Art Deco – A-Z by area/title
A series of walking tours and online talks via Zoom looking at how the statement buildings of the 1920s and 1930s altered London's streets during a significant building boom blew away the cobwebs and fussy designs of the Victorian and Edwardian eras with an aim to motivate the masses after a truly horrid WW1. Once the worst was over, businesses and architects were keen to prove that the future was bright. A motivational style evolved that we have come to recognise today using the collective term 'Art Deco'.
The clean lines and design devices of the ArtDeco/modernist era have continued to inspire architects ever since. But what is Art Deco?
Today we marvel at these modernist survivors
but, at the time they were built, not everyone would have been so
impressed – they were the Shards and Cheesegraters of their day.
Unless otherwise specified, walking tours are designed to last just under 2 hrs (minimum 90 mins). Online talks (via Zoom) are one hour long with opportunity for questions and conversations after the presentation has ended.
For overviews of my other tours, on a variety of themes, please click here.
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A virtual tour from Holloway to the West End via the City of London
A collection of underrated, often overlooked, architectural gems from the interwar era, all hiding in plain view. Each building is a stop on one of my walking tours. I have selected a cross-section of diverse architectural styles from Jazz Age metalwork, through geometrical patterns, tiled façades and fancy brickwork to the simplicity of Streamline Moderne.
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Walk Essex Road to City Road via Upper Street
(Coming soon)
Egyptian temples, utilitarian offices, faience tiles, Vitrolite and veneers, as well as Tudor and Georgian influences that were put to good use at that time.
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Angel South / Finsbury
Walk City Road to Exmouth Market via Mount Pleasant
(Coming soon)
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Walk Arsenal tube station to Finsbury Park station
We'll visit places of entertainment, commerce, education, travel and sport as well as residential properties. You'll see a cross-section from the era including impressive statement pieces of the 1930s and an unfinished scheme. And we'll talk about typography and design, and how the design ethos of this era has endured through subsequent decades.
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Bank – See City
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Bankside and Battersea Power Stations
A virtual tour
An online presentation about Sir Giles Gilbert Scott – a prolific architect and interesting man. Find out about the buildings he designed and was connected with, his signature style, his ubiquitous red kiosks, and his flights of fancy.
A guided tour from Westminster to The City via Bankside is in the making
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Walk Russell Square to Gray's Inn
An alternative Bloomsbury Art Deco walk looking at some overlooked or unnoticed not-so-hidden gems. We'll begin with a couple of the well-known 1930s constructions in
the vicinity, including one building which is often referred to as one
of the best examples of its style. We'll travel eastwards to admire other often overlooked or unnoticed gems hiding in plain sight in the lesser-used backstreets – residential and office developments, hospital buildings, education hubs, manufactories and bars. You'll see some wonderful
examples of Streamline Moderne, Jazz Age metalwork, carved reliefs and
curtain walls. Find out about the innovative industries and institutions
behind the façades and hear how people lived, worked and socialised in
the 1930s.
There's a chance at the end of the walk to join me for a
drink and a chat inside a pub of the era which still retains most of its
original features.
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Bloomsbury North – see Kings Cross/St Pancras
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Walk Russell Square to Warren Street station via Gower Street
As per my Bloomsbury East tour, we start with a couple of well-known buildings near Russell Square and then go 'off-piste' to admire some unsung, overlooked and often unnoticed gems – hard to believe, considering their impressive size and the quality of workmanship.
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Walk Mornington Crescent to Camden Town
Along the route you'll see various examples of the era – on shops and businesses along the High Street and on factories, offices and residential properties in the back streets. We'll visit buildings that have been repurposed or revamped and you'll hear about, and see reference of, others that made it through WWII but bit the dust in subsequent waves of progressive change during the second half of the twentieth century. Please don't worry about the Camden market crowds – the route is designed so that there is only one instance when we'll have to cut through them!
The Carreras factory building shown here (AKA The Black Cat building / Greater London House) is also available as an online presentation
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Central – see Soho, Piccadilly, Holborn etc, also Egypt
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Walk Aldgate to Monument via Cornhill
Let me take you on a tour through The Square Mile's narrow backstreets and along its main thoroughfares to show you that squidged in amongst today's glass and high-rise edifices there are some marvellous 1920s and 1930s architectural gems hiding in plain view.
We'll look at a variety of imposing styles that show how the world of
finance and insurance used the clean lines of this era to best
advantage via Jazz Age metalwork, carved wood and stone reliefs,
ziggurat and zig-zag embellishments, and beautifully-tiled façades.
Discover who built these impressive structures and
what went on inside. Hear about shopping and shipping, money and
markets, tea and coffee, fine art and fire... even horse-racing!
