up here also. B 2 rg ar e A ss ce in Pr tR Throughout ESSEX Architecture Weekend, the Bata Heritage Centre will host an exhibition in East Tilbury Library, open between 10am and 5pm where you can experience a virtual tour of the area and learn more about this pioneering estate. They will also lead four guided walking tours of the area, exploring the estate and providing unique access to the old rubber factory site. Walking tours are held at 11am and 2pm on each day, booked in advance at www.radicalessex.uk. You can enquire about availability at East Tilbury Library, where the tour groups will meet. . ve A ata 1� . nc Pri In 1933, Bata Shoe Company opened their new factory on the Essex Marshes at East Tilbury. Based in Czechoslovakia, the company was founded by Tomas Bata, who was killed in 1932 in a plane crash. Over the next 70 years Bata was an important part of the local economy and an international community grew up on the Bata Estate, comprised of houses built for the workers by the Company. Que en M ary Ave . e v 4 � ter s ce u Glo e u en Av � 9 � � �A SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR The best way to experience the Bata Estate on a self-guided tour is to download the Thurrock Mobile Explorer App and follow the Bata Reminiscence Trail. This is available on both iOS (search Thurrock Mobile Explorer) and Android (search Travel Thurrock) devices. Please remember to bring headphones to use this. If you do not have access to a mobile device, a limited number of sets can be borrowed from the Bata Heritage Centre in East Tilbury Library. The tour is narrated by Mike Tarbard and other residents of the estate, telling stories of the site, featuring both the architecture and social history. Walking to the points listed (also show on the map) and selecting the related number on the tour, you will hear tales of a time gone by, and sites from each point that would have previously been seen. 10 Bata College 11 The Avenues and Swimming Pool The best examples of the Modernist housing can be seen on the Avenues: Bata Avenue, Thomas Bata Avenue, King George VI Avenue and Queen Elizabeth Avenue. Homeowners of 18 Queen Elizabeth Avenue, welcome visitors to learn more about the factory workers houses. Visits are pre-booked online or you can enquire for availability in person at East Tilbury Library. For places to eat, drink and stay whilst in East Tilbury, please check the Radical Essex map at www.radicalessex.uk Frinton Park Estate, Frinton-on-Sea Bus Stop 5 ndon 8 Waltham Way Cliff Frinton Park Estate comprises of the largest group of individually designed Modernist houses in the country, planned by architect Oliver Hill in 1934, despite many of the houses never being built. The prime 40 acres between the railway line and the cliff top were to be for expensive Modernist houses, whilst areas of the rest of the Estate would be zoned for houses of high quality architectural designs called Tudor, Georgian, Elizabethan, Essex and Buckingham, and would be brick-built cottage types. Included in the scheme was a new railway station and Town Hall, churches, schools and a shopping centre designed as a circus at Walton Road. Oliver Hill returned from a spring holiday in Palm Bay, Monte Carlo, fired with inspiration and enthusiasm for Modernist continental architecture. Hill designed the whole scheme, including specifying the road names (suffixed Ways) and some of the best houses as well as the Estate Information Bureau (now The Round House) and the proposed hotel in the undercliff, the design of which is reminiscent of The Midland Hotel at Morecombe. 6 2 k 7 Graces Wal 1 ay 9 Way Way ne y Wa on y Wa 4 East Rain ley War La Way rn nue Ba ley Aud le Q ue Frinton and Walton Heritage Trust Po ham Ave tral Cen Frinton-on-Sea Railway Station 3 & Co., Poole. This was illustrated in ‘The Architects Journal’ May 30 1935. Originally designed to be the Information Bureau with an exhibition of modern architecture by RIBA, the Office was taken over by Tomkins, Homer and Ley in July 1935. It was converted into a house c.1947. 