Frederick Gibberd (1908-84)
Frederick Gibberd is one of the most influential architects and designers in Britain in the post war period. Apart from his designs such as Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, he planned a number of new towns and town centres. His designs for Harlow include the first point block built in Britain, The Lawn (1951) and the now demolished Town Hall. He also planned new town and civic centres for Edmonton and St Albans, among others.
Gibberd was born in Coventry on 7th January 1908, later studying architecture at Birmingham School of Art. He began practicing in the 1930s, designing a number of apartment buildings in the suburbs, including Pullman Court, Streatham (1933), Park Court, Sydenham (1936) and Ellington Court, Southgate (1937). His early designs were in the International modernist style, often featuring concrete and flat roofs. In the immediate postwar period Gibberd designed a large number of housing estates, often in the Scandinavian modernist style, usually in brick and with pitched roofs. He also created a prefabricated house design for the British Iron and Steel Federation, first exhibited at Northolt (1945) and later built all over London's suburbs.
In the 1960s and 70s, the commissions got larger in scale, with designs made for airports (Heathrow), power stations (Didcot) and cathedrals (Liverpool). Gibberd was knighted in 1967 for his services to Architecture.He died in 1984, whilst living at his home in Harlow which he had lived in since 1970. The grounds of the house were filled by Gibberd and his second wife with various sculpture and art works, and can now be visited.
Featured Buildings: Alexandra Avenue, Ellington Court, Fullwell Cross Library & Pool, Prefabricated Houses, Prefabs Edward Road
Gibberd was born in Coventry on 7th January 1908, later studying architecture at Birmingham School of Art. He began practicing in the 1930s, designing a number of apartment buildings in the suburbs, including Pullman Court, Streatham (1933), Park Court, Sydenham (1936) and Ellington Court, Southgate (1937). His early designs were in the International modernist style, often featuring concrete and flat roofs. In the immediate postwar period Gibberd designed a large number of housing estates, often in the Scandinavian modernist style, usually in brick and with pitched roofs. He also created a prefabricated house design for the British Iron and Steel Federation, first exhibited at Northolt (1945) and later built all over London's suburbs.
In the 1960s and 70s, the commissions got larger in scale, with designs made for airports (Heathrow), power stations (Didcot) and cathedrals (Liverpool). Gibberd was knighted in 1967 for his services to Architecture.He died in 1984, whilst living at his home in Harlow which he had lived in since 1970. The grounds of the house were filled by Gibberd and his second wife with various sculpture and art works, and can now be visited.
Featured Buildings: Alexandra Avenue, Ellington Court, Fullwell Cross Library & Pool, Prefabricated Houses, Prefabs Edward Road