Tour of the Sixties
London has street cred. Some places have no street cred at all. In fact, London - the thriving, bustling metropolis - is ringed by towns with negative credibility.
Forty five minutes by train from any London station you find these places. Southend. Sidcup. Croydon. Harlow. Basildon.
What’s wrong with Basildon?
It’s a ghastly place. A town in the middle of nowhere, among the muddy flat fields of Essex. Inhabited by no-hopers who can’t afford to move out. Where the shopping centre is the most interesting place you can go.
But one brave man is trying to rehabiliate Basildon’s reputation. In fact, says Vin Harrop, it’s a fine example of the Utopian ideals of the nineteen-sixties - and it has some amazing modern architecture.
He is behind a Heritage Trail of the town that shows visitors some architectural gems. Sir Basil Spence’s Brooke House, for instance, is a Grade II listed block of flats. (Remember, Sir Basil also designed Coventry Cathedral, widely regarded as a landmark of 60s architecture.)
I actually think Basildon has a bit of a split personality. On the one hand, it’s a mess. Litter everywhere, uncared-for buildings, no real spirit to it. And on the other hand, that Utopian dream - the idea that things could be better, if only we designed them better.
And if you like the ironies contained in that split personality, Basildon might be an interesting place to visit. Start off at Fenchurch Street Station - there are four trains an hour.
More info on Basildon here - a blog from one of the members of the Heritage Trail team.
Picture credit: Nick Ellis on Flickr
Tags: 1960s, basildonRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Days out from London, Tours - Guided or Self-Guided
1 opinion for Tour of the Sixties
Leona Green
Jul 30, 2008 at 7:22 am
“Inhabited by no-hopers who can’t afford to move out”!
How dare you stereotype the entire population of a town. What did you base this comment on? You have obviously never lived here - or spent a long period of time here.
I grew up in Basildon, lived in London for 8 years and ended up moving back. It’s full of people who don’t move out because they love it. There is a real sense of community if you bother to look for it.
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