Arlington House, Margate, Kent, UK - a photo on Flickriver

            As I understand it, the start of the 1960s was a time of architectural optimism: post-war Britain was being rebuilt for a more aspirational population with greater leisure opportunities.  The future was a break from the past: modern and high-rise.
At least that's how I rationalise Arlington House, on Margate seafront: it may seem incongruous to 21st Century eyes, but at the time it made perfect sense; it was even a return to the Art Deco ideals of pre-war seaside developments.

Built in 1963 on reclaimed salt marsh, "Britain's first 'park and buy' shopping centre with luxury flats" featured 52 shops plus a pub and a supermarket, alongside a petrol station and a multi-storey car park for 500 vehicles, all centred on this apartment block.
Constructed with white concrete cladding impregnated with glittery mica particles, the 58m-tall, 18-storey block was divided into 142 apartments. The lobby was detailed in Carrara marble, with a teak-and-brass concierge lodge; the plan even included a theatre, swimming pool, rooftop garden and restaurant, though only the last was realised.  Leases were initially short (5-7 years): flats targeting a dynamic, high-turnover market sector rather than long-term family homes.

The immediate problem was that the aforementioned 'aspirational population' soon preferred Mediterranean package holidays to weeks on the north-facing English Channel coast, and Margate never transcended its 'buckets, spades and amusement arcades' image. Neglected high-rise developments also acquired a poor reputation in the UK; Robert Calvert apparently wrote the 1979 Hawkwind song 'High Rise' ("It's a human zoo / A suicide machine") whilst living in Arlington House.

It's fair to say, without judgement, that modern Margate is a run-down seaside resort in a particularly deprived area of the UK. Gentrification of the Old Town and the 2011 opening of the Turner Contemporary art gallery have brought additional sources of revenue, but the very first sight greeting visitors at the railway station is this 1960s tower block. It doesn't help.

I even like Brutalist architecture, and this stepped, wavelike design with huge windows was a great way to give residents both seaward and landward views (and breezes), but the maritime climate is unforgiving and some of those curtains could do with replacement.

Taken in: UK / England / Thanet District / Margate (show map)

Taken on: May 22, 2016

Tags:

arlington house

margate

kent

concrete

high rise

apartment block

block of flats

window « less

Sets appears in: • Kent

Groups appears in: • Kent • Gray! more » • Margate, UK • Planet Thanet • Urban Fragments 2 (NO people) • Where people live « less

Camera: Canon EOS 60D, f/11.0, 1/100 sec, 146mm, ISO 125 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 60D
Lens:	EF-S55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Focal Length:	146mm
ISO:	125
Exposure Bias:	-2/3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 (Windows)
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