2 The Leas. Designed by Oliver Hill, The Leas displays monolithic, reinforced concrete cavity construction, known as the Wheeler system. The building was originally washed white with shell pink under the surfaces. It was shown in F.R.S. Yorke’s ‘The Modern House in England’ (1937 edition). The outside ladder has now been removed and a double garage has been added to the left. The Leas W Frinton and Walton Heritage Trust will lead tours of the estate at 11am and 3pm on Saturday 10 September, and 10.30am and 2.30pm on Sunday 11 September, meeting at Frinton Railway Museum. Tours are to be pre-booked at www.radicalessex.uk. You can also check if space is available at Frinton Railway Museum. The Railway Museum’s Crossing Cottage houses an impressive selection of artefacts and archive material that tell the story of the local area. Situated in a well-maintained cottage garden, the grounds also include a wildlife area and information board. This is open 10am – 4pm on both days. SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR The Frinton and Walton Heritage Trust have supplied the following information about the key streets to help you explore the estate. 1 Cliff Way. Number 3 was designed by R.J. Page, numbers 6 and 7 by Oliver Hill, and number 4 a combination of both architects. Number 7, also know as The Round House is Grade II listed, with a mosaic floor depicting the entire community designed by Clifford and Rosemary Ellis for Carter 3 Warley Way. Number 16 is known as Willingale, another of Oliver Hill’s masterpieces. It displays render on brick/ blockwork and was a show home with five bedrooms and a maid’s room. The show home brochure indicated it to have Marion Dorn carpets and curtains and woodblock flooring in Deal or Columbian Pine. 4 Easton Way. Hill planned for plots in Easton Way to be allocated to the cream of young designers in the contemporary style such as Frederick Gibberd, Erich Mendelsohn, Serge Chermayeff, Tecton, Wells Coates, F.R.S. Yorke, Maxwell Fry, W.C. Holford & Gordon Stevenson, Raymond McGrath and Connell, Ward & Lucas. Unfortunately not many took up this opportunity, the houses were designed by R.A. Duncan, Hall, Easton & Robertson, Frederick Etchells, Marshall Sisson, E. Warmsley Lewis, as well as Hill himself. Of the home he designed, number 21, the Managing Director of the Frinton Park Estate Marshall Sisson said ‘it has an unfortunate exterior ... (and will) be difficult to sell ... Simple square box with row of five windows in first floor at front and six on the left ... Rather neo-classical and Italian fascist’. 5 Central Avenue. Before 2 April, 2015, if you had gone over the railway bridge you would have seen ‘Frinton Park Court’, the derelict remains of the intended shopping centre designed by Oliver Hill, but now unfortunately demolished. Only one bay of the circus was ever built. 6 Audley Way. Audley Way was designed by Oliver Hill, the architect responsible for planning Frinton Park Estate. Numbers 1, 3 and 4 were featured in the original sales brochure. Number 4 was built for the Rev. Robert Dobie as a seaside annex to his college at Gt. Chesterford, Cambridge. Originally there were two ladders on the outside, now removed, with the front door repositioned and garage added to the right. 7 Graces Walk. Graces Walk was designed by J.T. Shelton, the resident architect for Tomkins, Homer & Ley with houses still showing many of the original features, for example the outside ladder at number 18. 8 Quendon Way. Numbers 55 and 57 were designed by Oliver Hill, named Dawn and Sunnyholme. Both have been sympathetically restored and extended for modern living. They were pictured in a Country Life article ‘A Planned Seaside Resort’ in 1935. 9 Waltham Way. Houses in Waltham Way were also designed by J.T. Shelton. Number 4 displays a traditional style, with a Dutch gable over the front door. Numbers 14 and 22 both have new Crittall windows installed. TOUR OF 11 & 18 GRACES WALK, 12 EASTON WAY, FRINTON PARK ESTATE Homeowners of three properties on the estate invite you to explore the features of the original designs of the largest collection of individually designed Modernist houses in the country. The Graces Walk properties were designed by J.T. Shelton, with 12 Easton Way by Howard Robertson. Visits are pre-booked online or you can enquire for availability in person at Frinton Railway Museum. Saturday: 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, booking required For places to eat, drink and stay whilst in Frinton-on-Sea, please check the Radical Essex map at www.radicalessex.uk Dunton Plotlands The Plotlands existed on the heavy clay known to farmers as ‘three-horse land’, which was the first to go out of cultivation in the agricultural depression. The Plotland properties were built on this land by families (mainly from London’s East End) who bought individual plots. Although originally intended as holiday homes, the Second World War meant that many families