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Tag Archives: London
Tulip survives London nip
Rowan Moore, architecture critic of The Guardian in the U.K., writes that the proposed 1,000-foot Tulip, designed by Sir Norman Foster as a fancy tourist observation deck, should be denied planning permission by the London authorities (“The Tulip’s towering vanity … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Development
Tagged Dezeen, London, Mayor Khan, Norman Foster, Rowan Moore, The Guardian, The Shard, The Tulip
2 Comments
Before the London fire, 1666
An engraver by trade, John Thomas Smith trod this earth two centuries ago (1766-1833), and was also known as “Antiquity Smith.” He etched buildings in London that had survived the Great Fire of 1666, many of which were being demolished … Continue reading
Sir Roger Scruton, RIP
Death took Roger Scruton today. He was the world’s deepest thinker on architecture and aesthetics, which were embedded in the conservatism of his broader philosophy. Scruton embraced tradition, holding that “the tried and true” are a stronger foundation than novelty … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Books and Culture
Tagged art, classicism, David Watkin, London, Obit, Roger Scruton, The Classical Vernacular
4 Comments
Modern architecture as spin
An article in the Guardian on the rise and fall of London’s Millennium Dome sums up much of what ails modern architecture. “20 years on, revisiting a very British fiasco,” by Rowan Moore, describes the pitfalls of treating architecture not … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture
Tagged Labour Party, London, Millennium Dome, Modern Architecture, modernism, Richard Rogers, Rowan Moore, Simon Jenkins, The Guardian, Tony Blair
8 Comments
They fought to save London
I wonder what inspired Simon Jenkins, one of the few sensible architecture critics in Britain, to pen his recent lengthy essay in The Guardian, “Concrete Bungle,” subtitled “How public fury stopped the 1970s plan to turn London into a motorway.” … Continue reading
Mayor nips Foster’s Tulip
On July 15, London Mayor Sadiq Khan nipped Lord Foster’s proposed Tulip in the bud. Fine. But why? It does not “represent world-class architecture,” quoth the mayor. “Mayor rejects ‘unwelcoming, poorly designed’ Tulip,” stated Architects’ Journal. One study declared it … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Development
Tagged Architects Journal, Carbuncle, Gherkin, London, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Norman Foster, Prince Charles, Pritzker Prize, Skyline, Tulip
4 Comments
Assassin’s Creed does Athens
Here is an eight-minute video on the reconstruction of ancient Athens by game-maker Ubisoft for the latest episode (if that’s what it’s called) of Assassin’s Creed. Previous episodes have invited us into highly realistic reconstructions of Renaissance Venice and Florence … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Video
Tagged Acropolis, Assassin's Creed, Athens, London, Renaissance Italy, Ubisoft, Video, Video Games
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Moore’s attack on Scruton
One of the Scepter’d Isle’s leading architecture critics, Rowan Moore of the Observer, has crafted an utterly despicable if entirely predictable attack on Sir Roger Scruton. Sir Roger is the British government’s choice to head a panel to bring beauty … Continue reading
Scruton’s first beauty volley
As I mentioned in “Sir Roger’s hunt for beauty,” Roger Scruton has been appointed chairman of a commission to promote beauty in British housing policy. Naturally, all those who are opposed to beauty in architecture are on the warpath against … Continue reading
Architecture Here and There 
Sports ban play-by-play
Survive the shutdown of life, including the sportin’ life, amid the coronavirus pandemic by watching out-of-work British rugby broadcaster Nick Heath’s hilarious play-by-play for a string of everyday events in London. From the market-bargaining regional qualifier (top photo) to the … Continue reading →