Brutal utopias: the National Trust launches a new tour series
The National Trust launches a new tour series

Brutalism's image makeover is reaching its zenith, surely, with the National Trust – that bastion of period properties – jumping on the brutal bandwagon. The institution is hosting 'Brutal Utopias: a National Trust celebration of brutalist architecture', with exciting behind-the-scenes tours of some of the most important brutalist structures in London, Norwich and Sheffield.
Championed by young pioneering architects determined to reinvent social housing after the Second World War, brutalist homes replaced bomb-damaged slums. But despite the optimism, they were too often poorly maintained. What had been crisp concrete sometimes ended up as a sink-estate.
Sheffield's 1961 Park Hill housing estate, which is on the National Trust's itinerary, was an example of all that was wrong with the movement. Its architects Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith were heavily influenced by Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation in Marseille, hence the al fresco corridors or 'streets in the sky'. However, Park Hill suffered from social issues and neglect, and was only saved from the wrecking ball by being Grade II* listed in 1998. Studio Egret West and Hawkins\Brown are now renovating it for developers Urban Splash.
On tours of the Southbank's Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery in London, visitors will get to admire the original fixtures and fittings that are normally off-limits, before the buildings close for a two-year, £24m refurbishment by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.
In Norwich, tours will be conducted around the University of East Anglia, whose campus was designed by Denys Lasdun, architect of the National Theatre. Perhaps visitors will catch a glimpse of the £8m redevelopment of Norwich's Westlegate Tower, which is being transformed from a defunct 1950s eyesore into luxury apartments by 5th Studio.
As well as the on-site access, the National Trust is arranging a romp around London aboard a 1962 Routemaster Coach. Tours will take in concrete delights including Frederick Gibberd's Lansbury Estate; Chamberlin, Powell and Bon's Barbican Estate; the Alexandra Road Estate by Neave Brown; and Ernö Goldfinger's Trellick Tower. A must for fans of brutalism's concrete charms.
Its campus was designed by Denys Lasdun, architect of the National Theatre.
Located in Norwich, the university complex is defined by geometrical concrete forms.
Sheffield’s Park Hill housing estate is also on the National Trust’s itinerary.
The housing block was designed by Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith in 1961.
The building suffered social issues and neglect but has now been given a Grade II* listing and is being redeveloped by Studio Egret West and Hawkins\Brown for Urban Splash.
In London, the National Trust will offer tours of the Southbank Centre. courtesy National Trust
Visitors will be able to see the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery before the buildings close for a two-year, £24m refurbishment by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. courtesy National Trust
Along with the complex’s much-loved public areas...courtesy National Trust
... visitors will also be able to view original fixtures and fittings that are normally off-limits. courtesy National Trust
INFORMATION
Visit the National Trust for timings and information on the tours
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Clare Dowdy is a London-based freelance design and architecture journalist who has written for titles including Wallpaper*, BBC, Monocle and the Financial Times. She’s the author of ‘Made In London: From Workshops to Factories’ and co-author of ‘Made in Ibiza: A Journey into the Creative Heart of the White Island’.
-
‘Dressed to Impress’ captures the vivid world of everyday fashion in the 1950s and 1960s
A new photography book from The Anonymous Project showcases its subjects when they’re dressed for best, posing for events and celebrations unknown
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Inside Camperlab’s Harry Nuriev-designed Paris store, a dramatic exercise in contrast
The Crosby Studios founder tells Wallpaper* the story behind his new store design for Mallorcan shoe brand Camperlab, which centres on an interplay between ‘crushed concrete’ and gleaming industrial design
By Jack Moss Published
-
We explore Franklin Israel’s lesser-known, progressive, deconstructivist architecture
Franklin Israel, a progressive Californian architect whose life was cut short in 1996 at the age of 50, is celebrated in a new book that examines his work and legacy
By Michael Webb Published
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?
Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
By Emily Wright Published
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in Oxford
The Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
By Shawn Adams Published
-
A Norfolk bungalow has been transformed through a deft sculptural remodelling
North Sea East Wood is the radical overhaul of a Norfolk bungalow, designed to open up the property to sea and garden views
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Brutalist bathrooms that bare all
Brutalist bathrooms: from cooling concrete flooring to volcanic stone basins, dip into the stripped-back aesthetic with these inspiring examples from around the world
By Tianna Williams Published
-
A new concrete extension opens up this Stoke Newington house to its garden
Architects Bindloss Dawes' concrete extension has brought a considered material palette to this elegant Victorian family house
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A former garage is transformed into a compact but multifunctional space
A multifunctional, compact house by Francesco Pierazzi is created through a unique spatial arrangement in the heart of the Surrey countryside
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st Century
Thanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Manchester United and Foster + Partners to build a new stadium: ‘Arguably the largest public space in the world’
The football club will spend £2 billion on the ambitious project, which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has described as the ‘world's greatest football stadium’
By Anna Solomon Published