came to live in their Plotland homes permanently. The huts and houses were made from various salvaged materials and structures: army huts, old railway coaches, sheds, shanties and chalets, which evolved over time. The Haven is the last of nearly 200 Plotlands homes that occupied the site now owned by the Essex Wildlife Trust. Owned by the Mills family since it was built in the 1930s, it was still standing when the Wildlife Trust took ownership of the reserve in the 1980s. The Haven is now a museum, dedicated to showing people what life was like during the difficult years of the 1930s and 1940s, giving a glimpse to the life of Londoners who purchased land to turn into a country getaway. The Haven is the last remaining bungalow out of hundreds which once stood on the reserve. Visit the Haven museum itself complete with authentic memorabilia, gardens, workshop, washroom and Anderson shelter. The Essex Wildlife Trust is set in a stunning nature reserve of 461 acres which comprises of woodland, meadows, lakes and former plotland gardens. If you wish to explore the area further and learn more of the history, pick up a copy of the Plotlands Walk at Langdon visitor centre. Radical Essex shuttle buses will stop at this venue. The museum is open 10am – 4pm over the weekend. University of Essex, Colchester Campus In 1964 something fierce emerged in rural Essex – a new University determined to break with tradition. The University of Essex’s Colchester Campus was built in the 1960s and designed in the new brutalist style by architect Kenneth Capon. Intended as a ‘vocational powerhouse to train a technocratic elite’ there are no freestanding buildings for autonomous departments, and instead they are distributed in a zig-zag around five squares to encourage meetings between different disciplines and schools. rational combination of steel and glass in a graph paper pattern, Brutalists used powerful sculptural forms and raw concrete to create powerful memorable images rather than beautiful ones. The Architect’s Journal wrote that the campus embodied ‘the most adventurous academic and social ideas to have emerged from the universities’ due to the way the layout of the buildings mirrored the overarching ethos for the university. The designers believed in Brutalism, a major change in direction in architecture. Unlike the first wave of modern architecture in the 1920s with its sleekly Tours take place at 11am and 3pm, lasting approximately 1.5 hours, booking required. Tours meet at the Radical Essex shuttle bus stop on Boundary Road/Valley Road. Jess Twyman, curator of Art Exchange at University of Essex will lead tours of the campus, which will include the iconic north towers, the paternoster lifts and the architectural exhibition ‘Something Fierce’, co-curated by Jess. Across ESSEX ESSEX Architecture Weekend has invited Modernist sites from across the county to participate in the weekend. We are grateful to all homeowners for opening their doors. TOUR OF TYDINGS, MAYLANDSEA TOUR OF 164 CRESSING ROAD, BRAINTREE owes something to Corbusian predecessors (Vauxcresson, Stein/De Monzie), its main inspiration must have been the preliminary drawings for Tecton’s flats in Highgate. Saturday and Sunday: 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm, booking required BEECROFT GALLERY, VICTORIA AVENUE, SOUTHEND-ON-SEA TOUR OF 73 VICARAGE HILL, BENFLEET The Glebe on Vicarage Hill, Benfleet consists of 6 detached Modernist houses designed by renowned Essex architect Norman W.T. Brooks, displaying an early 1960s style, completed in 1963. The owner of number 73 will explain more of this development. Sunday: 11am, 11.30am, 12pm, 12.30pm, 1pm, 1.30pm, 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm, 4pm, 4.30pm, booking required This 1970s Modernist gem is open for visitors to explore at the grateful invitation of the homeowners. An incredible property not to be missed! TOUR OF 180 BISHOPSFIELD ESTATE, HARLOW Saturday: 10am, 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am, 12pm, 12.30pm, booking required TOUR OF ROYAL CORINTHIAN YACHT CLUB, BURNHAM-ON-CROUCH Cressing Road is the site of the country’s first Modernist buildings, a pair of experimental cottages designed in 1917. Homeowners of a neighbouring property explain more about the site. Saturday: 10am, 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am, 12pm, 12.30pm, booking required Members of Royal Corinthian Yacht Club lead a tour of this wonderful building. Royal Corinthian Yacht Club was designed by