Ralph Erskine, the architect whose practice designed Byker’s new housing, is generally celebrated as the driving force behind this new approach. In this two-part blog, we tell a less well-known origin story about the Byker redevelopment (1969-1983). It was, in fact, a group of people living and working in Byker whose action paved the way for the radical approach here. The ‘Byker Study Group’, as they called themselves, lobbied Newcastle City Council with their demands for people to be allowed to stay in Byker and for them to be involved in plans for its redevelopment. The first part of this blog describes the events leading up to this action.

Many fantastic projects happened in Byker over the years, but sadly the materials they produced found no permanent home on the estate, disappeared in drawers, were given to archives and organisations outside the area, or got lost altogether. The Byker development has long been recognised as a key part of a significant collaborative movement in international architecture and is one of the most important social developments in British post-war history.