Welcome To Stevenage
<p>Britain's first ‘New Town’, built to accommodate 60,000 residents, was Stevenage, Hertfordshire - designated on 11th November, 1946 by Lewis Silkin, Labour’s Minister for Town and Country Planning.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Inspired by the rush to accommodate Londoners displaced by the Nazi bombing of the capital, the construction of the concrete metropolis was heavily opposed by the 6,400 residents of ‘Old Stevenage’, the ancient town that was to be superseded.</p><br><p>In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly trace Silkin’s vision back to a 1695 essay by Quaker reformer John Bellers; ask whether the concrete-clad aesthetic of the architecture was a terrible mistake; and re-live nostalgic trips to play laser tag in the leisure park…</p><br><p><strong>Further Reading:&nbsp;</strong></p><p>• ‘Stevenage New Town’ (Stevenage Museum, 2022): <a href="https://www.stevenage.gov.uk/stevenage-museum/history-of-stevenage/stevenage-through-the-ages/stevenage-new-town" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.stevenage.gov.uk/stevenage-museum/history-of-stevenage/stevenage-through-the-ages/stevenage-new-town</a></p><p>• ‘Stevenage: The town that aimed for Utopia’ (BBC News, 2016): <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-37826783" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-37826783</a></p><p>•&nbsp;’Mr. Silkin Goes To Stevenage’ (British Pathé, 1946): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txHbMusO33o" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txHbMusO33o</a></p><br><p>#40s #UK #Architecture #Design&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>We'll be back on Monday - unless you join&nbsp;</strong>🌴<strong>CLUB RETROSPECTORS</strong>🌴<strong>, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!</strong></p><p>Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.</p><p><strong>Join now via&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://apple.co/3xCWWQX" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Apple Podcasts</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;or&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://patreon.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Patreon</strong></a><strong>.&nbsp;</strong>Thanks!</p><br><p><em>The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.</em></p><p><em>Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.</em></p><p><em>Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.</em>&nbsp;</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Today In History with The Retrospectors
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Show Notes
Britain's first ‘New Town’, built to accommodate 60,000 residents, was Stevenage, Hertfordshire - designated on 11th November, 1946 by Lewis Silkin, Labour’s Minister for Town and Country Planning.
Inspired by the rush to accommodate Londoners displaced by the Nazi bombing of the capital, the construction of the concrete metropolis was heavily opposed by the 6,400 residents of ‘Old Stevenage’, the ancient town that was to be superseded.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly trace Silkin’s vision back to a 1695 essay by Quaker reformer John Bellers; ask whether the concrete-clad aesthetic of the architecture was a terrible mistake; and re-live nostalgic trips to play laser tag in the leisure park…
Further Reading:
• ‘Stevenage New Town’ (Stevenage Museum, 2022): https://www.stevenage.gov.uk/stevenage-museum/history-of-stevenage/stevenage-through-the-ages/stevenage-new-town
• ‘Stevenage: The town that aimed for Utopia’ (BBC News, 2016): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-37826783
• ’Mr. Silkin Goes To Stevenage’ (British Pathé, 1946): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txHbMusO33o
#40s #UK #Architecture #Design
We'll be back on Monday - unless you join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!
Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.
Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!
The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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