Joseph Emberton and represented Britain in MoMA’s ‘Modern Architecture: International Exhibition’ in 1932, and has been compared to an ocean liner for its sleek white structure and location. TOUR OF THE SUNSHINE HOUSE, 64 HEATH DRIVE, ROMFORD Beecroft Art Gallery brings together the best of local and historic talent, spanning fine art and costume to inspire you. Sited in the old Brutalist library in Southend-on-Sea the building was designed by Borough Architect R. Horwell, opening in 1974. Saturday and Sunday: 10am – 5pm TOUR OF 52 AND 62 CLATTERFIELD GARDENS, WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA The properties of Clatterfield Gardens were designed by Douglas Niel Martin-Kaye, a Swiss architect who moved to England to lecture in architecture in Southend-on-Sea. He was responsible for a number of buildings in the area, including the tennis pavilion in Westcliff-on-Sea. He was admitted ARIBA in 1919 and FRIBA in 1929, before leaving Essex in the 1940s, moving to London where he had a practice in Doughty Street. Saturday: 11am, booking required Sunday: 1pm, 1.30pm, 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm, 4pm, 4.30pm, booking required 64 Heath Drive was the responsibility of Francis Skinner of Tecton, then around 25 years old, and was the prize-winning house in its class. Although the design Known locally as ‘the Kasbah’ the Bishopsfield Estate, just south of Harlow New Town, is credited as influencing many later generations of architects and town planners. Its design was chosen via an open competition in 1961, and the winner was 24 year old graduate Michael Neylan, who at the time was working with Chamberlin, Powell & Bon. Sunday: 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm, booking required ESSEX Architecture Weekend Talks Programme THE JOY OF ESSEX Screening and Q&A with Jonathan Meades Curated by Warren Harper and Stephanie Sutton, the talks will investigate the significant role Essex has played within British Modernism, in terms of geographical and social position and proximity to the capital. All talks take place in Silver End Village Hall priced at £5.00 per ticket. These can be booked in advance or bought on the door, subject to availability. postwar period. The session will explore how architectural developments from the continent and the United States influenced Britain’s architectural projects, forming a trajectory between local contexts and international trends. Discussions will touch upon architect Wells Coates and his involvement with EKCO, the British radio company based in Southend-on-Sea; the worker villages of Silver End and Bata, East Tilbury as well as architect Raymond Erith and his work in the village of Dedham. A Q&A with the writer, journalist, essayist and film-maker Jonathan Meades will follow a screening of the BBC4 programme ‘The Joy of Essex’ (2013) which sees Meades explore the county’s radical and nonconformist past. Saturday: 4pm – 6pm Sunday: 2pm – 3.30pm VISIONS OF UTOPIA Gillian Darley, Owen Hatherley, Sam Jacob and Verity-Jane Keefe THE CRADLE OF BRITISH MODERNISM? ESSEX ARCHITECTURE, THE INTERWAR YEARS AND POST-WAR LEGACY Catherine Croft, Elizabeth Darling, Alan Powers and Ellen Thorogood LANDSCAPE, IDENTITY AND THE LONDON SPILL Tim Burrows, Matthew Butcher, Charles Holland, Rachel Lichtenstein and Ken Worpole As an introduction to ESSEX Architecture Weekend, this panel discussion will explore the relationship between London and Essex, mapping out a collective cultural history between county and capital. The session will consider why Essex in particular has been a site of experimental thought and lifestyle, examining its proximity to London and the shared waterway of the Thames, a landscape that has offered both industry and recreation. The session will also reflect on the ever-changing perceptions of the county, considering life on the periphery of the city and the redrawing of county lines in the creation of cultural identities. Exploring this relationship will contextualise the weekend’s programme and lay out why Essex holds particularly fertile ground for radical architectural developments and the socio-political projects they foster. Saturday: 2pm – 3.30pm Visions of Utopia presents a series of short talks that relate to the wider themes within the ESSEX Architecture Weekend talks programme, exploring the notion of utopia in either built or ideological form. Can Essex claim to be the ‘birthplace’ of Modernist architecture in Britain? If so, what evidence is there to suggest