Plymouth: Vision of a modern city

Plymouth is the foremost English example of post-war reconstruction on the grand scale, laid out to the designs of the most influential urban planner of the day, Sir Patrick Abercrombie. This book explains the circumstances which led to the development of Abercrombie's Plan for Plymouth (1943) and shows how the plan was implemented in the period 1945-62. Discussion of the overall scheme for the renewed city is complemented by description of the different zones which made up both the central area and the new suburbs, and attention is paid to the landscape forms and architectural styles employed in civic, commercial and residential areas. The significance of what was achieved in Plymouth will be assessed and international context is provided by comparison with British and European examples of contemporary planning. Urban regeneration programmes pose a threat to the legacy of the post-war reconstruction period, and the listing of post-war buildings is often contentious and contested.

Finally, a discussion of the conservation issues raised by present-day plans for renewal in Plymouth will contribute to current debate about the formulation of policy relating to the buildings and landscapes of the post-war era.

Contents

1. The Plan for Plymouth
   Plymouth before the War
   Victorian city
   The blitz
   Patrick Abercrombie and A Plan for Plymouth
   The Plan described
   Precedents for the Plan
2. Realising the Plan 1945-51 and 1951-62 (the City Centre)
   Abercrombie, William Crabtree and Thomas Tait
   Revisions to the Plan – City Architect and City Engineer
   Roads and ring roads, transport and cars
   Zoning versus mixed uses
   Armada Way and Royal Parade
   First buildings: brick and Portland stone.  Opening of Dingles.  Thomas Tait and the architecture of mass.  The architecture of the 1940s/1950s.
   The completion of the city centre – New George Street to Mayflower Street
   Feature buildings:  banks, institutions and the Pannier Market, Guildhall, St. Andrew’s Church.  The Civic Centre.
   Changes in materials and composition
   Sculpture and applied art
   Landscape
3. The Abercrombie suburbs
   Housing: Louis de Soissons and Hector Stirling
   Neighbourhood centres
   Open spaces
   Churches and schools
   A38 Parkway and the Tamar bridge
4. Completing the Plan and its significance
   Completion of the Plan 1962-2000
   The significance of the Plan and criticism
   British contemporaries:  Coventry, Canterbury, Exeter, Hull etc.
   European contemporaries:  Le Havre, Amiens, Rotterdam (Lijnbaan)
5. The Conservation of the Plan
   The survival of the Plan
   The Mackay Vision 2003
   Listed buildings
   Conservation area and issues
   
   Appendix
   Notes
   Further reading (bibliography)
   Map guide