A Short History of British Architecture: Simon Jenkins' book 'gallops along'
Some parts should be 'required reading' for the Labour government

"Simon Jenkins on architecture is typically a treat," said Laura Freeman in The Times. Over the past 25 years, the newspaper columnist has produced a series of bestselling books – "England's Thousand Best Churches", "Britain's 100 Best Railway Stations", and so on – which are invaluable when you're on a weekend away, and deciding what to see in the area.
Now, he has written a short history of British architecture, aimed at the "intelligent layman". As Jenkins takes us through the various styles (Palladianism, the gothic revival, etc.), it sometimes feels a little bit dutiful: the writing is more "assured" than inspired. But in its final 70 pages, the book "comes flamingly to life", as a "blistering polemic" against the postwar planners and architects who flattened neighbourhoods, built motorways through towns and forced people into brutalist tower blocks. For the Labour Government, planning to build 1.5 million homes, this brilliant section should be "required reading".
It's undeniable that many "atrocities were perpetrated" in the decades after the War, said Rowan Moore in The Observer. And having been involved in some key planning battles as a young journalist – notably the campaign to save Covent Garden from redevelopment – Jenkins has "earned the right to talk about them". It's a little wearying, however, to find the Swiss-French modernist Le Corbusier once again being lambasted, "more than 50 years after his urban ideas went out of fashion". Jenkins is on surer ground when rattling through "four-and-a-half millennia of the greatest hits of British building", an account he enlivens with "sweeping statements", such as that the megalithic structure at Stonehenge counts as architecture, whereas the older complex of circular houses at Skara Brae in Orkney does not.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Jenkins believes that if more people could "speak architecture", they'd be more confident in voicing their opinions about it – and British building would be in a less "dodgy state", said Will Wiles in Literary Review. "The book is his contribution to improving public understanding." It's full of interesting details – such as the fact that a window in Gloucester Cathedral contains the first image of someone playing golf – and though some sections are a trifle repetitive, for the most part it "gallops along".
The book is at its best when Jenkins himself appears – describing clambering around the dome of St Paul's Cathedral as a boy, for instance. "I was left wishing the book as a whole was more personal", and less informed by a "need to catalogue".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Week contest: Flight fraud
Puzzles and Quizzes
-
Is Trump sidelining Congress' war powers?
Today's Big Question The Iran attack renews a long-running debate
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts
-
Critics' choice: Carrying the flag
Feature The best barbecue in town, Bradley Cooper's cheesesteak restaurant, and more
-
Film review: Materialists
Feature Two suitors seek to win over a jaded matchmaker
-
Music reviews: Haim, Addison Rae, and Annahstasia
Feature "I Quit," "Addison," and "Tether"
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'
Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach Boys
Feature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
Grilled radicchio with caper and anchovy sauce recipe
The Week Recommends Smoky twist on classic Italian flavours is perfect to grill, drizzle and devour