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razed roof
2012: InForm
Razed Roof
Image "In the late 1940’s, there was opposition from the ‘Harlow and District Defence Association’ to the plan to build Harlow New Town; however, it went ahead and the architect Frederick Gibberd was commissioned to design the new town."
Image "We showed how surveyors and builders arrived to turn the fields and countryside into housing estates, schools, and shops."
Image "Ron Bill, who worked for the Harlow Housing Corporation in the 1950s, told us that people were actually able to take their pick from a selection of houses available. One person saw her new home and thought she’d moved into a palace; she burst into tears of joy when she realised she had a kitchen all of her own."
Image "Razed Roof recreated the ‘Family Group’ sculpture by Henry Moore. Two newly-weds danced a beautiful duet then, to the delight of the audience, their baby arrived...brought on stage by the stork!"
Image "In the 1950’s, Harlow was known as ‘Pram Town’. Our scene showed two zany midwives arriving with their pram full of new babies to give out to hopeful couples: there was even a set of twins."
Image "We heard how strict the schools were: one lady confessed how sixty years ago she was caned for laughing and talking during school dinners. In our school scene, the monitor hands the bottle of ink to the teacher so, together with the books she is holding, the sculpture of ‘Still Life’ by Fred Watson is recreated."
Image "This scene represented the sculpture ‘Shoal’ by Will Spankie. Two lads take their Granny fishing, but they laugh at her when she falls asleep; they soon change their tune when she hooks the biggest ‘bite’ of the day."
Image "After the food shortages of the Second World War, it was a joy to move to Harlow and have an allotment to grow fresh vegetables. After a trip to the ironmongers, this couple were proud owners of carrot seeds and a watering can."
Image "The sculpture ‘Industrial Landscape’ by Christopher Dean highlights how there were not only homes for people in Harlow but jobs too. United Glass was one of the first factories in Templefields."
Image "The audience were bemused by these dancers dressing themselves in bandages at the Industrial Health Centre...until they realised they represented Barbara Hepworth’s distinctive sculpture ‘Contrapuntal Forms’."
Image "These ladies are not as harmless as they seem! When the racist National Front came to Harlow, the women soon gave them a piece of their mind and, using handbags as lethal weapons, shooed the troublemakers out of their town. The scene represented the sculpture ‘Not In Anger’ by Leon Underwood."
Image "All the new pubs in Harlow were named after moths and butterflies. In this scene, a couple of drunks imagine seeing butterflies fluttering past wherever they look; finally, the sculpture ‘Solo Flight’ by Antanas Brazdys convinces them they have had a few-too-many!"