Old Oak to White City: a walk through London’s 20th century social housing

This thought-provoking walk between East Acton and White City explores how social housing developed in London in the 20th century, setting standards for the rest of the U.K.

The walk kicks off on the Old Oak Estate where the London County Council (LCC) applied garden city ideas to build charming cottages for working class people before and after World War I.

We'll then walk through the Wormholt Estate, built by Hammersmith borough council as part of Prime Minister Lloyd George's "homes for heroes" program after World War I and completed by the LCC.

We’ll then explore the 1920s and 1930s, looking at Peabody Trust's Cleverly Estate and the LCC's White City Estate, which offered new levels of comfort for tenants in high-quality self-contained flats.
We’ll move on to a 1960s system-built modernist block, whose hexagonal design is inspired by the Giants' Causeway. Our last stop will be the 1970s low-rise Wood Lane Estate, designed by groundbreaking architects Darbourne & Darke.

You’ll see an incredible range of architectural styles and layouts in less than three miles. We’ll explore many of the dilemmas that still challenge social housing in London today – the respective roles of the public and private sectors, affordability, quality, and density.