What a perfect day on the Haygate estate.

After a VERY long day, and night and up again at 7.30am not for the want of wanting to stay in the luxury of the Kennington play boy pad!! No thats not an ipad we've reinvented.


I thought I would pop to the Elephant and Castle SE my old marching ground and have a look around the pound shops. Even 55employees need a bit of ME time!





On the way, after out RUM interview I thought I would pop and take a look at the Haygate Estate, as its soon to be pulled down. Not knowing if i would actually get in there.

Much to my joy i found the whole estate basically empty but open to who ever wanted to wander around.

What an absolute joy!!! I spent a good 2 hours like a curious kid wandering around the sky walk ways between the blocks, up and down the odd stair cases, gasping at the HUGE stretches of tower blocks. The external walk ways running like SiFi ships gracefully almost hovering.


I couldn't quite get my head around the beauty of it all. Being a massive fan, well lover of Brutalist design walking around the Haygate Estate was thrilling yet morbidly upsetting.








Soon to happen the whole place is to be bulldozed. Not content with demolishing the whole area that is one of the largest holding of mature trees. Its incredible the amounts of folage and wood land that have over the past 30 years established its self. All to go. Also the 3000 people that have been moved out of the area since 2006, and still the place is empty and standing. Also the surveyors report that all the building are sound and only need refurbishing.




Unfortunately it is too late for the Haygate. In my recent pass
around 2005 I was on a hugh film shoot over the entire estate when most of the place was still populated. Now a ghost city with the murmur of central London just beyond its walls.












Advice. Get your selves to the Haygate for an after noon, then pop in to the Elephant and Castle shopping centre for a trip back to the early 1980s. Astonishing, and it will all be gone in the next 3 years replaced by generic glass buildings and city worker.

YUK!!












Any how, for me this was a perfect day. For others going to the country side, me the Haygate estate.

Truly Inspiring !!!!