Hutchesontown C
Encyclopedia
Hutchesontown C was the name given to a so-called Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) of an area of Hutchesontown
, a district in the city of Glasgow
, Scotland
. Its centrepiece were two 20-storey slab blocks at 16-32 Queen Elizabeth Square, designed by Sir Basil Spence
and containing 400 homes. Acclaimed by architects and modernists, the flats became riddled with damp and infestations, which could not be cured even with a major renovation in the late 1980s. They were dynamited in 1993, killing a spectator in the process.
’s giant maisonette blocks in Marseille
) designed two "colossal, rugged 20-storey slabs" featuring inset communal balconies. In revealing the design, Spence said to the Glasgow Corporation's Housing Committee that "on Tuesdays, when all the washing's out, it'll be like a great ship in full sail", a reference to Glasgow's shipbuilding
heritage. He hoped to revive working-class life of the tenement back green. His remarks helped break down resistance to tall blocks among the councillors.
, and the buildings were finally ready for occupation in 1965.
' in reference to the large balconies arranged in groups of four throughout the building. However living in the development proved less glamorous as the maintenance required for such a large and complex structure was underestimated from the beginning. By November 1976, the local MP Frank McElhone
, councillors and Scottish Office officials, attended a meeting called by the Laurieston and Hutchesontown Tenants' Associations who pressed for solution to the problem of damp and fungus in the buildings, which led to water running down the walls and water beetles lodging in children's clothing. Several tenants had been following a rent strike
for a year in order to get action from Glasgow City Council. The future of the blocks was a major issue in the 1982 by-election
in the Glasgow Queen's Park
burgh constituency which covered the site.
The persistent dampness, coupled with the attendant problems of vandalism and the uncompromising design, meant that by the 1980s the complex had become a by-word for all that was worst in public sector housing. In 1987 and 1988, the City Council undertook a major renovation, adding a sloping white roof with pediments, placing bright blue cladding around the exteriors of lift shafts, and enclosing the by-then unusable balconies in conservatories.
to have the buildings listed and preserved; they included the blocks as one of Scotland's key modernist monuments
.
On Sunday 12 September 1993 Glasgow City Council invited local people and the media to witness the 'blowdown' of the blocks at noon. The public viewing area was placed too close to the building and debris hit the crowd, killing 61-year-old Helen Tinney who lived locally and injuring four others. Miles Glendinning and Stephen Muthesius' book "Tower Block" published the following year expressed the hope that it might also have "dealt a fatal blow to that most conspicuous ritual of Anti-Modernism–the demolition of tower blocks as public theatre". An exhibition at Gorbals Library paying tribute to Spence in early 2008 was heavily criticised by a former local councillor who noted that the blocks had become known as 'Alcatraz'.
Hutchesontown
Hutchesontown is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde. It forms part of the Gorbals.In McNeill Street, Hutchesontown has one of Glasgow's original Carnegie libraries, deftly designed by the Inverness born architect James Robert Rhind.Following the...
, a district in the city of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Its centrepiece were two 20-storey slab blocks at 16-32 Queen Elizabeth Square, designed by Sir Basil Spence
Basil Spence
Sir Basil Urwin Spence, OM, OBE, RA was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Modernist/Brutalist style.-Training:Spence was born in Bombay, India, the son of Urwin...
and containing 400 homes. Acclaimed by architects and modernists, the flats became riddled with damp and infestations, which could not be cured even with a major renovation in the late 1980s. They were dynamited in 1993, killing a spectator in the process.
Design
The aim was to replace 62 acres (250,905.3 m²) of slums in Hutchesontown with new low and high rise housing, schools and shops. The development consisted of three phases — A, B and C — each designed by a different architect. Hutchesontown C was commissioned in 1959 from Sir Basil Spence and his project architect, Charles Robertson, who (partly inspired by Le CorbusierLe Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
’s giant maisonette blocks in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
) designed two "colossal, rugged 20-storey slabs" featuring inset communal balconies. In revealing the design, Spence said to the Glasgow Corporation's Housing Committee that "on Tuesdays, when all the washing's out, it'll be like a great ship in full sail", a reference to Glasgow's shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
heritage. He hoped to revive working-class life of the tenement back green. His remarks helped break down resistance to tall blocks among the councillors.
