The architectural legacy of the 1960s and 70s
UK building in the 1960s and 70s were made to look ugly. This ugliness of many British buildings from that period came from a mix of social, economic, political, and architectural reasons rather than simply bad taste.
After World War II, Britain needed to rebuild fast. There was a housing crisis and widespread bomb damage. Concrete was cheap, quick, and easy to use, so it became the dominant material. Unfortunately, much of it was poorly made and not suited to the damp British climate, leading to staining, cracking, and decay. Maintenance budgets were low, so buildings aged badly and quickly.
Architects were influenced by Modernism and Brutalism, which emphasized honesty of materials, clean forms, and social purpose rather than decoration. In theory, this meant showing structure and materials rather than hiding them. At its best, the results were bold and sculptural, like the Barbican or the National Theatre. But when local councils tried to apply the same ideas cheaply, the results were harsh, repetitive, and uninspired.
Britain in the 1960s and 1970s was struggling economically. Many projects were built on tight budgets and with heavy bureaucracy. Designs were often simplified, and prefabricated systems were used to save time and money. This led to monotony and low-quality construction.
Town planners believed in “urban renewal” – clearing old, dense neighbourhoods and replacing them with modern high-rise estates and elevated walkways. These were meant to be efficient and progressive, but they often broke up communities and created isolated, unattractive environments. Within a decade or two, many of these estates had social and structural problems.
When they were built, these structures were considered forward-looking and rational. But by the 1980s and 1990s, people associated concrete architecture with urban decay, bureaucracy, and neglect. Meanwhile, older Victorian and Georgian styles became more romanticized, making the contrast even sharper.
In short, the ugliness of 1960s and 1970s British architecture came from a mix of modernist ideals, economic limitations, rapid construction, and poor upkeep rather than just bad design or taste. There are notorious examples of 1960s and 1970s British buildings that earned reputations for ugliness or failure, along with what went wrong in each case.
Take Hulme Crescents in Manchester. Built in the early 1970s, this vast housing estate was designed with deck-access blocks meant to recreate the feeling of terraced streets in the sky. The concept looked good on paper but failed in practice. The concrete construction was poor, the flats were cold and damp, and the raised walkways became unsafe and isolated. Within a decade, the estate had serious crime and maintenance problems and was demolished in the 1990s.
There was Robin Hood Gardens in London. Completed in 1972, this was meant to be a model of social housing based on modernist principles. It featured massive concrete blocks and an internal ‘street in the sky’ system. The idea was that residents would interact as in traditional streets, but in practice the walkways became windswept, dark, and intimidating. Maintenance was poor, noise insulation was terrible, and residents disliked the layout. it was demolished in 2017.
Cumbernauld Town Centre in Scotland was designed as a “megastructure” combining shops, offices, and housing, It opened in the 1960s and was quickly seen as one of the ugliest buildings in the UK. Its concrete corridors and enclosed spaces were confusing and gloomy, with little natural light. The design failed to attract the vibrant community life planners had hoped for, and it became symbolic of overambitious modernist planning gone wrong. Much of it has since been demolished or redeveloped.
Started in the late 1960s, Thamesmead was intended to be a futuristic community with lakes, walkways, and modern flats. The reality was harsh concrete blocks separated by empty open spaces. The raised walkways created safety issues, and poor transport links left residents cut off. It became a visual shorthand for postwar urban failure, famously used as a backdrop in the film ‘A Clockwork Orange.’
Built in the 1960s as a combination of shops, car park, and apartments, Portsmouth’s Tricorn Centre was one of Britain’s most hated buildings. Its rough concrete forms and confusing layout alienated shoppers and residents alike. Rainwater leaked through, the concrete stained quickly, and the building became derelict. It was demolished in 2004 after years of public pressure.
Completed in the early 1970s, London’s Broadwater Farm Estate used prefabricated concrete panels and elevated walkways linking the buildings. Poor design and neglected maintenance led to severe damp problems, leaking roofs, and safety hazards. The confusing layout and social isolation contributed to tensions that culminated in the 1985 riots. Major redevelopment and community work later improved conditions, but the original design was widely condemned.
In each of these cases, the underlying issue was not only architectural style but also poor materials, rushed construction, and urban planning theories that did not suit real human needs. Many of the ideas were idealistic and even humane in intention, but the results were cold, decaying, and alienating environments that quickly fell into disrepair. Goodbye to all that.
Madsen Pirie