Architecture book celebrates London’s most iconic council houses
On World Book Day, we explore The Council House by Jack Young, which celebrates iconic council houses across London

Jack Young - Photography
Survey London’s contemporary streetscape, and the more pessimistically minded might conclude that good-quality social housing has had its day. Instead, the capital is now riddled with countless new-build private apartment blocks, with the much-vaunted ‘affordability’ quota and council houses often relegated down dark side alleys or on another site altogether, if they are even built at all.
Space is at a premium, with ‘micro apartments’ suggested as a way of upping the amount of available housing.
Trellick Tower, 1968-72, W10, Erno Goldfinger, from The Council House
The irony is that Britain used to build some of the best and most generous social housing in the world, strongly influenced by European modernist design. By the 1960s, all council housing was governed by a set of official space standards that most modern developers would baulk at.
Writer and photographer Jack Young’s new architecture book The Council House brings together portraits of 68 of the capital’s most celebrated council house schemes, from high to low rise, scattered across London from north to south.
Dawson’s Heights, SE22, 1968-72, Kate Macintosh (Southwark Department of Architecture & Planning), from The Council House
Young writes unflinchingly about the teething troubles and social ills that frequently tainted the image of the new housing, but balances these with enthusiastic voices from residents old and new.
His excellent photographs veer between heroic celebrations of abstract forms and colour, and contextualising shots that really show how many of these buildings have grown and matured over time.
Lillington Gardens, SW1V, 1964-72, Darbourne & Darke, from The Council House
Although many of the featured buildings and complexes didn’t live up to their utopian promises, the landscape of affordable housing has changed beyond all recognition since they were built.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
As a result, a whole new generation is discovering these structures for their generous space and light. As demolition becomes increasingly uneconomic, London’s 20th-century council housing has become an integral and essential part of the city’s fabric.
Spa Green Estate, EC1V, 1946-49, Tecton Group, from The Council House
Sivill House, E2, 1964-66, Skinner, Bailey & Lubetkin, from The Council House
INFORMATION
The Council House, Jack Young, £18.95, Hoxton Mini Press
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Fluid workspaces: is the era of prescriptive office design over?
We discuss evolving workspaces and track the shape-shifting interiors of the 21st century. If options are what we’re after in office design, it looks like we’ve got them
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This collection of slow furniture is a powerful ode to time
A serene exhibition of David Dolcini's 'Time-made' collection has fast-tracked its place into our hearts and homes
By Ifeoluwa Adedeji Published
-
Is the Pragma P1 the most sustainable watch yet?
Geneva-based brand Pragma combines industrial design with real sustainable credentials
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Ten contemporary homes that are pushing the boundaries of architecture
A new book detailing 59 visually intriguing and technologically impressive contemporary houses shines a light on how architecture is evolving
By Anna Solomon Published
-
Take a deep dive into The Palm Springs School ahead of the region’s Modernism Week
New book ‘The Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975’ is the ultimate guide to exploring the midcentury gems of California, during Palm Springs Modernism Week 2025 and beyond
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Meet Minnette de Silva, the trailblazing Sri Lankan modernist architect
Sri Lankan architect Minnette de Silva is celebrated in a new book by author Anooradha Iyer Siddiq, who looks into the modernist's work at the intersection of ecology, heritage and craftsmanship
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
'Tropicality' explored in Indonesian architect Andra Matin’s first monograph
'Tropicality' is a key theme in a new book on Indonesian architect Andra Matin, whose work blends landscape, architecture and living
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
‘A Time ⋅ A Place’ is a lovingly compiled photographic portrait of cars and architecture
‘A Time ⋅ A Place’ is a celebration of the European Car of the Year and changing perceptions of modern design, pairing the best buildings of the age with their automotive contemporaries
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Álvaro Siza’s new monograph through the lens of Duccio Malagamba is impactful and immersive
Álvaro Siza and photographer Duccio Malagamba collaborate on a new monograph by Phaidon; ‘Before / After: Álvaro Siza Duccio Malagamba’ celebrates the Portuguese architect's work
By Michael Webb Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; here, we explore the genre by continent
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Marcio Kogan’s Studio MK27 celebrated in this new monograph from Rizzoli
‘The Architecture of Studio MK27. Lights, camera, action’ is a richly illustrated journey through the evolution of this famed Brazilian architecture studio
By Jonathan Bell Published