Architecture

“Not only has Alan Partridge created an entirely new storytelling structure, it’s very funny indeed.” Jon Ronson

‘Partridge… has become the man our time deserves. Aha!’ The Times

In Big Beacon, Norwich’s favourite son and best broadcaster, Alan Partridge, triumphs against the odds. TWICE.

Using an innovative ‘dual narrative’ structure you sometimes see in films, Big Beacon tells the story of how Partridge heroically rebuilt his TV career, rising like a phoenix from the desolate wasteland of local radio to climb to the summit of Mount Primetime and regain the nationwide prominence his talent merits.

But then something quite unexpected and moving, because Big Beacon also tells the story of a selfless man, driven to restore an old lighthouse to its former glory, motivated by nothing more than respect for a quietly heroic old building that many take for granted, which some people think is a metaphor for Alan himself even though it’s not really for them to say.*

Leaving his old life behind and relocating to a small coastal village in Kent, Alan battles through adversity, wins the hearts and minds of a suspicious community, and ultimately shows himself to be a quite wonderful man.

* The two strands will run in tandem, their narrative arcs mirroring each other to make the parallels between the two stories abundantly clear to the less able reader.

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A fascinating insight into Britain’s built heritage and the diverse housing styles of the twentieth and twenty-first century. This book showcases 100 houses – one from each year from 1914 – that represent the range of architectural styles throughout the years and show how housing has adapted to suit urban life. Each house is accompanied by stunning photography and texts written by leading architectural critics and design historians, including Gavin Stamp, Elain Harwood, Barnabas Calder, Ellis Woodman and Gillian Darley.

From specially commissioned architect-designed houses for individuals and for families to housing built for increased workforces, each of the 100 houses brings a different design style or historical story. There are houses built as part of garden cities, semi-detached suburban houses, housing estates, eco-houses, almshouses, converted factories and affordable post-war homes. The architectural styles encompass mock Tudor, modernist, Arts & Crafts and brutalist and the featured architects include Giles Gilbert Scott, Walter Gropius, Edwin Lutyens, Powell and Moya and David Chipperfield.

The book also contains essays that explore the social and political aspects of housing design in Britain over the last 100 years, looking at the impact the World Wars had on housing, exploring domestic technology and building materials and asking how the modern house came about.

Whether exploring Grayson Perry’s folly-like House for Essex, Patrick Gwynne’s modernist glass villa in Surrey, Sarah Wigglesworth’s Straw Bale House or Simon Conder’s black rubber-clad fisherman’s hut in Dungeness, this book gives a glimpse into the wonderful housing in Britain and is a must-have for all fans of design history and architecture.

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Discover the history, legends and folklore of Britain’s most intriguing landmarks

This beautifully illustrated book reveals the secrets and stories of fifty icons of Britain’s landscape.

Some are natural wonders, such as Cheddar Gorge, Sherwood Forest and the white cliffs of Dover. Others were made by our distant ancestors: the standing stones of Avebury and Calanais, the Uffington White Horse, the burial mounds of Sutton Hoo.

Discover how they came to be, the legends and traditions that surround them, and how they have inspired famous writers and poets. Reconnect with our ancient landscape with this fascinating and surprising guide.

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