David Heathcote- Architecture

The second talk of the designing the decades series was by David Heathcote. He spoke about architecture post war and it gave mea whole new appreciation for a style i once though ugly. For architects the 50s was all about stepping away from previous ideas, gone was the ornamentation of the Victorian period, looking forward using new materials and new shapes and trying to give peple the open space and light they desired. A lot of architecture was about bringing the outside in and vice versa with areas such as courtyards. When you look at building such as the Barbican you can really see where these ideas were going (note the way it is built on stilts and the curvilinear forms)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/aug/13/communities.housing
http://www.building.co.uk/comment/wonders-and-blunders/3135849.article

23Mar2011

Designing the decades @ the V & A

Posted in 1951, festival of britain, victoria and albert museum by liztregenza

On Saturday i went to the V & A for a study day about the 1950s. It was one of THE most interesting days imaginable, and it realy broadened my interest too.

The first speaker was Lily Crowther from the V & A research department. She was talking about the Festival of Britain, something that i am so fascinated by. The design style for the Festival was so forward thinking and whimsical, so completely different to what had come before. It really gave me an appreciation for Festival Hall, which i had always thought of as an ugly building, but once i really got to know about the different design features and realised how different it was to what had come before i suddenly gained a new appreciation for it!. See my pic, front cover from a may 1951 issue of Illustrated magazine.
It was particularly interesting to find out about the log design. The patriotic colours combined with the bunting and the connections with the great British tradition of the village fete, but on a much larger scale.
Also fascinating was seeing the pictures from the Battersea Pleasure garden. You can definitely see where Disney took inspiration from!

Very excited by what i stumbled across

Posted in 1936, Ely's, Hampshire Museums Service by liztregenza

On monday i was in the office re-arranging some vintage magazines when i came across something that excited me no end.

What i stumbled across was a 1936 brochure celebrating the diamond jubilee of Elys department store in Wimbledon. Documenting the first 60 years of its history and some of the fashions of the day which were on offer.

It was so i nteresting to find a little bit of my local history down in Hampshire. I know there are some of local friends *ahem Ellie Budd* who may be interested by this!

There are just a few pics here, but i will upload the whole lot to flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liztregenza/5533277088/