The criminal genius of J.L. Pearson
How could such a gifted architect also be responsible for such appalling ‘restoration’ jobs?
In praise of monumental cemeteries
The vast cemeteries built in 19th-century Italy can still tell us much about civic pride
The architects who designed their own homes
The houses that architects designed for themselves can tell us much about their attitudes to their work
Restoring Turner’s vision for Sandycombe Lodge
Sandycombe Lodge, built by J.M.W. Turner in 1812, offers an intriguing glimpse of the painter’s potential as an architect
Don’t expect England’s great cathedrals to look after themselves
The ancient cathedrals of England need financial help to stave off ruin
The museum building that expresses the tragedy of Cologne
Peter Zumthor’s Kolumba is a poignant monument for a city devastated by wartime bombing
Boris, you owe us £37 million
The Garden Bridge Trust should be pursued for the public money it has wasted
The Battle of No. 1 Poultry
No. 1 Poultry is now Britain’s youngest listed building, but it was once the site of a remarkable struggle between the developer and conservationists
How the Versailles of Yorkshire has been saved
The future of Wentworth Woodhouse, a preposterous yet beautiful country house near Sheffield, has been secured after decades of uncertainty
Glasgow must not forget its greatest architect
In his bicentenary year, the Scottish architect Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson should be getting more attention
‘Hull can boast buildings of national significance’
The UK’s City of Culture is home to a selection of great public buildings – from a late gothic masterpiece, to a state of the art ‘subquarium’
‘A Baroque tamed to suit a northern taste’
The chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte is rare among historic houses in France – for both the quality of its conservation and as a privately run property
‘It seems extraordinary that this great artist is so little known’
Gertrude Stein hailed him as the ‘new Michelangelo’ and he was consulted by statemen about Balkan politics, but Meštrović’s name has fallen into obscurity
The crafty imperialist
John Lockwood Kipling (father of the more famous Rudyard) was an important champion of traditional Indian arts and crafts
How life goes on in a ruined Roman palace
The ruins of Diocletian’s Palace in Split are still inhabited – and they don’t look that different from how they did to Robert Adam in the 1750s
Westminster Cathedral’s ceilings like the sky
The influence of glittering Byzantine churches can be found in the impressive mosaics of Westminster Cathedral – including a new work by Tom Phillips
‘Post-Fire London was a magnificent, beautiful compromise’
London was rebuilt according to its inhabitants’ needs after the Great Fire of 1666 – and is so much the better for it.
‘Another manifestation of the barbarism that has overwhelmed this country’
Walsall’s New Art Gallery is one of the best buildings to come out of the UK’s Millennium celebrations. Can it survive the devastating budget cuts it faces?
What do architects look like?
Most architects look unremarkable – and this has always been the case
‘There is no other site like this in Europe’
The ideal community of Le Familistère was the result of one man’s unique vision. The vision failed, but its extraordinary architecture survives
The unhappy fate of Christopher Wren’s city churches
They rose out of the ashes of the Great Fire of London and transformed the city, but several of Wren’s city churches have met with disaster themselves
One of the world’s oldest photography studios is closing down
The Bourne & Shepherd studio in Kolkata has a long history, but fire and the advent of the digital age have closed it down. Thankfully, its legacy lives on
Move over Merrie England… Shakespeare and architecture
Taking Shakespearean architecture seriously means looking beyond ‘Olden Time’ Tudor revival buildings
Big Ben is the least of the Palace of Westminster’s problems
The greatest Gothic Revival building in the world is facing catastrophe unless MPs clear out