# / . 4 % 8 4 - ! 9 THAN ONE MIGHT INITIALLY ASSUME 4HESE BOOKS ARE OF IMMENSE INTEREST FOR PRACTITIONERS INVOLVED WITH BUILDINGS FROM A WIDE RANGE OF PERIODS 4HEY ARE LIKELY TO BE OF LASTING VALUE AS LONG AS NORMAL DISCRETION IS APPLIED &OR STUDENTS OF ARCHITECTURE OR BUILDING IN GENERAL WHETHER OR NOT THEY INTEND TO SPECIALISE IN CONSERVATION THEY COULD ALSO OFFER A LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE MATERIALS METHODS AND CULTURE OF BUILDING WHICH IS DIFFICULT TO GAIN FROM OTHER SOURCES 4HEY ARE AT LEAST PERHAPS SOMETHING OF AN ANTIDOTE TO THE DEPRESSINGLY LOW EXPECTATIONS OF CURRENT GENERAL BUILDING TEXTBOOKS #OULD IT BE TIME FOR A NEW EDITION )AN "ROCKLEBANK A CONSERVATION ARCHITECT BASED IN WEST ,ONDON AND CHAIR OF THE "UILDING ,IMES &ORUM 4ERMINAL STUDIES 0URGATORIAL 0LACES THE ARCHITECTURE OF "RITISH TRANSPORT IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY *ULIAN (OLDER AND 3TEVEN 0ARISSIEN EDITORS 9ALE 5NIVERSITY 0RESS .EW (AVEN AND ,ONDON PP B W ILLUSTRATIONS )3". a )N THE SERIES 3TUDIES IN "RITISH !RT .O THIS SET OF EIGHT ESSAYS BY ACADEMICS AND %NGLISH (ERITAGE INSPECTORS AND INVESTIGATORS COVERS ASPECTS OF TRANSPORT FROM THE EARLY S TO THE END OF THE CENTURY 4HE INEXORABLE RISE OF THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE AND MASS AIR TRAVEL COMPETE FOR THE AUTHORS ATTENTIONS WITH RAILWAY THEMES AND THE ,ONDON 5NDERGROUND 4HE EMPHASIS IS ON BUILDINGS USED BY THE TRAVELLING PUBLIC RATHER THAN REPAIR DEPOTS AIRCRAFT HANGARS TRAIN SHEDS SIGNAL BOXES AND ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDINGS 3UCH BEHIND THE SCENES SERVICE BUILDINGS FIND NO PLACE IN THE BOOK S PAGES DESPITE THEIR RELEVANCE TO THE OVERALL THEME 4HESE ARE ESSAYS -ANY ASPECTS OF THE SUBJECT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN COVERED ARE MISSING AS THE EDITORS WERE CLEARLY NOT AIMING FOR UNIVERSALITY 4HE "RITISH %MPIRE BUS STATIONS AFTER7ORLD7AR )) WORKS ON "RITISH SOIL BY FOREIGN ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS AND BUILDINGS RELATED TO WATER BORNE STYLES OF TRANSPORT SUCH AS FERRIES OR OCEAN LINERS DO NOT FIGURE FOR EXAMPLE .EW AND ARCHIVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF KEY BUILDINGS PROVIDE MOST OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS WITH THE ADDITION OF SOME PLANS PERSPECTIVE DRAWINGS AND MAGAZINE PLATES 4HE PLEASINGLY QUIRKY IS WELL REPRESENTED ! CONCERT HALL BUILT ALONGSIDE A COMPANY S MOTOR SHOWROOM AND GARAGE IN %ASTBOURNE n IS FOUND IN THE AUTOMOBILE CHAPTER TOGETHER WITH A "OURNEMOUTH GARAGE MOTOR SHOWROOM ICE RINK COMBINATION 4HERE IS NO LACK OF MAINSTREAM CLASSICS SUCH AS THE MODERNIST INTER WAR THE BOOK WILL BE INDISPENSABLE TO THE SPECIALIST READER 3OURCES ARE CITED IN GENEROUS FOOTNOTES AT THE END OF EACH SECTION AND INCLUDE A WEALTH OF MONOGRAPHS SPECIALIST MAGAZINES AND JOURNALS 0ARTICULARLY WELCOME IS THE EDITORS DECISION TO INCLUDE MOTORWAY SERVICE STATIONS RECOGNISING AT LAST THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE INSUFFICIENTLY STUDIED BUILDINGS !N ENTIRE PIECE ON MODERN AIRPORTS MAINLY (EATHROW 'ATWICK AND 3TANSTED WRITTEN BY 0ROFESSOR #OLIN $AVIES HAS BEEN BRILLIANTLY EDITED IN )T CONTAINS A FANTASTIC METAPHOR THE CENTRAL AREA OF (EATHROW IS LIKENED TO 6ENICE OR -ONT 3T -ICHEL !FTER READING THIS THE DRIVE DOWN THE TUNNEL WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN 'RAHAM 4ITE CONSERVATION OFFICER AT 3EVENOAKS $ISTRICT #OUNCIL (OMESPUN TRUTHS 4OWN (OUSES OF -EDIEVAL "RITAIN !NTHONY 1UINEY 9ALE 5NIVERSITY 0RESS HARDBACK PP ILLUSTRATIONS a )T TAKES A CERTAIN SKILL TO DRAW TOGETHER YEARS OF RESEARCH AND STUDY INTO A LEGIBLE AND ENTERTAINING NARRATIVE AND WHEN A BOOK IS DESCRIBED AS @UNIQUELY WIDE RANGING THE HEART BEGINS TO SINK 4HE CHALLENGE OF MAINTAINING FOCUS WHILE ALSO BEING COMPREHENSIVE IN A SURVEY IS OFTEN NOT MET )N THIS VOLUME !NTHONY 1UINEY PULLS IT OFFx JUST !S THE AUTHOR FRANKLY ADMITS IN HIS PREFACE HE HAS ATTEMPTED TO TAKE THE SEPARATE THREADS OF BUILDING HISTORY NAMELY THE STORY OF THOSE WHO COMMISSION THOSE WHO BUILD AND THOSE WHO OCCUPY HOUSES AND TO INTERWEAVE THEM WITH A STUDY OF THE BUILDINGS THEMSELVES "UT TO DO THAT HE HAS DIVIDED THE BOOK INTO CONSIDERATION OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXT FOR THE FIRST PART AND THEN DEVOTED INDIVIDUAL CHAPTERS TO BUILDING TYPES 4HIS ORGANISATION WHILE RATIONAL MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO READ THE TWO SEPARATELY 4HE SAME IS TRUE ALTHOUGH TO A LESSER EXTENT FOR THE INDIVIDUAL CHAPTERS ON BUILDING TYPES 4HUS THE THREADS ARE NOT TRULY INTERWOVEN BUT LAID OUT IN SERIES /FTEN IT IS UP TO THE READER TO PROVIDE THE CONNECTIONS 4HIS PRINCIPAL WEAKNESS OF THE BOOK IS PARTICULARLY EVIDENT WHEN YOU REACH THE CHAPTER ON THE BUILDING HISTORY OF 3COTLAND FROM THE LATE MIDDLE AGES TO )N CONTRAST TO THE REST OF THE BOOK THERE IS LESS ASSURANCE IN THE MEAGRE PAGES DEVOTED TO ALL BUILDING TYPES IN THE COUNTRY THAT SPANS FOUR CENTURIES ,ONDON TUBE STATIONS AND A CONSIDERABLE GROUP OF ART DECO AIRPORTS #ITY CENTRE LANDING STRIPS AS FIRST SEEN IN FUTURIST AND #ORBUSIAN TREATISES ARE REFLECTED IN PROJECTS INTENDED FOR (ENDON AND FOR A ,ONDON 2OTARY %LEVATED !IRPORT 3URPRISINGLY THERE IS NO REFERENCE TO ,ONDON #ITY !IRPORT POISED BETWEEN THE 'EORGE 6 AND 2OYAL !LBERT $OCKS EVEN THOUGH IT FULFILS THESE IMPROBABLE VISIONS IN REALITY .OVEL ARCHITECTURAL NEEDS AND UNPRECEDENTED FUNCTIONS CAME WITH THE RISE OF TECHNOLOGY AND EVER INCREASING TRAVELLER VOLUMES $URING THE @CENTURY OF THE COMMON MAN EARLIER ECCENTRICITIES AND ELITISMS LEFT OVER FROM THE 6ICTORIAN HERITAGE GAVE WAY TO THE GREAT HANGARS WE NOW ALL USE FOR OUR TERMINI AND SERVICE STATIONS 4HE AUTHORS SHOW US THESE BUILDINGS WHOLE RATHER THAN PURSUE SITES DOWN TO THEIR SMALLER SPACES AND ARCHITECTURAL NICETIES 3HOREHAM !IRPORT IN 3USSEX IS SEEN DISTANTLY FROM A PLANE ITS ART DECO INTERIORS ARE MENTIONED BRIEFLY 4YPICALLY OF THE BOOK HOWEVER THESE DETAILS OF DECORATION ARE NOT DWELT UPON EVEN THOUGH THEY DOMINATE OUR VISUAL IMPRESSIONS IN THE COURSE OF A VISIT THERE "ARS DINING ROOMS AND WAITING ROOMS OFFERING WELCOME RELIEF TO THE TRAVELLER ARE NOT INCLUDED EVEN THOUGH THESE MIGHT BE THE PARTS OF THESE BUILDINGS WE RECALL BEST $ESPITE THE RESTRICTED SCOPE OF THE ESSAYS AND THEIR SUPPORTING ILLUSTRATIONS
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