1 - 115 Cheviot Mount, Byker Wall

Ten short terraces, of houses and flats (two flats per longer terrace) four pairs and one detached house. 1978-80 by Ralph Erskine's Arkitektkontor; site architect Vernon Gracie; structural engineer, White, Young and Partners; main contractor, Fairclough Building Limited. Orange/ red brick metric modular brick construction with carefully toning mortar, concrete block internal walls; Marley Modern tiled roofs. Two storeys carefully following the horizontal contours of the steeply sloping site and angled to the view, the flats forming the south-eastern end units (at the white ends). The fall of the land exploited in split level units, the entrance (north) side with kitchen windows at ground level. Black weatherboarding to north-west end extended on each side as fencing, white weatherboarding to south east renewed in upvc, with bird boxes on each gable. Projecting timber balcony at first floor to upper flat, found on terraces of more than three units. Entrance front with boldly coloured doors next to triangular staircase windows, and narrow eaves windows to first floor over bold brown timber projecting band carrying heating pipes. Projecting weatherboarded outshuts to end units, the others with brown timber door hoods suspended from the deep eaves. Timber windows, those to south larger with aluminium opening lights. Interiors not inspected but understood not to be of special interest. Black, brown and green fences an integral part of the composition. Pale brown boxing to heating ducts a key part of this hillside development, such as links nos. 17 and 21; 31, 45 and 51; 61,75 and 81; 91, 99 and 107. Nos. 91-95 with black fences on red brick walls. Particularly prominent steps with granite sets to no. 95. No. 97 detached, with projecting porch and downpipes forward of deep eaves and black weatherboarded ends.

These were the first of a new type of housing, developed by Erskine to make the most of the exceptionally steep slopes and fine views of the Carville Road area. Newcastle City Council asked Erskine to use concrete tiles rather than the metal sheeting he preferred, and the Marley Modern tiles were found to be the only ones effective at the shallow pitches required. The Council also asked for these houses to be of brick and blockwork construction rather than predominantly of timber, but Erskine had already produced this design with timber ends (which he saw as a deterrent to vandalism) and adapted the internal construction in January 1978. Its more sophisticated palette of dark tones contrasted with black and white end walls and brightly painted doors makes an interesting foil to the primary colours of the rest of the estate.

The Byker area, first extensively developed in the 1890s, was earmarked for redevelopment from the late 1950s, with a new motorway to the north. In March 1967 the Housing Architect's Department proposed the building of a barrier block to shelter the area, and this idea was supported by Ralph Erskine, who was invited to develop the area for Newcastle Corporation in 1969. His Plan of Intent, published in 1970, promised a complete redevelopment programme of housing and landscaping with cost yardsticks, while maintaining the traditions and character of the neighbourhood, and to rehouse the residents without breaking family and social ties. His achievement in rehousing 40% of the original residents on the original site was exceptional, as were his methods of keeping the community informed of development and seeking their support and suggestions for the low-rise housing. In achieving these goals Erskine sought to exploit the south-facing sloping site, to develop a system of pedestrian routes through the estate and to provide a `specific "local" individuality to each group of houses.' The estate was redeveloped in a rolling programme of no more than 250 units at a time, to try to maintain the community's infrastructure. The idea was a sheltering perimeter block, which protects the estate from traffic noise and creates a micro climate, with low-rise housing in its lee. The modular metric facing brick of 290mm x 90mm x 65mm was developed by Crossley and Sons in County Durham, in collaboration with the City of Newcastle. When mortared, it forms a 12" by 4" by 3" unit. The inventiveness of the decoration, developed following the relatively muted `pilot scheme' at Janet Square, marks Byker out from other post-war housing for bringing the humane concepts of `romantic pragmatism' with its neo-vernacular details and materials to public housing in a unique way. It is probably also the greatest achievement of this important and idiosyncratic international architect. `If there is something marvellously lighthearted about the design, this I would say is the topographical keynote of the new Byker' (Architectural Design, June 1975, p.333).

Sources
Architectural Review, December 1974, pp.346-62
Mats Egelius, Ralph Erskine, Architect, Stockholm 1990, pp.148-60
Tyne and Wear Archives MD/NC/106 31 and 33 LISTED GRADE 2*