This week Kev drags a slightly confused Tim to Leigh, outside Manchester, to explore Leigh Spinners Mill, a vast former cotton mill. He’s less confused when he finds out it’s been given an extraordinary new life as a thriving community hub.

Built in 1913 for the Horrocks family, the mill is a reminder of the textile industry that once dominated Greater Manchester, shaping its towns, communities and skylines before its decline during the 20th century.

Joining the lads is planner and heritage expert Catherine Dewar to talk about Britain’s remarkable industrial heritage, why we need to find new uses for old buildings and why restoration doesn’t always need to mean making everything perfect.

Today the mill is home to artists, small businesses, a cinema, theatre, gym, archery club, computer museum, hypnotist and a clairvoyant. Yes, it’s as bonkers as it sounds but you are going to find out why it works.

It’s amazing what happens when you “Don’t knock the bloody thing down.”

Leigh Spinners Mill gets five stars from Tim.

Follow the mill on Instagram (@spinnersmillleigh).

To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure
And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)

We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected]
Know someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure.

Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation) in Australia. The Royal Institute of British Architects (@RIBA) in the UK and New Zealand Institute of Architects (@nziarchitects) in New Zealand. 

 

Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud
Guest: Catherine Dewar
Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.
Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media
Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What makes a well-designed hotel?

This listener question set off a chain of events that created a cavalcade of hot takes, extreme rants about the state of modern hotels, a potted history of motels, a small-scale therapy session about the lettering on bottles in hotel bathrooms, a revelation about an unexpected adult movie star, and the rest you can find out for yourself.

This is another feedback episode, powered by your wonderful emails

To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure
And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)
We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected]
Know someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure.

 

Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation) in Australia. The Royal Institute of British Architects (@RIBA) in the UK and New Zealand Institute of Architects (@nziarchitects) in New Zealand. 

 

Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud
Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.
Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media
Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robin and Lucienne Day, were the most distinguished British designers of the post war period.

Their designs were woven into everyday life. Robin's revolutionary polypropylene chair became one of the most widely used chairs in history, while Lucienne's vibrant textile designs helped define the optimistic look of post-war Britain. Together, they transformed the way ordinary people lived, proving that great design didn't belong in galleries, but in schools, homes, pubs, theatres and village halls.

In this episode, Tim and Kevin sit down with their daughter, Paula Day, inside London's Royal Festival Hall – the very building where her parents' careers were transformed during the 1951 Festival of Britain. Paula shares the remarkable story of how two young designers, emerging from the austerity of the Second World War, helped redefine British modernism through furniture, textiles and an unwavering belief that good design should be accessible to everyone.

To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure
And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)
We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected]
Know someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure.

 

Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation) in Australia. The Royal Institute of British Architects (@RIBA) in the UK and New Zealand Institute of Architects (@nziarchitects) in New Zealand. 

 

Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud
Guest: Paula Day (@robinlucienneday)
Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.
Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media
Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this year, Sam Neill kindly agreed to join us on the podcast. The plan was to wait until Kevin was back in Australia so we could all sit down together, unfortunately we couldn’t make the dates align.

Last week, Tim went back through his archives and rediscovered a conversation the two of them recorded years earlier for a project that never eventuated.

For the next hour, you get to spend some time with Sam.

You’ll hear about his love of life, wine, acting and architecture.

It’s funny, thoughtful, candid and full of the warmth that so many of us admired.

It’s a small tribute to Sam.

This conversation was recorded with Tim Ross and Sam Neill in Sam’s Sydney
apartment in 2019.

To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure
And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)
We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected]
Know someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure.

 

Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation) in Australia. The Royal Institute of British Architects (@RIBA) in the UK and New Zealand Institute of Architects (@nziarchitects) in New Zealand. 

 

Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud
Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.
Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media
Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the night of 14 November 1940, nearly 500 Luftwaffe bombers descended on Coventry. Over the next 11 hours, they dropped more than 500 tonnes of high explosives and around 30,000 incendiary bombs on the city. By morning, 568 people had been killed, around 850 seriously injured and 43,000 homes damaged or destroyed. At the centre of it all, the medieval Cathedral of St Michael had been reduced to a roofless shell.

Rather than clear the ruins away, Coventry left them standing. Alongside them, Sir Basil Spence created an extraordinary new modernist cathedral. Together, the two buildings have become internationally recognised symbols of hope and reconciliation.

Tim and Kevin visit Coventry to meet the Very Reverend John Witcombe, who has just concluded a 13-year tenure as Dean of Coventry Cathedral.

During his time, John removed the admission charge and reconnected the cathedral with the arts, welcoming musicians including The Specials, John Grant, Beth Hart and The Libertines to perform across the cathedral precinct.

What begins as a conversation about architecture slowly unfolds into something deeper. This is a conversation we all need right now.

To keep up to date with event at the Cathedral, follow their Instagram at
@coventry_cathedral_events

To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure
And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)
We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected]
Know someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure.

