quis eum fucius custodiebat?-
(who the fuck was marking them?)

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Sheffield,s Park Hill

Britain's biggest Grade II* listed building Park Hill flats have been called a crumbling eyesore, streets in the sky and the most ambitious inner city development of their time.

Park Hill is the area from Park Square roundabout, up Duke Street and on the hill behind Sheffield station.

Cholera, typhus, no sewerage system, one standpipe per hundred people… the Park area of Sheffield had the worst slums in Sheffield in the 19th century.

Slums

The area consisted of old quarries, waste ground, steep alleyways and back-to-back terraces around courtyards, but 19th century public health acts called for Britain's slums to be cleared.

Slum clearance resumed was paused during World War Two and restarted afterwards. Park Hill was the first successful slum clearance scheme of an entire community in Britain after the war.

Community spirit

Started in 1957 and when the flats were completed in 1961 they were hailed as the most ambitious inner city development of their time.

Their ultra-modern design was inspired by French architect Le Corbusier's Unite d'habitation - similar 'streets in the sky' in Marseille.

To maintain the strong sense of community, neighbours were re-homed next door to each other, old street names were re-used (Gilbert Row, Long Henry Now, Norfolk Row and so on) and cobbles from the terraced streets were used to surround the flats and pave the pathways down the hill to Sheffield station and tramlines.

Ten foot wide decks wide enough for milk floats to deliver door-to-door run all the way around the flats, and in warm weather people sat out and chatted in the communal areas

Designed by Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith and built between 1957 and 1961, the deck access scheme, inspired by Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation and the Smithsons' unbuilt schemes, most notably for Golden Lane in London, was viewed as revolutionary at the time. Construction is of an exposed concrete frame with yellow, orange and red brick curtain walling. However, as a result of weathering and soot-staining from passing trains, few people realise this and assume the building to be constructed entirely from concrete.

Park Hill was previously the site of back-to-back housing, known as "Little Chicago" in the 1930s, due to the violent crimes sometimes committed there. This was partially razed before World War II.

Further housing schemes were completed to similar designs, including Hyde Park and Kelvin in Sheffield. Although initially popular and successful, over time the fabric of the building has decayed somewhat and some other disadvantages of the estate, such as poor noise insulation and easy getaway routes for muggers, have become apparent.For many years, the council have had difficulty finding tenants for the flats.

However, the complex remains structurally sound, unlike many of the system built blocks of the era, and was Grade II* listed in 1998 making it the largest listed building in Europe. Sheffield City Council hoped this would attract investment to renovate the building, but this was not initially forthcoming. A part-privatisation scheme by the developer Urban Splash to turn the flats into upmarket apartments, business units and social housing is now under way. Two blocks (including the North Block - the tallest part of the buildings) have been cleared.

Future

Even now, inhabitants of Sheffield are split on the matter of Park Hill; many believe it to be a part of Sheffield's heritage, while others consider it nothing more than an eyesore and blot on the landscape. Public nominations led it to the top 12 of Channel 4's Demolition programme. Other television appearances for the flats include Police 2020 and in an Arctic Monkeys video.

2010 and the grand old Lady in her new frock, she is looking somewhat wonder full and when our lass puts on her make up and gets dressed for a night out, then i understand why we fell in love with her, in her transition Park Hill beguiles us.

There has been some controversy over the listings, and in the last year, the doubts have risen though we supported the listing we began to ponder was it wise and as she took off her dressing gown of scaffold, the colour blighted our eyes.

Oh, how can that be - Tha knows it's Park Hill, in't it? Urban Splash are bringing this grand lady back to life, she is all tarted up though she does not look the same, but that is not the point, here will stand a grand example of Brutalist Architecture. Now, those who doubted the trust given to Urban Splash and the former Labour administration over this project might need to put their hand over their gobs and shout full up and eat their words, i know we are.

We have become all excited, now we just need to let it be, that's her past and forgiveness is hard, we agree. Though she has trespassed against the people of Sheffield, it is not just the fault of Park Hill, yes love might be blind and seeing her in her new dress we begin to understand why we fell in love with her..