London Tuesdays

I often wonder if I should rename London Tuesdays to Unexpected London. I'm frequently taken by surprise - things I don't expect just... appearing. The Brunswick Centre is one such surprise.

I certainly had no inkling of the Brunswick Centre's existence when I was in nearby Mecklenburgh Square back in May or Bedford Square in August. For me, the area is represented by the gorgeous Georgian houses and pretty squares.

Completed in the early 70s, it was built to provide high density, low rise housing in (what was then) a miserable part of London.

By anyone's standards, the Brunswick is a radical building. It would be a great setting for a sci-fi movie, with its huge concrete frame, elevated walkways and stepped ranks of apartments with curious angled windows. It's such an odd building, variously called a "superblock" or a "megastructure". Its banked ramparts and soaring service towers bring to mind the fantasy designs of the Italian futurist Antonio Sant'Elia; but more commonly, the Brunswick's raw concrete and structural articulation put it firmly in the new brutalist school, alongside other ambitious structures of the time, such as Sheffield's Park Hill housing estate or London's Trellick Tower.

New brutalism is virtually a dirty term these days. It started out as an appropriately no-nonsense style for Britain's postwar, post-colonial identity - honest in its expression of materials, practical, populist and cheap, yet forward-looking. But rather than transforming Britain into a modernist utopia, new brutalism often helped generate the "crap towns" of the future, especially since it became the house style for welfare architecture.

- The Guardian

The raw concrete was painted, returning the look to the Architect's original design, when the centre was re-developed (renovated?) recently. The project cost £24 million and is widely acclaimed as huge success. It is Grade II-listed.

The size and layout made it difficult to photograph. Click here for my attempt at a panorama. Flickr has come to the rescue with a whole pool of photos, mostly pre-renos (look out for the queer Sprinkler Stop Valve pics).

I've made no secret of wanting to live in this area (anywhere between here and Sadler's Wells would be great, thanks). The Times has been singing its praises (kiss of death?) and it seems we haven't a chance in hell of being able to afford a flat in the Brunswick itself. (Which is fine really, as I need to live in a Georgian house.)

WC1 (and EC1/2) has everything we need. There's a lovely part of Coram's Field for Rosie, eight tubes within walking distance, a Waitrose, and a Square Pie:

Truth be told, this was the real reason for a trip to the Brunswick Centre. Big, flakey meat pies and mash (mushy peas for Fred) makes for perfect comfort food in this cold weather. Bring on the snow tomorrow!