About the site
Today, the famous university city of Cambridge, UK, is far better known for its ancient buildings than its contemporary ones. This site is intended to inspire others to explore the wealth of early twentieth-century design history that is accessible in and around the historic city centre. Architecture is more than an individual’s design vision: it is also and always “about” historical and design context, urban planning constraints, social change, and – at least arguably – the evolution of aesthetic sensibility. I hope this site goes some way towards illustrating that point.
About the editor
This site was launched in 2008 by its editor and owner, Catherine Howell. For me, modernism is a personal passion: I have travelled the globe to view in situ examples of modernist architecture and design from Berlin to Budapest, London to Los Angeles, Singapore to Sydney. In 2005, I completed my PhD on modernism and European cultural history at the University of Cambridge. I’m intrigued by the history of technology, and am influenced by thinking about how technological change, coupled with intentional design, helps to shape cultural and educational development. Since 2004, I have worked as a researcher in the Evaluation Group at the Centre for Applied Research in Educational Technologies. My other blog, Ida Takes Tea, explores the role of new technologies in education.
Content
Content on the site has been developed using a variety of publicly-accessible research resources including: English Heritage’s ‘Images of England’ database, the National Monuments Record, and Cambridge City Council’s register of listed buildings. Library and archival sources consulted have included: University of East Anglia Library, Clare College Archives, King’s College Archives, the RIBA Library, and the Cambridge University Library, among others.
I recommend getting hold of a copy of Cambridge New Architecture (1964), by Nicholas Hughes, Grant Lewison & Tom Wesley (and a preface by Pevsner). This is “the Bible” – there were two editions, plus a related publication that was intended as a walking-tour guide. You should be able to track down any of these from your preferred online or specialist bookseller without too much difficulty.
Privacy
I have not disclosed information about the identity of the owners/residents of the houses featured on this site unless that is a matter of public record, or I have received the permission of those individuals. I ask that visitors to this site respect the privacy of the house owners/residents. The images on this site did not involve unauthorised access to private property or otherwise infringe on the rights of the residents of the houses. I do not collect information about users of this website for provision to a business entity or any other institution. I do not sell or otherwise provide profiling data or mailing lists to other bodies.
Copyright
This site is protected under UK and international copyright law. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.
Thanks
Special thanks to the following individuals, who have helped with my research by generously contributing their knowledge and experience: Martin, founder of Canberra House, and Nicholas Ray, architect, academic, and founder of the Cambridge Historic Buildings Group. They are, of course, not responsible for any errors or omissions this site contains.
Feedback
I welcome correspondence about all things related to modernist architecture in Cambridge. If you have any comments or questions about the site, get in touch.
