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Stories, snapshots and sneak peeks of life in and around the streets of London.
Browsing All posts tagged under »architecture«
View of the week: Soane’s tomb
Sir John Soane (1753 – 1837) was a Neo-Classical architect and collector who designed the Grade-1 listed mausoleum for himself and his wife at St Pancras Old Church, just north of Kings Cross station. The tomb’s design was the inspiration for architect Giles Gilbert Scott’s (1880 – 1960) iconic red telephone boxes. Soane’s tomb is one of only two such Grade-1 […]
Brain-fest! “Garden Marathon” this weekend @ Serpentine Gallery
October 12, 2011
This weekend the Serpentine Art Gallery hosts its sixth annual ideas marathon, where a swag of speakers from the arts and sciences converge to discuss their work, as well as the latest research in their fields, under the umbrella of a particular theme. This year’s theme, “The Garden”, takes its inspiration from the 2011 Serpentine pavilion, designed […]
Art Deco delight: a peek inside Fleet Street’s old Daily Express
August 4, 2011
For architecture aficionados seeking their next dose of Art Deco design, keep an eye on the upcoming event listings for Open House London, being held this year on the 17th & 18th of September. On past Open House weekends, the shiny foyer of the former Daily Express building on Fleet Street has been a prominent and eminently photogenic drawcard. In […]
The Isokon – Lawn Road Flats, Hampstead
June 23, 2011
The Isokon building rises above its homely Hampstead neighbours like a majestic ocean liner about to set sail. This streamlined Art Deco beauty, also known as Lawn Road Flats, was designed by Canadian architect Wells Coates (1895 – 1958) for English furniture designer Jack Pritchard (1899 – 1992) and his wife Molly, and was completed in 1934. It was the […]
From Casanova’s courtesan to Catholic ministries: the newly-restored St Patrick’s on Soho Square
June 3, 2011
St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, on the eastern side of colourful Soho Square, has reopened after 14 months of renovations, at a cost of £3.5 million. New additions include a marble apse, a new baptistry chapel housing relic images, and an extensive underground fit-out – industrial kitchen, prayer room, classroom, offices and a community room. The church […]
Inigo Jones: the architect who brought Italian Renaissance style to England
May 11, 2011
Inigo Jones (1573 – 1652) was a London-born architect who went as a young man to Europe on the traditional Grand Tour, and brought back the stylistic influences of Vitruvius (c. 75BC to c. 15BC) and Andrea Palladio (1508 - 1580), which he incorporated into designs of his own. The style, known as Palladian, pays homage to Classical Greece and Rome, harmonious […]
Pitzhanger Manor & The Soane Museum: John Soane’s architectural creations
April 13, 2011
John Soane (1753 – 1837) was an architect specialising in the neo-Classical style, and is best known to us today as one of the architects of the Bank of England (see his illustrations, and the current facade of the Bank below), and as the man behind Sir John Soane’s Museum. Soane studied architecture under George […]
Strawberry Hill House – Horace Walpole’s Newly Restored Neo-Gothic Manor
April 12, 2011
Strawberry Hill House, the Neo-Gothic manor built by Horace Walpole (1717 – 1797) over several decades, is once again open to the public, with the first phase of an extensive £8.9 million restoration now complete (see bottom of page for a video summary). Horace Walpole was an antiquarian, politician, author and art historian. His father […]
Bloomsbury Bytes
- Dirty Wars: Jeremy Scahill @ Doughty St May 16, 2013
- In Search of Classical Greece April 3, 2013
- View of the week: UCL’s Institute of Making March 16, 2013
February 6, 2012
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