Exhibition: Thamesmead: A Town for the 21st Century

This photographic display explores Thamesmead, an estate built by the Greater London Council (GLC) on the southeast bank of the Thames. Twelve archival images of Thamesmead selected from the RIBA Collections are shown alongside nine contemporary photographs of the estate’s residents by artist Nina Manandhar, a project commissioned by Peabody and NOW Gallery.

Initially hailed as a futuristic "town for the 21st century", construction of Thamesmead began in 1968. Despite this early promise, it quickly gained a reputation for crime, no-go areas and poor transport links: an image reinforced and immortalised by its portrayal in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 dystopian crime feature A Clockwork Orange. Today, Thamesmead is undergoing an extensive regeneration project by Britain's oldest housing association Peabody, which promises new homes and improved community facilities.

Amid celebrations of its 50th anniversary, this display revisits the original architectural ambitions and looks at its current day occupation in anticipation of the next phase of Thamesmead and perhaps a renewal of its promise to yet again become a town for the 21st century.