Bungalows
As I said, I lived in a bungalow as a kid...normally when you think of bungalows you think of homes for old people, but on Kenton Bar this was not the case...These were 3 bedroomed and surely designed for families...I think therefore a flaw in the housing designed for the estate was that it was not designed for old people to live there...as the estate evolved you found that the aged population ended up in the flats, cube or block, but these had no lifts for old people...
But to get back to the bungalows, what was good about the design was that the bedrooms(except for the last one down the long corridor)were 'semi detached'(joining onto the corridor only...-the last one might join to another bungalow like ours did, but some didnt as they were not 'joined' and on the other side of the wall was a thoroughfare)The living rooms were totally detached:only the corridor joined to the next door bungalow, whilst the front room/kitchen backed on to an adjacent bungalow garden-or thoroughfare eg Studdon Walk bungalows/Hartburn Walk Bungalows...so they were very quiet! most were in a quadrant of 4, but some were just '2'az(only 2 in their quadrant) The childrens home at the end of Hartburn were a 2'az knocked into 1 house/home...did they had vent heating or underfloor?...cant remember...
But to get back to the bungalows, what was good about the design was that the bedrooms(except for the last one down the long corridor)were 'semi detached'(joining onto the corridor only...-the last one might join to another bungalow like ours did, but some didnt as they were not 'joined' and on the other side of the wall was a thoroughfare)The living rooms were totally detached:only the corridor joined to the next door bungalow, whilst the front room/kitchen backed on to an adjacent bungalow garden-or thoroughfare eg Studdon Walk bungalows/Hartburn Walk Bungalows...so they were very quiet! most were in a quadrant of 4, but some were just '2'az(only 2 in their quadrant) The childrens home at the end of Hartburn were a 2'az knocked into 1 house/home...did they had vent heating or underfloor?...cant remember...
The Estate was designed for Professionals prepared to pay higher than normal Council House rents. I guess that wrinklies didn't fit into the brief.
ReplyDeleteBack then, older folk often still lived with their families or in homes. I think that North Kenton had some OAP housing.
The bungalow design was said to be innovative, according to the brief. It says they were Z shaped, but I don't recall them too much, other than being spacious and having secluded courtyard gardens.
Z shaped is about right, but the diagonal bit of the z was vertical...it was a small corridor containing the 'airing cupboard' which faced the front door...wish I could get the plans of the bungalow design...incidently Shades, how many pages of the book are on Kenton Bar? How many illustrations? Is it worth getting?
ReplyDeleteShades, just realised that means all the kids on Kenton Bar Estate when we lived there were 'posh' working class types...If only I had realised I would have pranced about wearing a monocle...wonder if the rents are still higher than the normal council house rents...I will find out...
ReplyDeleteMy eyebrows went up at the word "professionals" but I do remember the term "selected tenants" on the sheet of paper that explained the different housing types. By that I assume they meant not slum clearance...
ReplyDeleteBy the time we had moved into Eland Close though, the corrosive effects of living next to North Kenton were making a mockery of that description.
The book is worth getting if you are interested in the architectural aesthetic but I imagine that the exhibition may well have been much more visual. It is quite expensive and not targeted at the populist reader. I found it fascinating though, as there are many buildings around the North East that I recognised. There are 4 photos and they are nothing striking really, other than the mini-skirted woman walking down Ryal Walk where the Pyry can be glimpsed.
Chapter four is called "Multi-occupancy living" and about six pages are devoted to Kenton (& half a page of that for St. Cuthberts to set the scene).
ReplyDeleteMost informative, thank thou...
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome.
ReplyDeleteAdmin guys, can you find a setting or widget that shows the most recent comments left in the sidebar? Sometimes I don't notice them for a while...
(I know you can get them for Wordpress but I'm not certain about Blogger though).
Master-get on to it...help noble shades...
ReplyDelete:-)
ReplyDeleteShades, with regard the rents on Kenton Bar Estate still being higher than other council estates my contact tells me that, believe it or not the rents for the horrible Byker Wall complex are the highest in the city nowerdays...
ReplyDeleteByker wall is mentioned in the book as a reluctant influence- R&Y changed their style for Albany Village in Washington, circa 1974. It is described as a vernacular revival as a reaction to Modernism's failure in public housing, mainly because of the flat roofs!
ReplyDeleteIt also has something called "Mixer courts", cars one side of the terraces, pedestrians the other. This was based on Tenant dissatisfaction at Kenton with long walks to the garage courts away from the buildings.
You can see it on Google Maps here.
Excellent Shades thank thou..I notice there is no street view available to your link...If the master commands I will go there and photograph this find...master?
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a shame there isn't streetview for Washington or Peterlee. From the photo in the book it isn't very Kentonesque- double-pitched roofs made from multi-coloured interlocking concrete tiling down to first floor level, with dark brown brickwork and stained wood pergolas. Look out for the long banana shaped blocks of three or four storey flats.
ReplyDeleteI must go and have a look at Washington. My understanding is that Washington was not a project that the senior partners were closely involved with .. nor (unlike Kenton) ultimately very proud of.
ReplyDeleteAnon, The book says that "Albany has suffered from sheer neglect" but that "Kenton has survived remarkably well, save for replacement doors and windows".
ReplyDeleteShades, with regard the rents on Kenton Bar Estate still being higher than other council estates my contact tells me that, believe it or not the rents for the horrible Byker Wall complex are the highest in the city nowerdays...
ReplyDeleteZ shaped is about right, but the diagonal bit of the z was vertical...it was a small corridor containing the 'airing cupboard' which faced the front door...wish I could get the plans of the bungalow design...incidently Shades, how many pages of the book are on Kenton Bar? How many illustrations? Is it worth getting?
ReplyDelete