Generations
Restoration of the sculpture
Until the mid-19th century, the Haverstock neighbourhood of Camden remained a sparsely-developed, rural community on the outskirts of London. In 1847, the Orphan Working School moved here from the City and was later renamed after the Maitland family, who were long-running supporters of the orphanage. The area was rapidly developed with housing in the later 19th century. The orphanage and surrounding neighbourhood was badly damaged during the Second World War. The orphanage was demolished after the war and the new Maitland Park Estate was constructed by the London County Council in the late 1940s. The housing expanded during the 1950s/1960s with a number of new of council-built blocks.
As part of this redevelopment the LCC Patronage of the Arts Scheme proposed an artwork in July 1959: 'something on an intimate scale', suitable for the estate entrance and near a playground. The young artist Geoffrey Harris (1928-2019) was commissioned in 1961. Originally from Nottingham, Harris had studied at the RCA and under Henry Moore, and in the 1950s was a lecturer at the Dockland Settlements. He also taught at Bromley College of Art and Ravensbourne College. Harris’s sculpture of four figures reflects family unity and also the new opportunities for all generations on the estate, which was equipped with playgrounds for children, club rooms for adults and nursing homes for the elderly. The sculpture is similar to Henry Moore’s harmonious 1951 Family Group.
The sculpture was completed by 1964 and cost £850. It is made of fibreglass with a thin external finish of ‘cement fondue’, treated and painted to give the appearance of bronze, as with a number of experimental post War sculpture materials.
The statue has been vandalised and deteriorated over time. By 2004 graffiti had added faces to the figures, and though partly removed, paint remains from this period. Patchy attempts to repair the broken seams have failed. There has been a loss of the original surface treatment and organic growth across the statue. The statue’s hard-landscaped setting is also in relatively poor condition. The surrounding concrete pavers have become uneven and moss has grown over much of the area.
The project will include cleaning, removal of graffiti, a resin fill where the old fills are missing and seams closed and filled, and finish painting to match the original surface plus an application of wax to protect the statue. A new interpretation panel will tell the story of the sculpture and its artist. The paving and plinth will also be enhanced through cleaning and repointing, as well as re-laying the pavers where necessary.