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Walk Tottenham Court Rd station to The Savoy
See a variety of Jazz Age embellishments, marvellous Modernism
and 'Art Deco' artistry on places of commerce, entertainment,
employment, trade and learning, including six marvellous theatres, a
couple of hotels, an art school and even a fruit and vegetable merchant.
We'll visit some unsung Deco-era constructions that are [shamefully] rarely included in those "Best Of" listings and we'll peek inside some impressive interiors.
Hear about the buildings and the people who commissioned them. Find out about the architects and artists, products and productions, reviews and revues.
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Clerkenwell / St Luke's – Bauhaus, Workhouse, Our House
Walk Old Street to Clerkenwell Green
Coming soon... Modernist manufactories, wonderful workshops and fabulous flats
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Online – a provocative presentation
Forty years of architectural change.
Find out about some of the interwar buildings that have recently been lost to us. Hear about heritage, conservation, façadism, renovation and rejuvenation. Learn about the new structures that replace the old.
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Earl's Court – see Demolished
Also available a walk around Olympia (see architecture section here)
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An online tour across London looking at some impressive interwar buildings between Whitechapel and Mayfair
A selection of large buildings, simply hiding in plain view, selected for their diverse architectural styles and superb embellishments. Many of these buildings feature as stops on my walking tours. There are sure to be a couple here that you were not aware about before despite their huge size(!).
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Egyptian London – Walk Like An Egyptian
Two walking tours in Central London that include some Art Deco buildings
Originally inspired by 'Tutankhamen, Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh' exhibition at The Saatchi Gallery in 2019-20.
The pharaohs and their followers believed that the body dies twice; once when the mortal body ceases to function, and then again after the last person speaks your name for the final time. But, I wonder if they foresaw how their designs would also transcend time? Architects and artists have for centuries been plundering Egypt, cherry-picking from the wonderful mix of beauty, geometry, iconography and craftsmanship. Evidence of this can be seen on the streets above and around us, and in various art forms.
These are usually scheduled on the same day with an hour between them:
Embankment to Oxford Circus via Mayfair
Sphinxes, obelisks, pharaohs, curses, gods and more... hear about art and artists, travel and tourism, curses, mummification and long-lost museums.
Mummies, Movies and Music
Oxford Circus to Bloomsbury via Soho
More of the above but with a bias towards artistes, artisans, antiques and the afterlife. You'll see temples, obelisks and pharaohs – and we might even dance like Egyptians(!).
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Finsbury Park – walking tour – see Arsenal
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Walk Gt Portland Street tube to Tottenham Court Road
This haunt of writers, creatives and garment manufacturers offers a patchwork of architectural styles. Squished between the Georgian houses and the C21st glass there are some really interesting buildings erected in the 1920s and '30s, showing us a cross-section of the architectural styles implemented in that era. Of particular interest on this tour is the use of pattern within render and brickwork – I have some theories as to who might have been involved.
For a residential-specific online tour – see Living
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Walk Oxford Street to Portland Place
The district north-east of Oxford Circus around Great Titchfield Street was, until the 21st century, the home of the clothing and soft furnishings industry, and this makes sense, considering its proximity to the main shopping streets. We'll look at manufactories, distribution hubs and head offices for many of the brands being sold in the big department stores nearby. You've probably walked these streets many times and never seen the delights above street level all hiding in plain view. We'll also look at buildings constructed for education and entertainment, including BBC Broadcasting House. This walk ends at RIBA, itself an impressive showcase of 1930s architecture.
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Hatton Garden – See Smithfield
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Holborn – Cables, Collars and Commonwealth
Walk Holborn tube station to Aldwych
Temple-esque architecture of all kinds – art, advertising, technology, transport, theatre, fashion, finance and furniture. Marvel at statement façades including a recent renovation that I am sure will be cause for conversation.
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Walk aroing the Nags Head area neding near Holloway Rd tube station
The Holloway area of Islington, a short distance from the City and the West End, has for over 150 years been the go-to shopping area for North London. In the 1930s many well-established businesses were keen to keep up with the
design zeitgeist and rebuilt their shop fronts, if not the whole building, in the then new forward-thinking modern style of the time. There are some excellent examples of pre-WW2 modernism here, all hiding in plain view –
we'll look at places of entertainment, commerce and health, as well as
some residential properties. One building, in particular, designed by one of the best architects of the time, is sure to impress – I can never understand why it's not on those 'Art Deco Best of London' lists.
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Walk St Pancras Hotel to Euston Station via North Bloomsbury
See how the area just south of Euston Road has evolved to include some Art Deco and Modernist delights that are hidden in the gaps
between the very old and the very new.
