Photos of London's Threatened Public Housing

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Photos of London's Threatened Public Housing

Public housing is not as uniform as people think.

Robin Hood Gardens, Poplar, east London

One of the enduring myths of public housing in the UK is that it all looks the same. Which is weird because when we sent photographer Jake Lewis to document some of London's threatened affordable homes, the photos he came back with were startlingly diverse. From red-bricked houses with porches and front gardens, to pre-fab blocks with "streets in the sky," they're the concrete residue of the now unfashionable idea that people should be able to afford somewhere to live. Much like the uniform glass and terracotta new-builds springing up all over, some of them probably looked better in an architect's sketchbook than they do now, but they seem to represent a more mixed architectural heritage than people like to give them credit for.

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Ashington House, Bethnal Green, east London

Aylesbury Estate, Walworth, south London

Boundary Estate in Shoreditch, east London

Collingwood Hall, Bethnal Green, east London

Boundary Estate in Shoreditch, east London

Aylesbury Estate, Walworth, south London

Aylesbury Estate, Walworth, south London

Aylesbury Estate, Walworth, south London

Brayford estate, east London

Barrington Court, Gospel Oak, north London

Robin Hood Gardens, Poplar, east London

Becontree housing estate, Dagenham

Becontree housing estate, Dagenham

Becontree housing estate, Dagenham

Middlesex Street Estate, City of London

Robin Hood Gardens, Poplar, east London

Robin Hood Gardens, Poplar, east London

Robin Hood Gardens, Poplar, east London

Robin Hood Gardens, Poplar, east London