Marshworth:Milton Keynes

Front Privacy
Rear Privacy
Front Planting
Entrance
Canalside
Furniture

In terms of detailing, the design of the estate was some fifteen years ahead of the publication of the seminal book on town planning – ‘A Pattern Language: Towns Buildings Construction’ by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa & Murray Silverstein (Oxford University Press, New York, 1977). Although, in the case of Marshworth, the complex combinations of  up to 253 patterns reported by Alexander et al are not obvious - indeed the simple shape of the open space and the layout along the single road represents almost the opposite end of the spectrum - the quirky spaces formed within the overall design, not least due to it being bounded by the curved road on one side and the canal on the other - along with the staggering of the buildings themselves, provided a whole range of niches which have enabled residents to detail their surroundings in much the same way this later book suggested.

Particular examples are (to see the details please click on whichever item below you wish to explore):

Privacy at the Front
Privacy at the Rear
Open to the Canal
Planting at the Front
Carport Entrance
Garden Furniture

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Last modified: 01/26/06