this and what roles have building projects such as Silver End and Bata, East Tilbury played in this wider narrative? The aim of this session is to discuss the somewhat overlooked architectural history of Essex in relation to both the International Style prevalent during the interwar years and architectural developments of the Subjects include Trotskyist Summer Camps on Mersea Island, the 1973 Essex Design Guide, the imagination of postwar urban planning, and the evolution of the Essex Plotlands. Focusing on individual subject matters, these talks will place a spotlight on lesser-known examples whilst questioning established narratives within social and architectural history. Sunday: 4pm – 6pm Commissions Radical ESSEX has commissioned three new projects for ESSEX Architecture Weekend, all available to view at Silver End Village Hall, celebrating the architectural history of the county, past, present and future. ALAN KANE: THE RADICAL NATIONAL TRUST OF SOUTH ESSEX HAT PROJECTS: ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSION Essex based HAT Project’s installation for Silver End translates the spirit of experimentation that the Radical Essex programme celebrates, into their own exploration of lightweight engineering and methods of creating the maximum visual and spatial impact with the least possible material consumption. Influenced in form and colour by constructivist sculpture, graphic design of the Crittall period, and Cedric Price’s experimental engineering, the installation is created from lightweight aluminium poles and a kilometre of shockcord, with a tetrahedral geometry that creates both strength and stability but also a pleasingly irregular spatial dynamic. Alan Kane launches ‘The Radical National Trust of South Essex’ with a free fundraising disco, featuring Speak and Spell, a Depeche Mode tribute band and DJ sets from Bob Stanley. ‘The Radical National Trust of South Essex’ was inaugurated to recognise and celebrate places of unofficially significant architectural design and places bearing aspects of notable human influence. Made partly in response to the apparent lack of ‘official’ National Trust properties in the region TRNTOSE will also attempt to record and endorse the often ephemeral aspects of the built environment which are in the hands of the woman/man on the street. Kane will be awarding plaques to remarkable examples of recent South Essex heritage landmarks over the coming months and into 2017. Saturday: 6.30–10.30pm It is designed to be easily demounted and erected on multiple occasions and with the potential for alternative configurations. CURL LA TOURELLE HEAD ARCHITECTURE AND THE EVERYDAY PRESS: DETAILS A new volume of the Details booklet will be dedicated to a selection of significant buildings in Essex, continuing the method of drawing peculiar architectural features and compiling them into a portable booklet. This volume, augmented with an essay by architect Charles Holland, is supported by London architecture practice AHMM and published by The Everyday Press. The Essex volume will be available to purchase for £12.00 from Silver End Village Hall. ‘Building the Future’ Family Workshop ‘Building the Future’ is a free drop-in family arts workshop from the Focal Point Gallery learning team. Taking place in Silver End Village Hall, with artist-led sessions that will reference the county’s pioneering twentieth century architecture, you will be guided to create your own family design and artwork using drawing, collage and cardboard construction. Florence Dwyer and Simon Worthington work together to produce work and run workshops that explores themes of communal making and ways of living. Recent projects include ‘Making the Bed, Laying the Table’, a group exhibition of functional household objects produced with Katie Schwab, exhibited at Glasgow’s Sculpture Studios and a Research Residency at Project Ability, Glasgow. Two workshop sessions will take place simultaneously. In the first session, Florence Dwyer and Simon Worthington will run a wearable building workshop. Inspired by the Plotlands developments and the county’s Modernist architecture, you will be encouraged to create your own wearable paper building to add to a utopian landscape. The second focuses on basketry and sculptural weaving techniques, using industrial and unusual materials to create imagined built landscapes, led by India Harvey. India Harvey is a cross-disciplinary artist with a focus on constructed textile and participatory work. In the past India has worked