Park Hill, Sheffield
Just published - a 24 page tabloid with a selection of photos and accompanying text of my favourite brutalist buildings in Bristol.
The Grade II* listed Park Hill overlooks Sheffield city centre from a prominent ridge.
Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith designed it for Sheffield City Council on slum-cleared land, producing an initial design in six weeks. It drew on their earlier work for the Golden Lane Estate competition alongside the Smithsons.
Construction began in 1957, people started moving into their flats in 1960, and it was completed in 1961. It was the largest development of its kind in western Europe.
It sits on a steep slope, but the roof level remains at the same height throughout. This meant that a deck could be at ground level on one side and seven storey high on the other. All but the highest level had access to the ground, which meant tenants didn’t need to climb stairs or use a lift. The decks embodied the ‘streets in the sky’ principle whereby they were wide enough for children to play, for neighbours to chat and, famously, for milk floats to deliver milk. The estate also included 31 shops, four pubs and a launderette.
Park Hill was popular with residents until the steel industry began to decline and it was beset with social problems during the 1970s and 80s. Urban Splash bought the estate from Sheffield City Council in 2004 and are about two-thirds through refurbishing it.
The graffiti Clare Middleton I love you will u marry me was spray-painted by resident Jason Lowe in 2001 and preserved during the refurbishment. Clare Middleton died of cancer in 2007.
