Edwin Lutyens - Time Team special

[Feltwell]

... Is on Channel 4 on Sunday night at 8pm, thought it may be of interest to some of you. I've always liked some of his work and very nearly managed to buy one of his most modest creations down in Hampshire, alas it was just out of reach at the time.

 

[DJH]

yea, spotted that Feltwell. I like his stuff as well. He was very heavily promoted by Lawrence (later Sir) Weaver, Architectural editor of Country Life and author of English leadwork It's Art and History. He also featured many other Arts and Crafts architects during his time and co authored books with Gertrude Jekyll who teamed up with Lutyens for many of his projects designing the gardens with him.

There's also a return this Tuesday at 7 pm on BBC 2 of the documentary series about the mysterious workings of the planning departments around the UK...

Doug

 

[Gareth Hughes]

There's also a return this Tuesday at 7 pm on BBC 2 of the documentary series about the mysterious workings of the planning departments around the UK...

Doug

You mean, "about the atrocious behaviour of planning applicants and objectors around the UK", surely?

Meanwhile, the BBC has dusted off some of its archive about post-war architecture, much of which is worth a watch even (or perhaps especially) if you don't like the buildings. The three Ian Nairn ones (on page two of the selection offered) are particularly worth a look
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/collections/p01s0hpy/1/post-war-architecture

 

[DJH]

No...

 

[Penners]

A Time Team special about Edwin Lutyens? What are they going to do - dig him up? :shock:

In the Penners household, the PVR is going to have to be deployed. I'm too old to survive the bachelorhood that would ensue if I were to suggest missing Call The Midwife.

 

[Baron de Gynes]

Quite. It'll be recorded here, too. :lol:

 

[plasticpigeon]

Timeteam did a special on Augustus Pugin when his personal home "The Grange" was being restored. I found it very interesting.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Very interesting programme, watched and recorded as a safeguard against falling asleep during!!!!!

 

[Gareth Hughes]

The artist Carl Laubin (who? I hear you say - well worth checking up on, I reply) has just completed a capriccio of all of Lutyens' buildings. They're all painted to the same 1:200 scale and does bring out just what an astonishing thing his Liverpool Cathedral would have been, had it ever risen above crypt level:

 

[Penners]

What a fascinating picture! I shall forward it on to my architect sister, who lives in California. I know she's a great fan of Lutyens and will be very interested.

Thanks Gareth.

 

[DJH]

Hmm. Frothy stuff. Just an excuse to send Sir (?) Tony Robinson out to India to show repeated scenes of him grinning inanely from the back window of an Indian taxi and walking through some back streets where they are selling plastic face masks!

Doug

 

[Penners]

repeated scenes of [Tony Robinson] grinning inanely from the back window of an Indian taxi and walking through some back streets where they are selling plastic face masks!

Damn! I'm SO sorry I missed that..... :roll:

 

[plasticpigeon]

I was surprised at the size of Baldrick's gut. He must have eaten a lot of dung!

I wonder if Lutyens influenced Albert Speer.

 

[Penners]

The artist Carl Laubin ... has just completed a capriccio of all of Lutyens' buildings. They're all painted to the same 1:200 scale

Gareth, I've been looking at this picture again. When you say that the buildings are all to the same scale, do you mean that the effect of perspective has been ignored? That is, the buildings in the distance are correct in scale to those in the foreground, regardless of their distance from the viewpoint?

What is the large domed building that breaks the skyline on the left, to the rear?

 

[plasticpigeon]

Please Sir, I know this one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashtrapati_Bhawan

 

[Penners]

I wonder if Lutyens influenced Albert Speer.

I'd always understood that Speer drew his inspiration directly from the ancient Romans and Greeks.

Mind you, I don't believe that Lutyens wasn't influenced by the same sources, so maybe there was an element of cross-fertilisation.

 

[Penners]

Please Sir, I know this one.

Yes, yes, all right Pigeon - put your hand down and let someone else answer for a change.

:wink:

PS: Thanks for the information.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

The artist Carl Laubin ... has just completed a capriccio of all of Lutyens' buildings. They're all painted to the same 1:200 scale

Gareth, I've been looking at this picture again. When you say that the buildings are all to the same scale, do you mean that the effect of perspective has been ignored? That is, the buildings in the distance are correct in scale to those in the foreground, regardless of their distance from the viewpoint?

basically yes - the artist has written a good illustrated description of the process of painting it, here
http://www.carllaubin.com/projects/lutyens

In drawing up the buildings, to maintain a degree of consistency, I kept everything at 1:200 scale.This was fortunate as it exposed the most astonishing discrepancy in scale between Lutyens’ design for Liverpool Cathedral and many of the houses which would very nearly fit in the entrance of the Cathedral. I had to check this several times thinking I must have made some error of conversion somewhere along the line – easily done when working from Lutyens’ imperial scale drawings and converting them to 1:200 metric drawings. But no, the Cathedral was spot on in its measurements. I decided that this aspect of scale should remain as a key element of the painting and that rather than create a scene in perspective everything should remain at 1:200 throughout so that comparisons between the buildings could be made. To reflect this idea, I also decided to title the painting, at least for the moment, Metiendo Vivendum, Lutyens’ motto, by measure we live.

 

[Penners]

Fascinating! As you observed, on that basis it really does show the immense scale that Lutyens intended for Liverpool Cathedral. It would have been a wondrous thing!

Thanks again.

 

[DJH]

It's a very clever picture of his completed and built works but how can it include a picture of one that wasn't completed? It's supposition...

Doug