on projects with the South London Gallery, the Arnolfini and National Gallery as well as working and exhibiting in Sweden and the UK. These are free drop-in workshops for all ages, however children must be accompanied by an adult. Book your activities on the day in person at Silver End Village Hall from 10.30am, for one of the following sessions: Saturday and Sunday: 11am – 12pm, 12pm – 1pm, 2pm – 3pm, 3pm – 4pm, all are welcome. Bus Route and Passport Silver End Village Hall Witham Railway Station University of Essex Colchester Campus Boundary Road/Valley Road bus stop Frinton-on-Sea Frinton Railway Museum Dunton Plotlands Essex Wildlife Visitor Centre Bata Estate East Tilbury Library Get your passport stamped at the five destinations on our bus route to claim your free ESSEX Architecture Weekend T-shirt. Bus Timetable Events Listings Saturday South Essex Route: Silver End to Bata Depart Silver End Village Hall ..... 10:45 11:45 12:45 ..... 14:45 15:45 16:45 18:00 18:15 18:35 Arrive Witham Railway Station ..... 10:55 11:55 12:55 ..... 14:55 15:55 16:55 18:10 18:25 18:45 Depart Witham Railway Station 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:30 15:00 16:00 ..... ..... 18:30 ..... Arrive Dunton Plotlands Visitor Centre 10:55 11:55 12:55 13:55 14:25 15:55 16:55 ..... ..... ..... ..... Depart Dunton Plotlands Visitor Centre 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 16:00 ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... Arrive Bata Estate East Tilbury Library 11:25 12:25 13:25 14:25 14:55 16:25 ..... ..... ..... 19:25 ..... SILVER END THE BATA ESTATE Self-Guided Walking Tour of Silver End Village, start at Silver End Village Hall, Main Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 10am – 6pm Silver End Heritage Society Exhibition, Silver End Village Hall, Silver End Heritage Society, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 10am – 6pm South Essex Route: Bata to Silver End Depart Bata Estate East Tilbury Library ..... ..... 10:30 11:30 12:30 13:30 14:30 15:00 ..... 16:30 ..... Arrive Dunton Plotlands Visitor Centre ..... ..... 10:50 11:55 12:55 13:55 14:55 15:25 ..... 16:55 ..... Depart Dunton Plotlands Visitor Centre ..... .... 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 ..... 17:00 ..... Arrive Witham Railway Station ..... ..... 11:55 12:55 13:55 14:55 15:55 16:25 ..... 17:55 17:55 Depart Witham Railway Station 10:00 11:00 12:00 ..... 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 Arrive Silver End Village Hall 10:10 11:10 12:10 ..... 14:10 15:10 16:10 16:40 17:10 18:10 18:40 North Essex Route: Silver End to Frinton Depart Silver End Village Hall ..... 10:45 12:15 13:15 14:15 14:45 16:15 17:15 18:15 Arrive Witham Railway Station ..... 10:55 12:25 13:25 14:25 14:55 16:25 17:25 18:25 Depart Witham Railway Station 10:30 11:00 12:30 13:30 14:30 15:00 16:30 ..... 18:30 Arrive University Of Essex, Colchester (Boundary Road/Valley Road) 11:10 11:40 13:10 14:10 15:10 15:40 17:10 ..... 19:10 Depart University Of Essex, Colchester (Boundary Road/Valley Road) 11:15 11:45 13:15 14:15 15:15 15:45 ..... ..... 19:15 Arrive Frinton-on-Sea (Railway Station car park) 11:55 12:25 13:55 14:55 15:55 16:25 ..... ..... 19:55 North Essex Route: Frinton to Silver End Depart Frinton-on-Sea (Railway Station car park) ..... 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 Arrive University Of Essex, Colchester (Boundary Road/Valley Road) ..... 10:40 11:40 12:40 13:10 14:40 15:40 16:40 17:10 Depart University Of Essex, Colchester (Boundary Road/Valley Road) ..... 10:45 11:45 12:45 13:15 14:45 15:45 16:45 17:15 Arrive Witham Railway Station ..... 11:25 12:25 13:25 13:55 15:25 16:25 17:25 17:55 Depart Witham Railway Station 10:00 11:30 12:30 13:30 14:00 15:30 16:30 ..... 18:00 Arrive Silver End Village Hall 10:10 11:40 12:40 13:40 14:10 15:40 16:40 ..... 