A Question of Taste

Sir Nikolaus Pevsner [1902-1983] was a German/British art historian who over the period of 1951-1974 wrote 46 volumes of county-by-county guides, The Buildings of England. The books are compact and intended to meet the needs of both specialists and the general reader. Each contains an extensive introduction to the architectural history and styles of the area, followed by a town-by-town?– and in the case of larger settlements, street-by-street?account of individual buildings. For anyone at all interested in architectural history they are compelling guides. Many have been revised by subsequent authors, including the recently published guide to the North Riding, revised by Dr Jane Grenville at the University of York. In the summary to the area, Dr Grenville comments on the dearth of building after the late 20thc, other than “extremely depressing pattern book housing estates” until reaching the 2000’s and the “imaginative work of Bramhall Blenkharn Leonard.” She cites 3 projects I designed and 2 projects by Mark Bramhall. It is clearly a privilege to be recognised for the contribution we have made to the area in terms of architectural history and testament to all those who have helped deliver such projects, from clients, consultants, local authorities, contractors and suppliers. Of the projects cited, many were seen as quite radical at the time, yet they have seemingly become established architectural benchmarks. To this day, many of these projects divide opinion, yet the vast majority of comments we receive are incredibly positive. I was therefore tickled recently, to see a note in the local press about a house I had recently designed, being described as “a boil on the buttock!”. It’s the first time in 40 years, I have received such an ‘accolade’-yet the clients for the project and all those involved in the delivery of the scheme are delighted by the end result. It demonstrates that buildings can clearly be a matter of taste, and certainly not to everyone’s liking. This has been the case for ever and a day, with change being seen negatively in the first place, but as buildings become established ,they become part of the rich architectural fabric which makes our country so fascinating. I often cite the simplistic view, of how York Minster must have appeared against the backcloth of humble small-scale buildings-the Minster towering over them. Over centuries, we have seen change as new technologies are developed, giving rise to new forms of building and in fact influencing all aspects of our lives. Yet, as Jane Grenville notes, there have been too many “depressing pattern book housing estates” built over recent years. It is great therefore to note that many large-scale housing developers are seeing that well considered design can give rise to the creation of substantive communities, and in turn deliver the profitability required to enable delivery of such schemes. I know from the experience of a recent multiple housing scheme I designed, as to how popular it has been. New residents appreciating the care taken to both design the individual homes, yet fully acknowledging the time taken in the design of the layout to encourage social interaction and help form a sense of community.

So yes, it is all a matter of taste, and we don’t all like the same things-but good architecture is the result of careful analysis of site, brief and numerous constraints. If the built result exceeds client’s expectations and the building becomes an accepted part of the built environment, then I would judge this a success. A success which has seen the practice complete numerous buildings and with it, recognition in Pevsner as a continuum of history.