Words Hannah Clugston
Photography Rachel Ferriman

In the 1950s, Sheffield was in desperate need of new social housing, and J.L. Womersley – the city council’s architect – knew it needed a radical solution. Inspired by Le Corbusier and his vision of functional homes with accessible amenities, architects Ivor Smith and Jack Lynn (under Womersley’s supervision) designed a 13-story, concrete structure that maximised light and provided residents with both privacy and community.

Over 60 years since Park Hill first opened, its influence is still felt – so much so that when Jane and Michael Eastwood were planning to relocate from London, it was on their dream list alongside Le Corbusier’s La Cité Radieuse in Marseille and Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 in Montreal. “Michael threw Park Hill into the mix and I kept coming back to it,” explains Jane. “I started looking at what architects Mikhail Riches were doing with the renovations and I found it really interesting.”

Despite a slow slide into decline in the 1980s – due to mass unemployment and strapped council budgets – Park Hill was awarded Grade II* listed status in 1998, making it the largest listed building in Europe. In 2004, Urban Splash purchased the property and began the careful process of selecting new designers and architects to breathe new life into the ambitious structure. “I think I am always slightly amazed that it got built,” adds Jane. “It is incredible that something of this size could be realised in the 1960s, and now – it is not just standing – but it is standing firm and has stood the test of time.”

Without ever visiting Park Hill, the couple paid a deposit and selected a newly renovated town house on Rhodes Mews based solely on their passion for modernist architecture. With their home now for sale, Jane and Michael explain why Park Hill is still perfectly suited to modern living.

Jane: “We knew we were leaving London and we were coming back up north, but we were thinking – where do we go to next? What do we want from a home? We were living in Blackheath, so we were surrounded by beautiful modernist homes and we loved the fact that they are really designed for living – they are airy with loads of light.”

Michael: “We were quite close with the independent record label Factory Records in Manchester. Their approach was to do something because you’ve got the urge to do it and to work out the reasons you did it afterwards. So, it was a bit of that for us: we’d never lived in Sheffield before, we didn’t even see the place, but we felt it has got to be worth jumping on to it and having a go.

“Additionally, Jane and I worked and played at The Haçienda club in Manchester in the 80s and 90s, and a little-known fact is that the ground-floor communal area of Béton House (the student block next to Rhodes Mews) is designed by Ben Kelly – who is most famous for designing The Haçienda (and Vivienne Westwood’s King’s Road shop, Sex). It’s a really great space and it was comforting to have a bit of our past on our doorstep.”

Jane: “The first time we visited Rhodes Mews, I stood on the patio and I got the same feeling I had once when we were visiting Paris. To get to our apartment we had to walk along a busy Parisian street and go through a tiny walkway. Suddenly, you were in this big courtyard with the building all around and you could just about hear the city, but you had birds and the sky above you and it was really tranquil and beautiful. When you sit on our patio, you hear the birds, you hear the trees rustling, you get the cathedral bells and then you can hear the rumble of the trains and the city beyond and it is quite magical.

“Once we got inside, it was just as we were hoping. We love the light and the space and we use every part of the house. I have a little reading corner next to the window where I can look out to the garden and Michael will be sitting at the dining table doing something else. It is a very sociable open space but you can get privacy when you want it.”

Michael: “I also like that the outside of the building matches the inside. So, you can have a house and make it beautiful on the inside and then you step outside and it is a three bedroom semi or whatever, whereas this is amazing inside and outside. One of my favourite places is just sitting out on the patio and looking back up at the building.

“The architects spent a lot of time working out how the sun moves. They have built everything in relation to the sun. We chose our plot on Rhodes Mews based on the sun’s movement and now we get incredible light.”

Jane: “Obviously, we love the concrete, and the treatment of the concrete is really beautiful. It has got quite a rustic, industrial, rough feel. In the stairwell you can see where there has been a floor that has been cut away – and there are bits of wood in the wall and the old sockets. I love that you can see all the history.”

Michael: “It is restoration but making sure you show where you have restored, you don’t pretend it was always like this. Across the whole development, in various bits, you can see where they have filled in with concrete because they have had to use a slightly different colour.”

Jane: “I think modern living is all about having space that works for you, and this building is centred around how people want to live. For example, the idea of a private outdoor space that is also communal. We can tuck ourselves away on our balcony if we want to eat some food or have a chat, but then if we want to be part of the neighbourhood we just step out and sit on our terrace – and we’ll share bottles of wine and talk.”

Michael: “At Park Hill we have managed to achieve the 15-minute city ideal – almost everything we want is on our doorstep. There are five parks nearby; a 50-metre swimming pool and sports centre at the bottom of the hill; restaurants, bars, galleries, cinemas, theatres, concerts – all within a 10-minute walk. There’s a train station at the bottom of the garden; my office is a 12-minute walk away and the Peak District is a 20-minute drive or 40-minute cycle ride. It’s about efficiency – being able to quickly access the things we need so that we can maximise our personal downtime. And in our personal space we are surrounded by exactly the things we need to enjoy that downtime.”

Jane: “The town houses at Park Hill are quite unique in that it feels like a bit of a retreat. I love the fact that we are in the city but it is so tranquil. We can be wherever we want to be in no time at all, but then we can retreat into this space, surrounded by all this beautiful greenery. I think Sheffield is pretty special with the sheer amount of greenery and trees, even the walk down to the train station is incredible.”

Michael: “I am still spotting views that I’ve never noticed before. I spotted one a few weeks ago – when I was walking the dog – in the car park below us, looking at one of the derelict blocks in a slightly different way. Park Hill is great for that.”