18:15 Buses will return from Silver End Village Hall to Witham Railway Station at 8.30pm and 10.30pm on Saturday evening Saturday only Sunday only Looped Film Screening – Silver End Archive, Silver End Scout Hut HQ, Silver Street, Witham, CM8 3PQ, 10am – 6pm Walking Tour of Silver End Village led by members of Silver End Heritage Society, meet at Silver End Village Hall, Main Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 11am and 3pm, booking required Tour of Wolverton, Boars Tye Road, Silver End, Witham CM8 3QE, 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, booking required ‘Building the Future’ Family Workshop, Silver End Village Hall, Small Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, sessions 11am – 12pm, 12pm – 1pm, 2pm – 3pm, 3pm – 4pm, booking required (onsite at Silver End Village Hall) ‘Landscape, Identity and the London Spill’ with Tim Burrows, Matthew Butcher, Charles Holland, Rachel Lichtenstein and Ken Worpole, Silver End Village Hall, Main Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 2pm – 3.30pm, £5.00 ‘The Joy of Essex’ Screening and Q&A with Jonathan Meades, Silver End Village Hall, Main Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 4pm – 6pm, £5.00 Alan Kane’s free fundraising ‘The Radical National Trust of South Essex’ Disco with Speak and Spell and Bob Stanley, Silver End Village Hall, Main Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 6.30 – 10.30pm Self-Guided Walking Tour of the Bata Estate, start at Bata Heritage Centre, East Tilbury Library, Princess Avenue, RM18 8ST 10am – 6pm Bata Heritage Centre Exhibition, East Tilbury Library, Princess Avenue, RM18 8ST, 10am – 5pm Walking Tour of the Bata Estate led by members of Bata Heritage Centre, meet at Bata Heritage Centre, East Tilbury Library, Princess Avenue, RM18 8ST, 11am and 2pm, booking required Tour of 18 Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Bata Estate, East Tilbury, RM18 8SP, 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, booking required FRINTON-ON-SEA Self-Guided Walking Tour of Frinton Park Estate, start at Frinton Railway, Cottage Museum, Station Approach, Frinton, 10am – 6pm Frinton & Walton Heritage Trust Exhibition, Frinton Railway, Cottage Museum, Station Approach, Frinton, 10am – 4pm Walking Tour of Frinton Park Estate by members of the Frinton and Walton Heritage Trust, meet at Frinton Railway, Cottage Museum, Station Approach, Frinton, 11am and 3pm, booking required Sunday SILVER END Tour of 11 and 18 Graces Walk, Frinton Park Estate, CO13 9PQ, 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, booking required PLOTLANDS Self-Guided Walking Tour of the Bata Estate, start at Bata Heritage Centre, East Tilbury Library, Princess Avenue, RM18 8ST, 10am – 6pm Bata Heritage Centre Exhibition, East Tilbury Library, Princess Avenue, RM18 8ST, 10am – 5pm PLOTLANDS The Haven Plotlands Museum, Essex Wildlife Trust Langdon Visitor Centre, Lower Dunton Road, SS16 6EB, 10am – 4pm Self-Guided Walking Tour of Silver End Village, start at Silver End Village Hall, Main Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 10am – 6pm UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX Silver End Heritage Society Exhibition, Silver End Village Hall, Silver End Heritage Society, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 10am – 6pm ACROSS ESSEX Tour of 164 Cressing Road, Braintree, CM7 3PL, 10am, 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am, 12pm, 12.30pm, booking required Beecroft Gallery, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6EX, 10am – 5pm Tour of Tydings, Esplanade West, Mayland, Chelmsford, CM3 6AW, 10am, 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am, 12pm, 12.30pm, booking required Tour of Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, The Quay, Burnham-On-Crouch, CM0 8AX, 11am, booking required Tour of The Sunshine House, 64 Heath Drive, Romford, RM2 5QR, 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm, booking required Walking Tour of Frinton Park Estate by members of the Frinton and Walton Heritage Trust, meet at Frinton Railway, Cottage Museum, Station Approach, Frinton, 10.30am and 2.30pm, booking required BATA Tour of 12 Easton Way, Frinton Park Estate, C013 9NU, 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, booking required Walking Tour of University of Essex, Colchester Campus led by Jess Twyman, University of Essex, Colchester Campus, CO4 3SQ, 11am and 3pm, booking required ‘Visions of Utopia’ with Gillian Darley, Owen Hatherley, Sam Jacob and Verity-Jane Keefe, Silver End Village Hall, Main Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 4pm – 6pm, £5.00 Looped Film Screening – Silver End Archive, Silver End Scout Hut HQ, Silver Street, Witham, CM8 3PQ, 10am – 6pm Walking Tour of Silver End Village led by members of Silver End Heritage Society, meet at Silver End Village Hall, Main Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 11am and 3pm, booking required Walking Tour of the Bata Estate, led by members of Bata Heritage Centre, meet at Bata Heritage Centre, East Tilbury Library, Princess Avenue, RM18 8ST, 11am and 2pm, booking required ‘The Cradle of British Modernism? Essex