“mid century modern” - a photo on Flickriver

            In England LOW RISE HOUSING from the 1960s is possibly less popular than any other type (except for HIGH RISE HOUSING from the 1960s).  Few find it visually appealing and it is scarcely written about or photographed.  But “sixties” low rise looks the way it does for very good reasons.  Stringent post war budget & time constraints caused Government and private clients to instruct their architects to come up with low cost design free of excess ornament and capable of being erected quickly by the large building firms such as Taylor Woodrow, Laing and Wimpey.  Small artisan firms employing master craftsmen lost out because their labour intensive work affected delivery programmes and was too costly for low construction budgets.   

Several common external features of “sixties” low rise give it a strong identity.  Many have ultra low pitched roof lines and note :  no chimney stacks - they were no longer needed in the new age of central heating.  The outside walls are bare and plain, built in dull brown unrelieved stretcher bond brickwork topped with gable end barge boards usually painted white.  White framed windows are often panoramic in arrangement.  Vertically hung flat concrete tiles can often be seen between the ground and first floor windows.  Rising car ownership resulted in the provision of open car ports made up of a flat canopy supported by slender columns.  Alternatively you can find remotely sited rows of flat roofed garages, as seen here.     

In my own view "sixties” or “mid century modern” low rise housing can be successful when interesting geometric form and layout is seen in a mature landscape setting. 

COPYRIGHT © Towner Images

Taken on: December 16, 2017

Tags:

1960s

architecture

Liverpool

Towner

building

landscape

Merseyside

England

Towner Images « less

Sets appears in: • Liverpool - Aigburth

Groups appears in: • FlickrCentral • England more » • UK • UK Flickr users • canon photography • Liverpool • Artistic Photography • Buildings/Architecture • Flickr Addicts • !FlickrSoup for Soul • liverpool photos • Flickritis: over 87,000 waiting for a vaccine. • This Is Europe • FlickrToday (only 1 pic per day) • architectural photography • An Urban Picture of Britain • the poetics of space • Great Britain • Photography Gallery (3 photos/day) • canon digital photography. • Architecture UK • Architecture Photography • Architecture in Europe • Architecture Travellers • A Picture of Britain • "I AM TELLING YOU A STORY HERE. CAN YOU SEE IT?" • Architecture of Days Gone By • Liverpool Photographers • Architecture Directory • UK - The Urban Side • Flickriver • This Is England • Post The Best • Urban Liverpool • The world through photography • !!Perfect Composition!! • Inspirational Photography • England, Beautiful English Scenes • *poetry of images • Liverpool and Wirral Flickr Group • Love Liverpool • "U.K. Photo Gallery" ( All Welcome ) • Angoli di borghi e città • South Liverpool Community - MERSEYMART • The best of Liverpool - past and present • Photographers and Graphic designers! • Libro de Fotos / Photo Book • liverpool past and present • Digital SLR Life • Photographs Taken in Liverpool & Merseyside. (old and new) • Amateur Photographer Magazine • Liverpool Buildings • Liverpool's Photographers « less

Stats: 3,700 views / 6 comments

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: