Estratigrafía del campo Carito

The tour begins, as perhaps it should, in Old Harlow, as the group of houses, small high street shops and other buildings became known after the construction of the „New‟ town. There is little, however, that is especially ancient about this area and it is now no more than an adjunct to the adjoining New Town. There are, here and there, a few obviously old buildings including a particularly aged church and former manor house. But within Harlow as a whole there are similar remnants from the past – the occasional old farm building or hamlet that once housed agricultural workers and whose name now designates a whole urban neighbourhood. Again, photographic images of „Old‟ Harlow remind the observer that the town has a past wholly different from what it has now become: images of people in 19th _{Century or early 20}th _{century apparel} engaging in pastimes and trades of a time now past. Upon encountering these buildings or photographs the very modernity of the adjacent New Town becomes apparent by contrast. Indeed, the curvature and asymmetry of the Old Town‟s street layout - an outcome of historical practice or habitual usage and not the product first conceived upon some planner‟s drawing board – makes plain the radicalism and conscious ambition of the New Town‟s design. In Old Harlow, architectural form reflects the social character of its former

inhabitant‟s lives whereas in New Harlow, architectural form is an endeavour to

construct an appropriate social environment. Where one reflects what life once

„was‟ the other suggests what life „should be‟.

After leaving the 'old town' our journey proceeds past an industrial area on the right although much of it is hidden from the cycle-track by a buffer of woodland. Covering an area of approximately 270 acres, Temple Fields is Harlow‟s foremost industrial zone. Its name derives from the remnants of an ancient Roman temple discovered in the area although nothing archaeologically significant remains in situ today: the „temple‟ is now little more than a grassy mound surrounded by warehouses and industrial units. A range of „light‟ industries including factories and small workshops occupies the site and provides one of the most important sources of employment for Harlow‟s residents. Although a sizeable number of residents work outside the town‟s perimeter, mainly as commuters to London, the existence of such industrial zones indicates that the town has some autonomy and is able to satisfy most employment needs of its inhabitants. Harlow is no 'bedroom suburb' but a distinct, self-contained town in its own right. The recent arrival of „warehouse style‟ retail outlets in Temple Fields provides an additional source of employment although such provision was never a part of the original Masterplan. There is, however, little about Temple Fields that is environmentally significant with regard to my research other than its layout which successfully provides the necessary infrastructure for industry. What is significant, however, is the complete separation of this industrial zone from any residential, civic or retail areas. It shows that the town‟s design embraces the policy of „zoning‟, adopted in the earlier Garden Cities, in which various urban „functions‟ are kept apart and assigned their own distinct locations unlike the traditional city in which such activities often combine within the same space.

On the opposite side of the cycle track is Mark Hall North, a typical example of a Harlow residential neighbourhood. Again, the buildings are mainly hidden from view by a layer of woodland although it is possible to glimpse some

through the trees10_{. Here, for the first time, the tour has led to an environment} that exudes in its very appearance several key aspects of the New Town Idea.

Throughout Mark Hall North there is ample greenery and an apparent attempt to blend the urban streets within an almost 'rural' environment. The environs immediately surrounding a large open space, for example, are a visual reminder of the traditional village green. Buildings cluster around the edges and the ancient church of St Mary-at-Latton lends the area a rather rustic „chocolate box cover‟ image wholly at odds with the more conventional imagery of a typical urban locale. Indeed, 'nature' flourishes throughout the neighbourhood with innumerable grass verges, tree-lined avenues and buildings interspersed with shrubbery. Yet, unlike most rural villages the greenery of Mark Hall North is obviously more a matter of design. Certainly, existing areas of „parkland‟, originally part of the local manor‟s (Mark Hall) garden were kept as part of the neighbourhood. But even this evinces a design decision rather than a matter of allowing „nature‟ to run its course.

