CLASP buildings
The CLASP (Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme) system was developed in the early 1960s by Charles Herbert Aslin, the county architect for Hertfordshire. Prompted initially by an acute shortage of school buildings in post-war England, Aslin’s idea of prefabricated, modular structures allowed them to be built quickly and cheaply.
Utilising a light steel frame, the buildings could be clad in a variety of materials, with concrete and glass being the most commonly employed, although decorative timber cladding was also popular. Despite the lightweight nature of construction, a maximum of four storeys in height was possible and countless configurations could be achieved to suit the planner’s needs. Offices, libraries and even housing was developed using the CLASP system and British Rail were quick to see the potential, with a large number of station buildings, mess rooms, depot offices and signal boxes being constructed in this style throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Examples could be found all over the BR network, although the majority were to be found in southern England and the Midlands. Controversially replacing older, more ornate (and expensive to maintain) structures, the modernist aesthetic was not to everyone’s taste and BR’S minimal maintenance saw the buildings rapidly appear shabby.
Indeed, some CLASP buildings enjoyed a relatively short life, whether they were railway or ‘civil’ structures, not least as the use of asbestos was prevalent in their construction. Happily, Clasp-style buildings are still in use on the national railway network, with some prime examples to be found at Alfreton, Wool, Virginia Water and Sunbury.