Description
Following on from the popularity of Six English Towns and Six More English Towns, the respected writer continues his travel adventures in architecture, visiting a different location in each episode.
In this series he visits Cirencester (Gloucestershire), Whitby (North Yorkshire), Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk), Devizes (Wiltshire), Sandwich (Kent) and Durham (North East). But why these towns? “Well,” says Clifton-Taylor in his introduction, “We wanted rather small towns. And we also wanted places that were visually attractive and part of the English tradition.”
“These are not guide book programmes. Our main concern will be with buildings and especially with houses. I’d like every programme to be an exercise in looking. Looking at the changing styles and fashions and at the traditionalbuilding materials of England – stone, brick, wood, plaster.”
Erudite, agreeable and accessible, Clifton-Taylor’s passion for his subject is also displayed in forthright criticism for modern developments that threaten the identity of a community. A champion of pedestrianisation and despiser of multi-storey car parks, he makes a convincing case for the conservation of our traditional living and working spaces.
Separate series of Six English Towns are also available below
