Fred Wigg & John Walsh Towers

This series of work has been influenced by my neighbourhood and local green area, Wanstead Flats. I frequent the green space daily to walk the dog. It has become a little haven of nature to get lost in, especially in the woodland area, which could easily trick me into forgetting I was in London.

At one end of the field, almost impossible to go unnoticed, sit Fred Wigg and John Walsh Towers, a classic 1960s housing development. The buildings were constructed in 1965 and named after two local councillors.

The estate provides 234 homes, currently with a mix of private renters, leaseholders, homeless families in temporary accommodation and the right to buy.

They have gone under a makeover since their construction. They were initially grey pebble dash with metal railings on the balconies. These have now been replaced with smooth solid panels, and the teal colours inspire my colour scheme.

More recently, more work is underway on the blocks as part of safety maintenance this year. A redevelopment/refurbishment of both towers was in discussion in 2014. The plan was to build a new six-story block containing 40 new flats for social rent, totalling 274 homes. Then strip the 117 homes in each of the existing two towers and refurbish them. One building is reserved for homes for social rent for the current tenants, and the other is turned into luxury apartments for sale on the private market.

I'm unsure whether this is still the goal, as there is no further information I can find other than the current maintenance work, which is ongoing until 2024.

On every walk, the two buildings tower over the fields as if they were a gateway to the rest of the city. The perfect juxtaposition of nature and the built environment has inspired these works.