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Welcome to the Norwich Society
A Voice in the City

St Leonard’s Road and Ladbrooke Place

Commissioned by Norwich City Architect’s department under David Percival, the St Leonard’s Road and Ladbrooke Place flats were designed by the renowned architects Tayler & Green and built for the City Council between 1973-6.

The scheme, comprising 87- 2 and 3 bedroom flats, is notable for the excellent and unusual design, and the use of vernacular materials. In The Spirit of Place in Modern Housing (The Prince of Wales Institute of Architecture: London, 1998), Elaine Harwood considered the development “the most successful of their major housing schemes outside Loddon” and also “the most urban”.

“Most of it is in three-storey blocks, resembling town hoses, and with steep-pitched gables...reminiscent of the low countries, clustered round a central square on a very steeply sloping hillside cut through with winding paths….the units repeat the decorative brickwork and bargeboard patterns of the(ir) earlier rural housing.  The scheme, however, is coordinated by its pattern of repeated verticals, timber links and bay windows.”

An important part of the design is the fenestration which is often being replaced with off-the-peg modern designs with quite different divisions and opening methods, including ugly top vents which destroy the clean-cut appearance of the blocks. The blocks also have a considerable amount of timber detailing which has been allowed to deteriorate badly. The Norwich Society believes that Ladbrooke Place and St Leonard’s Road social housing deserves sympathetic repair and protection in the form of fully listed status.

Top of the Agenda

• Bringing Back Boats to the River City - A Discussion Paper
• November 2011 Newsletter
• Our Local Heritage - Local Listing
• Norwich Society Design Awards 2011
• New Patron for the Society
• 50 All Saints Green
• Local Listing
• The Society's 2010 Annual Review
  

Planning Issues

• Review of Planning Applications (January 2012)(Archive)
• Norwich Society Response to the Local Development Framework Management Plan
• Northern City Centre Plans- Are the same mistakes being made twice?
• Joint Core strategy- Can Norwich cope?

Norwich Society Events

• Architecture: Colour Form and Structure – Wednesday 22 February (FULL)
• Society Morning Third Wednesday Lecture - Wed , 15 February
• Society Morning Third Wednesday Lecture - Wed, 21 March
• Carrow Abbey Friday 30 March (FULL)

Corporate Events

• The next Business Breakfast is on Thursday 15 March at
  John Lewis – details to come.
  Contact: Vicky Manthorpe • email  •  Tel: 01603 765606
  Corporate membership form?

The Norwich Society invites you to join us in caring for this fine old City.

George Borrow (1803-1881), born in Norfolk but a wide-ranging traveller, lived here and wrote of Norwich that it was “a fine old city…view it from whatever side you will”.

The Norwich Society aims to keep it that way by championing the best buildings from the past and promoting the best architectural design and planning for its future.

We do this by:

• Watching planned city development to encourage the highest possible standards Identifying planning and development needs and arguing for them with the relevant authorities
• Gathering evidence of problems and concerns and making the case for change Explore our Website to see who we are, what we do, and how you can join in our work.
• Our Annual Report 2009 can be viewed here • Membership form?