Developers, Architects and Building Styles: Post-War Redevelopment in Two Town Centres

Abstract

This paper examines the character and agents of building renewal within the commercial cores of two towns-Aylesbury, a medium-sized free-standing town, and Wembley, a suburban centre. By using local authority building plan applications, buildings erected in the two commercial cores between 1945 and 1983 and the agents responsible for their initiation and design have been identified. In Wembley, the major aspect of redevelopment has been the initiation and design of new buildings by London firms. In Aylesbury, local firms have continued to play a major role alongside retail and service chains and property companies with national spheres of influence. Since the 1960s, speculative redevelopment has become an increasingly important feature of building renewal in both study centres, particularly for offices. This has been accompanied by a growth in the vertical and horizontal scale of new buildings. Modern architectural styles dominated redevelopment until the early 1970s in Aylesbury and until 1980 in Wembley. This domination was broken only by isolated developments in the neo-Georgian style and by experimentations in Aylesbury with Post-Modernism. In both towns, Post-Modern styles are now common. Brick, the traditional cladding material in both study centres, remained popular throughout the study period although during the late 1950s and early 1960s concrete and glass were also widely used. The rich historical and architectural heritage of Aylesbury appears to have been of importance in affecting the character of redevelopment.