Housing in Milton Keynes

Housing in Milton Keynes

Housing was the key reason Milton Keynes was designated as the largest new town in the United Kingdom in 1967. It was to provide a place to live for Londoners living in slums, overcrowding from the south of Buckinghamshire and some of the predicted population increase in the south east.The Milton Keynes Development Corporation aimed to build an attractive city, have a variety of housing options and give people freedom of choice for where and how they lived. This exhibition explores some examples of housing built in the area before, during and after the Corporation's existence.Do you think they achieve the goals?

Housing in Milton Keynes

Burley Cottages. It is likely that both these cottages were originally thatched and timber framed. The right-hand cottage was partly rebuilt in brick in the 17th or early 18th century. They were most likely built for newly independent or tenant farmers during a time of rising prosperity. They demonstrate the shift in domestic architecture from timber and thatch to brick and tile between the 1500s and 1700s. Our local area has an abundance of clay, so this was an efficient move. Brick has remained the dominant building material ever since, especially after the coming of the canal and railway.

16th - 17th Century

Milton Keynes Village

Vernacular

The London and North Western Railway Company had its Locomotive Works (later Carriage and Wagon Works) halfway between London and Birmingham and established Wolverton to house its employees. The company provided housing and amenities from 1838 onwards and Wolverton was essentially a 19th century new town built on a grid system. Cambridge Street was built in the 1890s with money from the Wolverton Permanent Benefit Building Society. This organisation was established after the railway company decided not to build any more houses. Wolverton typifies Victorian red brick architecture, with rows of terraced houses. Foremen at Wolverton Works tended to live in slightly larger houses on the ends of terraces, with general workers in the main row. The chimney of the Works can be seen in the background of this image.

1890s

Cambridge Street, Wolverton

Victorian

Wolverton Urban District Council (UDC) embarked on redevelopment of the town during the 1960s. Some of the streets and buildings dating back to its foundation were demolished, including The Gables, which was traditionally the home of the superintendent of Wolverton Works. In 1964 the UDC employed external designers and consultants for new flats and houses on St Georges Way, including an eleven storey tower block. Named The Gables for the stylish house that once stood where it was built, the tower block is itself awaiting demolition in 2023.

Wolverton Urban District Council, 1964

The Gables, Wolverton

Redevelopment

In 1952, Bletchley became the first town to expand under the Town Development Act. This was done in three phases over a period of about twenty years and re-housed around 20,000 people from London. There were no consultant planners, no masterplan and no development corporation. The final phase was the Lakes Estate, built by the Greater London Council from 1967, after the designation of Milton Keynes new town. It was built on a Radburn layout, where vehicles and pedestrians are segregated to leave a traffic-free interior, and has a unified architectural style built in an abundance of concrete. When complete, the estate accommodated around 6,000 people in 2,000 houses.

Bletchley Urban District Council / Greater London Council, 1967

Lakes Estate, Bletchley

Expansion

After Milton Keynes was designated as a New Town in 1967 and the master plan for development published in 1970, the first housing began in Galley Hill. These 363 dwellings, mostly for rent, were designed by MKDC and built by Mowlem. They are mostly three and four bedroom semi-detached houses in courtyards, with mono-pitched roofs and clad with bricks and weather boarding. The buildings were constructed to Parker Morris standards, which applied to all public housing and set out how much space was needed for people to live their lives in their homes. The scheme came in costing above the housing cost yardstick, another standard that encouraged high density housing by controlling how much could be spent on a scheme per dwelling. A housing feedback study three years after residents had moved in showed that 94% of them were very pleased or quite pleased with the housing. Tenants’ comments indicated they would have liked larger lounges and gardens.

Milton Keynes Development Corporation, 1971-1972

Galley Hill

New Town Rent

This was the largest rental scheme in the new town development; it occupies virtually the whole of the grid square. Designed by MKDC with construction by Llewellyn, there are 1,043 dwellings laid out in long terraces, under a constant flat roofline. To achieve this, the buildings are between one and three storeys, depending on the landscape contours. The timber frames were clad in aluminium at the front and wood at the back. Car-parking varied from hard-standing to mews garages, to integral garaging in the three storey houses.

Milton Keynes Development Corporation, 1972-1977

Netherfield

New Town Rent

This scheme occupies the northern part of Eaglestone, off most of Harrier Drive. It was the first time an outside architect had been employed by MKDC for both rental and sale housing, and also built by the same contractor - Bovis. Like the Lakes Estate, it is designed on a Radburn layout; the vehicles are separated into grouped garaging, with footpaths leading to a traffic-free interior. There were 230 houses for rent and 557 for sale; a mix of bungalows, semi-detached and short terraces in one and two storeys with pitched roofs.

