Interwar: British Architecture 1919-39

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 BERGER PRIZE A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 A Country Life 'Architecture Book to Read in 2025' 'Elegant, erudite and entertaining ... a superbly detailed picture of an architectural era' The Times 'A magnificent monument in itself to a fine architectural writer' Simon Heffer, Telegraph British architecture between the wars is most famous for the rise of modernism - the flat roofs, clean lines and concrete of the Isokon flats in Hampstead and the Penguin Pool at London Zoo - but the reality was far more diverse. As the modernists came of age and the traditionalists began to decline, there arose a rich variety of styles and tastes in Britain and across the empire, a variety that reflected the restless zeitgeist of the years before the Second World War. At the time of his death in 2017, Gavin Stamp, one of Britain's leading architectural critics, was at work on a deeply considered account of British architecture in the interwar period, correcting what he saw as the skewed view of earlier historians who were unable to see past modernism. Beginning with a survey of the modern movement after the armistice, Interwar untangles the threads that link lesser-known movements like the Egyptian revival with the enduring popularity of the Tudorbethan, to chronicle one of Britain's most dynamic architectural periods. The result is more than an architectural history - it is the portrait of a changing nation. As an account of the period that still shapes much of Britain's towns and cities, Gavin Stamp's final work is the definitive history of British architecture between the Great War and the Blitz.

About the Author :
Gavin Stamp was an architectural historian, author of over twenty books, and one of Britain's leading experts on pre-war building and design. Prolific as an author, curator and journalist, as 'Piloti' he wrote Private Eye's 'Nooks & Corners' column from 1978 until his death in 2017. He was chairman of the 20th-Century Society from 1983-2007.

Review :
Unfailingly erudite, articulate, provocative, entertaining, and above all independent-minded A masterful revision of the history of interwar architecture, no longer as a barren seedbed of modernism but as an era of stylistic diversity, invention and delight Majestic ... [an] excitable, illuminating and sure to be enduring work His greatest work ... When so much of our built environment is unlovely, Stamp shows why it is worth looking again, and harder Simple and elegant ... a riposte to the standard narrative about the emergence of modernism Elegant, erudite and entertaining ... rich ... offers a superbly detailed picture of an architectural era chiefly defined by its multiplicity of styles A magnificent monument in itself to a fine architectural writer A plea for the recognition of the incredible diversity of interwar architecture, from suburban Tudorbethan semis to Battersea Power Station Extraordinary ... a most brilliant, authoritative and engaging guide ... Stamp's ability to present clearly for a general audience was as unusual as it is remarkable Extraordinary ... a magnificent tour d'horizon, a bible of the styles available to architects Definitive ... both vital and clear, a book steeped in technical detail, full of meticulous attention, yet accessible and without prejudice - never dry and certainly not florid ... Stamp wrote definitive books on grand and humble subjects [A] mesmerising history ... One of Gavin Stamp's greatest gifts was his ability to see the bigger picture ... Engaging and important 'Magisterial ... a monumental achievement ... in untangling the threads of a period of unimaginable change and stubborn constancy, Stamp is a forensic and sympathetic chronicler. You wish he were still on the stage. But in Interwar he has left behind the work of a lifetime [Interwar] is valuable in its lively and perceptive discussion of a range of buildings and debates from the period Stamp was a superb writer with an untouchable knowledge of the period ... a wonderful memorial to a great writer Extraordinary This posthumous volume is the masterpiece [Stamp] did not publish in his lifetime. It puts his memory on a new plane Love it or hate it, [interwar Britain] was a period full of personality: a changing society recovering from war and the Depression, hungry for a different future. There is fascination in their built footprints Thrilling ... Interwar looks to redress the imbalance Stamp saw in our architectural history - namely, that there was more to the interbellum period than modernism. Taking in everything from the Egyptian revival to the ubiquitous Tudorbethan, this handsome title makes the case for a more dynamic and diverse view of the past Stamp was a superb writer with an unmatchable knowledge of the period concerned... Interwar is most definitely a proper book, and a wonderful memorial to a great writer. A rebuttal of the modernist-centric view of interwar British architecture. It was much more diverse than people think, [Stamp] argues, and studying the lesser-known movements is key to understanding the period