Modern Buildings in Blackheath and Greenwich
London 1950–2000
Blackheath and Greenwich, in the southeast of London, proved to be an unusually fertile ground for modern architecture in the decades following WWII. Housing in particular became the prime field of work for many architecture firms, who designed a large number of residential buildings of various typologies, using new concepts and trying new solutions, inspired by the spirit and political developments of the time.
Modern Buildings in Blackheath and Greenwich is based on an extensive research project by architect Ana Francisco Sutherland. It analyzes and celebrates outstanding buildings by well-known architects such as Eric Lyons, Patrick Gwynne, Peter Moro, Walter Greaves, and Chamberlin, Powell & Bon, alongside works by lesser-known firms. A total of 64 individual buildings and housing developments by 38 architects are featured with images, plans, and concise texts.
Sutherland also takes a broader look at the evolution of modern English architecture in the context of social and housing policies of the time. Brief biographical portraits reveal personal connections between protagonists that made Blackheath and Greenwich such an extraordinary field of design experimentation over five decades.
An enclosed map with suggested routes makes the volume also a guide of extraordinary detail for architects and architecture lovers alike.
“At first glance, Ana Francisco Sutherland’s Modern Buildings in Blackheath and Greenwich might seem to be very tightly focused. The monograph, looking at the post-war architecture of a single south London borough, might feel a bit niche, but as Sutherland’s book reveals, this became a focal point of an incredibly rich era of modern design. […] Sutherland, whose studio Francisco Sutherland Architects has worked on several projects in the area, has brought together a huge volume of research. Sixty-four buildings and 38 architects are included, presented in an elegantly functional and era-appropriate layout by Studio Blackburn.” Jonathan Bell, Wallpaper
“To see Modern Buildings in Blackheath and Greenwich as simply a guide to buildings of a defined period in a specific area would be to miss the point of the book, in my view. It reads more as a genealogy and demonstrates compellingly how the architec¬ture that now characterizes the area is deeply rooted in the place and its history. ” Nicholas Klerk, Planning in London and Building Design