Construction
Although Spence began work in 1960 at about the same time as constructors Wimpey began work on their three 20-storey blocks in Hutchesontown A, Wimpey's flats were ready for occupation before Spence had finished his foundations. Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a commemorative plaque on the base of the block on 30 June 1961. The construction work was undertaken by Holland & Hannen and Cubitts (Scotland) LtdHolland, Hannen & Cubitts
Holland, Hannen & Cubitts was a major building firm responsible for many of the great buildings of London.-History:It was formed from the fusion of two well-established building houses that had competed throughout the later decades of the nineteenth century but came together in 1883: this was...
, and the buildings were finally ready for occupation in 1965.
Problems
The blocks were popularly known as 'Hutchie C' and nicknamed 'The Hanging Gardens of the GorbalsGorbals
The Gorbals is an area on the south bank of the River Clyde in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. By the late 19th century, it had become over-populated and adversely affected by local industrialisation. Many people lived here because their jobs provided this home and they could not afford their own...
' in reference to the large balconies arranged in groups of four throughout the building. However living in the development proved less glamorous as the maintenance required for such a large and complex structure was underestimated from the beginning. By November 1976, the local MP Frank McElhone
Frank McElhone
Francis Patrick "Frank" McElhone was a Scottish Labour Party politician.McElhone was elected Member of Parliament for Glasgow Gorbals at a 1969 by-election, serving until the constituency was abolished in boundary changes for the 1974 general election.He was then elected as MP for Glasgow Queen's...
, councillors and Scottish Office officials, attended a meeting called by the Laurieston and Hutchesontown Tenants' Associations who pressed for solution to the problem of damp and fungus in the buildings, which led to water running down the walls and water beetles lodging in children's clothing. Several tenants had been following a rent strike
Rent strike
A rent strike is a method of protest commonly employed against large landlords. In a rent strike, a group of tenants come together and agree to refuse to pay their rent en masse until a specific list of demands is met by the landlord...
for a year in order to get action from Glasgow City Council. The future of the blocks was a major issue in the 1982 by-election
Glasgow Queen's Park by-election, 1982
The Glasgow Queen's Park by-election, 1982 was a parliamentary by-election held on 2 December 1982 for the British House of Commons constituency of Glasgow Queen's Park.- Previous MP :...
in the Glasgow Queen's Park
Glasgow Queen's Park (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Queen's Park was a short-lived burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1974 until 1983...
burgh constituency which covered the site.
The persistent dampness, coupled with the attendant problems of vandalism and the uncompromising design, meant that by the 1980s the complex had become a by-word for all that was worst in public sector housing. In 1987 and 1988, the City Council undertook a major renovation, adding a sloping white roof with pediments, placing bright blue cladding around the exteriors of lift shafts, and enclosing the by-then unusable balconies in conservatories.
Demolition
Despite the work, the dampness problem was not solved. In early 1993 the City Council found that £15-20m needed to be spent to make the flats habitable and the remaining tenants were decanted in preparation for demolition. The modernist architectural conservation organisation DoCoMoMo protested at the decision and applied to Historic ScotlandHistoric Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
to have the buildings listed and preserved; they included the blocks as one of Scotland's key modernist monuments
DoCoMoMo Key Scottish Monuments
DoCoMoMo Key Scottish Monuments is a list of 60 notable post-war buildings in Scotland, compiled in 1993 by the international architectural conservation organisation DoCoMoMo....
.
On Sunday 12 September 1993 Glasgow City Council invited local people and the media to witness the 'blowdown' of the blocks at noon. The public viewing area was placed too close to the building and debris hit the crowd, killing 61-year-old Helen Tinney who lived locally and injuring four others. Miles Glendinning and Stephen Muthesius' book "Tower Block" published the following year expressed the hope that it might also have "dealt a fatal blow to that most conspicuous ritual of Anti-Modernism–the demolition of tower blocks as public theatre". An exhibition at Gorbals Library paying tribute to Spence in early 2008 was heavily criticised by a former local councillor who noted that the blocks had become known as 'Alcatraz'.
External links
- Queen Elizabeth Tower Blocks, The Gorbals, Glasgow, Scotland (Sir Basil Spence official site)