Interview with Nigel Lane part 1

Appointed to the MKDC Architects team after interview by Bill Berrett and Derek Walker, Nigel started work on 1 January 1971, working first with Wayland Tunley & Graham Tomlinson in the Northern Towns team. (Nigel had bought and renovated some derelict cottages for a home for his wife and family.) The Architects Group moved into the Advance Factory Unit (AFU) at Wavendon, which he describes as a particularly unhappy, difficult place to work. They began work on Greenleys and Fullers Slade: under-resourced and under pressure to produce housing numbers. In Nigel’s opinion, neither of the schemes looked good on the ground – it was the ‘large-scale architecture’ as used in other schemes like Netherfield. Northern Towns had to deliver using the Mowlem system building already used for Galley Hill. In later schemes, using feedback from Social Development, residents & the Housing Department, they improved their designs and decided that future houses would be built from traditional materials. In 1973, Northern Towns & Stantonbury Groups were based at Kiln Farm, with Frank Henshaw as their ‘boss’: Nigel recalls resistance from Stony Stratford and Wolverton District Councils, fearful of what was emanating from the distant MKDC offices. The two groups began to develop ideas & learn about problems in Wolverton and Stony Stratford. He recalls tough negotiations; but Stony High Street Scheme and by-pass got under way; Wayland’s Cofferidge Close plan won a BBC Pride of Place award. Wolverton was more difficult: several schemes failed, including what Nigel calls the ‘crazy’ Agora. Fred Roche’s confidence in Northern Towns grew and they saw little of Derek. Nigel says: ‘We loved Derek, he was charismatic … but his kind of architecture was not mine’.

Nigel describes features of two successful housing schemes, Neath Hill and prize-winning Stacey Bushes. He is sad to see the poor quality of maintenance today. Neath Hill, led by Wayland, had small groups of houses, each with an identity, so that ‘you didn’t see huge vistas of housing’; its Local Centre was a success. Northern Towns briefed architects on the housing mix on Great Linford. Finally he recalls the Industry Group allocating work to his team: commissioning them to build something ‘less costly than the AFU’s’ for Stacey Bushes/ Nigel succeeded in this and the Group went on to produce Blakelands and Tongwell; Nigel praises Jeff Thorpe’s ‘very fine designs’.