We'll meander through back streets and green squares
to see evidence of inter-war technology and connections of various
kinds. Plus impressive residential developments, sports halls, places of
learning and social hubs. At the end of the walk we'll look inside a 1930s pub
that has some lovely original features including some evocative marquetry – perfect
for an after-walk cocktail or a half of shandy.
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An online tour from Hampstead to Pimlico
Independent living. Innovative 1930s design. Streamlined and serviced. Economical, luxurious and convenient. All mod cons.
A virtual tour/ online presentation
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Mayfair – a walking tour around the Bond Street area – a work in progress
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Walk Piccadilly tube station to Leicester Square
The title refers to slacks as in trousers, flicks as in cinema and slots as in machines you put coins in. This short route through the three yellow squares on
the London version of the Monopoly board, also from the same era, packs
in so much.We start within Piccadilly tube station, one of
London Underground's best designed booking halls, and then we go up to
pavement level to look at some impressive 1930s buildings – shops,
telecommunications, offices and, of course, various places of
entertainment. Hear the stories behind the façades, learn about the
people and businesses associated with them.
We will also look inside some original interiors.
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Walk Finsbury Square to Old Street via Moorfields
This route showcases a cross-section of styles of the era – solid statement architecture, simple geometry, curtain walls, Egyptian inspiration and 'Streamline Moderne' which echoes the fabulous ocean-going liners. We'll look at places of literature, commerce, manufacture, health, and housing. You'll hear about the people and/or companies related to the façades and see how the style has endured and continues to inspire today's architects.
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Residential – See Living (online talk)
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Walk Chancery Lane to Barbican station via Hatton Garden
From leather and diamonds, pottery and pearls via heists and firearms to mire, meat, murder. Join me for a walk through various market areas in the Holborn
and Charterhouse districts to at look at a selection of mid-20th century
modernist architecture.
This constantly-evolving district shows us a marvellous cross-section
of architecture through the centuries. Obviously, we'll be
concentrating on 1920s façades, 1930s offices, 1950s factories,
functional constructions, fancy concoctions and film location. Learn about Miami Deco, streamline moderne, luxury lino, gold stores, cold stores and... find out whodunnit!
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Walk Bishopsgate to Aldgate via Brick Lane
There are some really impressive examples of Art Deco architecture
along this route. I guarantee you'll find at least one building
with the 'wow' factor and wonder how you managed to walk past it for so
long without really noticing it.
Both long-established and newly-created businesses
were keen to show they were part of the zeitgeist. You'll see the clean lines of the 1930s applied in various ways to
places of commerce, art, health, housing and entertainment, including one of the largest purpose-built office buildings of that era. Find out who
built these impressive structures and what when on behind the façades.
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Walk Oxford Street, through Soho, to Piccadilly Circus
Soho's charm is due to it being a village contained within four major
roads. It might seem busy today but in the interwar years of the '20s and '30s it was even more congested. By day it was a hive of activity with shops, cafés,
markets, schools, artisans and craftsmen, then, as the sun went down,
the streets buzzed with nightlife as people, dressed in their finest
clothes, made for the best or cocktail bars, restaurants, casinos and
theatres.
During this "Jazz Age" era a lot of impressive
buildings were constructed in the new motivational style implementing
clean geometric lines, pared-down motifs and shiny tiles, often in
contrast to their crazy patterned interiors – Soho has some fine
examples.
See evidence of this area's vibrant movie-making
history, film stars and flappers, fabulous fabrics, colourful cabaret
venues and even a classy carpark. We will also visit a restored and
revamped 1930s interior. I am sure you will find a new "Art Deco" favourite along the way.
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West End / Soho / Covent Garden / Strand
Jazz Age Jazz Hands!
Thirteen Art Deco theatres built or renovated in the central London area between 1924 and 1937 with eight new theatres completed within a 13-month period 1929-30 and opening
nights often being within weeks of each other. See how the architecture of that time evolved from Art Nouveau into Jazz Age geometrics and then Streamline Moderne.
The virtual tour is a chronolgy. The walking tour takes a clockwise route from Tottenham Court Rd station to Piccadilly, – it is designed to last 2hrs, however, it often overruns due to questions and conversations etc – please allow an extra half hour.
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Tottenham Court Rd area – see Bloomsbury / Covent Garden / Fitzrovia
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West End – See Soho, Piccadilly, Mayfair, Theatreland etc – also see East End (really!)
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Whitechapel – walking tour coming soon – meanwhile, see East End
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| A depiction; an idea of walking tours in the central area – please note, not all the routes are shown on here so please check the listings above | |