Architecture, the Interwar Years and Postwar Legacy’ with Catherine Croft, Elizabeth Darling, Alan Powers and Ellen Thorogood, Silver End Village Hall – Main Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, 2pm – 3.30pm, £5.00 UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX Walking Tour of University of Essex, Colchester Campus led by Jess Twyman University of Essex, Colchester Campus, CO4 3SQ, 11am and 3pm, booking required ACROSS ESSEX Tour of 18 Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Bata Estate, East Tilbury, RM18 8SP, 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, booking required FRINTON-ON-SEA Beecroft Gallery, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6EX, 10am – 5pm Tour of 180 Bishopsfield Estate, Harlow, CM18 6UT, 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm, booking required Tour of 73 Vicarage Hill, Benfleet, SS7 1PD, 11am, 11.30am, 12pm, 12.30pm, 1pm, 1.30pm, 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm, 4pm, 4.30pm, booking required Tour of Wolverton, Boars Tye Road, Silver End, Witham CM8 3QE, 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, booking required ‘Building the Future’ Family Workshop, Silver End Village Hall, Small Hall, Witham, CM8 3RQ, sessions 11am – 12pm, 12pm – 1pm, 2pm – 3pm, 3pm – 4pm, booking required (onsite at Silver End Village Hall) The Haven Plotlands Museum, Essex Wildlife Trust Langdon Visitor Centre, Lower Dunton Road, SS16 6EB, 10am – 4pm Tour of 52 and 62 Clatterfield Gardens, Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 0AX, 1pm, 1.30pm, 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm, 4pm, 4.30pm, booking required Self-Guided Walking Tour of Frinton Park Estate, start at Frinton Railway, Cottage Museum, Station Approach, Frinton, 10am – 6pm Frinton & Walton Heritage Trust Exhibition, Frinton Railway, Cottage Museum, Station Approach, Frinton, 10am – 4pm Tour of The Sunshine House, 64 Heath Drive, Romford, RM2 5QR, 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm, booking required Radical Essex would like to give special thanks to the following people: Abellio Greater Anglia, Albany Arts, Arts Council England, Isobel Baird, Anna Basham, Bata Heritage Centre, Beecroft Art Gallery, Tim Burrows, Matthew Butcher, C2C, Colchester Council, Catherine Croft, Curl la Tourelle Head Architects, Gillian Darley, Elizabeth Darling, Arnaud Desjardin, Florence Dwyer, Essex County Council, Essex Wildlife Trust, Jes Fernie, Firstsite, Five Leaves Publications, the team at Focal Point Gallery, Frinton and Walton Heritage Trust, Francesca Genovese, Go Ahead London, Warren Harper, India Harvey, HAT Projects, Owen Hatherley, Heritage Open Days, Paula Hobbs, Pauline Hockley, Susie Hodge, Charles Holland, Julie Hopkins, Catherine Hyland, Charlie Inskip and Nancy Stevenson, Sam Jacob, Judith and Tony Jones, Moira Jones, Alan Kane, Verity-Jane Keefe, Kate Knights, Rachel Lichtenstein, Malvern and Emma May, Jonathan Meades, Fraser Muggeridge studio, Nazari, Kaveeta Parchment, Alan Powers, Riah Pryor, Clare Purser, Red Fox Brewery, Alex Rich, RIBA East, Rivenhall Hotel, The Rolling Bean, Silver End Heritage Society, Silver End Scouts, Silver End Social Club, Alan Smith, Sound Choice Hire, Southend Borough Council, Speak and Spell Band, Members and Management, Bob Stanley, Michael Sullivan, Stephanie Sutton, Mary Tebje, this is tomorrow, Ellen Thorogood, Rachel Treliving, Twelve, Jess Twyman, University of Essex, May Vaclavik, Lauren Verney, VisitEngland, Visit Essex, Alan and Victoria Waine, the late Colin Ward, Wivenhoe House, Ken Worpole, Simon Worthington. ESSEX Architecture Weekend is part of ‘Radical Essex’ a project led by Focal Point Gallery in partnership with Visit Essex and Firstsite, taking place throughout Essex in 2016 and 2017. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England it forms part of the country-wide Cultural Destinations programme, a partnership with VisitEngland, supporting arts organisations to work with the tourism sector to deliver projects to maximise the impact culture has on local economies. Photography: Catherine Hyland Design: Fraser Muggeridge studio Radical Essex Director: Joe Hill Project Manager: Hayley Dixon Project Assistant: Hannah Rose Whittle Volunteers: Teresa Bianchi, Nat Bullard, David Doherty, Eva Duerden, Connie Gallagher, Tom Houghton, Alice Jackson, Mary Lister, Mark Napier, Laura Phelps, Sean Rowlands, Holly Shuttleworth, James Torble, Jacob Watmore www.radicalessex.uk @RadicalEssex