Shortlisted for the Sir Banister Fletcher Award 2008 'Discarding all the tired narratives of Britain's insular modernism as a faint echo of continental stylistic and technical bravura, Alan Powers gives us an erudite, spirited, sometimes irreverent - and ultimately sensitive - assessment of British architectural invention from the decline of Empire to the rise of Devolution. Architectural practice itself, and ... Read morethe changing economic and political policies that inflected its trajectories, are given prominence in dialogue with stylistic and intellectual trends. There is a lasting freshness to this account, and an ecumenical embrace of variety, that will make this lively text a standard for years to come.
Barry Bergdoll, Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture & Design, Museum of Modern Art, New York This brilliant book dispels the myth that modernist architecture has always been a European and American phenomenon. In a book that is as much about a history of twentieth-century British society as it is about twentieth-century British architecture, Alan Powers explores an architectural language that developed in a number of styles unique to modern Britain.
Kevin McCloud, designer, author and presenter of Channel 4's Grand Designs, The Stirling Prize and Demolition This thorough, thoughtful and balanced history is a must-read ... the first comprehensive history of 20th century British architecture and although you may not share its viewpoint, it is absolutely essential that you read it at least once.
Thomas Muirhead Building Design Powers romps through the history of British modernism and its precursors with intelligence, flair and humour. RIBA Journal An account of the architectural twists and turns that drove Britain in each decade of the twentieth century. History has never been this interesting. Grand Designs magazine Powers has written a captivating narrative history of modern architeccture in Britain. The book not only tells a fascinating story but also reminds one of the pleasure of writing such type of history. Journal of Design History highly recommended.
Timothy Brittain-Catlin The Tablet With more than 220 recent and historical photographs, this is an authoritative yet highly accessible account of 20th century British architecture, and adds a new and original dimension to the problem of defining "Britain" in the modern world. Church Building With 221 illustrations, both contemporary and historical, this publication offers an authoritative account of 20th-century British architecture
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