Comments on: Invasion Of The Monoliths

By: Martin

Martin — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 19:23:19 +0000

Great photos! I can’t understand why the planners, architects and politicians can’t seem to learn from the horrible architecture sisters of the 60s, but they don’t seem to. I suppose it’s all about money. I hate seeing pockets of London destroyed like this, but like everyone else there is nothing I can do about it. Enjoy your website very much.

By: Abdul Hafezi

Abdul Hafezi — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 22:50:01 +0000

I live in a lovely Trrace hose that survived.

By: save card

save card — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 11:52:40 +0000

Bulgaria and Romania are so monotone and gray because of this Communist Monolith buildings – they need to be reconstructed

By: john edwards

john edwards — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 15:13:37 +0000

Brilliant roll of shame – I feel the cold anger still. Never forget or forgive. Col.Seifert, who was the RSM architect from Hell the main perpetrator. Alison & Peter Smithson who were great pals of Nigel & Judith Henderson & Eduardo Paolozzi kept winning architecture contests , but never did their humane schemes get built. The house in Chisenhale that Pete Samuels & me got from Nigel / Eduardo was 3 bed big & garden on the canal. Still there but not 8 shilling a week. Last time it went was for £425.000.
Some of the better tower blocks [ Lasdun – Goldfinger etc ] have been saved from mad councillors & are very good / expensive flats – now landscaped they show their best. Goldfinger’s Trellick is, at last terrific. Speight nailed it all: Alf Garnett – ‘ took the slums and stuck them on end ‘ – ‘ couldn’t find the wife for a week. opened the front door & there she was. Been doing the steps. all 17 floors of them.
Valium had a field day. Lifts pissed in – what did they expect? Going shopping took hours, then desolate exhaustion in 10 x 9 boxes with 8’6″ ceilings. Seifert in his lovat & brogues lived in a pillared [mock] Georgian pile in the ‘ Home’ Counties. Last block to go in Stepney had ‘ one careless owner £5 ono.’ painted down the entire 17 floors – We should’ve had a Gamekeepers Gallows on a windy corner of every borough. Strung ’em up. Bastards. Absolute Shower. Brilliant JC.

By: Ashley Bovan

Ashley Bovan — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:56:25 +0000

invasion indeed – especially noted where we see the old and the new, side by side – like ‘High Wall’, ‘Odds Against Tomorrow’ and ‘Lift to the Scaffold’

By: Marien de Goffau

Marien de Goffau — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:04:19 +0000

Massive stone photographs, telling your feelings in each image. Great photography.

By: Lara Compton

Lara Compton — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:43:03 +0000

Dear John,
I feel humbled to have seen these stunning prints and soak up your profound words. I like all of them. In the last one, it speaks to me of a ‘mass grave’ amongst individual graves. In short John, it’s gobsmacking, stonking, heart-ripping stuff!! Love it.
In a way that’s entirely spirit-crushing and desperate; the monolithic blocks stand like tall dark soul-less strangers, towering over and cloaking (harbouring, if you like) these ‘ripped apart’ communities. Each image mirrors your own anger and pain, for the spillage of blood, weeping from the arteries of the street’s you grew up on and are in your veins.
Tragic!
What a fucking bad idea that was huh?, to strangle and dismember the very essence of London; her cog, like a rampant psychopath. Logic decrees this was implemented by a bunch of twats to weaken the very fabric and backbone of society. Sadly they succeeded and ‘love thy neighbour’ became fear thy neighbour. Put man in a cage and his anger will dominate; take his values and he becomes middle class.
Such vulnerable images though, John and of historic importance; considering that photographic film documentation such as yours, is all that is left.
Thank you for sharing your depth of passion and understated brilliance. x

By: Alice Neal

Alice Neal — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:26:19 +0000

I have worked with architects for many years and have found most of them really don’t appreciate the impact their ‘creations’ have on the people who live in them. As John said it really has changed the way people interact with each other. No more chats over the garden fence or looking out on laundry day to all the crisp white sheets blowing in the wind. Do you even know your neighbours name?

Thank you John for reminding us that we should all stop and take a moment to view and think about our environments.

By: Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 07:43:44 +0000

More wonderful East End photos from John Claridge. Very evocative. I vividly remember, as a little boy, watching from the balcony of the Two Puddings pub I lived above, as the towers started rising on the horizon. They did go up remarkably quickly. Looking back it really was a disgrace the way the working class were the subjects of such social experimentation .. and still are in many ways.

By: simon meyrick-jones

simon meyrick-jones — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:09:55 +0000

Isn’t it interesting,with his pictures of local people (the last series-I think) John avoided any sense of judgement or comment,but in this series even though they are of inanimate buildings,you can almost hear the outrage and displeasure at what’s being done to the locality.They don’t even need the captions.