Transatlantic Teleview: New Towns in Britain (1956)

Here's a film about Harlow made in 1956, just a decade after the New Towns Act was passed. It's presented by Chris Chataway, who had been one of Roger Bannister's pacemakers when he broke the 4-minute mile just two years before this film was made, and who would later become a Tory politician. The programme was made for the US market, hence his conversion of sterling to dollars throughout and explaining that 'Pram Town' was referring to baby carriages.

As well as the great footage of the new town under construction we get some good interviews with some of the pioneers too. Particularly exciting, though, is the interview with the town's architect-planner Frederick Gibberd, which takes place on the top floor of the Lawn, Britain's first tower block. It's nice to see the relaxed Gibberd dismissing some of Chataway's more excitable assertions, and explaining the new town/green belt plan in a reasonable way, as his hair is being whipped about by the wind.

I saw this film a couple of weeks back at an exhibition about public art at Somerset House, called Out There. It's a great show, with a big section on Harlow and the New Towns, as well as the original model of Basil Spence's Thorn House and great photography and film of concrete sculptor William Mitchell. If it's still on when you read this, it's well worth a visit.

You can see the film here.