 

Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation) in Australia. The Royal Institute of British Architects (@RIBA) in the UK and New Zealand Institute of Architects (@nziarchitects) in New Zealand. 

 

Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud
Guest: The Very Reverend John Witcombe
Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.
Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media
Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim and Kevin head into the English countryside to visit acclaimed artist Morag Myerscough and artist-musician Luke Morgan, who traded the excitement of inner-city London for an unloved modernist house, an ambitious renovation and a completely different way of living.

Five years into the renovation, with the end in sight, they open up their home and their lives to share the unexpected ways the house has transformed them.

On a perfect summer's day, with the doors flung open and birds chirping in the background, they slowly reveal how taking on a home that had never truly found the right owners has changed their lives forever.

Check out Morag’s website here (moragmyerscough.com).

Luke’s band’s website is thehighliners.co.uk

To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure
And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)
We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected]
Know someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure.

 

Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation) in Australia. The Royal Institute of British Architects (@RIBA) in the UK and New Zealand Institute of Architects (@nziarchitects) in New Zealand. 

 

Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud
Guests: Morag Myerscough and Luke Morgan
Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.
Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media
Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can architecture help solve the housing crisis? Acclaimed London architect Peter Barber thinks it can, and he's proving it one street at a time.

Tim and Kevin head to London to meet one of Britain's most admired architects, whose award-winning work is rethinking what social and affordable housing can be.

From his remarkable King's Cross studio, where every wall is lined with hand-built architectural models, Peter explains why the best neighbourhoods aren't created by grand gestures, but by streets where people get to know each other and communities are given the chance to flourish.

Peter shares his vision for tackling one of society's biggest challenges, exploring why familiar housing forms still have so much to teach us, what we've lost in the pursuit of home ownership, and why he believes governments already know how to solve the housing crisis. They simply need the courage to act.

Thoughtful, passionate and quietly optimistic, Peter makes a compelling case that better housing isn't just possible, it's already being built.

Plus, after discovering that Kevin's lifelong musical heroes were staying in the very same hotel, Tim embarks on a mission to persuade him to say hello. It turns out even "that bloke from Grand Designs" gets starstruck.

This episode will make you happy.  Listen now if you aren't already.

To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure
And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)
We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected]
Know someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure.

 

Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation) in Australia. The Royal Institute of British Architects (@RIBA) in the UK and New Zealand Institute of Architects (@nziarchitects) in New Zealand. 

 

Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud
Guest: Peter Barber (@peterbarber12)
Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.
Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media
Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim and Kevin head to Melbourne for a special conversation with celebrated Australian designer Mary Featherston in her groundbreaking home, designed by Robin Boyd in 1967 - an intergenerational house where family life and creative work have been intertwined for almost six decades.

One of Australia’s most influential voices in design, Mary reflects on the evolution of her home over nearly 60 years with wisdom, generosity and razor-sharp insight.

While her early career is best known for her furniture collaborations with her husband, Grant Featherston, Mary has more recently focused on creating progressive learning environments for children. In this conversation, she generously shares the ideas and philosophies that have shaped that work.

Joining Tim and Kevin is Mary’s son, Julian Featherston, who also lives in the house and led the recent alterations that have ensured this remarkable home will continue to serve the Featherston family for many years to come.

To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure
And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)
We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected]
Know someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure.

 

Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by Space Furniture (@spacefurniture), the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation) in Australia. The Royal Institute of British Architects (@RIBA) in the UK and New Zealand Institute of Architects (@nziarchitects) in New Zealand. 

 

Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud
Guests: Mary Featherston and Julian Featherston
Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.
Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media
Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this very special bonus mini episode, we have some huge news about our episode available exclusively on cassette, some even bigger news about another huge launch that’s definitely not on cassette.

What else? A preview of Series 3 (which begins June 23) and Kevin’s incredible impersonation of a seagull.

If you would like a copy of our cassette, they are available at modernisterbooks.com

To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure
And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)
We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected]
Know someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure.

 

Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by Space Furniture (@spacefurniture), the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation) in Australia, Royal Institute of British Architects (@RIBA) in the UK and New Zealand Institute of Architects (@nziarchitects) in New Zealand. 

 

Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud
Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.
Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media
Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim and Kevin head to Perth to meet businesswoman, arts patron and National Living Treasure Janet Holmes à Court AC inside her extraordinary private gallery housed in a former paint factory.

Janet’s gallery is open to the public and her belief that art should be seen by everyone is central to the generosity she shows as an indefatigable champion of the arts in Australia.

This is an illuminating conversation about the intersection of art and architecture, the unique nature of Western Australian culture, and then some totally random stuff that is also going to make you happy.

Janet is fab. You will love her.

To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure
And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)
We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected]
Know someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure.

 

Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by Space Furniture (@spacefurniture), the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation) in Australia. The Royal Institute of British Architects (@RIBA) in the UK and New Zealand Institute of Architects (@nziarchitects) in New Zealand. 

 

Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloud
Guest: Janet Holmes à Court AC (gallery.hac)
Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.
Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media
Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.