uto’pia [yoo-] n. imaginary state with perfect political and social conditions


Exhibited at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, The Tom Blau Gallery, London. The Zara Rhodes Gallery, Kent. The Association of Photographers Gallery, London.


Once celebrated as the planners dream solution to the housing crisis

Castle Vale stood as Birminghams largest post-war housing estate.

The estate covered 1.5 square miles - it was once the site of the Castle

Bromwich aerodrome - of housing, this accomodated in excess

of 11,000 people in various dwellings, including 34 tower blocks.

The estate opened in 1969 as a popular, luxury savior from the Edwardian

slums. This saved the greenbelt land whilst solving problems caused by

an increasing population. However as time past Birmingham City Council’s

financial support failed and the estate developed a bad reputation

due to various social issues, these included crime, vandilism and depression.

In the mean time the residents scarred these vertical villages as they

personalised and interacted with their standard environments, in defiance of

inforced constraints. In 1994 the estate became independent of the city council.

A Housing Action Trust took up management and with £270 million they

created a twelve year plan to solve the estates problems, this involved

redeveloping and improving its economic, social, living and environmental

qualities. A major contribution to the plan was the demolition of the estates

tower blocks and their memories.