Parkhill, amid much controversy gained Grade II* listed building status in 1998. The Listing of buildings began in Britain on January 1st 1950. The Listing of a building is not based purely on the publics perception of beauty. Buildings are listed for many reasons including age, historical interest, rarity and architectural merit. A listing of a building ensures that before any modification is made consideration is given to the aforementioned factors. Listed Buildings fall into 3 categories. An explanation of the three types of listing taken from www.heritage.co.uk:
Parkhill falls under the second category. Grade I and II* buildings may be eligible for English Heritage grants for urgent major repairs. Below are some examples of buildings that made the grade II* listing alongside Parkhill.
As the above examples show, buildings of all shapes, sizes, ages and purposes can achieve listed status. The aim of listing being to preserve richness of the countries architectural heritage. English Heritage have awarded a grant towards the redevelopment of Parkhill Flats. Before a grant is awarded by English Heritage, they expect any work carried out to be sympathetic towards the buildings design and character. For further infomation on English heritage please visit English Heritage Website
On 2nd September 1996, Dr Martin Cherry, then head of listing for English Heritage, recommended that Park Hill should be given Grade II* status, protecting it from demolition or unsympathetic redevelopment. English Heritages defence behind the listing of Parkhill is outlined in this statement placed on their website: "The Park Hill Estate is exceptional. As a grade II* listed building, it is in the top 7% of the most important buildings in the country, making it as architecturally and historically significant as the Royal Academy of Art or the Harrods building in London. Its architectural importance was recognised by listing in 1997, when it became one of only nine listed post-war public housing schemes in England. It has iconic status as a landmark for Sheffield, has unusually high design quality and shows Britain’s leading international role in housing design. When it was built (between 1957 and 1961) it was groundbreaking in its concern to recreate the social mix of a traditional streets by using external access decks, or “streets in the sky”. Architects Ivor Smith and Jack Lynn had designed the most ambitious inner-city housing project of its day, and Britain’s first scheme of post-war slum clearance.
English Heritage faced mass public backlash over the listing. Their statements and views on the worth of Parkhill often being counteracted by both opinions of local members of the public and opposing political parties. Parkhill had become political, embroiled in a tug of war between local political bodies and the very public which she had originally been developed to accomodate.
On face value it is understandable why this public backlash occured. The economic downturn of the late 80's and early 90's saw mass unemployment and a breakdown of the community spirit which once was the back bone of the complex. This combined with non desirable tennants moving into Parkhill created a society riddled with drugs, crime and general disrespect. Parkhills reputation plummeted. It was deemed a no go area. Its very design and a lack of security allowed the flats to become a mecca for wrong doing. The longterm elderly residents of the complex who had once used their "streets in the sky" to chat, gossip and pass the hours were afraid to even open their doors. These very people used to take pride in their residence "an English mans home is his castle" Every day they would be scrubbing the doorstep, taking pride in their homes. As the decades passed and society changed they became more secluded in their existence. Parkhill had met its' demise. It became apparant there was no way back... or was there?
Below are two pictures, the first one depicts the community spirit and togetherness of the complex. Taken at a street party celebrating the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer in 1981 ( Charles has publicly dismissed the design and integrity of brutalist buildings such as Parkhill. Refering to them as nothing more than "piles of concrete", how ironic that these "piles of concrete" in the main lasted longer than his said marriage!)
The picture below reflects the decline of Parkhill which is attributed to the recession of the late 80's/early 90's. Sheffield once globally renowned as a centre of industry suffered immense decline as a result of the downturn, morale was at an all time low. Parkhill became a casualty of the effects of the economic crisis.
Enter Urban Splash..... A modern Company that can see the beauty in the beast. Urban splash are a contemporary, modern thinking company. They are highly regarded for their transformation of some of the countries finest Industrial Constructions, factories being one example. In their words "In the beginning there were factories.And they weren't working anymore. But we thought they were beautiful". You only need to travel a little further up the M1 to Bradford to witness a transformation the firm is responsible for. "Velvet Mill" An old textile mill (a place where I once visited with my parents in the 90's to purchase curtains, the majority of the mill was back then in a derelict, unused state) Urban Splash transformed this iconic building into uber cool living quarters, whilst still maintaing its historical features. Saved form its demise, the mill gained kudos amongst the proffessional population of West Yorkshire.
With their previous track record, Urban Splash seemed a worthy choice for undertaking the redevelopment of Parkhill. Be under no illusion this was not going to be an easy project. Not only did the developers have to undertake the physical recreation of Parkhill ensuring Englih Heriatges demands of being sympathetic towards the buildings character and design, they had to face the opinions of the local public and the sordid reputation which Parkhill had aquired over the last two decades.
PLEASE CONTACT ME BY EMAIL IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THE SITE: SAZ@PARKHILLFLATS.CO.UK