Generations

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 (1928-2012) was commissioned in 1961. Originally from Nottingham, Harris had studied at the RCA and worked for 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 1963 and cost £850. It is made of fibreglass 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 remained from this period. Patchy attempts to repair the broken seams had failed. There had been a loss of the original surface treatment and organic growth across the statue. The statue’s hard-landscaped setting was also in relatively poor condition. The surrounding concrete pavers had become uneven and moss had grown over much of the area.

The restoration project included 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 now tells the story of the sculpture and its artist. The paving and plinth has also been enhanced through cleaning and repointing, as well as re-laying the pavers where necessary.

The sculpture was collected in May 2026 for restoration in the Taylor Pearce Conservation workshop and was reinstalled just before its unveiling in July 2026.

The unveiling took place on 14 July 2026 at Maitland Park Estate, with local residents, Camden Council representatives, Proud Places young people from Harmood School, The Heath School, Fleet Primary School, Geoffrey Harris' son Chris Harris and project supporters attending.

This project is supported by Imago Interiors.