The Odhams Walk development was built in 1979 by the Greater London Council, on the site of the Odhams Press printworks. The architect was Donald Ball. The development occupies a block between streets north of Long Acre, and combines residential and commercial use.
Original plans for redevelopment of the Covent Garden area, at that time shabby and dominated by the fruit and vegetable market, had envisaged large-scale demolition, but opposition by local residents led to a change of ethos and an emphasis on reuse of old buildings, with new buildings like this one designed to fit harmoniously into the space.
The outside walls of the development are straight and massive, creating something of the effect of a castle keep, but within this perimeter Ball created the effect of an Italian hill village, with complex geometries and many different levels.
For an article on the development by the Twentieth Century Society, see
Link.
See other images of Odhams Walk, Covent Garden