Ralph Erskine, 1973-1975

Eaglestone

New Town Rent & Sale

The 569 bungalows, linked houses and short terraces have one and two storeys, and one to four bedrooms. Occupying around half the grid square, the scheme is arranged in culs-de-sac to provide a measure of privacy and safety. The buildings originally had flat roofs and hot blown air heating, with asbestos insulation. A tenants action group was formed, complaining of damp, draughts and poor insulation. This was backed up by a National Building Agency report and the Milton Keynes Development Corporation was awarded over £3million in damages for design and construction faults. The architects and roofing sub-contractors being blamed for the problems. Remedial work to improve the buildings cost £5.3million and included new pitched roofs, radiators, extra insulation, new windows for bathrooms and kitchens, and improved ventilation.

Norman Foster, 1974-1977After Renovation, 1983-1985

Beanhill

New Town Rent

The grid square layouts shown here clearly illustrate the difference between the formal and informal in terms of planning, architecture and townscape.Downs Barn is one of six Central Area grid squares (three on either side of Central Milton Keynes) which are very much more formal and urban than the rural, suburban rest of Milton Keynes. Like the City Centre the land was divided into development blocks by a grid either side of the central boulevard.Neath Hill, on the other hand, gives the appearance of being much more informal, organic, and town-countryish. There is not a straight line in sight, never a flat roof nor succession of road intersections. The winding distributor road gives access to the mews courts which respond to the existing natural ground features. The village feel is added to by the clustering around the schools and local centre (with shops, pub, health centre and local employment), to which the roads and paths all lead.

Milton Keynes Development Corporation

Downs Barn / Neath Hill Layout Plans

New Town Rent

This scheme, in the north of Oldbrook – between Sutcliffe and Boycott Avenues, was amongst the last major public rental scheme. Designed by Colquhoun & Miller, the 152 dwellings were built by Robert Marriott. They are mainly three storey terraces arranged in courtyard blocks and provide accommodation for between two and seven persons. Winning an architectural award, the design was described as “variety within conformity” (Architects Journal, February 1983).

Colquhoun & Miller c.1980-2

Oldbrook

New Town Rent

Designed by Henning Larsen, a Danish architect who went on to design Copenhagen Opera House, this 220 dwelling scheme runs through the middle of Heelands grid square. The short terraces are set around small, three- sided squares of open space and off-plot parking. They range from one bedroom flats to four bedroom houses and the design has been carried over to the local centre and sheltered housing opposite.

Henning Larsen, 1981

Heelands

New Town Rent

The design of the houses at Tranlands Brigg attracted a lot of interest in the architectural press. The 118 dwellings range from flats to four bedrooms in two and three storeys, mainly in terraces with some semi-detatched. The timber frames have brick cladding and coloured panels. Parking is mainly hardstanding on-plot with some off-plot. According to the architects “the terraces are envisaged as an outcrop of the natural form of the site with the higher pavilions looking out over the valley and marking the culs-de-sac and the intersections of roads and paths.”

MacCormac Jamieson & Prichard, c.1982

Heelands

New Town Rent

Government policy put an end to most public housing for rent at the beginning of the 1980s. The Development Corporation had been building around 2,000 of these houses a year. In place of this, they began to develop shared ownership housing. Under the scheme, the occupant pays a mortgage upon a percentage share of the house and rent for the balance.This shared ownership scheme on Bradwell Common Boulevard was designed by Milton Keynes Development Corporation and constructed by Finnegans. The timber frame has brick cladding and tiled pitched roof. The 40 dwellings consist of two and three bedroom semi-detatched houses, and one and two bedroom studio houses. Parking is mostly hardstanding on-plot. The architect has attempted to create an urban feeling and the three storeys allow for more dwellings in a smaller plot.

Milton Keynes Development Corporation, c.1983

Bradwell Common

Shared Ownership

This scheme of 64 homes was designed by the Corporation and built by Mowlems. There is a wide range of dwellings, including one and two bedroom flats; and one, two, three and four bedroom houses - mainly detatched or semi-detatched around small courtyards. Many of the houses have a garage or carport, all others have a car parking space. The houses illustrated here show great attention to symmetry and detailing.

Milton Keynes Development Corporation, 1983

Blakelands

Shared Ownership

This scheme of 98 two bedroom dwellings in semi-detatched bungalows was the winner of an architect/developer competition organised by the Development Corporation, Royal Institute of British Architects and the Department of the Enviroment for low-cost starter homes. First prize went to Sebire Allsopp for the Manston Development Group and the design was built by Wilcon. The competition assessors said the houses “gave exceptionally good value to the first time buyer, not only in price and layout but in their fresh and unpretentious approach”. The scheme set out to undercut the current market prices whilst offering good value, without compromising standards of privacy, convenience and quality. The single storey structure, low profiled steel roof and brightly coloured end wall panels have led to them being called the Rubik Cube houses. Originally priced at £17,000, by 1987 they were re-selling at about £36,000 and in 2022 an average of £240,000.

