The Iconic British House Modern Architectural Masterworks Since 1900

Dominic Bradbury, Richard Powers, Alain de Botton

A definitive survey of the finest examples of residential architecture in Britain from 1900 to the present, featuring both major architects and more recent emerging talents.

A comprehensive survey of fifty of Britain’s most architecturally significant houses from 1900 to the present, featuring established names alongside the work of fresh emerging talents in the twenty-first century. Covering the major design movements of the past 120 years, including art deco, modernism, and postmodernism, this book also offers a unique insight into changing tastes and attitudes about the home in Britain.

In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the architectural history and heritage of Britain. This has been driven by many important political, cultural, and social factors, from Brexit to the rise of the staycation, as well as a powerful and renewed interest in the design of house and home.

The featured houses include examples designed by architects Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Edwin Lutyens, Berthold Lubetkin, Serge Chermayeff, Richard Rogers, and many others. Twenty-first-century innovation and imagination are evidenced in homes by established and emerging talents, such as Seth Stein, Nick Eldridge, Robin Partington, and Ken Shuttleworth.

Much more than a celebration of influential houses, this richly illustrated overview is a comprehensive guide to shifting architectural movements and ideas, a survey of great architects with international relevance, and a journey through changing tastes, styles, aesthetics, and patterns of living.

Reviews

Here are 50 British homes designed since 1900, which set themselves apart by embodying a 'spirit of adventure.' And what an adventure.

— House & Garden

[A] hefty, decade-hopping survey of modern domestic architecture in Britain… The book's 50 featured domiciles—lushly photographed by Richard Powers—are pointedly diverse in style and context but unified by their creative flair, ingenuity, and ability to induce acute house envy. Don’t say you weren’t warned

— Architectural Record

Bradbury is a discerning guide and Richard Powers’s photographs dramatize the contrasts.

— World of Interiors

A rich investigation of the genre through a variety of examples—houses from every style, including Arts and Crafts, art deco, modernism and postmodernism…

— Wallpaper*

Contributors

Dominic Bradbury

Author

Dominic Bradbury is a journalist and writer specializing in architecture and design. He is the author of many books on these subjects, including Off the Grid, The Iconic House, The Iconic American House, The Iconic British House, and The Iconic Interior.

Richard Powers

Photographer

Richard Powers is a photographer who deals in interiors, architecture, and built environments. His books include The Iconic House, The Iconic American House, and The Iconic Interior.

Alain de Botton

Foreword By