Modern London Houses
My photos of some of the best modern-style houses in London
Compiled by David AndersonIntroduction
Despite the general opposition to Modern style houses, London has a considerable number of interesting individual examples, often hidden away in small mews sites or previously under-developed backland sites. I am aiming to gradually photograph each one and record their precise address.
When I say 'Modern' I don't mean of recent construction, but designed in the 'Modern Style' which arrived here in the thirties. In contrast to architectural styles of the past which modelled 'mass' sculpturally, the Modern Style uses space as its medium. Hence buildings in this style tend to have plain unornamented construction while having complex, connected spaces, often linking different rooms and levels and linking interior with garden.
Notes
In the borough pages below, clicking the small images will bring up a larger version. If I know the details, I have included the architect and date of construction in the columns after the image. The note "Listed" means this property is on the Government list of buildings of architectural or historical interest, giving it statutory protection. I have also included reference numbers (abbreviated to 'IoE') to the listed buildings website "Images Of England". Other abbreviations in the right-hand comments column are page references to books listed in the bibliography (below). I've also added some other buildings of interest, especially small blocks of flats.London Borough Pages
Show Homes at the 1934 Ideal Home Exhibition at Olympia
Other House Type Pages
Laing Coronation |
Tremar |
Architect Pages
- Anna Hummel and Bryn Riches
- Noel Moffett
- James Stirling and James Gowan
- Ernest Trobridge
- Kenneth Wood
Links
Bibliography
AR | The Architectural Review | |||
MH | The Modern House | F.R.S.Yorke | The Architectural Press | 1934, (References are from the Eighth Edition 1957) |
MHE | The Modern House in England | F.R.S.Yorke | The Architectural Press | 1937 |
NHGB | New Housing in Great Britain | Bruckmann and Lewis | Alec Tiranti | 1960 |
H&GS | House and Garden Book of Small Houses | Editor:Robert Harling | Conde Nast | 1961 |
H&GM | House and Garden Book of Modern Houses and Conversions | Editor:Robert Harling | Conde Nast | 1966 |
ABT | Architecture in Britain Today | Michael Webb | Country Life | 1969 |
JP | Houses for Today | June Park | Batsford | 1971 |
TMHT | The Modern House Today | Nick Dawe & Kenneth Powell | Black Dog | 2001 |
EH | England A Guide To Post-War Listed Buildings | Elaine Harwood | Batsford | 2003 |
20CJ2 | Journal of the Twentieth Century Society No.2 | Gazetteer by Jeremy Gould with John Newman | The Twentieth Century Society | 1996 |
20CJ4 | Journal of the Twentieth Century Society No.4 | The Twentieth Century Society | 2000 |
Other References
IoE | The English Heritage "Images Of England Website". Each reference number refers to a 'listed' building on this site. |