The Lawn (Harlow)
Residential in Harlow, Essex
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lawn is a mid-twentieth-century low-rise building located on the outskirts of Old Harlow, to the east of the town of Harlow, Essex, England.
| The Lawn | |
|---|---|
The Lawn in Harlow, Essex. | |
 Interactive map of the The Lawn area | |
General information | |
| Type | Residential |
Architectural style | Brutalist / Modernist |
| Location | Harlow, Essex, The Lawn, Harlow CM20 2JX |
| Coordinates | 51°46′49.7″N 0°07′31.0″E |
Completed | 1951 |
| Opening | 1951 |
| Height | |
| Top floor | 10 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Steel frame |
| Floor count | 10 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Frederick Gibberd |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 22 Dec 1998 |
| Reference no. | 1246029 |
| Developer | Harlow Development Corporation |
The building is noted as being the first residential tower block in the UK,[1][2] as well as being the location of its first pedestrian precinct.[3] The structure was completed in 1951 to coincide with the Festival of Britain.[4] It was designated a Grade II listed building in 1998.[5]
Construction
Architect Sir Frederick Gibberd was appointed master planner for Harlow New Town in 1946,[4] tasked with constructing the estate largely using two-storey houses with a private garden.[6] Gibberd however was a keen proponent of mixed development styles, and insisted (to the Company's disapproval) that 20-30% of the site include flats.[6]
The building has an unconventional ‘butterfly’ shape, built so as to preserve a number of old oak trees within its vicinity,[4] as well as to give each flat a south-facing balcony.[2] Nine residential floors each have four flats per floor, with a total of 36 flats in the building.[4]
Upon completion, The Lawn was awarded a Ministry of Health Housing medal.[1]
Response
The building marked the beginning of a long period of construction of high rise residential buildings, which by 1975 had produced a total of "440,000 high-rise flats for public housing" in the UK. The government at the time offered a subsidy for every storey added to projects.[1]
Harlow was notably one of few towns to see council tower block construction into the late 1980s, despite changing Government policies, concluding with the construction of Netteswell Tower in 1986.[6]