Alton Estate of Mind – the book, revised and redesigned

I designed a guide to the Alton Estate in Roehampton some years ago, but I was never that happy with it. I’ve been tinkering with it recently, given it a redesign, updated the text, corrected any mistakes, added lots more photos (there’s now over 100); in short I’ve made it better.

I’m essentially interested in the two sides of most brutalist public housing – the one side where architects, writers and photographers fawn over the structures, producing everything from books, websites and tea towels (and petitions, if the building is to be demolished, such as Robin Hood Gardens), and the other side, where people (mostly not said architects, writers and photographers) have to actually live in them.

It’s still my ambition to create an Alton Estate (probably just Alton West) out of Lego when I retire.

Previously on Barnflakes
Alton spills
Alton Estate of Mind – the book
Happy 50th birthday, Alton Estate!
Battle of the Brutalists
The Roehampton Watchers

On Barndoor Books
Alton Estate of Mind