In A is for Architecture’s 134th episode, the writer, publisher, former editor of Country Life and visiting Professor of Architecture at the University of Cambridge, Clive Aslet, discusses his book, Sir Edwin Lutyens: Britain's Greatest Architect? (Triglyph Books 2024) which describes the life, work and enduring importance of Edwin Lutyens, including the impact of Gertude Jekyll on his design imagination and Lutyens’ pivotal role in both illustrating the British imperial project, and memorializing it’s fallen.  

Lutyens (1869–1944) was a renowned British architect celebrated for his enormous body of work which straddled the Victorian and early modern period, and incorporated country houses, war memorials, and monumental projects like New Delhi's Rashtrapati Bhavan, Castle Drogo in Devon, the Cenotaph in London and the Midland Bank in Manchester. Known for good nature, and his prodigious work rate, there is a case to be made – and Clive makes it well – for Edwin Lutyens to claim the crown of Britain’s greatest architect. Lutyens' work exemplifies timeless elegance and architectural ingenuity.

Beyond the binary of modern or not, ethical or not, Lutyens work stands alone, more than an emblem of its time. Have a listen and find out why.

Clive can be found on his personal website and on Instagram. The book is linked above.

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Music credits: ⁠Bruno Gillick