Millbrook Towers took just longer than nine months to build

Millbrook Towers, with its homes stacked towards the heavens, is more than just a block of flats; it is a familiar and enduring landmark, a vertical village that has dominated the city's skyline since the swinging sixties.

Soaring an impressive 240 feet into the air, the 25-storey residential tower in Windermere Avenue was a source of immense civic pride upon its completion. 

Constructed by the Southampton Corporation, it was a bold statement of modernity and progress. 

When it was officially opened on May 5, 1965, by the city’s Mayor, Councillor Mrs Elsie Willcock JP, it was celebrated not merely as the highest structure in Southampton, but as one of the tallest residential blocks in the whole of southern England.

The 1960s construction, a product of the architectural vision of Ryder and Yates, was seen as a triumphant solution to Southampton's pressing post-war housing crisis. 

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the 1950s had been marked by a desperate scramble for new homes. 

The Millbrook estate, with the towering presence of the Towers at its heart, was hailed as a breakthrough in modern living. 

The design was intended to be "essentially urban," yet to possess "something of the spaciousness and graciousness of a model village," offering families not just a home, but all the conveniences of a self-contained community. 

From their perch in the sky, residents were afforded wonderful, sweeping panoramas across the city, a daily spectacle of life unfolding below.

The construction of this behemoth, which began with the driving of the first piles on May 3, 1963, was a monumental undertaking. 

Weighing a staggering 20,000 tons, even before the addition of its inhabitants and their belongings, the tower was indicative of the ambition of the era. 

A dedicated workforce toiled for just nine and a half months to raise the structure from its raft foundation to its roof, a remarkable undertaking and an incredible feat of engineering. 

The sheer scale of the materials involved is a story in itself: 17,000 cubic yards of concrete, 300 tons of reinforcing steel, 300,000 bricks, and 19,000 breeze blocks were all meticulously pieced together to create the structure. 

The finishing touches were no less impressive, with 3,888 rolls of wallpaper adorning the walls of the 144 flats, a splash of domesticity within the grand, brutalist frame. The total cost of the ambitious project was a significant £342,150.

The opening ceremony was a moment of great fanfare and optimism. 

Then-Mayor Elsie Willcock, in her address to the assembled crowd, which included 40 of the proud workmen and their wives, as well as the technical staff from the Civic Centre, lauded the imposing block as a testament to the "foresight of the housing committee and city council and the professional and technical skill of all concerned." 

She expressed her hope that Millbrook Towers, so aptly named for its dominance over the 4,000 council houses of the surrounding estate, would be a catalyst for similar ambitious schemes to combat the city's housing shortage.

In a poignant, although somewhat outdated, touch, the Mayor noted the appropriateness of a woman performing the opening ceremony, for "a home meant so much more to a woman than a man." 

With a heartfelt wish, she congratulated the builders, Mr Miller and his team, and the architects for their visionary work. 

Her sincere hope was that the families who would make their lives within these walls would not exist as "separate units in their little flats," but would flourish as "one happy community living together in peace and harmony."

Over the decades, Mayor Willcock's wish has, in many ways, been realised. 

A strong sense of community has often prevailed, with residents affectionately referring to their home as "the village in the sky." 

For many, it has been a place of security and belonging, a vertical neighbourhood where friendships have been forged and generations have grown.

The story of Millbrook Towers has not been without its complexities. 

The initial utopian vision of high-rise living that swept the nation in the 1960s eventually gave way to a more nuanced reality, with challenges around maintenance and the inevitable wear and tear of time. 

However, it remains a home to hundreds and is an undeniable icon of Southampton.