[7] Of the influence modernist architecture in the East Midlands had on her as a child, she said that "every escape from the normal and humdrum was in buildings from the Fifties and Sixties – the theatre, the swimming baths, the library".

She helped civic societies, local action groups and individuals across the UK in campaigning to save twentieth-century buildings from inappropriate change and total demolition, and lectured to both lay and academic audiences.

[20] 2016 – Space, Hope and Brutalism, a project that Harwood developed over 18 years,[8] won the Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion from the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain.

[citation needed] Ben Derbyshire, the former president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, described her death as a "huge loss to Historic England, heritage in general, C20th architecture in particular and anyone who knew and enjoyed her amazing spirit".

"[40] The director of Save Britain's Heritage, Henrietta Billings, said that "the rising levels of public interest in Brutalism and other previously unloved periods of modern architecture are largely down to her".

[41] The chief executive of Historic England, Duncan Wilson, described her as "outstanding in her field, a fierce advocate for twentieth-century architecture and a true heritage champion".