Sebire Allsopp, 1981

Leadenhall

Private Sale

This is the 10,000th house for sale to be built in Milton Keynes, located on Broadway Avenue, Giffard Park and costing £49,500. It was one of nine different styles on the 72-house development by local architects Tuckley Walker and Francis Jackson Estates. In the early days of Milton Keynes, builders and developers were reluctant to invest in the city. Two things gradually changed this: the success of Milton Keynes and the creation of the Private Housing Unit, which was set up to encourage developers. By the time this house was built, the private sector was building three houses to the public sector’s two.

Tuckley Walker, 1985

Giffard Park

Private Sale

Most private sale houses built by the volume developers in Milton Keynes used designs and materials common throughout the country. The Corporation did try to encourage more innovation and in 1985 Bovis built this scheme of eight, four-bedroom cottage-style houses for Pattison Lane/Allison Court. They feature a mixture of some Norfolk reed thatched roofs and some reclaimed clay tile roofs. The generous gardens, and therefore expensive use of the site, was due to fire risks. They were initially sold for between £110,000 - £125,000 and in 2023 are estimated around £1 million.

Bovis, 1985

Woolstone

Private Sale

The Corporation provided for those that wanted to build their own houses. From the late 1970s up to 1987, the Corporation had sold around 700 fully serviced plots for self-builds. This house on Clay Hill was one of 17 four-bedroom properties built by a group using designs by local architect and ex-Corporation employee Wayland Tunley. They saved around £30,000 per house by building their own.

Wayland Tunley, 1983-1985

Two Mile Ash

Self-build

The Corporation recognised that some people and groups would have specialist requirements or prefer to live near those in similar situations, for example the elderly, those living alone or people with disabilities. Most of the grid squares had at least one site reserved for specialist housing, whether it was provided by the Corporation, the Borough Council or housing associations. These “good neighbour” bungalows were designed by David Byrne for older people who wanted to live independently, but still be near the assistance of a warden. They are located next to sheltered housing and near to shops and public transport. The design makes use of unusual shapes with bright and cheerful colours, the architect claiming “that’s the way it came out of my pen”.

David Byrne, 1985

Stacey Bushes

Specialist Accommodation

Chapter House is a scheme of 89 flats of varying sizes. It originally included a common room, bar, laundrette, shop and warden’s flat, and was designed for the UK Housing Association to rent to single working people. Two storey ‘L’ shaped blocks are arranged around courtyards and the design was Highly Commended in the 1978 Good Design in Housing competition. The judges described it as “housing of character and scale, with careful detailing and good finishes, relaxed but robust architectural character”.

MacCormac and Jamieson, c.1978

Coffee Hall

Specialist Accommodation

One of the most important themes in the building of Milton Keynes has been preservation and conservation. Historic buildings have been renovated and refurbished into craft workshops and community centres. These two short terraces on Spencer Street, New Bradwell, are all that remain of the original 204 dwellings of Victorian railway workers' housing. Despite a Grade III listing, the rest were demolished by Wolverton Urban District Council. A public enquiry in 1975 saved the remaining buildings for conservation, with the Corporation and Phippen Randall and Parkes improving them for the Rainbow Housing Co-operative. The street is still inhabited by the co-op and often open for Heritage Open Days in September.

MKDC / Phippen Randall and Parkes, 1978

New Bradwell

Renovation

HomeWorld 81 was an international exhibition where developers were invited to build houses that contained “innovative new features, either experimental or not yet in widespread use within the industry, which could become common features during the next decade.” It was staged to raise the profile of house building in Milton Keynes and encourage innovative housing. Two further housing exhibitions - Energy World and Futureworld – were staged in 1986 and 1994. For more information about HomeWorld, see https://www.homeworld2021.uk/

Various, 1981

Bradwell Common

Exhibition

These houses were designed in conjunction with Taylor Wimpey for the government’s Designed for Manufacture competition. Challenged to design a house for £60,000 and under, RSHP and Wimpey cut construction costs by using pre-fabricated timber frames for walls, ceilings and floors. They also pre-fabricated parts for the “service zones” (e.g. bathrooms, utility space, boilers and staircases). The site around Swanson Drive and Milland Way was due to comprise 145 dwellings from two to five bedrooms, with 38% meeting the £60,000 and under cost requirement. In 2008, the design won the Manser Medal, awarded to the best completed house in the UK. However, the houses suffered from technical and construction defects, including damp and water ingress, and the final 23 houses were built to alternative designs.

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, 2007

Oxley Park

Competition

We used the text of a 1987 publication from our predecessors the Urban Studies Centre as the basis for this exhibition. The text has been altered and updated. All quotes were sourced from this publication, but had no credit lines. If you have been quoted but not credited, please get in touch and we'll correct this.

Sources

We hope you enjoyed this exhibition showcasing some of the housing designs of Milton Keynes. For more exhibitions and online resources, or if you're interested in researching the city further, visit the Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre website.

Thank You!