Poignant images of life on the Lion Farm estate by Robert Clayton

Photographer Robert Clayton visited the Lion Farm estate in Oldbury, West Midlands, in the early 1990s to capture the lives of the residents. Next month an exhibition of his images, supported by the Arts Council England, opens at L A Noble Gallery in London. The powerful images offer a glimpse of the recent past documenting the individuals who lived on the estate and the architecture that surrounded them. As a social commentary, the exhibition is “perfectly placed to serve the public as a tacit reminder of the need for social housing and the beauty of community,” says the gallery.

The project has gained widespread critical praise, noticeably from the writer and critic Jonathan Meades who provides a foreword to Robert’s book and narrates a short film about the project. “What is special about Estate is Clayton’s humane rendering of it as a time capsule that emphasises ordinariness,” says Meades. “This was how it was for millions of people in the early 90s.” The film will be premiered as part of the ongoing exhibition.