New Towns at 80: Symposium & Tour of Harlow
10/09/2026 – 11/09/2026
New Towns at 80: Symposium & Tour of Harlow
Day one: Thu 10 September 2026, 10am—8pm, Cowcross Street Gallery, EC1M 6EJ
Day two: Fri 11 September 2026, 10:50am—5pm, Harlow Town train station, CM20 2JD
Join C20 for a special two-day event in partnership with Historic England, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the 1946 New Towns Act and the launch of the late Elain Harwood’s final major publication New Towns Mark One: Architecture and Planning in Post-War Britain (2026).
Alistair Fair, who edited and completed the book, has assembled a line-up of leading historians who will explore the architecture and legacies of the post-war New Towns. The all-day symposium at Cowcross Street Gallery will end with a reception to mark the publication of the book.
The following day Otto Saumarez-Smith will lead a coach tour of Harlow, Essex - one of the country’s pioneering New Towns, masterplanned by Frederick Gibberd.
DAY ONE – conference at Cowcross Street (Anticipated programme)
10:00am Coffee, tea, biscuits and registration
10:30am Welcome/introduction (Dr Alistair Fair, University of Edinburgh)
10:50am ‘Mark one: Cwmbrân' (Susan Fielding, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales)
11:15am Stevenage town centre (Emily Cole, Historic England)
11:40am Hook and ‘mark two’ (Dr Otto Saumarez Smith, University of Warwick)
12:05pm The later new towns (Dr Alistair Fair, University of Edinburgh)
12:30pm Discussion
1:00pm Lunch (included)
2:00pm New town centres, 1960s-90s (Dr Ellie Brown, independent researcher)
2:25pm New town Art (Dr Andrew Demetrius, University of St Andrews)
2:50pm New town landscapes (Professor Luca Csepely-Knorr, University of Liverpool)
3:15pm Break
3:30pm Heritage (Simon Peart, Milton Keynes Council)
3:55pm Restoration: "A woolly-minded liberal"? "Restoring" a development corporation house in Irvine New Town (Joss Durnan, independent researcher)
4:20pm Discussion
5:00pm Break
6:00pm Book launch: Elain Harwood, edited by Alistair Fair, New Towns Mark One
DAY TWO – coach trip around Harlow
10:50am Meeting outside of
Harlow Town station, Grade II listed
(1960, Paul Hamilton, with John Bicknell and Ian Fraser)
11:00am Coach leaves the station
11:15am
The Gibberd Garden, Grade II listed
(1972—84, Frederick Gibberd and Patricia Gibberd)
Tour of the Garden and Rooms
Tea and coffee (included)
1:00pm
The Lawn, Grade II listed
(1951, Frederick Gibberd)
1:30pm
Town Centre
St Paul’s Church, Grade II listed
(1959, Derrick Humphrys and Reginald Hurst)
Harlow Water Gardens, Grade II listed
(1963, Frederick Gibberd, William Mitchell)
Opportunity for LUNCH (not included)
2:45pm
Bishopsfield Estate
(1966, Michael Neylan)
Visit to one of the homes and tour around the estate
4:15pm
Church of Our Lady of Fatima, Grade II* listed
(1958—60, Gerard Goalen)
approx.
5:00pm
Back at the Harlow Town station
Included in the price: refreshments, lunch and evening drinks on day one; coach on day two.
Conference-only tickets can be booked here.
Please note there's a limited amount of the two-day tickets.
Young C20: £30*
Student: £45**
C20 Members’ price: £65
Non-members’ price: £78
*For Young C20 members, please email lukas@c20society.org.uk to secure a place.
**For student pricing please select from the dropdown option next to ‘membership number’ on the booking form below.
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The Twentieth Century Society is an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building conservation) recognised CPD provider.
Twentieth Century Society is a registered charity, no 1110244
Image: Grade II listed Harlow Town Station (1960). Courtesy of Mike Ashworth.
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