Post-war Schools in Hertfordshire: An English Model of Social Architecture

The primary schools built after the Second World War by Hertfordshire County Council, a middle-sized education authority in the United Kingdom, represent a unique experiment in social architecture. They belong to a historic tradition whereby architects directly employed by public institutions in Britain have designed programmes of schools, housing and other social building-types, in close collaboration with other professionals. Through a regular cycle of interchange and the benefits of experience, it was anticipated that school-building could evolve and improve consistently, as with industrial products. The article argues that primary schools proved a uniquely successful building-type in this respect, and that the model advanced in Hertfordshire continues to have relevance for a social approach to architecture.