Conclusion

Figure 32: Mural on the side of the Bungalows Source: http://londonmuralpreservationsociety.com/murals/living-room-mural/ [Accessed December 2020]

Gibberd's attitude to the space in-between the buildings differs Somerford Grove from previous modernist housing schemes. All elements considered equally, not simply the buildings but the street furniture, paving and landscape are carefully composed to create a series of aesthetically satisfying compositions. Contrast and intrigue were added through a rejection of repetition and a return to traditional materials and decoration, reintroducing variety back into the visual language of architecture.

Current architects can learn from this focus on the interstitial space and aesthetics of variety as a way to humanise large housing developments. For it is in these interstitial space that we interact with people and perceive the majority of the world, greater consideration of them would provide a more beautiful backdrop to everyday life A mural was painted on the end of the bungalows in the 1950s, uncredited, it depicts a comfortable post-war domestic life, a couple sitting in armchairs before a cosy gas fire, while their little boy plays with his train and their daughter reads her book54. This is a reminder that despite their flaws the new housing provided post-war was a radical improvement on the living condition many suffered in slums. If improving physical health was the great public health challenge of the 20th century, then improving mental health will be the challenge of the 21st. We know architecture can not alone solve this, but incorporating more of Gibberd's humanistic approach would be a step in the right direction.