# Modern Buildings in London - Hardcover

by **Ian Nairn** (Author), **Travis Elborough** (Introduction by)

**"Without any doubt, London is one of the best cities in the world for modern architecture. But it is also one of the biggest cities in the world, and it does not make a display of its best things. A visitor looking for new buildings in the City and the West End might well be justified in turning away with a shudder. Yet delightful things may be waiting for him in Lewisham or St. Albans." --Ian Nairn, from the foreword**

As one of the few architectural critics to eschew purely aesthetic modes of analysis, Ian Nairn's timeless books on modern urban cities have been hailed as some of the most significant writing about contemporary Britain, while also being praised as alternative "guidebooks" for curious travelers. First published in 1964, _Modern Buildings in London_ celebrates the character of buildings that were immediately recognizable as "modern" in 1964, many of which were not part of the well-known landscape of London but instead were gems that Nairn stumbled across.

Written "by a layman for laymen," Nairn's take on modern design includes classic London buildings such as the Barbican, the former BBC Television Centre, and the Penguin Pool at Regent's Park Zoo, as well as schools, old timber yards, ambulance stations, car parks, and even care homes.

### Author Biography

**Ian Nairn** (1930-1983) was a British architectural critic and topographer  
who coined the term "subtopia" for the areas around cities that had in his  
view been failed by urban planning, losing their individuality and spirit of  
place. In the 1960s he contributed to the volumes on Surrey and Sussex in Nikolaus Pevsner's _Buildings of England_ series and published a number of his own books, including _Nairn's Paris_ and _Nairn's Towns_, both published by Notting Hill Editions.

**Travis Elborough** is the author of many books, including _Wish You Were_  
_Here: England on Sea_, _The Long-Player Goodbye_, _Through the Looking_  
_Glasses: The Spectacular Life of Spectacles_, and _Atlas of Vanishing Places_,  
winner of Edward Stanford Travel Book Award in 2020.

**Number of Pages:** 176

**Dimensions:** 0.8 x 7.3 x 4.7 IN

**Publication Date:** September 05, 2023

## Details

- **Price:** 21.95 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 21.95 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Modern Buildings in London - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/modern-buildings-in-london-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-23