London’s council estates are often maligned, regularly used as lazy shorthand to depict both crime and poverty. But in the form of brutalist blocks, modernist towers and more, these spaces play home to some of the city’s most iconic architecture, illustrating the visionary potential of public housing when built with community at its heart.
Text: Alex Norris – Photography: Jack Young
FROM TOWER BRIDGE TO THE SHARD, London hosts a wealth of world-famous architecture. But while much has been written about these grandiose designs, the buildings that sit in their shadows are rarely celebrated.
By celebrating an overlooked area of British architecture, this is where Jack Young’s new book, The Council House, attempts to draw our attention. The book, which comprises photos of 68 council estates across the capital, along with historical details and conversations with residents, shows why these often-maligned buildings remain integral to the city’s identity.
“Council houses make up London’s architectural DNA just like places like Buckingham Palace and Big Ben,” says Young. “It’s all London. And these buildings also have architectural clout and history.”
Seen through Young’s lens, buildings that may initially seem mundane become strange and new. His photos highlight quirks we might otherwise miss, such as a towering art wall on Tower Hamlets’ Thornfield House, or rare Grade II listed play equipment in the long, meandering slide outside Westminster’s Brunel Estate.
The photographs that form The Council House are bold and bright, the buildings shot against clear blue skies or lambent golden-hour glows. This is no accident. “A lot of estates are pictured in television dramas and become these gritty backdrops. What I try to do with photography is flip that, and photograph these estates so they look their best, so they can shine and be celebrated.”
Often used as media shorthand for crime or poverty, when removed from this spurious context, the architectural prowess of these buildings becomes clear. Kensal Green’s Trellick Tower, for example – once dubbed the ‘Tower of Terror’ by tabloids – looks radiant in the sun, its vibrant primary colour interior a joyful reprieve from the chalky white of many communal stairwells.
Young’s photos suggest a utopia of council housing. It’s a million miles from the realities facing many tenants today, where issues such as mould, overcrowding and disrepair are commonplace. Emblematic of this was the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, which highlighted the lethal consequences of
