Walters Way: take a tour of this iconic street - Grand Designs magazine

Walters Way: take a tour of this iconic street

Discover the background to this community self-build in Lewisham, London

By Hugh Metcalf |

Take a virtual tour of Walters Way in Lewisham, London. This street is an innovative self build scheme from the 1980s lead by the late architect Walter Segal.

 

Wide-reaching inspiration

In the first series of Grand Designs back in 1999, Kevin McCloud visited a housing co-op in Brighton. This is where a group of novice self builders came together to create a community inspired by the work of architect Walter Segal. The architect’s innovative housing projects in the 1980s inspired many in the self-build community.

Watch the episode: Brighton revisited, 2012

Exterior view of a house in Walters Way, Lewisham, London.

The houses in Walters Way have a simple grid layout. Photo: Open House

Building a legacy

There are around 200 Walter Segal homes in the UK. But, most notably, the architect has two London streets named after him. The names were chosen by the residents after creating their communities using the Segal method. As part of the Open House festival, a series of short films offer a glimpse inside places of architectural significance in London. One of the films focuses on the story of Walters Way.

Take a virtual tour of Walters Way in Lewisham, London. This street is an innovative self build scheme from the 1980s lead by the late architect Walter Segal.

 

Wide-reaching inspiration

In the first series of Grand Designs back in 1999, Kevin McCloud visited a housing co-op in Brighton. This is where a group of novice self builders came together to create a community inspired by the work of architect Walter Segal. The architect’s innovative housing projects in the 1980s inspired many in the self-build community.

Watch the episode: Brighton revisited, 2012

Exterior view of a house in Walters Way, Lewisham, London.

The houses in Walters Way have a simple grid layout. Photo: Open House

Building a legacy

There are around 200 Walter Segal homes in the UK. But, most notably, the architect has two London streets named after him. The names were chosen by the residents after creating their communities using the Segal method. As part of the Open House festival, a series of short films offer a glimpse inside places of architectural significance in London. One of the films focuses on the story of Walters Way.

Part-time project

This neighbourhood of 13 houses sits on what was derelict land. Unsuitable for conventional house building because of the hills and large trees, the land was offered to people on Lewisham’s housing waiting list. They also had to be willing to build their own homes. The self builders had little or no building experience and were working during the day. So, they fitted in construction work at evenings and weekends. Videos from the Open House festival 2020 are available to watch on the Open House website.

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