http://www.lightstalkers.org/galleries/contact_sheet/1805 The present day Tavy Bridge estate in Thamesmead, Kent is a far cry from the glamour and edginess of Stanley Kubrick's 1971 masterpiece A Clockwork Orange which was filmed here. Today, neglect and surrender permeate the air here. Stuart York captures glimpses of the past in the present which is all set to become history soon enough. The estate is due to be demolished in preparation for a regeneration project. Some local residents believe that the infamous cinematic depiction of extreme youth disorder helped forever taint the reputation of the estate. Bexley councillor, Ian Clement insists, "It is a fresh new start," but building 507 extra homes on the same site will surely diminish, not increase, the chance of success for the estate and the people who live there. Rubbish, graffiti and grey concrete contrast starkly with the graceful swans that swim on the huge tranquil lake oblivious to their fate. The water separates the lush parkland beyond from the harsh stained walls that thousands of people call home. The sheer size of the estate is something to behold, and it is easy to get lost in the network of underground and overhead passageways and walkways that connect the two sides of the estate over the main road that splits it in half. The sensation for residents is that they are one of many, and any personal touches to homes merely highlight the similarities not the differences in structure and outlook. For most though, this estate, degenerate as it is, is still home, maybe the only home they have ever know, and no matter how it looks now, the corners, benches and playgrounds hold dear memories for many residents. The Hollywood connection will soon be wiped from view as developers and town planners knock down old homes and build shiny new lives for the next generation. At the Better Buildings Summit in 2003, Thames Gateway expansion advocate and architect John Prescott noted, “Sustainability is about a steep change in the way housing and communities are planned, designed and built.â€* And many plans are afoot to increase the amount of money and hope coming into the area. But who exactly is to gain from all this? Will the Tavy Bridge residents benefit from this regeneration? Nobody wants the turmoil of losing their home to be compounded by the view of a luxury tower block and affluence on the doorstep that they have no part in. By the time you read this the Clockwork Estate will most probably be a pile of rubble, and in its place newer, cleaner and fancier tower blocks will be built. But how long will it be until the clock turns full circle and these new homes full of hope will surrender themselves to their inevitable fate, and once again be demolished, rebuilt, and any traces of history be wiped clean? http://www.lightstalkers.org en-us http://images.lightstalkers.org/avatars/11459/medoor_small.jpg http://www.lightstalkers.org/Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402214/_MG_6968_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402214'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402214 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:28:33 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402214 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402214/_MG_6968_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402214'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402217/_MG_6996_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402217'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402217 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:28:50 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402217 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402217/_MG_6996_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402217'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402220/_MG_7048_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402220'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402220 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:29:05 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402220 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402220/_MG_7048_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402220'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402226/_MG_7094_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402226'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402226 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:29:22 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402226 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402226/_MG_7094_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402226'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402229/_MG_7106_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402229'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402229 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:29:38 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402229 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402229/_MG_7106_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402229'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402232/_MG_7161_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402232'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402232 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:29:54 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402232 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402232/_MG_7161_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402232'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402235/_MG_7180_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402235'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402235 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:30:13 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402235 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402235/_MG_7180_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402235'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402238/_MG_7245_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402238'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402238 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:30:31 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402238 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402238/_MG_7245_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402238'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402241/_MG_7277_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402241'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402241 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:30:39 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402241 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402241/_MG_7277_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402241'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402244/_MG_7300_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402244'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402244 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:30:47 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402244 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402244/_MG_7300_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402244'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402247/_MG_7302_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402247'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402247 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:30:55 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402247 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402247/_MG_7302_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402247'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402250/_MG_7304_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402250'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402250 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:31:03 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402250 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402250/_MG_7304_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402250'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402253/_MG_7329_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402253'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402253 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:31:11 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402253 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/402253/_MG_7329_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/402253'>view full-size image</a> Stuart York