MK Lit Fest takes you Up in the Air to explore the history of high-rise Britain
High-rise estates are some of the most visible and contentious symbols of Britain's post-war dreams. As multi-storey living comes to MK, it’s time for a different, more human side to these familiar icons on our skyline.
Join historian Holly Smith and writer John Grindrod for an evening exploring the origins, history and legacy of Britain's tower blocks. Tickets on sale from www.mklitfest.org
High-rise estates are some of the most visible and contentious symbols of Britain's post-war dreams. Join historian Holly Smith and writer John Grindrod for an evening exploring the origins, history and legacy of Britain's tower blocks.
From their beginnings, as a way of helping to solve Britain's postwar housing crisis, through decades of innovation, controversy and sometimes collapse, high-rise flats give us a fascinating insight into successive decades of political, social and architectural ideals.
In her book Up in the Air: A History of High-Rise Britain, historian Holly Smith has traced the human side of their story, looking at everything from displaced communities, tenants' cooperatives and new forms of resistance.
She'll be in conversation with John Grindrod, who has examined the rise and fall of these buildings in his books Concretopia and Iconicon.
Together they will take us on a journey back to the origins of the welfare state, through the white heat of the 1960s, the turmoil of the 1970s and 80s, to the private landlordism and new dreams of today. And we'll get to see a different, more human side to these familiar icons on our skyline.
Holly Smith is a historian of architecture and protest. She is a Fellow at St John’s College, University of Cambridge, and an advisor to Tower Blocks UK, an advocacy group for high-rise safety.
John Grindrod is a social historian of modern places. He's the author of the books Concretopia, Outskirts and Iconicon, a loose trilogy on the places we have built since 1945.
His latest book, Tales of the Suburbs: LGBTQ+ Life Behind Net Curtains, will be featured in Lit Fest’s April Festival. He is also the host of the podcast, Monstrosities Mon Amour, where guests share their love of places and things other people seem to hate.
Join them online on 3rd February. tickets are available to book now, and all are – as ever – very welcome
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