Alton Estate: exterior of slab block and library
Alton Estate: exterior of slab block and library
Return to Modernist London 81 items
Record No
249946
Title
Alton Estate: exterior of slab block and library
Description
This photograph shows Allbrook House, a 'slab' block on the Alton West estate. Accessed by a curved ramp, the building marks the boundary between the estate and the old village of Roehampton. H.J. Whitfield Lewis, who presided over the London County Council (LCC) Housing Division from 1950 to 1959, stated that in planning the area “we were at great pains not to destroy the village as a centre but to extend it". To this end, the open space around the block was enclosed by shopping terraces.

Roehampton Library is also visible in this photograph, slotted snugly underneath and either side of the piloti (pillars) of Allbrook House. Although the library should have been designed by Wandsworth Borough Council, the LCC considered it integral to their plans for the area. Each side of the library was capped by a cluster of domes, with glass lenses illuminating individual bays of bookshelves beneath. Unlike any other building on the estate, the exterior was rendered in mineralite - a cement-based render incorporating mica - that gave the building a sparkly finish. The interior also featured a wax resin mural by William Mitchell.

Though Allbrook House and Roehampton Library were well-documented by the Architect’s Department Photographic Unit, reflecting their importance within the wider scheme, both are at risk of redevelopment in 2019.
Date of execution
1962
Section
London Metropolitan Archives
Collection
LCC Photograph Library
Notes
28.75 ALT
Medium
photograph
Catalogue No
SC_PHL_02_0745_62_2173
Subjects
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