Simon Thurley: The Building of England

English Heritage Chief Executive Simon Thurley’s breakneck tour through the history and influence of the country’s architecture proved captivating. Totally unpretentious, this layman’s (and woman’s) talk ignored the stuffy academic language and Downton-style country house fetishism you might expect. Opting instead for the less pretty, though far more important development of industrial buildings that would spread around the world, the charismatic Thurley expertly yet accessibly examined cultural and geographic factors as well as major events (“The Great Fire of London was the best thing to happen to Britain”) to make for a fascinating evening.

St Michael and All Angels Church, Brighton, 14 May 2014

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