The Heygate Estate

The Heygate Estate was a massive housing complex in Elephant & Castle, South London, built in the 1970s as part of the post-war social housing boom. Originally home to over 3,000 people, it became a symbol of both the promise and failure of modernist urban planning.

By 2010, the estate was almost completely abandoned, with just four remaining residents living among the empty buildings. The area had been earmarked for demolition as part of a massive regeneration project, and most residents had been relocated years earlier.

This piece was my way of documenting the estate in its final days - capturing the eerie atmosphere of a once-thriving community reduced to near-emptiness. Combined with this piece was a collection of graffiti 'tags', objects I found scattered throughout the estate, and a soundtrack I wrote inspired by the area's haunting atmosphere.