Leaving Mark Hall North and continuing our journey we cross a fairly busy road and enter Harlow's Town Park. Immediately noticeable is the absence of fences or other barrier bordering this open space that would prevent access after dark. In numerous spots we perceive vistas of the Hertfordshire countryside as it adjoins the town. Indeed, the park appears to merge imperceptibly with the countryside such that it is not easy to know where one ends and the other begins. Leaving the cycle-track briefly and wandering through the park a number of other elements become discernible. Firstly, the park obviously encompasses a fairly extensive range and, secondly, it includes a number of different and distinguishable environments or 'outside rooms'. Many of these

10 _{The concealment of houses behind trees and bushes, for reasons I discuss later in the}

chapter, is a conspicuous feature of Harlow‟s design. It contributes to the town‟s „peculiar‟ urban character as revealed by an episode that occurred to me. As I was walking alongside a road, well within the boundaries of the town a car stopped next to me and its driver enquired “which way do I need to go to get to Harlow‟? „You‟re in it” I replied and noticed a look of confusion spread across the driver‟s face. I knew that behind the trees adjacent to the road was a large residential neighbourhood, but as it was invisible to this stranger it was understandable that he thought he had yet to get to any town.

'rooms' are relatively uncultivated and do not evince much sign of design. The meadows adjoining a river, for example, are flooded and make walking through them, other than upon a designated pathway, very difficult. Occasionally we pass through a small copse of trees or discover ourselves in what amounts to an empty field. Other 'rooms', however, are clearly the outcome of design and echo the modernity of Harlow's buildings. In one stands a concrete stage, sufficiently large to accommodate organised performances and in another stands a water garden housing many 'avant-garde' statues. One expanse of greenery has paddocks within which animals graze including a herd of sheep and even a small group of llamas. Beyond this 'farmland' is an empty area, although patches of tarmac, electric cables and lighting poles indicate that it provides a suitable space for visiting fairs, shows and similar events. In heading back to the cycle-track we come across a small hamlet of buildings, including a pub, whose origins clearly pre-date the New Town. This hamlet nestles at the bottom of a number of hills sloping in several peculiar directions suggesting the work of human artifice rather than geological movement.

Once back upon the cycle track and continuing onwards we, at last reach, our final destination: Harlow's town-centre. Immediately we notice that entrance to this place requires us to pass through a subway for the town-centre stands upon an 'island' surrounded by a ring-road. The gathering of office blocks and multi- storey car parks on the Centre's edge marks this as a distinctive place although, from the outside, it is impossible to identify what lies within. However, upon gaining entrance we discover a number of shopping parades linking a few squares, beyond which is a shopping mall and a further retail area the design of which suggests it is of more recent provenance than the rest of the town-centre. In one square, some permanent awnings provide cover for market stalls: the other squares, however, appear curiously empty. Throughout, there are no motor vehicles for all parts of the town-centre are only accessible by foot.

Throughout this short tour two features are distinctive. Firstly, most of the town‟s buildings are clearly „modern‟ often evincing much architectural

experimentation and innovative design. There is little attempt to achieve, at least at the level of appearances, what is today known as the „vernacular style‟. Some houses adopt distinctive rectangular shapes eschewing conventional sloping roofs although others assume a more familiar form while still displaying a highly modern image. The town-centre, however, projects its post-war modernity with few apparent nods to the past. It is a shopping precinct, the design of which almost exclusively serves retail needs with few concessions to other possibilities. Secondly, the environment of Harlow contains ample greenery and verdure throughout. At times such greenery assumes the form of a park, yet grass and shrubbery, trees and bushes occur everywhere: alongside roads, at the end of a row of houses, in courtyards and cul-de-sacs. It is plainly evident that the town attempts to build with rather than against nature. The significance of these two features and how they contribute towards the achievement of social order is, as I shall shortly discuss, fundamental in comprehending the New Town Idea‟s particular vision of social order.

Modernity and the New Town Idea as a Model of Social