Up in the Air
A History of High Rise Britain
Will be published approx. on 24. November 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-80429-740-7 (ISBN)
Description
Up in the Air tells the story of Britain's multi-storey council housing from its beginnings to the present day. Throughout its history, high rise has been a symbol of the welfare state for better or worse. Here, Holly Smith tells a new story from the perspective of those who lived there, exploring how residents grappled with this brave new world above the old skyline.
Through a series of historical moments based upon prize-winning research, we confront the human story of high-rise Britain. Interrogating the complex inheritance of mid-century urban reconstruction, Smith shows how these buildings became a crucible for the welfare state's reimagination over the decades.
She traces the scattering of a local community during the construction of Park Hill in Sheffield in the 1950s. The resistance of residents after the Ronan Point collapse of 1968. The formation of a pioneering tenants' cooperative to revive a crumbling estate during the closure of the Docklands. The rage of a National Tower Blocks Network advocating for high-rise safety in the 1980s and 1990s. The excitement of early digital culture in a Liverpudlian pensioners' high-rise internet television show in the 2000s. And the fierce battle to defend estates from demolition in the 2010s.
Up in the Air is a rich history of political struggle within Britain's most misunderstood buildings, offering essential lessons for a reformed social housing compact.
Through a series of historical moments based upon prize-winning research, we confront the human story of high-rise Britain. Interrogating the complex inheritance of mid-century urban reconstruction, Smith shows how these buildings became a crucible for the welfare state's reimagination over the decades.
She traces the scattering of a local community during the construction of Park Hill in Sheffield in the 1950s. The resistance of residents after the Ronan Point collapse of 1968. The formation of a pioneering tenants' cooperative to revive a crumbling estate during the closure of the Docklands. The rage of a National Tower Blocks Network advocating for high-rise safety in the 1980s and 1990s. The excitement of early digital culture in a Liverpudlian pensioners' high-rise internet television show in the 2000s. And the fierce battle to defend estates from demolition in the 2010s.
Up in the Air is a rich history of political struggle within Britain's most misunderstood buildings, offering essential lessons for a reformed social housing compact.
Reviews / Votes
Nothing is more subject to gross generalisation and hostile misrepresentation than the story of British high-rise. Holly Smith's exemplary case studies and judicious summary provide nuance and complexity and genuine insight. If you really want to understand multi-storey Britain - its positives, negatives and contradictions - read this book. -- John Boughton, author of <i>Municipal Dreams</i> Finally, a history of the British high-rise from below - a kaleidoscopic account of the civic activism that has emerged to maintain, control, repair, protect and remember the tower blocks, against the tabula rasa visions of both the past and the present. Up in the Air is both informed and pugnacious, but is dominated by the actions and memories of those who have lived high up, giving voice to their frequently frustrated desire for good, well-maintained, well-built council housing -- Owen Hatherley, author of <i>The Alienation Effect</i> Neither rose-tinted, polemical or cynical, Smith provides us with something much more valuable: the truth. This is a history of people more than buildings: the way the humans that lived in high rises resisted, celebrated and survived amid the architectural ideas and high political theories that have defined our urban built environments since World War II. As such, it serves as a grounded history of Britain, as well as a history of our buildings in the sky. A must-read for anyone interested in the thorny question of housing in the UK. -- Peter Apps, author of <i>Homesick</i> Smith boldly busts the enduring myths of high-rise living in the post-war period to the near present. Shorn of stories of architectural heroism, forensic in exposing craven political motivation, we are instead confronted with the voices so often ignored: those of the tenants, whose complexity, creativity, and communitarianism drive the book's narrative. This is not just for those interested in social and architectural history; everyone concerned with the housing question today will gain from its perspicacity. -- Neal Shasore, author of <i>Designs on Democracy</i> Full of fresh insights and drawing on innovative case studies, Up in the Air is both rigorous history and a meaningful contribution to the vital on-going debate about the need for social housing and how to make sure that it's high quality and sustainable. -- Catherine Croft, Director, Twentieth Century Society [a] meticulous and compelling debut. Up in the Air is a superb history of the tower block - and an urgent reminder of the housing inequality it failed to solve. -- Hannah Sullivan * The Telegraph * An elegant and insightful book * New Statesman * [a] sparkling new history of the tower block * Literary Review * Up in the Air is detailed and meticulously researched, yet remains accessible and readable. ... It's an essential read for anyone interested in the rise and demise of social housing and the welfare state in Britain * Morning Star *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
B/W images throughout
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Weight
367 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80429-740-7 (9781804297407)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Holly Smith is a historian of architecture and protest. She is a Fellow at St John's College, University of Cambridge. Her research has been awarded the Duncan Tanner Prize by Oxford University Press and the Hawksmoor Medal by the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain. She holds a PhD from University College London.