Lived Brutalism: portraits from Robin Hood Gardens housing estate – in pictures
Since its completion in 1972, Robin Hood Gardens estate in east London has garnered much attention, due to its monumental brutalist form and, latterly, its dilapidated condition. Dismayed by the absence of the residents’ views in any coverage of the estate – which is due to be demolished after English Heritage declared that it “fails as a place for humans to live” – London-based photographer Kois Miah and sociologist Nick Thoburn embarked on a project to capture the views of its last inhabitants. “I know the estate generated a lot of negativity,” Miah says, “but it was nothing like its reputation. Of course, it had its problems, but people loved their time there.”
-
Boy on balcony
Kois Miah: ‘This young boy would happily roam around on the balcony; he loved the space outside of the flat.’ -
Pat Murray
‘Pat has lived on the estate since 1977. Her flat was immaculate. She told me: “I’m a Catholic and my neighbours are Muslim. They’re lovely. They do my shopping for me and help me.”’ -
Abdul Rahim
‘I’d seen all this fruit and veg being grown in former flower beds but it was ages until I came across the person behind it – Abdul. It was lovely to see such small spaces being used in this way.” -
The Robin Hood Gardens estate seen with the City of London as a backdrop.
-
-
Taurus Miah
‘Photographed in one of the west block’s lift lobbies. “The building is one of a kind,” he once said to me. “Have you seen anything like this around here? There’s nothing like its scale.”’ -
Samir Uddin with his children
‘Samir moved into his flat in 2011. He says he is looking forward to moving, as his family have outgrown the flat. He plays his accordion [on the right in the picture] to relax after work.’ -
Moyna Miah and grandchildren
‘This was taken at about 3pm. The sun had gone over the block on to the west side. Moyna loved to spend time on the balcony with his grandchildren and look out to the city. Three generations of his family lived on the estate.’ -
Poplar High Street
‘The “acoustic barriers” that surround the estate give a false impression that it is closed off from its Poplar locale, when in fact one of the features residents most appreciate is the easy flow in and out of the flats.’ -
-
Del and Gabby
‘Del and her daughter Gabby have since moved out to a property in Westferry, Limehouse, remaining under a council tenancy. Del says she is unhappy about the decrease in size of her flat.’ -
Jimmy Yorke
‘Jimmy was a longtime caretaker on the estate until his retirement, which coincided with the ‘decanting’ of the east block. He is seen here in the ‘stress free zone’ – an expanse of grass, trees, and shrubbery.’ -
Adrienne Sergeant
‘Adrienne saw the estate being built and later lived on it for over 30 years with her family. She had fond memories of bringing chairs out on to the balcony in summer to eat dinner.’ -
Jo Newman-Stackable
‘Jo was photographed outside of her one-bedroom flat on the ground floor of the east block. It allows her easy access to the green to walk her dogs, but she has been known to take the lift to higher floors so as not to miss out on the walkways’ expansive views.’Photograph: All images copyright Kois Miah
-
