Harlow: Sculpture Garden New Town on the Edge of the Essex Countryside
Frederick Gibberd designed Harlow. Designated a new town in 1947 under the New Towns Act, Harlow was planned to absorb London's post-war overspill population and give them something better than the cramped terraces they were leaving behind. Gibberd's plan divided the town into distinct neighbourhood clusters, each with its own shops and school, separated by green wedges that brought countryside into the urban fabric. The most unexpected element of the plan was public art. Gibberd insisted on integrating sculpture throughout the town, commissioning works from Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Elisabeth Frink, Auguste Rodin, and others. The Harlow Sculpture Collection now comprises over 100 pieces scattered across parks, housing estates, and civic buildings, making Harlow home to one of the largest collections of public sculpture in Europe.
The population is approximately 87,000. Harlow sits at the intersection of the M11 and the A414, placing it within reach of both London (twenty-three miles south on the M11) and Stansted Airport (fifteen miles north). The town's economic base shifted significantly when GlaxoSmithKline established a major research facility at its campus on the edge of town, joining other pharmaceutical and technology firms along the town's enterprise zones. Harlow Town station provides rail services to London Liverpool Street in around forty minutes. The town centre, rebuilt around the pedestrianised Harvey Centre and Market Square, retains the new town's original layout even as individual buildings have been replaced or refurbished over the decades.
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Frederick Gibberd designed Harlow. Designated a new town in 1947 under the New Towns Act, Harlow was planned to absorb London's post-war overspill population and give them something better than the cramped terraces they were leaving behind. Gibberd's plan divided the town into distinct neighbourhood clusters, each with its own shops and school, separated by green wedges that brought countryside into the urban fabric. The most unexpected element of the plan was public art. Gibberd insisted on integrating sculpture throughout the town, commissioning works from Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Elisabeth Frink, Auguste Rodin, and others. The Harlow Sculpture Collection now comprises over 100 pieces scattered across parks, housing estates, and civic buildings, making Harlow home to one of the largest collections of public sculpture in Europe.
The population is approximately 87,000. Harlow sits at the intersection of the M11 and the A414, placing it within reach of both London (twenty-three miles south on the M11) and Stansted Airport (fifteen miles north). The town's economic base shifted significantly when GlaxoSmithKline established a major research facility at its campus on the edge of town, joining other pharmaceutical and technology firms along the town's enterprise zones. Harlow Town station provides rail services to London Liverpool Street in around forty minutes. The town centre, rebuilt around the pedestrianised Harvey Centre and Market Square, retains the new town's original layout even as individual buildings have been replaced or refurbished over the decades.
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